He may be campaigning for yet another shot at 170 pounds, but Kelvin Gastelum may be adding another top-ranked middleweight to his record early next year. The rising 185-pound fighter, who was forced to go up to middleweight after he badly missed the welterweight limit of 171 pounds once again prior to his scheduled bout with
He may be campaigning for yet another shot at 170 pounds, but Kelvin Gastelum may be adding another top-ranked middleweight to his record early next year.
The rising 185-pound fighter, who was forced to go up to middleweight after he badly missed the welterweight limit of 171 pounds once again prior to his scheduled bout with Donald Cerrone at November 12’s UFC 205, promptly took a short-notice bout with longtime veteran Tim Kennedy and parlayed it into the biggest win of his MMA career.
According to a report from Combate, however, Gastelum may have the opportunity to top even his win over Kennedy if rumors prove true he will face former UFC champ Vitor Belfort at the March 11, 2017 Fight Night event from Fortaleza, Brazil. The rumored bout is the only one to have been discussed for the card.
If it indeed proves true, Belfort will have an uphill climb to get back to the nigh-indestructible form he once exhibited during a torrid, TRT-enhanced run to a title shot in 2013. Belfort has lost two straight and three of his last fights by TKO, absorbing one-sided defeats to Ronaldo Souza and Gegard Mousasi at UFC 198 and UFC 204 this year. He seemed to hint at retirement following his loss to “The Dreamcatcher” in Manchester in early October, but rapidly backtracked on the a cryptic social media post to say he would fight on.
Putting the proverbial train back on the tracks will be a challenge against Gastelum, however, The Ultimate fighter (TUF) 17 winner whose only losses came to current welterweight titleholder Tyron Woodley and Neil Magny, each by split decision. His weight management issues his most glaring obstacle, Gastelum also owns wins over former welterweight champion John Hendricks and former middleweight title contender Nate Marquardt.
Securing a win over a time-tested legend like Belfort would certainly plant Gastelum in the thick of the talented middleweight talent pool, making a third run at welterweight – where he’s missed weight three times – extremely unlikely.
Stay tuned for more news and updates about this bout and the March 11 card from Fortaleza.
UFC welterweight champ Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley is continuing his requests for super-fights now that he has successfully defended his 170-pound title against top welterweight contender Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Woodley and Thompson battled it out in a five round war at UFC 205 last month, to which the bout was scored a majority draw
UFC welterweight champ Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley is continuing his requests for super-fights now that he has successfully defended his 170-pound title against top welterweight contender Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
Woodley and Thompson battled it out in a five round war at UFC 205 last month, to which the bout was scored a majority draw and Woodley would retain his title. While the UFC and Thompson seem to be set on an immediate rematch between the two, Woodley seems to have other ideas.
‘The Chosen One’ took to Twitter to throw his name in the hat to throw-down on the upcoming UFC 209 pay-per-view (PPV) card in March, and he wants to share the Octagon with a man who holds those three numbers rather close to his heart:
Nick Diaz has just wrapped up his suspension handed to him by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for his controversial failed drug test in 2015. Diaz served an 18-month suspension and came to an agreement with the NSAC regarding his fine that had to be paid, allowing him to resume all combat sports-related activities immediately.
While some contenders still lurk in the UFC’s welterweight division, including jiu jitsu specialist Demian Maia and ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson as well, Woodley is adamant in the fact that he is not attempting to ‘duck’ either one of those competitors:
Is a match-up between Woodley and Diaz something you’d like to see? Or does a title bout between ‘The Chosen One’ and either Maia or Thompson make more sense?
UFC 209 goes down live on pay-per-view (PPV) from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 4, 2017.
Conor McGregor’s fighting future is currently a cloudy mess. After adding the UFC lightweight title to his collection that already includes the UFC featherweight title at Nov. 12’s UFC 205, McGregor made it clear that he had a plethora of options waiting for him, although it was also said that he likely wouldn’t fight until
Conor McGregor’s fighting future is currently a cloudy mess.
After adding the UFC lightweight title to his collection that already includes the UFC featherweight title at Nov. 12’s UFC 205, McGregor made it clear that he had a plethora of options waiting for him, although it was also said that he likely wouldn’t fight until the spring due to the fact that he has a baby on the way.
On option that the brash Irishman discussed was the possibility of jumping up to welterweight and fighting 170-pound champion Tyron Woodley in hopes of winning a third title in a third different wait class.
Many have laughed McGregor’s talk of this possibility off, but his longtime coach John Kavanagh doesn’t agree with what the masses are saying:
“I don’t see why not,” Kavanagh said on The MMA Hour. “I don’t know. Maybe it won’t happen. We’ve got so many irons in the fire at this stage. But I don’t see what other people are saying, ‘There’s no way Conor can touch this guy.’ There is. No one is perfect. There’s openings there. Of course, he’s a bigger man, he’s got more power and you’ve gotta be super careful. But Conor trains with big guys like this. I see him do amazing things in the gym all the time.”
