Tag: The Schmo

Exclusive – The Schmo Dubs Alex Pereira ‘One of the great stories of mixed martial arts’ in 2023

Alex PereiraRenowned MMA journalist The Schmo believes Alex Pereira was one of the most exciting things about the sport in…

Alex Pereira

Renowned MMA journalist The Schmo believes Alex Pereira was one of the most exciting things about the sport in 2023.

The ‘Brazilian Boogeyman’ entered the year as the reigning UFC middleweight champion following a brutal fifth-round knockout of longtime rival Israel Adesanya at UFC 281. He would hand the title back to ‘The Last Stylebender’ five months later, suffering a KO in the second round that would become his first, and to this date, the only loss inside the Octagon.

Having already climbed to the top of the middleweight mountain in just four fights, Pereira was ready for a new challenge. ‘Poatan’ made the move to light heavyweight for a showdown with former world champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291. It was arguably the toughest test of Pereira’s career considering Blachowicz himself holds a victory over Adesanya.

After three closely contested rounds, Pereira walked away with a split decision win, immediately earning himself a shot at the 205-pound crown.

In November, Pereira closed out his year in spectacular fashion, besting ex-champ Jiri Prochazka at the promotion’s 30th-anniversary showcase to claim the vacant light heavyweight title and become a two-division champion less than two years removed from his UFC debut.

“There’s always going to be names that just shoot out of a cannon,” The Schmo told Mike Owens in an exclusive interview with Lowkick MMA. Think about how quickly Alex Pereira came up. I think that’s another story that we should talk about as one of the great stories of mixed martial arts and one of the great stories of 2023. The adversity he faced, losing to Izzy. Izzy finally got the win, he goes up to light heavyweight, he beats Jan Blachowicz, and then he gets the title shot and beats Jiri [Prochazka].

“I think he’s one of the best stories in MMA, Alex Pereira, and if you look at him and how quickly he rose… Obviously, he had the kickboxing accolades, but he still had to learn jiu-jitsu pretty quickly and credit to Glover Teixeira and all of those guys over there in Connecticut because they do a great job and you’re gonna see that and I think that’s a beautiful thing with this sport, especially as it continues to grow.

What comes next for Alex Pereira remains to be seen. All signs point toward an inevitable showdown with Jamahal Hill once ‘Sweet Dreams’ recovers from a ruptured Achilles he sustained over the summer. However, the former GLORY Kickboxing champion recently expressed interest in going for a third world title, potentially challenging interim UFC heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall at the promotion’s next big milestone event, UFC 300.

Do you want to see Alex Pereira go for a third piece of UFC hardware at the mega-sized event on April 13?

Watch the full exclusive interview below:

Exclusive – The Schmo Looks at Potential Opponents for Conor McGregor’s Rumored UFC 300 Return

Conor McGregorThe Schmo believes UFC 300 has to be the return date for Conor McGregor. It’s been well over two…

Conor McGregor

The Schmo believes UFC 300 has to be the return date for Conor McGregor.

It’s been well over two years since fight fans have seen the Irishman strap on the four-ounce gloves for a scrap inside the Octagon, but that hasn’t stopped rumors from dropping about his “greatest comeback in combat sport’s history” every single week.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, renowned mixed martial arts journalist The Schmo, shared his take on McGregor’s impact on the sport, even with his lengthy absence.

“When you think of combat sports, when you think of the UFC, you think of Conor McGregor,” The Schmo said. “He is the biggest star of the sport. He is the Michael Jordan and it’s not even close. In terms of star power. In terms of popularity. When people think of UFC, they think of Conor McGregor and he has not been active in the past couple of years, but every single time somebody wants to discuss big fights, his name gets brought up. He could find anyone and the arena would be sold out. That’s the brand that he’s built. He’s larger than life.”

UFC CEO Dana White has given his guarantee that Conor McGregor will return to the Octagon in 2024, though he has not provided any details beyond that. With the promotion’s next big milestone event right around the corner, everyone, including The Schmo, believes that there is only one event big enough to host the Irishman’s first fight since 2021.

“I think that, personally, UFC 300 has got to be the date for Conor McGregor [to return],” he said. “It just truly has to be. You can’t have UFC 300 and not have Conor McGregor. Especially when he didn’t fight in 2023.”

The former two-division titleholder was initially sidelined after suffering a brutal leg break in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

“His injury was gruesome,” The Schmo said. “Chris Weidman’s injury was gruesome. Anderson Silva’s injury was gruesome. These are very difficult things to overcome and it just took a little bit more time than people anticipated, plus the whole USADA situation. That plays a role in the whole thing.“

The Schmo Believes Michael Chandler will be Conor McGregor’s UFC 300 Opponent

Even if McGregor’s return at UFC 300 is a foregone conclusion at this point, there’s still the question of who he will fight. He has been long-linked to a clash with former Bellator lightweight world champion Michael Chandler, but some seem to believe that the UFC will go for something a bit bigger.

