Tag: Featured

Rafael Fiziev slams Conor McGregor for ducking USADA testing: ‘He does it because he’s a superstar’

Rafael FizievRafael Fiziev believes Michael Chandler will make easy work of Conor McGregor when the two lightweight greats finally step inside the Octagon. ‘Ataman’ is scheduled for a high-stakes scrap with fellow lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot on Saturday night as the promotion returns to the familiar confines of The APEX in Las Vegas. Fiziev will be […]

Rafael Fiziev

Rafael Fiziev believes Michael Chandler will make easy work of Conor McGregor when the two lightweight greats finally step inside the Octagon.

‘Ataman’ is scheduled for a high-stakes scrap with fellow lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot on Saturday night as the promotion returns to the familiar confines of The APEX in Las Vegas. Fiziev will be looking to regain some ground at 155 after coming up short against current BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje in his last outing.

As an elite member of the lightweight division, Fiziev often finds himself being asked about some of the division’s top stars, including former dual-world champion Conor McGregor. Discussing the long-gestating scrap between McGregor and former Bellator champion Michael Chandler in a recent interview, ‘Ataman’ suggested that Chandler could potentially make easy work of McGregor, so long as he can keep his emotions in check and fights smart.

“Michael and I have the same problem because he also has to control his emotions in the fight,” Fiziev told MMA Fighting. “He has to control it. I think if he starts to control emotions, following the game plan only, he’ll beat Conor, because Conor, he lost the focus. He’s not the Conor from six years ago, five years ago. It’s not [the same] Conor.

“He just has to stay smart, have to stay calm, and I think Michael can win this fight easily just because [Conor] lost the focus. I think if he [gets out of] one round, after, [Chandler will win]. It’s a very interesting fight.”

Rafael Fiziev Accuses Conor McGregor of Using His Star Power to Skirt the Rules

Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler recently completed their stint as opposing coaches on the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter. The pair were expected to follow that up by stepping inside the Octagon against one another in December for the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year. But after McGregor failed to re-enter the USADA testing pool for a required six months of pre-fight screening, the bout was pushed to sometime in 2024.

To this day, McGregor is still not enrolled in USADA which has become a constant source of frustration for fans and fighters who believe that the Irishman is using his star power to skirt the rules.

“For me, it’s like, it’s crazy, bro,” Fiziev said. “This guy, he’s a superstar, [and] because he’s a superstar, he do whatever [he wants], he don’t need this fight. Now, he fights just for fun, just to stay active.

“It’s still this crazy situation because, How is USADA not testing him? He’s lightweight fighter and you don’t test him. It’s crazy why he can’t do it like that but everybody [else] can, but it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. But I think he deserves all this sh*t around him, because he’s a superstar, man. If you or me [become a star] like him, I think we can we can do the bullsh*t the same.

“He’s superstar level, that’s why he’s doing this bullsh*t,” Fiziev continued. “But I don’t say if I [become] the superstar, I [would do] the same because I like [there] to be justice. I don’t want to say [it’s] not justice [with McGregor], but yeah, he does it because he’s a superstar.”

Paddy Pimblett and the UFC facing backlash following ‘Shameless’ Tony Ferguson matchmaking

Paddy PimblettFight fans were less than thrilled to hear that Paddy Pimblett’s return to the Octagon will come against a fighter currently riding a six-fight losing streak. By the time he steps back into the cage on December 16, it will have been more than a year since Paddy Pimblett competed. UFC 282 saw ‘The Baddy’ […]

Paddy Pimblett

Fight fans were less than thrilled to hear that Paddy Pimblett’s return to the Octagon will come against a fighter currently riding a six-fight losing streak.

By the time he steps back into the cage on December 16, it will have been more than a year since Paddy Pimblett competed. UFC 282 saw ‘The Baddy’ score his fourth-straight win under the UFC banner, though it came with a heaping dose of controversy as virtually everyone had Pimblett losing his three-round scrap with Jared ‘Flash’ Gordon at the event.

Suffering a foot injury during the bout, Pimblett has been laid up for all of 2023 thus far, but that didn’t stop him from issuing a challenge to Gordon, suggesting the two fighters could run it back and settle the debate once and for all.

Instead, Paddy Pimblett will return against one of the lightweight division’s most revered fighters, Tony Ferguson. UFC CEO Dana White made the announcement, confirming that the pair will compete as part of the promotion’s still-developing UFC 296 card in December.

Fans were quick to call the UFC’s matchmaking into question considering Pimblett is a highly-touted prospect riding a six-fight win streak while Ferguson finds himself on a six-fight skid.

Some have accused the promotion of putting ‘El Cucuy‘ out to pasture as he works through the last fights on his contract while others question what either man has to gain by fighting one another. If Paddy Pimblett scores another win inside the Octagon, as many believe he will, ‘The Baddy’ will have beaten a man who is a shell of his former self. If Ferguson manages to come out on top, he’s only beaten an unranked prospect. Not to mention the irreparable damage that Pimblett could face by taking an L against Ferguson.

