Tag: UFC 216

Khabib Nurmagomedov Posts Statement On UFC Future

Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov made it through the most chaotic week in UFC history and emerged from April 7’s UFC 223 with the lightweight belt after beating Al Iaquinta – his fifth potential opponent in six days’ time. “The Eagle” was originally set to face oft-scheduled rival Tony Ferguson for a fourth time at UFC […]

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Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov made it through the most chaotic week in UFC history and emerged from April 7’s UFC 223 with the lightweight belt after beating Al Iaquinta – his fifth potential opponent in six days’ time.

“The Eagle” was originally set to face oft-scheduled rival Tony Ferguson for a fourth time at UFC 223, but when the former interim champion suffered a knee injury fulfilling media obligations the weekend before the fight, a strange set of events unfolded. First, UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway replaced Ferguson, and then, of course, came former champ Conor McGregor’s violent Brooklyn bus attack.

After needing to cut an insane amount of weight to make lightweight, ‘Blessed’ was then deemed medically unfit to compete, and the UFC frantically sought an opponent for the undefeated Russian wrestling protege. Anthony Pettis was mentioned, then Paul Felder, and finally, Iaquinta officially accepted the fight. The Long Island native was game as could be, but that didn’t stop Nurmagomedov from dominating him in both the striking and the grappling departments en route to a 50-43 tally on two judges’ cards.

With his biggest win in the books, talk quickly moved to whom Khabib would face in his first defense, and the clear choice was the massive allure of McGregor, especially considering the mutual hatred now pre-installed. The devout Muslim champion will take a break for the yearly religious holiday of Ramadan, but he issued a statement on his fighting future on his Instagram today, offering when he plans to return and who he would prefer to face:

“Lightweight division is the most competitive division in #UFC

“At this moment, atmosphere is very heated: there is Conor and Tony, Porier, Lee and Alvarez, all of them are good. Fight with any of these guys would be very interesting and competitive. I never choose opponent, fought with any fighter who was offered me to fight, and I’m not going to change that.

“I’m coming back November – December to defend my belt. Whoever @ufc decide to fight me with, I’ll sign.”

Lightweight division is the most competitive division in #UFC At this moment, atmosphere is very heated: there is Conor and Tony, Porier, Lee and Alvarez, all of them are good. Fight with any of these guys would be very interesting and competitive. I never choose opponent, fought with any fighter who was offered me to fight, and I’m not going to change that. I’m coming back November – December to defend my belt. Whoever @ufc decide to fight me with, I’ll sign. ? ?????? ???????? ?????? ??? ????? ???????????? ? #ufc ? ?????? ?????? ???????? ????? ??????????, ???? ?????, ???? ????, ???? ?????, ?? ? ????????, ?????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ??????. ? ????? ?? ??? ????????? ???????, ???????????? ???. ? ??????? ?? ??????? ???? ??????????, ?????? ? ???? ???? ??? ?????????? ? ?????? ??? ????? ?? ????????? ???????? ?????????. ? ????????? ????????? ? ?????? ??? ? ??????? ??????????. ????? ??????? #ufc ?????? ?? ? ?????. #bigdramashow #ufclightweight #mma #ufc #???????????????????????? #inshaaAllah

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The UFC lightweight division is indeed one of the most competitive divisions in MMA, and it’s arguably at the highest level it’s ever been – something that says a lot about the already-storied class’s evolution.

But Khabib’s title-sealing victory at UFC 223 was supposed to give some much-needed clarity to the 155-pound arena, not clog it up even more with a logjam of possible contenders like McGregor, Ferguson, Eddie Alvarez, Dustin Poirier, and Kevin Lee all having a legitimate claim for a title fight while waiting in the wings.

They’ll just have to wait, however, because Khabib vs. McGregor has a legitimate shot to be the biggest fight the UFC has ever signed.

But will it be the one they’re able to book?

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Max Holloway Sounds Off On Conor McGregor’s New York Arrest

The UFC is currently awaiting the results of the court date of their biggest star Conor McGregor after the former champion was arrested on assault charges following his bizarre Brooklyn bust attack directed at Khabib Nurmagomedov. Based on his bankroll and over star power, it’s unlikely that McGregor faces much legal punishment for his first offense on […]

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The UFC is currently awaiting the results of the court date of their biggest star Conor McGregor after the former champion was arrested on assault charges following his bizarre Brooklyn bust attack directed at Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Based on his bankroll and over star power, it’s unlikely that McGregor faces much legal punishment for his first offense on United States soil, and he could face even less punishment from his bosses at the UFC, who have shown a willingness to let McGregor get away with anything he wants.

