Tag: General

BREAKING: Conor McGregor Releases Statement, Says He “Is Not Retired” [UPDATED]


(Don’t give us that look! This is all your fault, you pasty, charismatic bastard!! via Getty.)

In the 48 hours that have followed the shocking (and completely unbelievable) news that UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor had decided to “retire young,” the MMA world has been whipped into a frenzy, with the speculated reasons behind his sudden departure ranging from the death of Joao Carvalho to a conspiracy involving  a superfight with Georges St. Pierre at Madison Square Garden (seriously, that’s what one of the sports radio jocks out here in Boston actually believed was the case).

Today, however, McGregor has broken his silence with a lengthy statement posted to his Facebook page, which you can check out below.

The post BREAKING: Conor McGregor Releases Statement, Says He “Is Not Retired” [UPDATED] appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Don’t give us that look! This is all your fault, you pasty, charismatic bastard!! via Getty.)

In the 48 hours that have followed the shocking (and completely unbelievable) news that UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor had decided to “retire young,” the MMA world has been whipped into a frenzy, with the speculated reasons behind his sudden departure ranging from the death of Joao Carvalho to a conspiracy involving  a superfight with Georges St. Pierre at Madison Square Garden (seriously, that’s what one of the sports radio jocks out here in Boston actually believed was the case).

Today, however, McGregor has broken his silence with a lengthy statement posted to his Facebook page, which you can check out below.

The statement reads:

“I am just trying to do my job and fight here. I am paid to fight. I am not yet paid to promote. I have become lost in the game of promotion and forgot about the art of fighting. There comes a time when you need to stop handing out flyers and get back to the damn shop. 50 world tours, 200 press conferences, 1 million interviews, 2 million photo shoots, and at the end of it all I’m left looking down the barrel of a lens, staring defeat in the face, thinking of nothing but my incorrect fight preparation. And the many distractions that led to this. Nothing else was going through my mind.

It is time to go back and live the life that got me this life. Sitting in a car on the way to some dump in Conneticut or somewhere, to speak to Tim and Suzie on the nobody gives a fuck morning show did not get me this life. Talking to some lady that deep down doesn’t give a fuck about what I’m doing, but just wants some sound bites so she can maybe get her little tight ass a nice raise, and I’m cool with that too, I’ve been giving you all raises. But I need to focus on me now. I’m coming for my revenge here. I flew an entire team to Portugal and to Iceland to make my adjustments in preparation and fix my errors I made with the weight and the cardio prep. With the right adjustments and the right focus, I will finish what I started in that last fight. I will not do this if I am back on the road handing out flyers again.

I will always play the game and play it better than anybody, but just for this one, where I am coming off a loss, I asked for some leeway where I can just train and focus. I did not shut down all media requests. I simply wanted a slight adjustment. But it was denied. There had been 10 million dollars allocated for the promotion of this event is what they told me. So as a gesture of good will, I went and not only saved that 10 million dollars in promotion money, I then went and tripled it for them. And all with one tweet. Keep that 10 mill to promote the other bums that need it. My shows are good. I must isolate myself now. I am facing a taller, longer and heavier man. I need to prepare correctly this time. I can not dance for you this time. It is time for the other monkeys to dance. I’ve danced us all the way here. Nate’s little mush head looks good up on that stage these days. Stuff him in front of the camera for it. He came in with no shit to do that last one. I’d already done press conferences, interviews and shot the ads before RDA pulled out. Maybe I’ll hit Cabo this time and skull some shots pre-fight with no obligation.

I’m doing what I need for me now. It is time to be selfish with my training again. It is the only way. I feel the $400million I have generated for the company in my last three events, all inside 8 months, is enough to get me this slight leeway. I am still ready to go for UFC 200. I will offer, like I already did, to fly to New York for the big press conference that was scheduled, and then I will go back into training. With no distractions. If this is not enough or they feel I have not deserved to sit this promotion run out this one time, well then I don’t know what to say.

For the record also – For USADA and for the UFC and my contract stipulations – I AM NOT RETIRED.”

