Two of the best at welterweight, Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad, will square off in the main event of the UFC’s April 16 card according to a report from Brett Okamoto of ESPN. “Vicente Luque (@VicenteLuqueMMA) vs. Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) will headline UFC Fight Night on April 16, per sources,” Okamoto wrote on social media. […]
Two of the best at welterweight, Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad, will square off in the main event of the UFC’s April 16 card according to a report from Brett Okamoto of ESPN.
“Vicente Luque (@VicenteLuqueMMA) vs. Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) will headline UFC Fight Night on April 16, per sources,” Okamoto wrote on social media. “Ranked Nos. 4 and 5 in the UFC, respectively. Rematch of a fight that took place in 2016, which Luque won via TKO. An impactful one for the division.”
Vicente Luque (@VicenteLuqueMMA) vs. Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) will headline UFC Fight Night on April 16, per sources. Ranked Nos. 4 and 5 in the UFC, respectively. Rematch of a fight that took place in 2016, which Luque won via TKO. An impactful one for the division. pic.twitter.com/To6d0ysFd8
As mentioned above, this will be a rematch of a fight that went down in 2016. On that occasion, Luque caught Muhammad with a lead left hook and dropped him before following up with ground strikes for the first-round TKO win.
Since then, Luque has gone 10-2 in the UFC and has only suffered defeats against Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and Leon Edwards. ‘The Silent Assassin‘ is currently riding a four-fight win streak that includes victories over Michael Chiesa and Tyron Woodley.
Muhammad has been just as impressive since his first fight with Luque. ‘Remember The Name’ has picked up 10 wins with one defeat since then and is currently riding a six-fight win streak that includes high-profile victories over Thompson and Demian Maia.
Who do you think will win on April 16? Vicente Luque or Belal Muhammad?
UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou has revealed why he chose to fight through a knee injury at UFC 270 rather than withdraw.
Without considering the injury he carried into the fight, Ngannou’s successful defense and ability to overcome advers…
UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou has revealed why he chose to fight through a knee injury at UFC 270 rather than withdraw.
Without considering the injury he carried into the fight, Ngannou’s successful defense and ability to overcome adversity this past weekend were impressive enough. In the opening two rounds, “The Predator” slipped behind in the contest and appeared unable to get close to his former teammate Ciryl Gane.
But in the third round, one takedown changed the tide. Once it was clear he could find success and control in the wrestling department, Ngannou put his improved ground game on full display. After winning the last three rounds, the champion left the cage with a unanimous decision triumph.
In the aftermath of his victory, Ngannou confirmed that rumors of a pre-fight injury were indeed true, something his choice to wear kneepads also suggested. During his post-fight interview, the Cameroonian revealed he’d suffered a grade 3 MCL tear and a damaged ACL just 25 days prior to the year’s opening pay-per-view.
Speaking to the media shortly after, Ngannou explained his decision to go through with his unification showdown against Gane rather than withdraw and push for another date, a choice he admitted was perhaps “dumb.”
“Leading up to this fight, I get injured. But you don’t know what will happen. I could have withdrawn from this fight, and then get into another fight, get (injured) even worse, you know?” Ngannou said. “We are doing a sport that is very dangerous and you can hurt yourself all the time. So if you feel like there is a chance that you can do it, I think you have to do it.
“And I believe in myself. I’ve been through a lot of stuff in my life,” added Ngannou. “So I was sure (I could do it). I mean, that must be a dumb decision, but I didn’t wanna withdraw from this fight. I was very confident in my skills in this fight.”
A dominant performance from your HW champ ?? #AndStill
With his contractual dispute clearly not sorted with the promotion, the question begs, will we see “The Predator” continue to defend the title or will he sit out his contract for the rest of 2022 and crossover to boxing next year?
One thing for certain is that with the possibility of knee surgery looming, the UFC will likely have quite a few months to attempt to come to an agreement before the champ would be ready to enter the Octagon again.
How impressed were you with Francis Ngannou’s performance at UFC 270, especially given his knee injury?
Ranked welterweights Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad are set to meet in the main event of UFC’s April 16th card.
The five-round matchup between top welterweights was first reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN on Tuesday. It’s expected to headline a F…
Ranked welterweights Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad are set to meet in the main event of UFC’s April 16th card.
The five-round matchup between top welterweights was first reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN on Tuesday. It’s expected to headline a Fight Night card that doesn’t have a confirmed location at the moment.
The matchup allows the welterweight division to come one step closer to finding the next challenger for current champ Kamaru Usman. Luque is currently ranked at #4 in the division, with Muhammad listed just behind him.