“The Notorious” has been out of action for nearly a year-and-a-half, yet the UFC seems intent on waiting around for his savior-like return rather than promoting the young, up-and-coming stars who are actually willing to fight. One such star is featherweight champion Max Holloway, who was in Brooklyn on another bus when McGregor stormed the Barclays Center.

The Hawaiian sensation weighed in on the chaotic scene during a recent edition of The MMA Hour, noting that it was as hectic and over-the-top as one would expect:

“We were on the other bus. I didn’t even know it was Conor. People were yelling, ‘It’s Conor! It’s Conor!’ And I was like, ‘I don’t see him,’” Holloway said. “When we saw the video, the guy who was running around and stuff was Conor. I was watching him do the crazy stuff. I was like ‘Oh man, that’s pretty nuts.

“It was crazy and I don’t condone that kind of behavior; I don’t approve of it. People are gonna do what people are gonna do,” Holloway said.

“It’s hard to speak on. I was watching the show earlier before I came on. I think you said it right when you said that Dana and them handled it pretty good. Sh*t happens. I don’t got much to say on that — that was just some wild events. Imagine if they did show up to the media event, I think it would have been even more wild.”

“Blessed” pondered the question many have asked about McGregor in recent weeks, asking if the UFC would continue to let him get away with increasingly insane and illegal acts outside the cage:

“How many times can you let the guy get away with something?”

As many as it takes, apparently, and the UFC is clearly lacking a willingness to stand up to their biggest stars in the hopes that he will grace the octagon with his presence for at least one more UFC bout at some point.

But after a reported $100 million payday to box Floyd Mayweather last August, ‘The Notorious” motivation seems to be waning at best and totally nonexistent at worst.

His behavior has been nothing short of bordering on lunacy since he fought Mayweather; however, Holloway said that as a first-hand witness of his Brooklyn melee, he even surprised himself when the glass broke on the bus he threw the dolly at:

“I don’t think he really meant to break the bus with the dolly. I think that he was shocked that he broke it because when I was watching he actually picked up a metal trashcan and he put it down, and he grabbed a plastic trashcan and he threw that instead, that was after he threw the dolly. He was running with the barricade — he knows he was going to get stopped with the barricade.

“I think he crossed the line, but that’s not on me. It doesn’t affect me personally. I feel bad for all of the other fighters like (Michael) Chiesa and Ray Borg, they missed some fights because of it. It’s crazy, man. It’s nuts.”

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Kevin Lee Reacts To Missing Weight For UFC Atlantic City

Earlier today the MMA world was hit with the news that top lightweight Kevin Lee had missed weight during the early weigh-ins for his main event with Edson Barboza at this weekend’s (Sat., April 21, 2018) UFC Atlantic City. The miss, where ‘The Motown Phenom’ came in one pound over the non-title fight limit of […]

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Earlier today the MMA world was hit with the news that top lightweight Kevin Lee had missed weight during the early weigh-ins for his main event with Edson Barboza at this weekend’s (Sat., April 21, 2018) UFC Atlantic City.

The miss, where ‘The Motown Phenom’ came in one pound over the non-title fight limit of 156 pounds, was significant in that he had nearly missed weight for his interim title fight with Tony Ferguson at last year’s UFC 216, coming in extremely late and weighing following a weight cut that ‘damn near killed him’ while he was dealing with a staph infection.

But he wasn’t dealing with such an ailment this time around, so the inevitable questions of if he should move up to welterweight are swirling this afternoon. Lee issued a statement on Instagram to clarify that this was actually the first time he had ever missed weight, apologizing to the UFC, Dana White, and his opponent before saying he just ran out of time:

“For the first time ever in my athletic career since high school I’ve missed weight this morning. I just ran outta time. I apologize @Ufc @danawhite@edsonbarbozajr tomorrow Imma go put on a show”

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UFC Rankings Update: Conor McGregor Finally Falls On P4P List

Conor McGregor’s outrageous antics – and his overall lack of any in-cage activity – have finally begun to affect his ranking on the official pound-for-pound list. In the newest rankings released this week, McGregor fell one spot to No. 4 as heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic overtook him at No. 3. McGregor, of course, was last […]

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Conor McGregor’s outrageous antics – and his overall lack of any in-cage activity – have finally begun to affect his ranking on the official pound-for-pound list.

