Tag: Eddie Alvarez

Conor McGregor Goes Off At UFC 229 Open Workouts

The main event of this weekend’s (Sat., October 6, 2018) UFC 229 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, is getting heat like no other UFC PPV. So it’s hardly a surprise that Conor McGregor goes off at the open workouts. McGregor is finally set to return. He’s been on a nearly two-year absence. Now, […]

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The main event of this weekend’s (Sat., October 6, 2018) UFC 229 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, is getting heat like no other UFC PPV. So it’s hardly a surprise that Conor McGregor goes off at the open workouts.

McGregor is finally set to return. He’s been on a nearly two-year absence. Now, he will step back into the Octagon to face lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Their rivalry extends far out of the cage, though. The Irish former champ was obviously arrested on assault charges for his infamous New York City bus attack this April.

“The Notorious” continued his trash talk by berating Khabib, his father, and his manager to the fullest during the lone press event for the card thus far. That got the hype rolling, yet McGregor took things to another level during today’s (Wed., October 3, 2018) UFC 229 open workouts from the Park Theater in Las Vegas.

McGregor took the mic from Megan Olivi and proceeded to sounds off like he can. He first offered his excitement at being back doing what he does best (via MMA Fighting):

“Yeah, it’s good to be back doing the thing I love the most, and that’s competing for my fans. Saturday night, it’s gonna be short, trust me on that. I’m going to take his head off, trust me.”

He was then asked for his prediction for the momentous bout. True to form, McGregor predicted another devastating knockout in true ‘Mystic Mac’ style:

“Devastating KO. Too easy to hit, too flat-footed too predictable. I’m gonna knock him clean out.”

What Wrestling?

Khabib has never lost in the UFC or MMA, let alone been knocked out. McGregor doesn’t care about that. He’s more focused on implementing his dangerous striking skills. The former two-division UFC champ admitted as much. He doesn’t even care about Khabib’s fearsome wrestling and grappling.

MMA’s biggest star said he was coming out of the gate guns blazing:

“I’m gonna come out the gate fast. I don’t give a f*ck about anything — any wrestling, any technique, any anything. I’m coming for that man’s head from the f*cking bell. Trust me on that.”

The hype for UFC 229 should get kicked into pure overdrive due to tomorrow’s pre-fight press conference. Fans will be allowed to attend this time unlike the New York City presser. McGregor should be on absolute fire as a result.

From the look of things, however, he already is.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Updates Weight Status Before UFC 229

It’s time Khabib Nurmagomedov updates his weight status heading into Saturday’s (Oct. 6, 2018) UFC 229 from Las Vegas. The lightweight champion’s weight has been a hot topic before the biggest fight of his career. It’s for good reason. Nurmagomedov was missed weight before. His scheduled UFC 209 interim title bout with Tony Ferguson was […]

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It’s time Khabib Nurmagomedov updates his weight status heading into Saturday’s (Oct. 6, 2018) UFC 229 from Las Vegas.

The lightweight champion’s weight has been a hot topic before the biggest fight of his career. It’s for good reason. Nurmagomedov was missed weight before. His scheduled UFC 209 interim title bout with Tony Ferguson was called off as a result.

Uncertainty brews and McGregor’s team is even concerned about the Dagestani combatant being on point at weigh-ins. It would be an extremely costly weight miss. The undefeated Nurmagomedov is most likely headed for his biggest payday. More importantly, he could finally become a mainstream star with a victory. He won’t make McGregor’s record-breaking MMA payday, but it will certainly be Khabib’s most lucrative purse.

The fight has to happen first. The MMA world is on pins and needles hoping that their biggest-ever match goes off without a hitch in five days’ time. Khabib has certainly dealt with a ton of serious injuries in recent years.

‘The Eagle’ said on this week’s “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show” that he was thankful to be in good shape. He clarified that his weight was good:

“Now I have belt, I am undisputed, undefeated. Now, this is my third fight in my last nine months. It’s like we part of the pay-per-view, everything And like five days before the fight, this is crazy.

