Tag: Demian Maia

Tyron Woodley Wants To Punch Dana White In The Face

Recently UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has been in a public war of words with UFC president Dana White. While it’s far from the first time we’ve seen a similar scene unfold, this time, the drama centers on White calling Woodley ‘full of s**t’ when he revealed he had been offered a title fight versus […]

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Recently UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has been in a public war of words with UFC president Dana White.

While it’s far from the first time we’ve seen a similar scene unfold, this time, the drama centers on White calling Woodley ‘full of s**t’ when he revealed he had been offered a title fight versus supposedly returning fan favorite Nate Diaz.

‘The Chosen One’ wants to clear the situation, so he addressed it on his ‘Hollywood Beatdown’ segment on TMZ Sports, clarifying that he didn’t say he had received a contract to face Diaz yet, just that the fight had been discussed in December and once again now:

“I don’t want people to think that I’m full of sh*t, as my boss said. And that I’m making this sh*t up. That a fight with me and Nate was never talked about in December and has never been brought up since then — that is bullshit. It has. Did I get a contract to fight Nate? No, I did not. So, if I’m not thinking about the highest prize as a prizefighter, I am a complete idiot. I should suicide slap myself.”

The discussion stemmed from an interview with ESPN where Woodley stated he thought Diaz would be his next fight, eliciting the harsh reaction from White. But Woodley said he was merely stating his thoughts, and never claimed anything resembling an official agreement had been made – just initial opening negotiations. From there, the champ said, things got a little blown out of proportion:

“I’m entitled to think whatever the hell I want to thin. I didn’t say, ‘Hey, the UFC has a bout agreement, we’re in the process of negotiations, Dana White called me and offered me the fight.’ So everyone took that and they ran through the roof with their perception of what that meant.”

Finally, Woodley said in a somewhat joking segment that he wanted to punch White in the face and wasn’t the only fighter in the UFC who wanted to sock the brash frontman:

“Let’s punch Dana White in the face. I know so many fighters on the UFC roster may have been wanting to do this for a long time.

“You gotta get these hands. Can’t hide behind the black suit and the promotion anymore. You gotta get this right hand.”

Woodley’s clash with White is only the latest in an ever-growing, never-ending list of fighters who have an issue with the longtime president under new owners Endeavor.

With each passing event, White seems to be throwing more fighters under the bus, a baffling instance of counterproductivity considering he’s trashing the athletes who he’s supposed to be promoting and also the athletes responsible for aiding Endeavor in making back their $4.2 billion investment.

Fighter morale seems to be at an all-time low in the UFC as of right now, and Woodley is one of the biggest-name fighters to make his discontent public, although he’s far from the only one. Will White continue to stand in his own – and Endeavor’s – way?

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Five Ways The UFC Is Becoming More Like WWE

When UFC 1 took place on a cold November night back in 1993 from McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado, it ignited the beginning of the world’s foremost mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, fueled by the concept of the best fighting the best to call themselves champion. It may have been extremely rough around the edges in […]

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When UFC 1 took place on a cold November night back in 1993 from McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado, it ignited the beginning of the world’s foremost mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, fueled by the concept of the best fighting the best to call themselves champion.

It may have been extremely rough around the edges in those ‘dark’ days where the sport having few rules and regulation had it on the precipice of doom, but the opposite is very much true today. After the Fertitta brothers along with Dana White purchased the UFC for a paltry sum and turned it into a legitimately regulated competition watched on pay-per-view the world over, the UFC exploded into a global brand that put shows on nearly every weekend.

When its popularity peaked in 2016 on the heels of the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rivalry, the Fertitta brothers saw an opportunity to cash in, and cash in they did. Selling the UFC to Hollywood talent giant WME-IMG (now Endeavor) for a then-record $4.2 billion, one of the biggest franchise sales in sports (of any kind) history was complete. But all was not rosy. This year has seen the advent of some truly horrific pay-per-view and television ratings, with UFC 213, UFC 215, and UFC 216 ranking as three of the lowest-watched PPVs ever, while December’s TUF 26 Finale was the least-watched UFC live event of all-time.

So while it was undoubtedly rough around the edges in its infancy, the UFC is dealing with a whole different set of problems heading into 2018, and many would argue that the UFC owners don’t exactly know what they’re doing. A growing sense is that the Hollywood agency is now trying to book the more mainstream, over-the-top spectacle fights rather than those that clearly have a more legitimate meaning based on meritocracy.

