The next UFC lightweight title bout is rumored to be set for March’s UFC 209, and once again it could be an interim with current 155-pound champion Conor McGregor on the sidelines to welcome his first child. This morning Bloody Elbow’s Karim Zidan reported that Russian news outlet investia.ru was reporting undefeated Russian star Khabib Nurmagomedov
The next UFC lightweight title bout is rumored to be set for March’s UFC 209, and once again it could be an interim with current 155-pound champion Conor McGregor on the sidelines to welcome his first child.
This morning Bloody Elbow’s Karim Zidan reported that Russian news outlet investia.ru was reporting undefeated Russian star Khabib Nurmagomedov will meet surging rival Tony Ferguson for the interim title:
Respected Russian outlet @izvestia_ru is reporting that Khabib vs. Ferguson is a done deal to headline UFC 209. Says UFC will announce soon.
The bout makes sense considering the current status of the champion, as “The Eagle” and “El Cucuy” have been oft-scheduled to face one another before, most recently at April’s UFC on FOX 19 before Ferguson was forced out with an injury. The feared Dagestani grappler returned from a lengthy injury layoff of his own to defeat late replacement Darrell Horcher at the event before dominating top-ranked Michael Johnson at November’s UFC 205.
Ferguson, meanwhile, has been on an absolute tear as of late, imitating Max Holloway’s recent run to merely an interim title shot by winning nine straight fights, the latest an exciting decision win over former champ Rafael dos Anjos at November’s The Ultimate Fighter (TUF): Latin America 3 Finale. Rising to the top after winning TUF 13 as a member of Brock Lesnar’s team in 2011, Ferguson has often mixed it up with both Nurmagomedov and the media as of late.
Dana White has teased a UFC event in Russia recently, but it would seem that could be some time away with Nurmagomedov rumored to be facing Ferguson for the interim belt in Vegas this March.
Heavyweight legend (and current Bellator MMA fighter) Fedor Emelianenko has opened up about his return to action in February. Speaking to Lenta.ru earlier this month, Emelianenko confirmed that his deal with Bellator is for four fights, the first of which takes place this February against Matt Mitrione. In regards to his American opponent, Fedor pointed to his high percentage of knockouts – but suggested it didn’t concern him.
Fedor enters the fight on a five fight win streak, however his last bout, against Fabio Maldonado under the Euro Fight Nights banner, wound up in a controversial decision win that many felt was either a draw or a loss for the Russian legend. Emelianenko was dropped early in that fight, and seemed out on his feet for part of the first. He went on to win the fight on the judge’s scorecards. Maldonado would eventually appeal the decision to the World MMA Association, and won. The WMMAA opted to turn the victory to a draw, however the Russian MMA Union refused to recognize the change.
With the win upheld, Fedor enters his Bellator debut with a record of 36–4 (1), having last lost to Dan Henderson at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson in 2011. Mitrione, meanwhile, is 11-5, with his last win coming over Oli Thompson at Bellator 158 in July.
Fedor also branched out into other topics, specifically addressing the possibility of a bout between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Speaking about the possibility of the UFC booking that fight and his prediction for it, he said:
It depends on what the UFC officials have to say and on the players themselves. I think it is possible. Khabib has long ago earned the right for the title match, he has done everything to get there. He must be given a chance.
I never make predictions but I am sure that Khabib has very good chances. He’s better on the ground than his opponent, and can choke him. Conor, is the opposite, he needs to keep his distance and strike from far away. Whoever does a better job at bringing out their strengths, that (person) will win.
With thanks to Julia Gayvoronskaya for translation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG6I4GXHU0s
Heavyweight legend (and current Bellator MMA fighter) Fedor Emelianenko has opened up about his return to action in February. Speaking to Lenta.ru earlier this month, Emelianenko confirmed that his deal with Bellator is for four fights, the first of which takes place this February against Matt Mitrione. In regards to his American opponent, Fedor pointed to his high percentage of knockouts – but suggested it didn’t concern him.
