The UFC held a media press conference for UFC Fight Night 26 today in Boston, featuring eight of the main card fighters as well as Irish featherweight Conor McGregor and his opponent Max Hollaway, who will be facing off on the prelims. You want to talk about hype? The press conference began with the unveiling of a fan-made Conor McGregor poster, for God’s sake. Hollaway was asked how he felt about all the attention that McGregor has been receiving lately, but really, that question would be better answered by main card fighters Matt Brown, Mike Pyle, Uriah Hall, and John Howard, who didn’t get a spot at the table thanks to the King of Dublin.
Some highlights from the presser…
– 1:08: The first question comes from Kevin Iole, who asks Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to explain why he hasn’t been able to string together any victories lately. So we’re off to a pretty good start.
– 8:29:Chael Sonnen think that MMA judges do a fine job overall, although “when people are judging people, it’s never fair. It’s not fair in rodeo, it’s not fair in gymnastics, and we’ve got problems in this sport.”
– 10:35: “Dere’s two tings I really like dadiew, and that’s whoop ass and look good, and I’m doin’ wunnadem right now, and Saturday night I’m gonna do deeudda.” – McGregor
(Props: YouTube.com/UFC)
The UFC held a media press conference for UFC Fight Night 26 today in Boston, featuring eight of the main card fighters as well as Irish featherweight Conor McGregor and his opponent Max Hollaway, who will be facing off on the prelims. You want to talk about hype? The press conference began with the unveiling of a fan-made Conor McGregor poster, for God’s sake. Hollaway was asked how he felt about all the attention that McGregor has been receiving lately, but really, that question would be better answered by main card fighters Matt Brown, Mike Pyle, Uriah Hall, and John Howard, who didn’t get a spot at the table thanks to the King of Dublin.
Some highlights from the presser…
– 1:08: The first question comes from Kevin Iole, who asks Mauricio “Shogun” Rua to explain why he hasn’t been able to string together any victories lately. So we’re off to a pretty good start.
– 8:29:Chael Sonnen think that MMA judges do a fine job overall, although “when people are judging people, it’s never fair. It’s not fair in rodeo, it’s not fair in gymnastics, and we’ve got problems in this sport.”
– 10:35: “Dere’s two tings I really like dadiew, and that’s whoop ass and look good, and I’m doin’ wunnadem right now, and Saturday night I’m gonna do deeudda.” – McGregor
– 11:52: Ariel Helwani asks Chael why fans should watch the fights on Saturday. Hilarity ensues. Chael then gets serious and cuts a rather impressive promo about how UFC Fight Night 26 could be the most-viewed combat sports event in TV history.
– 14:09:Michael Johnson mentions World Series of Fighting, immediately regrets it.
– 18:04: ”I’ve got a moral obligation to beat up a lot of guys that I haven’t got to yet, and I will go to whatever weight I need to.” – Sonnen
– 27:15: Dana White blows off some steam about the Culinary Union’s continuous trolling of this event since it was announced.
– 29:25: Dana’s old Boston accent begins to leak through as he pronounces “hockey” as “hawkey.”
– 30:36: Ariel asks Alistair Overeem about the relative lack of attention he’s getting on this event. “Ariel had to have his dick moment today,” Dana says. “There you go, he got it in. Good job, Ariel.”
– 33:32: Sonnen adds another monologue to his trash-talk highlight reel, blasting “Little Nerd” for pulling out of his scheduled fight against Rua. Best part: “Every time Lil’ Nog or Vitor Belfort signs a contract, I go into training camp, because I know an opportunity is going to open up.”
(We may give DW a lot of shit around here but, damn, this sure beats the hell out of casual Friday.)
Although closed-minded enthusiasts on both sides of the fence would scoff at the idea of being compared to the other, there’s no denying the sibling rivalry that exists between Boxing and MMA. Like brothers, we bicker, we call each other “homos,” we even butt heads a time or two. But at the end of the day, we look at each other with a mutual sense of respect, if not admiration…for the most part. Still, that blood feud friendly sense of competition is ever-present.
With that in mind, we come to yet another crossroads in the Boxing vs. MMA debate: “Which sport’s athletes know how to celebrate in style MORE BETTER?”
The only reason we ask is because former welfare recipient turned UFC star and 50’s Ice Cream Shoppe owner, Conor McGregor, recently posted the above video depicting himself and UFC President Dana White touring the streets of Vegas in The Baldfather’s Ferrari. According to a tweet sent out by DW, the duo were celebrating McGregor’s birthday and looked to be having a smashing good time (*fires up trumpet, shimmies off stage*). Considering McGregor’s humble beginnings, it’s great to see the kid racking up KOTN bonuses in the UFC worth more than my annual salary. It just…sooo…great.
