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UFC Champ Says He Won’t Avoid Defending Like ‘Afraid’ Conor McGregor

The MMA world is in a verifiable frenzy concerning UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s next move. With just about everyone invested in the sport wanting to know if and when he’ll return, the only one who doesn’t seem to care is “The Notorious” himself as he sits on a mountain of cash earned from his […]

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The MMA world is in a verifiable frenzy concerning UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s next move.

With just about everyone invested in the sport wanting to know if and when he’ll return, the only one who doesn’t seem to care is “The Notorious” himself as he sits on a mountain of cash earned from his boxing fight with Floyd Mayweather last August.

Even the most supportive McGregor fans are getting antsy, and the famed Irish slugger has yet to defend either of his titles since first winning the UFC featherweight belt from Jose Aldo in late 2015. A host of guaranteed-to-be-lucrative bouts awaits him if and when he does return, such as a unification bout with Ferguson or maybe his long-rumored trilogy match with Nate Diaz, even though that fight seems to be losing steam rather quickly.

As McGregor drags his heels, however, another UFC champion is wholly interested in getting the biggest fight he can, and he’s not shy letting those intentions be known. That man is UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who is currently campaigning for a super fight with dominant flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, a bout “Mighty Mouse” doesn’t seem to be all too enthused about.

Regardless, Dillashaw is still on the hunt for it because he views it as a chance to cement his legacy as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best, a moniker Dillashaw told FloCombat (via MMA Mania) he believes was ripped from him when Dominick Cruz outlasted him with a controversial split decision two years ago:

“This is a way to put a stamp on my legacy. I was a little hurt losing that split decision [to Dominick Cruz] and not being on a 13-fight win streak and being called the pound-for-pound best in the world.

“In my mind, I should be No. 1. So it comes down to beating Demetrious Johnson to prove I’m the best, and it’s a huge thing for my legacy to be the double champ in two weight classes.”

A win over Johnson, who has racked up 11 consecutive title defenses to stand alone with the record, would certainly go a long way in cementing Dillashaw’s potential status as one of MMA’s top pound-for-pound competitors.

Of course, there’s always the issue of tying up two divisions to make it, which could especially become a problem in Dillashaw’s 135-pound roost, where a plethora of talented challengers awaits him. Dillashaw attempted to cool those concerns by stating if he was to win the 125-pound title, he wouldn’t be like McGregor and would instead remain active by defending:

“I’m not a Conor McGregor. I’m going to be active defending my belts. I’m not afraid to fight.”

He’ll have to procure the fight first, however, and with word arriving that “Mighty Mouse” underwent successful shoulder surgery today, it could be quite some time on the sidelines before he ever gets it – if he does.

Either way, the 135-pound king is looking to do what’s necessary to build his own exposure in an era of MMA where that’s absolutely necessary, and playing off the growing discontent with McGregor’s inactivity is one way to do it.

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Joe Rogan Reveals Why Khabib Is The Scariest Lightweight In MMA

Long hailed as the next great champion of the storied UFC lightweight division, undefeated Dagestani grappler Khabib Nurmagomedov (25-0) emboldened those beliefs in a huge way by demolishing formerly surging striker Edson Barboza in the co-main event of December 30’s UFC 219. The only reason any semblance of doubt arose about “The Eagle’s” ascendance stemmed from his long […]

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The only reason any semblance of doubt arose about “The Eagle’s” ascendance stemmed from his long and concerning history of injuries and weight-cutting issues, issues that have limited him to four fights in just under four years while his performance remains nothing less than stellar inside the Octagon when he does compete.

Thankfully, he’s now back at full health and showing why he’s perceived as the next champion. His three-round domination of Barboza ranked as one of the most one-sided bouts of 2017 as he racked up lopsided scores across the board with another brutal showing of ground mastery. The win has him on the precipice of fighting longtime rival Tony Ferguson for the interim belt while Conor McGregor sits back and decides what to do with the actual title next.