So the greatest promoter in the game got a little caught up with promoting and wanted to get back to basics ahead of his rematch with the man who beat him. It’s a classic Rocky III scenario at play here, and honestly, it’s hard to blame McGregor for his attitude. The guy wants to spend as much time figuring out how to *not* get schooled by Nate Diaz again as he can, and embarking on another media tour won’t accomplish that. We’re still 3 months out from UFC 200, but like White said, the $10 million promotion effort for the event had already been put into place, and McGregor had already agreed to it, so now’s not exactly the time to back out.

Of course, the question now becomes: Will McGregor and the UFC patch things up in time to save UFC 200, or

[UPDATE]

And just like that, we have our answer.

According to MMAFighting (via TMZ), the UFC has officially pulled the plug on McGregor vs. Diaz II, and are currently in the process of finding a new main event for the card. No word yet on what that may be, or whether McGregor vs. Diaz will be rescheduled for an event in the near future.

We’ll keep you updated.

The post BREAKING: Conor McGregor Releases Statement, Says He “Is Not Retired” [UPDATED] appeared first on Cagepotato.

Glover Teixeira Viciously Knocks Out Rashad Evans in the UFC on FOX 19 Main Event [VIDEO]

(via UFC on FOX)

Outside of his occasional appearances in the FOX studio as an analyst, Rashad Evans has become an increasingly unfamiliar face to MMA fans in recent years. Following a particularly stubborn series of leg injuries that forced the former light heavyweight champion out of potential bouts with Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson among others, “Suga” returned to the cage for the first time since 2013 back in October, dropping a unanimous decision to Ryan Bader in a performance that seemed to signal that the 12-year veteran’s time as an elite 205er had come and gone.

At first, Saturday’s UFC on FOX 19 event seemed like it could be the perfect stage for Evans to mount a comeback. The TUF 2 winner and TUF 10 coach was set to face Mauricio Rua, a cagey-but-declining veteran facing many of the same career woes as himself, and was being listed as the early favorite across the board. Of course, Rua then went down with an injury, and Evans was instead paired against the incredibly dangerous Glover Teixeira instead.

When Evans and Teixeira met in the middle of the octagon at Saturday’s event, the former’s air of confidence seemed to have dissipated entirely — understandably so, given the events of the past few years. It was a different man fighting in the cage that night, and the result was a knockout loss that may very well have spelled the end of an incredible career.

After the jump: Evans’ emotional post-fight interview with Heidi Androl, and the complete list of UFC on FOX 19 results.

The post Glover Teixeira Viciously Knocks Out Rashad Evans in the UFC on FOX 19 Main Event [VIDEO] appeared first on Cagepotato.


(via UFC on FOX)

Outside of his occasional appearances in the FOX studio as an analyst, Rashad Evans has become an increasingly unfamiliar face to MMA fans in recent years. Following a particularly stubborn series of leg injuries that forced the former light heavyweight champion out of potential bouts with Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafsson among others, “Suga” returned to the cage for the first time since 2013 back in October, dropping a unanimous decision to Ryan Bader in a performance that seemed to signal that the 12-year veteran’s time as an elite 205er had come and gone.

At first, Saturday’s UFC on FOX 19 event seemed like it could be the perfect stage for Evans to mount a comeback. The TUF 2 winner and TUF 10 coach was set to face Mauricio Rua, a cagey-but-declining veteran facing many of the same career woes as himself, and was being listed as the early favorite across the board. Of course, Rua then went down with an injury, and Evans was instead paired against the incredibly dangerous Glover Teixeira instead.

When Evans and Teixeira met in the middle of the octagon at Saturday’s event, the former’s air of confidence seemed to have dissipated entirely — understandably so, given the events of the past few years. It was a different man fighting in the cage that night, and the result was a knockout loss that may very well have spelled the end of an incredible career.

After the jump: Evans’ emotional post-fight interview with Heidi Androl, and the complete list of UFC on FOX 19 results.

Speaking with Heidi Androl following the quick loss, an emotional Evans was forced to choke back tears while describing the series of devastating setbacks that have have befallen him.

“Fighting just used to come so easy, so natural,” said Evans. “Now I feel I’m fighting against myself.”

It’s a revelation that we’ve seen many a fighter come to in this unforgiving sport, and one made all the more heartbreaking when it’s being verbalized by a guy as intelligent and charismatic as Evans. For close to a decade, “Suga” was one of the most consistent and successful fighters that the UFC’s light heavyweight division had to offer — a pioneer of the modern era of MMA whose career we literally watched evolve from beginning to end. Maybe it’s that rarity that makes the thought of never seeing him compete again particularly tough to swallow, but in any case, we just hope that Evans is able to make that incredibly tough decision (should he make it) with the knowledge that he will always be one of the sport’s greats.

