Tag: MMA News

Chael Sonnen questions Alex Pereira’s threat to return to MW: ‘Final nail in the coffin of his rivalry with Adesanya’

Chael Sonnen questions Alex Pereira’s threat to return to MW: 'Final nail in the coffin of his rivalry with Adesanya'Former two-weight UFC title challenger, Chael Sonnen has claimed current light heavyweight kingpin, Alex Pereira was trying to one-up…

Chael Sonnen questions Alex Pereira’s threat to return to MW: 'Final nail in the coffin of his rivalry with Adesanya'

Former two-weight UFC title challenger, Chael Sonnen has claimed current light heavyweight kingpin, Alex Pereira was trying to one-up former foe, Israel Adesanya in the future once more by toppling would-be common-opponent, Dricus du Plessis — after calling for a stunning middleweight return.

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight titleholder and the current light heavyweight champion, most recently headlined UFC 303 back in June, successfully defending his crown in a dominant second round high-kick knockout win over Jiri Prochazka.

'Just a few friends training in the garage': Glover Teixeira trains Alex Pereira with a beer on hand

And already booked to take main event honors at UFC 307 at the beginning of next month, taking on surging light heavyweight challenger, Khalil Rountree.

However, off the back of du Plessis’ stunning submission win over the aforenoted, Adesanya back in August to defend his title at UFC 304, Alex Pereira offered to return to 185lbs to take on the South African next.

Boxing Champion Zhilei Zhang Trains with Alex Pereira, Claims He Can Take Heavyweight Title: ‘He has the power’

Alex Pereira attempting to one-up Israel Adesanya once more

And according to veteran analyst, Sonnen, Pereira is simply trying to one-up Adesanya in the future by taking out Pretoria native, du Plessis at his former middleweight stomping grounds.

“Alex (Pereira) was not sincere [about moving to middleweight again],” Chael Sonnen said on Good Guy/Bad Guy. “He is sincerely tough, and he will fight anybody. But, he can’t make 185 pounds. There’s nothing to gain there, by the way, to return and go through that kind of sacrifice, to return to a weight that you’ve already won.”

“If you wanted to fight Dricus (du Plessis), Dricus could come up [to light heavyweight],” Sonnen explained. “But make sure you don’t miss the play here. Alex is tough, and he will fight anybody, but the play here was a final nail in the coffin of his rivalry with (Israel) Adesanya.”

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Earlier this year, Sao Paulo knockout star, Alex Pereira made incredibly short-work of former light heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill to defend his divisional crown for the first time.

Chael Sonnen questions Alex Pereira’s threat to return to MW: ‘Final nail in the coffin of his rivalry with Adesanya’

Chael Sonnen questions Alex Pereira’s threat to return to MW: 'Final nail in the coffin of his rivalry with Adesanya'Former two-weight UFC title challenger, Chael Sonnen has claimed current light heavyweight kingpin, Alex Pereira was trying to one-up…

Chael Sonnen questions Alex Pereira’s threat to return to MW: 'Final nail in the coffin of his rivalry with Adesanya'

Former two-weight UFC title challenger, Chael Sonnen has claimed current light heavyweight kingpin, Alex Pereira was trying to one-up former foe, Israel Adesanya in the future once more by toppling would-be common-opponent, Dricus du Plessis — after calling for a stunning middleweight return.

Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight titleholder and the current light heavyweight champion, most recently headlined UFC 303 back in June, successfully defending his crown in a dominant second round high-kick knockout win over Jiri Prochazka.

'Just a few friends training in the garage': Glover Teixeira trains Alex Pereira with a beer on hand

And already booked to take main event honors at UFC 307 at the beginning of next month, taking on surging light heavyweight challenger, Khalil Rountree.

However, off the back of du Plessis’ stunning submission win over the aforenoted, Adesanya back in August to defend his title at UFC 304, Alex Pereira offered to return to 185lbs to take on the South African next.

Boxing Champion Zhilei Zhang Trains with Alex Pereira, Claims He Can Take Heavyweight Title: ‘He has the power’

Alex Pereira attempting to one-up Israel Adesanya once more

And according to veteran analyst, Sonnen, Pereira is simply trying to one-up Adesanya in the future by taking out Pretoria native, du Plessis at his former middleweight stomping grounds.

“Alex (Pereira) was not sincere [about moving to middleweight again],” Chael Sonnen said on Good Guy/Bad Guy. “He is sincerely tough, and he will fight anybody. But, he can’t make 185 pounds. There’s nothing to gain there, by the way, to return and go through that kind of sacrifice, to return to a weight that you’ve already won.”

“If you wanted to fight Dricus (du Plessis), Dricus could come up [to light heavyweight],” Sonnen explained. “But make sure you don’t miss the play here. Alex is tough, and he will fight anybody, but the play here was a final nail in the coffin of his rivalry with (Israel) Adesanya.”

gettyimages 2159892141 612x612 1

Earlier this year, Sao Paulo knockout star, Alex Pereira made incredibly short-work of former light heavyweight champion, Jamahal Hill to defend his divisional crown for the first time.

