khabib Nurmagomedov vs Edson Barboza | UFC Betting Sites

Khabib’s Management Refuses To Fight For ‘Fake’ Interim Belt

Following his three-round destruction of Edson Barboza at UFC 219, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father recently said they were willing to take on former champion Eddie Alvarez if the UFC decided to book Conor McGregor vs. Tony Ferguson to unify the 155-pound belt. However, his manager is singing an entirely different tune. Ali Abdelaziz told MMA Fighting that […]

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Following his three-round destruction of Edson Barboza at UFC 219, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father recently said they were willing to take on former champion Eddie Alvarez if the UFC decided to book Conor McGregor vs. Tony Ferguson to unify the 155-pound belt.

However, his manager is singing an entirely different tune.

Ali Abdelaziz told MMA Fighting that they are not interested in fighting for Ferguson’s interim title, a ‘fake’ belt that no one wants:

“Khabib’s next fight, we’re not fighting for no damn interim belt,” Abdelaziz said. “We want the real belt, or we don’t want nothing. We appreciate everything the UFC has done for us, but it’s time for a real belt. Nobody is interested in fighting for a fake belt. Tony Ferguson has a fake belt. Nobody wants this.”

The UFC lightweight title picture is beyond a mess right now, with Dana White stating champion Conor McGregor must make his intentions known so they can book Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov for the interim title sometime around March with the winner taking on “The Notorious” later in the year.

But Abdelaziz’s insistence throws yet another wrench into the plans, which are haphazard at best while McGregor negotiates a potential promoter’s stake in his next fight and Ferguson recovers from elbow surgery. Adding to that mess is Nurmagomedov’s long track record of injuries and weight-cutting issues, making any fight involving him a dangerous prospect in a division that needs him – and McGregor – active to truly move on.

“The Eagle” set his sights on three bouts in 2018 – one in the spring, one around September after Ramadan is over, and a final fight in December. To do so, the UFC will have to get to work booking the dominant grappler soon, and that may not be easy with both McGregor and Ferguson out of action.

There’s little chance Khabib would leapfrog Ferguson and fight for the official belt, and it seems we’re perhaps several months away from McGregor actually defending his title if he ever does, so the logjam at lightweight may have just had a fresh load of logs thrown on top of it.

Welcome to 2018, fight fans.

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Darren Till Insists He’s ‘Much Better’ Than Conor McGregor

Surging UFC welterweight Darren Till was one of the hottest rising contenders in the deeply talented 170-pound division throughout 2017. The Liverpool, England-based fighter truly blasted onto the scene by knocking out longtime veteran Donald Cerrone in the main event of October’s UFC Gdansk, a fight after which he deservedly began entertaining some potential big-name bouts. […]

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Surging UFC welterweight Darren Till was one of the hottest rising contenders in the deeply talented 170-pound division throughout 2017.

The Liverpool, England-based fighter truly blasted onto the scene by knocking out longtime veteran Donald Cerrone in the main event of October’s UFC Gdansk, a fight after which he deservedly began entertaining some potential big-name bouts.

A match-up with former title challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson made the rounds, but the No. 1-ranked Karate wiz eventually said it wasn’t in his best interest to fight a lower-ranked, up-and-coming opponent. On the other hand, it would obviously give Till another sizable shot right up the ranks, something he told MMA Junkie wasn’t necessarily his goal.

For him, he knows he has a long way to go, so it was more of a challenge against one of the UFC’s best strikers in ‘Wonderboy’:

“I don’t feel like I’ve earned a title shot and, to be totally honest, I don’t even feel like I’ve earned a top-three spot. The only reason why I asked for ‘Wonderboy’ is because I think it would decipher who the best striker is (in welterweight division). But I don’t really care if it’s No. 1 or No. 10.

“He’s an excellent fighter, one of the best, and I don’t want to fight him for an easy route to the title, but because I want to test myself against the best. If he’s the guy to beat me and take all my momentum, then fair play to him. But I don’t believe he could do it.”

Even if Thompson is unwilling to face Till, the Liverpudlian striker already had another high-profile match-up in his back pocket, this time a pay-per-view (PPV) bout against fellow rising challenger Rafael dos Anjos in Brazil.