“I personally still believe Conor McGregor fights at UFC 300 and I lean toward Michael Chandler [being his opponent], but if somebody swoops in there, I’m not gonna be surprised if they make the Nate Diaz trilogy,” he added. I don’t think the fourth fight with Dustin Poirier is there right now. I think that fight’s always there, but not for UFC 300. I think it’s Chandler or it’s the trilogy.”

Watch the full exclusive interview below:

Exclusive: The Schmo believes Conor McGregor’s last fight could be trilogy bout with Nate Diaz at UFC 300

Conor McGregorMMA journalist Dave Schmulenson, better known by fight fans as The Schmo believes Conor McGregor only has one fight left in him before walking away from mixed martial arts altogether. It’s been more than two years since the Irishman suffered a devastating leg break in the opening round of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier […]

Conor McGregor

MMA journalist Dave Schmulenson, better known by fight fans as The Schmo believes Conor McGregor only has one fight left in him before walking away from mixed martial arts altogether.

It’s been more than two years since the Irishman suffered a devastating leg break in the opening round of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Since then, McGregor has managed to keep his name in the headlines by calling out practically every fighter on the roster whilst continually insisting that his return to the Octagon is imminent. Originally, fans expected to see the former two-division titleholder back in action in December at UFC 296, but after failing to re-enter the USADA testing pool for a required six months of pre-fight screening, his comeback was pushed back to sometime in 2024.

As for his opponent, many assume it will be former Bellator champion Michael Chandler, the man McGregor competed against during his stint as a coach on the 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter. However, that is certainly not the only option.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive, The Schmo suggested that McGregor will likely return for one big final fight at UFC 300 next year which could very well be against Michael Chandler. But it’s also possible that the Irishman may book himself a long-awaited trilogy fight with Nate Diaz for his UFC swan song.

“Is Conor McGregor gonna fight Michael Chandler or is Conor McGregor going to come back and have the Nate Diaz trilogy? I truly feel like if Conor McGregor comes back to the UFC, he’s got one fight left and is it going to be [Michael Chandler] or is it going to be the trilogy with Nate Diaz, which he’s always promised?

“What’s going to be super interesting to watch is UFC 300 is around the corner and that is a huge deal. Going to fall in April, or March at the earliest, and what are they going to do there? Because if Conor McGregor is on the [UFC] 300 fight card, he’s the main event. What are they going to do? They’re not going to stack it with title fights. Or on the flip side, do they stake with title fights and they have three or four title fights for UFC 300? Then Conor McGregor wouldn’t be on that card.”

Diaz and McGregor first competed at UFC 296 in 2016 with the ‘Stockton Samurai’ scoring a second-round submission. Five months later, the pair would run it back at UFC 202 with ‘The Notorious’ earning a majority decision victory to even the series at 1-1.

If The Schmo’s words prove to be true and McGregor only has one fight left, would you rather it be against ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler or familiar foe Nate Diaz?

Exclusive: The Schmo praises Charles Oliveira’s ability to bounce back: ‘There’s something so special about him’

Charles OliveiraRenowned MMA journalist The Schmo would never bet against former UFC lightweight champ Charles Oliveira. On October 21, ‘Do Bronx’ will attempt to once again claim the 155-pound title as he challenges reigning champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 294, emanating from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Their highly anticipated title rematch […]

Charles Oliveira

Renowned MMA journalist The Schmo would never bet against former UFC lightweight champ Charles Oliveira.

On October 21, ‘Do Bronx’ will attempt to once again claim the 155-pound title as he challenges reigning champion Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 294, emanating from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Their highly anticipated title rematch will come almost exactly one year removed from their first meeting. On that night, Oliveira suffered a disastrous second-round submission loss to the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ but has since bounced back with a convincing first-round TKO against top-10 contender Beneil Dariush.

Speaking with Mike Owens in a LowKick MMA exclusive interview, Dave Schmulenson, better known by MMA fans as The Schmo, spoke about Charles Oliveira’s impressive ability to come back from a devastating defeat, something that ‘Do Bronx’ has been doing throughout his entire career.

“If you look at Charles Oliveira, he’s the epitome of why combat sports are the greatest sports on the planet,” Schmulenson said. “He’s what makes the UFC brilliant. It’s that anyone can win on any given night and so many people… Look at all the dog fights. Look at the [Dustin] Poirier fight. Look at the [Justin] Gaethje fight. Look at the Michael Chandler fight. Everybody was writing off Charles Oliveira and he had moments in all those fights where you thought he’d get beat.

