Tag: UFC 196

Conor McGregor: I Have MMA, Boxing & Wrestling All Wrapped Up

Although Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz’s first matchup at March’s UFC 196 nearly broke the UFC’s all-time pay-per-view (PPV) record, it seems as if the anticipation for their rematch in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., August 20, 2016) UFC 202 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, just isn’t quite as fervent. That could

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Although Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz’s first matchup at March’s UFC 196 nearly broke the UFC’s all-time pay-per-view (PPV) record, it seems as if the anticipation for their rematch in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., August 20, 2016) UFC 202 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, just isn’t quite as fervent.

That could be because Diaz so thoroughly throttled McGregor in the first fight, or it could be because the card comes on the heels at a seemingly never-ending stretch of UFC cards. But true to form, McGregor isn’t giving an inkling of thought to the theory that his star power has diminished since his fateful loss to Diaz, and perhaps it hasn’t

The Irish superstar met with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour this week to discuss how things have changed a bit since his first UFC loss. This time around, he believes that the crowd may be more hostile towards him than it has been in recent bouts:

“Usually it’s been home for me in this place, with traveling fans. I’m estimating I’m going into a war zone here. That’s what I’m estimating, that’s what I’ve been preparing for, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

McGregor discussed a desire to fight in front of his homeland fans in Ireland, something that has been met with surprisingly backlash from the entrenched and outdated powers that be on the Emerald Isle. ‘The Notorious’ believes his opportunity to fight in Ireland will arise again, so for now, he’s simply thankful for the massive support they have given and will give this weekend:

“So I know my countrymen will be supporting me wherever they are, and I know there will be many here in town, and I know there will be even more back home in Ireland and all over the world supporting me. So, I am content with that for now.”

As for UFC 202 itself, McGregor was quick to refute reports that tickets sales had been a bit lackluster for the event by stating his belief that records will be broken once again. After a highly-publicized online feud with a large portion of the WWE roster that followed his ridiculous ‘feud’ with boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. earlier this year, McGregor suggested he rules all facets of combat sports:

“The ticket sales have been great for it, for a such a big arena at this time of year, the end of summer with everything going on,” McGregor said. “I’m very happy with it. We’re talking record breaking again. You know that. You know the pay-per-view buys will be smashed. I’ve dominated the headlines it seems. I have every game wrapped up. I have the boxing game, I have the wrestling game. I have this game wrapped up for years now. What else can I do?

“This will break all records and I’m very happy with it.”

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Quote: No One Cares About ‘Broken’ Ronda Rousey & Her Fat Arms

With the entire MMA world anxiously awaiting her return, Ronda Rousey has been in a sort of self-imposed exile ever since her shocking knockout loss to Holly Holm in the main event of last November’s UFC 193. It’s unknown when – or even if – “Rowdy” will return to challenge for the throne she once

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With the entire MMA world anxiously awaiting her return, Ronda Rousey has been in a sort of self-imposed exile ever since her shocking knockout loss to Holly Holm in the main event of last November’s UFC 193.

It’s unknown when – or even if – “Rowdy” will return to challenge for the throne she once ruled so effortlessly, and in her stead, the UFC women’s bantamweight division has become one ripe with parity, as three women have held the belt since she did.

Holm lost to Rousey’s longtime rival Miesha Tate in the co-main of March’s UFC 196, and Tate lost the belt in a one-sided submission loss to Amanda Nunes in the main event of July 9’s UFC 200. The belt has been tossed around like a game of hot potato, and many fans are begging for “Rowdy” to return and hopefully bring some order to the chaos.

One top contender isn’t hoping for Rousey’s return, however, and for good reason. With a potential title shot against Nunes hanging in the balance, No. 5-ranked Julianna Pena is hoping to leapfrog any potential Rousey return to get her own await title bout after beating No. 6 Cat Zingano in a somewhat middling win on the UFC 200 preliminary card.

According to “The Venezuelan Vixen,” no one cares about Rousey’s return anymore because she’s a ‘broken’ fighter (via TMZ):

“No one cares about [her] and her fat arms anymore. She’s like the emperor in no clothes. She’s broken a little bit.”

It’s tough to argue with Pena’s words here, at least in a pure fighting sense, because while she used some derogatory terms that have nothing to do with Rousey’s return, it’s also fair to wonder if the former champ will return to the Octagon with the fire she once had as arguably the most dominant champ in the sport during her legendary run from 2013-2015.

