Edson Barboza | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

UFC Rankings Update: Khabib Nurmagomedov Soars Up P4P List

The UFC rankings have been updated after last weekend’s (Sat., April 7, 2018) UFC 223 from Brooklyn, and not surprisingly, newly-crowned lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has made a sharp rise up the pound-for-pound rankings. Following a hectic week involving Conor McGregor’s now-infamous bus attack that saw “The Eagle” face seemingly countless re-schedulings, the undefeated champion […]

The post UFC Rankings Update: Khabib Nurmagomedov Soars Up P4P List appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Following a hectic week involving Conor McGregor’s now-infamous bus attack that saw “The Eagle” face seemingly countless re-schedulings, the undefeated champion dominated short-notice replacement Al Iaquinta, his fifth potential opponent for the UFC 223 main event, by scores of 500-44, 50-43, 50-43.

Many critiqued Khabib’s striking as a huge weakness after octagon commentator Joe Rogan focused on doing it during the broadcast, but in reality, “The Eagle” was never in any true danger and showed why he is arguably the best lightweight in the UFC in winning the title many had gifted him since his UFC debut.

For the win, Khabib rose up a sizable six spots to No. 8 on the pound-for-pound list, continuing his rise towards cementing himself among the sport’s greats. In other movement there, Conor McGregor was leapfrogged by Georges St-Pierre, who overtook the No. 2 spot, while Daniel Cormier fell one spot to 5.

After being stripped of the lightweight title, McGregor also fell down to No. 1 at lightweight, while Tony Ferguson relinquished his interim title and fell to No. 2.

Check out the full updated official rankings right here:

POUND-FOR-POUND
1 Demetrious Johnson
2 Georges St-Pierre +1
3 Conor McGregor -1
4 Stipe Miocic
5 Daniel Cormier -1
6 Max Holloway
7 TJ Dillashaw
8 Khabib Nurmagomedov +6
9 Tyron Woodley -1
10 Cris Cyborg -1
11 Tony Ferguson -1
12 Amanda Nunes -1
13 Robert Whittaker -1
14 Cody Garbrandt -1
15 Rose Namajunas *NR

FLYWEIGHT
Champion : Demetrious Johnson
1 Joseph Benavidez
2 Henry Cejudo
3 Ray Borg
4 Jussier Formiga
5 Sergio Pettis
6 Wilson Reis
7 Brandon Moreno
8 Ben Nguyen
9 Dustin Ortiz
10 John Moraga
11 Alexandre Pantoja
12 Matheus Nicolau
13 Tim Elliott
14 Deiveson Figueiredo
15 Magomed Bibulatov

BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion : TJ Dillashaw
1 Cody Garbrandt
2 Dominick Cruz
3 Raphael Assuncao
4 Jimmie Rivera
5 Marlon Moraes
6 John Lineker
7 John Dodson
8 Bryan Caraway
8 Aljamain Sterling
10 Pedro Munhoz
11 Cody Stamann
12 Rob Font
13 Thomas Almeida
14 Brett Johns
15 Eddie Wineland

FEATHERWEIGHT
Champion : Max Holloway
1 Brian Ortega
2 Jose Aldo
3 Frankie Edgar
4 Cub Swanson
5 Jeremy Stephens
6 Josh Emmett
7 Ricardo Lamas
8 Chan Sung Jung
9 Renato Moicano +2
10 Darren Elkins -1
11 Yair Rodriguez -1
12 Mirsad Bektic
13 Dooho Choi +2
14 Zabit Magomedsharipov *NR
15 Myles Jury -1

LIGHTWEIGHT
Champion : Khabib Nurmagomedov
1 Conor McGregor -1
2 Tony Ferguson -1
3 Eddie Alvarez
4 Edson Barboza
5 Dustin Poirier
6 Justin Gaethje
7 Kevin Lee
8 Nate Diaz
9 Michael Chiesa
10 Al Iaquinta +1
11 James Vick -1
12 Anthony Pettis
13 Alexander Hernandez
14 Paul Felder *NR
15 Olivier Aubin-Mercier *NR