In his eyes, dos Anjos would be easy money despite his spotless track record as of late. Till believes a match-up with dos Anjos would be over in one single round, and that even UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, who fights a weight class below the massive welterweight Till, would have destroyed dos Anjos.

With that established, Till said he was similar to the notorious Irish megastar, only ‘much better’:

“A pay-per-view against dos Anjos in Brazil would be huge, and I am totally up for it,” Till said.

“The great thing is, I would go there and beat him in a round because he’s designed for me and is just too scrappy on the feet. I think Conor McGregor would have absolutely annihilated him, and I’m twice Conor’s size. I’m also a similar fighter to Conor – just much better. I would kill dos Anjos, and I just don’t know what he’s doing in this division.”

Much of that confidence may lie in Till’s full knowledge that he’s simply much bigger and stronger than his competition. Walking at a reported out-of-fight weight of 210 pounds, Till fully acknowledged he was too big to keep fighting at 170 pounds forever.

Because of his overwhelming stature, Till said he plans on not only eventually moving up to 185 pounds but also to 205 in an effort to become an unprecedented three-weight champion:

“In all honesty, I am too big for the division,” he said. “You could see with Cerrone, and I know he’s a former lightweight, but I am huge at this weight. I’m going to spend some time taking over at welterweight, but then I will move up.

“People think I’m joking, but I’m also planning on going up to light heavyweight because I still have years to go and I’m going to continue to grow. I want to be a three-weight world champion.”

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Edson Barboza Finally Addresses “Tough” Loss To Khabib

Top-ranked lightweight Edson Barboza saw a three-fight win streak brutally disappear when he was dominated for three rounds by top-ranked contender Khabib Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of December 30’s UFC 219. It was a beatdown of epic proportions, one that became more apparent and visceral as ‘The Eagle’s’ ground game neutralized another with each […]

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It was a beatdown of epic proportions, one that became more apparent and visceral as ‘The Eagle’s’ ground game neutralized another with each onslaught of ground damage. The win has the long-touted Khabib on the cusp of an interim title shot, but for the striker Barboza, it’s back to the drawing board.

One of the UFC’s best pure Muay Thai practitioners, Barboza didn’t believe the Dagestani grappler would be able to shut him down like he had everyone else, telling MMA Fighting that he had a great camp preparing for “The Eagle” and simply fell prey to his dominant gameplan:

”I really didn’t expect that to happen, man. I was very upset the week after the fight because I was well prepared, had a wonderful camp.

“It was a tough loss, no doubt about it.

”It was pretty much how we imagined it. I knew he wouldn’t take me down in the middle of the Octagon. I knew that his only chance to take me down was close to the fence, so I obviously worked that a lot, but he was able to impose his game, and I couldn’t get out of there. That was the problem. I fell in his game, I spent 15 minutes doing his game.”

Photo by Gary A. Vasquez for USA TODAY Sports

Barboza also admitted he was fooled by Khabib’s takedown attempts off of forward pressure, something he said was the opposite when he watched prior film on him:

”Honestly, I didn’t expect that. He walked backwards in all of his previous fights before he went for takedowns. I was prepared for it, but I thought he would do what he always did, to avoid the striking. It surprised me that he moved forward.

”I was aware of what was happening the entire time, and I believed it until the end. Things were going wrong but I kept thinking, ‘Brother, if he gives me a chance I’ll finish the fight.’ I remember everything that happened that night.”

While the beating was arguably the most one-sided fight of 2017 that actually went to the judges’ scorecards, Barboza didn’t agree one bit with some people’s assessment that the fight could have and should have been called at several junctures:

”If my corners had stopped the fight, I probably would have fought them all,” he said. “They know me really well, they know what I can handle. I’ve trained with millions of different people, the best boxers in New Jersey and Philadelphia, and they never knocked me down. They know me, they know what I can take, and they knew I could win at any moment.”

The best boxers in New Jersey and Philly don’t have arguably the best takedowns in all of mixed martial arts, however, and Barboza’s inability to defend them will keep him out of the very top levels of the talented but troubled lightweight division.

