Tag: Featherweight

McGregor: ‘Let Me Enjoy Dual Titles’ Before Taking One Away

On Nov. 12, Conor McGregor will try to make history and become the first man to hold two UFC titles in different weight classes at the same time when he meets 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC 205. The one main problem with McGregor aiming to achieve history is that the

The post McGregor: ‘Let Me Enjoy Dual Titles’ Before Taking One Away appeared first on LowKick MMA.

On Nov. 12, Conor McGregor will try to make history and become the first man to hold two UFC titles in different weight classes at the same time when he meets 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez in the main event of UFC 205.

The one main problem with McGregor aiming to achieve history is that the Irishman has never defend the featherweight title he won in December 2015. ‘The Notorious’ secured the title from Jose Aldo with a devastating 13-second knockout at UFC 194 last year, but has since failed to even fight in the weight class.

When his lightweight title fight versus Alvarez at Madison Square Garden was announced last month, UFC President Dana White made a note of saying that should McGregor win, he would give up one of the title belts, as he could not hold up a division by not defending one of the two titles.

McGregor brushed the remarks off at the UFC 205 press conference:

“I’m going to wrap one (belt) on one shoulder and I’m going to wrap the other (belt) on the other shoulder and they’re going to need a (expletive) army to come take them belts off me.”

Now, however, McGregor admits that he will give up one of the two titles under one condition.

“Let me see the pictures on publications with a belt on each shoulder first,” he recently told Sports Illustrated by phone. “Let me go onto the side of that Octagon and raise two world titles, what’s never been done before, before talking about stripping me. Let me get the f—— things, let me do it.

“I’ll always listen to the correct business move and I’ll always do what is the correct move,” he added, “but let me do it and let me go back and look at some pictures of me with two belts and let me embrace it for half-a-day.”

White and McGregor seemed to be at odds regarding the relinquishing of one of the belts, but the Irishman believes the media have played their part in the debacle.

“It’s the media that’s making this,” he said. “Let me look at the historic images we’re going to get on this night, me with these two belts. That’s what everyone should be excited about, this is history.”

McGregor is aware that he would be holding up two divisions should he not give up a belt, but says he wants to accomplish the feat and then enjoy the moment first.

“Everyone wants to see you do good, but not better than them,” he said. “That’s what’s happening here. I’m just looking forward to raising the belts, and doing what has not been done before.

“Don’t be trying to take away the historic moment before I’ve even experienced it.”

The post McGregor: ‘Let Me Enjoy Dual Titles’ Before Taking One Away appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Why The Savage Doo Ho Choi Is The Man To Watch At Featherweight

These days it seems that the only thing people are talking about in regards to the featherweight division is whether Conor McGregor will hold onto the strap forever or relinquish it to free the division up. Another point of interest at featherweight is whether Jose Aldo will retire or not.

The post Why The Savage Doo Ho Choi Is The Man To Watch At Featherweight appeared first on Cagepotato.

These days it seems that the only thing people are talking about in regards to the featherweight division is whether Conor McGregor will hold onto the strap forever or relinquish it to free the division up. Another point of interest at featherweight is whether Jose Aldo will retire or not. But for the most part most of the attention these days has been placed on whether or not Conor McGregor can beat Eddie Alvarez or how Ronda Rousey will look when she returns. As an avid, okay okay, rabid MMA fan, my concern is squarely on the up and comers that are set to shine in the near future. One fighter in particular who fits the bill is Doo Ho Choi.

There are a lot of people who believe this kid could be the best fighter to come out of South Korea since Chan Sung Jung. Doo Ho Choi has the kind of power that can turn anyone’s lights out, but more than that, his overall game is so damn impressive it can’t be ignored. He has a solid ground game, loves to create scrambles, and isn’t afraid to go submission for submission in the grappling department.

But make no mistake, it’s his striking that rules the day.

Doo Ho Choi has the kind of striking prowess that make fighters like Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor, and Max Holloway a pleasure to watch for both the casual and hardcore fans alike. So far in his UFC career “The Korean Superboy” has been looking as dangerous as any of the aforementioned fighters above. With the announcement of his UFC 206 bout against Cub Swanson, the whole world is going to have the opportunity to see just how far Doo Ho Choi can go.

What makes Choi so dangerous is his precision. He doesn’t waste energy on wild punching combinations. If he’s throwing hands it’s either to set something up or to land crushing finishing blows that usually lead to some fantastical knock out. Cub Swanson is the perfect test for Doo Ho Choi. Choi asked for the fight and now he has to back up his talk. But just as a little reminder of how dangerous this guy is, here’s a little highlight reel of his work.

Do you think Doo Ho Choi will challenge for the featherweight title some day?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

The post Why The Savage Doo Ho Choi Is The Man To Watch At Featherweight appeared first on Cagepotato.

Would Cris Cyborg Be Competitive in the Male Featherweight Division?