WELTERWEIGHT
Champion : Tyron Woodley
1 Stephen Thompson
2 Rafael Dos Anjos
3 Colby Covington
4 Robbie Lawler
5 Demian Maia
6 Jorge Masvidal
7 Darren Till
7 Kamaru Usman
9 Neil Magny
10 Santiago Ponzinibbio
11 Donald Cerrone
12 Carlos Condit
13 Gunnar Nelson
14 Leon Edwards
15 Dong Hyun Kim

MIDDLEWEIGHT
Champion : Robert Whittaker
1 Yoel Romero
2 Jacare Souza
3 Luke Rockhold
4 Chris Weidman
5 Kelvin Gastelum
6 Michael Bisping
7 Derek Brunson
8 David Branch
9 Vitor Belfort
10 Uriah Hall
11 Thiago Santos
12 Lyoto Machida
13 Krzysztof Jotko
14 Paulo Costa
15 Brad Tavares

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion : Daniel Cormier
1 Alexander Gustafsson
2 Volkan Oezdemir
3 Glover Teixeira
4 Ilir Latifi
5 Jan Blachowicz
6 Jimi Manuwa
7 Mauricio Rua
8 Ovince Saint Preux
9 Misha Cirkunov
10 Corey Anderson
11 Patrick Cummins
12 Tyson Pedro
13 Gadzhimurad Antigulov
14 Gian Villante
15 Jordan Johnson

HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion : Stipe Miocic
1 Francis Ngannou
2 Alistair Overeem
3 Alexander Volkov
4 Curtis Blaydes
5 Fabricio Werdum
6 Derrick Lewis
6 Mark Hunt
8 Marcin Tybura
9 Andrei Arlovski
10 Aleksei Oleinik
11 Stefan Struve
12 Tai Tuivasa +1
13 Shamil Abdurakhimov -1
14 Junior Albini
15 Justin Ledet

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
Champion : Rose Namajunas
1 Joanna Jedrzejczyk
2 Jessica Andrade
3 Claudia Gadelha
4 Karolina Kowalkiewicz
5 Tecia Torres
6 Carla Esparza
7 Michelle Waterson
8 Felice Herrig
9 Alexa Grasso
10 Cortney Casey
11 Randa Markos
12 Tatiana Suarez
13 Joanne Calderwood
14 Nina Ansaroff
15 Angela Hill

WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT
Champion : Nicco Montano
1 Valentina Shevchenko
2 Sijara Eubanks
3 Lauren Murphy
4 Alexis Davis
5 Roxanne Modafferi
6 Barb Honchak
7 Liz Carmouche
8 Katlyn Chookagian
9 Jessica-Rose Clark
10 Jessica Eye
11 Ashlee Evans-Smith *NR
12 Mara Romero Borella
13 Paige VanZant +1
14 Montana De La Rosa -3
15 Rachael Ostovich -2

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion : Amanda Nunes
1 Holly Holm
2 Raquel Pennington
3 Julianna Pena
4 Ketlen Vieira
5 Germaine de Randamie
6 Cat Zingano
7 Marion Reneau
8 Sara McMann
9 Leslie Smith
10 Aspen Ladd +1
11 Bethe Correia -1
12 Irene Aldana +1
13 Lucie Pudilova -1
14 Sarah Moras
15 Lina Lansberg

The post UFC Rankings Update: Khabib Nurmagomedov Soars Up P4P List appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Michael Bisping Claims Huge Conor McGregor Announcement Was Coming Before Arrest

Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor sent the MMA universe into all-out upheaval exactly one week ago when he stormed the Barclays Center and threw a metal dolly at a bus containing now-UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. “The Notorious’ then turned himself in and was booked on assault charges, after which he presumably […]

The post Michael Bisping Claims Huge Conor McGregor Announcement Was Coming Before Arrest appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

“The Notorious’ then turned himself in and was booked on assault charges, after which he presumably flew back to his native Ireland. The incident caused two fighters to suffer injury, three fights to be stricken from UFC 223 last weekend, and also reportedly put a halt in rumored contract talks with the UFC for McGregor.

