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Cain Velasquez’ fighting future remains unknown.

The former UFC heavyweight champion returned from a two-and-a-half year layoff to face Francis Ngannou in the main event of February’s UFC on ESPN 1. Things didn’t go his way. He suffered a 26-second knockout loss where it appeared his knee buckled significantly as well.

With injuries obviously sapping the onetime ruler of most of his prime, it was not an encouraging sight. Then, reports arrived that he would be making his pro-wrestling debut for Mexican promotion AAA this August. All of things cast a shadow of uncertainty over Velasquez’ fighting future as it currently stands.

But according to his longtime AKA head coach Javier Mendez, there’s nothing to worry about. Mendez revealed on this week’s episode of ‘The MMA Hour’ that he has not discussed retiring in any form:

“I would say 100 percent [that is] a panic response. He hasn’t said anything. All I hear from him is he can’t wait to get back in.”

As for the knee injury, Mendez said he saw Velasquez recently and he seemed to be walking fine. The topic of retirement didn’t come up in their conversation:

“He was at Daniel Cormier’s [40th] birthday party that we all had [last month] and seemed fine,” Mendez said. “I didn’t really ask him how he was. We were just chatting about other stuff, but he was walking around fine. But I don’t know, I didn’t ask him. I figured he’d tell me if I needed to know something.”

An Illegal Shot?

All injuries aside, Mendez then revealed a claim about the loss to Ngannou that hasn’t been discussed. He claimed ‘The Predator’ actually hit Velasquez in the back of the head, leading to the finish:

“[Velasquez] wasn’t getting around too well (after the fight),” Mendez said. “But the screwed up [part] about that whole thing, originally when I saw the fight, I kept having to replay it, replay it, and I never saw what the hell happened. And I was thinking, well, what the hell? It’s just his knee gave out, right? And of course his knee gave out, right?

“But then it wasn’t until I was home and he leaves me a text message and he goes, ‘I was fine until he hammerfisted me in the back of the head.’ And I’m like, what? What are you talking about, hammerfist? So I replayed the goddamn video and the very first strike that was hit was an illegal shot right behind the back of the head, when he shot in.

“And he said that dazed him a teeny bit and that’s what started this whole sequence, and nobody ever saw it. It was an illegal shot. If the ref would’ve caught it, it would’ve been a no contest.”

Freak Accident

Mendez said it was a weird freak accident the ref simply didn’t see and no one was talking about:

“But he didn’t catch it. Hell, I didn’t catch it and I watched it over and over again. I’d made up in my mind what I thought it was — and it wasn’t. I was completely wrong. … It was one of those weird freak accidents, man. Whether intentional or not, I don’t know. All I know is that he got a hell of a shot. When you slow it down and you watch it, it was a clear shot: Illegal, back of the head. And nobody talks about that because it’s over, it’s done.”

Heartbroken

That’s just one fight, however. Overall, Mendez was simply heartbroken Velasquez was never able to fight up to his potential as the potential greatest MMA heavyweight of all-time:

“I’m honestly heartbroken,” Mendez admitted. “Here, in my opinion — this is my opinion, okay — I think he could’ve been the greatest heavyweight of all-time had none of these stupid things happened to him. I mean, there were some by his cause, some by my cause, some by just unforeseen things. And almost anybody that sees what he’s capable of doing and what he had been doing obviously knows that there’s no one like him.

“But this is an unforgiving sport, and he’s had a lot of mishaps happen to him. And like I said, some are my fault, some are his fault, some are other people’s fault. But it’s happened and we’ve just got to move forward. But, is it depressing? Yes, it is. It’s heartbreaking for me when I see these things happen to him.”

The post Coach Makes Controversial Claim About Cain Velasquez’ Loss To Francis Ngannou appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Earlier today headlines arose when Paulie Malignaggi slapped Artem Lobov at a Bare Knuckle FC media event in New York City.

After a heated back-and-forth trash talk exchange, Malignaggi swiped at Lobov before the fighters were quickly separated. Lobov said he was apparently asked by BKFC promoter Dave Feldman not to get physical with Malignaggi. He obliged, but the former boxing champion did not.

Chaos erupted, and Malignaggi was even held back by former UFC title contender and current BKFC ‘ambassador’ Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Lobov insisted Malignaggi broke his own word in a phone interview with MMA Fighting shortly after the dust-up. He insisted Malignaggi claimed he wouldn’t throw hands at the media event but did anyway.

