Tag: General

Tyron Woodley Calls Out Nick Diaz For Big Money Fight At UFC 209

Welterweight champion Tyron “The chosen one” Woodley has been asking for a money fight for a while now. After his win against then Welterweight title holder Robbie Lawler back in July, he’s been asking for fighters in the caliber of a GSP, Nick Diaz, and most recently Conor McGregor. But with his comments came backlash, as the fans deemed him “the choosey one” for trying to duck Steven “Wonderboy” Thompson. It appears the fans opinions haven’t slowed him down as he’s now gunning for the recently cleared to fight Nick diaz.

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Bad culture…

Welterweight champion Tyron “The chosen one” Woodley has been asking for a money fight for a while now. After his win against then Welterweight title holder Robbie Lawler back in July, he’s been asking for fighters in the caliber of a GSP, Nick Diaz, and most recently Conor McGregor. But with his comments came backlash, as the fans deemed him “the choosey one” for trying to duck Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. But it seems the fans opinions haven’t swayed him much, as he’s now gunning for the recently cleared to fight Nick diaz.

In a tweet (a.k.a the new way America does press conferences) Woodley called out the 209 native for the card under the same the name. 209 is the area code for Stockton California where the infamous Nick and Nate Diaz grew up. The pun would be easily promotable and seeing as this would be Nick Diaz’s first back from a 2 year hiatus it’s bound to draw some buzz.

Of course, people are already attacking Tyron Woodley for “ducking” wonderboy a second time but Woodley had a response for that.

You can’t blame the man for wanting a big money fight. The UFC has already changed the game and now you’re going to get mad at a fighter for playing it? Obviously the UFC and it’s new owners are going more for entertainment value rather than trying to further the brand as a sport. If Tyron has the belt and proposes an entertaining fight, there shouldn’t be anything wrong with that. Let’s face it, it’s a great matchup that most fight fans would pay to see. In the age of Brock Lesnar comebacks and CM Punk debacles the rules have changed.  If you can garner enough interest through social media then there’s a very real possibility the fight will happen. Don’t hate the playa, hate the game.

This comes after everyone was up in arms for Conor McGregor being stripped of a featherweight title he hadn’t defended it in a year, and showed no signs of defending. While I would love to see the rematch between Woodley and “Wonderboy” you can’t blame the man for trying to cash out. Ultimately this is the president the promotion has set and it doesn’t look like they plan on changing it.

Hit us up in the comment section below and let us know what you think about Tyron Woodley asking for “money” fights.

 

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UFC 206 Picks: Interim Title On The Line…For One

The main event of UFC 206 may be tarnished by the fact that former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis missed weight by three pounds, yet the match up between he and Max Holloway is still intriguing. But it does but a big asterisk on the event as a whole. The UFC promoting the match to an interim title fight certainly lent more gravity to the situation, but it also forced them to unceremoniously strip Conor McGregor of his title only to have the UFC 206 title fight fall apart. If Holloway wins he still gets the belt. If Anthony Pettis wins he gets his show and win money minus twenty percent. Nevertheless, the fight itself is what counts and breaking it down is still the goal.

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The main event of UFC 206 may be tarnished by the fact that former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis missed weight by three pounds, yet the match up between he and Max Holloway is still intriguing. But it does but a big asterisk on the event as a whole. The UFC promoting the match to an interim title fight certainly lent more gravity to the situation, but it also forced them to unceremoniously strip Conor McGregor of his title only to have the UFC 206 title fight fall apart. If Holloway wins he still gets the belt. If Anthony Pettis wins he gets his show and win money minus twenty percent. Nevertheless, the fight itself is what counts and breaking it down is still the goal.

Max Holloway has emerged as one of the most dangerous strikers in the featherweight division, but striking isn’t the only thing he does well. He also has good timing on his takedowns and some solid grappling skills that has seen him tap out Cub Swanson with a suffocating guillotine choke. On the feet Holloway is able to fight in both stances, but not in the way of most other strikers of his ilk. Instead of switching stance at distance, Holloway is able to switch stances in the middle of striking combinations which open up new angles to exploit on his opponent. It’s the kind of skill that he’ll want to utilize in this match up, all the while forcing Pettis’ back against the fence. Both men are of similar height and reach, but Pettis is a fighter who likes to have space behind him in order to throw his offense effectively. Holloway has to do everything in his power to take away that option and by doing so can pick Pettis apart along the fence.