Luque is currently on a four-fight winning streak that has been in development over the past two years. His most recent appearance was in August, where he secured a first-round submission victory over Michael Chiesa.
Prior victories from Luque include wins over notable names like former champ Tyron Woodley and divisional vet Randy Brown. His UFC career has been highly successful since joining in 2015, attaining 14 wins through 17 fights.
Muhammad has also maintained a lengthy win streak in recent years. He has gone undefeated since April 2019, attaining six victories in that time. He overcame two veterans in 2021, first going through Demian Maia before beating Stephen Thompson in December.
The new booking is a chance for Muhammad to get a proper re-appearance into the main event picture. He made his first UFC main event appearance in March 2021, although that fight didn’t produce a satisfying result. His bout against Leon Edwards was ruled a no-contest finish, as Muhammad suffered a brutal eye poke just moments into the second round.
Who do you favor in a fight between Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad?
UFC President Dana White is holding a fan Q&A session exclusively for ESPN+ subscribers amidst his recent Francis Ngannou snub.
Fans around the MMA community have remained perplexed on why White didn’t put the belt around Ngannou following his …
UFC President Dana White is holding a fan Q&A session exclusively for ESPN+ subscribers amidst his recent Francis Ngannou snub.
Fans around the MMA community have remained perplexed on why White didn’t put the belt around Ngannou following his win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. Arguably even more surprising was White’s noted absence from post-fight media obligations.
This comes just days after a wild weekend in the UFC at UFC 270, the promotion’s first pay-per-view of 2022. Ngannou’s win over Gane was preceded by Deiveson Figueiredo’s win over Brandon Moreno to reclaim the UFC flyweight title.
White has been under fire in recent days for how he’s handled the promotion’s ongoing dispute with Ngannou. The two sides are currently at a standstill as contract talks have seemingly hit a dead end.
Following the win over Gane, details have surfaced regarding what Ngannou had to go through in the lead up to UFC 270. He alleged that the UFC threatened to sue his manager, Marquel Martin for being in contact with Jake Paul’s team to talk boxing.
Ngannou has remained in a holding pattern in his stance against the UFC and White. He’s adamant that money alone won’t fix the relationship he has with the promotion, as speculation runs rampant regarding his next Octagon appearance.
As for White, we could get answers regarding all of the Ngannou controversies as soon as tomorrow, unless White declines to answer those questions at the upcoming Q&A.
Jake Paul cannot help himself when it comes to rustling the UFC and Dana White’s feathers. Paul has made himself famous by beating former UFC fighters inside the boxing ring, but he might be equally a…
Jake Paul is inserting himself in UFC affairs.
Jake Paul cannot help himself when it comes to rustling the UFC and Dana White’s feathers. Paul has made himself famous by beating former UFC fighters inside the boxing ring, but he might be equally as known for his hot takes on how the UFC conducts their business. He is constantly calling out Dana White on fighter pay and the treatment of fighters under the UFC banner. Now, Paul is actively trying to make some changes in that organization.
Paul announced on Tuesday morning that he has decided to invest his money and purchase stocks of the UFC’s parent company called Endeavor (EDR).
I’ve invested in EDR (UFC) stock with my partner @geoffreywoo 2 focus on UFCs ESG standards relating to fighters. We believe EDR can drive long-term economic value by increasing UFC fighter pay & providing them healthcare. Reaching out to @EngineNo_1 to partner on this “endeavor”
“I’ve invested in EDR (UFC) stock with my partner @geoffreywoo 2 focus on UFCs ESG standards relating to fighters,” he wrote on Twitter. “We believe EDR can drive long-term economic value by increasing UFC fighter pay & providing them healthcare. Reaching out to @EngineNo_1 to partner on this “endeavor.”
Paul’s business partner, Geoffrey Woo, also released a series of tweets addressing the move.
My partner Jake has lead the way in changing the business of combat sports by not just talking about it, but being about it — fighter pay, healthcare, & championing women’s sport. And today is our next step in our vision of revolutionizing the industry.
UFC has faced a rising chorus of criticism for the exploitation of its athletes — the ?? of biz. The ratio of revenue going to athletes vs. owners & leagues is well below industry standard. This disparity hurts long-term shareholder value & this is not going to magically change.
Jake is the archetype of the future, where individual transcends the machine. This is happening across all sectors — media, entertainment, & tech start ups where dynamic, innovative individuals & creators are bargaining toe-to-toe w the owners, the institutions, and the academy.
We believe the best way to accelerate this inevitable revolution is to lead it from within the UFC as co-owners & impact investors. We will use our investment stake to rally fans, athletes, fellow shareholders, and management to do the right thing.
