Tag: MMA News

Former President Donald Trump Receives Honorary Ninth-Degree Taekwondo Black Belt

Donald TrumpFormer United States president, Donald Trump recently received an honorary ninth-degree black belt in Taekwondo at his Palm Beach, Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago.  Trump, the 45. United States president from 2017 to 2021, received an honorary ninth-degree black belt in Taekwondo from Kukkiwon president, Lee Dong Seong with the sport governing body president claiming that he […]

Donald Trump

Former United States president, Donald Trump recently received an honorary ninth-degree black belt in Taekwondo at his Palm Beach, Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago. 

Trump, the 45. United States president from 2017 to 2021, received an honorary ninth-degree black belt in Taekwondo from Kukkiwon president, Lee Dong Seong with the sport governing body president claiming that he “heard that Donald Trump is highly interested in Taekwondo” as per a quote by Korean outlet, Dong-A-Ilbo.

Posting several pictures on their official Facebook page, Kukkiwon maintained in a disclaiming caption that the ceremony involving the former United States president was “not related [to] any other political issues.“

“It is my pleasure and honor to receive this honorary certificate,” Dong-A-Ilbo quoted Donald Trump as saying. “Taekwondo is a great martial art for protecting oneself in these times (when COVID-19 prevails).“

Reports also claim that Trump confirmed he would wear his taekwondo gi to Congress should he be elected to as the United States president for a second time, as well as issuing an invite to the Kukkiwon Taekwondo demonstration team to the United States in order to perform. 

Donald Trump receives an honorary ninth-degree Taekwondo black belt

Trump, who has never actually practiced Taekwondo, joins Russian president, and Judo black belt Vladimir Putin to receive an honorary ninth-degree Taekwondo black belt during a 2013 visit to Seoul, South Korea.

Campbell McLaren, a co-creator of the UFC and the current CEO of Combate Global gave his thoughts on Trump receiving an honorary ninth-degree black belt in Taekwondo — confirming his skepticism of the martial art as a whole.

“In the early days of UFC we called TKD [Taekwondo] “Take Your Dough” because you could but a belt at many dojos,” McLaren tweeted. “I’ve been glad to see TKD’s recent influence on MMA.“

Trump recently featured in a special commentary booth at a Triller Fight Club event back in September where former undisputed UFC light heavyweight champion, Vitor Belfort stopped former professional boxing champion, Evander Holyfield in a dominant one-sided, eventual exhibition bout. 

Marcus Davis, 48, Finishes MMA Return After Long Layoff

Marcus DavisFormer UFC fighter Marcus Davis aimed to prove that 48 is the new 28 as he returned to the cage to earn a submission win after seven years away. Davis made his MMA return at Premier FC 32 this past weekend. He also owns arguably one of the most epic nicknames in the sport today; […]

Marcus Davis

Former UFC fighter Marcus Davis aimed to prove that 48 is the new 28 as he returned to the cage to earn a submission win after seven years away.

Davis made his MMA return at Premier FC 32 this past weekend. He also owns arguably one of the most epic nicknames in the sport today; “The Irish Hand Grenade”.

Davis had some struggles in the opening minutes of the fight against his opponent, Stephen Stengel. Stengel is 11 years younger than Davis and had his way on the feet early on.

But, Davis would fight through some early damage he suffered at the hands of Stengel to get the fight to the ground. He would then finish the fight with a triangle choke to earn his first career win by that specific move.

Davis’ submission was also his first finish of any kind in nearly 10 years, with his previous one coming against Travis Coyle at GFL 13. Before that, he had wrapped up his UFC tenure with back-to-back losses to Jeremy Stephens and Nate Diaz.

He shared the finish on his Instagram page.

Marcus Davis Made His Professional Debut In 2003

Stengel came into the fight having a 4-16 record, but that didn’t stop avid MMA fans from enjoying the performance of someone Davis’ age. Davis has competed against some other big names such as Dan Hardy, Mike Swick and made his UFC debut against Forrest Petz at UFC Fight Night 6.5 back in 2006.

Before his win over Stengel, Davis had suffered back-to-back losses during brief stints in Bellator and NEF in 2013 and 2014. Before that, he had won five of his last six decisions inside the cage.

It’s unclear what is next for the veteran Davis in his MMA career, but he’s certainly increased his chances of competing into his 50s, potentially.

What are your thoughts on Marcus Davis’ MMA return?

