Tag: Legend

Randy Couture Hospitalized, Needs Surgery After ATV Accident

Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture and his girlfriend Mindy Robinson were injured in an ATV accident yesterday at his ranch near Flagstaff, Arizona. Couture’s attorney Sam Spira confirmed the news: “Randy Couture and his girlfriend Mindy (Robinson) were involved in a quad (four-wheeler) accident late last night on his ranch just outside Flagstaff, Arizona. As a […]

Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture and his girlfriend Mindy Robinson were injured in an ATV accident yesterday at his ranch near Flagstaff, Arizona. Couture’s attorney Sam Spira confirmed the news:

“Randy Couture and his girlfriend Mindy (Robinson) were involved in a quad (four-wheeler) accident late last night on his ranch just outside Flagstaff, Arizona. As a result of the accident, later today, Randy will be having some orthopedic surgery. He and Mindy are expected to make a full recovery.” – Spira

The former multiple-time UFC Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight Champion had a heart attack almost a year ago as well. He was in the middle of practice and something didn’t feel right, so he walked himself to the ER and underwent surgery.

‘The Natural’ is 57-years-old at this point, hopefully his body reacts properly to the surgery and he makes a full recovery as expected. He had a really long and incredibly successful career in the sport of mixed martial arts, he’s no stranger to adversity.

Just a few of Couture’s accomplishments include a three-time Olympic team alternate in Greco-Roman wrestling (1988, 1992, 1996), a semi-finalist at the 2000 Olympic trials, a three-time NCAA Division I All-American, and a two-time NCAA Division I National Championships second place.

He also placed in sixth at the NCAA Division I National Championships the first year he competed.

Couture’s other wrestling credentials include a two-time World Cup bronze medalist, a Pan American Games champion, a bronze medalist at the Pan American Championships, as well as a three silver medals and one gold medal at the Pan American Championships.

That doesn’t even mention his resume in mixed martial arts, where though he has a 19-11 record, he’s the first two-weight world champion this sport ever had. He’s a three-time UFC Heavyweight Champion and a two-time UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion, as well as a one-time interim UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion.

Couture was also the oldest man to win a fight in the UFC, the oldest man to win a title in the UFC, and the oldest man to ever defend a title in UFC history. He also has the most championship fights in UFC history at 15, and he’s tied with Anderson Silva for the most main even bouts in UFC history.

MMAFighting has reached out to the PFL for a statement on Couture’s status and will provide an update as soon as possible.

Conor McGregor Hints At Potential Return To The Octagon

‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor is the most beloved, hated, and universally watched and known mixed martial arts fighter in the entire world, but he’s left many of us wanting more. Today, he posted this on his Instagram, perhaps hinting at ending his retirement. “4 years ago today! Backstage waiting to go out for one of […]

‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor is the most beloved, hated, and universally watched and known mixed martial arts fighter in the entire world, but he’s left many of us wanting more. Today, he posted this on his Instagram, perhaps hinting at ending his retirement.

“4 years ago today! Backstage waiting to go out for one of the biggest bouts of my fighting life! McGregor/Diaz II. Wow! Maybe there is more…”

It would be absolutely amazing to see ‘The Notorious’ return to the octagon. He’s one of the most accomplished and most entertaining fighters we’ve ever had, but his motivation hasn’t kept up with him.

This is probably because of his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather in 2017, where he made upwards of $100,000,000 after it was all said and done.

When you have that much money, it is hard to wake up and want to drain your lungs and get physically attacked every day. He started fighting because it’s what he loved to do, but also to support himself and longtime girlfriend Dee Devlin, as well as their kids at this point.

Now that he doesn’t have to do that, now that he’s got all the money in the world, he’s had time to venture off into other hobbies and occupations. His whiskey is a big one, Proper No. 12, but he also has a clothing line now. He’s quite busy outside of the fighting world.

At one point, he was on welfare as the Cage Warriors Featherweight and Lightweight Champion. Then he made his UFC debut and was awarded the $60,000 Knockout of the Night bonus, and he was able to give that check up.

He went on to mirror that success in the UFC, first winning the interim UFC Featherweight Championship against Chad Mendes, then the undisputed UFC Featherweight Championship against Jose Aldo, before winning the undisputed UFC Lightweight Championship against Eddie Alvarez to become the first champ-champ ever.

