Tag: UFC 209

Gegard Mousasi Blasts UFC For Silva vs. Brunson

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is set to make his Octagon return, when he takes on No. 8-ranked Derek Brunson at UFC 209. One man who has been campaigning for a shot at ‘The Spider’ for quite some time, however, is former Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi, who tells FOX Sports (via MMA Mania) that

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Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva is set to make his Octagon return, when he takes on No. 8-ranked Derek Brunson at UFC 209.

One man who has been campaigning for a shot at ‘The Spider’ for quite some time, however, is former Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi, who tells FOX Sports (via MMA Mania) that the UFC didn’t give him the match-up with the former Brazilian champ because his name isn’t big enough:

“I wanted to fight Anderson (Silva) and the UFC said ‘well you don’t have a big enough name’ but now he’s fighting Derek Brunson,” Mousasi said. “Luke Rockhold is injured but I see him training all the time. Chris Weidman doesn’t pick up his phone. The UFC offered him that fight a couple of times. (Robert) Whittaker wants to go on holiday for seven months. I don’t know what he’s up to. I’m looking for a fight.”

Mousasi is currently on a four-fight win streak over names such as Thales Leites, Thiago Santos, Vitor Belfort, and most recently Uriah Hall. The Dutchman has has finished three of those four wins with a knockout finish and is making a case for a title opportunity down the road.

Is Mousasi vs. Silva a match-up that interests you? And who do you think ‘The Dreamcatcher’ should step into the Octagon with next?

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Quote: Conor McGregor Won’t End Year As Lightweight Champ

Just over two months after his history-making win over Eddie Alvarez at last November’s UFC 205, the MMA world is holding its collective breath for lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s next move. The face of the UFC was stripped of his featherweight championship before December’s UFC 206, and his name is more in the news right now for his

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Just over two months after his history-making win over Eddie Alvarez at last November’s UFC 205, the MMA world is holding its collective breath for lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s next move.

The face of the UFC was stripped of his featherweight championship before December’s UFC 206, and his name is more in the news right now for his rumored boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr., although it’s been more in the form of “Money” and Dana White running their mouths about it than anything “Notorious” has said.

With McGregor out for an indefinite period of time to welcome his first child, his current home of 155 pounds will also move on in a sense when Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fight for the interim title at March 4’s UFC 209 from Las Vegas. The winner is expected to meet ‘The Notorious’ in his next fight, but that’s far from anything close to guaranteed considering his unpredictable schedule.

If and when McGregor finally does defend his belt, one top-ranked lightweight doesn’t seem to think he’ll hold onto it for very long. That man is No. 8-ranked Michael Chiesa, who told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto on his “5ive Rounds” podcast that McGregor will have to defend his belt at some point:

“Sooner or later, Conor is going to have to come out and fight,” Chiesa said. “Whether he’s taking this hiatus himself or the company is putting him on ice, who knows? But I don’t see him staying champion.”

Chiesa moved to clarify he knows McGregor is highly skilled, but compared him to the elite level of competition he’ll conceivably face upon his return. Based on the most obvious upcoming match-ups, Chiesa believes Nurmagomedov, Ferguson, and even himself are just too big for “The Notorious”:

“I know he’s good. I’m not knocking him. We have to recognize the guy can f—ing fight. But you have to look at the guys coming up in the lightweight division. Tony Ferguson and Khabib, you have to fight the winner of that fight. I mean, dude, you’re good, but you’re going up against a guy who is 24-0, multiple samba world champion, or a guy that would be on a 10-fight win streak.”

“Conor is good, but I really don’t think he’s a true lightweight,” Chiesa continued. “That’s what I’m saying. With the landscape of this division, I don’t see Conor ending his year as champion. And you put me in there, I’m going to drag him to the ground and beat him too. I’m a huge lightweight. I’m as big as Nate or bigger, and we saw how many problems Nate gave him.”

These words may be beginning to sound a bit redundant, as we’ve heard a long list of reasons why McGregor’s next opponent would be the one to shut him down and hand a deflating defeat, only to watch him pass every test – except one – with flying colors. In fact, the one fight McGregor did lose in the UFC, his shocking UFC 196 submission loss to Nate Diaz, was probably the one fans and media members thought featured the lowest odds of him losing given that late replacement Diaz was coming into the fight on 10 days’ notice.

The much larger Diaz gave McGregor more problems at their rematch at UFC 202, yet McGregor escaped with a narrow majority decision win that time around. There’s no question that bigger, rangier lightweights give him a tougher test than the shorter featherweights he’s blasted in the Octagon, but in order for the Irish megastar to lose to any one of the three contenders Chiesa named earlier, he’s going to have to defend his belt – something he hasn’t done a single time in Cage Warriors FC or the UFC.