“Now we’re here, my weight is good, my shape is good. I’m 30 years old, I’m still hungry, I’m still young for this sport. This is crazy.”

The champ claimed he was already at 166 pounds and would make weight “no problem” for the match.

Beyond that, Khabib obviously has a long history with McGregor.

Photo: Noah K. Murray for USA TODAY Sports

More Than Personal

The Irish former champion was arrested for his infamous bus attack this April. He threw a metal dolly through a bus containing Nurmagomedov prior to UFC 223.

Because of the scene, Helwani asked Khabib if the fight was more than just a title defense. “The Eagle” admitted that indeed it was. Nurmagomedov claimed he was chomping at the bit to make McGregor pay:

“Yeah, I agree. This is a little bit more than defending my title, more than fight for the title. You know this more than like, fight. It’s a little bit personal for, of course, and you know, I wanna make this guy pay, you know? This guy gonna pay about everything, what he say, what he did.

“In like five days, I’m gonna be very happy. We here now, and we very close.”

But he stopped short at sounding cocky before the biggest fight of his life. The always-humble Khabib acknowledged that McGregor had lethal timing and striking skills he could not underestimate:

“I’m not underestimating this guy, I know this guy have good timing, good boxing.”

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UFC 229 Embedded Episode 1: Conor McGregor Is Back & Boasting

UFC 229 is less than a week away and the first episode of Embedded was released on the UFC’s YouTube channel. In the episode, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov finishes his training camp, surrounded by his coach, fans and “big energy.” Former lightweight champions Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis prepare in their respective hometowns for a high-stakes […]

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UFC 229 is less than a week away and the first episode of Embedded was released on the UFC’s YouTube channel.

In the episode, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov finishes his training camp, surrounded by his coach, fans and “big energy.” Former lightweight champions Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis prepare in their respective hometowns for a high-stakes co-main event. And two-division champ Conor McGregor returns to form, gathering his team for a late-night training session in Las Vegas.

You can watch it here:

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Khabib Unveils Plan To Crush Conor McGregor’s Hype

Khabib has a plan to crush Conor McGregor’s hype in the main event of this Saturday night’s (October 6, 2018) UFC 229 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Undefeated champ Nurmagomedov is the betting favorite over McGregor. The fight is being billed as the biggest in UFC history, and there’s truth to that due […]

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Khabib has a plan to crush Conor McGregor’s hype in the main event of this Saturday night’s (October 6, 2018) UFC 229 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Undefeated champ Nurmagomedov is the betting favorite over McGregor. The fight is being billed as the biggest in UFC history, and there’s truth to that due to the stakes involved. McGregor will be returning off a nearly two-year layoff. He even admitted he maybe lost some love for the fight game during his absence.

That’s perhaps not the best thing to be admitting when you’re about to enter a locked cage with a mauler like Khabib. And not surprisingly, the champ is looking to do just that to McGregor – maul him. He’s not much for trash talk, but the stoic Dagestani wrestler has a plan to crush McGregor’s hype regardless.

Nurmagomedov recently told ESPN that he would indeed talk a bit of trash when he mauls him in the Octagon. Not surprisingly, it will be centered on his infamous New York bus attack from earlier this year:

“This gonna be long night for him. I’m gonna make him tired, I’m gonna maul him inside the cage. I’m gonna ask him, ‘Hey, where’s your bus? Where’s your other guys? What happened now? Where’s everything?’ Sometimes you never know what you wanna say. Little bit talk with Dana, with him, crush his hype.”

“The Eagle” wouldn’t jump headfirst into playing McGregor’s game at the only major press event for UFC 229 in New York City two weeks ago. He’s more focused on doing what he has to do in the fight. It’s a plan he rarely deviates from as one of the most calm and calculating fighters in MMA.

He’s also one of the most dominant, so McGregor more than has his work cut out for him in Las Vegas this weekend. Nurmagomedov has to play his cards right as well. McGregor is one of the most dangerous strikers in UFC history.