Hungry to wash away the bad taste of the loss, Barboza said he’s ready to get back to training as he prepares teammate Frankie Edgar for his featherweight title match-up with Max Holloway at UFC 222:

I’m already training hard. I want to fight.”

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UFC Champ Says He Won’t Avoid Defending Like ‘Afraid’ Conor McGregor

The MMA world is in a verifiable frenzy concerning UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s next move. With just about everyone invested in the sport wanting to know if and when he’ll return, the only one who doesn’t seem to care is “The Notorious” himself as he sits on a mountain of cash earned from his […]

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The MMA world is in a verifiable frenzy concerning UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s next move.

With just about everyone invested in the sport wanting to know if and when he’ll return, the only one who doesn’t seem to care is “The Notorious” himself as he sits on a mountain of cash earned from his boxing fight with Floyd Mayweather last August.

Even the most supportive McGregor fans are getting antsy, and the famed Irish slugger has yet to defend either of his titles since first winning the UFC featherweight belt from Jose Aldo in late 2015. A host of guaranteed-to-be-lucrative bouts awaits him if and when he does return, such as a unification bout with Ferguson or maybe his long-rumored trilogy match with Nate Diaz, even though that fight seems to be losing steam rather quickly.

As McGregor drags his heels, however, another UFC champion is wholly interested in getting the biggest fight he can, and he’s not shy letting those intentions be known. That man is UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who is currently campaigning for a super fight with dominant flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, a bout “Mighty Mouse” doesn’t seem to be all too enthused about.

Regardless, Dillashaw is still on the hunt for it because he views it as a chance to cement his legacy as one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best, a moniker Dillashaw told FloCombat (via MMA Mania) he believes was ripped from him when Dominick Cruz outlasted him with a controversial split decision two years ago:

“This is a way to put a stamp on my legacy. I was a little hurt losing that split decision [to Dominick Cruz] and not being on a 13-fight win streak and being called the pound-for-pound best in the world.

“In my mind, I should be No. 1. So it comes down to beating Demetrious Johnson to prove I’m the best, and it’s a huge thing for my legacy to be the double champ in two weight classes.”

A win over Johnson, who has racked up 11 consecutive title defenses to stand alone with the record, would certainly go a long way in cementing Dillashaw’s potential status as one of MMA’s top pound-for-pound competitors.

Of course, there’s always the issue of tying up two divisions to make it, which could especially become a problem in Dillashaw’s 135-pound roost, where a plethora of talented challengers awaits him. Dillashaw attempted to cool those concerns by stating if he was to win the 125-pound title, he wouldn’t be like McGregor and would instead remain active by defending:

“I’m not a Conor McGregor. I’m going to be active defending my belts. I’m not afraid to fight.”

He’ll have to procure the fight first, however, and with word arriving that “Mighty Mouse” underwent successful shoulder surgery today, it could be quite some time on the sidelines before he ever gets it – if he does.

Either way, the 135-pound king is looking to do what’s necessary to build his own exposure in an era of MMA where that’s absolutely necessary, and playing off the growing discontent with McGregor’s inactivity is one way to do it.

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Joe Rogan Reveals Why Khabib Is The Scariest Lightweight In MMA

Long hailed as the next great champion of the storied UFC lightweight division, undefeated Dagestani grappler Khabib Nurmagomedov (25-0) emboldened those beliefs in a huge way by demolishing formerly surging striker Edson Barboza in the co-main event of December 30’s UFC 219. The only reason any semblance of doubt arose about “The Eagle’s” ascendance stemmed from his long […]

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The only reason any semblance of doubt arose about “The Eagle’s” ascendance stemmed from his long and concerning history of injuries and weight-cutting issues, issues that have limited him to four fights in just under four years while his performance remains nothing less than stellar inside the Octagon when he does compete.

Thankfully, he’s now back at full health and showing why he’s perceived as the next champion. His three-round domination of Barboza ranked as one of the most one-sided bouts of 2017 as he racked up lopsided scores across the board with another brutal showing of ground mastery. The win has him on the precipice of fighting longtime rival Tony Ferguson for the interim belt while Conor McGregor sits back and decides what to do with the actual title next.