Once again Cris Cyborg’s dominant victory inside the Octagon has gotten us debating, this time with one of the more controversial issues yet. Our writers Jonathan Salmon and Lionel Harris-Spence tackle the issue of what Cyborg’s chances would be against male featherweights.

The post Would Cris Cyborg Be Competitive in the Male Featherweight Division? appeared first on Cagepotato.

Once again Cris Cyborg’s dominant victory inside the Octagon has gotten us debating, this time with one of the more controversial issues yet. Our writers Jonathan Salmon and Lionel Harris-Spence tackle the issue of what Cyborg’s chances would be against male featherweights.

Jonathan Salmon: So this is one of our first one of these on Cage Potato and I’ve got a fairly interesting, fairly controversial topic to discuss. Just how the hell would Cris Cyborg do against high level male featherweight opposition? Granted, it’s a controversial issue, particularly in terms of male violence against women. But this is purely hypothetical, so if anyone is taking offense, then just simmer down and take a moment to consider what I’m talking about here.

 

I think that Cyborg has some pretty terrifying skills that would and should give any opponent some pause, man or woman. Sure, for the most part that’s not going to be true in other male versus female scenarios. If Ronda Rousey were to fight Dominick Cruz, I’ll be picking the “The Dominator” all day. But Cris Cyborg is a a completely different beast, and I say that with all due respect. If she were to contend with some of the male featherweight top fifteen, I’m sure we’d see some surprising results.

 

Lionel Harris-Spence: While I agree Cris Cyborg does have some pretty terrifying skills, and she’s an absolute beast in the women’s division, but if you put her in the land of beasts, she’ll be average, at best. Ultimately I feel Cyborg is a big fish in a small pond, and the strength advantages she has against most ladies would be neutralized if not bested in the men’s division. If you think she’s walking through Jose Aldo’s leg kicks like she did with Lina Lansberg, you’re sadly mistaken.

 

JS: Well, no one is walking through a Jose Aldo leg kick unscathed. But to me, it’s more about the accuracy of her strikes than the power she possesses. There isn’t much wasted motion in her strikes and against an opponent who she feels is a challenge, she’s likely to be more conservative and take the time to set up her attack. Now, would I pick her to beat Jose Aldo or Conor McGregor? No. Could I see her challenging a Darren Elkins? As wild as it sounds, yes I do.

 

LHS: Challenge is the key term there. If by challenge you mean make it to the 3rd round, them maybe. She could possibly go the distance with a Darren Elkins, but winning? I just don’t see it in the cards. This situation reminds me of a 20-0 boxer who has never faced any real competition, once you get in there with the big boys it’s a whole nother level. She has a hands down move forward style that makes her very hittable. While she does have power I don’t know if it will translate to her knocking out most male competitors at that weight class. She’s going to be getting hit by men cutting down from around 170 and my guess is she’ll be getting hit alot. Her movement’s not super impressive, and from what I’ve seen her advantages lie in her being so much stronger and skilled than her competition.  I’m not saying she’s not a great fighter at the women’s division, but I just see too many holes and question marks to seriously think she could COMPETE with the top 15.

 

JS: All valid points, but I do think you’re grossly underestimating Cyborg’s abilities. She’s always in position to strike, never throws herself out of her stance, and has the accuracy to make her dangerous for any fighter out there no matter their gender.

 

But that’s the beauty of these kinds of hypothetical conversations: there’s no right or wrong answer. I do think that Cyborg is certainly a special athlete who is in the unfortunate position of not having enough high level opposition to contend with in the female featherweight ranks. While Cyborg testing her grit against a male opponent is unlikely to come to pass, the idea that she may not even be able to contend with high level fighters like Holly Holm or Amanda Nunes is also extremely unfortunate. For now we can only wonder and guess how well Cyborg would do in either scenario, but if one thing is certain, she does have the skills to at least bring about these kind of what if scenarios.

So just how good is Cris Cyborg?

 

The post Would Cris Cyborg Be Competitive in the Male Featherweight Division? appeared first on Cagepotato.

McGregor vs. Aldo or Edgar for UFC 200?

After being cleared for action by doctors and medical staff for UFC 200, Conor McGregor has set his sights on defending his 145 pound title. The question; however, is who should McGregor face? Aldo has already been calling out McGregor and clearly …

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After being cleared for action by doctors and medical staff for UFC 200, Conor McGregor has set his sights on defending his 145 pound title. The question; however, is who should McGregor face? Aldo has already been calling out McGregor and clearly wants a rematch. Aldo’s insults seems to be clutching at straws to be fair, considering he was KO’d in 13 seconds. But if the original Aldo vs. McGregor was billed as the biggest UFC fight in history, one can only imagine what a rematch would be like.

The dynamic of this rematch would make the fight intriguing because it’s McGregor who has the belt now, not Aldo. If Aldo had lost some of the hunger from his earlier days, it is certainly back in full force now. And of course this would be McGregor’s first title defense. The Irishman seems suited to play the role of a conquering warrior, but a king defending his realm might see McGregor change his tune, especially after being humbled by Nate Diaz.

