Tag: UFC 211

Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier II Is Finally Official

Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier will finally throw down in their awaited rematch:

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The lightweight division’s most anticipated rematch is finally official.

Former champ Eddie Alvarez will face No. 4-ranked Dustin Poirier at July 28’s UFC on FOX 30 from the Scotiabank Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, according to a report from MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report the bout.

Alvarez tweeted that the fight was official today, but was rebuffed by Poirier’s claim that there was “1,000 percent” no fight. Apparently, that turned around rather fast, and the two archrivals will meet on a rapidly expanding UFC on FOX event that looks like one of the best of the summer so far.

After accusing Alvarez of refusing to agree to the bout multiple times, ‘The Diamond’ had set his own deadline of May 4, but the UFC was apparently able to talk him into the match-up.

The two rivals threw down in an exciting, back-and-forth war at last May’s UFC 211, with Poirier gaining the early edge before Alvarez came storming back to hurt “The Diamond.” The fight then came to an anticlimactic end when the former UFC and Bellator champion hit a downed Poirier with an illegal knee that referee Herb Dean somehow deemed inadvertent, causing the fight to result in a no contest.

Since then, both fighters have fought and beaten fan-favorite slugger Justin Gaethje in two rousing, brutal slugfests, putting their paths on a collision course once again. With the fight’s addition, UFC on FOX 30’s lineup now features three high-profile match-ups with championship implications in Alvarez vs. Poirier, Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Tecia Torres.

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Eddie Alvarez Says Poirier Rematch Is Official, But ‘Diamond’ Shoots Him Down

Will this anticipated lightweight rematch ever happen?

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A rematch between Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier has seemed inevitable ever since the controversial ending to their rousing first fight at last May’s UFC 211 from Dallas.

And earlier today, it appeared the fight was finally close to happening when Alvarez tweeted he would “see Poirier in Calgary” in reference to July 28’s UFC on FOX 30 from Canada:

That fakest of well wishes suggests Alvarez cleared up his recently discussed contract dispute with the UFC, which was reportedly strong enough to state there was that the rematch Poirier was “not f***ing happening” without the new deal.

But now it seems that “The Diamond” is the one denying the fight will happen, as his camp reportedly told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto today that their May 4 deadline to sign the bout was a serious one, causing the bout to ‘one thousand percent’ be off as of now:

So while Alvarez insists the fight is official from his end, Poirier confirmed his deadline was solid to MMAjunkie yesterday, and Alvarez still hasn’t signed the agreement, he wasn’t really even in discussions for the fight right now:

“I gave him a week deadline for the first time I accepted the fight last week,” Poirier said. “I gave him the whole week, and he still didn’t accept. Then we talked to the UFC and extended it to Monday for him to say yes.

“He still didn’t say yes, so pretty much everything they’re saying now, I don’t know. I’m not even talking with (the UFC).”

Poirier has been campaigning for the obvious rematch ever since Alvarez blasted him with an illegal knee in a fight he felt he was winning (and that was somehow declared a no contest), the former UFC and Bellator champion went on to coach The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) opposite Justin Gaethje instead.

The two fought in a rousing war won by Alvarez at December 2017’s UFC 218, and Poirier also dispatched ‘The Highlight” in another slugfest at April 14’s UFC Glendale, shifting their paths back to one another again.

Overall, however, Poirier is sick of planning his life about Alvarez’ availability, or lack thereof, so he insists the fight won’t happen in Calgary:

“I had a trip to Asia planned,” he said. “I’d have to really cancel a bunch of stuff, and I would have if they’d let me know in the week and a half I gave them to say yes, for him to get his contract figured out.

“I’ll fight him at another date. But it’s looking like Calgary is not going to happen.”

‘The Diamond’ was also still calling him out on Twitter as early as last night, poking fun at the t-shirt Alvarez received for achieving 25 clean USADA drug tests:

The negotiations for a rematch many fans believed should have already happened appear to be getting a bit confusing, but it also seems it will happen at some point down the road.

With a mess of a logjam at the top of the immensely talented UFC lightweight division as the UFC awaits the return of champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, former champ Conor McGregor, and former interim champ Tony Ferguson, there probably isn’t a better match-up for either fighter to prove they belong in the title picture with those elite stars.

It’s just going to happen on their own respective terms from the looks of it.