On the flip side of the table, Anthony Pettis is going to want to control the center of the cage for the duration of the fight. He has a dynamic kicking game that can be frustrated when he’s moving backwards. Holding the center of the cage will give him more offensive options and ensure that he has room to bail on certain techniques if he’s out of position. Rather than focusing on a flashy approach, Pettis is going to want to play counter fighter in this match up, but not by simply sitting back and waiting for Holloway to lead. Instead he’ll want to initiate the striking exchanges, pull back, then reenter with sharp counters, something that his taekwondo background is sure to have taught him. Like Doo Ho Choi who appears earlier on the card, Pettis is a wizard at picking up on his opponents mistakes except that he answers back with kicks rather than punches. Pettis can’t let Holloway get comfortable and find too much of a rhythm or risk getting potentially out struck by Holloway’s superior striking game.

This fight is sure to be fun while it lasts. While Pettis is certainly far from being washed up, the betting lines may have it right when it comes to this match up. Look for Max Holloway to out strike the former lightweight champion en route to a decision victory.

Will Holloway become interim featherweight champion or will Pettis redeem himself?

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

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UFC 206 Picks: Will Cowboy Outduel The Immortal One?

The new co-main event will likely be just as exciting as the featherweight featured bout. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is set to do battle with Matt “The Immortal” Brown in a welterweight match up that could answer a great deal of questions about each man’s future in the division. Where a win for Cowboy could thrust him into title contention, a loss for Matt Brown could possibly spell the beginning of the end of a career that has been a true roller coaster ride.

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The new co-main event will likely be just as exciting as the featherweight featured bout. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is set to do battle with Matt “The Immortal” Brown in a welterweight match up that could answer a great deal of questions about each man’s future in the division. Where a win for Cowboy could thrust him into title contention, a loss for Matt Brown could possibly spell the beginning of the end of a career that has been a true roller coaster ride.

Many were skeptical of Donald Cerrone having a chance at beating the elite at welterweight but his last few performances have shed some light on the fact that Cowboy’s skills are far sharper at a heavier weight. In this fight with Brown, and perhaps most fights he’ll have at welterweight, Cowboy is likely to have a speed advantage that he can exploit. His last few bouts show cased just how accurate, fast, unpredictable, and powerful Cowboy can be once he finds his grove. He’ll have to be on the look out for the initial bull rush from Brown who can throw people off their game with his pressure. Both men are great when coming forward, but Cowboy has more weapons that he utilizes at short range with his step knee, front push kicks, and lead hand upper-jabs. He’ll need to utilize all those tools if he hopes to come out on top in the fight. Wrestling when Brown gets too aggressive may be huge key to victory here.

After falling to Jake Ellenberger in his last bout, Matt Brown has some real soul searching to do. That search has led him to Duane Ludwig’s tutelage. A wizard of striking, Ludwig should be able to add some new wrinkles to Brown’s game heading into this match. What “The Immortal” will have to do in this match up is to put pressure on Cerrone early and often. Rather than allow Cerrone get into his groove, Brown should aim to crowd Cerrone by closing the distance with punches and force his way into the clinch where he always does great work. From in close, elbows and knees are Brown’s best friends. Brown needs to use his size advantage and make Cerrone feel uncomfortable in close quarters.

Oddly both men often take damage to their midsections. Whoever begins to score there first could be on their way to victory. With more ways to get it done, the pick is Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone by TKO.

Do you think Cowboy can overcome The Immortal?

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

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Free At Last! Nick Diaz cleared by Nevada Athletic Commission

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Things just got a little more interesting

Everyone’s favorite pot smoking, triathlon competing, angry rant rambling Stockton native has been cleared to participate in all combat related sport activities by the Nevada Athletic Commission once again.

Nick Diaz was suspended in 2015 due to failing a controversial drug test, popping hot for Marijuana. He was fined 100,000 and handed down an 18 month suspension from the commission which he did not pay in full. As a result, he was not allowed to corner his brother Nate Diaz in his 170lb match up against everyone’s favorite Irishmen Conor McGregor.

According to Nick’s latest settlement back in January of 2016, he was ordered to pay the remaining balance (75,000)by December 1st, 2016. Although it’s unclear whether or not this amount was paid on time, Diaz must have done something right as he’s now clear to corner as well as compete in all combat sporting events in the state of Nevada.

While the details of the settlement have not been disclosed, the bigger question is he should he fight next? With George St. Pierre looking unlikely due to his feud with Dana and him leading the MMAAA crusade and all (oh..and dinosaurs, did we mention he hunts for dinosaurs?), Nick Diaz is essentially looking for an opponent.

While Bisping, and Woodley are some names being thrown around, I personally would love to see him fight Conor. Why not? It seems Conor is willing to compete at every weight class and with a stone chin, Diaz would be the perfect competitor for the real life Notre Dame mascot. The story would be great. He avenges his brother’s loss, makes bucket loads of cash, lights a blunt he’s been hiding in his trunks the whole fight, and him and Joe Rogan both retire while smoking a fat one on live T.V. *drops mic*…

But besides my sick and twisted fantasies, who do you think Nate Diaz should fight next?

Hit us up with your comments below.

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UFC 206 Picks: Can Cub Swanson Out Scrap Doo Ho Choi?

UFC 206 is coming this weekend and though we may have lost the stellar main event of Daniel Cormier versus Anthony Johnson, the replacement main event is just as intriguing as the light heavyweight title match would have been. Max Holloway versus Anthony Pettis has potential to be a true barnburner of a fight and for the interim featherweight title no less. But the other featherweight match up on the main card looks to be just as intriguing as Christmas comes early for Doo ho Choi who gets his wish of fighting his idol Cub Swanson.

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UFC 206 is coming this weekend and though we may have lost the stellar main event of Daniel Cormier versus Anthony Johnson, the replacement main event is just as intriguing as the light heavyweight title match would have been. Max Holloway versus Anthony Pettis has potential to be a true barnburner of a fight and for the interim featherweight title no less. But the other featherweight match up on the main card looks to be just as intriguing as Christmas comes early for Doo ho Choi who gets his wish of fighting his idol Cub Swanson.

A twelve year veteran in the sport, Cub Swanson is a savvy striker with a ton of experience under his belt. Known as a grappler in the earlier phases of his career, it was evident that Swanson put a tremendous amount of focus in improving his striking. His six fight win streak showed just how versatile he has been on the feet. That is until he bumped into Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway. Now with a new streak going Swanson looks to batter Doo Ho Choi at UFC 206. The biggest issue he’s going to have to overcome is avoiding the temptation to just stand and bang. If he hopes to keep his future in the sport alive he’ll have to mix up his game. Choi is seasoned, but the kind of experience that Swanson has obtain means that he’s smart enough to take the fight to the ground or even slow down Choi’s pace by putting him against the fence. Neither man likes to kick much, but a healthy dose to Choi’s legs would be a good plan of action for Swanson. What Swanson absolutely cannot afford is to get into a wild slug fest where his younger opponent is likely to excel.

Doo Ho Choi has become a very intriguing addition to the UFC featherweight division, one that has been outclassing his opposition thus far in the octagon. Now he meets Cub Swanson who is sure to present different obstacles that Choi has yet to face thus far in his career. Choi has disciplined boxing but has some defensive flaws like overthrowing his shots when he feels he closes in for the kill, but for the most part he stays composed and ready to counter. Feeding Swanson some long range jabs and straights to the body with eventually start to keep Swanson guessing. Choi has some really explosive movement, especially when he’s on the counter and can cover distance well if need be. He has to get Swanson to react and either counter the counter or put Cub into a defensive shell to deter him from coming forward. If Swanson over commits an uppercut, left hook, or right straight will likely greet him on the counter.

While Cub Swanson still has plenty left in the tank Doo Ho Choi presents a striking threat that could see the veteran getting clipped with a well timed counter. Expect Doo Ho Choi to prove the hype is all real as he captures a KO victory in the first round of a fun striking contest.

Who do you think wins at UFC 206?

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

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WATCH: Jon Jones Explains Why He Tested Positive For PEDs

Credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty

Jon Jones speaks on his recent PED issues & UFC.

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Credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty

Jon Jones speaks on his recent PED issues & UFC.

It’s no secret that Jon Jones has fallen from grace in the world of MMA. A drink and drive car crash and later testing positive for PEDs – getting him into some trouble with the UFC.

Jon Jones has been relatively quiet after that – but now he’s finally opened up about the whole series of events. In this recent interview Jon Jones finally reveals on why and how he tested positive for PEDs. This may shock you. Do you believe him?

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