But no matter what McGregor decides to do, octagon color commentator Joe Rogan revealed why he believes Khabib is the most fearsome force at 155 pounds on a recent edition of The JRE MMA Show (via MMA Junkie). To him, the Dagestani’s dominance became evident by Barboza’s distant look while he had no way to deal with the mounting beatdown:

“He’s just on such another level that the odds of beating him drop significantly after the first minute-and-a-half,” Rogan said. “You saw the look on Barboza’s face: Two minutes in and he’s trying to get up. You saw the look on his face and it’s like, ‘(Expletive), how am I going to do deal with this?’ It’s just so next level.

“Khabib, after this performance, has set it up to a place where he’s the most terrifying lightweight contender in the world,” Rogan said.

Rogan also praised Ferguson while acknowledging the mess the UFC has at lightweight thanks to the uncertainty of McGregor’s return. With chaos abound in one of their most talented and potentially lucrative divisions, Rogan believes the UFC will soon get to work on fixing it:

“Then you have Tony Ferguson, who’s a (expletive), and has the interim championship, then you have Conor – who knows what happens with him? I think the UFC’s going to give him some time, let the holidays pass, see what the (expletive) happens and then make some moves.”

UFC president Dana White recently said he was hoping to have McGregor, who reportedly wants some sort of ownership or promoter’s stake in his next bout, ready to fight by March, but then said he would book Ferguson vs. Khabib for the interim belt sometime during that month with the winner eventually facing McGregor.

If “The Notorious” isn’t planning on returning until August or September, however, White then confirmed they would make Ferguson vs. Khabib for the real belt with pressure mounting from fans everywhere for McGregor to defend his belt.

It seems the talented Irishman’s antics are growing old with even his most devoted fans, and after a down year for UFC pay-per-views in 2017, the world’s MMA leader could use nothing more than a high-grossing title fight that also lent some degree of clarity to the lightweight landscape.

With McGregor involved and holding the cards, don’t expect that to come easily.

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Khabib: Conor Only Wants Fight With Old Floyd & ‘Marijuana Guy’ Nate Diaz

After Khabib Nurmagomedov’s brutally dominant smashing of Edson Barboza in the co-main event of last weekend’s (Sat., December 30, 2017) UFC 219 from Las Vegas, “The Eagle” said he was willing to fight divisional champion Conor McGregor and interim champion Tony Ferguson on the same night. And with rumors of a potential bout with McGregor surfacing, […]

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And with rumors of a potential bout with McGregor surfacing, the dominant Dagestani is back with a new offer for the elusive Irish champ, who is currently on the sidelines reportedly seeking a promoter’s stake in his next fight.

Khabib told TMZ Sports (via Bloody Elbow) earlier today he would go as far as to fight McGregor for free:

Asked how much it would take to meet McGregor, Khabib said he would take the exact opposite path of “The Notorious’” long-winded contract dispute and fight for zero dollars because he’s here to fight for as long as he can:

“Zero. Zero, man. I don’t need money. I need only real fight. Fight for the title. I don’t fight for the money, I fight for my legacy, I fight for history, I fight for my people. That’s why I am here. Three rounds? I am tired about this. I need like 50, 60 rounds. I want to fight all night.”

Perhaps looking to make up for lost time from the numerous injuries holding him back the last few years, Khabib doubled down on his suggestion of fighting McGregor and Ferguson on the same night:

“This is what I want. I need Tony and Conor same night. Tony Ferguson and Conor McGregor, same night.”

As for the official champ, “The Eagle” said he no longer wants real fights after he participated in a long rivalry with “marijuana guy” Nate Diaz or an aging Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring:

“Now, everybody forget about [McGregor] because he doesn’t want real fight,” Nurmagomedov said. “He fight with only like 45-years old Floyd Mayweather or marijuana guy who lose 10 times in UFC, Nate Diaz. You know, like this is crazy.

“He has to defend his belt.”

That’s what the entire MMA world is hoping, Khabib.

We just may not see it for several months – if ever again.

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