The remains of David Koenig, an amateur MMA fighter in Missouri, have been found after a lengthy missing person’s search.
Branson, MO Police say a man who was looking for deer antlers in a wooded area of Branson came upon human remains last Wednesd…
The remains of David Koenig, an amateur MMA fighter in Missouri, have been found after a lengthy missing person’s search.
Branson, MO Police say a man who was looking for deer antlers in a wooded area of Branson came upon human remains last Wednesday. A forensics team was later able to confirm that the remains belonged to Koenig, and the search also found most of his personal items.
It had been previously rumored that Koenig had been murdered, but police later confirmed that this wasn’t the case.
“The examination of the remains conducted by a forensic pathologist determined that there was no trauma and that the death did not appear to be the result of foul play,” Branson PD said in a statement. (h/t Springfield News-Leader)
“Our department and the amazing group of volunteers never stopped in our efforts to find Mr. Koenig. While this is not the ending we hoped for, we offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Koenig.”
A Search For David Koenig Began In March 2020
Koenig’s mother Tracy alleges that her son stayed at the town’s Peach Tree Inn shortly before his disappearance. It’s unclear where he went after leaving the hotel.
Koenig had last competed in MMA in 2017 and hasn’t fought since. He earned back-to-back wins on the regional scene in promotions such as ShoFight and RFA 46.
An exact cause of death hasn’t been determined at this time.
Dana White is still not open to ever doing business with Jake Paul, but he does have quite a different proposal for his nemesis.
If there were a “Rivalry of the Year” MMA award, you’d be remiss not to add Jake Paul vs. Dana White to the nominations…
Dana White is still not open to ever doing business with Jake Paul, but he does have quite a different proposal for his nemesis.
If there were a “Rivalry of the Year” MMA award, you’d be remiss not to add Jake Paul vs. Dana White to the nominations list. There may not be a chance of the two ever fighting one another (although Paul has said that may change someday), but the two have traded shots at one another for the better part of 2021.
Most recently, after Paul knocked out former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley earlier this month, he gloated about embarrassing the entire UFC. He then reiterated his interest in fighting UFC stars, such as Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal. In Masvidal’s case, “Gamebred” expressed optimism that the right financial incentive from Paul’s camp could sway White’s mind.
“No (scenario I’d let Diaz or Masvidal box Paul while under UFC contract),” White said. “You notice how he wants to fight f*cking everybody that’s not in his weight class, guys that are older and all this bullsh*t. Go fight a boxer. Go hump somebody else’s leg, you goofball.”
Dana White Makes A Proposal To Jake Paul
With a fight against a UFC-contracted fighter still out of the question, Dana White would then throw out a counterproposal to the YouTuber. Paul, known to conceive of creative bets and proposals of his own, was now on the receiving end of a rather unexpected offer from the UFC boss.
“I got a challenge for Jake Paul,” White said. “This guy keeps saying that I’m a cokehead. He can randomly cocaine test me for the next 10 years if I can randomly steroid test him for the next two,” White said.
Getty Images
White is not the first person to throw suspension in Paul’s direction regarding steroid usage. Previous opponent Tyron Woodley also suggested that Paul was entering their initial August fight as a tainted athlete. Additionally, John Fury claimed that Paul had avoided being drug tested ahead of the originally planned bout between Paul and Tommy Fury.
Thus far, Paul has always responded to every mention of his name by Dana White, so we shall see if this time is any different. Should he offer a response to White’s proposal, you can be sure that we will bring you the dirt right here at MMANews.com.
How do you predict Jake Paul will respond to this proposal from Dana White?
UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley thinks a couple of UFC stars could give Jake Paul issues in the boxing ring.
O’Malley knows a thing or two about boxing, as he’s widely regarded as arguably one of the best boxers in the UFC. He most recentl…
UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley thinks a couple of UFC stars could give Jake Paul issues in the boxing ring.
O’Malley knows a thing or two about boxing, as he’s widely regarded as arguably one of the best boxers in the UFC. He most recently earned a dominant knockout win over Raulian Paiva at UFC 269.
Paul has attracted the attention of many around the MMA community, especially after his knockout over Tyron Woodley. Paul has managed to keep up the MMA vs. boxing narrative with his fights and callouts.
“Masvidal or Kamaru would be the toughest fights for Jake boxing-wise,” O’Malley said.
After his knockout over Woodley, Paul also called out Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor as two potential opponents. Despite O’Malley’s endorsements of Usman and Masvidal to face Paul, he explained the difficulties of negotiating the potential bouts.