Others had tried before him, such as BJ Penn and Randy Couture, and both of them won belts in two weight classes in the UFC, but not at the same time.

McGregor was the most active fighter in the UFC at this point, but he didn’t have another mixed martial arts fight until two years later, when he fought Khabib Nurmagomedov.

He then spent another fifteen-and-a-half months outside the cage before facing Donald Cerrone.

McGregor stated leading up to his fight with Cerrone that he was looking at 2020 like a season, and that he’d like to have two more fights within the years end after his fight with Cerrone.

He looked better than ever in his return, which is crazy because there’s a few times he’s looked better than ever and impressed us all. He won the fight via TKO in just 40 seconds, landing 20 of just 27 total strikes.

However, it seems like the Covid-19 pandemic made him lose his interest again, and he retired after knowing he wasn’t going to be scheduled any time soon. The UFC doesn’t want to miss out on a Conor McGregor gate, and while it’s hard to blame them, his career shouldn’t just be paused considering.

It’s unfortunate, because McGregor is already somewhat of a wasted talent, and he has the potential to go down as the best to ever do it.

From ages 28 to 32, where he is now, McGregor’s spent three of those years outside of fighting in MMA. The exact years where almost all athletes are at their physical peaks. That being said, he’s a truly special individual, and he could still have a great future in the sport if he can stay motivated.

It appears he’s got that itch back after looking back on his career, remembering a fight he had four years ago to this day. It’d be great to see him come back and have a dozen more fights, we can only hope.

Should Conor McGregor return, who would you like to see him fight?

Anderson Silva Reacts To Conor McGregor’s Callout

Conor McGregor recently expressed interest in fighting UFC legend Anderson Silva. It’s time Silva reacts to that callout. The former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion will face Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of this weekend’s (October 6, 2018) UFC 229 from Las Vegas. But as always, he’s continuously looking forward to the biggest and best […]

The post Anderson Silva Reacts To Conor McGregor’s Callout appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Conor McGregor recently expressed interest in fighting UFC legend Anderson Silva. It’s time Silva reacts to that callout.

The former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion will face Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of this weekend’s (October 6, 2018) UFC 229 from Las Vegas. But as always, he’s continuously looking forward to the biggest and best options for his career.

Silva is apparently on his short list of prospective opponents moving forward. The longtime former middleweight champion was recently exonerated by USADA. Because his name has been cleared, he can return to action this month. Silva does not yet have a fight booked.

When he does return, however, he’s apparently onboard with a potentially massive super fight with McGregor. The all-time great just posted on his official Instagram account that it would ‘be an honor’ to face McGregor. Silva also appears to know the current climate of the fight game. He’s seen the focus on super fights.

‘The Spider’s’ Response

Check out his response to McGregor (translated from Portuguese by MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz):

“It would be an honor to test myself with Conor McGregor. He’s an unorthodox fighter and has proven he must be respected. Let’s make it happen.

“The UFC wants superfights, I’m sure fans from all over the world want to see this fight. Professionally, I believe it would be incredible to test my martial arts abilities with a fighter like Conor McGregor in a true superfight. He’s focused on fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov now, after this fight I’m ready for this challenge. When and where he wants.”

The 43-year-old Silva has been out of action since February 2017. He was set to face Kelvin Gastelum last fall but was removed due to his USADA issues. ‘The Spider’ is considered one of the greatest mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters of all-time.

He set a record for the most consecutive wins in the UFC with a 16-fight streak from 2006-2013 and will go down in history because of it. But Silva is far out of his prime. He’s also never fought at less than 185 pounds in the UFC. Silva did fight at welterweight before his UFC career.

That’s the highest division McGregor has competed at. It’s unlikely Silva would be able to cut down to 170 due to his advancing age. But stranger things have happened, and even though Silva is aging quickly, this fight would still be like printing money.

Is it one you want to see after UFC 229?

The post Anderson Silva Reacts To Conor McGregor’s Callout appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Report: MMA Legend BJ Penn Planning Another UFC Return

BJ Penn could be returning to the UFC Octagon AGAIN.

The post Report: MMA Legend BJ Penn Planning Another UFC Return appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

For better or worse, MMA legend BJ Penn is reportedly planning another UFC return.