Jeremy Stephens welcomes BKFC fight with Conor McGregor: ‘I’d break his f*cking neck’

Jeremy Stephens welcomes BKFC fight with Conor McGregor: 'I'd break his f*cking neck'Amid claims from former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor how a grudge fight with Octagon alum, Jeremy Stephens in…

Jeremy Stephens welcomes BKFC fight with Conor McGregor: 'I'd break his f*cking neck'

Amid claims from former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor how a grudge fight with Octagon alum, Jeremy Stephens in the future under the BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) banner may be on the cards in the future — the latter is all ears to a clash.

Stephens, a former perennial contender under the banner of the UFC in the organization’s featherweight division, is slated to return to action tonight in the co-main event of BKFC 65, taking on Bobby Taylor following a prior third round TKO win over fellow UFC veteran, Jimmie Rivera.

stephens

And taking on the above-mentioned Taylor tonight, Jeremy Stephens was weighed up as a potential future foe by Dublin rival, McGregor — who has been long linked with a move to the promotion.

Conor McGregor
Images via: Getty

“BARE KNUCKLE WARRIORS LETS GO!” Conor McGregor posted on his official X account. “We are live this Friday from Salt Lake City, Utah with the ladies flyweight title on the lie as our dominant world champion @CHRISTINEFEREA_ looks to defend her belt against the explosive up and coming @jademassonwong! A cracking matchup! The ladies leading the charge once again!”

In our co-main event also we have “who the f*ck is that guy” facing off against Bobby Taylor,” Conor McGregor continued. “Me and “who the f*ck” is an exciting bare knuckle fight down the line 100%! Good luck to all our combatants! EXCITED! @bareknucklefc FIGHT WEEK! Swipe for the card and full schedule.”

Jeremy Stephens fancies chances in BKFC fight with Conor McGregor

Reacting to the former two-eight UFC champion’s claims, Iowa veteran, Stephens has welcomed the chance to settle his grudge with the former, claiming he would “break” his neck if they ever fought each other.

Conor McGregor slams 'Greedy and corrupted' officials over expensive bike shed

“Credit to Conor (McGregor) and all that,” Jeremy Stephens told MMA Fighting. “But if he ever got in there with me, I’d break his f*cking neck, and I’d get a big f*cking fat check.”

Jeremy Stephens welcomes BKFC fight with Conor McGregor: ‘I’d break his f*cking neck’

Jeremy Stephens welcomes BKFC fight with Conor McGregor: 'I'd break his f*cking neck'Amid claims from former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor how a grudge fight with Octagon alum, Jeremy Stephens in…

Jeremy Stephens welcomes BKFC fight with Conor McGregor: 'I'd break his f*cking neck'

Amid claims from former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor how a grudge fight with Octagon alum, Jeremy Stephens in the future under the BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) banner may be on the cards in the future — the latter is all ears to a clash.

Stephens, a former perennial contender under the banner of the UFC in the organization’s featherweight division, is slated to return to action tonight in the co-main event of BKFC 65, taking on Bobby Taylor following a prior third round TKO win over fellow UFC veteran, Jimmie Rivera.

stephens

And taking on the above-mentioned Taylor tonight, Jeremy Stephens was weighed up as a potential future foe by Dublin rival, McGregor — who has been long linked with a move to the promotion.

Conor McGregor
Images via: Getty

“BARE KNUCKLE WARRIORS LETS GO!” Conor McGregor posted on his official X account. “We are live this Friday from Salt Lake City, Utah with the ladies flyweight title on the lie as our dominant world champion @CHRISTINEFEREA_ looks to defend her belt against the explosive up and coming @jademassonwong! A cracking matchup! The ladies leading the charge once again!”

In our co-main event also we have “who the f*ck is that guy” facing off against Bobby Taylor,” Conor McGregor continued. “Me and “who the f*ck” is an exciting bare knuckle fight down the line 100%! Good luck to all our combatants! EXCITED! @bareknucklefc FIGHT WEEK! Swipe for the card and full schedule.”

Jeremy Stephens fancies chances in BKFC fight with Conor McGregor

Reacting to the former two-eight UFC champion’s claims, Iowa veteran, Stephens has welcomed the chance to settle his grudge with the former, claiming he would “break” his neck if they ever fought each other.

Conor McGregor slams 'Greedy and corrupted' officials over expensive bike shed

“Credit to Conor (McGregor) and all that,” Jeremy Stephens told MMA Fighting. “But if he ever got in there with me, I’d break his f*cking neck, and I’d get a big f*cking fat check.”

Kamaru Usman Responds to Belal Muhammad’s Diss: “Keep dropping corny, weak diss tracks”

Kamaru Usman Responds to Belal Muhammad’s Diss: "Keep dropping corny, weak diss tracks"Kamaru Usman was not impressed with Belal Muhammad’s diss track. Muhammad captured the welterweight world title in July, handily…

Kamaru Usman Responds to Belal Muhammad’s Diss: "Keep dropping corny, weak diss tracks"

Kamaru Usman was not impressed with Belal Muhammad’s diss track.