“Diaz, Masvidal, Kamaru, that can’t even be negotiated,” O’Malley continued. “You cannot negotiate under UFC contract, so those fights will not happen unless Dana really wants to see Jake lose and is very, very confident in one of his fighters, that they can beat him. But even then, I don’t know if he would let them fight. I don’t know. We’ll see what’s next. I don’t think it’ll be anyone on the UFC roster.”
Sean O’Malley, Jake Paul Planning On Big 2022
O’Malley has praised Jake and Logan Paul in the past, going as far as to say he’s felt inspired by watching their career transitions. The Paul brothers have managed to take their large following from content creation into the sport of boxing.
O’Malley and Paul are both on winning streaks to wrap up 2021. Paul is undefeated in his young boxing career, while O’Malley has won three UFC bouts in a row.
O’Malley and Paul are two of the more polarizing young stars in their respective sports, but that hasn’t stopped the two of them from having mutual respect for one another.
Do you think Kamaru Usman or Jorge Masvidal would outbox Jake Paul?
We could see Ji?í Procházka get crowned a new champion over the next year, although some questions give us hesitancy in that stance.
It didn’t take long for Ji?í Procházka to fly up the UFC light heavyweight division and become a title contender. A…
We could see Ji?í Procházka get crowned a new champion over the next year, although some questions give us hesitancy in that stance.
It didn’t take long for Ji?í Procházka to fly up the UFC light heavyweight division and become a title contender. And while we don’t know if he is next for a title shot at the moment, all signs indicate that he is on a fast track to getting a championship fight if he keeps producing the results he has made thus far.
Procházka is still somewhat of a new name for UFC viewers. He has only fought twice since joining the promotion in 2020, including one main event bout. That’s certainly not to say he doesn’t have experience.
Viewers of the RIZIN product from Japan have a better understanding of him. Before his UFC run, many witnessed him score wins over notable names Karl Albrektsson and Vadim Nemkov. Only 29 years old, the Czech Republic fighter has competed as a pro for nearly a decade and has over 25 wins.
Procházka’s career started incredibly busy, fighting more than three times a year from 2012 to 2015. He continued to stay active in the following years, fighting two to three times a year in RIZIN from 2016 to 2019.
However, his activity as a pro has slowed down since joining the UFC roster, only fighting once a year since 2020. So when looking at the contender, it might be best to judge him off his two most recent fights instead of observing older tape. When looking at his two fights in the UFC, there is a lot to address. Here’s what we know about Procházka, what we’re concerned about, and what we have yet to learn.
Looking At Procházka’s Two UFC Fights
Jiri Prochazka (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa)
Procházka’s first two fights in the UFC showed his undeniable punching power. He displayed his ability to put away opponents with a wild striking style. However, he wasn’t a flawless fighter. In his UFC debut in 2020, Procházka scored a second-round stoppage win against a big name in Volkan Oezdemir. However, he got hit quite a bit along the way. He was visibly stunned by shots at times by Oezdemir but was able to work past those issues for a finish win.
The issue of getting hit continued to show in his main event fight against Dominick Reyes in May. He was notably wobbled halfway through the second round by a left cross, forcing him to shoot for a takedown and fight a guillotine choke submission on the ground. Reyes was able to touch him, but to Procházka’s credit, he powered through and eventually overwhelmed the two-time title challenger.
That fight also showed a side to his game that hasn’t been tested extensively in the UFC cage yet: his ground game. Although the fight was mostly on the feet, Procházka was taken down by Reyes in the first round quite easily. As was mentioned before, he also found himself fighting a choke after taking a desperation shot in the second frame.
This could be a glaring issue if he were to face current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Glover Teixeira, who has a clear talent for getting fighters to the ground and submitting them with ease. With that being said, his ability to defend wrestling and grappling hasn’t been tested more thoroughly by someone yet.
What’s Next For Procházka?
(via Zuffa LLC)
There’s good reason to believe Procházka could claim the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. He’s explosive with his punches and hard to read as a fighter. But should you go all-in on the Procházka hype train? That’s a hard call to make.
Like anyone ranked second in their division should, Procházka certainly believes he has a good case for getting a title fight next. But as it stands currently, we cannot confirm if that is actually what’s next for him, although all signs are currently trending in that direction. Therefore, it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s next in line. Neither would it be a shock if he’s next to have that belt around his waist.
Do you think Jiri Prochazka will become UFC Light Heavyweight Champion in 2022?
UFC light heavyweight, Anthony Smith doesn’t buy the recent allegations made against Chael Sonnen.
