Lightweight contenders Pat Healy and Khabib Nurmagomedov have verbally agreed to face off at UFC 165 on Sept. 21, according to Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting.
Russian MMA media outlet Valetudo.ru initially reported the news and Helwani subsequently…
Russian MMA media outlet Valetudo.ru initially reported the news and Helwani subsequently confirmed the matchup with “sources close to the event.”
Healy put the UFC’s lightweight division on notice when he choked out highly regarded grappler Jim Miller in his Octagon debut at UFC 159 in April.
Unfortunately for “Bam Bam,” he tested positive for marijuana after the event, and the win was overturned to a no-contest.
Healy served a 90-day suspension and missed out on $130,000 in bonus money, as the victory initially earned him both “Submission of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” honors, via Mookie Alexander of Bloody Elbow.
Despite the mishap, Healy remains a serious threat at 155 pounds, boasting a seven-fight unbeaten streak and is currently ranked as the No. 9 best lightweight in the world in the UFC’s official ratings.
He faces a serious test in “The Eagle,” who is a perfect 20-0 in his professional MMA career, including four straight wins under the UFC banner.
Known for having a plethora of highlight-reel worthy takedowns, the Russian fighter was recently campaigning for a fight with BJ Penn. He also said he’d settle for a bout with TJ Grant, according toThomas Gerbasi of UFC.com. However, those matchups aren’t in the cards right now.
UFC 165 takes place at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown title fight between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson.
It is not immediately clear where Healy vs. Nurmagomedov will take place on the fight card, but odds are the key lightweight showdown would find a spot on the main card.
JohnHeinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
I don’t like it, but I’ll do it.
That seemed to be the thinking of Brendan Schaub and Matt Mitrione when the UFC matchmakers asked if they would be interested in fighting each other on the UFC on Fox 8 fight card.
The reason the two heavywe…
I don’t like it, but I’ll do it.
That seemed to be the thinking of Brendan Schaub and Matt Mitrione when the UFC matchmakers asked if they would be interested in fighting each other on the UFC on Fox 8 fight card.
The reason the two heavyweights, who became friendly during filming for season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter, needed to say yes to the fight was simple: They’re both coming off of wins, and they’re both outside the top 10 in the division. The fight made sense to the UFC, and it made sense to the fighters, so it was booked.
Unfortunately, a training camp injury suffered by Mitrione caused the bout to be removed from the July 27 Fox card.
Oh, and that pesky friendship thing? Yeah that seems like it’ll no longer be a concern after a Twitter fallout between the fighters ended with Mitrione calling Schaub “Benedict Arnold.”
Mitrione (6-2) enters the fight coming off a 19-second knockout victory over Phil De Fries at UFC on Fuel TV 9. More recently, though, he is remembered as the fighter who was suspended and fined by the UFC for transphobic comments he made about transgender fighter Fallon Fox.
Meanwhile, Schaub (9-3) is coming off a unanimous-decision victory over Lavar Johnson at UFC 157.
The victories ended two-fight losing streaks for both fighters.
A UFC light heavyweight title fight will be the main event at UFC 165. Champion Jon Jones will put his title on the line against No. 2 ranked Alexander Gustafsson.
After seeing Jon Jones’ pre-camp picture, it’s safe to say the UFC light heavyweight champ has a lot of work to do in preparation for Alexander Gustafsson.
Jones, who is known for packing on pounds between camps, tweeted a photo of himself …
After seeing Jon Jones’ pre-camp picture, it’s safe to say the UFC light heavyweight champ has a lot of work to do in preparation for Alexander Gustafsson.
Jones, who is known for packing on pounds between camps, tweeted a photo of himself on Monday posing with a massive chunk of flab on his midsection and a huge grin on his face.
The photo has elicited some fairly entertaining responses from Jones’ followers, including UFC middleweight Derek Brunson.
In two months, Jones will be defending the light heavyweight title against Gustafsson at UFC 165.
The MMA world is already on edge after Anderson Silva’s shocking loss to Chris Weidman. Jones’ tweet will likely raise eyebrows and draw out questions of whether or not he’s taking Gustafsson seriously.