Conor McGregor Insists He Is Fighting For UFC Lightweight Title Next: ‘Deal With It’

Conor McGregorFormer two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor has claimed that he will be challening for undisputed lightweight gold in his Octagon return from injury next year — despite finding himself in the midst of a two-fight losing skid.  McGregor, 33, last featured in the headlining bout of UFC 264 back in July — suffering a catastrophic […]

Conor McGregor

Former two-weight UFC champion, Conor McGregor has claimed that he will be challening for undisputed lightweight gold in his Octagon return from injury next year — despite finding himself in the midst of a two-fight losing skid. 

McGregor, 33, last featured in the headlining bout of UFC 264 back in July — suffering a catastrophic fracture of his left tibia in an opening round doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to former interim titleholder, Dustin Poirier in the pair’s trilogy rubber match.

Undergoing a surgical procedure the following morning, McGregor was diagnosed with a fractured left tibia. And is expected to be sidelined until the summer of next year at the very earliest. 

During his time away from the Octagon, McGregor has been linked with pairings against the likes of former opponents, Nate Diaz, and Max Holloway, as well as potential returns opposite a slew of high-profile contenders such as Jorge Masvidal, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, and Rafael dos Anjos.

Conor McGregor insists he will fight for UFC lightweight gold next despite recent losing skid

However, despite the consistent links against returns against fellow contenders, McGregor insists that he will be challenging for lightweight gold in his Octagon return — regardless of who is sporting the undisputed title.

“Hi lads, here goes…” Conor McGregor tweeted in response to an ESPN MMA article that suggested potential opponents for his return. “Clicks and the like. Your boss and what not (sic). The Mac. Santy Claus. I’m facing whoever the f*ck has that LW (lightweight) title next. Deal with it. Take off your goggles and mark the trilogy “unfinished”. Deal with that too. The rest mentioned, after this. Deal. With. It.“

July’s opening round doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to Poirier came as his second consecutive defeat for the first time in his professional career, and came as his third loss at lightweight from four outings at the weight class in the promotion.

Twice previously challenging for lightweight gold, McGregor became the first two-weight gold holder held simultaneously in the promotion back in November 2016 with a dominant second round knockout win over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205. 

Stripped of the title due to inactivity, McGregor returned to the Octagon at UFC 229 in October 2018 in a bad-blooded fourth round neck crank loss to arch-rival, the now-retired former lightweight kingpin, Khabib Nurmagomedov. 

Currently sitting at the #9 in the official lightweight rankings, McGregor’s most recent professional victory came in the form of a 40-second high-kick and strikes knockout victory over former lightweight title challenger, Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January of last year in a welterweight headliner. 

The current undisputed lightweight titleholder is Brazilian submission ace, Charles Oliveira, who is slated to headline UFC 269 on December 11. in his first attempted title defense against the aforenoted former interim gold holder, Poirier. 

Ben Askren Reflects On KO Loss To Jorge Masvidal: ‘If We Do That Again, I Think I’ll Win’

Ben AskrenFormer UFC welterweight contender, Ben Askren has reflected briefly on his stunning, record-setting flying knee knockout loss back in July 2019 against Jorge Masvidal. And claims if that version of himself rematched Masvidal — he would be confident of emerging victoriously more often than not against the Floridian. Askren, a former ONE Championship and Bellator […]

Ben Askren

Former UFC welterweight contender, Ben Askren has reflected briefly on his stunning, record-setting flying knee knockout loss back in July 2019 against Jorge Masvidal. And claims if that version of himself rematched Masvidal — he would be confident of emerging victoriously more often than not against the Floridian.

Askren, a former ONE Championship and Bellator MMA welterweight champion, made history back in November 2018 alongside former flyweight kingpin, Demetrious Johnson as the two were involved in the first cross-promotional trade in the history of the sport as Askren signed with the UFC while Johnson parted ways, penning terms with ONE Championship.

Despite beginning his Octagon promisingly, the wrestling standout, Askren stopped former undisputed UFC welterweight titleholder, Robbie Lawler with a controversial bulldog choke at UFC 235 — improving his professional record to 19-0(1).

In his next Octagon walk, Askren returned in July of that year in a high-profile, potential welterweight title-eliminator at UFC 239 against the aforenoted, Masvidal — dropping the fastest knockout loss in the history of the organization as he found himself on the receiving end of a five second flying knee.

The defeat came as the first in the veteran, Askren’s professional career following 21 professional outings, with the Iowa native becoming somewhat of a meme across the internet and the butt of the joke following the knockout defeat.

Ben Askren believes he would beat Jorge Masvidal more often than not if they fought multiple times

Reflecting on the career-derailing loss to Masvidal during a recent on the Lex Fridman Podcast, Askren maintains that he would likely beat Masvidal more than he would lose if that version of him back in 2019 had the opportunity to fight the Miami native again. 

