Tag: UFC 207

Holly Holm Gives Her Opinion On Potential Ronda Rousey Comeback

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm returns at UFC 208. Since defeating Ronda Rousey in the upset of 2015, fortunes have been mixed for Holm. After losing the belt to Miesha Tate, ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ dropped a decision to Valentina Shevchenko. Then, amid the madness of Cris Cyborg’s failed drug test, Holm emerged as

The post Holly Holm Gives Her Opinion On Potential Ronda Rousey Comeback appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm returns at UFC 208. Since defeating Ronda Rousey in the upset of 2015, fortunes have been mixed for Holm. After losing the belt to Miesha Tate, ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ dropped a decision to Valentina Shevchenko. Then, amid the madness of Cris Cyborg’s failed drug test, Holm emerged as a title contender; Not at bantamweight, but instead at featherweight for the inaugural title. Facing Germaine De Randamie, Holm could become the first ever two-division women’s champion.

Having overcome stacked odds at UFC 193, Holm’s victory over ‘Rowdy’ is still heavily discussed today. Before that night in Australia, Rousey was smashing through the competition. Throughout 2016 Rousey’s tribulations were well publicized, and her own comeback to the octagon saw another devastating loss. During a 48-second demolition at the hands of Amanda Nunes, ‘Rowdy’ also lost her second in a row. Earlier this week Holm’s coach said his fighter had ‘broken’ Rousey, a statement Holm does not agree with.

“She Might Come Back”

Speaking during the UFC 208 media call, as quoted by MMAFighting’s Chuck Mindenhall, Holm says Rousey was not broken after UFC 193. ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ acknowledges she may have ‘loosened the lid’ for Amanda Nunes, but also says ‘Rowdy’ could still return:

“I’m one of those that, I’m a firm believer in the fact that once a fighter, always a fighter. She might not ever want to fight again. She might not fight for two years, and then she might say, ‘You know what? I’m really egging for it. I want to get back in there, I really want to fight. I’ve had enough of this regular life business.’ You know?”

“I guess I don’t really feel like I broke her, but I do know that coming off of a knockout, when I knocked her out, yes — that helped the fight with Nunes [end] faster. I don’t mean that in any rude way,”

Ronda Rousey Knocked Out By Holly Holm at UFC 193 | The Big Lead

Thoughts

Similarly to when Holm beat her, Rousey has come under fire for her choice of gym. Coach Edmond Tarverdyan has been labelled by fellow fighters and pundits as ‘inadequate’ to train professionals. Should she eventually choose to return, as Holm opines, surely a switch of camps would be a prudent move. UFC president Dana White recently all-but confirmed Rousey’s retirement. Saying she is ‘done’ is one thing, but the ever-present lure of the octagon has been historically hard to resist.

The post Holly Holm Gives Her Opinion On Potential Ronda Rousey Comeback appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Amanda Nunes Offers Heartfelt Apology To Ronda Rousey

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes dismantled Ronda Rousey in the main event of December 30’s UFC 207 , finishing the fight in only 48 seconds into the first round. For Rousey, it was obviously devastating – her comeback after a year away from the fight game was over in less than a minute and

The post Amanda Nunes Offers Heartfelt Apology To Ronda Rousey appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes dismantled Ronda Rousey in the main event of December 30’s UFC 207 , finishing the fight in only 48 seconds into the first round.

For Rousey, it was obviously devastating – her comeback after a year away from the fight game was over in less than a minute and she was yet again exposed inside the octagon. But for Nunes it was a dream, a chance to prove to everyone that she is the true champion and she capitalized by doing it all without breaking a sweat. In less than six months she defeated two of the greatest women fighters to ever grace the octagon after she won the belt from Miesha Tate at last July’s UFC 200.

However, Nunes wasn’t exactly the most gracious in victory.

Since UFC 207, Nunes poked fun at the champion on numerous occasions. For example, at the UFC 207 post-fight press conference, Nunes offered the belief that Rousey should outright retire to avoid hurting herself:

“She’s a millionaire already, why would she keep doing that? Why would she keep hurting herself?