The decorated former UFC lightweight champion will return against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner Ryan Hall at an unknown event. The fight was first reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. The bout does not have an official date or time:

“It appears as though BJ Penn isn’t done yet. According to multiple sources, the UFC is currently discussing booking Penn vs. Ryan Hall later this year. The lightweight fight isn’t signed yet and a date hasn’t been finalized at this time, as well. November or December has been discussed.

“According to sources, Penn is currently in Brazil training for his return. The 39-year-old Penn (16-12-2) has lost his last five fights in a row and hasn’t won since he knocked out Matt Hughes in November 2010. His most recent fight was a June 2017 majority decision loss to Dennis Siver. Hall (6-1) hasn’t fought since his December 2016 win over Gray Maynard.”

A Risk Worth Taking?

Penn has been out of the Octagon since dropping a majority decision to Dennis Siver in June 2017. He has lost his last five MMA bouts including two by knockout. He looked especially weathered in his UFC Fight Night 103 loss to then-rising featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez.
‘The Prodigy’ remains one of the most storied fighters in UFC history due to his insistence on fighting anyone at any time, but his UFC record appears a bit lackluster at this point.
It’s a fair question to ask if he should risk slipping it further towards .500 at this point. Penn would be risking a lot against an opponent who is not a big name. Hall has been out of action since a December 2016 decision win over Gray Maynard. He won The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 22 lightweight tournament by defeating Artem Lobov in December 2015.
Hall has had a well-documented struggle getting fights from the UFC due to a grappling-centered style deemed boring by many.
Do you want to see the legendary Penn fight on?

The post Report: MMA Legend BJ Penn Planning Another UFC Return appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Report: MMA Legend BJ Penn Planning Another UFC Return

BJ Penn could be returning to the UFC Octagon AGAIN.

The post Report: MMA Legend BJ Penn Planning Another UFC Return appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

For better or worse, MMA legend BJ Penn is reportedly planning another UFC return.

The decorated former UFC lightweight champion will return against The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner Ryan Hall at an unknown event. The fight was first reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. The bout does not have an official date or time:

“It appears as though BJ Penn isn’t done yet. According to multiple sources, the UFC is currently discussing booking Penn vs. Ryan Hall later this year. The lightweight fight isn’t signed yet and a date hasn’t been finalized at this time, as well. November or December has been discussed.

“According to sources, Penn is currently in Brazil training for his return. The 39-year-old Penn (16-12-2) has lost his last five fights in a row and hasn’t won since he knocked out Matt Hughes in November 2010. His most recent fight was a June 2017 majority decision loss to Dennis Siver. Hall (6-1) hasn’t fought since his December 2016 win over Gray Maynard.”

A Risk Worth Taking?

Penn has been out of the Octagon since dropping a majority decision to Dennis Siver in June 2017. He has lost his last five MMA bouts including two by knockout. He looked especially weathered in his UFC Fight Night 103 loss to then-rising featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez.
‘The Prodigy’ remains one of the most storied fighters in UFC history due to his insistence on fighting anyone at any time, but his UFC record appears a bit lackluster at this point.
It’s a fair question to ask if he should risk slipping it further towards .500 at this point. Penn would be risking a lot against an opponent who is not a big name. Hall has been out of action since a December 2016 decision win over Gray Maynard. He won The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 22 lightweight tournament by defeating Artem Lobov in December 2015.
Hall has had a well-documented struggle getting fights from the UFC due to a grappling-centered style deemed boring by many.
Do you want to see the legendary Penn fight on?

The post Report: MMA Legend BJ Penn Planning Another UFC Return appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The TRT Legacy: UFC Legend Dan Henderson’s Problematic Career

You’ll read a lot this week about 44-year-old Dan Henderson, a throwback to a simpler time in the sport of mixed martial arts. In the days before biological passports and year-round random drug testing, before, MMA fighting was even a full-time profession, Henderson carved out a legacy as one of MMA’s most enduring legends. Henderson’s career […]

You’ll read a lot this week about 44-year-old Dan Henderson, a throwback to a simpler time in the sport of mixed martial arts. In the days before biological passports and year-round random drug testing, before, MMA fighting was even a full-time profession, Henderson carved out a legacy as one of MMA’s most enduring legends. Henderson’s career […]

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