But no matter what McGregor decides to do, octagon color commentator Joe Rogan revealed why he believes Khabib is the most fearsome force at 155 pounds on a recent edition of The JRE MMA Show (via MMA Junkie). To him, the Dagestani’s dominance became evident by Barboza’s distant look while he had no way to deal with the mounting beatdown:

“He’s just on such another level that the odds of beating him drop significantly after the first minute-and-a-half,” Rogan said. “You saw the look on Barboza’s face: Two minutes in and he’s trying to get up. You saw the look on his face and it’s like, ‘(Expletive), how am I going to do deal with this?’ It’s just so next level.

“Khabib, after this performance, has set it up to a place where he’s the most terrifying lightweight contender in the world,” Rogan said.

Rogan also praised Ferguson while acknowledging the mess the UFC has at lightweight thanks to the uncertainty of McGregor’s return. With chaos abound in one of their most talented and potentially lucrative divisions, Rogan believes the UFC will soon get to work on fixing it:

“Then you have Tony Ferguson, who’s a (expletive), and has the interim championship, then you have Conor – who knows what happens with him? I think the UFC’s going to give him some time, let the holidays pass, see what the (expletive) happens and then make some moves.”

UFC president Dana White recently said he was hoping to have McGregor, who reportedly wants some sort of ownership or promoter’s stake in his next bout, ready to fight by March, but then said he would book Ferguson vs. Khabib for the interim belt sometime during that month with the winner eventually facing McGregor.

If “The Notorious” isn’t planning on returning until August or September, however, White then confirmed they would make Ferguson vs. Khabib for the real belt with pressure mounting from fans everywhere for McGregor to defend his belt.

It seems the talented Irishman’s antics are growing old with even his most devoted fans, and after a down year for UFC pay-per-views in 2017, the world’s MMA leader could use nothing more than a high-grossing title fight that also lent some degree of clarity to the lightweight landscape.

With McGregor involved and holding the cards, don’t expect that to come easily.

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Khabib: Conor Only Wants Fight With Old Floyd & ‘Marijuana Guy’ Nate Diaz

After Khabib Nurmagomedov’s brutally dominant smashing of Edson Barboza in the co-main event of last weekend’s (Sat., December 30, 2017) UFC 219 from Las Vegas, “The Eagle” said he was willing to fight divisional champion Conor McGregor and interim champion Tony Ferguson on the same night. And with rumors of a potential bout with McGregor surfacing, […]

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And with rumors of a potential bout with McGregor surfacing, the dominant Dagestani is back with a new offer for the elusive Irish champ, who is currently on the sidelines reportedly seeking a promoter’s stake in his next fight.

Khabib told TMZ Sports (via Bloody Elbow) earlier today he would go as far as to fight McGregor for free:

Asked how much it would take to meet McGregor, Khabib said he would take the exact opposite path of “The Notorious’” long-winded contract dispute and fight for zero dollars because he’s here to fight for as long as he can:

“Zero. Zero, man. I don’t need money. I need only real fight. Fight for the title. I don’t fight for the money, I fight for my legacy, I fight for history, I fight for my people. That’s why I am here. Three rounds? I am tired about this. I need like 50, 60 rounds. I want to fight all night.”

Perhaps looking to make up for lost time from the numerous injuries holding him back the last few years, Khabib doubled down on his suggestion of fighting McGregor and Ferguson on the same night:

“This is what I want. I need Tony and Conor same night. Tony Ferguson and Conor McGregor, same night.”

As for the official champ, “The Eagle” said he no longer wants real fights after he participated in a long rivalry with “marijuana guy” Nate Diaz or an aging Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring:

“Now, everybody forget about [McGregor] because he doesn’t want real fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “He fight with only like 45-years old Floyd Mayweather or marijuana guy who lose 10 times in UFC, Nate Diaz. You know, like this is crazy.

“He has to defend his belt.”

That’s what the entire MMA world is hoping, Khabib.