“Because I’m gonna be the champion forever, so she has to retire. She’s not going to get it anymore.”

Then in a later interview with TMZ Sports, Nunes mocked Rousey saying she didn’t know how she got ‘this far in the division’:

“I don’t know how Ronda Rousey went this far in the division, Honestly, I don’t know how those gals lost to Ronda Rousey.”

“I know since my first fight in the UFC that I can beat Ronda Rousey. But of course, I had to take my time and wait for everything to come together. … That day [at UFC 207] was the day I had to prove to everybody, and I did it.”

Nunes also mocked Rousey by posting a seething meme online just moments after she finished the former champion in brutal fashion.

It’s somewhat understandable why Nunes felt slighted by the UFC’s upper management, whom Joe Rogan stated were supposedly calling her “cannon fodder” heading into Rousey supposed comeback bout – a fight where Nunes received little to no promotional focus beforehand.

But now just over a month since the fight took place Nunes seems to have done a complete U-turn and has issued an apology to Rousey through social media, offering the following on Instagram:

“Let me take a moment to explain myself, I was overwhelmed with adrenaline, emotion and hurt at the time. I held so much in during the weeks prior to my fight with Ronda. I might have said or posted some things at the time that I now realise was not the right thing to do. I want to apologise to Ronda. Her fans and mine and the UFC as well. Ronda is an amazing athlete and has done so much for this sport, especially for the women.”

Nunes is expected to rematch number one contender Valentina Shevchenko sometime this year after ‘Bullet’ cemented her title shot with a jaw-dropping submission win over Julianna Pena at last Saturday’s (Jan. 28, 2017) UFC on FOX 23 in Denver.

Although Nunes has beaten Schevchenko before, Shevchenko looked extremely impressive in her last bout, and the rematch could be a lot more competitive than people think.

As for the ‘Rowdy’ former champion, do you think this apology makes up for Nunes’ criticisms of Rousey?

The post Amanda Nunes Offers Heartfelt Apology To Ronda Rousey appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Ronda Rousey Surfaces For Target Practice In Las Vegas

It looks like Ronda Rousey isn’t trusting her Olympic-level judo – or her highly-criticized striking – to defend her any longer. After graffiti artists vandalized the outside of her house in the days after after her first-round TKO loss to Amanda Nunes at December 30’s UFC 207 from Las Vegas, Rousey has apparently began to take

The post Ronda Rousey Surfaces For Target Practice In Las Vegas appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

It looks like Ronda Rousey isn’t trusting her Olympic-level judo – or her highly-criticized striking – to defend her any longer.

After graffiti artists vandalized the outside of her house in the days after after her first-round TKO loss to Amanda Nunes at December 30’s UFC 207 from Las Vegas, Rousey has apparently began to take the steps to obtain her concealed carry permit to carry a firearm.

Photos from TMZ Sports showed Rousey and boyfriend Travis Browne, whose bout with Derrick Lewis was recently promoted to the main event of February 19’s UFC Fight Night 105, apparently taking some target practice at The Range 702 gun store recently, with Rousey utilizing a blue Glock 42 9mm pistol to take a special course for her permit. “Rowdy” also participated in target practice, also a requirement of the course.

It’s the first semi-public spotting of MMA’s fallen queen, whose self-imposed media silence that carried over from her shocking UFC 193 loss to Holly Holm into the aftermath of her follow-up loss to Nunes, a bout before which her outright refusal to talk the media fueled the belief she was far from mentally ready to take on a world-class challenge like ‘The Lioness.’

She’s made sparingly little effort to address the MMA world since, posting only a canned statement thanking her fans before following that with an inspirational quote from author J.K. Rowling that claimed she would reinvent herself several days later.

We still don’t know if and when Rousey will ever return, but it appears if and when she does, she’s going to be armed.

