Tag: NYC

Derrick Lewis Claims He Doesn’t Deserve Title Shot

This is a take you may not have expected to hear from Derrick Lewis. The rapidly rising Lewis picked up what turned out to be the biggest win of his career at UFC 229 last Saturday. Facing a certain loss to previous No. 2 Alexander Volkov, Lewis stormed back with a jaw-dropping knockout in the […]

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This is a take you may not have expected to hear from Derrick Lewis.

The rapidly rising Lewis picked up what turned out to be the biggest win of his career at UFC 229 last Saturday. Facing a certain loss to previous No. 2 Alexander Volkov, Lewis stormed back with a jaw-dropping knockout in the final 10 seconds of the fight.

That win earned him a surprising title fight with champion Daniel Cormier in the main event of November 3’s UFC 230 from New York as a result. “The Black Beast” is a sizable underdog to double-champ Cormier. That’s hardly a surprise, however. More surprising was the simple fact that he got the bout considering Cormier was slated to fight Brock Lesnar in early 2019.

But UFC 230 needed a legitimate main event and it now has one. ‘The Black Beast’ is thankful for the opportunity. However, he’s still a bit surprised. Lewis recently told TMZ Sports (via MMA News) that he thought former champion Stipe Miocic deserved his shot:

“I don’t know why they don’t want to give it to Stipe. It’d been great for them to give it to Stipe than to me, but I appreciate them giving me the shot. I really believe that Stipe really deserves the shot, seeing as how he was the champion for a while, he defended that many times, and I guess dominant for a while.

“I don’t know why they gave it to me before they gave it to Stipe. Everyone else, whenever they lost their belt, they got a shot to win it back. I don’t know why they didn’t give it to Stipe, unless he wanted some time off.”

Miocic Is Mad

From his point of view, Miocic does not want any time off. He went off on Cormier on social media last night. The record-setting former champion, who was knocked out by Cormier in their first match at July’s UFC 226, said he would beat “DC” nine out of 10 times.

From a pure legitimacy standpoint, Miocic is undoubtedly the most deserving. He set the record for most consecutive title defenses in a division that is notoriously the toughest to do just that. But Miocic won’t get the coveted rematch. Cormier will only give him one if Lesnar can’t make it to their expected fight in 2019.

Even Lewis acknowledged that. Perhaps Miocic has a quicker path to a title fight if Lewis somehow shocks the world at UFC 230. Based on the odds, that shouldn’t happen. This is MMA, and anything can happen.

Do you agree with Lewis’ assessment of the messy situation?

The post Derrick Lewis Claims He Doesn’t Deserve Title Shot appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Pic: Dana White Claps Back At Khabib’s IG Callout

UFC President Dana White is often accused of being a lot of things. One thing you can’t deny he has is a sense of humor. The polarizing UFC executive is currently dealing with the aftermath of the infamous UFC 229 brawl from Las Vegas. Last Saturday (Oct. 6, 2018), UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov jumped […]

The post Pic: Dana White Claps Back At Khabib’s IG Callout appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC President Dana White is often accused of being a lot of things. One thing you can’t deny he has is a sense of humor.

The polarizing UFC executive is currently dealing with the aftermath of the infamous UFC 229 brawl from Las Vegas. Last Saturday (Oct. 6, 2018), UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov jumped into the crowd to fight Conor McGregor’ teammate Dillon Danis.

The outburst came seconds after he submitted the Irish star in the fourth round of their anticipated grudge match. Now, the MMA universe awaits his punishment. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) withheld Khabib’s $2,000,000 purse for the fight. He and McGregor are facing complaints from the commission. They’ve also been temporarily suspended due to the incident. Khabib could even have his belt stripped. Indeed, there are a few real reasons why he could be.

The scene was one of pure madness. White chose to not put the belt on Khabib as a result. He feared the crowd would pelt his champion with whatever rubbish they had close at hand. He was probably right. White believes the NSAC shouldn’t keep his whole purse and should only fine and suspend his star.

The backlash on Khabib has been a mixed one. Khabib’s historically tough father, Abdulmanap, promised to “punish Khabib tougher than the UFC.” Meanwhile, he forgave McGregor because of his religious background.

Through it all, the normally cold and stoic Khabib has a sense of humor as well. He called out White on Instagram with a joke that he would have smashed his expensive sports car had he not given him the belt.

To that, White offered a hilarious response. Check it out here:

 

 

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Coach Reveals What Dillon Danis Said To Start Khabib Brawl

Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to face punishment for starting an insane brawl following his main event win over Conor McGregor at UFC 229. There’s no denial from the UFC, fans, and media that the brawl was anything but dangerous. It was also the kind of high drama that MMA fans live for. Khabib leaping into […]

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Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to face punishment for starting an insane brawl following his main event win over Conor McGregor at UFC 229. There’s no denial from the UFC, fans, and media that the brawl was anything but dangerous.

It was also the kind of high drama that MMA fans live for.

Khabib leaping into the crowd to take on McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis was the perfect extension of their pre-installed bad blood. That dates back to McGregor’s infamous Brooklyn bus attack this spring.