We just may not see it for several months – if ever again.

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UFC 219 Prelims Draw Big Viewership Numbers

The final UFC event of 2017 is in the books. Now, it’s time to look at how the viewership for UFC 219 did on network television. The ratings have come out, and the prelims for the show pulled in 914,000 viewers. By looking at the viewership numbers for prelims of pay-per-view events in 2017, it […]

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The final UFC event of 2017 is in the books. Now, it’s time to look at how the viewership for UFC 219 did on network television.

The ratings have come out, and the prelims for the show pulled in 914,000 viewers. By looking at the viewership numbers for prelims of pay-per-view events in 2017, it was the fourth-best number.

It’s a solid number if you look at the competition that the promotion had to go up against. It went head-to-head with the Orange Bowl, that did 11,727,000 viewers.

The prelims peaked with 998,000 viewers for the Michal Oleksiejczuk win over Khall Rountree. The prelims also averaged 10,928 viewers who were streaming the event live on FOX Sports Go and FOX Now.

The pre-fight show drew 209,000 viewers while the post-fight show did 119,000 viewers. Also, the weigh-ins on Friday pulled in 138,000 viewers.

The main card featured a main event that saw Cris Cyborg retaining her women’s featherweight title over Holly Holm by decision.

The three events that topped UFC 219 in viewership for 2017 were 1,033,000 for the prelims of the Tyson Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson fight in March, 1,148,000 for the prelims of the Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones fight in July, and 1,276,000 for Georges St-Pierre vs. Michael Bisping.

Here are the average viewership numbers for UFC PPV preliminary cards in 2017:

UFC 208 – 874,000

UFC 209 – 1,033,000

UFC 210 – 723,000

UFC 211 – 1,148,000

UFC 212 – 732,000

UFC 213 – 657,000

UFC 214 – 886,000

UFC 215 – 418,000

UFC 216 – 653,000

UFC 217 – 1,276,000

UFC 218 – 694,000

UFC 219 – 914,000

Fight fans will have to wait to see more UFC action. The next event is UFC St. Louis (Fight Night 124), which takes place on January 14, 2018 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The event will mark the promotion’s first visit to the city.

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Dana White Discusses Real Reason To Strip Conor McGregor’s Title

Although he recently declared that anyone who believed UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor should be stripped of the title “is a Conor hater” during a bizarre defense of his biggest star, UFC president Dana White began to change his tune today during an exclusive interview with Yahoo’s Kevin Iole. White stated that McGregor had until March […]

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Although he recently declared that anyone who believed UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor should be stripped of the title “is a Conor hater” during a bizarre defense of his biggest star, UFC president Dana White began to change his tune today during an exclusive interview with Yahoo’s Kevin Iole.

White stated that McGregor had until March to make his return known, at which point interim champion Tony Ferguson would face top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov in the spring and the winner would go on to meet McGregor to unify the belts. McGregor has supposedly targeted a summertime date sometime around August, but White said if that were the case, the UFC may have to move on and book Ferguson vs. Khabib for the official title.

His reasoning is now much more in line with the general consensus of much of the UFc fanbase, as even feversihMcGregor supporters have dubbed his inactivity insulting to the fighting spirit the UFC claims to embody. All of the sudden, White seems to agree that McGregor is holding up the division, and while that’s definitely costing the UFC huge potential paydays, White acknowledged it’s also costing the top fighters in the talented division a big part of their prime:

“Not only to the sport, but to the other fighters,” White said. “This is game of time. Time is your enemy in this sport, or any other sport. When you’re a professional athlete, time is your enemy, and we can’t let this thing go on forever and not give other guys the opportunity. Tony Ferguson has been around for a long time and has earned his dues, Khabib has earned his dues, and the list goes on and on.

“So, Conor has done very well, he’s made a lot of money, and if he decides that he doesn’t want to fight again for another, however long, that’s up to him. That’s his choice and his decision. But the belt has to move on, so we’ve gotta figure some stuff out about him in the next couple of months.”