While those circumstances were obviously bad enough in and of themselves, the Irish star supposedly missed out on something much bigger than just a potential contract discussion with his employers. According to former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping on his “Believe You Me” podcast (via MMA Mania), the UFC was set to announce a massive title fight involving McGregor but had to cut those plans at the last minute:

“By all accounts, Conor was going to be at the Barclays Center on Saturday night to make an announcement. It was going to be a title fight or whatever the fight was going to be, I’m sworn to secrecy so I can’t say, but he was going to be there.”

McGregor is due back in court in New York on June 14 to face the next stage in his first arrest on American soil, but it’s extremely unlikely he serves any jail time despite being booked on a felony charge and multiple misdemeanors.

That means a big announcement could still be coming soon about his up-in-the-air fighting future, and that could mean an awaited grudge match with Nurmagomedov.

What Bisping referred to will remain a secret, it appears, so let’s just hope it wasn’t a match with Floyd Mayweather in the octagon.

The post Michael Bisping Claims Huge Conor McGregor Announcement Was Coming Before Arrest appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Justin Gaethje Reveals Conor McGregor’s Real Punishment For Brooklyn Bus Melee

Following the most chaotic week in UFC history heading into UFC 223 last week, the lightweight division was finally given a bit of clarity (a bit) when Khabib Nurmagomedov won the title over late replacement Al Iaquinta – his fifth possible opponent in a month. That’s assuming that the oft-injured Nurmagomedov will defend the title […]

The post Justin Gaethje Reveals Conor McGregor’s Real Punishment For Brooklyn Bus Melee appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

That’s assuming that the oft-injured Nurmagomedov will defend the title somewhat regularly. Currently, he has strung together two dominant wins in relatively short order, with his victory over Iaquinta coming not even four months after his destruction of Edson Barboza at December 30’s UFC 219.

However, following Conor McGregor’s Brooklyn chaotic, violent outburst where he attacked ‘The Eagle’s’ bus with a metal dolly and was subsequently arrested on assault charges, it would seem a foregone conclusion that Khabib and McGregor square off in a grudge match sure to gain massive numbers in the pay-per-view arena. That would leave the lightweight division’s future once again on the shoulders of McGregor, who faces a court date and has seemed more interested in going off the rails than actually fighting as of late.

Yet that doesn’t seem to concern fan favorite lightweight Justin Gaethje, who squares off with Dustin Poirier in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., April 14, 2018) UFC on FOX 29 from the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. During a recent pre-fight interview following the UFC on FOX 29 open workouts via MMA Fighting, ‘The Highlight’ said he thinks there’s is now a ‘more clear path’ to the top at 155 pounds:

“There is a more clear path, even though Khabib says he wants to go fight GSP, which is counterproductive to everything he talked sh*t to Conor about, or talked sh*t on Conor about. But other than that, yeah, it doesn’t matter. Tony (Ferguson), the winner of [Kevin Lee] and (Edson) Barboza [could be next in line for me], but it doesn’t matter — I’ve got to get past Poirier, who’s a very dangerous opponent, and I’d be a fool to look past him.”

As for McGregor, Gaethje said he hoped a scene such as the bus attack would never happen again, but wasn’t surprised considering he believes fighters may fight each other if put in close proximity to one another:

“There’s nothing really you can make of that. It’s crazy circumstances that we hope will never happen again, but you put a bunch of fighters in an arena and someone might fight each other.

“Conor’s going to get punished by paying millions of dollars to people, so that’s plenty of punishment. And I don’t want him to go anywhere, because like I said, I’m going to fight and claw my way to the championship. So either he’s there or Khabib’s there, it doesn’t matter.”

So while Dana White may have said McGregor’s attack was ‘the most disgusting thing he’s ever seen in the UFC,’ it seems his stance has predictably softened on his biggest star (huge surprise), and that became somewhat clear when the UFC essentially used the situation as promotion.