It’s lead to a steady stream of criticism that the UFC is becoming more like pro-wrestling and their WWE counterpart, obviously not the most endearing of words from fight fans. The argument, unfortunately, cannot be totally denied. Let’s take a look at the reasons why:

Jason Silva/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire

5.) Titles Mean Next To Nothing:

Endeavor has to be commended for finally getting the middleweight division moving in the right direction by booking Robert Whittaker vs. Luke Rockhold for UFC 221, but there is one weight class that is an absolute mess in the UFC.

It’s obviously Conor McGregor’s held-hostage lightweight division, where “The Notorious” fought once and won the belt way back at UFC 205 in November 2016 before leaving to box – and lose – to Floyd Mayweather for the entirety of 2017. McGregor made the record-setting payday he was always looking for and can’t be blamed for doing it, but the fact remains the 155-pound landscape, which is still one of the most talented in MMA, has no clarity whatsoever at the current moment.

An interim belt was given to Tony Ferguson at October’s UFC 216, but without a path to a unification bout with McGregor, he opted to have elbow surgery, leaving not one but two champions on the sidelines with no real news about a return. Take into account the middleweight situation as well, where Michael Bisping was allowed to avoid the top 10 contenders by facing a retiring No. 14 Dan Henderson and an unretiring Georges St-Pierre, who had never even fought in the division. St-Pierre won and vacated the belt hardly a month later.

Interim titles are also created around much more frequently, making them seem more like the WWE titles that are handed over and won back on a never-ending cycle.

Because of these occurrences, UFC titles seem like little more than gold belts to be flaunted after a win rather than symbols of true MMA supremacy to be defended with pride.

The post Five Ways The UFC Is Becoming More Like WWE appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Five Ways The UFC Is Becoming More Like WWE

When UFC 1 took place on a cold November night back in 1993 from McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado, it ignited the beginning of the world’s foremost mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, fueled by the concept of the best fighting the best to call themselves champion. It may have been extremely rough around the edges in […]

The post Five Ways The UFC Is Becoming More Like WWE appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

When UFC 1 took place on a cold November night back in 1993 from McNichols Arena in Denver, Colorado, it ignited the beginning of the world’s foremost mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, fueled by the concept of the best fighting the best to call themselves champion.

It may have been extremely rough around the edges in those ‘dark’ days where the sport having few rules and regulation had it on the precipice of doom, but the opposite is very much true today. After the Fertitta brothers along with Dana White purchased the UFC for a paltry sum and turned it into a legitimately regulated competition watched on pay-per-view the world over, the UFC exploded into a global brand that put shows on nearly every weekend.

When its popularity peaked in 2016 on the heels of the Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz rivalry, the Fertitta brothers saw an opportunity to cash in, and cash in they did. Selling the UFC to Hollywood talent giant WME-IMG (now Endeavor) for a then-record $4.2 billion, one of the biggest franchise sales in sports (of any kind) history was complete. But all was not rosy. This year has seen the advent of some truly horrific pay-per-view and television ratings, with UFC 213, UFC 215, and UFC 216 ranking as three of the lowest-watched PPVs ever, while December’s TUF 26 Finale was the least-watched UFC live event of all-time.

So while it was undoubtedly rough around the edges in its infancy, the UFC is dealing with a whole different set of problems heading into 2018, and many would argue that the UFC owners don’t exactly know what they’re doing. A growing sense is that the Hollywood agency is now trying to book the more mainstream, over-the-top spectacle fights rather than those that clearly have a more legitimate meaning based on meritocracy.

It’s lead to a steady stream of criticism that the UFC is becoming more like pro-wrestling and their WWE counterpart, obviously not the most endearing of words from fight fans. The argument, unfortunately, cannot be totally denied. Let’s take a look at the reasons why:

Jason Silva/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire

5.) Titles Mean Next To Nothing:

Endeavor has to be commended for finally getting the middleweight division moving in the right direction by booking Robert Whittaker vs. Luke Rockhold for UFC 221, but there is one weight class that is an absolute mess in the UFC.

It’s obviously Conor McGregor’s held-hostage lightweight division, where “The Notorious” fought once and won the belt way back at UFC 205 in November 2016 before leaving to box – and lose – to Floyd Mayweather for the entirety of 2017. McGregor made the record-setting payday he was always looking for and can’t be blamed for doing it, but the fact remains the 155-pound landscape, which is still one of the most talented in MMA, has no clarity whatsoever at the current moment.