Indeed they do need to figure out what to do with their biggest star, because even though they enjoyed the financial windfall of his boxing match with McGregor, it also clearly made him question if he ever wants to fight in the UFC again or not, and he might never return. He has the cash not to.

It’s also made him question his worth to UFC owners Endeavor, and with McGregor supposedly seeking an ownership stake of his own before he returns to the UFC, many are speculating that will keep him out of action for some time.

White believes an amicable deal will be met, however, noting that he’s Never been adverse to paying McGregor and is not right now.

To him, the question is if he actually wants to fight:

“I’ve never been afraid to pay Conor McGregor money. Conor McGregor brings the money in, and we’ve laid out a really nice offer for him, and he’s a smart kid. I think we’ll figure it out. I’ve always figured it out with him. I’ve always ended up getting a deal done with Conor McGregor.

“The question is, and you’re right, does he have so much money that he doesn’t care anymore and he doesn’t really want to fight? That’s up to him, but in no way, shape, or form am I asking him to come back and not make money, because he’s going to make money.”

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Dana White Unveils Timeline For Potential Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Match-Up

In most mixed martial arts (MMA) circles, it’s long been thought that when UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon – if he does return – it would be against interim champion Tony Ferguson. But with “The Notorious” galavanting about Europe and flaunting the newfound wealth of his $100 million payday to box […]

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But with “The Notorious” galavanting about Europe and flaunting the newfound wealth of his $100 million payday to box Floyd Mayweather last year, it’s anything but a certainty that the Irish megastar will unify his title with “El Cucuy” anytime soon. It’s made for a messy lightweight title picture, to say the least – and that landscape only grew messier when top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov put on one of the most dominant performances of his dominant career against Edson Barboza at UFC 219 (Dec. 30, 2017) last Saturday night in Las Vegas.

McGregor is currently seeking some sort of ownership or promoters stake for his next fight, making his return seem more likely for the summer (hopefully) than for the spring. So that might mean we see the oft-scheduled Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov booked yet again for sometime early in 2018 according to UFC president Dana White, who told Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole that if McGregor is ready to fight early this year, they’ll book Ferguson vs. Khabib for March with the winner fighting the Irishman.

If he’s not, well, the UFC would have to wait it out and then make Ferguson vs. Khabib for the official title, something fans have been crying for quite a lot recently:

“Khabib looks like an unbelievable force and is a star in the making. As long as Conor is willing to fight by March, we could do Khabib versus Tony and then the winner fights Conor for the title,” White said. “Of, if Conor wants to sit out until next fall, then we’d have to make Khabib versus Tony for the title, not the interim title.”

That’s a lot that has to go right for McGregor to meet Nurmagomedov, a fight that’s arguably the biggest match they could make on the heels of Nurmagomedov’s big win, which came months after McGregor vs. Ferguson was the fight to make over McGregor’s fast-fading trilogy match with Nate Diaz.

Regardless, White said McGregor is looking to fight in August, but that’s too long for him to go without defending the belt and ‘can’t happen’:

“I love that matchup (against Nurmagomedov), but Tony Ferguson is the interim champion, and Conor and I haven’t really figured out when he’s coming back and what’s going on,” White said. “So Conor has some big decisions to make here, really quick. If he waits — I don’t think Conor wants to fight until August, but if he waits until August or September, that’s around two years since the belt has been defended, and that can’t happen.”

The controversial executive sounds like he’s finally beginning to “get tough” on McGregor, who’s earned an immeasurable amount of criticism for failing to defend either of his UFC titles since first winning the featherweight gold from Jose Aldo over two years ago.

However, the UFC needs bankable stars right now, and McGregor is clearly their biggest meal ticket, so they’ll more likely to talk a big game in the media while they wait on pins and needles for him to return and defend his belt.

So the saga goes on, with no concrete news in sight. Here’s to hoping fans don’t have to wait until September to find out.

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