“He [Jorge Masvidal] got one f*cking move on me,” Ben Askren said. “It’s not he beat me and if we do that again I think I win at that point in my life, for sure. I think I win way more times than I lose.“

“He knew that too, that’s why he didn’t sign the bout agreement and that’s why I had to taunt him and whe he got so mad because I had to continue to taunt him in order to get him to sign,” Ben Askren explained. (Transcribed by Sportskeeda)

The 37-year-old Askren competed just once more professionally following his knockout loss to Masvidal, headlining a UFC Fight Night Kallang event in October of that year in an eventual third round rear-naked choke loss to former middleweight and welterweight title challenger, Demian Maia. 

In his most recent foray into professional combat sports, Askren made his professional boxing debut in April of this year under the Triller Fight Club banner, suffering an opening round knockout loss to undefeated YouTuber, Jake Paul. 

As for Masvidal, the American Top Team staple was slated to return at UFC 269 next month against Leon Edwards until an undisclosed injury forced him from the main card bout. The #8 ranked contender has earmarked a March comeback from injury as a result. 

VIDEO|Amateur Fighter Dylan Kiskila KO’s Opponent While Suffering Gruesome Injury

Dylan KiskilaDylan Kiskila had a fantastic head kick knockout, but also suffered a broken ankle while knocking out his opponent Kai Duque. Kiskila landed a beautiful head kick that immediately knocked his opponent to the mat. The kick also took himself down as well and after he regroups, he goes in for a few more shots. […]

Dylan Kiskila

Dylan Kiskila had a fantastic head kick knockout, but also suffered a broken ankle while knocking out his opponent Kai Duque.

Kiskila landed a beautiful head kick that immediately knocked his opponent to the mat. The kick also took himself down as well and after he regroups, he goes in for a few more shots. Unfortunately, his leg gives out and you can see where he broke his ankle immediately. He remained extremely calm as he noticed he snapped his ankle. He looked toward his corner and made a gesture to tell them his leg was finished.

Whether the break occurred when he kicked his opponent or after is inconclusive in the video. To the naked eye it looks like he may have injured it a bit on the kick, but when he pushes off to engage is when he may have snapped it.

WARNING: The Video of Dylan Kiskila is gruesome and may be difficult to watch for some

Kiskila was fighting in an amateur promotion called Captains Fight Club in North Dakota when he scored his knockout. Unfortunately, it took a turn for the worst and became the most unforgettable moment in his career for all the wrong reasons. According to MMA Fighting, Kiskila suffered the same injury that has sidelined Conor McGregor. Kiskila suffered a broken tibia on the kick he landed.

The road to recovery is going to be a long process for the 29 year old fighter. A clearer video was shared by the promotion on their Facebook and you can hear the ferocity of the kick. This just is another example of how unforgiving the sport truly can be. It brings the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows very quickly.

Here at LowKick we wish Kiskila a speedy recovery and hope he returns better than ever.

Jon Jones Claims He’s 60 Days Sober Since His Las Vegas Incident

Jon JonesFormer UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones claims that he is now 60 days sober since his incident in Las Vegas. Jones was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for his first fight with Alexander Gustafsson and after his induction is when he got into some hot water with the law. Jones had a […]

Jon Jones

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones claims that he is now 60 days sober since his incident in Las Vegas.

Jones was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for his first fight with Alexander Gustafsson and after his induction is when he got into some hot water with the law. Jones had a domestic dispute with his fiancee and ended up having the police called on him that same night. He still claims he never put his hands on his fiancee, although reports said she had blood on her face when police arrived. Jones also headbutted a police car that night.

Since then, Jones says he had been sober for 60 days. The only discrepancy is that the incident was 58 days ago. It could be that Jones is just rounding the number up and if he truly is sober, than that is a positive step forward for Jones. He has struggled with sobriety for a long time in his career, which is something Dana White brought up in the past. Sober or intoxicated, there is no excuse for Jones’s actions, especially if he did hit his fiancee.

Jon Jones took to Twitter to address his sobriety

“ ‘Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.’ My family, my life, my career could’ve been over after what happened in Las Vegas. But God had other plans for me. 60 days sober and counting”

Jones has recently been training at a Greg Jackson affiliate gym in Tacoma just minutes away from his old Jackson-Wick training camp, where he was asked to leave after the Vegas incident.

Jones has also been training with Henry Cejudo, in preparation for his heavyweight debut. Cejudo claimed that by him helping out Jones, it was making him a happier and better person. It is also rumored that Jones is in talks to have a grappling match against Jake Hager (WWE star Jack Swagger).

Only time will tell if Jones continue to stay sober and stay on the path he is on now. For his career and home life, many hope that Jones stays sober and on the right path.

What do you make of Jon Jones’s sobriety?