Will McGregor finally defend one of his titles? And if he does, will he remain the king of the talented 155-pound landscape at the end of 2017?

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Mark Hunt: The UFC Forced Me To Fight Alistair Overeem

UFC 209 will play host to a massive heavyweight contest, when No. 6-ranked Mark Hunt takes on No. 3-ranked Alistair Overeem in Las Vegas, however, it comes at a time where ‘The Super Samoan’ and the UFC are not on the best of terms. Following his co-main event meeting with Brock Lesnar at UFC 200,

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UFC 209 will play host to a massive heavyweight contest, when No. 6-ranked Mark Hunt takes on No. 3-ranked Alistair Overeem in Las Vegas, however, it comes at a time where ‘The Super Samoan’ and the UFC are not on the best of terms.

Following his co-main event meeting with Brock Lesnar at UFC 200, it was revealed that Lesnar tested positive for a banned substance after a test administered by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), lighting a fire under the former K-1 champ who is seeking legal action on the matter.

In the midst of a lawsuit with the UFC Hunt finds himself booked in a bout with one of the deadliest heavyweights the UFC’s roster has to offer in Overeem, a bout that Hunt tells MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour he was forced into taking:

“They put me in a position, like well what am I supposed to do?” Hunt said. “They forced this fight on me, pretty much.”

“I couldn’t go anywhere else,” Hunt said. “That’s the position right now it is. If I couldn’t work anywhere else and I’m still trying to get my fair deal in this thing, what am I supposed to do? If they’re going to let me go, let me go. At least I can go work somewhere else. I’ve gotta look after my family and my commitments as well. And they can’t just sit me at the back of the bus without having any work. You can’t do that.”

Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl for USA TODAY Sports Images

When asked why he decided to take the bout against Overeem given his history of abusing performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), Hunt says he doesn’t ‘pick and choose’ his fights and is prepared to step into the Octagon with whoever the UFC throws at him:

“I don’t make these choices,” Hunt said. “I don’t ask to fight anybody. All I ask is to fight the best fighters in the world. All I’m doing is when they ask, ‘Will you fight this person?’ [I say,] ‘Yes, because I’m employed with them.’ So when they ask, ‘Will you fight this guy?’ Of course, I’ll fight anybody in the world.”

“This is why we’re here now, because of this situation,” Hunt said. “You want to close the door on me? We’re here now. So what are you gonna do?”

Overeem and Hunt will meet on the main card of UFC 209 live on pay-per-view (PPV), from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 4, 2017.
You can check out Hunt’s full interview on The MMA Hour here:

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Quote: Conor McGregor Puts Khabib Away In ‘One Or Two Rounds’

UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor hasn’t competed since winning the 155-pound strap with a brutal second round TKO victory over Eddie Alvarez at this past November’s UFC 205 from New York. The Irishman is currently awaiting the birth of his first child, which could keep him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. While McGregor’s

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UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor hasn’t competed since winning the 155-pound strap with a brutal second round TKO victory over Eddie Alvarez at this past November’s UFC 205 from New York. The Irishman is currently awaiting the birth of his first child, which could keep him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

While McGregor’s name is constantly linked to a potential boxing match with Floyd Mayweather in the media, a more likely return fight for him would be a title fight against the winner of March 4’s interim lightweight title fight between top contenders Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.

Nurmagomedov and McGregor have seemed to stir up a bit of a rivalry in recent months, and many feel as if “The Eagle” would present problems for the “Notorious” one given his decorated wrestling background. McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis, however, feels as if Nurmagomedov is ‘too easily hit’:

“He’s too easily hit,” Danis told Submission Radio about Nurmagomedov. “If you saw in the Michael Johnson fight, he was getting like wobbled and rocked every time they were on the feet. So Conor is going to pick him apart like he does all the wrestlers.”

With that being said, the outspoken Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion feels as if McGregor would finish Nurmagomedov in ‘one or two rounds’ if the two were to eventually meet in the Octagon:

“He hits you from everywhere and he kicks you in the stomach,” Danis continued. “And people don’t see those shots on TV, like some of those teep kicks and some of the kicks to the stomach, but those take the wind out of you. And when you basically have to take someone down, it puts a different kind of feeling in your stomach ad in your gut when you have to take the guy down. The guy’s beating you up on the feet, and when you go to the ground he’s elbowing you. So I think Conor puts him away in probably one or two rounds with strikes.”