Rousey finished six straight fights as UFC champion, with only her UFC 168 submission over Tate lasting outside of the first round. Pena has two UFC finishes on her record, but her two most recent wins, which rank as her two mot high-profile wins, were decision victories where she largely laid on her opponent to earn the nod.

With trash talk seemingly the only way a fighter can make a big name for themselves in today’s UFC, it’s understandable why this “Vixen” wants to bash the beaten Rousey. But contrary to her beliefs, many do care about seeing Rousey return.

And Pena has quite a long way to go to be considered in the same light even if Rousey never sets foot inside a MMA cage again.

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Eddie Alvarez Calls Out Diaz vs. McGregor II Winner

Add another UFC champion to the growing list of fighters who want the biggest name ‘money’ fight they can get in the Octagon. Top lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov teased a big announcement last week, and many were quick to guess that could only mean a bout with newly crowned champion Eddie Alvarez, who won the

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Add another UFC champion to the growing list of fighters who want the biggest name ‘money’ fight they can get in the Octagon.

Top lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov teased a big announcement last week, and many were quick to guess that could only mean a bout with newly crowned champion Eddie Alvarez, who won the belt with a shocking first-round KO of Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 90 in early July.

But ‘The Underground King’ isn’t singing the same tune. He has his focus on a whole different pair of opponents, and during a recent conversation with TMZ (via FOX Sports), Alvarez revealed he not surprisingly wants to face the winner of August 20’s pivotal welterweight bout between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor:

“I’ve got my eye on Nate Diaz-Conor. I would love to the fight the winner of that whole crew. I keep getting asked by all the media — you fight all the best guys in the world and at the end of the day the media asks ‘what about Conor McGregor?’ so I’m sick of being asked about his name. Him or Nate. I have some history with Nate, too. Either one of them.”

It’s a strong argument from Alvarez, as no matter which top-ranked lightweight he sent packing – and there are several – the media would continually ask about him fighting McGregor until he did. And it could also be argued that Nurmagomedov or Tony Ferguson would be far tougher challenges for a smaller payday compared to Irish featherweight champ McGregor.

Alvarez isn’t exactly a name draw himself, but like UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley, he knows where the biggest payday – and also perhaps the easiest title defense – lies. In his eyes, he brings the other key piece of the pie, and that’s the belt:

“I’m sure either one of them want the lightweight title,” Alvarez said. “They ain’t going to get it, but they can challenge for it.”

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Former UFC Champ: Conor’s Going To Get His A** Beat By Nate Again

With the next UFC event in the promotion’s jam-packed summer promising to be the most awaited when Nate Diaz meets Conor McGregor in the headliner of August 20’s UFC 202 pay-per-view (PPV) from Las Vegas, fans and fighters alike are weighing in on the rematch. Former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich is no different, and

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With the next UFC event in the promotion’s jam-packed summer promising to be the most awaited when Nate Diaz meets Conor McGregor in the headliner of August 20’s UFC 202 pay-per-view (PPV) from Las Vegas, fans and fighters alike are weighing in on the rematch.

Former UFC welterweight champion Pat Miletich is no different, and the MMA pioneer met up with Submission Radio to offer a polarizing prediction for the massive fight. Like many, Miletich simply believes that McGregor won’t be able to handle Diaz’ size advantage, just as he wasn’t able to in their first meeting at March’s UFC 196, and even if he did, the follow-up challenges at welterweight wouldn’t be so kind:

“He’s going to get his ass beat by Nate again. And even if he were to get lucky and beat Nate, he fights guys that cut down from, you know, some of the guys at 170 are cutting down from 210-215 pounds. I mean, you’re talking skull fractures from punches from guys like that. I mean the 170-pounders who walk around at 200, 200-plus, could punch a heavyweight and break his jaw and knock him out. So these are explosive, very strong guys, who if Conor McGregor even remotely attempts to take them down, he’s going to get shut down. And if he gets hit with a three-punch combo, (he) is going to the hospital.”

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As for the rest of the (true) welterweight division, which has arguably been the hottest topic in all of MMA since Tyron Woodley’s first-round knockout of Robbie Lawler at July 30’s UFC 201, Miletich believes that Stephen Thompson deserves the shot, but understands why Woodley would eschew that in favor of bigger moeny fights with Georges St. Pierre and Nick Diaz, as “The Chosen One” has a better shot at beating his “Chosen” opponents:

“Well I’m gonna give it to Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. (But) If I’m Tyron Woodley, I wanna fight Georges St. Pierre and make big money, right? Because I think that Tyron has a good shot against him, given that George had been out for several years. Nick Diaz cannot stop Tyron’s takedowns, so Tyron can control him.”