An interim belt was given to Tony Ferguson at October’s UFC 216, but without a path to a unification bout with McGregor, he opted to have elbow surgery, leaving not one but two champions on the sidelines with no real news about a return. Take into account the middleweight situation as well, where Michael Bisping was allowed to avoid the top 10 contenders by facing a retiring No. 14 Dan Henderson and an unretiring Georges St-Pierre, who had never even fought in the division. St-Pierre won and vacated the belt hardly a month later.

Interim titles are also created around much more frequently, making them seem more like the WWE titles that are handed over and won back on a never-ending cycle.

Because of these occurrences, UFC titles seem like little more than gold belts to be flaunted after a win rather than symbols of true MMA supremacy to be defended with pride.

The post Five Ways The UFC Is Becoming More Like WWE appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Colby Covington Now Beefing With A Retired Fighter Online

No. 3-ranked UFC welterweight Colby Covington has made headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent months, from calling the people of Sao Paulo, Brazil, “filthy animals” following his win over Demian Maia to pressing charges on Fabricio Werdum for allegedly assaulting him with a boomerang in Sydney, Australia. The brash American Top Team fighter […]

The post Colby Covington Now Beefing With A Retired Fighter Online appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

No. 3-ranked UFC welterweight Colby Covington has made headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent months, from calling the people of Sao Paulo, Brazil, “filthy animals” following his win over Demian Maia to pressing charges on Fabricio Werdum for allegedly assaulting him with a boomerang in Sydney, Australia.

The brash American Top Team fighter has done all of it seemingly in search of a welterweight title shot against current champion Tyron Woodley, who he has repeatedly bashed online. But with Woodley undergoing shoulder surgery in the near future, that is anything but a certainty. Woodley discussed the 170-pound title picture with retired former UFC title contender Kenny Florian on last night’s episode of “UFC Tonight,” where both fighters thought he should face fighters like Darren Till and Stephen Thompson before getting a title shot:

The spot got Covington all fired up, and he proceeded to bash Florian’s UFC record and his supposedly questionable title shot, adding in more of his off-the-wall trash talk that just makes it seem like he’s trying too hard with a Ben Still reference:

Florian responded, however, noting that after Covington had used homophobic slurs in public, he was now picking on people with disabilities:

Of course, Covington wasn’t done talking, calling Florian out for his plagiarism of boxing analyst Lee Wylie and continuing to bash his UFC resume:

Covington’s brand of talk is now apparently extending to every reach of the MMA world including retirees. It’s a fair question to ask if it’s actually working, however, as not many are calling for him to face Woodley or even close to that.

True, trash talk has taken a spot at the forefront of UFC fight booking in the Conor McGregor era, but let’s remember – McGregor’s trash talk was actually entertaining. Convington’s is not, and people seem to want him to go away rather than fight the top contenders, even to see him lose. What is your take on MMA’s newest ‘most outspoken’ contender?

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Dana White Downplays Colby Covington’s Brazil Comments

Surging UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington drew the collective ire of Brazilian fight fans following his win over Demian Maia at October 28’s UFC Fight Night 119 from Sao Paulo, calling the town a ‘dump’ and its inhabitants ‘filthy animals’ to the point where he had to be escorted backstage by security as the riled-up crowd […]

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Surging UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington drew the collective ire of Brazilian fight fans following his win over Demian Maia at October 28’s UFC Fight Night 119 from Sao Paulo, calling the town a ‘dump’ and its inhabitants ‘filthy animals’ to the point where he had to be escorted backstage by security as the riled-up crowd threw trash at him.

After the bout, UFC exec David Shaw revealed the promotion was “taking the situation with Covington very seriously” and “it’s something that we are not very happy about.”

That may have implied that Covington was in line for some sort of punishment for the callout, but after UFC President Dana White recently told reporters (via Combate) that Covington wouldn’t be punished and that Brazilian fans were tough enough to handle his words:

“I mean, listen, at the end of the day this is the fight business and people say a lot of mean things. I think the Brazilian people are tough enough to handle a guy saying some stuff to them at the end of the day. This has happened before. I don’t remember where we were but Al Iaquinta told all the fans to go f*ck themselves and a lot of other things that weren’t very nice.