That all adds up to quite possibly the most intriguing fight in MMA history or at least the most intriguing in a long time. Who is your pick to come out victorious?

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Scott Coker Discusses Eddie Alvarez Possibly Re-Signing With Bellator

Could “The Underground King” be on his way back to Bellator?

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There’s been a ton of speculation on if Eddie Alvarez could be returning to Bellator MMA.

Bellator MMA President Scott Coker was asked about the matter by MMA Fighting at Bellator 206 media day. In regards to seeing Alvarez back in Bellator, Coker said it doesn’t seem likely at this point. He admitted Bellator personnel spoke to Alvarez, but nothing came out of it :

“It doesn’t seem likely at this point,” Coker said. “I think that they had a conversation with Eddie and I’m not sure where it’s at. But I don’t think it took a second, it wasn’t like it was something that was picking up any steam so I’m not sure.”

Alvarez was previously with Bellator and was essentially the face of the promotion. He even competed on Bellator 1 in 2009. “The Underground King” put on a pair of absolute classic 155-pound title fights with Michael Chandler.

Unfortunately, the Philadelphia native didn’t get along too well with former promotion President Bjorn Rebney. He was later released from his contract in 2014 before signing with the UFC. Alvarez defeated Rafael dos Anjos via first-round knockout to win the UFC lightweight title in July of 2016.

Later that year, Alvarez would be one-half of one of the biggest fights in UFC history. He headlined the UFC’s first card from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Unfortunately for him, he dropped the 155-pound title to Conor McGregor via second-round knockout.

Alvarez fought out the final bout on his UFC contract this past July. He put on a heavy-hitting affair with Dustin Poirier in Calgary, which he lost via TKO. It will be interesting to see where “The Underground King” winds up.

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Ben Askren Destroys Nate Diaz Amidst UFC 165-Pound Hype

It’s apparently time Ben Askren destroys Nate Diaz. Askren is currently retired. But that won’t stop him from offering his opinion on the buzzing discussion about a new UFC 165-pound division. Normal lightweights Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier have been going back-and-forth on social media trying to get the UFC to finally create the often-rumored […]

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It’s apparently time Ben Askren destroys Nate Diaz.

Askren is currently retired. But that won’t stop him from offering his opinion on the buzzing discussion about a new UFC 165-pound division. Normal lightweights Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier have been going back-and-forth on social media trying to get the UFC to finally create the often-rumored division.

While the UFC isn’t biting as of yet, Diaz has kept the pressure high to get the ball rolling at 165. He even issued them a classic Diaz “don’t be scared” tweet.

“Funky” Fires Back

Askren seemingly couldn’t take the jawing. The undefeated welterweight tweeted a seething response to Diaz’ claim, trashing his record, wrestling skill, and physical appearance:

“Nothing about you is very scary. Arms the size of a noodle, takedown defense like a middle schooler and very amateur smack talk. I highly doubt anyone is scared of someone who is 6-6 in his last 12.”

Askren’s Stats

Askren was then reminded that Diaz had never pulled out of a fight whether he was injured or not. “Funky” clapped back that he never had either, but also had a long list of other accomplishments to top Diaz:

“Meh. Never pulled out, never missed weight, never failed a drug test, never lost. Now we are talking”

Askren makes a point there, yet it’s a bit unsatisfying at the core. The dominant wrestler was a champion. He also retired on top without a loss, which is something few if any MMA fighters can truly claim.

However, he never fought in the UFC despite long-running discussions to do so. A Diaz fight may never have materialized regardless. Askren’s smothering style has long been a turnoff to fans due to his perceived “boring” in-cage presence. It’s a bit overexaggerated, however.

Diaz will finally return to action at November 3’s UFC 230 from New York. He’s teased that he won’t be available to fight on the card. If that’s true, he’s looking in excellent physical shape to not be fighting. Diaz is a top-level draw in the UFC and would likely lap Askren in terms of attention no matter the records.

Askren retired last year as well. That makes his callout bittersweet because we’ll most likely never see them fight. Was “Funky” right to blast Diaz, or is it a moot point?

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