In Miletich’s opinion, Thompson would give Woodley big problems like he’s done to the rest of the entire welterweight division during his recent seven-fight win streak that has him firmly supplanted as the top contender – albeit one without a title shot:

“But Wonderboy, I’ll tell you what, Wonderboy is going to give him fits. That is a tough fight. And if Tyron is fighting guys like that and a couple of the other guys in the division that he’s going to have trouble with striking-wise who can wrestle, he may run into some problems. And like I say, match-ups really make fights. And there’s certain guys that Tyron matches up with very well and certain guys he does not match up with.”

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UFC 196: Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz Full Fight Video

We are now just 15 days away from what will likely serve as the biggest MMA event of the year, and could possibly serve as one of the biggest of all-time. UFC 202 is slated for Saturday August 20, 2016 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The blockbuster card will be headlined by […]

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We are now just 15 days away from what will likely serve as the biggest MMA event of the year, and could possibly serve as one of the biggest of all-time. UFC 202 is slated for Saturday August 20, 2016 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The blockbuster card will be headlined by the highly-anticipated rematch between fan favorite Nate Diaz and reigning 145-pound kingpin the “Notorious” Conor McGregor.

The backstory behind this rivalry has become a well-known tale throughout the media. After defeating former longtime featherweight champion Jose Aldo in just 13 seconds last December, McGregor made it clear that he was going to attempt to make history. The Irishman signed on to face then lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at March 5’s UFC 196 in hopes of becoming the first man in promotional history to hold two titles at the same time.

Diaz, on the other hand, was coming off of a dominant unanimous decision victory over Michael Johnson after spending over a year on the sidelines. After his victory, the Stockton Bad Boy called out McGregor in an epic post-fight speech, landing him as the leading choice when dos Anjos pulled out of the bout with the “Notorious” one on less than two week’s notice.

Diaz stepped in and he and McGregor constantly went back and forth despite the short build up. When fight night came and the cage door closed, the two men didn’t hold back. At the end of the first round, each man was battered and bloodied, but Diaz appeared to have more gas in the tank. Towards the tail end of the second frame, Diaz rocked McGregor before the fight wound up on the canvas where Diaz’s world class jiu-jitsu skills sealed the deal.

Relive the madness below as UFC 202 approaches:

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Pics: Nate Diaz & Conor McGregor RIPPED For UFC 202

It’s crazy to think that UFC 202 is just over two weeks away now. Five months ago the first chapter of Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz’s rivalry was concluded at UFC 196. The two infamous trash talkers shared a pre-fight rivalry just 11 days long, but it bore the fruits of an all-time classic scrap. […]

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It’s crazy to think that UFC 202 is just over two weeks away now. Five months ago the first chapter of Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz’s rivalry was concluded at UFC 196. The two infamous trash talkers shared a pre-fight rivalry just 11 days long, but it bore the fruits of an all-time classic scrap. Eventful press conferences and confrontations between Diaz and McGregor amplified the tension before their March 5 showdown, and the fight itself delivered in a flurry of blood and excitement.

When fists finally flew in the octagon, an unexpected hero emerged. The Stockton bad boy Diaz, after years of putting in work, put the screws to the UFC’s most popular star. After absorbing some serious power from McGregor early on, the Californian grappler was able to take control of the fight on the ground. Trapped in  rear naked choke, ‘The Notorious’ had no choice but to tap out. As we approach the August 20 rematch, the flames of their rivalry are once again being stoked.

Diaz whips a straight left hand that wobbled McGregor during their UFC 196 encounter...
Diaz whips a straight left hand that wobbled McGregor during their UFC 196 encounter…

Latest pics and video of Conor McGregor & Nate Diaz

It’s time to take a look a how training is going for both these entertaining UFC stars. Oddly enough McGregor is actually looking smaller than he was for the first fight. Remember back to when the Irishman was preparing for his original UFC 196 opponent Rafael dos Anjos at lightweight, he was literally HUGE. Both men undoubtedly are looking in tremendous shape right now, with Diaz noticeably bigger but McGregor looking well conditioned.

Is this indicative of ‘The Notorious’ planning for a five round war? He stated after their first fight that he ‘had not used his energy efficiently,’ a very ill fated mistake to make against a cardio machine like Diaz.

Here’s the latest on McGregor an Diaz’s training and physique ahead of UFC 202.

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Playing around on rest day with @sbgcharlestown and @serpiconinja! #TheMacLife

A photo posted by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on

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