Tag: Eddie Alvarez

Khabib Nurmagomedov Opens As 2-1 Favorite For UFC 229 Title Fight With Conor McGregor

Khabib Nurmagomedov is the odds-on early favorite according to Vegas to beat Conor McGregor at UFC 229.

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The oddsmakers have spoken, and the early lines have the undefeated lightweight champion opening as high as a 2-1 favorite over the Irishman.

The MMA universe watched the UFC’s 25th Anniversary Press Conference with much anticipation in hopes of a bombshell announcement, and boy did we get it.

McGregor (21-3) will make his return to MMA competition after his brief foray into professional boxing. The Irishman hasn’t competed inside the Octagon since defeating Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 nearly two years ago.

As for the champion. Nurmagomedov (26-0) opens as the favorite for this showdown, and rightfully so. BestFightOdds.com has the Dagestani as high as a 2-1 favorite over the Irishman peaking at -205 while McGregor sits at +167. Bovada set a more conservative opening line of -175 for Khabib and a +145 for the “Notorious” one.

Nurmagomedov opening as the betting favorite isn’t that big of a surprise considering McGregor’s two-year layoff from mixed martial arts. It should be noted, however, as UFC 229 draws near the smart money says McGregor will close the odds pretty substantially.

One thing is a safe bet though, that is, Nurmagomedov and McGregor is the biggest fight the UFC could’ve made and its the fight that MMA needs.

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Video: Nate Diaz Walks Out Of UFC Presser During Conor McGregor Announcement

Watch Nate Diaz walk out of today’s UFC presser while Conor McGregor’s return was announced.

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Most of the mixed martial arts (MMA) world was beyond happy when the UFC announced Conor McGregor’s awaited return at their 25th Anniversary Press Conference from L.A. today.

However, returning lightweight Nate Diaz was not among them.

Diaz was confirmed to be returning to face No. 3-ranked contender Dustin Poirier at November 3’s UFC 230 from New York, but soon claimed that he was no longer fighting on the card in a social media post slamming the UFC. Poirier soon echoed a similar sentiment, and the pay-per-view’s most anticipated fight soon became uncertain just moments after it was announced.

Diaz appeared to take offense at the McGregor fight announcement, as he walked out of the press event when the promo for his longtime rival’s return was airing onscreen. Check it out from MMANYTT here:

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Dustin Poirier Responds To Nate Diaz’ Claim He Wont Fight At UFC 230

Dustin Poirier responded to Nate Diaz’ claim he’s already off UFC 230.

The post Dustin Poirier Responds To Nate Diaz’ Claim He Wont Fight At UFC 230 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Although his fight with surging lightweight contender Dustin Poirier at November’s UFC 230 was officially confirmed today, Nate Diaz claimed soon thereafter that he wasn’t actually fighting on the card while slamming his employers.

The reaction was supposedly due to the UFC announcing Conor McGregor long-awaited return against Khabib Nurmagomedov at October’s UFC 229, during which Diaz walked out of the press event. His actions sparked speculation that Diaz wanted to return at that card instead and garner the expected increase in pay-per-view revenue.

Whatever the reason, he’s got the MMA world talking as his return is supposedly already in jeopardy not even a full day after it was reported last night. Poirier soon responded to Diaz’ claim on social media as well, and his response may not be what you would expect from “The Diamond.”

Poirier actually agreed with Diaz, saying ‘f*** the UFC’ and claiming he wouldn’t fight at UFC 230 either:

This situation appears to have many more layers than just a simple Diaz return to the Octagon.

We’ll keep you informed as more details arise.

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Nate Diaz Says F*** The UFC, Claims He Won’t Fight At UFC 230

Nate Diaz is already claiming he’s not fighting Dustin Poirier in New York.

The post Nate Diaz Says F*** The UFC, Claims He Won’t Fight At UFC 230 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The MMA world got a much-needed shot in the arm at today’s 25th Anniversary Press Conference when it was officially confirmed that Nate Diaz would finally return against top lightweight contender Dustin Poirier.

The bout was somewhat of a surprise booking given that many expected Diaz to be holding out hope for a lucrative trilogy fight with Conor McGregor, the MMA superstar with whom he split a pair of record-setting fights with in 2016. Diaz revealed another reason why he’s been on the sidelines for over two years, and simply stated it was “time to go” as the reason for his return.