“Obviously, we don’t like it and we frown upon it and we talk to these guys about stuff like that, but fights get very emotional, you know? It happens. I don’t think the Brazilian people should take it personal.”

Wite is correct that it’s the fight game and derogatory statements get thrown about each and every day, especially in the currently trash-talk focused MMA landscape.

Ranked at No. 3 and climbing, Covington is doing something right, although it remains to be seen if it actually earns him a big fight thanks to his reputation as one of MMA’s biggest blowhards among many fans.

He’s looking for a title shot against injured current welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, something White recently said the winner of the Robbie Lawler vs. Rafael dos Anjos UFC on FOX 26 main event will receive. So while the brash ATT-based wrestler may be doing everything he can to secure a big fight with his loud mouth, he may have to wait and win one more high-profile bout before he reaches that territory.

He’s not going to be suspended for badmouthing Brazil if and when he does, however.

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Colby Covington Describes ‘Awesome’ Backstage Chaos In Sao Paulo

This past weekend (Sat. October 28, 2017) UFC welterweight Colby Covington picked up the biggest win of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career when he defeated former 185 and 170-pound title challenger Demian Maia. Covington earned a unanimous decision win over Maia in his own backyard of Brazil. After his victory, however, Covington made some […]

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This past weekend (Sat. October 28, 2017) UFC welterweight Colby Covington picked up the biggest win of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career when he defeated former 185 and 170-pound title challenger Demian Maia.

Covington earned a unanimous decision win over Maia in his own backyard of Brazil. After his victory, however, Covington made some controversial comments towards the Brazilian crowd by calling them “animals.” In the build-up to the bout Covington had been antagonizing Brazilian fans for weeks before finally stepping into the cage with Maia.

As he made his walk to the cage Saturday fans expressed a great deal of hatred for Covington – and he loved it (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“It was crazy, man,” Covington said. “The experience, it was awesome. You know, I love that. I knew I was going into hostile territory. I knew they were gonna be real sad, there was gonna be a lot of people pissed after I beat Demian. I expected that. It was awesome, man. It was a fun time.”

Photo by Jason Silva for USA TODAY Sports

Covington was visibly absent from the post-fight press conference after the event, as UFC executive David Shaw claimed the promotion was not happy with his comments to the crowd and they would be reviewed by brass. When Covington was asked about why he didn’t attend the presser he claimed it was for security purposes:

“I had my suit ready,” Covington said. “I was all dressed up, ready to go. But then [UFC official] Reed [Harris] put me in the van. He was like, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta get you out of here. We don’t know if it’s safe for you to be here.’ They either pulled me for two reasons. They either pulled me because they thought it was dangerous and they didn’t know if it would be good. Or they pulled me because they thought I was gonna say more controversial comments about Brazil.

“We went in through the negative levels,” Covington said. “They guarded me up the elevator. They wouldn’t let anybody else on the elevator. We ducked so no one sees us over the balcony. We walked back to our room. I’m in my room on lockdown.”

As anyone would be, Covington admitted that he was a little nervous about being recognized at the airport; where he wore sunglasses, a hoodie, and a hat:

“Yeah, for sure,” Covington said. “I was a little nervous. I can’t lie. I’m not gonna come lie to you today. I’m not a liar, I’m a truth teller.”

Even before he made his walk out to the cage Covington claims that Brazilian fans were already yelling obscenities at him. Covington feels that some professionalism should’ve kicked in for the Brazilian crowd – who should’ve shown him more respect:

“I just didn’t like how they treated me when I was in the tunnel before the walkout to the fight. I’m sitting in the tunnel and they’re yelling all these things. ‘Oh, I f*cked your mom,’ this and that. Stuff about me, ‘Oh, you’re gonna die.’ Throwing cups and stuff and hot dogs.

“You need to respect me,” he said. “I’m going into a fight, this is professionals. So, I just felt disrespected by them. I didn’t say anything that was too outlandish.”

Jason Silva for USA TODAY Sports

Given the way things went this past weekend, Covington doesn’t think he’ll be making an appearance in Brazil again:

“No, not at all,” Covington said. “With the way they treat people over there, you can’t do that over in Canada, Ariel. You can’t do that in USA. You won’t hear whole crowds doing stuff like that and the things they do. So, I don’t think I crossed any line. America.

“I’m a company man,” he said. “I’ll go wherever the UFC wants me to go. But I probably wont be making an appearance back in Brazil.”

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