It’s no secret that former UFC middleweight champion and New York native Chris Weidman would like to fight at the UFC’s first card in the Empire State, which will serve as UFC 205 on November 12, 2016 from Madison Square Garden. Despite recently receiving neck surgery, it appears as if Weidman will get his wish.
It’s no secret that former UFC middleweight champion and New York native Chris Weidman would like to fight at the UFC’s first card in the Empire State, which will serve as UFC 205 on November 12, 2016 from Madison Square Garden. Despite recently receiving neck surgery, it appears as if Weidman will get his wish.
According to a tweet from 1MMA News & Rumours, and a report from Fansided, the UFC is targeting a bout between Weidman and No. 4-ranked Yoel Romero for the November card:
Chris Weidman vs Yoel Romero has been verbally agreed for UFC 205 in New York. Expected to serve as fight #3 on PPV main card.
Weidman hasn’t competed since surrendering his title to Luke Rockhold at December 2015’s UFC 194. He was then scheduled to rematch Rockhold at June 4’s UFC 199, but was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury.
Romero, on the other hand, also hasn’t competed since UFC 194 where he scored a somewhat controversial decision victory over former Strikeforce champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza. In the aftermath of the bout, it was revealed that Romero had tested positive for a banned substance, but his suspension was reduced to six months after his team proved that a tainted supplement was the reason for the positive test.
Would you like to see these two middleweight titans face off?
Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis recently got back in the win column after dropping three straight. The win also marked a successful debut at featherweight for Pettis as he submitted top 10-contender Charles Oliveira at UFC on FOX 21 in Vancouver. In the aftermath of the bout, Pettis made it clear that he
Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis recently got back in the win column after dropping three straight. The win also marked a successful debut at featherweight for Pettis as he submitted top 10-contender Charles Oliveira at UFC on FOX 21 in Vancouver. In the aftermath of the bout, Pettis made it clear that he was gunning for a title shot, and it appears as if he’s looking for a big name in his next scrap.
Speaking on today’s (September 6, 2016) edition of The MMA Hour, “Showtime” said that he’s targeting a fight with No. 3-ranked Max “Blessed” Holloway next, although he did admit that a future at 155-pounds remains an option:
“I’ve made my decision, I think me and Max Holloway would be a great fight. He’s sitting there on the sidelines waiting for a title shot, as well. He’s No. 3 in the world at featherweight and that’s the guy I would love to see myself fighting at 145 pounds. But then at 155 pounds, there are still good fights for me, too. I just have to sit down and figure it out.”
Holloway has won an incredible nine straight and is well-deserving of a title shot, but the division has been held up due to reigning champion Conor McGregor moving up in wait for a rivalry with Nate Diaz. McGregor is expected to drop back down to featherweight in the near future, but he’ll first take on interim titleholder Jose Aldo meaning Holloway will likely be booked in another fight.
Pettis also has his eyes set on a specific date and venue, and it will likely be one of the biggest cards of the year:
“New York City, Nov. 12. There are a lot of special things for me on that day. Nov. 12 is the day my dad passed away. That was rough day for my family. So with a Madison Square Garden fight, that day, it would be awesome to be on the card and make that day a special day for my family, and not have to remember, I mean, we are still going to remember it. We used to take the day completely off, I would hang out with my mom. My mom takes it pretty hard, so that was always a day for my mom.”
Would you like to see “Showtime” and “Blessed” clash at UFC 205 in New York?
Former lightweight title challenger Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone was entering the last fight on his current contract at UFC 202 last night (August 20, 2016) where he took on Rick Story in a welterweight bout. Cerrone was able to leave the Octagon successful after smashing Story with a brutal combination in the second round, although he
Former lightweight title challenger Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone was entering the last fight on his current contract at UFC 202 last night (August 20, 2016) where he took on Rick Story in a welterweight bout. Cerrone was able to leave the Octagon successful after smashing Story with a brutal combination in the second round, although he admitted in the aftermath of the bout that he had a rough day prior to fight night:
“I just woke up – worst headache I’ve ever had man,” Cerrone told MMAJunkie after the fight. “All day I was just laying in bed, tired, my shoulders were sore. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. I forgot the key to my Harley. It was a (expletive)-up day. I was trying to get out of first gear and couldn’t do it. That’s what you train for, though, to beat someone on your worst day.”
In recent times, we have seen many fighters test the waters of free agency after fighting out their contracts, but Cerrone is a unique character, and he typically goes about things in his own way. With that being said, “Cowboy” confirmed that he isn’t leaving the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion:
“I let my management team handle that because all I do is fight,” Cerrone said. “I’m a UFC guy, man. I’m not going anyway. They’re going to work out that, and I’m looking to get 50 fights in this mother(expletive). How about that? … I need to get it done, I want to get it done right away, so we’ll see.
“I just talked with (new UFC owner Ari Emanuel), and they seem very happy with me. I see big things in this company. I feel like I’m a veteran of the sport, and I love it. I love fighting for the UFC. This is my drug. I need it as much as I possible can. I feel like a crackhead up here already looking for another fight. It’s good.”