And while there’s no denying how baller custom tailored suits and Ferraris are, do they match up with, say, the antics of WBA welterweight champion Adrien Broner? Join us after the jump to see what we mean.
(We may give DW a lot of shit around here but, damn, this sure beats the hell out of casual Friday.)
Although closed-minded enthusiasts on both sides of the fence would scoff at the idea of being compared to the other, there’s no denying the sibling rivalry that exists between Boxing and MMA. Like brothers, we bicker, we call each other “homos,” we even butt heads a time or two. But at the end of the day, we look at each other with a mutual sense of respect, if not admiration…for the most part. Still, that blood feud friendly sense of competition is ever-present.
With that in mind, we come to yet another crossroads in the Boxing vs. MMA debate: “Which sport’s athletes know how to celebrate in style MORE BETTER?”
The only reason we ask is because former welfare recipient turned UFC star and 50′s Ice Cream Shoppe owner, Conor McGregor, recently posted the above video depicting himself and UFC President Dana White touring the streets of Vegas in The Baldfather’s Ferrari. According to a tweet sent out by DW, the duo were celebrating McGregor’s birthday and looked to be having a smashing good time (*fires up trumpet, shimmies off stage*). Considering McGregor’s humble beginnings, it’s great to see the kid racking up KOTN bonuses in the UFC worth more than my annual salary. It just…sooo…great.
And while there’s no denying how baller custom tailored suits and Ferraris are, do they match up with, say, the antics of WBA welterweight champion Adrien Broner? Join us after the jump to see what we mean.
(Skip to the 1:20 mark for the punchline.)
Speaking of fighters living large, here is the eloquently titled, “Adrien Broner takes a shit in Popeyes.” Uploaded by none other than Broner himself, the video depicts Adrien Broner…taking a shit in a Popeyes. I know, not exactly baller, right? Well, at least not until Broner turns the eye of his camera around to show us what we would expect to be a fiery, Bayou Buffalo-fueled shit. However, in a moment rivaling any M. Night Shyamalan movie before he simply gave up, Broner informs us that he is so rich, he literally defecates upwards of $80 every time he sits down. And rather than collect that butt money, he chooses to flush it down the toilet. Pretty classy, but true ballers let their dookie twinkle, baby.
To see if McGregor can score another one of those end-of-the-night bonuses that the UFC is definitely not eliminating (our shocked face can be seen here), make sure to check out his fight with Max Holloway on the preliminary card portion of UFC on FOX Sports 1.
(A throwback, Conor McGregor got all dressed up for the announcement)
The UFC made a couple fight booking announcements late this week. In a featherweight contest, brash KO Irish artist Conor McGregor will face Brit Andy Ogle in Boston on the UFC on Fox Sports 1 card, August 17th. Gabriel Gonzaga is replacing the injured Shane Del Rosario against Dave Herman on the UFC 162 card, July 6th in Las Vegas.
McGregor recently made a stunning UFC debut, knocking Marcus Brimage out at UFC on Fuel TV 9 and earning KO of the night honors. “The Little Axe” Ogle is coming off of his biggest career win to date – a unanimous decision win over Josh Grispi in February.
Gonzaga and Herman’s clash is a particularly pressure-packed situation for both heavyweights. Gonzaga was knocked out cold this past April by Travis Browne and Herman has lost three fights in a row, all by either knockout or submission. Herman is also coming off of a marijuana-related suspension and rehab stint.
*Update*The UFC has also just announced that former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown has un-retired and will face Akira Corassani on the UFC on Fox Sports 1 card in Boston. Brown last fought and won a year ago at UFC 146, against Daniel Pineda. He won the WEC featherweight title by beating Urijah Faber and lost it to Jose Aldo in 2009.
Corassani has won his first two UFC bouts, against Ogle and Robbie Peralta.
(A throwback, Conor McGregor got all dressed up for the announcement)
The UFC made a couple fight booking announcements late this week. In a featherweight contest, brash KO Irish artist Conor McGregor will face Brit Andy Ogle in Boston on the UFC on Fox Sports 1 card, August 17th. Gabriel Gonzaga is replacing the injured Shane Del Rosario against Dave Herman on the UFC 162 card, July 6th in Las Vegas.
McGregor recently made a stunning UFC debut, knocking Marcus Brimage out at UFC on Fuel TV 9 and earning KO of the night honors. “The Little Axe” Ogle is coming off of his biggest career win to date – a unanimous decision win over Josh Grispi in February.