The full results from UFC on FOX 19 are below. 

Main card
Glover Teixeira def. Rashad Evans via first-round KO (1:48)
Rose Namajunas def. Tecia Torres via unanimous decision
Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Darrell Horcher via second-round TKO (3:38)
Cub Swanson def. Hacran Dias via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Undercard
Michael Chiesa def. Beneil Dariush via submission (rear-naked choke) (R2, 1:20)
Raquel Pennington def. Bethe Correia via split decision
Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Court McGee via first-round TKO (4:15)
Michael Graves def. Randy Brown via submission (rear-naked choke) (R2, 2:31)
John Dodson def. Manvel Gamburyan via TKO (strikes) at :47 of round 1
Cezar Ferreira def. Oluwale Bamgbose via unanimous decision
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos def. Omari Akhmedov via TKO (knees) at 3:03 of round 3

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With Lyoto Machida Sidelined, Dan Henderson Booked Against Hector Lombard at UFC 199


(Jeez Hendo, we turn around for two seconds and you’re already back on the Cowboy Cerrone diet?!)

Thanks to Lyoto Machida‘s shocking and untimely admission to using banned substances, Dan Henderson has found himself without a dance partner for this weekend’s UFC on FOX 19 card and appears none to pleased about it. The 45-year-old is on the heels of a quick KO loss to Vitor Belfort — his third such loss in his past six fights — but is apparently still hankering to lose a few more brain cells in as timely a fashion as possible.

With most of the middleweight division already tied up, Henderson’s options for a short-notice brain cell removal artist were extremely limited. Thankfully, the UFC went and found Hendo an opponent who not only tested positive for banned substances in recent history, but could knock more than a few brain cells loose if he so desired: Hector Lombard. It’s a win-win for everyone!

The post With Lyoto Machida Sidelined, Dan Henderson Booked Against Hector Lombard at UFC 199 appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Jeez Hendo, we turn around for two seconds and you’re already back on the Cowboy Cerrone diet?!)

Thanks to Lyoto Machida‘s shocking and untimely admission to using banned substances, Dan Henderson has found himself without a dance partner for this weekend’s UFC on FOX 19 card and appears none to pleased about it. The 45-year-old is on the heels of a quick KO loss to Vitor Belfort — his third such loss in his past six fights — but is apparently still hankering to lose a few more brain cells in as timely a fashion as possible.

With most of the middleweight division already tied up, Henderson’s options for a short-notice brain cell removal artist were extremely limited. Thankfully, the UFC went and found Hendo an opponent who not only tested positive for banned substances in recent history, but could knock more than a few brain cells loose if he so desired: Hector Lombard. It’s a win-win for everyone!

According to a report published on Sherdog, Henderson has been booked against the former Bellator champion in a middleweight matchup that has “concussion” written all over it. But likely because Lombard would not be able to make his massive cut to 185 on just a few days notice, the fight has been moved from UFC on FOX 19 to UFC 199: Rockhold vs. Weidman II in June.

While not necessarily a “must-win” scenario for Lombard, the fight does come on the heels of a third round TKO loss to Neil Magny last month and a positive test for anabolic steroids in his fight before that. As for Henderson, well, it’s even harder to say. The former Pride and Strikeforce champion has dropped three of his past four fight and six of his past eight but is showing no signs of slowing down (you know, except for his reaction time, offensive output, and lateral movement), so who knows how long he’ll be sticking around for.

Henderson vs. Lombard is one of those fights where a win doesn’t exactly do a lot for either fighter in terms of their divisions (especially with Lombard fighting at welterweight these days), but it’s still a pretty intriguing matchup, all things considered. Who ya got?

The post With Lyoto Machida Sidelined, Dan Henderson Booked Against Hector Lombard at UFC 199 appeared first on Cagepotato.

The Progidy is Back: BJ Penn Booked Against Denis Siver at UFC 199

Like most MMA fans who prefer not to see the legends of the sport continue to fight well past the twilights of their careers, we did not exactly take the news of BJ Penn’s unretirement well. Following his *last* unretirement fight — a one-sided, horrific beatdown to rival Frankie Edgar at the TUF 19 Finale — a teary-eyed Penn openly admitted to reporters that he never should have returned to the sport, leading most of us to believe that he had finally learned the lesson that so few fighters do.

But a broken spirit and a declining skill set is nothing that Master Jackson can’t fix, and as such, The Progidy…er…The Prodidy…The Prodigy is back!

The post The Progidy is Back: BJ Penn Booked Against Denis Siver at UFC 199 appeared first on Cagepotato.

Like most MMA fans who prefer not to see the legends of the sport continue to fight well past the twilights of their careers, we did not exactly take the news of BJ Penn’s unretirement well. Following his *last* unretirement fight — a one-sided, horrific beatdown to rival Frankie Edgar at the TUF 19 Finale – a teary-eyed Penn openly admitted to reporters that he never should have returned to the sport, leading most of us to believe that he had finally learned the lesson that so few fighters do.

But a broken spirit and a declining skill set is nothing that Master Jackson can’t fix, and as such, The Progidy…er…The Prodidy…The Prodigy is back!

According to Kevin Iole (via BloodyElbow), Penn has officially been booked to return to the octagon. The former two-division champion will face German kickboxer and spinning sh*t aficionado Dennis Siver at UFC 199, which transpires at The Forum in Inglewood, California on June 4th.

With all do respect to Siver, the matchup is easily the most winnable one Penn has been given in close to 7 years. Seriously, look at the dude’s resume – Penn has fought nothing but killers for something like 11 fights in a row, and even his opponents before that were anything but cans. Having dropped two fights in a row and been sacrificed to Conor McGregor, Cub Swanson, and Donald Cerrone in the recent past, Siver has quickly transitioned from the UFC’s master of the spinning back kick to its go-to fall man, and a loss to Penn may very well see him get his walking papers.

That being said, this is a far more winnable fight for Siver than you might initially expect, based solely on how atrocious Penn looked in his last performance. Could six months at the Jackson-Wink camp really have regenerated the 37-year-old Penn to his former glory? And if it has, how long will it last? It’s hard to say, really, but all I know is that a win against Siver might be the worst thing that could happen to him. Lord knows he’ll be promoted to instant #1 contender status with anything resembling an impressive performance, and the thought of seeing him face whoever emerges from the Edgar-Aldo-McGregor pileup is enough to make you lose your lunch.

What do you think though, Nation? Is this the best case scenario for Penn, or is he once again sowing the seeds for his own demise?

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Friday Link Dump: Nurmagomedov Gets an Opponent, GSP Gets a History Channel Show, Dirty Jokes in Kid’s Cartoons + More

(UFC 200: Road to the Octagon)

Khabib Nurmagomedov Remains on UFC on FOX 19 Card With Short-Notice Opponent (MMAJunkie)

UFC 199 Headliners React to New CSAC Weight-Cutting Rules (MMAFighting)

Kenny Florian Set to Compete at IBJJF NY Open (BloodyElbow)

Cat Zingano vs Julianna Pena Official for UFC 200 in July (MMAMania)

The post Friday Link Dump: Nurmagomedov Gets an Opponent, GSP Gets a History Channel Show, Dirty Jokes in Kid’s Cartoons + More appeared first on Cagepotato.


(UFC 200: Road to the Octagon)

Khabib Nurmagomedov Remains on UFC on FOX 19 Card With Short-Notice Opponent (MMAJunkie)

UFC 199 Headliners React to New CSAC Weight-Cutting Rules (MMAFighting)

Kenny Florian Set to Compete at IBJJF NY Open (BloodyElbow)

Cat Zingano vs Julianna Pena Official for UFC 200 in July (MMAMania)

Shogun Rua & Anderson Silva React To Keyboard Warriors (LowKick)

Georges St-Pierre Goes Digging for Dinosaurs in New TV Series (FoxSports)

Hardcore Henry Review (Screen Junkies)

Judging Grand Theft Auto V (Escapist)

26 Dirty Jokes Hidden In Kid’s Cartoons (Photos) (Radass)

#HillarySoQualified Hashtag Backfires, Hillary Gets Roasted (EveryJoe)

10 Dating “Tips” in Chick Flicks You Should Never Try in Real Life (MadeMan)

The post Friday Link Dump: Nurmagomedov Gets an Opponent, GSP Gets a History Channel Show, Dirty Jokes in Kid’s Cartoons + More appeared first on Cagepotato.