It was fine according to fan favorite Lobov, who said he walks through way worse. ‘The Russian Hammer’ wanted to see what happened when they actually fought:

“He himself was saying, no, no, no. And then he just got a little cheap shot in. That’s the only way he can f*cking get hands on me, a cheap shot. But whatever. F*ck it. Does he think that’s gonna upset me? I’m a f*cking fighter. I walk through head kicks, you think I’m gonna give a f*ck about that? Whatever, brush it off, move on. Let’s go, let’s see what you got when we actually square off in the ring.”

No Recourse This Time Around

Perhaps 2018’s most controversial scene in MMA erupted when lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov slapped Lobov in a New York hotel almost one year ago. His longtime friend and training partner Conor McGregor flew to Brooklyn and threw a metal dolly at Khabib’s bus, getting arrested in the process. Lobov said that wouldn’t be the case with Malignaggi, however, because he needed him safe for when they fight this summer:

“I need Paulie, I need him wrapped up in bubble wrap, I need him there on June 22, that’s when the provisional date has been set. That’s when I need him. That’s when we get to go at it. Then, we’ll see what happens.”

Broke, Old, & Fat?

Malignaggi has been speaking up about Lobov and McGregor in the media. That includes an appearance on The MMA Hour this week, where he said he would have to hurt Lobov. But the Russian laughed that off, saying Malignaggi was a jab-focused fighter who’s old and could not hurt him:

“Let’s look at the facts. Look at his fights. Who did he do damage to other than himself? He is a jabber. He just jabs, jabs, jabs, jabs. That’s all he ever f*cking does. He didn’t put guys away, ever. He has no knockout power, his hands are fragile, always f*cking broken. He’s old now and fat and lazy. The only reason he’s coming back is because he’s broke as f*ck. So what is there to fear? That’s it — nothing.”

In the end, Lobov wants the fight, and he’s said his BKFC main event with Jason Knight this weekend is a preview for it. What he wants most is simply to feel his knuckles on Malignaggi’s jaw:

“He’s just one of those whiners that you’d just love to punch in the face,” Lobov said. “It’s gonna feel so good to feel my bare knuckles on his jaw.”

The post Artem Lobov Responds To Paulie Malignaggi Slapping Him In NYC appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

ONE Championship women’s atomweight champion Angela Lee will attempt to become a two-division champion when she meets flyweight champ Jingnan Xiong on the main card of this weekend’s (Sun., March 31, 2019) ONE Championship: A New Era from Ry?goku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.

But ONE’s fastest-rising star didn’t arrive necessarily at this point taking a straight path. Lee’s story is a unique one, one mixed with phenom-like early successes and overcoming adversity that followed. Lee became the youngest-ever major champion in mixed martial arts (MMA) history when she won the atomweight title by defeating Mei Yamaguchi at 19 years old on May 6, 2016.

The Chinese-Korean fighter, who fights out of Hawaii, was rightfully pegged as the next big thing in Asian MMA. She has not disappointed since, but the last few years have been filled with a few significant setbacks for Lee. She defended the title twice in 2017, defeating Jenny Huang and Istela Nunes.

Lee was then scheduled to rematch Yamaguchi in November of that year. However, a serious car accident where Lee fell asleep at the wheel forced the bout to be rescheduled in 2018.

Check out the carnage here courtesy of Rob DeMello:

BREAKING: Hawaii's @angelaleemma was involved in car accident on O'ahu Monday. Family confirms no serious injuries but will postpone #ONEFC Atomweight title defense vs. Mei Yamaguchi which was scheduled for Nov. 24th in Singapore pic.twitter.com/CZOpDo8Ueg

— Rob DeMello (@RobDeMelloKHON) November 8, 2017

Angela Lee’s Comeback

Thankfully, Lee escaped with no serious injuries. She suffered a concussion and some minor burns. Lee bounced back to defeat Yamaguchi a second time via unanimous decision at May 2018’s ONE: Unstoppable Dreams. It was an event showcasing her own ‘Unstoppable’ nickname. She was then booked to face Xiong last November.

A back injury put a temporary halt to that, however, forcing the fight to be rescheduled for this weekend. It also left Lee with just one bout since May 2017, a small derailment of the massive momentum she had built up in 2016-2017.

That’s a small setback. It shouldn’t take away from Lee’s massive talent and bright future. All told, she’s an undefeated 9-0 in MMA with an alarming seven submissions. If she can get past Xiong – no easy task by any means – she’ll become the second-ever documented simultaneous two-division champion in women’s MMA. The UFC’s Amanda Nunes was the first after she knocked out former featherweight champion Cris Cyborg at UFC 232 last December.