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Eddie Alvarez Refuses To Fight Without New Contract

Word recently arrived that Eddie Alvarez would potentially rematch lightweight rival Dustin Poirier at July’s UFC on FOX 30, but apparently, that’s not the case. Alvarez revealed to MMAFighting.com today that he won’t set foot in the UFC octagon without a new contract in place: “It’s not f*cking happening,” he said. “I’m not fighting until […]

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Word recently arrived that Eddie Alvarez would potentially rematch lightweight rival Dustin Poirier at July’s UFC on FOX 30, but apparently, that’s not the case.

Alvarez revealed to MMAFighting.com today that he won’t set foot in the UFC octagon without a new contract in place:

“It’s not f*cking happening,” he said. “I’m not fighting until I get a new deal.”

Alvarez famously fought Poirier to a controversial no contest at UFC 211 last May where he hit “The Diamond” with an illegal knee that was deemed inadvertent by referee Herb Dean. After that, he went on to win a rousing ‘Fight of the Night’-winning bout with Justin Gaethje at last December’s UFC 218, a victory which he believes should have earned him some leverage with his employers.

Or so he thought.

Alvarez recently stated on last week’s edition of The MMA Hour that he had spoken with the UFC about re-signing his contract, but the offer was not up to snuff, so he didn’t actually have a fight in the works:

“The only thing we spoke of was re-signing and we haven’t come to that agreement yet. So I’m guessing there’s not going to be an opponent or a bout agreement in the mail unless I’m ready to re-sign. So when we come to agreement to re-sign, then I’m sure there will be a bout agreement in the mail.”

Alvarez has long been critical of both lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and fan favorite Nate Diaz, suggesting that the former champion will only return for a high-profile bout with one of those two big names. Diaz is rumored to be returning at August 4’s UFC 227 from L.A., but Alvarez said he hasn’t been offered a fight against the Stockton star, and still wouldn’t accept one without his desired contract extension if it was offered.

So big fight offers or not, Alvarez focused on his desire to get his contract sorted out so he could move on to facing the best 155-pound fighters in the world:

“I want to sit down with the UFC and just come to an agreement,” Alvarez said last week. “I feel like the best guys are (in the UFC). I still have a couple guys in the division that I want to take out and have on my resume so I definitely have some unfinished business here.”

‘The Underground King’ has had a bit of an up-and-down (yet ultimately successful) UFC run, losing his octagon debut to Donald Cerrone in 2014 before railing off three straight wins over Gilbert Melendez, Anthony Pettis, and finally, then-champion Rafael dos Anjos to become UFC champion in 2016.

But he lost his first title defense attempt in a shockingly one-sided TKO defeat to Conor McGregor at UFC 205 and followed it with the controversial no contest against Poirier before getting back on track with the win over Gaethje.

A big fight almost assuredly awaits him, but it’s one he’s not going to agree to until the UFC ‘stops playing games’ in his eyes:

“UFC needs to stop playing games,” Alvarez insisted today. “They know what I mean.”

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Report: Nate Diaz Headed For Big-Money UFC Return

A close friend of Nate Diaz just claimed the Stockton star wasn’t only looking for a Conor McGregor trilogy in his return bout, and that scenario is reportedly developing rapidly. A report surfaced from ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto that Diaz and the UFC are in talks for a high-profile return for Diaz at August 4’s UFC 227 […]

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A close friend of Nate Diaz just claimed the Stockton star wasn’t only looking for a Conor McGregor trilogy in his return bout, and that scenario is reportedly developing rapidly.

A report surfaced from ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto that Diaz and the UFC are in talks for a high-profile return for Diaz at August 4’s UFC 227 event from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Diaz supposedly wants to return at the event in his home state and is also interested in one of the names the UFC has given him after turning down many top opponents in recent months.

According to MMA Fighting, however, neither of those names is Conor McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov, so Diaz would likely be matched with a top 155-pound contender like Eddie Alvarez, Dustin Poirier, or Kevin Lee.

There’s also the possibility, of course, that Diaz stays at welterweight, where he fought McGregor twice at in 2016, and meets welterweight champ Tyron Woodley in “The Chosen One’s” return from shoulder surgery last year. The fight has been discussed over the past year or so, and Woodley has repeatedly made it overtly apparent he wants a lucrative fight with a Diaz brother – be it Nick or Nate.

Out of action since his thin majority decision loss to McGregor at August 2016’s UFC 202, Diaz hinted at a comeback in “May-June” earlier this year. He’s reportedly turned down several fights with the top-ranked lightweights during his latest sit on the side, so the UFC must have come with a suitable amount of cash to bring the popular, polarizing Stockton slugger out of his self-imposed hiatus.

There’s been nothing official from the UFC on the awaited return as of yet.