The two fighters appeared to have some tension between them during the lead-up to UFC 205 where Woodley also fought. In fact, “The Chosen One” said after the event that he would sign on to face the “Notorious” one.
Woodley would undoubtedly be the bigger man if the the bout were to actually materialize, but Kavanagh feels as if McGregor beating the 170-pound champion is very ‘doable’:
“He’s not enormous,” the coach said. “He’s not some Goliath man. He’s a little bit bigger. Conor would have reach on him, he would have technique on him in the striking, for sure. He’d have to of course deal with that power. … I certainly don’t in my head go, ‘Oh my God, no. We couldn’t possibly beat him.’ It’s a doable fight.”
John Kavanagh, trainer of current two-division UFC World Champion Conor McGregor gave his take on a potential showdown of champions against the man “The Notorious” had a brief encounter with, leading to an immediate war …
Following their pair of encounters in New York and their performances at the debut event in the state earlier this month, a lot of fans have spoken about the possibility of the two fighting and the conclusion drawn by the majority is that “The Chosen One” would be just too big for “The Notorious” to overcome. To go one step further, many have even suggested Woodley would have an easy time handling McGregor.
Kavanagh doesn’t agree.
“I don’t see why not,” said the SBG Ireland head coach on Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani” at MMAFighting.com. “I don’t know, maybe it won’t happen. We’ve got so many irons in the fire at this stage.”
Regarding the perspective amongst fans and media members who feel the fight would be a mismatch in favor of the larger UFC Welterweight Champion, Kavanagh said he doesn’t see what they do when envisioning the matchup. In fact, he pointed out the fact that he has personally seen the Irish mega-star handle bigger guys in the gym, while admitting that they would still need to be “super careful” of Woodley’s power.
“There’s no way Conor can touch this guy,” Kavanagh said, referencing some of the comments he has heard from those who feel Woodley is the easy favorite in the potential dream bout. “There is [a way], no one is perfect. There’s openings there.”
Kavanagh continued, “Of course, he’s a bigger man, he’s got more power and you’ve gotta be super careful, but Conor trains with big guys like this. I see him do amazing things in the gym all the time.”
Regarding the timeline for a potential showdown of three of UFC’s ten current overall champions, it would be late-2017 at the earliest, if the UFC and the parties involved all go that direction.
In the case of McGregor, he is currently on a hiatus from the fight game to be with his better-half while the couple awaits the birth of their first child due in May.
In Woodley’s case, he is reportedly scheduled to duke it out with dangerous striker Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in an immediate rematch of their UFC 205 “Fight of the Night” at UFC pay-per-view event in February of 2017.
Could Conor McGregor actually pull off winning a world title in a third UFC weight class? Considering all that he has accomplished already, you can’t exactly say with certainy that he couldn’t. Hopefully one day we find out.
At this point, it seems as if Conor McGregor will always have doubters, but we’ve also learned that he often silences these doubters, and he did just that at Nov. 12’s UFC 205 when he scored a dominant knockout victory over Eddie Alvarez to become the first fighter in promotional history to hold two titles
At this point, it seems as if Conor McGregor will always have doubters, but we’ve also learned that he often silences these doubters, and he did just that at Nov. 12’s UFC 205 when he scored a dominant knockout victory over Eddie Alvarez to become the first fighter in promotional history to hold two titles simultaneously.
As always, McGregor now has a lot of options waiting for him, and it’s unclear what his next move will be, but we can take the time to speculate on how his future will play out. With that being said, let’s take a look at five potential opponents who could perhaps stop the motor-mouthed Irishman:
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Starting at lightweight, McGregor could potentially next defend his newly acquired 155-pound strap against undefeated top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov, and if he does, he may have his hands full.
“The Eagle” is the owner of an incredibly impressive 24-0 professional record that includes 8 knockouts and 8 submissions. He’s also 8-0 in the UFC.
The main reason why Nurmagomedov may have a strong chance to defeat McGregor is due to his world classing grappling skill set. The Russian is without question one of the best wrestlers in the UFC, and he has found success dragging his opponents to the mat where he is relentless with ground-and-pound and submission attempts. Wrestling has always appeared to be the “Notorious” one’s weak point.
On the contrary, however, Nurmagomedov has shown that he’s hittable, and if McGregor’s left hand lands, “The Eagle” could find himself in trouble.
While UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor may have stolen the show at UFC 205 earlier this month in Madison Square Garden, the match that kept everybody at the edge of their seats took place in the evening’s co-main event in the welterweight title war between champion Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley and challenger
While UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor may have stolen the show at UFC 205 earlier this month in Madison Square Garden, the match that kept everybody at the edge of their seats took place in the evening’s co-main event in the welterweight title war between champion Tyron ‘The Chosen One’ Woodley and challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
The bout was razor close throughout its 25-minute progression, as both men showed dominant periods throughout the contest. In the end Woodley would remain champion as the fight was ruled a majority draw.