ONE’s Biggest Star

If – and it’s certainly a big if – Lee is able to dethrone Xiong, the sky’s the limit. A loss wouldn’t completely end her hype train as she’s only 22, but it would be another setback. A win, however, would mean that Lee is without a doubt ONE’s biggest homegrown star. She probably already is.

The surging Asian promotion made waves with their signings of UFC stars Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez. They’ll make their debuts at A New Era as well. But you could argue both are out of their primes or close to it. They also made their names in the UFC (and Bellator, in Alvarez’ case).

Lee is different, obviously. She’s ONE’s fastest-rising talent and could become a truly historic achiever in the sport at only 22 years old. Let that sink in. That’s a Jon Jones-level accomplishment, even if it isn’t in the UFC.

No Easy Task

To get there, she’ll have to topple one of female MMA’s best under-the-radar fighters. Xiong won three fights in ONE last year, most recently knocking out Samara Santos Cunha last September. She’s a dangerous striker who has won five out of her past seven fights by T/KO.

So her title bout with Lee presents a very interesting striker vs. grappler match-up. Lee claims to know what Xiong plans to do in Tokyo. She revealed that at yesterday’s official press conference (via South China Morning Post):

“I know what she’s going to do. She likes to bully opponents. But I don’t see that happening at all.”

Lee believes their clashing styles will make for a very interesting contrast in Tokyo:

“I think her style and my style match up perfectly. We’re both very aggressive, and when we meet in the middle you’ll see what happens.”

Into The Mainstream?

The opportunity is there for Lee to burst into the MMA mainstream. Unfortunately, the same probably isn’t true for Xiong. But she’ll undoubtedly make some headlines of her own if she can stop ‘Unstoppable’ in Tokyo.

All of that boils down to an extremely intriguing women’s strawweight title clash on a card featuring four title fights. This fight may be the most important one and by no small margin. That’s because Lee is featured in it. The pressure is on ONE’s face of female MMA as a result. She’s ready to face it. Lee proved that guaranteeing that history would be made this weekend:

“This match-up has been in the mix for a while now,” Lee said. “This event right here is by far the biggest event for ONE Championship and one thing I can guarantee you is that on March 31 history will be made.

Lee has overcome some significant setbacks to get to this point. She needs a huge performance to re-establish some of that momentum she had two years ago. Xiong is a very difficult opponent to do that against, yet that’s part of what makes this fight so intriguing.

Again, the future is bright and the sky is the limit for Lee. Her evolution will take a huge next step if she summits one of MMA’s highest mountaintops at only 22 years old. There’s a dangerous ‘Panda’ bear waiting to put a halt to that in Tokyo, however.

So get ready to watch one of MMA’s brightest future stars at A New Era. Just how bright that star shines this weekend is up to Lee.

The post Angela Lee: From Fight-Canceling Car Crash To MMA’s Next Potential Double-Champ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The saga of Conor McGregor just keeps getting stranger and stranger. Hours after he abruptly announced his ‘retirement’ from MMA on Twitter, the MMA world now sees McGregor under investigation for sexual assault charges.

According to MMA Junkie, The New York Times reported that the MMA star is under investigation by Irish police for sexual assault. They cited four sources in their report. A woman allegedly accused him of sexual assault last December.

It’s of note that McGregor has not been charged with the crime. However, the report stated that McGregor was indeed arrested in January. A statement is reportedly coming soon from McGregor’s management, Paradigm Sports.

Rumors Were There

This isn’t the first we’ve heard about this alleged incident. Irish news outlets reported that an Irish sports star was under investigation for sexual assault roughly three months ago. But Irish law outlaws release of the identity of those under investigation for sexual assault. The law is taken seriously. An Irish news outlet is being investigated for a potential breach of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation according to MMA Junkie. The outlet reportedly named McGregor as the athlete in question.

Irish police did not respond to a request for comment from MMA Junkie. The Times report revealed the alleged assault in question took place at Dublin’s Beacon Hotel. McGregor is known as a guest there. His last visit was in December according to the report.

Yet Another Arrest

Of course, McGregor is innocent until proven guilty. But this is just the latest in a strange, concerning saga that points to the downfall of MMA’s biggest star. He was recently arrested on strong-arm robbery and criminal mischief charges in Miami Beach, Florida. There, he allegedly smashed and took a man’s cell phone. On top of that, he only recently cleared the assault charges from his April 2018 bus attack in Brooklyn, New York. He’s due in court to wrap up that case this Friday.

A potential issue with the terms of his release on bond from the Miami arrest could arise if he is charged with the sexual assault. Obviously, that charge is much, much more serious than his comparatively lesser arrests. It all points to a frightening trend of the behavior of a man who believes the rules don’t apply to him.

