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Irish Crime Reporter Says Conor McGregor’s Life Is In ‘Very Serious Danger’

Conor McGregor allegedly got into a bar fight at a pub in the Crumlin suburb area of his native Dublin, Ireland, last Sunday night, but the reports remained just rumors without an official complaint filed by local police. UFC President Dana White downplayed the rumors during a session with reporters yesterday, noting that he believed […]

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Conor McGregor allegedly got into a bar fight at a pub in the Crumlin suburb area of his native Dublin, Ireland, last Sunday night, but the reports remained just rumors without an official complaint filed by local police.

UFC President Dana White downplayed the rumors during a session with reporters yesterday, noting that he believed the reports to be false because a much bigger media circus would have unfolded if they were indeed true.

However, a renowned crime reporter in Ireland named Paul Williams believes that McGregor’s situation in his home county is a lot more serious than White thinks. Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast (via Balls.ie), Williams, who’s now a co-host of the show, said that based on his past criminal experience, McGregor is in serious danger and may even be approached by the Gardai (Irish police) with information his life may be in danger:

“I have to say about this, and I’m wearing my old, veteran crime reporter hat. Conor McGregor is in a very dangerous place at the moment. He has come into conflict through probably no fault of his own, with a group of very, very dangerous people who are tied up with the Kinahans. These people do not care who Conor McGregor is, what he stands for, how powerful he is, they will drag him down into the cesspit.

“I would say, in the next 48 hours, if he still in the country – and I understand that he may have left the country – but if he is still in the country, I understand from my sources that the Garda will be approaching him to give him a GIM form, which is a Garda Information Message, to tell him that there may be threats to his safety. This is a huge story, and imagine what it would do to our reputation if this national sporting icon is attacked by a bunch of gangsters.”

Per Haljestam for USA TODAY Sports

Williams continued to elaborate on the possible state of affairs during the second hour of the show as well, reiterating that McGregor has reportedly become mixed up with some very dangerous folks, potentially accidentally:

“I just want to make a comment about this. Conor McGregor is potentially in very, very serious danger, I hear that from my sources and from looking at the lay of the land. He has ended up crossing swords- accidentally or however –  with some very, very heavy people, or some people who are related to some very, very heavy people who could pose a very serious threat to his safety, and potentially his life. And I don’t say that lightly.

“And these people, you have to remember – as I keep saying – they don’t care, they don’t have parameters, they don’t have boundaries, they don’t discriminate between whether you’re an international sporting icon or just a man on the street. They shoot you, they injure you, they do whatever they want to do.

“I think it’s extraordinary. And I think in the next 24-48 hours, I believe that An Garda Síochána will be approaching Conor McGregor and saying to him, ‘By the way, we just want to officially inform you that potentially your safety is at risk’.

“I think it’s an extraordinary state of affairs. And watch this space.”

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Dana White Confirms Conor McGregor May Never Fight Again

Conor McGregor may have been rumored to be involved in a bar fight at a pub in his native Dublin this past weekend, but the much larger issue surrounding the UFC lightweight champion is when – and if – he will ever defend a UFC title. UFC President Dana White addressed the rumors during to reporters […]

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Conor McGregor may have been rumored to be involved in a bar fight at a pub in his native Dublin this past weekend, but the much larger issue surrounding the UFC lightweight champion is when – and if – he will ever defend a UFC title.

UFC President Dana White addressed the rumors during to reporters today (via Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole), noting that he hadn’t heard anything about the brawl, but believed the speculation to be false considering the sheer amount of craziness that would have already ensued were it true:

“No, [I don’t know anything about it], but I don’t think it’s true,” White said. “Conor can walk down the street and it’s big news now. If this is true, I just have to believe it would be off-the-charts crazy.”

And while outside-the-cage scandals such as this and his highly-publicized Bellator 187 incident seem to be flooding any and all headlines about the Irish MMA star, no official return is imminent for a champion who has not set foot in the UFC Octagon for nearly 13 months.

White admitted that the UFC was trying to get him booked for the year-ending pay-per-view show of UFC 219 on December 30, but McGregor was ‘dealing’ with Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) president Mike Mazzulli, the leader of the commission that presided over Bellator 187 and would possibly face sanctions from them, but it remained unclear.

Regardless, White said via MMA Fighting they had been trying to book him a fight, but after he made a reported $100 million to fight Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring this August, his desire to fight was expectedly dimming to where he may never fight again:

“He was being dealt with by the head of the ABC,” White said. “We were gonna fight him, regardless of what [McGregor’s manager] Audie [Attar] says, we were working on a fight for him at the end of the year. And he’s just not ready. Listen … Conor might never fight again. The guy’s got a f*cking hundred million dollars.

“These guys make money and that’s it. Fighting is the worst. Try to get up and get punched in the face every day when you’ve got $100 million in the bank. Money changes everything for a lot of people.”

White further elaborated on McGregor’s current situation due to the Mayweather fight, offering the stance that McGregor was young, rich, even god-like figure in his home of Dublin, which is far from the most stable of environments for a professional athlete. White admitted McGregor has a ton of talent but referred to the curious case of one Jon Jones, who perhaps let the trappings of fame and fortune get to him before his life and career began spiraling out of control as McGregor’s has recently shown signs of similar troubles:

“He’s a young, rich kid who is a god in Ireland,” White said. “That’s not the healthiest environment either. It’s all part of it. I don’t know if you guys remember in the very beginning with Jon Jones. There’s no doubt the talent was there. I used to go, ‘The guy is talented, but he’s young, he’s rich, he’s the king of the world now. Hopefully he can keep it together.’ That was way before the crazy shit started to happen. And there it is. It happens.

“What’s weird is it happens more in this sport, in fighting, in the fighting business, more than any other sport.”

Troubles or not, however, McGregor is still by far the UFC’s biggest and most recognizable star, and they desperately need him to return to the Octagon for at least one more fight if they ever want to dream of gaining the sky-high PPV results he provided them with during a booming 2016.

With much of the MMA fanbase clamoring for McGregor to finally defend his title or vacate it, White admitted that much is simply not the case. From his point of view, the UFC is attempting to get a new deal signed with their most illustrious headliner, and for good reason:

“We need to figure that out. Right now, with him it’s not about defend or vacate. We’re working on a new deal with him right now.”

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Was Clearing Michael Bisping The Right Call?

In what could go down as one of the most rapid downfalls following one of the most meteoric title rises in modern MMA history, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping was knocked in devastating fashion by Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of today’s (Sat., November 25, 2017) UFC Fight Night 122 from the Mercedes Benz […]

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In what could go down as one of the most rapid downfalls following one of the most meteoric title rises in modern MMA history, former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping was knocked in devastating fashion by Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of today’s (Sat., November 25, 2017) UFC Fight Night 122 from the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China.

“The Count” took the fight on just three weeks’ notice after getting rocked, battered on the ground, and ultimately put to sleep by a submission from Georges St-Pierre at November 4’s UFC 217, agreeing to fill in against Gastelum for fellow former champion Anderson Silva after “The Spider” was flagged for his second failed drug test.

Long one of the most dependable and toughest combatants on the UFC roster, ultimate company man Bisping saw it as an opportunity to get back on the horse against a Top 10-ranked opponent without a wait and collect what was certainly a nice check in the process, and the UFC needed a headliner on short notice, so they gladly accepted his services. However, even though he was only issued a 30-day medical suspension at UFC 217 and was obviously cleared by doctors 9 days earlier, it’s safe to wonder if the UFC should have pushed the decision through.

After all, it was a Fight Pass card from Shanghai that began at 7 a.m. ET on a weekend where many American MMA fans were still recovering from their turkey and shopping-induced hangovers from Thanksgiving weekend, and indeed many woke up to find out Bisping had been knocked out online rather than get up early to watch it live.

And with medical concerns like CTE mounting for fighters and other athletes, it’s also safe to question if Bisping should have been subject to taking more damage from the sport’s most powerful up-and-coming knockout artists such a short while after St-Pierre, never a man known for knockout power despite his legendary status, poured it on him so badly after nearly four full years away from the sport. He also had precious little time to train for Gastelum, who presented a much different challenge than St-Pierre, who was admittedly slower after putting on the weight necessary to compete at 185 pounds after fighting his whole career as a welterweight.

Photo: David McIntyre for USA TODAY Sports

Gastelum has much quicker hands and footwork, and he definitely has more explosive knockout power in his fists, evident by the shockingly quick knockout blow he delivered to Bisping’s chin in the first round.

To be completely clear, “The Count’s” body of work cannot be denied, as he is tied with “Rush” for the most wins in UFC history and was on top of the world only three weeks ago after accomplishing his ultimate goal and winning the belt by knocking out Luke Rockhold at 2016’s UFC 199 following a win over the all-time great (although controversial) Silva. But the fashion in which he was run through by St-Pierre and then Gastelum will make the oft-heard criticism of his title reign – that he ducked the best challengers and fought lesser opponents, like a retiring Dan Henderson and an out-of-retirement St-Pierre because he feared what would happen to him if he fought them – true in the eyes of many.

They said he would end up like he did in Shanghai, but that’s just not really true based on what we saw today; at least not fully. We saw a great fighter, a tough-as-nails champion who wanted to erase the bad memory of perhaps his biggest loss by fighting another top fighter immediately after the loss. While it didn’t pay off, not many, if any, top fighters would put so much on the line again so soon.

Bisping says he’s going to fight again as well, with the March event in London slated for the 38-year-old TUF winner’s final fight. Based on what we saw today, however, I’m not sure March is far enough way for him to recover from being choked then pounded unconscious in a single month. I’m not a pro fighter, let alone one who has remained at the top of the game for so long as Bisping has, and it’s not anything close to my place to tell him it’s time to hang up the gloves.

But I just can’t help but think the UFC thought more about what little effect losing the UFC Fight Night 22 main event would have on their overall bottom line than Bisping’s health, even if he wanted to take the fight more than anything else at the time.

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UFC Shanghai Bonuses: Gastelum, Jingliang Earn Extra $50,000

UFC Fight Night 122 emanated today (Saturday, November 25, 2017) from the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. The UFC Fight Pass show was headlined by a middleweight showdown between former title-holder and late replacement Michael Bisping and up-and-coming finisher Kelvin Gastelum. Gastelum took care of business in emphatic and devastating fashion, knocking Bisping senseless […]

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UFC Fight Night 122 emanated today (Saturday, November 25, 2017) from the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. The UFC Fight Pass show was headlined by a middleweight showdown between former title-holder and late replacement Michael Bisping and up-and-coming finisher Kelvin Gastelum.

Gastelum took care of business in emphatic and devastating fashion, knocking Bisping senseless with a left hook in the very first round. Gastelum was one of four men to pocket an extra $50,000 for their Performance of the Night efforts.

Co-headliner Li Jingliang also took home a bonus check for his first-round knockout of Zak Ottow in his home country. This time, it was a right hand through the guard that dropped the loser, and Jingliang swarmed with relentless ground and pound until the referee had seen enough. “The Leech” had the feel-good moment of the night as he ran into the crowd to kiss his wife and infant daughter, and he’ll go home $50k richer as well.

In the featured prelim and perhaps the most highly anticipated bout of the night, Zabit Magomedsharipov confirmed himself as more than a flashy kicker, but a bonafide blue-chip prospect. He ran a clinic on the tough and talented Sheymon Moraes, making his debut as the biggest underdog on the card. Magomedsharipov largely negated Moraes’ dangerous Muay Thai striking, taking him down at will and running a grappling clinic. Seemingly on a whim, the Dagestani finished Moraes with an anaconda choke in the third round. He, too, will have an extra $50,000 in his bank account come Monday morning.

Finally, 19-year-old Chinese featherweight prospect Song Yadong dominated Indian wrestler Bharat Kandare and finished him in the first round. Kandare never got in range to utilize his takedowns. Yadong pressured and landed heavy punches whenever his Indian counterpart threw. Yadong closed the show with a step-in right hand that floored his adversary, and when Kandare shot in for a desperate takedown, Yadong snatched a guillotine. The youngest fighter on the UFC roster will take home a nice payday with his $50,000 bonus check.

Keep it locked to LowKickMMA for all your UFC Shanghai post-fight news and notes.

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Twitter Reacts To Kelvin Gastelum Starching Michael Bisping

UFC Fight Night 122 emanated this morning (Saturday, November 25, 2017) from the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. The show was headlined by short-notice replacement and recent champion Michael Bisping stepping in to take on the dangerous Kelvin Gastelum. The former “Ultimate Fighter” winner took care of business like many expected, and he did […]

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UFC Fight Night 122 emanated this morning (Saturday, November 25, 2017) from the Mercedes Benz Arena in Shanghai, China. The show was headlined by short-notice replacement and recent champion Michael Bisping stepping in to take on the dangerous Kelvin Gastelum. The former “Ultimate Fighter” winner took care of business like many expected, and he did so in brutal fashion, knocking Bisping out with a flush left hook in the first round.

The co-headliner featured the most successful Chinese MMA fighter ever, Li Jingliang, taking on the well-rounded Zak Ottow. “The Leech” also ended his fight emphatically in the first round, dropping Ottow with a right hand and pouncing for the finish.

See how Twitter reacted to these knockouts below:

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Quote: UFC Needs To ‘Humble’ Conor McGregor After Bellator Incident

It’s been well documented by now that UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor made a scene while in attendance for Bellator 187. At the event, he made a surprise return to the cage after his friend Charlie Ward’s victory over John Redmond by jumping the fence to celebrate. This is when things went sideways as McGregor […]

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It’s been well documented by now that UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor made a scene while in attendance for Bellator 187.

At the event, he made a surprise return to the cage after his friend Charlie Ward’s victory over John Redmond by jumping the fence to celebrate.

This is when things went sideways as McGregor was told to leave the cage by referee Marc Goddard which led to an altercation between the referee and McGregor. This led to McGregor shoving the referee.

After the incident, the UFC champion issued an apology for his actions and what it turned into. There have been several fighters who have spoken about the incident and what the UFC needs to do to McGregor as a punishment.

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes that the promotion needs to “humble” McGregor for attacking a referee.

The title contender recently appeared on the Talk and Talker podcast (transcript courtesy of MMA Fighting) to talk about the incident. He believes that once McGregor began going after Goddard, he crossed the line.

“My very good friend fought for a big organization in Europe at 57 kgs, 125 [pounds]. When he win, I do same s**t. I come inside and I hold him because I’m very happy. I’m jumping on the cage, I come inside. A lot of people come inside, my friends, my teammates, because we’re very happy but when referee tells me, ‘Hey, you guys have to go out,’ I don’t try to fight with him because I know referee is not professional fighter, he’s referee. I have to respect rules. But I go crazy a little bit after I understand, ‘Hey, this is not good. I have to stop this,’ and I try to tell my friends, my teammates that we have to go out.

“Sometimes this happens and this organization disqualification 30 percent of his money, but it’s okay. It’s okay. This organization has rules and when we come to the organization we have to follow this. We have to follow rules. So sometimes this happens but I don’t understand why he tried to fight with referee. I don’t understand it.

“One time, if you try with him it’s okay but you see these guys don’t want fight with you and he cannot fight with you. Why would you try more and more? I don’t understand this one. When you come to inside the cage because you’re very happy about your friend’s win, it’s okay but try to fight with referee, this is not good.”

Keep in mind that the UFC champion does have some history with Goddard. If you recall, he was the official who ordered McGregor to leave cageside because of his antics during Artem Lobov’s fight with Andre Filli at UFC Gdansk.

Also, this isn’t the first time that McGregor has jumped the fence into the cage during an event as he did it during Lobov’s win on The Ultimate Fighter by jumping into the cage and ripping his pants.

“Yes, it’s okay, but not all the time. He does this all the time. In Ultimate Fighter show, in Bellator show, I don’t understand why he can do but other guys cannot do. Because he’s Conor McGregor? He cannot do this. The UFC has to make him humble a little bit because other guys say, ‘Oh, Conor do this? He can do this but why I not?’ This is why sometimes you have to follow rules when you’re a big name, because a lot of people are watching you.

“When you jump inside the ring, okay, but when you try to fight with referee, this is not good. Why he don’t slap me when we go very close like UFC 205? Because he understands I don’t stop. Maybe he slaps him because he understands he’s not fighter, he cannot give him back.

“I never slap somebody if this guy cannot fight with me. . . You cannot fight with me. I can kill you. I can punch you and I can take you down and smash your face. You have to stay relaxed. Sometimes you have to say this because you’re a professional athlete and you can kill people.”

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