McGregor’s striking is clearly his bread and butter and he’s proven that it’s amongst the best in the sport today, but many have and likely will continue to question his grappling skills. Danis, however, isn’t worried about Nurmagomedov’s relentless takedown attempts:

“What happened to Eddie doing that though? That’s what people said that Eddie was gonna do that and then he couldn’t even come close to taking Conor down. Nate couldn’t come close to taking Conor down. They all think they’re going to do something until they get in there. I train with the guy every day when I’m out there in Ireland, so I know what he’s capable of, and that’s definitely not going to happen.”

McGregor’s fighting future is almost always unclear and Nurmagomedov will need to get by Ferguson in March, but would you like to see these two 155 pounders do battle later this year?

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Ben Rothwell Highlights Interim Belt Debacle With Dana White

The UFC heavyweight’s tweet to Dana White provokes questions over the recent growth in the introduction of interim belts.

When all else fails, introduce an interim title to the mix. Not the words of the UFC top brass, although in the past couple of months we have seen the introduction of a secondary belt to the featherweight and lightweight divisions in times of promotional crisis, and the absence of a champion [McGregor].

Daniel Cormier and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson were due to square off in Canada late last year at UFC 206, but injury to the champ forced a rapid rethink in strategy. The decision to shuffle Max Holloway vs Anthony Pettis to the top of the bill at UFC 206 was made, although this was never going to garner the interest that the initial headliner would. So what did Dana White and co do? Well, they created  an interim featherweight title fight. Suddenly, UFC 206’s primary fight would once again be for a “title”, as intended.

The decision drew criticism from some, who felt that it was a weak effort on behalf of the promotion to make the PPV event worthwhile. Conor McGregor was simultaneously stripped of (or voluntarily relinquished) his 145 pound strap, with the winner of the Holloway/Pettis strap facing [new champion] Jose Aldo for the “real” title. From the promotions perspective, selling the fight as a title eliminator would not have held as much weight without a physical belt, given the UFC’s track record for reneging on title-shot promises.

While fans and associates of Conor McGregor were among the first to ridicule the introduction of the belt, McGregor himself was not averse to hoisting the interim gold over his head in his win over Chad Mendes at UFC 189. These belts arguably grant the victor with an elevation on their stock, but to many fans they are somewhat worthless in the grand scheme.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson was made official for UFC 209 this week, in a fight spiced up (once again) by an interim belt. McGregor is likely out of action until the end of the year, so the possibility of the winner between the Russian and the American having to defend (and possibly lose – confirmation, Dana?) the title of Interim Champion makes for even more confusion.

What makes this scenario unique, however, is that both guys are solidly in the #1 & #2 spots in the lightweight rankings, so the result should logically determine the challenger to the Irishman’s strap, right? Tyron Woodley v Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is a title fight on the ‘209 card, so it is not as though the UFC are in a similar position to the Holloway v Pettis situation.

UFC’s Ben Rothwell sent a cheeky tweet to UFC president Dana White on Friday, appearing to poke fun at the President for this recent rise in interim belts:

https://twitter.com/RothwellFighter/status/819999581756866561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

One may argue that the new owners of the world’s chief MMA promotion are responsible for the rise in secondary titles, and being a business with finance at the forefront of its operations, it is a valid argument. Conjecture of motives aside, the introduction of a litany of belts has led to a series of mismatches, and a ton of promotional disputes in boxing – let us hope that the UFC are not planning on adopting a similar model of throwing a belt into the mix in just any fight.

 

The UFC heavyweight’s tweet to Dana White provokes questions over the recent growth in the introduction of interim belts.

When all else fails, introduce an interim title to the mix. Not the words of the UFC top brass, although in the past couple of months we have seen the introduction of a secondary belt to the featherweight and lightweight divisions in times of promotional crisis, and the absence of a champion [McGregor].

Daniel Cormier and Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson were due to square off in Canada late last year at UFC 206, but injury to the champ forced a rapid rethink in strategy. The decision to shuffle Max Holloway vs Anthony Pettis to the top of the bill at UFC 206 was made, although this was never going to garner the interest that the initial headliner would. So what did Dana White and co do? Well, they created  an interim featherweight title fight. Suddenly, UFC 206’s primary fight would once again be for a “title”, as intended.

The decision drew criticism from some, who felt that it was a weak effort on behalf of the promotion to make the PPV event worthwhile. Conor McGregor was simultaneously stripped of (or voluntarily relinquished) his 145 pound strap, with the winner of the Holloway/Pettis strap facing [new champion] Jose Aldo for the “real” title. From the promotions perspective, selling the fight as a title eliminator would not have held as much weight without a physical belt, given the UFC’s track record for reneging on title-shot promises.