He faced off with Poirier and things appeared set for his awaited return, but moments after Diaz left the presser when the UFC played a promo for McGregor’s awaited return against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Diaz said he wasn’t actually fighting at UFC 230 anymore on social media:

There’s no telling just why Diaz left the presser early, but it obviously had something to do with McGregor’s return. Perhaps he’s looking to fight Poirier on UFC 229 so he can cash in on more pay-per-view points.

We’ll see how this situation plays out soon.

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Nate Diaz Reveals Why He Hasn’t Fought For Over Two Years

Nate Diaz revealed his reason for staying on the sidelines for over two years.

The post Nate Diaz Reveals Why He Hasn’t Fought For Over Two Years appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Nate Diaz’s awaited UFC return against Dustin Poirier was made official for November’s UFC 230 at today’s (Fri., August 3, 2018) UFC 25th Anniversary Press Conference.

Diaz was inexplicably absent from the presser at first, to which UFC President Dana White was questioned about his whereabouts. The UFC frontman assured the press that he would be showing up soon, but not before Poirier detailed why he had taken the fight with the fan favorite veteran after previously suggesting he’d only answer the phone for a title shot.

For him – a fighter who simply loves to fight – battling Diaz at Madison Square Garden was simply too good to pass up:

“You know man, I’m a fighter, I feel good, I have no injuries. And, Nate’s a guy I’ve been watching for a long time; I’ve been a fan of. If you’re a fan of fighting, you’re a fan of this fight. I’ve always wanted to fight at Madison Square Garden. I just wish we had a few extra rounds, three rounds, I wish it was a five, but I’m excited about this fight, you guys should be too.”

Diaz then did make his first appearance in more than two years, leading to his first faceoff with Poirier in L.A. He was promptly asked why he returned to face Poirier and answered with a short and simple response:

“It’s time to go, so it’s time to go.”

Diaz also offered his view of the fight with Poirier when “The Diamond’s” stance of only wanting a title shot came up:

“This is a championship fight right here.”

While it may not actually be a championship fight, Diaz vs. Poirier obviously brings the likelihood of it being an all-out slugfest that is worth the price of admission for paying customers, something that MMA fans have been complaining has been absent from recent UFC pay cards. Poirier asserted his belief that the bout would deliver, to the point of being one of the best fights of all-time:

“We’re gonna show up and deliver, I promise that. This is going to be one of the most exciting fights you’ve ever seen.”

Finally, Diaz was asked about the timing of his return, and why he would return to face “The Diamond” when it was thought he was holding out for a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor. To that, the younger Diaz brother said he had actually been dealing with a lawsuit since his last match with McGregor and was ineligible to fight:

“Since my last fight, I’ve been in a lawsuit so I wasn’t eligible to fight. I don’t know why nobody told you guys that.”

There’s no telling just what is now allowing Diaz to set foot back into the Octagon, but the good news for fight fans is that he’s going to.

And he has one of the most potentially action-packed match-ups he could hope for.

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He’s Back: Conor McGregor Returns Versus Khabib Nurmagomedov

Conor McGregor will finally return to face Khabib Nurmagomedov!

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The UFC’s biggest possible fight is finally official.

At today’s 25th Anniversary Press Conference from Los Angeles, California, the promotion announced that former lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor will make his awaited UFC return against current lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of October 6’s UFC 229 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

McGregor has been out of action since he won the title with a second-round stoppage of fellow former champ Eddie Alvarez at 2016’s UFC 205, a title he was eventually stripped of due to inactivity, allowing “The Eagle” to swoop in and win it by defeating short-notice foe Al Iaquinta at April’s UFC 223.

By far the biggest star in MMA, McGregor instead spent the past two years boxing Floyd Mayweather Jr., a fight where he lost but gained a reported $85 million payday. It’s been debatable if that huge windfall of cash was beneficial to his fighting career, as he’s since careened on a concerning downward spiral of entitled and even criminal behavior. First, he stormed the cage at a Bellator event last fall, shoving ref Marc Goddard and slapping a security official, and then he, of course, stormed the Barclays Center prior to UFC 223 to throw a metal dolly through a bus containing Nurmagomedov.

McGregor was arrested on assault charges in Brooklyn but recently cleared his name, so to speak, with a plea deal, paving the path for his long-anticipated title fight with the undefeated champion to be finalized.

So the UFC’s biggest star – and so-called savior – is officially back at the time they need him most. Will he be able to dust the undefeated Dagestani wrecking machine like he has so many other top combatants in the Octagon?

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