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Poll: Are You Sick Of ‘Money Fights’ Yet?

Recently, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has seen a massive uptick in top fighters calling for so-called ‘money fights’ in their next bout rather than the fight that makes the most sense from a rankings and/or merit standpoint. The term rose to extreme prominence in early 2016, when current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor began

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The term rose to extreme prominence in early 2016, when current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor began throwing about his now-infamous ‘moneyweight’ comment about his fight with late replacement Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 196, a fight McGregor would actually suffer his first UFC loss in. But ‘money fights’ were here to stay, and McGregor only added fuel to that fire when he took on Eddie Alvarez to win his second UFC championship at November 2016’s UFC 205.

The upper echelons of the UFC roster – who are solid drawing fighters in their own right but nowhere near McGregor – justifiably see what ‘The Notorious’ is pulling in each fight, and that coupled with the UFC’s recent sale to Hollywood giant WME-IMG for a staggering $4.2 billion has them understandably wanting to be paid like top athletes. But the problem is, not as many want to see some of these so-called ‘money fights’ even close to as much as they’d want to see any fight with McGregor.

Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley began calling for a huge payday literally minutes after he knocked out Robbie Lawler to win the title last August, pegging Georges St-Pierre and Nick Diaz as his prospective big draw opponents. When he was instead scheduled to face Stephen Thompson at UFC 205 and fought “Wonderboy” to a draw, Woodley then began putting out the feelers for a ‘money fight’ with middleweight champion Michael Bisping. The term has also been used by newly-crowned bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, who wants to face featherweight champion Jose Aldo, and by Rose Namajunas for her desired match with surging contender Michelle Waterson.

Those are big fights, but they just aren’t bouts on the level of a true ‘money fight’ headlined by McGregor, and overall some of of these champions will just have to start defending their belts rather than calling their shots for potentially huge paydays. That’s not to say some kind of super fight, such as a long-rumored GSP vs. Anderson Silva bout, wouldn’t be good for the sport in a barren schedule of early 2017 bouts lacking a true feature attraction.

What do you think – is all the ‘money fight’ talk getting old, or do you understand the fighters’ points of view?

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The UFC Needs To Book McGregor vs. Diaz III

In a recent interview, UFC President Dana White seemed to be against the idea of booking a trilogy bout between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, saying that Diaz is the much larger man and that two fighters can only endure so many wars throughout a career. Despite White’s reasoning, however, there are also multiple reasons

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In a recent interview, UFC President Dana White seemed to be against the idea of booking a trilogy bout between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, saying that Diaz is the much larger man and that two fighters can only endure so many wars throughout a career.

Despite White’s reasoning, however, there are also multiple reasons why the UFC should indeed look to book the rubber match between McGregor and Diaz.

First off, it seems as if there has come a time where the UFC is lacking legitimate stars. In recent memory, the promotion has been seen creating new divisions and various interim titles simply to create main events for cards in need, which is why it’s strange to see White not in favor of a money-making bout between two of the sport’s biggest stars. To be frank, there is simply no bigger fight in mixed martial arts at the moment other than a third bout between the “Notorious” one and the Stockton bad boy.

Secondly, with McGregor now holding the 155-pound belt, the two could do battle with a title on the line, which would make the fight as well as the rivalry all the more intriguing. No matter what White says, Diaz has spent the majority of his career competing as a lightweight and he’s currently ranked No. 6 in the division.

Obviously top contenders Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson are more deserving of the next shot at McGregor’s newly acquired title, but we have learned that rankings mean very little in this day and age. Also, the No. 1-ranked Nurmagomedov and the No. 2-ranked Ferguson have been rumored to be fighting each other, which could open to door for Diaz to slide up depending on how much time McGregor is taking off.

Finally, McGregor and Diaz simply need to settle the score. The two have split wins and losses in two welterweight bouts with Diaz submitting the Irishman at UFC 196 and McGregor winning a majority decision in the rematch at UFC 202. After the rematch, both men showed interest in a third bout with McGregor saying that it would have to be at 155-pounds.

With these points in mind, there is no better time than now to make the fight happen. The weight is set and the stars have aligned for McGregor to finally defend a title against a rival in a bout that is simply too monumental to pass up.

What’s your opinion of the potentially historic trilogy bout?