No matter your opinion on Pimblett vs. Ferguson, you can’t deny that UFC 296 is shaping up to be another can’t-miss night of fights. This week, we learned that two UFC title fights will co-headline the card, the biggest being Leon Edwards’ long-awaited welterweight title defense against division gatekeeper Colby Covington. In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja will put his newly won flyweight title on the line against a familiar foe in Brandon Royval.

Dana White also revealed that Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson will return this December to take on rising undefeated prospect Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Which fight are you looking forward to seeing at UFC 296 this winter?

Fight Fans Slam the Booking of Paddy Pimblett vs. Tony Ferguson at UFC 296

Francis Ngannou claims UFC cost him $1.2 million sponsorship deal after his heavyweight title win

Francis NgannouFormer UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou claims the promotion once robbed him of a million-dollar sponsorship deal. The Predator’ is almost a year removed from his last appearance inside the Octagon, but that hasn’t stopped Ngannou from telling tales about his trials and tribulations with the Las Vegas-based promotion. Recently, Ngannou made an appearance on […]

Francis Ngannou

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou claims the promotion once robbed him of a million-dollar sponsorship deal.

The Predator’ is almost a year removed from his last appearance inside the Octagon, but that hasn’t stopped Ngannou from telling tales about his trials and tribulations with the Las Vegas-based promotion. Recently, Ngannou made an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience to discuss his combat sports career, past and present. During their conversation, the Cameroonian revealed that he had bagged a big-money sponsorship following his UFC title victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, but the promotion forced him out of it after penning their own deal.

“After the Stipe fight, I had a deal in 2021 on the table with cryptocurrency,” Ngannou said. “I was going to have $1.2 million, which is the money I never had in any fight…then they announced the Crypto.com deal, and they told me ‘You can’t carry this in the Octagon with what we’re trying to push.’

“You’re gonna have to wear it whether you like it or not…I wanted to have my own sponsor, which fighters should be able to have 2-3 sponsors on their deals. I understand we want to make this sport grow, but we can also have a department who checks all the sponsors. There’s a lot of good stuff out there to let fighters to provide and get a little bit more money, and that was another discussion” (h/t MMA News).

Ngannou also revealed that he had to ask the UFC for an advance on his fight purse just to cover the training costs associated with his fight against Miocic in 2021.

After years of failed negotiations with the UFC, the two parties finally agreed to part ways, paving the way for ‘The Predator’ to sign a ground-breaking deal with the Professional Fighters League. Ngannou is expected to make his Smart Cage debut in 2024, but first, he will test out his skills in the squared circle. On October 28, Ngannou will make his pro boxing debut as he meets reigning WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury.

The two behemoths are scheduled to clash in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.

Francis Ngannou claims UFC cost him $1.2 million sponsorship deal after his heavyweight title win

Francis NgannouFormer UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou claims the promotion once robbed him of a million-dollar sponsorship deal. The Predator’ is almost a year removed from his last appearance inside the Octagon, but that hasn’t stopped Ngannou from telling tales about his trials and tribulations with the Las Vegas-based promotion. Recently, Ngannou made an appearance on […]

Francis Ngannou

Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou claims the promotion once robbed him of a million-dollar sponsorship deal.

The Predator’ is almost a year removed from his last appearance inside the Octagon, but that hasn’t stopped Ngannou from telling tales about his trials and tribulations with the Las Vegas-based promotion. Recently, Ngannou made an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience to discuss his combat sports career, past and present. During their conversation, the Cameroonian revealed that he had bagged a big-money sponsorship following his UFC title victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, but the promotion forced him out of it after penning their own deal.

“After the Stipe fight, I had a deal in 2021 on the table with cryptocurrency,” Ngannou said. “I was going to have $1.2 million, which is the money I never had in any fight…then they announced the Crypto.com deal, and they told me ‘You can’t carry this in the Octagon with what we’re trying to push.’

“You’re gonna have to wear it whether you like it or not…I wanted to have my own sponsor, which fighters should be able to have 2-3 sponsors on their deals. I understand we want to make this sport grow, but we can also have a department who checks all the sponsors. There’s a lot of good stuff out there to let fighters to provide and get a little bit more money, and that was another discussion” (h/t MMA News).

Ngannou also revealed that he had to ask the UFC for an advance on his fight purse just to cover the training costs associated with his fight against Miocic in 2021.

After years of failed negotiations with the UFC, the two parties finally agreed to part ways, paving the way for ‘The Predator’ to sign a ground-breaking deal with the Professional Fighters League. Ngannou is expected to make his Smart Cage debut in 2024, but first, he will test out his skills in the squared circle. On October 28, Ngannou will make his pro boxing debut as he meets reigning WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury.