Muhammad captured the welterweight world title in July, handily defeating Leon Edwards at UFC 304 in Manchester to bring the gold back home to Chicago. Since then, ‘Remember The Name’ has been ramping up his trash talk, going after undefeated division standout Shavkat Rakhmonov and former champion Kamaru Usman.

Belal Muhammad and Kamaru Usman

Flexing his creativity, Muhammad released an AI-generated diss track that poked fun a Usman’s current status inside the Octagon, having lost three straight fights.

It’s not the catchiest of tunes, but Muhammad certainly gets an A for effort.

Kamaru Usman reminds Belal Muhammad who he’s talking to

However, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ was not amused. Addressing the recent jabs from Muhammad on his Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, Usman was quick to remind the newly minted champ that if he ever wants to get a gander at some gold, he can come check out the six belts sitting in Usman’s trophy room.

Belal Muhammad and Kamaru Usman

“Imagine how I feel. I’m like ‘Who the f*ck is that guy?’,” Usman said. “I didn’t know who this guy was a couple of years ago or last year, I didn’t hear his name. I don’t even remember his name! More power to Belal if that’s how he feels. He’s paying for someone to do a diss song or whatever, that song was as corny as can be. Looking at a gold belt? I have six of them in the room next door. I can look at belts all day…

“If I want his belt, I’m coming to take his belt. I want the fight, but when you’ve got him saying ‘Oh I’m going to sit down I’ll let you guys fight..’ listen, that’s not a recipe for how you make money. So it is what it is, but at some point, he’s going to have to step in there with me and we’ll have to settle it. But keep dropping corny, weak diss tracks…it was like a lullaby or something for me” (h/t BJPenn.com).

It’s been nearly a year since Usman last competed, suffering a majority decision loss against Khamzat Chimaev in Abu Dhabi last October. Before that, he dropped back-to-back bouts against Leon Edwards.

Realistically, Usman and Muhammad shouldn’t even be jawing at one another just yet. Clearly, the Nigerian fan favorite has some work to do before he’s worked his way back to title contention, but Muhammad likely likes his chances against Usman much better than against the 18-0 ‘Nomad.’

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Jake Paul Believes UFC Holding Conor McGregor Back to Strengthen Rights Deal

Jake Paul Believes UFC Holding Conor McGregor Back to Strengthen Rights DealJake Paul thinks the UFC is intentionally keeping Conor McGregor out of the Octagon to use him as a…

Jake Paul Believes UFC Holding Conor McGregor Back to Strengthen Rights Deal

Jake Paul thinks the UFC is intentionally keeping Conor McGregor out of the Octagon to use him as a bargaining chip.

It’s been more than three years since we last saw the Irish megastar compete. Since then, there’s been a new rumor every other week regarding when he would make his long-awaited return to MMA’s biggest stage. After lobbying hard for a fight in late 2023 and early 2024, McGregor finally got his wish, booking a main event matchup with former Bellator champion Michael Chandler at UFC 303 on June 29.

Unfortunately, the fight never came to fruition after McGregor opted to withdraw due to, of all things, a broken pinky toe. McGregor has since pushed for a rescheduled date in December, but so far, the UFC has appeared uninterested.

Conor McGregor

During a recent episode of his BS podcast, Jake Paul offered some insight into why the UFC may be dragging its feet on locking down a fight for McGregor, suggesting that it has everything to do with the promotion’s soon-to-be expired broadcast deal with ESPN.

“Conor has two fights left on his fight deal, but the UFC is trying to renew their rights deal.” Jake Paul stated during the discussion. “They license their content, which are the fights, to platforms. So they’re trying to renew their deal, and they’re negotiating with multiple people. But, let’s say they’re going with ESPN. They’re trying to renew the deal and get the most amount of money, a part of that negotiation is, ‘Hey, we have Conor McGregor for two more fights.

“But, if he were to fight now, that wouldn’t be part of the negotiation. ‘Oh we only have Conor for one fight’. So, that’s why Conor isn’t fighting now, and this is what they do to the fighters… Each contract is different, but you don’t want to win, because you’re locked in for more three more fights. They also have all these [contract] triggers… You’re owned across the board” (h/t BJPenn.com).

Is the UFC trying to keep Conor mcGregor Locked down?

McGregor has been very open about his UFC contract, confirming in prior interviews that he only has two fights left, and it would appear that ‘Mystic Mac’ is eager to get them out of the way so he can pursue ventures outside of the Octagon i.e. boxing or a fight under the BKFC banner, a promotion he now partially owns.

Conor McGregor

With McGregor headlining eight of the 10 highest-grossing pay-per-views in UFC history, he is an undeniable asset for the promotion and could very well be used to squeeze a few more dollars out of whoever the UFC signs with once its current ESPN deal expires at the end of 2025.

Unfortunately for McGregor, that means the promotion could try to keep him under contract and stall out his last two fights for as long as possible. Of course, the organization could opt to do an open-ended deal with McGregor, allowing him to partake in other interests outside of the Octagon while retaining his services, but we all saw how it went when Francis Ngannou tried to do it.

Conor McGregor