Fedor enters the fight on a five fight win streak, however his last bout, against Fabio Maldonado under the Euro Fight Nights banner, wound up in a controversial decision win that many felt was either a draw or a loss for the Russian legend. Emelianenko was dropped early in that fight, and seemed out on his feet for part of the first. He went on to win the fight on the judge’s scorecards. Maldonado would eventually appeal the decision to the World MMA Association, and won. The WMMAA opted to turn the victory to a draw, however the Russian MMA Union refused to recognize the change.
With the win upheld, Fedor enters his Bellator debut with a record of 36–4 (1), having last lost to Dan Henderson at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Henderson in 2011. Mitrione, meanwhile, is 11-5, with his last win coming over Oli Thompson at Bellator 158 in July.
Fedor also branched out into other topics, specifically addressing the possibility of a bout between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Speaking about the possibility of the UFC booking that fight and his prediction for it, he said:
It depends on what the UFC officials have to say and on the players themselves. I think it is possible. Khabib has long ago earned the right for the title match, he has done everything to get there. He must be given a chance.
I never make predictions but I am sure that Khabib has very good chances. He’s better on the ground than his opponent, and can choke him. Conor, is the opposite, he needs to keep his distance and strike from far away. Whoever does a better job at bringing out their strengths, that (person) will win.
With thanks to Julia Gayvoronskaya for translation
As always, once Conor McGregor steps out of the Octagon from his latest UFC battle, the conversation of who ‘The Notorious One’ will face next immediately sparks. Now that the Irishman holds the coveted 155-pound title a plethora of worthy contenders now await for the former featherweight champ to make his first lightweight title defense.
As always, once Conor McGregor steps out of the Octagon from his latest UFC battle, the conversation of who ‘The Notorious One’ will face next immediately sparks.
Now that the Irishman holds the coveted 155-pound title a plethora of worthy contenders now await for the former featherweight champ to make his first lightweight title defense. One such contender is No. 1-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov who is currently undefeated in his mixed martial arts (MMA) career with a 24-fight undefeated streak.
While no confirmation of an official bout between Nurmagomadov and McGregor has been made, UFC President Dana White hinted at the possibility during a recent interview with FOX 5 in New York. The promotion is pushing heavily to get a show in Nurmagomedov’s home-country of Russia, and thinks a match-up between ‘The Eagle’ and McGregor would be a massive selling point:
“We’re focused very heavily on Russia right now,” White said. “First of all, there’s tons of talent coming out of Russia, and a lot of fans. There’s a fighter named Khabib who’s from Russia, and he’s insanely popular. The next fight could be Conor vs. Khabib.”
McGregor is coming off of a historic win at UFC 205 in which he defeated Eddie Alvarez for the lightweight title, as the then-featherweight champion would become the first dual-weight champ in UFC history. After rumors circulated the newswire stating that ‘Mystic Mac’ wanted to take 10 months off to enjoy the birth of his first child, McGregor has since shot down those claims and is looking to return after the holidays.
Nurmagomedov is coming off of a win at UFC 205 as well, when he defeated Michael Johnson via third round submission after dominating the first two rounds of the bout in impressive fashion. ‘The Eagle’ is often referred to as the uncrowned king of the lightweight division, and may get the opportunity to solidify himself as the best 155-pounder in the world with a potential match-up with ‘Notorious’ next.
McGregor’s amazing accuracy and power being matched up against Nurmagomedov’s unstoppable grappling skills should prove to be quite the pairing, but who’s tools will be enough to get the job done?
On Nov. 12, Khabib Nurmagomedov (24-0) submitted Michael Johnson inside Madison Square Garden on UFC 205’s preliminary card. After the bout, he told the New York City crowd that “their guy” Conor McGregor “tapped like a chicken” earlier in the year and still got a lightweight title shot before he did. McGregor ended up starching Eddie Alvarez to win the championship that same night.
Since then, Nurmagomedov has turned his attention to Tony Ferguson. “El Cucuy” made a compelling argument for a shot at 155-pound gold when he bested former title holder Rafael dos Anjos in a “Fight of the Night” performance. The Russian grappler and Ferguson haven’t minced words when trading barbs.
