Tag: Khabib Nurmagomedov

Nate Diaz’s Manager Mike Kogan Says UFC Turned Down Nurmagomedov Fight

By now, most MMA fans know that Nate Diaz has come out swinging upon word from Dana White that he refused a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Now, new manager for Diaz Mike Kogan recently contacted MMAmania.com (as per Michael Stets) to clarify the situa…

By now, most MMA fans know that Nate Diaz has come out swinging upon word from Dana White that he refused a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Now, new manager for Diaz Mike Kogan recently contacted MMAmania.com (as per Michael Stets) to clarify the situation.

“Nate has never turned down a fight with anyone,” Kogan said. “There are conditions that we asked for that were turned down by the UFC, so the fight didn’t happen.”

It started on Twitter, when White declared that Diaz turned down a fight with Nurmagomedov. Diaz replied shortly thereafter with this tweet.

Then, in typical Diaz style, the 155-pound fighter tweeted again, saying that the UFC and White were “Full of s–t” and that he didn’t turn down anything.

Diaz is coming off a first-round bombing of Gray Maynard at The Ultimate Fighter 18 finale. It was his first victory since losing back-to-back fights with Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson, respectively.

Nurmagomedov is undefeated and has won five bouts under the UFC banner. With a style that is based heavily on takedowns and top control, it isn’t all that puzzling as to why Diaz might want special conditions for such a bout.

Now, the next question seems to be a simple one: Is Diaz within his rights to request anything outside of his contract?

White’s actions on this matter are nothing new. In a piece by Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Snowden regarding UFC fighter contracts, White discussed his tactic of calling fighters out for refusing fights.

The bottom line is, we’re all in the business of making fights that people want to see. You’re going to have your moments when fighters will lobby to not fight this guy or that guy. And normally what I do is call them out publicly when they won’t. Don’t tell me on the phone you don’t want to fight a guy and then not say it publicly…You can’t make anybody fight anybody. But nobody wants to be that guy.

Hopefully, both sides will come to some kind of agreement and we can see Diaz and Nurmagomedov in the Octagon sooner rather than later.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Can Jose Aldo Be a Global UFC Superstar?

As perhaps one of the most dangerous and explosive fighters in the UFC, Jose Aldo is a man in the prime of his career.There is no man in the lower weight divisions—save perhaps Anthony Pettis—who is as fluid, precise and devastating as Aldo…

As perhaps one of the most dangerous and explosive fighters in the UFC, Jose Aldo is a man in the prime of his career.

There is no man in the lower weight divisions—save perhaps Anthony Pettis—who is as fluid, precise and devastating as Aldo. With 14 of his 23 victories coming by way of KO/TKO, Aldo is capable of finishing the fight at any time.

Dana White must be thanking his lucky stars that he has Aldo in 2014.

Now, all Aldo really needs is a very big push.

For fans of the combative sports, nothing keeps their interest more than a fighter who can end any fight at any time. It’s the greatest currency to be had in such sports, and that is why Aldo can indeed become a global star.

Some things sell themselves; now all he needs is maximum exposure so that more fans know it’s out there, waiting for them.

Thus far, Aldo has only fought in the UFC five times, headlining just three cards. Thankfully, his last three appearances have been in the headlining slot, which shows that the UFC is recognizing him as a man who can deliver the goods.

He’s already a big name in Brazil. Now all that remains is to take him into other markets. He could grow his name gradually in the featherweight division, but he would be better served by moving up to lightweight.

Aldo is a man designed for big bouts: He has already dominated the featherweight class, and a move up in weight would give him a fresh countryside to terrorize.

Fights with Nate Diaz, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Gilbert Melendez, Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis could see him become the biggest name the lower divisions have ever seen. When you consider that he could fight for the 155-pound title right away, all that remains is to make sure his opponent gathers some momentum.

Another positive for Aldo in moving up is that the lightweight division has seen the title change hands three times since April of 2010. In comparison, Aldo has ruled the featherweights since November of 2009, stopping four out of eight opponents.

If Aldo could claim the title, he has a chance to grow his name as the man who dominated one of the most competitive divisions in the UFC.

If he were to defend his featherweight title two more times while Pettis defends his lightweight belt, a bout between the two of them would be one of the most exciting and anticipated fights the sport has seen in many years.

It would be the MMA equivalent to Erik Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera, and given how good both men are, it could give us a trilogy worthy of the comparison. Also, as champion, Aldo’s thrilling style would make for exciting fights with Diaz, Melendez and nearly everyone else in the Top 10 at 155.