The post Breaking: Conor McGregor Under Investigation For Sexual Assault Allegation appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Right after Anthony Pettis knocked out Stephen Thompson in the main of last night’s UFC Nashville, Conor McGregor made his thoughts known. There once was a time when that was the most important opinion, but there are signs McGregor’s shtick is growing old with many fans.

McGregor downplayed Pettis’ inclusion into an exclusive club by asking, ‘Who f***ing wants it?’ on Twitter:

Welcome to the club and congratulations.
Now who fucking wants it? https://t.co/XrNU4VDc3Z

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) March 24, 2019

That’s a great callout seemingly aimed at anyone and everyone.

Indeed, that’s the mantra McGregor certainly embodied during his meteoric rise to fame as the UFC’s biggest-ever star. His legendary rivalry with Nate Diaz and his 2015 war with Chad Mendes, for example, would never have happened if he wasn’t willing to take on any challenge on short notice.

Tough To Take It Seriously

But while that version of the Irish megastar’s callout had some weight behind it, the current version’s does not as of right now. For all his bravado, all his money, and all his fame, McGregor has only set foot in the cage once since November 2016. That was for his laughably one-sided loss to Khabib last year.

His inactivity coupled with his calling out for fights he never signs on seems to be wearing on fans. You could see it in the responses to his callout of Pettis last night. Granted, the reactions of random fans (and haters) online are hardly an accurate gauge of reality. The point is there’s growing sense of unrest and impatience amongst the entire MMA community, whether you love him or hate him.

Each and every one of McGregor’s moves was looked upon with anticipation. When he became UFC’s first simultaneous ‘champ champ’ in November 2016, things changed. At first, they changed slowly, like the wheels put in motion for McGregor’s lucrative boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. He took all of 2017 off to fight and lose to ‘Money,’ skyrocketing his star power as a result.

‘The Notorious’ came back to the UFC more than a year later at UFC 229 but was dominated by Khabib.

Outside-The-Cage Trouble

In the meantime, he was getting into all sorts of trouble outside the cage. One recalls him jumping the cage at a Bellator event and slapping a security guard. The outside-the-cage rumors were many, but McGregor actually got arrested for his infamous Brooklyn bus attack in April 2018 and for smashing a man’s cell phone in Miami Beach recently. In the grand scheme of pro athlete arrests, McGregor’s are relatively small. He can get past them by agreeing to a plea deal, paying fines and performing community service, at least for now.

But again, they could all point to cracks beginning to form for a larger downfall. Many remarked he was more interested in selling his booming Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey than actually winning a fight in his return last fall. At this point, it’s getting hard to argue with them. McGregor has gone 2-2 in his last four UFC fights; 2-3 in his last five if you count the Mayweather loss. Many do not. I can’t argue with that. Yet we’re going on two-and-a-half years since his last MMA win.

So much has changed in MMA since November 2016. Many were hyped when McGregor teased a high-profile fight with Donald Cerrone after “Cowboy’s” win in January. And deservedly so. But when that fight didn’t materialize and McGregor made following UFC main events or big wins about himself, fans began to cry wolf. Some even pointed out specifically that he had a process of calling out impressive winners to get the attention on him. It was supposedly his way to stay relevant while not actually winning.

Still The Biggest Star

Now, McGregor is deservedly still the UFC’s biggest star. He has burst into the mainstream, which few MMA fighters ever do. He’s the biggest name to ever do so as well. There’s a chance he could rebound and rise to the top again, yet as Marvin Hagler says, “It’s tough to get out of bed to do roadwork at 5 am when you’ve been sleeping in silk pajamas.” McGregor has undoubtedly been sleeping in silk pajamas.

He’s earned it, but in this fight game, you have to win to stay relevant, at least once in a while. McGregor has bought the patience of fans perhaps more than any other fighter ever. He’s still treading close to absolutely needing a win to keep hardcore fans interested. It remains to be seen how more casual fans will stay locked in his camp if he doesn’t fight and win with some frequency.

That’s why his predictable post-fight callouts are getting just that. Until he actually fights one of the names putting on those impressive performances, they’ll just be words. Of course, they want to fight him. There’s no bigger payday and at this point, many may see him as an easy match-up. He has to prove that’s not true in his post-Mayweather form, whatever that is.

So how much longer can MMA’s biggest name stay there without a win?

It could be a lot shorter than you would have thought a year ago.

The post Has Conor McGregor’s Act Grown Old? appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.