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Nate Diaz Sends The UFC $20 Million Ultimatum

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Before facing Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on March 5, Nate Diaz claimed he was being held back by his employers. Both he and older brother Nick had voiced their displeasure with UFC contracts long before many other had the guts to do so. Although Nate fought on through his issues, Nick Diaz spent a considerable amount of time inactive while waiting for a better offer from the UFC. Fast forward to present day, and both men are superstars. Their cult following has expanded to the point the UFC can no longer ‘hold them back,’ as Nate often put it.

When Diaz was victorious over McGregor at UFC 196, he punched his ticket to another massive payday in August. Although McGregor won a narrow decision at UFC 202, Diaz’s stock had risen if anything. Denied an immediate rematch, Nate decided to follow his older brother’s lead circa 2012 and wait for a big offer. Unfortunately that offer is yet to come, or at least be made public.

Nate’s Ultimatum

According to a report by Ariel Helwani, Nate Diaz isn’t planning on fighting for chump change. Here’s what the popular Stockton bad boy told ‘The MMA Hour’ host:

“I’m only fighting at lightweight for a big fight or 20 million just to take the call,” Diaz told MMAFighting.com “Until then, I’m just living my life.”

Considering he made a disclosed $2.5 million from his fights in 2016, Diaz could ‘live his life’ for some time before actually needing to fight. Will the UFC eventually cave like they did for Nick Diaz? When the promotion finally did give Diaz that big offer, he came through with an amazing rivalry against Georges St-Pierre.

Lightweight

Currently at 155 pounds there are only a few fights to make within the title picture. Obviously Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson need to finally square off. Outside of that, the only real scrap to make is Nate Diaz vs….Eddie Alvarez? Then again, McGregor’s recent comments about possibly coming back in early 2017 lead to some interesting options.

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Conor McGregor: I’m Still A 2-Division World Champion (Video)

Conor McGregor won [Irish national broadcaster] RTÉ’s Sportsperson of the Year last night, and states that he is “still two weight world champion” in short interview.

“The Notorious” spoke to Claire McNamara in Ireland about everything from children, to a potential superfight with Floyd “Money” Mayweather. McGregor corrected the interviewer when she failed to introduce him as a dual-weight champion:

“I am the two-way world champion, and that’s that. It’s good to be a two-weight world champion.”

The king of the 155 lb division also touched upon his defeat to Nate Diaz earlier at UFC 196 earlier this year:

“It was my fault. I took the loss like a man, the way a champion does, I went, I regrouped, I came back better prepared and I got that win back.”

The Dubliner also refused to rule out a potential fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2017:

“That’s a very serious thought and it’s a very serious conversation that’s happening. I’ve got the boxing licence. (Floyd’s) last two fights have been duds. I don’t need him, I could pick some local schmuck and still do big numbers. Of course it’s the fight we all want to see, but these things take time.”

After his big win at UFC 205, Conor McGregor is now taking time off and does not have any fights scheduled for 2017. His significant other Dee Devlin is pregnant with their first child and is due in May 2017.

You can watch the full interview here:

https://youtu.be/rvvvrFFczY8

Conor McGregor won [Irish national broadcaster] RTÉ’s Sportsperson of the Year last night, and states that he is “still two weight world champion” in short interview.

“I am the two-way world champion, and that’s that. It’s good to be a two-weight world champion.”

The king of the 155 lb division also touched upon his defeat to Nate Diaz earlier at UFC 196 earlier this year:

“It was my fault. I took the loss like a man, the way a champion does, I went, I regrouped, I came back better prepared and I got that win back.”

The Dubliner also refused to rule out a potential fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2017:

“That’s a very serious thought and it’s a very serious conversation that’s happening. I’ve got the boxing licence. (Floyd’s) last two fights have been duds. I don’t need him, I could pick some local schmuck and still do big numbers. Of course it’s the fight we all want to see, but these things take time.”