Not only does he plan to stay with the UFC, but he knows exactly what he would like next. Despite usually being unconcerned with the title, Cerrone said that he’d like to drop back down to 155-pounds after winning three straight at welterweight for a rematch with current lightweight boss Eddie Alvarez at Madison Square Garden:
“Normally I’d just say I’ll take anyone, anywhere – I don’t care who I fight,” Cerrone said. “Then they always tell us, ‘If you want a fight, let up hear about it.’ So god-damn it, here we go. I’m letting someone hear about it. It was my 32nd walk at Zuffa. It’s time. Let’s start making some calls and making some moves.”
Cerrone scored a dominant decision victory over Alvarez at Alvarez’s UFC debut back at UFC 178, and he remains ranked inside the top 10 at 155-pounds. UFC President Dana White, however, said that he would prefer Cerrone to stay at 170-pounds, so it should be interesting to see how the situation plays out.
With news arriving today that former UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre was beginning the USADA testing process, the MMA world is expectedly taking that as one of the more clear-cut signs GSP is returning since he left the sport behind in 2013. And with the announcement, speculation about just whom St. Pierre could meet in his return
With news arriving today that former UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre was beginning the USADA testing process, the MMA world is expectedly taking that as one of the more clear-cut signs GSP is returning since he left the sport behind in 2013.
And with the announcement, speculation about just whom St. Pierre could meet in his return is about to reach an all-time high.
There’s a possible welterweight title bout with new champion Tyron Woodley, who called St. Pierre out for the UFC’s New York debut at UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden this November, but in a revealing recent interview with Bloody Elbow, St. Pierre said he might actually be re-matching the other man Woodley called out after winning the belt, returning bad boy Nick Diaz:
“I have no problem with Nate. It seems to me to me like it’s Nick Diaz that is running for another shot at me. I wouldn’t mind, I’m not afraid of Nick Diaz, I’ll tell you. I am telling you right now: If it’s what the fans want to see, I’m in.”
Asked if Diaz would then be his first fight back due to the lengthy history between them, St. Pierre proclaimed he didn’t care. After beating the Stockton MMA pioneer, who only just got reinstated from his latest marijuana-related suspension for a controversial drug test failure during his UFC 183 loss to Anderson Silva, so easily at 2013’s UFC 158, St. Pierre described a bad taste left in his mouth because he knows he could do better:
“I don’t care if it’s the first, or second, or third. If they want me to fight Nick Diaz it would be my pleasure. I don’t mind, I am not afraid of Nick Diaz, I beat him last time, and I’ll beat even worse, I’ll beat him way worse next time that I’ll fight him.
“I beat him last time easily, but I was not happy – it’s one of these fights that I’m not happy with. Because I didn’t feel like I gave enough, for different reasons. It left me angry that fight, when I look back at it – maybe I won, but for some reason it left me angry and I feel like I could have done so much better.”
There’s no question St. Pierre vs. Diaz II is another fight fans would want to see run back, even if the first bout ended in extremely one-sided fashion for GSP. There are legitimate question marks about where both fighters are after their respective periods of inactivity, but there are no questions about the top-level drawing power of both men.
St. Pierre knows that, and he wants to put on the best fight possible for the fans. He also knows that he can still take on the best fighters in the world, and after a lengthy hiatus away from the daily grind of MMA, he claims to be in the best shape ever – both mentally and physically.
That’s why he’s nearly ready to showcase his skills in an effort to leave everything in the Octagon and have no regrets:
“Yeah that’s why I’m doing it. I don’t want things that I regret in life, and things that I have not done – and I don’t want to at 80 years wake up, and tell myself: ‘Oh I was on top of my shape and skills and I didn’t do it.’ If I come back and I lose, at least I know I did everything I should have done, I have no regrets, I’ll be happy. I can die happy. If I never come back, and I’ll tell myself I should have done this, I should have done that – I don’t want to have regrets.”
Top-ranked UFC welterweight Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson may be known as one of the nicest fighters in MMA, but after newly crowned welterweight champion Tyron Woodley snubbed him for a title shot in the aftermath of knockout win over Robbie Lawler in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 201, he may be starting to believe a different […]
Top-ranked UFC welterweight Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson may be known as one of the nicest fighters in MMA, but after newly crowned welterweight champion Tyron Woodley snubbed him for a title shot in the aftermath of knockout win over Robbie Lawler in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 201, he may be starting to believe a different approach is necessary.
When questioned by Thompson on the UFC 201 post-fight show, Woodley eschewed with ‘Wonderboy’ in favor of a ‘big money fight’ with the returning Nick Diaz or all-time great former champ Georges St-Pierre, who quickly accepted the fight.