The post Ronda Rousey Surfaces For Target Practice In Las Vegas appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Mike Goldberg Opens Up About Heartbreaking UFC Release

Despite a lengthy history alongside Joe Rogan as the collective voice of the UFC Octagon, longtime commentator Mike Goldberg was sent off with hardly a farewell following his last show at December 30’s UFC 207 from Las Vegas, Nevada. The entire situation came as a bit of a shock to the MMA world at first,

The post Mike Goldberg Opens Up About Heartbreaking UFC Release appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Despite a lengthy history alongside Joe Rogan as the collective voice of the UFC Octagon, longtime commentator Mike Goldberg was sent off with hardly a farewell following his last show at December 30’s UFC 207 from Las Vegas, Nevada.

The entire situation came as a bit of a shock to the MMA world at first, but when absolutely no explanation was given by Goldberg and UFC President Dana White said that something ‘he’d rather not talk about,’ it all of the sudden didn’t come as much of a surprise in the middle of a seemingly all-out firing blitz from new – and publicly mute – UFC owners WME-IMG.

Today (Mon., January 23, 2017), however, Goldberg finally broke his silence on the subject to Ariel Helwani during The MMA Hour (transcribed by MMA Mania), explaining the cold manner in which he was let go:

“Around December 1, I got the news that my contract would not be renewed. So I was given about a month’s notice and I had a couple of shows left. I had Urijah Faber’s last show, which was awesome. I had the trip to Toronto, and of course UFC 207 was my last show.

“It was a shock, I was speechless and I didn’t know what kind of emotion to have because I was just in a state of shock and disbelief.”

Goldberg also said he hadn’t spoken with White, which he called “surprising and disappointing,” and added he didn’t ask for the reason he was let go because it simply didn’t matter once it reached that point. But even though it was a tough time for him personally, Goldberg took a more selfless stance when he reminded Helwani he was only one of several people who lost their jobs as a result of the UFC sale, something that’s not uncommon in the business world:

“No, not at all, not at all. Here’s the real situation. I’m no different than the guy in merchandise or 15 vice presidents who got let go or the entire team in Canada that was shut down,” he said.

“I am not the only guy that was let go by the new ownership. It was well over 100 people. I’m the one being talked about because I had the high-profile job. But I’m not going to sit here and weep because new ownership came in and I was one of the guys who got cut,” he added.

“I was one of a lot of people, a lot of good people from the ZUFFA era that got caught. So I feel for my co-workers, for my friends as much as I felt for myself. I watched everything around me be shattered. It took 15 years to build this wonderful family, and it felt like it took 15 minutes to destroy it. And it was a really tough time, and it’s still a tough time because there may be more to come. This is not uncommon with an ownership change.”

Indeed a turnover such as this is hardly a rarely-seen event when a large business suddenly finds itself under new ownership, but that doesn’t change the fact that many MMA fans – in addition to Goldberg’s own son – found the famous commentator’s lack of a send-off to be one thing, and that’s classless.

Are you among those who believe the UFC should have given their longtime employee a better farewell?

The post Mike Goldberg Opens Up About Heartbreaking UFC Release appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Amanda Nunes Explains Why She Watches Rousey KO Everyday

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has been getting some well deserved airtime lately. After being somewhat ignored before UFC 207, Nunes left the promotion no options with her decimation of Ronda Rousey. Everyone, including Joe Rogan, found the lack of hype for the champion bizarre. Now that she’s taken out ‘Rowdy,’ the options for

The post Amanda Nunes Explains Why She Watches Rousey KO Everyday appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has been getting some well deserved airtime lately. After being somewhat ignored before UFC 207, Nunes left the promotion no options with her decimation of Ronda Rousey. Everyone, including Joe Rogan, found the lack of hype for the champion bizarre. Now that she’s taken out ‘Rowdy,’ the options for the champion are many, and not just in her weight division. With UFC 208 coming up, there’s a great opportunity for ‘The Lioness.’