With talks of McGregor taking time off, there have been ramblings of a potential interim title fight between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson. In a weird twist, featherweight champion Jose Aldo said he was offered an interim lightweight title bout. The 145-pound title holder also suggested that Nurmagomedov turned down the fight.
Nurmagomedov caught wind of Aldo’s comments and responded on his Instagram account:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOSgFXtDA0Z/
Ferguson also chimed in on the situation, but he kept it brief. The No. 2 ranked lightweight also took to Instagram and reposted Nurmagomedov’s post. “El Cucuy” said, “Real Recognize Real #Respect.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaF0TUvWEk0
On Nov. 12, Khabib Nurmagomedov (24-0) submitted Michael Johnson inside Madison Square Garden on UFC 205’s preliminary card. After the bout, he told the New York City crowd that “their guy” Conor McGregor “tapped like a chicken” earlier in the year and still got a lightweight title shot before he did. McGregor ended up starching Eddie Alvarez to win the championship that same night.
Since then, Nurmagomedov has turned his attention to Tony Ferguson. “El Cucuy” made a compelling argument for a shot at 155-pound gold when he bested former title holder Rafael dos Anjos in a “Fight of the Night” performance. The Russian grappler and Ferguson haven’t minced words when trading barbs.
With talks of McGregor taking time off, there have been ramblings of a potential interim title fight between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson. In a weird twist, featherweight champion Jose Aldo said he was offered an interim lightweight title bout. The 145-pound title holder also suggested that Nurmagomedov turned down the fight.
Nurmagomedov caught wind of Aldo’s comments and responded on his Instagram account:
A photo posted by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) on
Ferguson also chimed in on the situation, but he kept it brief. The No. 2 ranked lightweight also took to Instagram and reposted Nurmagomedov’s post. “El Cucuy” said, “Real Recognize Real #Respect.”
Before facing Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on March 5, Nate Diaz claimed he was being held back by his employers. Both he and older brother Nick had voiced their displeasure with UFC contracts long before many other had the guts to do so. Although Nate fought on through his issues, Nick Diaz spent a
Before facing Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on March 5, Nate Diaz claimed he was being held back by his employers. Both he and older brother Nick had voiced their displeasure with UFC contracts long before many other had the guts to do so. Although Nate fought on through his issues, Nick Diaz spent a considerable amount of time inactive while waiting for a better offer from the UFC. Fast forward to present day, and both men are superstars. Their cult following has expanded to the point the UFC can no longer ‘hold them back,’ as Nate often put it.
When Diaz was victorious over McGregor at UFC 196, he punched his ticket to another massive payday in August. Although McGregor won a narrow decision at UFC 202, Diaz’s stock had risen if anything. Denied an immediate rematch, Nate decided to follow his older brother’s lead circa 2012 and wait for a big offer. Unfortunately that offer is yet to come, or at least be made public.
Nate’s Ultimatum
According to a report by Ariel Helwani, Nate Diaz isn’t planning on fighting for chump change. Here’s what the popular Stockton bad boy told ‘The MMA Hour’ host:
“I’m only fighting at lightweight for a big fight or 20 million just to take the call,” Diaz told MMAFighting.com “Until then, I’m just living my life.”
Considering he made a disclosed $2.5 million from his fights in 2016, Diaz could ‘live his life’ for some time before actually needing to fight. Will the UFC eventually cave like they did for Nick Diaz? When the promotion finally did give Diaz that big offer, he came through with an amazing rivalry against Georges St-Pierre.
Lightweight
Currently at 155 pounds there are only a few fights to make within the title picture. Obviously Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson need to finally square off. Outside of that, the only real scrap to make is Nate Diaz vs….Eddie Alvarez? Then again, McGregor’s recent comments about possibly coming back in early 2017 lead to some interesting options.
Years ago in the lead-up to UFC 123, talking about the elusiveness of Lyoto Machida was all the rage.
He was fighting Rampage Jackson that night, and Jackson, a legend in a number of ways both in and out of the cage, cleverly stated “it’s called Ultima…
Years ago in the lead-up to UFC 123, talking about the elusiveness of Lyoto Machida was all the rage.