You can watch the full interview here:

Conor McGregor’s Coach: Khabib Can Be Hit, May Not Come Back

With newly-crowned dual-weight champion Conor McGregor reportedly out until May as he welcomes his first child into the world, all of MMA will have a few months to speculate over just whom “The Notorious” will fight next. Of course the usual suspects of longtime rival Nate Diaz and welterweight champion Tyron Woodley continue to appear

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Of course the usual suspects of longtime rival Nate Diaz and welterweight champion Tyron Woodley continue to appear in press clippings. That’s the fight that McGregor’s longtime striking coach Owen Roddy said he wants for his star pupil during an appearance on this week’s “The MMA Hour” (transcribed by MMA Mania):

“For me? Go up and go for three belts … maybe Woodley,” Roddy said. “But, [doing] Diaz again as well is another great one, because I think it’s what fans would want to see. They want to see something special again. [Doing] The Diaz fight again is special. The Woodley fight is special.”

But even with two guaranteed monumental bouts against Diaz and Woodley in the works, there is still the looming specter of undefeated Russian wrestler Khabib Nurmagomedov, who last seen brutally dismantling Michael Johnson at November 12’s UFC 205 – the card where McGregor halted Eddie Alvarez to make history.

“The Eagle,” his coach, his teammates, and even a retired MMA legend have been spouting off that McGregor is ducking Nurmagomedov, but Roddy gave his own perspective from a respectful angle of thoughtful fight analysis before questioning if the fight was big enough for “The Notorious”:

“You can’t really doubt Khabib at this stage now. “He’s a phenomenal grappler — a phenomenal wrestler — but I don’t know whether the excitement is there, you know? Obviously, for Conor, it’s about the pay-per-views … about the money. Whether Khabib will hit the pay-per-views for him, I don’t know, but he’s definitely there. He poses a different threat, so it would be good to try and work out the strikes that are going to land on him.

If the UFC’s biggest superstar is to finally sign on to fight Nurmagomedov, Roddy focused on the belief that aside from his world-class wrestling, “The Eagle” can be hit, as evident by his two most recent performances since returning from a long layoff due to injury:

“He can be hit as well, I will say that,” Roddy continued. “He got hit a bit [against Darrell Horcher] and the same again [against Michael Johnson]. I believe that if you give Conor a chance to land once, I don’t know whether people can come back from that. But, it would be definitely an interesting fight. They’re the three names I suppose: Khabib, Woodley — because it would be just insane — can you imagine the excitement of that? That would be crazy. And then, obviously, you can’t argue with the Nate fight again.”

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Conor McGregor Wants Monstrous Payday To Box Floyd Mayweather

In the four days since Conor McGregor’s win over Eddie Alvarez in the main event of last weekend’s (Sat., Nov. 12, 2016) UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden, much of the talk in the MMA world has been focused on just whom ‘The Notorious’ will fight next. There’s a potential rubber match with Nate Diaz,

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There’s a potential rubber match with Nate Diaz, and even a possible welterweight title fight versus Tyron Woodley, yet the one outrageous prospect that just won’t seem to fade away is his oft-discussed (but hardly realistic) boxing match with undefeated champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

It could be becoming a bit more realistic after McGregor made history, and indeed the two superstars have kept the hype rolling by throwing smack talk at each other in public interviews. The Irishman continued that last night when he appeared at 1 OAK nightclub in NYC (courtesy of TMZ Sports), proclaiming that Mayweather didn’t want a ‘real fight’ in the DJ booth:

“Floyd’s not ready for this. Much respect to Floyd. He’s a solid businessman on what he’s been able to do. He’s a f**king animal at what he’s been able to do. But as far as real fighting … as far as true pure unarmed combat … Floyd don’t want none of this.”

“He wants a boxing match, he doesn’t want a fight.”I want a $100 million cash to fight him under boxing rules. He’s afraid of a real fight.”

As the biggest name in the UFC by a wide margin right now, McGregor almost made headlines right after his win over Alvarez when he demanded a stake in the UFC after new owners WME-IMG purchased the booming company for a staggering $4.2 billion this summer.

That may sounds like an extremely ridiculous proposition, but if his history in the UFC is any indication, McGregor gets what he wants. Given his recent track record of smashing records each and every fight, his employers may have no choice but meet him at the bargaining table.

The fight with Mayweather, while a distant possibility, is still a possibility, and would be a bout that had the potential to break every modern pay-per-view (PPV) record. It’s also an extremely lofty amount Mayweather’s team may not agree to pay ‘The Notorious.’

Will McGregor vs. Mayweather ever happen? Should it?

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