Since his loss to Phil Davis back in April 2010, Gustafsson has rebounded to take the UFC light heavyweight division by storm. He is currently riding a six-fight win streak and coming off a lopsided unanimous decision victory over former UFC champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Jones being so out of shape could have something to do with lingering issues from the gruesome toe injury he suffered in his UFC 159 win over ChaelSonnen. During a press conference for UFC 165, Jones admitted that his toe wasn’t completely healed, and he still needed to wear a boxing boot while training to limit any chances of a setback.
He also spoke about Silva’s loss and how it served as a reality check for his approach and preparation for Gustafsson:
“It actually motivates me a lot to watch somebody who I look up to like that lose. It’s just like a reality check. I try to keep my ego in check when it comes to the fight game, and watching Anderson lose like that … First of all, it’s something I would never do, put my hands down like that and try to fight my opponent that way. But watching Chris Weidman’s dream come true, I have to make sure that I continue to be a dream crusher. So that’s what I’m going to do.”
Time will tell if Jones stays true to his word. He still has a couple of months to get everything in order.
Eddie Wineland is a throwback to a different era.
The former WEC bantamweight champion and current UFC interim title contender moves along to the beat of his own drum and has proven to be a difficult man to shake from his course. As his decade-long tra…
Eddie Wineland is a throwback to a different era.
The former WEC bantamweight champion and current UFC interim title contender moves along to the beat of his own drum and has proven to be a difficult man to shake from his course. As his decade-long track record has shown, Wineland has been susceptible to stylistic mismatches and savvy game plans, but his ingrained drive to bring the scrap has never been in question and is what sets him apart as one of the toughest men in a sport filled with “tough guys.”
Where other fighters find their zone competing in the hectic environment of prize fighting, the Indiana native gives off a vibe which leads one to believe he would be just as comfortable sorting things out down on the waterfront or in an abandoned rail yard.
Then again, it could very well be the mustache that is giving off that vibe.
After his victory over Brad Pickett earned an interim title showdown with current strap-holder RenanBarao, the fighter/fireman committed himself to a full-blown campaign to the grow a handlebar mustache. It was Wineland‘s hat-tip to the hallowed days of bare-knuckled boxing and became an avenue of motivation as he prepared for his title fight.
But mixed martial arts is an ever-changing and uncertain landscape, and before Wineland could make good on his efforts to claim championship gold, an injury to the Brazilian phenom took the title fight clean off the table.
Rather than hang his head, shave his mustache or trade in his leopard-print training tights (he also owns tiger, cheetah and python prints) due to indifference or depression, the 29-year-old Chesterton-based fighter kept his focus on his task, despite the possibilities of his shot at gold having disappeared into the ether.
With the current state of the bantamweight division’s title-tier teetering on the verge of chaos, Barao‘s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. Champion Dominick Cruz is rumored to be gunning for a return later in the year, and if the interim champion’s layoff turned out to be of any length, Wineland‘s position as No. 1 contender would have been nonexistent.
Nevertheless, Wineland kept his focus intact, stayed on the training grind and hoping Barao would return to give him the title shot he’s been working diligently towards. And as things turned out, the Nova Uniao product received a clean bill of health and the interim title clash was rescheduled for UFC 165 on September 21 in Toronto.
It was the news Wineland had been waiting for and immediately reignited the flames of motivation.
“It was awesome,” Wineland recalled to Bleacher Report about the fight being rescheduled. “My fiance and I were out to dinner, and I never leave my phone in my car. We got back and my phone just went nuts. My manager was trying to get in touch with me, Sean Shelby, and everyone was trying to contact me and it was nuts.
“I knew they were talking about the fight happening, but whether or not it was actually going to happen wasn’t set in stone. At first they were saying it could happen in October, but the more I thought about it I knew the more and more this fight got pushed back the less likely it was actually going to happen.
“I touched base with Sean and he was talking about October, and that changed to late September. Then he asked me if I was in and obviously I was. I’m excited, man.”
While the bout becoming official has Wineland fired up and ready to go, there were several indicators leading up to the announcement that gave him reason to get excited. After Barao took to Twitter to announce his return from injury, the two surging bantamweights engaged in a back-and-forth Twitter campaign as each fighter jockeyed to lock down the fight in their respective backyards.