That suggests McGregor won’t be punished by the UFC even if he should be, but Gaethje is right in assuming that the most costly portion of the fallout will result from the lawsuits levied as the infamous Irishman by the injured parties.

How much last Thursday’s attack cost McGregor, and does he even care at this point?

The post Justin Gaethje Reveals Conor McGregor’s Real Punishment For Brooklyn Bus Melee appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor Betting Odds Released

Undefeated smashing machine Khabib Nurmagomedov is now the UFC lightweight champion after dominating a tough-as-nails Al Iaquinta at last weekend’s UFC 223, and he could (should) be headed for one of the biggest fights in MMA history. That bout is an obvious showdown with former two-division champion Conor McGregor, who sent the hype for the […]

The post Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor Betting Odds Released appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

That bout is an obvious showdown with former two-division champion Conor McGregor, who sent the hype for the anticipated fight into the stratosphere by throwing a metal dolly through a bus Khabib was riding after UFC 223 media day last Thursday.

If a monstrous “Eagle” vs. “Notorious” does somehow happen one day, it’s the Russian wrestling prodigy who would be favored to win. According to the odds from ‘The Oddessa Line’ (via MMA Junkie), Khabib has opened as a -165 favorite over the +135 McGregor.

It’s hardly a surprise to see Nurmagomedov open as the favorite because he’s undefeated and the hype is on him right now after he put some lopsided scores across the board on short-notice replacement Al Iaquinta. Many, including those swayed by Joe Rogan’s harsh criticism of Nurmagomedov’s striking, think that he could easily be defeated even though he peppered talented boxer Iaquinta’s face with sharp jabs and outstruck him by a gross margin.

Khabib does hold his chin a bit high when striking, that much is definitely true, and if anyone could hit him with a knockout shot it would be the power-punching McGregor.

However, we haven’t seen ‘The Notorious’ since his second-round TKO win over Eddie Alvarez in the main event of November 2016’s UFC 205, and he’s mainly been in the news for his over-the-top and now, illegal out-of-the-cage antics since his reported $100 million purse to box Floyd Mayweather last August.

A rematch between the Irish megastar and ‘Money’ has been rumored for the octagon, and with McGregor facing assault charges in New York for the incident last week, his UFC return is uncertain for 2018 – and perhaps ever.

You’d have to think he’ll return at some point, however. Will it be as an underdog against Khabib or as a massive favorite against Mayweather?

The post Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor Betting Odds Released appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Bruce Buffer Says Conor McGregor ‘S*it On All Of Us’ With Brooklyn Outburst

By now, Conor McGregor’s actions that took place last Thursday following UFC 223 media day at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York have been highly publicized and many have been highly critical of the Irish star, who ended up spending a night in jail late last week. One of those people happens to be […]

The post Bruce Buffer Says Conor McGregor ‘S*it On All Of Us’ With Brooklyn Outburst appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

One of those people happens to be longtime UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, who recently spoke with TMZ on McGregor’s bizarre rampage:

“Never think anything like this could ever happen,” Buffer said. “In my 22-plus years of being in the UFC and doing everything I can in my life to build this great brand and to support this fantastic sport … it’s like you sh*t on all of us – with that one move. That’s not what we’re about. Perception is reality out there. I don’t understand how anybody could condone that kind of behavior, and if they do, then obviously they will be willing to do that kind of behavior.”

Essentially, it’s assumed that McGregor arrived in New York to confront Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had gotten into a bit of an altercation with Artem Lobov, a close friend and training partner of McGregor’s, earlier in the week.

And while some have praised McGregor for defending Lobov, Buffer sees no justification for the “Notorious” one’s actions:

“As a whole, everyone has their own personal reaction, but I think it’s total disgust,” Buffer said.

“I don’t care who they are. Anybody that justifies that has a problem,” he added. “I could say something else right now, and I want to say it, but I’m telling you right now: They have a problem. I’m being very polite.