On a seven-fight win streak, he clear top contender spoke up for his case during an appearance on today’s edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, describing his shock at Woodley’s insistence to call his own shots minutes after winning the belt:
“In my head I was like, really, you’re kidding me, right, that he wouldn’t give me this shot? Yeah, he went out there, he defeated Robbie Lawler, but you know, he took this fight, and a lot of people didn’t think he deserved it in the first place, but just seconds after winning that title, already choosing his fights? I mean, come on. Who gets that? Who really gets to do that. I mean, you’re starting to see that a lot more. It’s almost like, do the rankings really count? Do they really matter?”
Thompson thinks Woodley should at least defend his title before calling out big names:
“And I was kind of upset for him to say that just because, he knows I’m the No. 1 guy. He knows I’ve been working really hard. You know, I’m on a seven-fight winning streak. But to pick some, I think you have to defend the title at least once before you can start picking your shot.”
Questioned about his belief if Woodley was ducking him, Thompson responded that he would be fighting “The Chosen One” at Madison Square Garden regardless of what the champ wants:
“I don’t know. I don’t think he’s scared of me, but it almost seems like he just doesn’t want to fight me, he just doesn’t want to step in the ring. I don’t know if he thinks it’s a bad match-up, but no matter what, I’m fighting this guy, I’m fighting Tyron. I’m fighting Tyron Woodley, and it’s gonna be at Madison Square Garden; no ifs, ands, or buts, come on guys, come on UFC, and come on Tyron. You gotta give it to me, man.”
If he were not to get the shot, however, ‘Wonderboy’ expressed his trepidation at not getting the next title fight, which is why the normally reserved phenom suddenly became so vocal today:
“No. If they don’t give this to me, then something is really wrong. It is disappointing to hear that, and it does worry me a little bit, but in my head, I’m getting the shot. I don’t care. I gotta put my foot down, man, I gotta tell everybody how I’m feeling, and as of right now, I’m very disappointed that he wouldn’t take it.”
Thompson was willing to give Woodley credit for the huge shot he landed on Lawler, but he also believes that wasn’t the surging version of Lawler we’d grown accustomed to seeing over the past three years:
“I mean, yes he did land that big one punch, but you know, I don’t know man, it wasn’t enough for me. He did land that one punch, but we all know that wasn’t the same Robbie. Just going out there, looking at the fight, that was the Robbie we all expected, and I think he knows that.”
He named several reasons why we may not have seen the true “Ruthless,” but at the end of the day, Thompson insists something was just off with the former champ, and he may not have been motivated:
“There could be a lot of different reasons why we didn’t see the same Robbie Lawler, but it wasn’t him.”
After repeatedly predicting Lawler would win and then move on to throw down in an exciting war with ‘Wonderboy,’ Thompson admitted he was disappointed at not being the one to dethrone “Ruthless.” He gave some more thinly veiled credit before the new champ before telling him to stop calling out aging legends, who, despite being some of the most recognizable names in MMA, hadn’t won a fight in nearly eight years combined:
“Yeah, I was. I was disappointed because he was the guy I wanted to beat. I wanted to be the guy to take him out. But hat’s off to Tyron, he beat me to it. But he is the champ and I am the No. 1 contender, stop calling people out who haven’t fought in a year or three years. Fight the guy who’s ready, man, fight the guy’s who earned it this year, who’s beat the No. 1, beat the No. 2, and take on me, man. That’s what I got to say to him. I just think it’s kinda crap that he won’t take it.”
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is still hoping to receive a shot at the title upon his return from injury, but he isn’t too confident that he’ll be granted his wish. Weidman was slated to rematch Luke Rockhold for the title earlier this month at UFC 199, but he was forced to withdraw from
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is still hoping to receive a shot at the title upon his return from injury, but he isn’t too confident that he’ll be granted his wish. Weidman was slated to rematch Luke Rockhold for the title earlier this month at UFC 199, but he was forced to withdraw from the bout, leading Michael Bisping to step up on short notice and knock out Rockhold to become the champion.
Weidman, a Long Island native, has called out Bisping multiple times for a fight at UFC 205 on November 12, 2016 which will mark the UFC’s inaugural trip to New York at the famed Madison Square Garden.
Bisping, however, has seemed more interested in getting revenge on No. 13-ranked Dan Henderson, or perhaps facing off with returning former long-time welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. At this point, Weidman isn’t going to ‘cry’ about it, but he did confirm that he will be willing to fight anyone as he long as he gets his spot on the MSG card:
“I’ll be at Madison Square Garden waiting for whoever wants it. Bisping doesn’t want it. You know, it was my title shot and he had the opportunity because of me. Now he’s trying to fight the thirteenth ranked guy in the division. It’s good for him. Good for him, man. Fight anybody you want. He’s trying to get a ‘W’ under his belt. Hey, if he can make it happen, good for him. I’m not going to cry about it, honestly.” Weidman told MMAJunkie.
If Weidman isn’t given a shot at Bisping, who would you like to see him face off with in New York? Perhaps a rematch with Rockhold would make sense, although divisional supremacy wouldn’t be on the line this time. Fellow top contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza could also present a formidable challenge for Weidman, and the Brazilian should be returning from injury around the November time frame.