Gonzaga and Herman’s clash is a particularly pressure-packed situation for both heavyweights. Gonzaga was knocked out cold this past April by Travis Browne and Herman has lost three fights in a row, all by either knockout or submission. Herman is also coming off of a marijuana-related suspension and rehab stint.
*Update*The UFC has also just announced that former WEC featherweight champion Mike Brown has un-retired and will face Akira Corassani on the UFC on Fox Sports 1 card in Boston. Brown last fought and won a year ago at UFC 146, against Daniel Pineda. He won the WEC featherweight title by beating Urijah Faber and lost it to Jose Aldo in 2009.
Corassani has won his first two UFC bouts, against Ogle and Robbie Peralta.
(I can’t tell you what my strategy was going in, nor can I tell you who the UFC would like me to face next. All I can tell you is that I’m just a man looking for the bastard children who took me Lucky Charms.)
There was something incredibly familiar about Conor McGregor from the moment he started mean-mugging Marcus Brimage at the UFC on FUEL 9 weigh-ins. His brash arrogance, his complete lack of respect for his opponent’s game, hell, even his body type was positively…Diazian. And although his actual respect for Brimage in his post-fight interview and snappy attire at the post-fight press conference were anything but, we couldn’t help but be reminded of Nick Diaz while McGregor was explaining how dire his financial situation was before earning a $60,000 “Knockout of the Night” bonus last weekend:
I’m just happy I won $60K. I’m just thinking on what I’m going to spend it on. I’ll buy myself a car anyway. A nice car, may be some suits or something. Custom made suits, I don’t know.
Just last week I was collecting the social welfare, you know what I mean? I was in there saying to them like, ‘I don’t know what going to happen. I’m signed to the UFC. I don’t know what….blah, blah, blah. But now I supposed I’m gonna have to tell them to f— off!
I didn’t have money before this… I was collecting 188 Euro ($245) a week off the social welfare. And now here I am, with like 60gs bonus and then my own pay. I don’t know what the f—s going on to be honest, right?
Granted, it’s not exactly “I didn’t go to school for buying a house” levels of silliness, but you’ve got to…respect is the wrong word here…appreciate (?) the guy who openly admits to being on welfare literally seconds before sharing his plans to purchase custom tailored suits. Like Old Dirty Bastard before him, Conor McGregor will be an OG until the day he dies.
A full video of the UFC on FUEL 9 press conference is after the jump.
(I can’t tell you what my strategy was going in, nor can I tell you who the UFC would like me to face next. All I can tell you is that I’m just a man looking for the bastard children who took me Lucky Charms.)
There was something incredibly familiar about Conor McGregor from the moment he started mean-mugging Marcus Brimage at the UFC on FUEL 9 weigh-ins. His brash arrogance, his complete lack of respect for his opponent’s game, hell, even his body type was positively…Diazian. And although his actual respect for Brimage in his post-fight interview and snappy attire at the post-fight press conference were anything but, we couldn’t help but be reminded of Nick Diaz while McGregor was explaining how dire his financial situation was before earning a $60,000 “Knockout of the Night” bonus last weekend:
I’m just happy I won $60K. I’m just thinking on what I’m going to spend it on. I’ll buy myself a car anyway. A nice car, may be some suits or something. Custom made suits, I don’t know.
Just last week I was collecting the social welfare, you know what I mean? I was in there saying to them like, ‘I don’t know what going to happen. I’m signed to the UFC. I don’t know what….blah, blah, blah. But now I supposed I’m gonna have to tell them to f— off!
I didn’t have money before this… I was collecting 188 Euro ($245) a week off the social welfare. And now here I am, with like 60gs bonus and then my own pay. I don’t know what the f—s going on to be honest, right?
Granted, it’s not exactly “I didn’t go to school for buying a house” levels of silliness, but you’ve got to…respect is the wrong word here…appreciate (?) the guy who openly admits to being on welfare literally seconds before sharing his plans to purchase custom tailored suits. Like Old Dirty Bastard before him, Conor McGregor will be an OG until the day he dies.
A full video of the UFC on FUEL 9 press conference is below.
Eh, still more exciting than the Rocky musical. Photo courtesy of Josh Hedges/Getty Images.
Let’s start off by stating the obvious: The last-minute main event of yesterday’s UFC on Fuel TV 9 was an anti-climactic ending to an otherwise gratifying afternoon of sanctioned violence. As hard as we tried to convince ourselves that Swedish prospect Ilir Latifi could be an interesting opponent for highly-regarded Strikeforce import Gegard Mousasi, the actual fight was completely unspectacular. This isn’t to say that either fighter deserves criticism for his performance, but rather, that this sort of thing will happen when a guy who earned a UFC contract by virtue of being willing to replace his injured training partner headlines an event on four days’ notice.
Despite walking out to the Rocky theme, it immediately became clear that a Balboa-esque upset – or even a Wepnerian display of resilience – was not in store for Latifi (though the cuts on his face were vintage Chuck Wepner). Latifi was completely incapable of avoiding Mousasi’s jab, which prevented him from getting close enough to The Dreamcatcher to actually put his wrestling prowess to use. As carefree as Mousasi looked – did he even blink during those rare occasions when Latifi landed punches? – he was in complete control throughout the bout, jabbing his way to a unanimous decision victory.
Eh, still more exciting than the Rocky musical. Photo courtesy of Josh Hedges/Getty Images.
Let’s start off by stating the obvious: The last-minute main event of yesterday’s UFC on Fuel TV 9 was an anti-climactic ending to an otherwise gratifying afternoon of sanctioned violence. As hard as we tried to convince ourselves that Swedish prospect Ilir Latifi could be an interesting opponent for highly-regarded Strikeforce import Gegard Mousasi, the actual fight was completely unspectacular. This isn’t to say that either fighter deserves criticism for his performance, but rather, that this sort of thing will happen when a guy who earned a UFC contract by virtue of being willing to replace his injured training partner headlines an event on four days’ notice.
Despite walking out to the Rocky theme, it immediately became clear that a Balboa-esque upset – or even a Wepnerian display of resilience – was not in store for Latifi (though the cuts on his face were vintage Chuck Wepner). Latifi was completely incapable of avoiding Mousasi’s jab, which prevented him from getting close enough to The Dreamcatcher to actually put his wrestling prowess to use. As carefree as Mousasi looked – did he even blink during those rare occasions when Latifi landed punches? – he was in complete control throughout the bout, jabbing his way to a unanimous decision victory.
Mousasi’s “standing lay-and-pray” (his words, not mine) may not have made for the most exciting fight, but his strategy was undeniably effective. A boring fight probably won’t advance Mousasi in the UFC’s official rankings as far as a devastating finish would have, but a loss to an unknown nobody would have certainly done irreparable damage to his credibility. It’s better to take an ugly victory than get reckless looking for a quick finish – especially against a wrestler you’ve only had a few days to prepare for.
One last thing before we move on to the rest of the card. For his performance against Mousasi, Ilir Latifi will be given another shot in the UFC. Considering he saved the main event from cancellation, this comes as a surprise to absolutely no one.
Elsewhere on the card…
– Despite winning the first round by utilizing an effective clinch, Ryan Couture was simply no match for the far more experienced Ross Pearson. Couture was ineffective outside of the clinch, and he was unable to take Pearson down. Once Pearson found his rhythm against the inexperienced Couture, he patiently waited for the right opportunity, and capitalized on it while Ryan Couture was getting back to his feet after a trip. With the victory, Pearson improves to 15-6 in his career. Not bad at all for a guy who fought on a broken foot. [Update: Turns out it wasn’t actually broken, just jacked up…]
The comparisons of Ryan to Randy – especially after what has only been Ryan’s eighth professional bout – aren’t exactly fair, but even Peyton Manning started off as “Archie’s boy.” Besides, when Natural Light (who is not actually called this, fortunately) landed a spot in the co-main event for his UFC debut, it was probably inevitable that fans would attribute this to his last name and his father’s career rather than the strength of his Strikeforce resume. This isn’t to say that Ryan Couture won’t develop into an outstanding fighter, but rather, that he isn’t quite there yet. It’ll be interesting to see how he rebounds from this loss.
– For all intents and purposes, Matt Mitrione vs. Philip De Fries appeared to be a classic loser leaves town match. The fact that it ended in less time than Bucky Boyd vs. The Tree seems to confirm this notion. And regardless of how much job security guys who stand and bang and make less than $50,000 to show typically have, knocking yourself out by running into your opponent’s hipbone just has to earn you a pink slip…right?
Look on the bright side, Philip: There’s a strong possibility that you’ll take home an award during this year’s Potato Awards. Granted, MMA Fail of the Year isn’t our most coveted award, but at least it’s something.
– Fight of the Night honors went to Brad Pickett and Mike Easton, who took part in a highly entertaining three round scrap. Pickett managed to take the fight by being the busier fighter, out-striking Mike Easton throughout the contest. Still, Easton managed to keep things close by taking Pickett down in the second round, and even managed to win the bout on one judge’s scorecard. I don’t see how one judge could give Easton the fight, but in the end, the right call was made.
– Diego Brandao looked more impressive last night than he has at any other point during his UFC career. Granted, that isn’t saying too much, but he looked like he has figured out how to pace himself while choking out Pablo Garza. Also from the main card, Swedish featherweight Akira Corassani kicked things off with a unanimous decision upset over Robbie Peralta.
– Knockout of the Night went to Irish phenom Conor McGregor, who absolutely crushed Marcus Brimage in his UFC debut, demonstrating he’s more than capable of living up to his hype. McGregor has already been given a spot on the UFC’s Fox Sports 1 debut in Boston this August. The bonus money couldn’t have possibly come at a better time for McGregor, who revealed during the post-event press conference that he had been receiving welfare leading up to the fight.
– Submission of the night went to Swedish lightweight Reza Madadi, who finished Michael Johnson via third round d’arce choke. Madadi improves his UFC record to 2-1, and his overall record to 13-3 with the victory.
– All end of the night bonuses were worth $60,000.
Full Results:
Main Card:
Gegard Mousasi def. Ilir Latifi via Unanimous Decision
Ross Pearson def. Ryan Couture via TKO (punches), 3:45 of Round Two
Matt Mitrione def. Phil De Fries via KO (punches), 0:19 of Round One
Brad Pickett def. Mike Easton via Split Decision
Diego Brandao def. Pablo Garza via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke), 3:27 of Round One
Akira Corassani def. Robbie Peralta via Unanimous Decision
Preliminary card:
Reza Madadi def. Michael Johnson via Submission (D’arce Choke), 1:33 of Round Three
Tor Troéng def. Adam Cella via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), 3:11 of Round One
Adlan Amagov def. Chris Spång via Unanimous Decision
Conor McGregor def. Marcus Brimage via TKO (Punches), 1:07 of Round One
Ryan LaFlare def. Ben Alloway via Unanimous Decision
Tom Lawlor def. Michael Kuiper via Submission (Guillotine Choke), 1:05 of Round Two
Papy Abedi def. Besam Yousef via Split Decision
(Truer words have never been spoken. YEAH, I SAID IT.)
Although TUF 14 alum and noted Dragon Ball Z enthusiast Marcus Brimage might not be a name on everyone’s tongue at the moment, he is quickly gaining a reputation as the featherweight division’s greatest hype train derailer (?). An African American T.E Lawrence with better tumbling skills, if you will. In his past two contests, Brimage has thrown a wrench into the plans of such highly lauded 145ers as Maximo Blanco (who to be fair, had his hype at least partially deflated by Pat Healy in his previous fight) and Jimy Hettes. Clearly the UFC has recognized Brimage’s current position as a litmus test for future prospects, as he has recently been booked to take on Irish phenom and two-division Cage Warriors champion, Conor McGregor, in a featherweight bout at UFC on FUEL 9.
When we last caught up with McGregor, he had moved up to lightweight to secure his second championship belt via a spectacular KO of Ivan Buchinger. Currently sporting a 12-2 record that includes 11 (T)KO victories and 9 first round stoppages, McGregor has put together an eight fight win streak over the past two years.
Will Brimage pull off yet another upset, or will he end up as another entry on McGregor’s lengthy highlight reel? Check out a couple videos of the Irishman in action after the jump and let us know in the comments section.
(Truer words have never been spoken. YEAH, I SAID IT.)
Although TUF 14 alum and noted Dragon Ball Z enthusiast Marcus Brimage might not be a name on everyone’s tongue at the moment, he is quickly gaining a reputation as the featherweight division’s greatest hype train derailer (?). An African American T.E Lawrence with better tumbling skills, if you will. In his past two contests, Brimage has thrown a wrench into the plans of such highly lauded 145ers as Maximo Blanco (who to be fair, had his hype at least partially deflated by Pat Healy in his previous fight) and Jimy Hettes. Clearly the UFC has recognized Brimage’s current position as a litmus test for future prospects, as he has recently been booked to take on Irish phenom and two-division Cage Warriors champion, Conor McGregor, in a featherweight bout at UFC on FUEL 9.
When we last caught up with McGregor, he had moved up to lightweight to secure his second championship belt via a spectacular KO of Ivan Buchinger. Currently sporting a 12-2 record that includes 11 (T)KO victories and 9 first round stoppages, McGregor has put together an eight fight win streak over the past two years.
Will Brimage pull off yet another upset, or will he end up as another entry on McGregor’s lengthy highlight reel? Check out a couple videos of the Irishman in action below and let us know in the comments section.