“We’ll see how it all pans out,” Buffer said. “There’s no excuse for it. It’s an insult. It’s disgusting. I mean, that’s not what we’re about. … This is something that occurred with one individual. It’s separate from who we are.”

As far as what happens next, McGregor will have to appear in court in June with his fighting future currently unclear.

The post Bruce Buffer Says Conor McGregor ‘S*it On All Of Us’ With Brooklyn Outburst appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Khabib Nurmagomedov Says Conor McGregor Now Has To ‘Beg’ Him For Title Shot

Undefeated Dagestani phenom Khabib Nurmagomedov finally fulfilled the massive potential that had been heaped upon him since he joined the UFC by defeating Al Iaquinta (watch highlights here) for the lightweight title in the main event of last night’s (Sat., April 7, 2018) UFC 223 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. But it obviously […]

The post Khabib Nurmagomedov Says Conor McGregor Now Has To ‘Beg’ Him For Title Shot appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Undefeated Dagestani phenom Khabib Nurmagomedov finally fulfilled the massive potential that had been heaped upon him since he joined the UFC by defeating Al Iaquinta (watch highlights here) for the lightweight title in the main event of last night’s (Sat., April 7, 2018) UFC 223 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

But it obviously wasn’t without the most chaotic build-up to a UFC title fight ever, beginning when his oft-scheduled original opponent was forced out with a knee injury, continuing when former UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor threw a metal handcart through the window of a bus he was riding, injuring at least two people and striking three fights off UFC 223, and finally ending with a dominant performance over Iaquinta, his fifth prospective opponent after Ferguson’s original replacement Max Holloway was deemed unfit to compete.

Yes, it was that kind of week, and yet Khabib still persevered to win the lightweight title even though some, including a noxious, overblown version of octagon commentator Joe Rogan, felt his striking was absolutely abhorrent as he peppered Iaquinta – a fighter known for his boxing skills – with nonstop jabs to the point that ‘Ragin’ Al’s’ face was bloodied badly. True, he has some striking deficiencies to shore up after a lifetime of perfecting his dominant grappling skills, but at the end of the day, there’s little doubt that ‘The Eagle’ is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA.

That has the mixed martial arts world awaiting his potential match-up with McGregor, and even though Khabib called out the legendary Georges St-Pierre in two post-fight interviews – a bout GSP quickly rebuffed – he’ll have the specter of the infamous Irishman hanging over his head until they meet. Case in point, Khabib was obviously asked about his mega-famous foil at the post-fight presser, the surging future star said he has to settle his rivalry with ‘The Notorious’ at some point:

“We have to finish this beef, chicken or something like this. He have to stop eating Burger Kings. You want to fight? Come. I told you guys, I’m going to make him humble. I’m going to change his game.

“Now only one champion.

“No more fake champions, no more champion who never defend his title or something like this. Now UFC has champion, and this champion wants to defend his title. You want to fight? Come here. Inside the cage? Come. Outside the cage? Come. Let me know without camera, without like all this media.”

Apparently, McGregor’s made it personal with his all-out assault that left him incarcerated in handcuffs and facing serious charges because he’s willing to settle the long-standing rivalry inside of the cage or outside of it.

But he knows that a legitimate main event versus the Irishman would be huge for all parties, especially with the necessary time to promote it sufficiently, so he’s also aiming for a World Tour the likes of which McGregor went on with Jose Aldo in 2015.

However, he’s now the champ, and he turned the tables on McGregor by saying it was “The Notorious” who now had to beg him to get a title shot :

“I hope he’s going to fight – we have to fight. Like make World Tour. Everywhere, like Tokyo, Moscow, Dublin, Los Angeles, Rio. Big world tour, promote this fight and fight end of year, biggest arena in the world. Madison Square Garden. … I’m here. He want to become lightweight champion? He have to fight with me. No more all these fake champions.

“You guys remember when he put tweet, ‘Beg me.’ Please beg me.”

The post Khabib Nurmagomedov Says Conor McGregor Now Has To ‘Beg’ Him For Title Shot appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.