At the same time, since the fight was so short, many of the original story lines and fighting styles would just be rehashed, making the clash redundant. The first fight for many fans was disappointing, so a rematch could possibly not be as compelling.

Frankie Edgar offers a different challenge. Edgar is a workhorse, a tough grinder. He is excellent at defending strikes and very good on the ground, holding a black belt in BJJ, which could present a sizable problem to McGregor, especially after Diaz’s black belt masterclass at UFC 196.

What makes an Edgar fight more exciting than Aldo in my opinion, is the danger on the ground Edgar poses is similar to Chad Mendes. When Mendes fought McGregor, he clearly suffered from a lack of a full camp after good ground and pound in Round 1 and most of Round 2. Mendes with a full camp is incredibly dangerous to McGregor, just like Edgar will be as he would have a full camp to prepare for UFC 200.

Edgar of course is at a clear reach disadvantage, giving up 6 inches to McGregor. Shorter reach did not prevent Mendes from landing successful takedowns though.

At the UFC 196 post fight recap on FOX, Dana White seemed reluctant to give a shot Edgar, even with Frankie sitting just a few feet away, although he did acknowledge Edgar’s desire to fight McGregor.

Mystic Mac has basically said he will wait and see what the fans want while giving Edgar praise for showing up and competing throughout his career and criticizing Aldo for often “not showing up.”

Edgar holds a professional record of 19-4-1, while currently riding a 5 fight win streak. He’s been asking for his title shot for quite some time and seeing the UFC veteran get his chance would be good.

So who do you want McGregor to face, fight fans? Jose Aldo in a potential king slaying rematch, or Frankie Edgar in a much deserved title bout?

 

McGregor vs. Aldo or Edgar for UFC 200?

After being cleared for action by doctors and medical staff for UFC 200, Conor McGregor has set his sights on defending his 145 pound title. The question; however, is who should McGregor face? Aldo has already been calling out McGregor and clearly …

img25411776

frankie-edgar-weigh-injose-aldo-miic

After being cleared for action by doctors and medical staff for UFC 200, Conor McGregor has set his sights on defending his 145 pound title. The question; however, is who should McGregor face? Aldo has already been calling out McGregor and clearly wants a rematch. Aldo’s insults seems to be clutching at straws to be fair, considering he was KO’d in 13 seconds. But if the original Aldo vs. McGregor was billed as the biggest UFC fight in history, one can only imagine what a rematch would be like.

The dynamic of this rematch would make the fight intriguing because it’s McGregor who has the belt now, not Aldo. If Aldo had lost some of the hunger from his earlier days, it is certainly back in full force now. And of course this would be McGregor’s first title defense. The Irishman seems suited to play the role of a conquering warrior, but a king defending his realm might see McGregor change his tune, especially after being humbled by Nate Diaz.

At the same time, since the fight was so short, many of the original story lines and fighting styles would just be rehashed, making the clash redundant. The first fight for many fans was disappointing, so a rematch could possibly not be as compelling.

Frankie Edgar offers a different challenge. Edgar is a workhorse, a tough grinder. He is excellent at defending strikes and very good on the ground, holding a black belt in BJJ, which could present a sizable problem to McGregor, especially after Diaz’s black belt masterclass at UFC 196.

What makes an Edgar fight more exciting than Aldo in my opinion, is the danger on the ground Edgar poses is similar to Chad Mendes. When Mendes fought McGregor, he clearly suffered from a lack of a full camp after good ground and pound in Round 1 and most of Round 2. Mendes with a full camp is incredibly dangerous to McGregor, just like Edgar will be as he would have a full camp to prepare for UFC 200.

Edgar of course is at a clear reach disadvantage, giving up 6 inches to McGregor. Shorter reach did not prevent Mendes from landing successful takedowns though.

At the UFC 196 post fight recap on FOX, Dana White seemed reluctant to give a shot Edgar, even with Frankie sitting just a few feet away, although he did acknowledge Edgar’s desire to fight McGregor.

Mystic Mac has basically said he will wait and see what the fans want while giving Edgar praise for showing up and competing throughout his career and criticizing Aldo for often “not showing up.”

Edgar holds a professional record of 19-4-1, while currently riding a 5 fight win streak. He’s been asking for his title shot for quite some time and seeing the UFC veteran get his chance would be good.

So who do you want McGregor to face, fight fans? Jose Aldo in a potential king slaying rematch, or Frankie Edgar in a much deserved title bout?

 

Max Holloway: The UFC Featherweight Division’s Next Rising Star

There is something special about seeing a fighter coming into his own, and Max Holloway is in the midst of making that process a reality. The 23-year-old Hawaiian scrapper may have struggled to find consistent success in his initial steps onto the biggest stage in mixed martial arts, but the past two years have been […]

There is something special about seeing a fighter coming into his own, and Max Holloway is in the midst of making that process a reality. The 23-year-old Hawaiian scrapper may have struggled to find consistent success in his initial steps onto the biggest stage in mixed martial arts, but the past two years have been […]

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