Who am I? I come from Silicon Valley & web3/crypto. Skin in the game, shared equity, and long-term alignment is the underlying incentive model that made Silicon Valley and crypto the most impactful business models of the last 20 years. We intend to apply these models to the UFC.
I invite likeminded shareholders, our Board, our largest institutional to the smallest individual owners of EDR / UFC to join Jake, Anti Fund, and I to drive management change to upgrade sport culture, whilst capturing outsized long-term equity value.
Who am I? I come from Silicon Valley & web3/crypto. Skin in the game, shared equity, and long-term alignment is the underlying incentive model that made Silicon Valley and crypto the most impactful business models of the last 20 years. We intend to apply these models to the UFC.
“Jake Paul, our partners, and I are excited to announce our latest @antifundvc investment — Endeavor (NYSE: EDR), the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (@UFC) — and our goals for the business as impact investors & venture capitalists.
“My partner Jake has lead the way in changing the business of combat sports by not just talking about it, but being about it — fighter pay, healthcare, & championing women’s sport. And today is our next step in our vision of revolutionizing the industry.
“UFC has faced a rising chorus of criticism for the exploitation of its athletes — the [heart] of biz. The ratio of revenue going to athletes vs. owners & leagues is well below industry standard. This disparity hurts long-term shareholder value & this is not going to magically change.
“Jake is the archetype of the future, where individual transcends the machine. This is happening across all sectors — media, entertainment, & tech start ups where dynamic, innovative individuals & creators are bargaining toe-to-toe w the owners, the institutions, and the academy.
“We believe the best way to accelerate this inevitable revolution is to lead it from within the UFC as co-owners & impact investors. We will use our investment stake to rally fans, athletes, fellow shareholders, and management to do the right thing.
Who am I? I come from Silicon Valley & web3/crypto. Skin in the game, shared equity, and long-term alignment is the underlying incentive model that made Silicon Valley and crypto the most impactful business models of the last 20 years. We intend to apply these models to the UFC,” Woo wrote.
Paul thinks the UFC can do better and has been calling out Dana White to make things right. He feels that by buying these shares of EDR, he can somehow make a change to the UFC pay structure and healthcare options. The amount of stock purchased was not revealed, and it seems unlikely that Paul will have voting rights on such issues. Endeavor is a publically traded company that purchased the UFC back in 2016 for $4 billion.
Do you think Jake Paul will have any success at changing the UFC pay structure as a shareholder?
In 2021, “The Notorious” Conor McGregor earned more than $150 million through endorsements alone.
McGregor took home the L twice against Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier in his only two fights of 2021, yet the Irishman still made millions off both bou…
In 2021, “The Notorious” Conor McGregor earned more than $150 million through endorsements alone.
McGregor took home the L twice against Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier in his only two fights of 2021, yet the Irishman still made millions off both bouts.
With fighter pay being a concerning issue in the UFC, some may be astounded to see a fighter pull in so much money without winning a single fight in the year.
But the real shocker is the amount of money Conor accrued outside the Octagon.
From sports betting site DraftKings to his shares in Irish whiskey brand Proper No. Twelve, McGregor totaled $158 million before the year ended, according to a report from olbg.com.
Conor McGregor, Photo Credit: Lawrie/Getty Images
The former two-time UFC Champion outearned Roger Federer, one of the greatest Tennis players of all time, who came close at $90 million. He also earned more than Lebron James, winner of three National Basketball Association championships and 4-time NBA MVP, who earned over $90 million less than McGregor.
McGregor is ranked at the top of the list when it comes to making money beyond his profession.
Conor McGregor Is UFC Royalty
Conor McGregor, Photo Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images
McGregor’s wins and irreverent persona have brought big money to himself and the UFC.
The OG champ-champ has certainly earned his respect. 19 wins by knockout and becoming the first champion in two weight classes(flyweight and lightweight) is no easy accomplishment. His 2013 UFC debut was a win by round 1 KO/TKO. And his 22 wins include famous names such as Max Holloway, José Aldo, Nate Diaz.
The list of headlining accomplishments is lengthy for the 32-year-old Ireland-born fighter.
There is no question that when it comes to “The Notorious,” the UFC is always listening. Although other lightweights are hungry for the title shot, McGregor, ranked #9, might be first in line.
2021 was a losing year for Conor, but he could turn it around with another championship win.
Win or lose, his popularity steadily increases. Companies invest in Conor because his name is on headlines and billboards, and the size of his fanbase is unmatched.
A title match between Oliveira and McGregor would rock the house and be a PPV cash cow. And with the astronomical monetary gain he acquires from his endorsements, 2022 could be his richest year yet.
Do you think Conor McGregor will increase his net worth in 2022?