While fans and associates of Conor McGregor were among the first to ridicule the introduction of the belt, McGregor himself was not averse to hoisting the interim gold over his head in his win over Chad Mendes at UFC 189. These belts arguably grant the victor with an elevation on their stock, but to many fans they are somewhat worthless in the grand scheme.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson was made official for UFC 209 this week, in a fight spiced up (once again) by an interim belt. McGregor is likely out of action until the end of the year, so the possibility of the winner between the Russian and the American having to defend (and possibly lose – confirmation, Dana?) the title of Interim Champion makes for even more confusion.

What makes this scenario unique, however, is that both guys are solidly in the #1 & #2 spots in the lightweight rankings, so the result should logically determine the challenger to the Irishman’s strap, right? Tyron Woodley v Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is a title fight on the ‘209 card, so it is not as though the UFC are in a similar position to the Holloway v Pettis situation.

UFC’s Ben Rothwell sent a cheeky tweet to UFC president Dana White on Friday, appearing to poke fun at the President for this recent rise in interim belts:

One may argue that the new owners of the world’s chief MMA promotion are responsible for the rise in secondary titles, and being a business with finance at the forefront of its operations, it is a valid argument. Conjecture of motives aside, the introduction of a litany of belts has led to a series of mismatches, and a ton of promotional disputes in boxing – let us hope that the UFC are not planning on adopting a similar model of throwing a belt into the mix in just any fight.

 

John Kavanagh ‘Too Afraid to Ask’ About Interim Title

SBG’s John Kavanagh has indicated his confusion at the announcement of yet another interim belt in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s bout with Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 in March.

It is truly a matter of East meets West in the lightweight division at UFC 209 in March. The highly anticipated bout between two of the 155 pound division’s top three fighters will have the extra spice of an interim lightweight title added to the mix.

Confirmation of the anticipated fight came from no other than UFC president Dana White, however there was no allusion to an interim belt in White’s declaration. Fight fans will undoubtedly be thrilled that the face-off between two of the promotions most elite fighters will stretch a full 5 rounds.

Another anticipated fight which was previously announced as the headliner for UFC 209 is for the welterweight crown; Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson were separated by only the finest of margins in what was a majority draw decision for “T-Wood” at UFC 205 in New York last November.

Interim titles are not always the most popular among the MMA masses. One man in particular who seems to treat the concept with contempt is the trainer of the current lightweight champion of the world, Conor McGregor. John Kavanagh expressed his confusion at the decision of the UFC hierarchy to offer an interim belt,  by posting the meme below:

😶

 Whether Kavanagh held the same view following McGregor’s capture of the UFC featherweight interim title following his KO victory over Chad Mendes at UFC 189 is not clear, however.

In addition to the Nurmagomedov v Ferguson fight collapsing previously due to financial dispute, both fighters have had injury problems which have prevented their meeting in the past. With all now appeared to be resolved, fans will wait with bated breath that both fighters can maintain fitness and avoid injury before they square off in the octagon.

There is absolutely no doubt in stating that this fight represents the most significant of both Nurmagomedov and Ferguson’s respective careers, as the winner will edge one square closer to UFC gold, and hopefully their very own “red panty night”.

SBG’s John Kavanagh has indicated his confusion at the announcement of yet another interim belt in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s bout with Tony Ferguson at UFC 209 in March.

It is truly a matter of East meets West in the lightweight division at UFC 209 in March. The highly anticipated bout between two of the 155 pound division’s top three fighters will have the extra spice of an interim lightweight title added to the mix.

Confirmation of the anticipated fight came from no other than UFC president Dana White, however there was no allusion to an interim belt in White’s declaration. Fight fans will undoubtedly be thrilled that the face-off between two of the promotions most elite fighters will stretch a full 5 rounds.

Another anticipated fight which was previously announced as the headliner for UFC 209 is for the welterweight crown; Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson were separated by only the finest of margins in what was a majority draw decision for “T-Wood” at UFC 205 in New York last November.

Interim titles are not always the most popular among the MMA masses. One man in particular who seems to treat the concept with contempt is the trainer of the current lightweight champion of the world, Conor McGregor. John Kavanagh expressed his confusion at the decision of the UFC hierarchy to offer an interim belt,  by posting the meme below:

15h15 hours ago

?

 Whether Kavanagh held the same view following McGregor’s capture of the UFC featherweight interim title following his KO victory over Chad Mendes at UFC 189 is not clear, however.

In addition to the Nurmagomedov v Ferguson fight collapsing previously due to financial dispute, both fighters have had injury problems which have prevented their meeting in the past. With all now appeared to be resolved, fans will wait with bated breath that both fighters can maintain fitness and avoid injury before they square off in the octagon.

There is absolutely no doubt in stating that this fight represents the most significant of both Nurmagomedov and Ferguson’s respective careers, as the winner will edge one square closer to UFC gold, and hopefully their very own “red panty night”.