Khabib and McGregor will both appear before the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) in November. ‘The Eagle’s’ purse is being withheld in the meantime.

But in a somewhat odd set of circumstances, McGregor’s longtime head coach John Kavanagh hopes Khabib isn’t punished much. He discussed the brawl on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast (via MMA Fighting) today. Kavanagh can understand Khabib’s point of view for the attack.

He can’t side with his teammates who attacked McGregor, however:

“I hope [The Nevada State Athletic Commission] is lenient on [Nurmagomedov]. Not just so we can get a rematch. I just love watching him fight. I can stretch myself to understand his reaction, I can’t stretch myself to understand [his teammates] reaction. For Khabib, it’s not the end of the world.”

What Did Danis Do?

The SBG Ireland coach then dove into detail about just what Danis said to set Khabib off. In his words, Danis didn’t say anything. He did apparently motion to Khabib, however, yet Kavanagh didn’t believe it deserved the level of response it got:

“[Danis] actually didn’t say anything. I was standing beside Dillon. I didn’t see what he did but I could hear. He didn’t say anything. When I watched it back I could see him beckon [Nurmagomedov] on. It’s just stupid end of fight stuff.

“But it didn’t justify that level of response. Maybe there was something else in the build up. Dillon is a little bit of trouble online. But, like I said, it wasn’t that big of a deal to me what Khabib did. It just really wasn’t.”

Kavanagh’s taking a rather nonchalant approach to the whole scene. It echoes Khabib’s own response that played down the brawl down. He may understand where Khabib is coming from after the bus attack and endless personal insults in the lead-up to the fight. No one could blame him if that was the case.

So what Khabib did wasn’t a big deal to him. It was much more concerning what Khabib’s teammates did to a tired McGregor. Kavanagh insisted that an actual crime of assault:

“Like I said, if Khabib had done that isolated, I didn’t think it was a big deal,” said Kavanagh. “He didn’t really hit Dillon. There was a bit of pushing and pulling.

“Who cares?

“But a man coming up, a trained fighter with bare knuckles, hitting a guy who’s tired, who’s taken some rounds and taking some shots, there has to be ramifications for that. An example has to be made….It’s criminal. It’s assault.”

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Banned UFC Fighter Boasts About Assaulting Conor McGregor

The lasting consequences of the all-out brawl following the UFC 229 main event are still in motion. It won’t help things that a fighter involved is boasting about assaulting Conor McGregor. Suspended UFC featherweight Zubaira Tukhugov, one of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammates who allegedly stormed the Octagon and assaulted McGregor at UFC 229, is happy with […]

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The lasting consequences of the all-out brawl following the UFC 229 main event are still in motion. It won’t help things that a fighter involved is boasting about assaulting Conor McGregor.

Suspended UFC featherweight Zubaira Tukhugov, one of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammates who allegedly stormed the Octagon and assaulted McGregor at UFC 229, is happy with his actions.

Tukhugov took to social media this weekend to boast about how he had ‘slapped McGregor as promised’ (via Karim Zidan):

“I slapped him as promised,” said Tukhugov. “I promised to make him answer for his words and I did.”

The rivalry between McGregor and Nurmagomedov’s teams obviously runs deep. It had been brewing for years. But it was taken to a new level when McGregor and members of his clan were arrested for their now-infamous Brooklyn bus assault last April. McGregor took several shots at Khabib’s family and country in the lead-up to UFC 229. That only heightened the bad blood.

But Tukhugov has never really even been mentioned. This is probably the most press he’s ever got and ever will get. It’s for a disgusting reason as well.

Tukhugov’s In Trouble

As for Tukhugov, he was supposedly one of the men arrested for the brawl. Those charges disappeared when McGregor refused to pursue them, however. Still, White wouldn’t let them off the hook. He claimed all of Khabib’s teammates who assaulted McGregor were done fighting for the UFC:

Of course, of course. The guys who jumped in will never fight here. They’ll never fight here. Listen, I’ve been working hard for 18 years to build this sport.”

Tukhugov has been out of action since May 2016. He has been serving a USADA suspension for testing positive for banned substance ostarine. Coupled with White’s words, that’s a lot of bans to go around.

The Dagestani competitor is scheduled to face McGregor’s good friend and longtime teammate Artem Lobov at October 27’s UFC Moncton. The fight is still listed on the UFC’s schedule as of now.

McGregor seems to think his side ‘won the battle’ at UFC 229, and this beef is far from over. It could legitimately go down as one of the most heated rivalries in UFC history.

Tukhugov appears proud that he broke the law and snuck up on McGregor at UFC 229, but he may have paid for it with his job.

The post Banned UFC Fighter Boasts About Assaulting Conor McGregor appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Banned UFC Fighter Boasts About Assaulting Conor McGregor

The lasting consequences of the all-out brawl following the UFC 229 main event are still in motion. It won’t help things that a fighter involved is boasting about assaulting Conor McGregor. Suspended UFC featherweight Zubaira Tukhugov, one of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammates who allegedly stormed the Octagon and assaulted McGregor at UFC 229, is happy with […]

The post Banned UFC Fighter Boasts About Assaulting Conor McGregor appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The lasting consequences of the all-out brawl following the UFC 229 main event are still in motion. It won’t help things that a fighter involved is boasting about assaulting Conor McGregor.