The two behemoths are scheduled to clash in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.

Report: Khamzat Chimaev severs ties with Sweden, will represent the UAE at UFC 294

Khamzat ChimaevKhamzat Chimaev will not represent Sweden when he makes his return to the Octagon on October 21. Since making his promotional debut in 2020, ‘Borz’ has always represented Sweden. Moving to the Northern European country at the age of 18, Chimaev has been a long-time member of the Allstar Training Center in Stockholm, but going […]

Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev will not represent Sweden when he makes his return to the Octagon on October 21.

Since making his promotional debut in 2020, ‘Borz’ has always represented Sweden. Moving to the Northern European country at the age of 18, Chimaev has been a long-time member of the Allstar Training Center in Stockholm, but going forward, the undefeated contender will reportedly represent his new home, the United Arab Emirates, beginning with UFC 294.

Though Chimaev was born in Chechnya and still has strong ties to the country courtesy of his relationship with embattled Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, ‘Borz’ has typically chosen to represent the country he resided in. The UFC typically allows fighters to represent any country they choose, regardless of their nationality. With his permanent move from Sweden to the UAE, the move should come as no surprise, but a report from @Pelunaton on X suggested that there may be some political motivations behind the move.

According to some Russian media reports, Khamzat Chimaev would no longer represent Sweden (I think due to political issues due to the burning of the Koran) he will now represent the United Arab Emirates.

In 2023, a number of instances of Quran-burning occurred in Sweden, the most notable of which occurred in June, when a 37-year-old Iraqi Christian refugee ripped out and set fire to pages of the Quran outside the Stockholm Mosque. The incident sparked protests in multiple Muslim countries which only fueled more instances of Quran-burning in both Sweden and Denmark.

Could Khamzat Chimaev Secure His First Title Opportunity with a Win at UFC 294?

Khamzat Chimaev will be making his first appearance in more than a year by the time UFC 294 rolls around. ‘Borz’ last competed at UFC 279 in September 2022, scoring a first-round submission against Kevin Holland to extend his undefeated streak to 12. Meeting him inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi will be another fighter making their own return after a lengthy layoff, Paulo Costa.

The Eraser’ last competed in August 2022, securing a win over former middleweight world champion Luke Rockhold.

Many believe that the bout could serve as a potential title eliminator with the division now wide open courtesy of Sean Strickland’s shocking win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.

Ex-UFC champ Francis Ngannou accuses Tyson Fury of glove tampering: ‘I think he’s cheating’

Francis NgannouFrancis Ngannou may want to take a closer look at Tyson Fury’s gloves before the pair square off in the squared circle next month. Nearly two years removed from his last appearance inside the Octagon, Ngannou will make his long-awaited return on October 28 when he makes his pro boxing debut against the reigning WBC […]

Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou may want to take a closer look at Tyson Fury’s gloves before the pair square off in the squared circle next month.

Nearly two years removed from his last appearance inside the Octagon, Ngannou will make his long-awaited return on October 28 when he makes his pro boxing debut against the reigning WBC heavyweight world champion, Tyson Fury. With a month to go before their highly anticipated clash, ‘The Predator’ is levying some pretty big accusations, claiming that ‘The Gypsy King’ is potentially tampering with his own gear to gain an unfair advantage.

“Tyson’s gloves,” Ngannou said during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience. “He’s very tricky with his glove. I think he’s cheating. I’ve heard a lot of complaints about his gloves, that his gloves have no protection.”

Ngannou Says Fury’s Past Opponents Have Expressed Their Concerns

Francis Ngannou claims to have heard complaints from some of Fury’s biggest opponents, giving way to his own suspicions as fight night draws near.

“Even when he fought Deontay Wilder, he complained about that,” Ngannou said. “Derek Chisora complained about that, and that’s what we’re talking about with the team, the U.K. commission and the gloves.

“We’re going to get there, and we need every glove to get checked. You don’t tell me about this, commission. All the gloves get to be checked. If you want us to fight bare-knuckle, let’s go bare-knuckle, but don’t give me 10-ounce gloves, and he wears eight or six-ounce gloves because he has no protection” (h/t MMA Junkie).

Joe Rogan pushed back on Ngannou’s claim, but ‘The Predator’ made it clear that his team will work to ensure that there is no foul play when the two behemoths meet in Saudi Arabia.

Their October 28 contest will be the first appearance of either man in 2023. Ngannou last competed at UFC 270 in January 2022, successfully defending the heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane before parting ways with the promotion three months later. Fury completed a trilogy fight with Derek Chisora in December 2022, earning a 10th-round TKO in a fight that nobody really asked for.

Once his pro boxing debut is in the books, Francis Ngannou is expected to move back into the world of mixed martial arts under the PFL banner after signing a ground-breaking deal with the promotion earlier this year.