“For him to come, do what he does, finish fights, and do it in spectacular fashion. He’s got this aura about it. There’s something so special about him and even as I’ve interviewed him as The Schmo and we don’t speak the same language and there’s translators communicating, I’ve always felt an aura with him. A sense of confidence and this greater human achieving greater things and that’s why I say I would not doubt Charles Oliveira. I would not bet against Charles Oliveira because there’s just something so special about him.

“I’m very interested to see how this fight goes and I do know that Islam Makhachev is truly the real deal.”

Can Charles Oliveira Make Another Big Come Back at UFC 294?

Considered by many as the greatest lightweight in the history of the division, Charles Oliveira has seen his fair share of setbacks inside the Octagon. ‘Do Bronx’ has been finished eight times in his UFC career, but after dropping four out of six between 2015 and 2017, Oliveira saw a massive career resurgence, scoring 11 straight wins with only one of those victories coming by way of a decision.

During that run, Oliveira claimed the vacant lightweight title with a big win over Michael Chandler but tragically lost the belt on the scale after weighing in heavy for his UFC 274 scrap with Justin Gaethje. ‘Do Bronx’ went on to win the fight against Gaethje, but would come up short in his bid to reclaim the 155-pound crown against Makhachev at UFC 280.

Will Charles Oliveira solve the puzzle his second time around, or will the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ continue his reign of terror over the lightweight division?

Dana White Explains Why Conor McGregor Is Still In The UFC Rankings

Dana WhiteUFC President Dana White was interviewed by The Schmo after yesterday’s UFC 252 Press Conference and was asked about Conor Mcgregor’s status being in the rankings, while Henry Cejudo is not, since they are both technically retired. White went on to explain, “I think Cejudo probably dropped out of the USADA testing pool and Conor […]

Dana White

UFC President Dana White was interviewed by The Schmo after yesterday’s UFC 252 Press Conference and was asked about Conor Mcgregor’s status being in the rankings, while Henry Cejudo is not, since they are both technically retired.

White went on to explain, “I think Cejudo probably dropped out of the USADA testing pool and Conor Mcgregor didnt.”

The Schmo and Dana White talked about a multitude of topics, including The UFC 252 Presser, Jon Jones, future heavyweight title fight, Francis Ngannou, Munhoz vs Edgar, Khabib vs GSP, and more. Check out the video below!

Do you think Conor McGregor is really retired If He’s Still In The USADA Testing Pool?

The Schmo Challenges Ariel Helwani To Charity Grappling Match (Video)

Mixed martial arts (MMA) reporter, The Schmo, wants to challenge longtime MMA journalist Ariel Helwani of ESPN in a grappling match. Schmo, who burst onto the MMA scene over the past year with his entertaining and unique interviews, took to his Twitter account to call Helwani out. The challenge is for a 165-pound charity grappling […]

The post The Schmo Challenges Ariel Helwani To Charity Grappling Match (Video) appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Mixed martial arts (MMA) reporter, The Schmo, wants to challenge longtime MMA journalist Ariel Helwani of ESPN in a grappling match.

Schmo, who burst onto the MMA scene over the past year with his entertaining and unique interviews, took to his Twitter account to call Helwani out. The challenge is for a 165-pound charity grappling match, with the winner winning $25,000 for a charity of their choice.

“The Schmo Challenges @arielhelwani to 165 Lbs Charity Grappling Match. Tag Everyone you can if you want to see this happen”

If Helwani can’t make 165 pounds, Schmo is willing to bulk up to meet him at 185 pounds. Here’s what he had to say (H/T BJPenn.com)

“Whats up World! The holidays are quickly approaching and it’s time to give you fans what you’ve all been looking for. The Schmo is challenging Ariel Helwani to a 165-pound charity grappling competition. $25000 to the charity of the winner’s choice. If Ariel can’t make 165 pounds, The Schmo will bulk up to 185 pounds,” The Schmo said.

“If you’re an MMA fan, and this cat Ariel has snubbed you for a photo, or done you wrong, speak up! If you’re an MMA fighter and this cat Ariel has caused beef, speak up!

“The time is now. It’s time to put some respec’ on the Schmo brand, Ariel! You have 48 hours to respond. If you beat The Schmo, The Schmo will be done covering the UFC. The Schmo vs ‘The Nose!’”

The Schmo has interviewed some of the biggest names in MMA as of late, bringing fans interviews with Dana White, Georges St-Pierre, Tony Ferguson, Tyson Fury, Jorge Masvidal, and more.

As for Helwani, he is a staple in MMA journalism, currently working for ESPN and making quite a name for himself over the years. It will be interesting to see if Helwani accepts Schmo’s challenge.

Do you think Helwani will accept The Schmo’s challenge?

 

The post The Schmo Challenges Ariel Helwani To Charity Grappling Match (Video) appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.