If Diaz does decide to come back at the Calif.-based card, he would add another huge name to an event that already has an anticipated, bad blood-fueled rematch between bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw and former champion Cody Garbrandt.

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Quote: Nate Diaz ‘Not Just Looking For Conor McGregor’

It’s been almost two years since fans have seen Nate Diaz compete in the octagon when he lost a razor-thin majority decision to archrival Conor McGregor at August 2016’s UFC 202. The younger Diaz brother has stayed on the sidelines since, holding out for the monstrous trilogy fight with McGregor that has been looked at as […]

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It’s been almost two years since fans have seen Nate Diaz compete in the octagon when he lost a razor-thin majority decision to archrival Conor McGregor at August 2016’s UFC 202.

The younger Diaz brother has stayed on the sidelines since, holding out for the monstrous trilogy fight with McGregor that has been looked at as a foregone conclusion ever since ‘The Notorious’ tied the score at one apiece following Diaz’ shocking submission victory in their short-notice first match-up at UFC 196.

He’s remained active on social media in the time since as well, calling out many of the top lightweights on social media to elicit criticism from said fighters that he’s been turning down high-profile bouts at an incredible clip. He’s reportedly been offered opponents like Eddie Alvarez, Tony Ferguson, and even welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, only to turn them down and stay on the bench.

So even though Diaz claims he wants to be active, it seems he’ll only consider a return fight against McGregor, and for a longtime veteran clearly only motivated by the biggest and best payday right now, you can hardly blame him based on that point of view.

However, that’s not succinctly the case according to Diaz’ longtime friend and teammate Jake Shields, who revealed during this week’s edition of The MMA Hour (via MMA Mania) that Diaz is not only looking for McGregor but simply the biggest and most lucrative fight possible:

“He’s not just looking for Conor. He’s looking for a fight that makes sense and that’s going to give him a big payday and a lot of hype.”

There’s little evidence to doubt that any fight involving Diaz’ return would be big business no matter whom he fought, yet the obvious blockbuster is the third fight with McGregor that seemed like it was a stark eventuality but now may be in doubt considering the Irish former champion is awaiting court and perceived to be facing current 155-pound champion Khabib Nurmagomedov if and when he does return.

That would leave precious few opponents who truly move the needle for Diaz, and that count could be even fewer when names he would actually fight are taken into account.

It’s laughable to consider him a welterweight title contender, especially with Rafael dos Anjos facing Colby Covington for the interim welterweight title at UFC 225 and Woodley expected to return from surgery to fight the winner. That makes Woodley vs. Diaz unlikely, although there may not be another bout Diaz is willing to return for.

Shields may claim Diaz isn’t just looking for his last McGregor payday, but who else may he be looking for?

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Dana White Says Tyron Woodley Brought Him ‘Doctor’s Note’

The MMA world got some exciting news – in many different forms – this week, and part of that was the interim welterweight title fight between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington at May’s UFC 224 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Apparently still recovering from shoulder surgery, current 170-pound champion Tyron Woodley questioned the need […]

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The MMA world got some exciting news – in many different forms – this week, and part of that was the interim welterweight title fight between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington at May’s UFC 224 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Apparently still recovering from shoulder surgery, current 170-pound champion Tyron Woodley questioned the need for another interim belt, but it was reportedly due to him turning down an opportunity.

Although he did fight in four title fights in just under a year from July 2016 – July 2017, Woodley has been out since undergoing a procedure for a torn labrum suffered in his incredibly boring decision win over Demian Maia at last July’s UFC 214.

And according to UFC President Dana White, “The Chosen One” likely won’t make his return to the Octagon until August 2018 at the earliest:

“Tyron Woodley, we were trying to get him to fight,” White told UFC Tonight. “He came back with a doctor’s note that says he is injured and cannot fight until August.”

Prior to his victory over Maia, Woodley had successfully defended his title twice against Stephen Thompson, fighting “Wonderboy” to a majority draw at UFC 205 and winning a decision in their rematch at UFC 209.

Upon his return, it’s likely that Woodley would take on the winner of the bout between dos Anjos and Covington, but the welterweight division is moving forward as a whole as well.

For example, Kamaru Usman will face off against Sanitago Ponizinibbio in the main event of UFC Fight Night 129 on May 29, 2018 in Chile.

Then, Thompson and rising contender Darren Till will meet in the main event of UFC Fight Night 130 on May 27, 2018 in Liverpool.

Which fight are you most looking forward to and who would you like to see Woodley square off with upon his return?

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