With the UFC committing to two cards in Brazil in the fall and the Milwaukee card approaching at UFC 164, the lobbying to lock down the fight showed the interest both fighters held to make the throwdown official. Ultimately neither location landed the fight, but Wineland was still appreciative of his opponent’s participation in the exchange:
“I think that was good on his part,” Wineland said. “He just wants to fight. Yeah, he’s interested in fighting Dominick, but he’s more interested in staying busy and defending what is his. All the respect to Renan, and I’m very grateful he took the fight.”
With the interim title clash now official, there is now a possibility that the disrepair of the bantamweight division could be sorted out in the near future. In addition to Wineland and Barao squaring off in September, Cruz is steadily moving towards his return, and a handful of potential contenders are stepping into action in the coming months, which is precisely what the 135-pound division needs to turn itself around.
“It was kind of falling apart there for a while,” Wineland offered in regard to the bantamweight fold. “I know there is talk about Dominick coming here soon, and hopefully by the time the year is out we will have a unified champion at bantamweight. I think it will be back in order, and I’m always happy to be up there at the top and right in the mix.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
A September event headlined by UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson is continuing to fill up. On Wednesday, MMAJunkie learned a bantamweight bout between Dustin Kimura and Mitch Gagnon was added to the UFC 165 fight card.
U…
A September event headlined by UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson is continuing to fill up. On Wednesday, MMAJunkie learned a bantamweight bout between Dustin Kimura and Mitch Gagnon was added to the UFC 165 fight card.
Undefeated in 10 MMA bouts, Kimura made a big impression in his UFC debut at UFC 156, submitting Chico Camus in the third round. With seven submission wins already under his belt, the 24-year-old Kimura looks to be a fighter with the potential to become one of the better grapplers in the 135-pound class.
Like Kimura, Gagnon is also coming off of his first UFC win. After losing to Bryan Caraway in his Octagon debut, Gagnon bounced back with a first-round submission victory over Walel Watson at UFC 152.
By the time he appears against Kimura at UFC 165, Gagnon will have been out of action for 12 months. Gagnon had been booked to fight IsseiTamura in March, but an injury forced his removal from the UFC 158 fight card.
Now, apparently healed and ready to get back into training, Gagnon will try to improve his standing in the bantamweight division with a win over Kimura. With an impressive win, either of these young prospects could earn a significant step up in competition.
With the addition of Kimura and Gagnon, UFC 165 now has eight bouts lined up. Below are all the matchups currently expected for the fight card to be held on Sept. 21 in Toronto, Canada.
Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson
RenanBarao vs. Eddie Wineland
Myles Jury vs. Mike Ricci
Ivan Menjivar vs. NorifumiYamamoto
NandorGuelmino vs. Daniel Omielanczuk
Chris Clements vs. Stephen Thompson
Mark Bocek vs. Michel Prazeres
Dustin Kimura vs. Mitch Gagnon
Sean Smith is a Featured MMA Columnist for Bleacher Report who has also had work promoted on UFC.com and TheMMACorner.com. Follow on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.
The next UFC fight card won’t take place until July 27, when the promotion heads to Seattle for UFC on Fox 8, but that doesn’t mean the wheels will stop rolling on the UFC machine. On Tuesday, July 9, the promotion will be in Toronto to get…
The next UFC fight card won’t take place until July 27, when the promotion heads to Seattle for UFC on Fox 8, but that doesn’t mean the wheels will stop rolling on the UFC machine. On Tuesday, July 9, the promotion will be in Toronto to get things started for UFC 165.
UFC 165 will take place at the Air Canada Centre on September 21. A light heavyweight title fight will headline the event. Champion Jon Jones will put his belt on the line against Alexander Gustafsson. A second title fight will be the evening’s co-main event as interim bantamweight champion RenanBarao defends his title against Eddie Wineland.
Jones and Gustafsson will be in Toronto on Tuesday for a public press conference at the Real Sports Bar and Grill. Joining the fighters will be the UFC Director of Canadian Operations, Tom Wright. The press conference will get under way at 12 p.m. ET, 9 a.m. PT.
Speaking about UFC 165’s main event, UFC president Dana White said, “Jon Jones is re-writing the record book for the light heavyweight division…He is one of the pound-for-pound best in the world with a record-tying five straight title defenses by age 25. This bout with Gustafsson is an awesome fight. Alex is a big man plus he’s mean and hungry—and excited for the opportunity to fight Jones.”
After seeing