After the bout UFC President Dana White confirmed that the rematch between Woodley and Thompson was the fight to make next, despite Woodley having stated that he must first talk to his management to discuss his next options. ‘Wonderboy’ recently spoke to Submission Radio earlier this week to discuss his match with Woodley, and showed some concern over how the bout was judged:
“I knew he won the first round. He ended up taking me down off that lazy kick. He was very strong on the ground, so I knew I couldn’t get up from that position, so I knew I had to wait it out. I knew I won the second and third round, that fourth round was obviously him and the fifth round was mine as well.
“So I figured I pulled out enough to win. But you know what, he is the champion, man, and of course they gave him I think the 10-8 in the fourth – I think one judge gave him 10-8 fourth round, one judge gave him 10-8 first round, which I don’t see that on the first round. But it is what it is, and it’s gonna make this second fight even that much better when I bring that title belt back home.”
After the bout’s conclusion some controversy arose regarding the score cards as announcer Bruce Buffer first called it a win for Woodley, but would leave the cage and return to announce that it was in fact a majority draw. Thompson detailed his confusion inside the cage during the incident, stating that Dana White told him to stay inside the Octagon because it was ‘definitely’ a draw:
“In the beginning, I really didn’t see Bruce Buffer kind of go in the cage, go back out of the cage, so I was just sitting there, talking to my coaches and of course he announced that Tyron won the fight. And then I’m sitting there like what the crap? I knew I won the second, third and fifth round, I’m like going through my head. And then I look at Dana White and he’s like, “no dude, stay up in here, it was a draw, it was definitely a draw”. I’m like, okay, crap, yes man, this could definitely happen, we could definitely get another fight out of this.
“And so all those emotions were going through my head, thinking I won the fight, and then I didn’t win the fight, and then going to, hey, this is a draw, we can end up fighting again. It was chaos, to be honest with you. It was all crazy in my head. But the final judgement was that it was a draw, which means we are gonna be able to fight again. And I think the fans enjoyed the fight. I think they loved it, it was very exciting. So dude, I am so down to do it again. We’re looking at February, hopefully, to get this next title shot going.”
Thompson isn’t the only one who is being considered for the next shot at Woodley, however, as Conor McGregor has discussed moving back up to welterweight to challenge ‘The Chosen One’ for the 170-pound strap. Despite these rumblings Thompson remains unconcerned with the Irishman’s desire to enter the welterweight title picture, as he believes the UFC knows he is deserving of the next opportunity:
“Not at all, man. To be honest with you, I think the UFC knows that I deserve that title shot, that I deserve that rematch. And you know what, I think that Conor McGregor’s gotta defend the 145 and the 155 title and I just think he’s too small for the 170 division. I mean, he’s walking around right at 170, maybe a little bit less. I don’t think it would be a good division for him to step up to.”
“I think it would be a good fight no matter what. I mean, he is one of the best fighters out there and that’s what we’re out to do. We’re out to fight the best fighters in whatever division, whoever steps up. We’ll take on any challenges and I think that’s what fighters do. If you’re a champion or not, you should take on all challenges and I think it would be a good fight. I think the fans would tune in to see who would win.”
Although he doesn’t think the SBG Ireland product belongs in the talent-stacked 170-pound weight division, he does credit ‘The Notorious One’ for laying the groundwork for a possible feud with Woodley in the future:
“I think it’s very smart, very intelligent for him. I mean, he’s already out there talking trash to Tyron and doing his thing, doing what Conor McGregor does. I mean, just think about it – a few years ago, he was living in his car, he had no money. Now he’s a multi-millionaire. Hats off to that guy.
I’m happy for that guy. A lot of people look down on people who are successful, but Conor McGregor is successful because he runs his mouth and he knows how to put on a show. I mean, look at his press conferences. I mean, come on. People show up just to see him just act nuts. Hats off to that guy, he’s a very intelligent, very smart guy.”
Thompson is looking to take some time off to recover from his five round war with Woodley, and hopefully return in February to get his rematch with the welterweight champ. You can check out ‘Wonderboy’s’ full interview with Submission Radio here:
![6038584092262400[1]](http://cdn.lowkickmma.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/60385840922624001.jpg)
Thompson isn’t the only one who is being considered for the next shot at Woodley, however, as Conor McGregor has discussed moving back up to welterweight to challenge ‘The Chosen One’ for the 170-pound strap. Despite these rumblings Thompson remains unconcerned with the Irishman’s desire to enter the welterweight title picture, as he believes the UFC knows he is deserving of the next opportunity: