Tag: Eddie Alvarez

Dustin Poirier Wishes More Fighters Would Move Up Weight Class

Dustin Poirier wishes more fighters would move up a weight class.

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With all of the weight cutting mishaps lately, more fighters have considered moving up a weight class.

Lightweight Dustin Poirier is one such fighter who has already made the move. In his early UFC days, “The Diamond” found success in the featherweight division. However, Poirer felt he was being held back due to the brutal weight cut down to the 145-pound mark.

So he moved back to 155 pounds and hasn’t looked back since.

And that move back to lightweight just may prove to be the best decision Poirier has made in his career. Since returning, he has gone on quite a run, compiling a record of 8-1 (1NC) in the sports deepest division.

Having already made the move up in weight, Poirier knows that many other fighters would benefit from the same move. That’s why “The Diamond” is encouraging his fellow fighters to follow suit and move up in weight.

“Yeah, I’d recommend that to pretty much everybody,” Dustin Poirier told Nick Dwyer of Everlast.com.You’re just happier with training camp, you know? You can enjoy it more, you enjoy fight week more, it’s better for your body, your mind. It’s just better for everything. There’s a point when you do this long enough where you’re going to hate the process of starving yourself and being low on calories and nutrients all through camp and then having to sacrifice two or three months of hardcore dieting and then show up and still have 20 pounds to go, it just makes it not fun.”

“You should enjoy your job, you should enjoy the process of preparing for fights and being at your best and I just think that’s the way the sport should be moving,” he added. “Diego Sanchez just did it this weekend and I hope things continue to go that way. I know I feel a lot better.”

The sport of MMA as a whole has been plagued by weight cutting issues, seemingly now more than ever. The UFC seems to have a fight called every other event – or even more – due to a fighter’s health being in danger. It’s extended to the most high-profile of bouts in the octagon as well.

Poirier success after ditching his weight cut has been well documented, and the improvement is more than apparent. ‘The Diamond’ has been on a tear and most recently stopped rival Eddie Alvaveriz in Canada this July. He’ll face Nate Diaz in the biggest match-up of his career at November’s UFC 230.

Let us know what you think. Should more fighters follow Poirier’s advice and move up in weight?

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Conor McGregor Finally Appears In UFC 229 Training Video

It’s high time Conor McGregor finally appears before his anticipated showdown with Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Irish megastar will meet the undefeated champion in the main event of October 6’s UFC 229 from Las Vegas, Nevada, in his first MMA fight in almost two years. Contrary to his previous UFC bouts, however, he’s done precious little […]

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It’s high time Conor McGregor finally appears before his anticipated showdown with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The Irish megastar will meet the undefeated champion in the main event of October 6’s UFC 229 from Las Vegas, Nevada, in his first MMA fight in almost two years. Contrary to his previous UFC bouts, however, he’s done precious little promotion for a fight many are calling the biggest UFC contest of all-time.

McGregor has reportedly chosen to focus on his training for the fight rather than media, something he did in the lead-up to his awaited rematch with Nate Diaz at August 2016’s UFC 202. The UFC is supposedly none too happy with their biggest star, but they’re going to have to put up with his schedule to get him back in the octagon.

So McGregor hasn’t been talking all too much trash, instead choosing to focus on his preparation for the monumental task before him. He finally did make some semblance on an appearance on Instagram tonight, posting a video of his training routine at SBG Ireland. Check it out here:

McGregor has been out of action since he won the lightweight title from Eddie Alvarez at November 2016’s UFC 205. He was eventually stripped of the title when Nurmagomedov won it by defeating Al Iaquinta at April’s UFC 223, but McGregor made his mark there too.

Storming the Barclays Center in Brooklyn with a host of goons, McGregor infamously threw a metal handcart through a bus containing Nurmagomedov, injuring several fighters and forcing three fights off of UFC 223. He was arrested for assault and reached a plea deal in a Brooklyn court this July.

Some say he got off easy, but in any case, he’s coming back for the biggest MMA fight of his career. From the look of things, he’s focused solely on his opponent.

There has not yet been a press conference for UFC 229 as of this writing.

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Videos: Watch The Official Promos For UFC 229

Now that last night’s UFC 228 from Dallas is in the rearview mirror, the focus of the mixed martial arts (MMA) world will understandably shift to October 6’s UFC 229 from Las Vegas. In the main event, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will face former champion Conor McGregor in what many are calling the biggest fight in […]

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Now that last night’s UFC 228 from Dallas is in the rearview mirror, the focus of the mixed martial arts (MMA) world will understandably shift to October 6’s UFC 229 from Las Vegas.

In the main event, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will face former champion Conor McGregor in what many are calling the biggest fight in MMA history.

The beef began back at April’s UFC 223 when McGregor stormed the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, New York, and threw a metal hand dolly through a bus containing Nurmagomedov. McGregor was arrested but reached a plea deal with prosecutors in July.

That paved the way for what could legitimately be the biggest lightweight – or any – title match in UFC history. To get pumped up for the historic fight, check out the UFC’s three all-new promo videos here.

“The Wait Is Over”:

“The World Is Watching”:

“Here We Go”:

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Pic: Is Georges St-Pierre Cutting Down To Lightweight?

Is Georges St-Pierre already making his way down to lightweight?

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Some evidence has arisen that may support George St-Pierre cutting down to lightweight.

The former UFC middleweight and welterweight champion has often teased a high-profile bout with the winner of UFC 229’s Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor. UFC President Dana White insists he’s not interested in it, but the dollar signs may be too hard to pass up.

St-Pierre has been out of action since he submitted Michael Bisping at last November’s UFC 217 from New York. He won the middleweight title but vacated it soon thereafter. “GSP” cited a bout with colitis due to the increased food intake he required to compete at 185 pounds. He’s since discussed returning at lightweight to win an unprecedented third belt, but nothing is confirmed.

Some evidence suggesting that may be true recently arose, however. St-Pierre posted a picture on Instagram of him looking decidedly smaller than the last time we saw him. Check it out:

Recovery time in Russian Spa in Brooklyn with @82spaniard!

A post shared by Georges St-Pierre (@georgesstpierre) on

St-Pierre simply looks like he’s lost a lot of weight since he last fought. Some of that could be because of his stomach ailment, yet he’s said he only wants to fight in only the biggest fights in order to make it worthwhile.

A fight with the winner of Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor is the obviously the biggest he could hope to book. It would tie up the UFC lightweight division even more after it only got back on track somewhat when Khabib won the vacated title at April’s UFC 223.

But in this era of money-focused super fights, there’s not much to support the theory that Endeavor would pass this up. And you know, Dana White said it wasn’t happening.

Stay tuned.

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Former UFC Title Challenger: I Hope Khabib Rearranges Conor’s Face

This former title challenger is pulling no punches with his Khabib vs. Conor prediction.

The post Former UFC Title Challenger: I Hope Khabib Rearranges Conor’s Face appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

A former UFC title challenger is rooting for Khabib Nurmagomedov to dismantle Conor McGregor in the main event of UFC 229.

That’s obviously because of his storied history with the undefeated UFC lightweight champ. Al Iaquinta met Nurmagomedov on short notice in the main event of April 7’s UFC 223. He was the feared wrestler’s fifth prospective opponent in the week. ‘Ragin’ Al’ was also supposed to face Paul Felder at the event, but was instead dominated by ‘The Eagle.’

Predictions ‘Rage’ On

That set up his highly anticipated match-up with McGregor. One top-ranked lightweight is picking McGregor to sleep Khabib, but Iaquinta feels differently. The Long Island-based slugger recently told MMA Fighting that Nurmagomedov should walk through McGregor’s feared knockout power and keep charging:

“The worst-case scenario, I think [Nurmagomedov] takes a few shots from Conor and just keeps coming forward. I mean, Conor obviously has the power to put him out, but I don’t know. Does he? I think a lot of people think he does, because he’s knocked a lot of people out, but Khabib is tough. He sees things, he’s got a little awkward style, which is different. It’s tough to adjust to, because it’s so different, standup-wise.”