And Aldo is in command of a style that could beat them all in highlight-reel fashion.

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Wait Until You Hear What Nate Diaz Said About Dana White [UPDATED]


(Does this look like the face of guy who would duck a fight? / Photo via Getty.)

Remember when the UFC showed they could still book great matches when they paired off Khabib Nurmagomedov and Gilbert Melendez? And remember how they canceled that fight for no reason?

The UFC apparently had other plans for Nurmagomedov—the kind that involved a fight against Nate Diaz. According to Dana White, Diaz wanted none of it.

@EDLEZGIN @TeamKhabib Nate turned the fight down

— Dana White (@danawhite) January 11, 2014

Needless to say, Diaz wasn’t happy with White’s words. He rushed to twitter to protect his Stockton street-cred.

@danawhite @ufc are full of shit I didn’t turn down anything …

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) January 12, 2014

 

We all probably think our bosses are full of shit to some extent, but saying it in public isn’t the smartest idea.


(Does this look like the face of guy who would duck a fight? / Photo via Getty.)

Remember when the UFC showed they could still book great matches when they paired off Khabib Nurmagomedov and Gilbert Melendez? And remember how they canceled that fight for no reason?

The UFC apparently had other plans for Nurmagomedov—the kind that involved a fight against Nate Diaz. According to Dana White, Diaz wanted none of it.

Needless to say, Diaz wasn’t happy with White’s words. He rushed to twitter to protect his Stockton street-cred.

We all probably think our bosses are full of shit to some extent, but saying it in public isn’t the smartest idea. Nate might be accompanying Nick at the welfare office sooner rather than later. However, knowing Dana White, it’s possible that he’s making the whole thing up. Maybe Nate will pull the “I don’t have a manager” card like his brother did late last year? There’s a lot of uncertainty and speculation around the issue. The only sure thing is that Khabib Nurmagomedov still not fighting a legit top-10 opponent sucks. He’s 21-0 and just came off a dominant unanimous decision win over Pat Healy. He needs to fight a top guy at this point or else he’s just wasting his time. But if Dana White is telling the truth, fighters are avoiding Nurmagomedov like thugs avoid bodyguard Ken Shamrock.

He’ll continue to sit on the sidelines for now. We’ll have more updates as we get them.

UPDATE: Nate Diaz’s manager Mike Kogan claims that the fight not coming to fruition is the UFC’s fault. “There are conditions that we asked for that were turned down by the UFC, so the fight didn’t happen,” he told MMAmania. Diaz himself, however, adopted a less diplomatic stance…

 

Dana White: Nate Diaz Won’t Fight Khabib Nurmagomedov, Neither Will Anyone Else

When a matchup between Gilbert Melendez and Khabib Nurmagomedov fell through under yet-to-be-explained circumstances, rumors started to swirl that “El Nino” wanted no part of a fight with the fearsome Russian. While we don’t know for sure what happened…

When a matchup between Gilbert Melendez and Khabib Nurmagomedov fell through under yet-to-be-explained circumstances, rumors started to swirl that “El Nino” wanted no part of a fight with the fearsome Russian. While we don’t know for sure what happened to nix that fight, apparently Melendez isn’t the only Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu fighter that won’t throw down with Nurmagomedov.

According to Dana White, former lightweight contender Nate Diaz turned down a fight with Nurmagomedov: 

Talk about throwing your guys under the bus! The UFC President didn’t stop there, though:

Very, very interesting…

Nurmagomedov has blazed through competition in a way we haven’t seen for a long time in the super-competitive lightweight division. He owns a perfect 21-0 record and hasn’t even officially lost a round in the UFC yet. His most recent fight was a shockingly lopsided mauling of crafty veteran Pat Healy. 

He is a very dangerous fight for any given opponent, and that makes him a less-than-favorable option for longtime contenders who remain in the title hunt, like Melendez and Diaz.

The situation is quite similar to when Glover Teixeira first burst onto the light heavyweight scene. White drummed up Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, who turned down a fight with the Brazilian knockout artist in a way that built him up as a fearsome contender—in reality, Rua was on the fringe of title contention, while Teixeira was an unknown commodity with just one UFC fight under his belt.

The aforementioned bout between Melendez and Nurmagomedov was supposed to go down at UFC 170. Last we heard, the UFC was looking to keep him on the card.