Dear God, No: Is Dada 5000 Actually Considering Another MMA Fight?


(Unless he plans on actually using that sledgehammer, this is going to end poorly.)

Vince Lombardi was once famously quoted as saying that “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up” that is the true measure of a man. Then again, he also died of stupid butthole cancer because he was too proud to get a proctoscopic exam, so what the f*ck does he know?

What we’re getting at is, there comes a time in everyone’s life where throwing in the towel doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re refusing (or unable) to get up. In the combat sports world especially, we’ve seen countless fighters place ego above all else and continue fighting well beyond the point that their bodies have told them to stop, and to what end? (More often than not,  few wholly unnecessary concussions.

So if you were, say, a 38-year-old guy who nearly died from kidney failure while competing in your first MMA fight in 5 years, you’d probably hang up the 4 oz. gloves for good and thank your God for bringing you out of that coma you were in, right? Well, not if you’re Dada 5000 you wouldn’t!

The post Dear God, No: Is Dada 5000 Actually Considering Another MMA Fight? appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Unless he plans on actually using that sledgehammer, this is going to end poorly.)

Vince Lombardi was once famously quoted as saying that “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up” that is the true measure of a man. Then again, he also died of stupid butthole cancer because he was too proud to get a proctoscopic exam, so what the f*ck does he know?

What we’re getting at is, there comes a time in everyone’s life where throwing in the towel doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re refusing (or unable) to get up. In the combat sports world especially, we’ve seen countless fighters place ego above all else and continue fighting well beyond the point that their bodies have told them to stop, and to what end? (More often than not,  few wholly unnecessary concussions.

So if you were, say, a 38-year-old guy who nearly died from kidney failure while competing in your first MMA fight in 5 years, you’d probably hang up the 4 oz. gloves for good and thank your God for bringing you out of that coma you were in, right? Well, not if you’re Dada 5000 you wouldn’t!

Despite spending two weeks in a hospital following his near-fatal loss to Kimbo Slice at Bellator 149, it looks like Dada 5000 aka Dhafir Harris might actually be considering another fight. In a statement posted to his instagram this morning, Dada cleared up what went down on the night of Bellator 149 — which was somehow much, much worse than you think — and kinda sorta hinted that he would be returning to the cage to give this silly little sport another try.

The post has since been taken down, but BloodyElbow was able to grab a screenshot:

The statement reads: “To All My fans, Supporters, Haters, And Critics Alike. I haven’t been on Social media due to situations Beyond My Control. (Not because of the outcome of the fight) Tune in to ESPN Dan Lebatard Tv and Radio Show This Wednesday @12 Noon. In my up and coming interview as I will put an end to all Accusations, Opinions Speculations, and Assumptions about the Fight. A lot of folks celebrities alike have jump to conclusions without the facts. Yes I trained very hard for this fight and I was in Fighting Shape.. But those who knew me they knew that something wasn’t right by the look in my Eyes when I stepped into that ring. But Stay tuned for the rest of that shocking story (Coming up) But tune in this Wednesday @ 12 noon on the ESPN the Dan Lebatard Tv and Radio Show! For the 1st of many interviews from DADA5OOO! Yes I did have kidney failure during the fight I also had 2 heart attacks which I did code aka Died during the Fight. Glory to the Most High which saw favor in me to bring me back. which put me in Memorial Herman Hospital in Houston Texas for more then 3 weeks after the fight. Just to come back to Miami and to continue treatment at South Miami Hospital. Thank you all for your Prayers And Support I will make a full recovery and will be back Bigger, Faster and stronger than ever before that much you can Count On!!!”

Wait, so Dada not only suffered kidney failure, but two heart attacks during the fight *and* coded? And he still wants to fight?!!

You know what, f*ck it. You’ve earned this, Mr. 5000. (*salutes*)

Probably the saddest thing about this whole idea is the fact that Bellator will DEFINITELY book him another fight. Hell, they’ve probably already started hyping up Dada vs. Kimbo II.

“One has heart-stopping power, the other can literally come back from the dead! Tune in this summer to see the sequel to the ultimate street brawl at Bellator 188: Coronary!!”

I know Bellator doesn’t typically name their events, but you get the picture.

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