He was fighting Rampage Jackson that night, and Jackson, a legend in a number of ways both in and out of the cage, cleverly stated “it’s called Ultimate Fighting, not Ultimate Elusive Guy” when queried on how he’d deal with the Brazilian’s craftiness.
If one paraphrased Jackson nowadays, they might come up with something along the lines of “it’s called Ultimate Fighting, not Ultimate Talking,” because there’s been far more talking than fighting going on among the biggest names at 145 and 155 pounds recently.
Truthfully, it’s all getting to be a bit much.
The biggest perpetrator is Jose Aldo, a featherweight titleholder who has been oblivious to North American media for years until recently. In 2016, however, a year that saw him go without the belt he’d held and proudly defended for nearly five years, he suddenly became as vocal as anyone.
There were the utterly impossible claims that he was the featherweight champion even after McGregor beat him for the mantle with absolutely no controversy associated.
Now there’s the (apparently failed) attempt to pick an event and date to fight and another attempt to frame every relevant athlete in two weight classes as being afraid to fight him.
Not a bad run for a guy who hasn’t been heard from for his entire career, but he’s not the only one at fault here.
With WME-IMG willing to throw interim titles around as enthusiastically as one might throw salt on an icy driveway come wintertime and social media giving fighters the chance to jockey for positioning whenever a thought enters their head, others have joined the fracas.
Tony Ferguson called for a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov but then balked at the notion once the contractual terms weren’t to his liking.
Nurmagomedov has been his own vocal critic of UFC matchmaking and title queues, but when he was allegedly offered a fight with Aldo for an interim lightweight title—because the only thing more sensible than one fake title for Aldo would be two fake titles for Aldo—he headed to Instagram to inform the world that he would only fight Ferguson.
Nate Diaz is swirling around out there somewhere, probably enjoying being richer than he’s ever been and making that money last in the downtrodden economy of his beloved hometown of Stockton, California, but he says he won’t even answer the phone for less than $20 million.
Max Holloway is in the mix as well if the UFC still cares about Aldo as a featherweight champion and doesn’t hurry him into the already bizarre lightweight interim title picture, as Holloway won another interim title at 145 pounds earlier this month and is now in need of a unification bout.
He’s said he doesn’t trust Aldo not to pull out and doesn’t want to give up his Christmas break to risk it, plus his leg looks like a balloon animal right now, so he’s probably making the most sense out of anyone at this point.
So what we have on our hands here is a bunch of guys talking and nobody fighting. Everyone is trying to pick their opponents and, increasingly, even trying to pick their titles.
Some of it is the vacuum McGregor created when he became champion of both weight classes, and some of it is that these guys are waking up to the idea that hardball might be more likely to get them what they want, so long as they don’t misalign their own perceived value to the UFC with their actual value. After all, the promotion has already proved it will quickly pivot to something new if you’re not worth it.
Sitting here and watching these champions, “champions” and contenders throwing stones through the media and other online outlets is fine to an extent, but it’s getting tiresome at this point. The athletes are there, the titles are there and the fans are there to watch it all unfold.
Unfortunately, all the talk is emerging as a new variety of elusiveness in MMA, and we all know how to feel about that.
![b88432906z1_20161114104102_000gq6d78ab2-0-jswg39aw513adv098n2_t620[1]](http://cdn.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/b88432906z1_20161114104102_000gq6d78ab2-0-jswg39aw513adv098n2_t6201.jpg)
Nurmagomedov is coming off of a win at UFC 205 as well, when he defeated Michael Johnson via third round submission after dominating the first two rounds of the bout in impressive fashion. ‘The Eagle’ is often referred to as the uncrowned king of the lightweight division, and may get the opportunity to solidify himself as the best 155-pounder in the world with a potential match-up with ‘Notorious’ next.
![Nate[1]](http://cdn.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Nate1.jpg)
![nate-diaz-ready-to-get-to-work-vs-conor-mcgregor-ufc-196-march-2016_582751_OpenGraphImage[1]](http://cdn.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/nate-diaz-ready-to-get-to-work-vs-conor-mcgregor-ufc-196-march-2016_582751_OpenGraphImage1.jpg)
Years ago in the lead-up to UFC 123, talking about the elusiveness of Lyoto Machida was all the rage.