While many in the MMA community are focused on this weekend’s Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping fight and next weekend’s UFC 196 main event between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones are reminding…
While many in the MMA community are focused on this weekend’s Anderson Silva vs. Michael Bisping fight and next weekend’s UFC 196 main event between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones are reminding fans about the upcoming rematch of one of the biggest grudge matches of 2015.
While the biggest grudge match of 2015 would have to be considered Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo, the Jones-Cormier showdown in January wasn’t far behind at all. In fact, when 2015 began, it seemed impossible to top the pre-fight tension shared between “Bones” Jones and D.C.
With 2016 still getting started, there are a host of grudge matches already scheduled, two of which will come and go within the next 8 days with UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping scheduled for this Saturday evening and UFC 196: McGregor vs. Diaz taking place next Saturday.
Having said that, Jones and Cormier are back at each other’s throats on social media, with each man taking shots at the other recently.
The latest round of pre-fight trash-talk began when the following post was made, with Jones mocking the fact that D.C. is referred to as the “undisputed” UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Obviously this is in reference to the fact that Cormier won a vacant title that was only up for grabs because Jones was stripped of the title for his personal hit-and-run incident as opposed to losing a fight inside the Octagon.
While it took a few days to respond, Cormier acknowledged Jones’ social media meme in one post where he pointed out that his family showed him the photo as a way to explain his tardy response before ultimately firing back with a visual shot of his own.
Cormier took Jones’ crack about his championship status one-level further, as he went the personal route in taking a shot at Jones’ claims that he is now sober. The recognized UFC 205-pound champion posted the following:
A photo posted by Daniel "DC" Cormier (@dc_mma) on
UFC 197: Cormier vs. Jones II is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 23, 2016. Make sure to visit MMANews.com on 4/23 for the best live UFC 197 round-by-round results coverage on the web!
On this week’s edition of “Inside MMA,” Bellator President Scott Coker broke some news about signing another very familiar name to UFC fans.
Coker appeared on the AXS TV program on the Friday, February 5th episode and …
http://youtu.be/ThCv2s3ReBA
On this week’s edition of “Inside MMA,” Bellator President Scott Coker broke some news about signing another very familiar name to UFC fans.
Coker appeared on the AXS TV program on the Friday, February 5th episode and announced that breakout fan-favorite from the very first season of The Ultimate Fighter — Chris Leben — has officially signed with the Spike TV-based MMA promotion.
Following the announcement, which you can view above, “The Crippler” himself took to social media to amp fans up in anticipation of his return to the MMA world.
Leben joins former UFC and WEC Lightweight Champion “Smooth” Benson Henderson as the second fighter Bellator signed this week.
Leben tweeted the following about making an MMA comeback in Bellator:
Following the UFC Fight Night 81 event, which saw Dominick Cruz recapture the UFC Bantamweight Championship that he never lost in the Octagon with a decision victory over T.J. Dillashaw in his second comeback fight in the past few years, the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission has released the reported salaries paid to fighters on the card.
As seen below, the winners have two dollar amounts listed, as they received their contracted “show purses” as well as their contracted “win bonuses” for getting the victory. Their opponents obviously receive only their “show purses.”
It’s important to note that the following salaries are strictly those reported to the local state athletic commission, and do not include the discretionary post-fight bonuses, non-Reebok sponsorship money some fighters make, pay-per-view points or other income that is not reported to the commission.
UFC Fight Night 81 took place on Sunday, January 17, 2016 from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Main Card (FOX Sports 1)
Dominick Cruz ($55,000 + $55,000 = $110,000) def. T.J. Dillashaw ($70,000)
Eddie Alvarez ($100,000 + no win bonus = $100,000) def. Anthony Pettis ($80,000)
Travis Browne ($60,000 + $60,000 = $120,000) def. Matt Mitrione ($36,000)
Francisco Trinaldo ($27,000 + $27,000 = $54,000) def. Ross Pearson ($48,000)
Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1)
Patrick Cote ($43,000 + $43,000 = $86,000) def. Ben Saunders ($18,000)
Ed Herman ($47,000 + $47,000 = $94,000) def. Tim Boetsch ($52,000)
Chris Wade ($17,000 + $17,000 = $34,000) def. Mehdi Baghdad ($12,000)
Luke Sanders ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Maximo Blanco ($25,000)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Paul Felder ($18,000 + $18,000 = $36,000)def. Daron Cruickshank ($20,000)
Ilir Latifi ($22,000 + $22,000 = $44,000) def. Sean O’Connell ($18,000)
Charles Rosa ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Kyle Bochniak ($10,000)
Rob Font ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Joey Gomez ($10,000)
Francimar Barroso ($15,000 + $15,000 = $30,000) def. Elvis Mutapcic ($16,000)
Following the UFC Fight Night 81 event, which saw Dominick Cruz recapture the UFC Bantamweight Championship that he never lost in the Octagon with a decision victory over T.J. Dillashaw in his second comeback fight in the past few years, the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission has released the reported salaries paid to fighters on the card.
As seen below, the winners have two dollar amounts listed, as they received their contracted “show purses” as well as their contracted “win bonuses” for getting the victory. Their opponents obviously receive only their “show purses.”
It’s important to note that the following salaries are strictly those reported to the local state athletic commission, and do not include the discretionary post-fight bonuses, non-Reebok sponsorship money some fighters make, pay-per-view points or other income that is not reported to the commission.
UFC Fight Night 81 took place on Sunday, January 17, 2016 from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Main Card (FOX Sports 1)
Dominick Cruz ($55,000 + $55,000 = $110,000) def. T.J. Dillashaw ($70,000)
Eddie Alvarez ($100,000 + no win bonus = $100,000) def. Anthony Pettis ($80,000)
Travis Browne ($60,000 + $60,000 = $120,000) def. Matt Mitrione ($36,000)
Francisco Trinaldo ($27,000 + $27,000 = $54,000) def. Ross Pearson ($48,000)
Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1)
Patrick Cote ($43,000 + $43,000 = $86,000) def. Ben Saunders ($18,000)
Ed Herman ($47,000 + $47,000 = $94,000) def. Tim Boetsch ($52,000)
Chris Wade ($17,000 + $17,000 = $34,000) def. Mehdi Baghdad ($12,000)
Luke Sanders ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Maximo Blanco ($25,000)
Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Paul Felder ($18,000 + $18,000 = $36,000)def. Daron Cruickshank ($20,000)
Ilir Latifi ($22,000 + $22,000 = $44,000) def. Sean O’Connell ($18,000)
Charles Rosa ($12,000 + $12,000 = $24,000) def. Kyle Bochniak ($10,000)
Rob Font ($10,000 + $10,000 = $20,000) def. Joey Gomez ($10,000)
Francimar Barroso ($15,000 + $15,000 = $30,000) def. Elvis Mutapcic ($16,000)
Former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen recently interviewed former women’s boxing mega-star and the daughter of “The Greatest Of All-Time” Muhammad Ali — Laila Ali — for a new episode of “Beyond The Fight” this week. …
https://youtu.be/Fjw4zqO6LyU
Former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen recently interviewed former women’s boxing mega-star and the daughter of “The Greatest Of All-Time” Muhammad Ali — Laila Ali — for a new episode of “Beyond The Fight” this week. The former undefeated women’s boxing champion got the attention of the MMA world by making a bold prediction for a potential Holly Holm vs. Ronda Rousey rematch.
According to Laila, the big reasons why Rousey was picked apart and ultimately knocked out inside of two rounds was due to a few factors, including what Ali alluded to being a false sense of confidence on Rousey’s part in her belief that she was the best fighter in the world, a lack of respect for Holm’s striking ability in particular, and an extreme lack of head movement during standup exchanges.
“I personally do not think that she’ll beat Holly Holm [in a rematch],” said Ali during the interview with Chael Sonnen, which you can listen to via the video player embedded above. “I think that if she fought her again, then the same thing and worse will happen. Holly Holm was just getting warmed up. You know what I’m saying? She was just getting warmed up. She had nerves, too. This was her big moment.”
Ali continued, explaining how she could tell almost immediately that Rousey wasn’t going to beat Holm in their first meeting at UFC 193 last November, despite the fact that Holm was one of the biggest betting underdogs in MMA history going into the Octagon at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
“I noticed right away when the fight started, I was like, ‘She doesn’t have any head movement,'” Ali said. “She came straight in and she got busted in the face so many times where she had a bloody nose.
“I saw that the girl she fought wasn’t really a challenge for her, but I was able to see her mistakes. Not moving your head is a big mistake when you’re getting into the ring with someone who has a boxing background.”
Additionally, Ali echoed post-fight sentiments shared by many fans, as well as many people who are personally involved in the sport of MMA in regards to Ronda Rousey not being as good as people thought, but rather a product of the UFC’s excellent promoting abilities mixed with a weak level of opposition in Women’s MMA.
“People hype fighters up, but at the end of the day, what did Ronda Rousey have? 12 fights, something like that,” Ali said. “And they’re calling her the best fighter ever, and I see that she truly believes that about herself.
“You’re only as good as the opposition you face. There were some girls out there I never had the opportunity to face. But I saw Ronda Rousey kind of act like she really does believe that she’s the best female fighter in the world. I was thinking, wow, she hasn’t even faced some of the other girls that are considered to be the best.”
With UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor challenging for a second title against UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos and Holly Holm making the first defense of her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship against Miesha Tate, it would seem like…
With UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor challenging for a second title against UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos and Holly Holm making the first defense of her UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship against Miesha Tate, it would seem like UFC 196 couldn’t possibly get any bigger — until now.
On Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight, MMAFighting.com journalist Ariel Helwani reported that UFC Hall Of Famer BJ Penn “guarantees” he will be making his Octagon return at the event scheduled for March 5th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Coincidentally enough, outside of Randy Couture, Penn is the only fighter to ever become a champion in two different UFC weight classes, something McGregor will be attempting — with his own twist (as he won’t be relinquishing the 145-pound title even if he beats Dos Anjos) — in the main event of the very show that “The Prodigy” will be returning on.
While nothing has been announced at this point, the belief is Penn will not be fighting Nik Lentz in his comeback fight despite their vicious back-and-forth insults and challenges, as Lentz overplayed his hand in negotiations for the fight by compiling an unreasonable list of demands that he said must be met before he would accept what would clearly be the highest-profile fight in his MMA career.
With Lentz seemingly out of the running, the talk right now is that Penn will make his UFC fighting return against Dennis Siver. Once again the coincidences between Penn and McGregor are evident, as “The Notorious” Irishman also fought Siver in what was considered a “tune-up” fight before ultimately challenging Chad Mendes for the interim UFC Featherweight Championship due to then-undisputed champion Jose Aldo pulling out of their scheduled title fight. With names like Nik Lentz and Dennis Siver popping up as potential opponents, one would have to consider Penn’s first trip back to the Octagon as a “tune-up” fight as well.
UFC 196: Dos Anjos vs. McGregor is scheduled to take place live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, March 5, 2016. Make sure to visit MMANews.com for the absolute fastest and most-detailed live UFC 196 results coverage on the web!
Ronda Rousey’s head coach, Edmond Tarverdyan was handed down a three-month suspension and $5,000 fine from the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) this week.
Tarverdyan was arrested back in 2010 on two felony counts of identity theft and one…
Ronda Rousey’s head coach, Edmond Tarverdyan was handed down a three-month suspension and $5,000 fine from the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) this week.
Tarverdyan was arrested back in 2010 on two felony counts of identity theft and one count of resisting arrest, however the Glendale Fighting Club trainer marked “no” where it asks if you have ever had any criminal offenses on the application for his corner man license filed in the state on April 2, 2015.
Two weeks ago, Tarverdyan’s license was revoked due to the offense, and this week it was decided that he will also serve a three-month suspension with an additional three-year probationary period, and will be forced to pay a fine of $5,000.
Half of the $5k fine is for falsifying his corner man application with the commission, while the other half is for “discrediting boxing and/or mixed martial arts.”
While Tarverdyan has yet to publicly comment on the situation, he did make the following comments in a statement filed with the CSAC before his punishment was handed down this week:
“I want to first and foremost apologize to Executive Officer Andy Foster and the honorable commissioners. I take my position and role in combat sports very seriously, and I regret if this matter has caused any embarrassment to the California State Athletic Commission.
“In my life, I have not concealed my past indiscretions from people I come into contact with. And I do not want to do so in this instance. I train many young athletes and when I see that they are heading down the wrong path in life, I often remind them of the mistakes and regrets of my past as a way to guide them onto the right track in life. I hope to continue to take the opportunity to help others in combat sports to make the correct moral and ethical decisions in their lives. And I intend to make the correct decisions in my life as well.”