Featuring the inaugural women’s featherweight title, UFC 208 on February 11 will prove pivotal in many ways. Contending for the belt will be Holly Holm and Germaine De Randamie, and Nunes already holds a victory over the latter. The Brazilian boss recently ‘demanded’ the winner of that fight in hopes of holding two belts. During a recent interview with FOX Sports, ‘The Lioness’ pushed the envelope a little more.

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Nunes Watches The Replay Daily

Revealing she watches the Rousey fight everyday to ‘look for holes in her game,’ Nunes also provides some offensive options for a fight with Holly Holm:

“I watch (the Ronda Rousey fight) every day, I have to see my mistakes. She punches me a couple of times, I should have moved my head, and I kept my hands down. I love (watching myself beat up Rousey).”

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Nunes Talks Holm

“I beat Germaine already and Holly Holm’s next — I want to face (her) for sure,” Nunes said. “If this fight (happens) and I have any problems striking, I will take this fight down. If I feel something wrong in striking because sometimes things can happen in MMA, I will put this fight down.

“I know I can take her down. I know my wrestling and my ground game are way better than hers. I can do that.”

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Records

Following two dominant victories over WMMA legends in 2016, Nunes is hungry for more. Should Nunes face and beat the winner of Holm v. GDR, she’ll add to her growing collection of firsts in the UFC:

“I want to move up. I want the winner of the featherweight (title fight). We’ll see. Two belts. I want to make history. It never happened before in the UFC, no woman did this before.

“I want to be the first one like I was the first Brazilian (women’s champion), like I was first gay (UFC champion) and the first woman to have two belts, I will be.”

The post Amanda Nunes Explains Why She Watches Rousey KO Everyday appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Travis Browne Leaves Edmond Tarverdyan For Black House

Travis Browne has finally left Edmond Tarverdyan’s Glendale Fighting Club. Heading into his pivotal UFC 208 match-up with noted power slugger Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis, Browne has reportedly moved his training camp to Black House MMA to get a fresh start in 2017. A tweet surfaced from UFC Insiders confirming “Hapa’s” move: Travis Browne has

The post Travis Browne Leaves Edmond Tarverdyan For Black House appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Travis Browne has finally left Edmond Tarverdyan’s Glendale Fighting Club.

Heading into his pivotal UFC 208 match-up with noted power slugger Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis, Browne has reportedly moved his training camp to Black House MMA to get a fresh start in 2017.

A tweet surfaced from UFC Insiders confirming “Hapa’s” move:

That should be music to the ears of Browne’s fans, as the onetime-promising contender has dropped four out of last six bouts with victories over Brendan Schaub and Matt Mitrione, who are now retired and fighting in Bellator, respectively – and the win over Mitrione came at least partly due to a controversial eye poke.

Prior to the downward trend, Browne had notched three straight huge knockout victories, stopping John Barnett, Alistair Overeem, and Gabriel Gonzaga while earning “Knockout of the Night” bonus for each bout as a member of Greg Jackson’s respected Albuquerque camp. Obviously “Hapa’s” success took a steep downward trend when he moved to Los Angeles and began training at GFC under Edmond Tarverdyan, the coach who is undoubtedly under the most heat in all of MMA right now.

But that heat isn’t for anything he’s done to Browne’s career, as Tarverdyan has clearly been one of the main reasons for former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey’s steep decline in her two recent knockout losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, the latter coming in a shocking and sobering 48 seconds at last December’s UFC 207.

As the collective MMA world cries out for Rousey to leave Tarverdyan and reinvent herself, this move from her boyfriend could be a bigger sign in terms of “Rowdy” finally being completely honest with herself.

That remains to be seen, however. In the meantime, Browne will be preparing at a gym more focused on the complete, overall aspects of MMA as he prepares for a must-win bout against the ultra-dangerous Lewis.

Will his infamous girlfriend soon follow suit?

The post Travis Browne Leaves Edmond Tarverdyan For Black House appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.