Suspended UFC featherweight Zubaira Tukhugov, one of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammates who allegedly stormed the Octagon and assaulted McGregor at UFC 229, is happy with his actions.

Tukhugov took to social media this weekend to boast about how he had ‘slapped McGregor as promised’ (via Karim Zidan):

“I slapped him as promised,” said Tukhugov. “I promised to make him answer for his words and I did.”

The rivalry between McGregor and Nurmagomedov’s teams obviously runs deep. It had been brewing for years. But it was taken to a new level when McGregor and members of his clan were arrested for their now-infamous Brooklyn bus assault last April. McGregor took several shots at Khabib’s family and country in the lead-up to UFC 229. That only heightened the bad blood.

But Tukhugov has never really even been mentioned. This is probably the most press he’s ever got and ever will get. It’s for a disgusting reason as well.

Tukhugov’s In Trouble

As for Tukhugov, he was supposedly one of the men arrested for the brawl. Those charges disappeared when McGregor refused to pursue them, however. Still, White wouldn’t let them off the hook. He claimed all of Khabib’s teammates who assaulted McGregor were done fighting for the UFC:

Of course, of course. The guys who jumped in will never fight here. They’ll never fight here. Listen, I’ve been working hard for 18 years to build this sport.”

Tukhugov has been out of action since May 2016. He has been serving a USADA suspension for testing positive for banned substance ostarine. Coupled with White’s words, that’s a lot of bans to go around.

The Dagestani competitor is scheduled to face McGregor’s good friend and longtime teammate Artem Lobov at October 27’s UFC Moncton. The fight is still listed on the UFC’s schedule as of now.

McGregor seems to think his side ‘won the battle’ at UFC 229, and this beef is far from over. It could legitimately go down as one of the most heated rivalries in UFC history.

Tukhugov appears proud that he broke the law and snuck up on McGregor at UFC 229, but he may have paid for it with his job.

The post Banned UFC Fighter Boasts About Assaulting Conor McGregor appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC 229 Salaries: Conor McGregor & Khabib Bank Millions

The hype for Saturday’s (Sat., October 6, 2018) UFC 229 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, is in full swing. We saw that when Conor McGregor tried to kick Khabib Nurmagomedov at the ceremonial weigh-ins earlier today. Now, we’ve found how much both fighters will earn for the all-out chaos in the official UFC 229 salaries. […]

The post UFC 229 Salaries: Conor McGregor & Khabib Bank Millions appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The hype for Saturday’s (Sat., October 6, 2018) UFC 229 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, is in full swing. We saw that when Conor McGregor tried to kick Khabib Nurmagomedov at the ceremonial weigh-ins earlier today. Now, we’ve found how much both fighters will earn for the all-out chaos in the official UFC 229 salaries.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) released the official numbers this evening (Fri., October 5, 2018). McGregor and Nurmagomedov will both earn multimillion-dollar paydays to fight each other tomorrow night. The undefeated champion will earn $2,000,000 with no win bonus.

Former champion McGregor is returning from a nearly two-year absence to fight for the title he never lost. He’ll earn more than the champ, raking in a $3,000,000 purse with no win bonus as well.

While that may sound like peanuts based on the record-breaking payday McGregor has been touting, it only tells part of the story. The figures do not include the huge back-end pay-per-view revenue both fighters are expected to accrue. The card is expected to sell 2,000,000 or more buys. Dana White has even suggested the card will sell 3,000,000. That would therefore break the prior UFC record by a wide margin.

The fighter to earn the biggest payday aside from Khabib and McGregor is former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. He will earn $145,000 to show with another $145,000 to win.

Check out the full UFC 229 salaries below.

UFC 229 Official Salaries:

Khabib Nurmagomedov ($2,000,000/$0)

Conor McGregor ($3,000,000/$0)

Tony Ferguson ($150,000/$5,000)

Anthony Pettis ($145,000/$145,000)

Ovince Saint Preux ($86,000/$86,000)

Dominick Reyes ($45,000/$45,000)

Derrick Lewis ($135,000/$135,000)

Alexander Volkov ($75,000/$75,000)

Michelle Waterson ($50,000/$50,000)

Felice Herrig ($40,000/$40,000)

Sergio Pettis ($46,000/$46,000)

Jussier Formiga ($43,000/$43,000)

Vicente Luque ($38,000/$38,000)

Jailin Turner ($10,000/$10,000)

Aspen Ladd ($12,000/$12,000)

Tonya Evinger ($30,000/$30,000)

Scott Holtzman ($20,000/$20,000)

Alan Patrick ($25,000/$25,000)

Gray Maynard ($54,000/$54,000)

Nik Lentz ($50,000/$50,000)

Ryan LaFlare ($33,000/$33,000)

Tony Martin ($28,000/$28,000)

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