Recently, Sonnen was hit with five battery citations after allegedly being a part of a hotel brawl in Las Vegas. TMZ Sports reported that Sonnen was …
UFC light heavyweight, Anthony Smith doesn’t buy the recent allegations made against Chael Sonnen.
Recently, Sonnen was hit with five battery citations after allegedly being a part of a hotel brawl in Las Vegas. TMZ Sports reported that Sonnen was detained but was ultimately not arrested because cops didn’t personally witness the alleged incident. Nevertheless, he still was given five misdemeanor battery citations, and the police are still investigating the incident.
Since the initial report, there haven’t been many details about Sonnen’s case aside from Brendan Schaub’s version of events, but for Anthony Smith, he doesn’t buy into the idea that Sonnen would suddenly beat up five people in a hotel. Generally speaking, he doesn’t think Sonnen would be that type of person. So until the entire facts come out, “Lionheart” admits it is hard to believe what was reported (h/t Sportskeeda).
“I do think that it would be really hard for me to believe like Chael Sonnen beat up five people. Listening to the Jon Jones situation, I have never commented on his personal struggles or whatever,” Smith said on Karyn Bryant’s YouTube channel. “But at this point, he has not earned or deserved the benefit of the doubt.
Image Credit: Fernando Quiles Jr., MMA News
“I think at this point in Chael’s life, he’s earned the benefit of the doubt at least. It is just not his nature… I don’t know the full story but Chael is not that type of guy. You can’t even get the dude to look up from his phone half the time. He’s so chill and so calm and you can’t get him riled up easily.”
Because Sonnen was not arrested, as of right now, there does not appear to be anything major that could come down against the UFC legend. Therefore, as Smith says, it is hard to really form an evidence-based opinion, as there isn’t a ton of details on the case available at the moment.
Anthony Smith is currently ranked #4 in the UFC’s light heavyweight division. He most recently defeated Ryan Spann in September and is currently awaiting word on his next opponent.
Do you agree with Anthony Smith that the allegations against Chael Sonnen are hard to believe?
UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad believes the UFC and Dana White need to start pushing him over other top-five guys like Leon Edwards.
Muhammad moved one step closer to the top of the 170-pound mountain this year with victories over a pair…
UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad believes the UFC and Dana White need to start pushing him over other top-five guys like Leon Edwards.
Muhammad moved one step closer to the top of the 170-pound mountain this year with victories over a pair of former title challengers. After a disappointing no contest against Edwards in March, which came after Muhammad was the victim of a nasty eye poke, “Remember The Name” bounced back with a comfortable win against veteran Brazilian Demian Maia at UFC 263.
Following that triumph, Muhammad had his second crack at a top-five opponent, this time in the form of two-time title challenger Stephen Thompson. In the final co-main event of the year, Muhammad broke into the welterweight elite with a dominant performance. After controlling and beating “Wonderboy” for the majority of the contest, the 33-year-old was awarded a unanimous decision on the scorecards.
Now sitting at #5 on the welterweight ladder, Muhammad is unbeaten in seven fights. Since a 2019 defeat to Geoff Neal, the Chicago native has added victories over Lyman Good, Dhiego Lima, Maia, and Edwards to his impressive 20-3 résumé. With that form in mind, Muhammad is likely one impressive victory away over a fellow top-five name from a shot at gold.
During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Muhammad made his case for a big push towards the title. Addressing UFC President Dana White, “Remember The Name” suggested he’s the contender that “has it all,” something he doesn’t believe #3-ranked Edwards can say about himself.
“Dana, I know you’re watching this, you’ve got four weeks off to think about this. When you really think about it, there are not a lot of guys out here that are promoting themselves like me. I’m a guy that knows how to talk, I’m a guy who knows how to fight, I’m a guy that can fight the best of the best, be with the best of the best, and talk with the best of the best. I’m that guy that has it all.
“You guys are out here trying to push the wrong guys. Leon hasn’t said anything witty or cool in the last like, 10 years. Whenever he opens his mouth, something stupid comes out. I’m the guy that you need to start pushing.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CX9OjMzF1eh/
Muhammad has certainly not been shy to call out other top welterweights since his victory over “Wonderboy” prior to Christmas. As well as calling for a rematch with Edwards and discrediting “Rocky” as a title contender, the 33-year-old has expressed an interest in facing Khamzat Chimaev.
While it remains to be seen which way the promotion will go, we can expect Muhammad to be opposite a big name the next time he steps into the Octagon.
Do you agree with Belal Muhammad? Is he the welterweight the UFC needs to be pushing?