That’s the question on everyone’s mind. Many are in agreement with Iaquinta’s stance that Khabib will simply impose his relentless pressure on “The Notorious.” That will lead to the ‘pretty’ McGregor giving up – at least in Iaquinta’s mind:

“I think he could just get after him. Get after him, keep the pressure on him. Conor, he’s quit before. He’s given up. Against Diaz, it gets a little later rounds. I think he’s a pretty fighter. If the fight is pretty and it’s going good for him … [Chad] Mendes took that fight on no notice. He had zero in the gas tank going into that fight. If it’s five rounds of that, I think Conor is finding a way out.”

‘Ragin’ Al’ then affirmed his desire that Nurmagomedov demolishes McGregor. It would obviously make him look much better. It’s also something he thinks will happen:

“I hope he does,” Iaquinta said. “It would look good for me — if he beats the **** out of him more than he beat the **** out of me on a day’s notice. It’d look real good. So, I hope Khabib f*cking knocks his *** out, makes him quit and rearranges his face like he says he’s gonna do. I think it’s gonna happen — I hope it happens.”

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Coach: Khabib Nurmagomedov Is “Never Going To Lose”

Khabib Nurmagomedov is never going to lose according to a decorated MMA coach. The undefeated UFC lightweight champion is set to meet Conor McGregor in the main event of October 6’s UFC 229. It could end up as the biggest pay-per-view event in UFC history. That result may not be due to the amount of […]

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Khabib Nurmagomedov is never going to lose according to a decorated MMA coach.

The undefeated UFC lightweight champion is set to meet Conor McGregor in the main event of October 6’s UFC 229. It could end up as the biggest pay-per-view event in UFC history.

That result may not be due to the amount of pre-fight hype, however. There’s actually been precious little in the way of prominent promotion only a month out. Nurmagomedov and McGregor’s pre-installed beef may be what promotes the fight due to its heated backstory. McGregor infamously stormed the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, earlier this year days before Nurmagomedov won the lightweight title at UFC 223.

The Stage Is Set

‘The Notorious’ has cleared up his legal issues. The undefeated Russian champ remains his focus now, and we haven’t seen much from the former champ. We have seen a decent amount from Nurmagomedov’s head coach Javier Mendez. AKA front man Mendez recently admitted there was no way “The Eagle” could hang with McGregor’s striking.

That doesn’t mean he thinks his star fighter will lose. Mendez recently offered the view that Nurmagomedov will never be defeated on MMA Fighting’s Eurobash podcast. The champion will find a way to win no matter due to his mental toughness:

“I’m of the belief that Khabib’s mental strength is so strong that I personally feel that he’s never going to lose. I really don’t — I don’t think he’s ever going to lose. He’s going to find whatever he needs to do to win, whether he does it my way or does it his way, he’s going to find a way to win and that’s just what he does.”

A Focused Gameplan

Mendez then opened up on their gameplan for McGregor. The longtime head coach said he and Khabib are putting together a solid plan with intense, isolated focus:

“Basically it’s just me and him, myself and Khabib. We go through the gameplan and I structure it. I’ve mostly been the one that structures all of the gameplans, except for with Daniel [Cormier], it’s myself and Bob Cook. I’ve been doing all the gameplans, the other coaches do a fantastic job and they fall into place where they’re needed, but the gameplan is usually always me.”

AKA’s famed owner then dove into the mental aspects of a fight this huge. He isn’t worried about Nurmagomedov getting flustered. McGregor may be a master at mental warfare, yet Mendez insists he’ll find his equal in the champ:

“I’m not going to have to worry about keeping [Nurmagomedov] in check. He is so mentally strong that it’s not going to be an issue at all. Like I said, Conor is going to press his buttons, but it doesn’t matter. I believe Khabib is going to stay cool throughout the whole thing,” Mendez said.

“He’s going to dish it out as good as he gets it, and trust me, Conor’s going to give it to him because Conor is a master at playing the game. He’s going to find an equal mental sparring partner as well as physical. This fight is going to be mental and physical, outside the fight and inside the fight, they’re both going to fight for the advantages.”

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