 

Update No. 1

Apparently there is one guy who wants to throw down with Nurmagomedov: 

 

Update No. 2

Diaz put up an interesting tweet:

Well, it wasn’t a direct reply—but it would be one heck of a coincidence, wouldn’t it?

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Gilbert Melendez vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov Scrapped From UFC 170, Because Dana White Said So


(He may look happy, but everyone knows that is Nurmagomedov’s *sad* afro. Photo via Getty.)

Keeping with the UFC’s recently instituted tradition of announcing a fight and immediately shuffling it to another card or cancelling it outright, it appears that the exciting matchup between top lightweight contenders Gilbert Melendez and Khabib Nurmagomedov has been scrapped from UFC 170. Dana White elaborated on the cancellation in an interview with FOX Sports yesterday:

Not happening.

OK, so maybe “elaborate” wasn’t the best word to use there.

Melendez vs,. Nurmagomedov was made official in the wake of UFC 168 last weekend, but details are still scarce as to why the fight has suddenly been cancelled. Official CP theory: The bears finally had their revenge on the Nurmagomedov family. Both “The Nurm” and Melendez are coming off big wins, over Pat Healy and Diego Sanchez at UFC 165 and 166, respectively, so the fight made perfect sense from a matchmaking standpoint. Be that as it may, the UFC is currently seeking a replacement opponent for the Russian.

Who would you like to see Nurmagomedov fight next, Nation? Michael Johnson? Edson Barboza? Little Moe with the gimpy leg? Give us a shout in the comments section.

–J. Jones


(He may look happy, but everyone knows that is Nurmagomedov’s *sad* afro. Photo via Getty.)

Keeping with the UFC’s recently instituted tradition of announcing a fight and immediately shuffling it to another card or cancelling it outright, it appears that the exciting matchup between top lightweight contenders Gilbert Melendez and Khabib Nurmagomedov has been scrapped from UFC 170. Dana White elaborated on the cancellation in an interview with FOX Sports yesterday:

Not happening.

OK, so maybe “elaborate” wasn’t the best word to use there.

Melendez vs,. Nurmagomedov was made official in the wake of UFC 168 last weekend, but details are still scarce as to why the fight has suddenly been cancelled. Official CP theory: The bears finally had their revenge on the Nurmagomedov family. Both “The Nurm” and Melendez are coming off big wins, over Pat Healy and Diego Sanchez at UFC 165 and 166, respectively, so the fight made perfect sense from a matchmaking standpoint. Be that as it may, the UFC is currently seeking a replacement opponent for the Russian.

Who would you like to see Nurmagomedov fight next, Nation? Michael Johnson? Edson Barboza? Little Moe with the gimpy leg? Give us a shout in the comments section.

–J. Jones

Gilbert Melendez vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov Removed from UFC 170

A highly anticipated lightweight bout between Gilbert Melendez and Khabib Nurmagomedov has been removed from the UFC 170 card. The news was originally reported by Mike Chiappetta for Fox Sports.
The bout between the former Strikeforce champion and the …

A highly anticipated lightweight bout between Gilbert Melendez and Khabib Nurmagomedov has been removed from the UFC 170 card. The news was originally reported by Mike Chiappetta for Fox Sports.

The bout between the former Strikeforce champion and the surging Russian seemed to be a sure thing, to the extent that the fight was displayed prominently on the poster for UFC 170. News that things were on the rocks first trickled through a few days ago when it was revealed the fight wasn’t “official.” 

Apparently, the situation didn’t resolve itself to the point where Gilbert Melendez was taken off the card. The UFC is seeking a new opponent for Nurmagomedov, but whether or not he will remain on the card is a mystery. So, too, is the reason why the UFC was unable to come to terms with Melendez on the fight.

Nurmagomedov has been on a tear since joining the UFC. He debuted in the promotion in 2012 opposite Kamal Shalorus at UFC on FX 1, choking out the veteran in the third round. Since then, he has racked up four straights wins for a 5-0 UFC record. Most recently, he beat well-regarded Strikeforce alumnus Pat Healy in impressive fashion at UFC 165.

Potential opponents are many for the 25-year-old Russian lightweight. The division is stacked with emerging and veteran talent, which gives the UFC numerous options to turn to. The short list of names includes Michael Johnson, Jim Miller and Edson Barboza.

UFC 170 takes place February 22 in Las Vegas. The card is headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship and is co-headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Daniel Cormier in the latter’s light heavyweight debut.

We’ll keep you posted if any new details emerge regarding Melendez.

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