In the newest rankings released this week, McGregor fell one spot to No. 4 as heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic overtook him at No. 3. McGregor, of course, was last seen throwing a metal dolly through a bus window before UFC 223, resulting in his arrest and pending court date on a felony and multiple misdemeanors. “The Notorious” was also stripped of his lightweight title after the event, marking the second title of which he’s been relieved of without a single defense.

Miocic, meanwhile, has been a picture of consistency in an otherwise inconsistent heavyweight division, defending his title three times since winning it with a first-round knockout of Fabricio Werdum at 2016’s UFC 198. The Cleveland-based firefighter will face light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in the main event of July 7’s UFC 226 after the two coach The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 27, which debuted last night.

The other significant rankings movement took place in the currently booming lightweight division, with rising contender Dustin Poirier moving up one spot to No. 4 after his exciting fourth-round TKO finish over Justin Gaethje, who dropped down to No. 7 for his second straight UFC loss.

That shakeup forced previous No. 4 Edson Barboza down to No. 5 and allowed Kevin Lee, Barboza’s upcoming opponent in the main event of this weekend’s (Sat., April 21, 2018) UFC Fight Night 128 from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to rise up to No. 6, creating a No. 5 vs. No. 6 match-up at 155 pounds for the second straight week.

You can check out the full updated rankings from the UFC’s official website here:

POUND-FOR-POUND
1 Demetrious Johnson
2 Georges St-Pierre
3 Stipe Miocic +1
4 Conor McGregor -1
5 Daniel Cormier
6 Max Holloway
7 TJ Dillashaw
8 Tyron Woodley +1
8 Khabib Nurmagomedov
10 Cris Cyborg
11 Tony Ferguson
12 Amanda Nunes
13 Robert Whittaker
14 Cody Garbrandt
15 Rose Namajunas

FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Demetrious Johnson
1 Joseph Benavidez
2 Henry Cejudo
3 Ray Borg
4 Jussier Formiga
5 Sergio Pettis
6 John Moraga +4
7 Brandon Moreno
8 Wilson Reis -2
9 Ben Nguyen -1
10 Dustin Ortiz -1
11 Matheus Nicolau +1
12 Alexandre Pantoja -1
13 Tim Elliott
14 Deiveson Figueiredo
15 Magomed Bibulatov

BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: TJ Dillashaw
1 Cody Garbrandt
2 Dominick Cruz
3 Raphael Assuncao
4 Jimmie Rivera
5 Marlon Moraes
6 John Lineker
7 John Dodson
8 Aljamain Sterling
9 Bryan Caraway -1
10 Pedro Munhoz
10 Cody Stamann +1
12 Rob Font
13 Thomas Almeida
14 Brett Johns
15 Eddie Wineland

FEATHERWEIGHT
Champion: Max Holloway
1 Brian Ortega
2 Jose Aldo
3 Frankie Edgar
4 Cub Swanson
5 Jeremy Stephens
6 Josh Emmett
7 Ricardo Lamas
8 Chan Sung Jung
9 Renato Moicano
10 Darren Elkins
11 Yair Rodriguez
12 Mirsad Bektic
13 Dooho Choi
14 Zabit Magomedsharipov
15 Myles Jury

LIGHTWEIGHT
Champion: Khabib Nurmagomedov
1 Conor McGregor
2 Tony Ferguson
3 Eddie Alvarez
4 Dustin Poirier +1
5 Edson Barboza -1
6 Kevin Lee +1
7 Justin Gaethje -1
8 Nate Diaz
9 Michael Chiesa
10 Al Iaquinta
11 James Vick
12 Anthony Pettis
13 Alexander Hernandez
14 Paul Felder
15 Olivier Aubin-Mercier

WELTERWEIGHT
Champion: Tyron Woodley
1 Stephen Thompson
2 Rafael Dos Anjos
3 Colby Covington
4 Robbie Lawler
5 Demian Maia
6 Jorge Masvidal
7 Kamaru Usman
7 Darren Till
9 Neil Magny
10 Santiago Ponzinibbio
11 Donald Cerrone
12 Gunnar Nelson +1
13 Alex Oliveira *NR
14 Leon Edwards
15 Dong Hyun Kim

MIDDLEWEIGHT
Champion: Robert Whittaker
1 Yoel Romero
2 Jacare Souza
3 Luke Rockhold
4 Chris Weidman
5 Kelvin Gastelum
6 Michael Bisping
7 Derek Brunson
8 David Branch
9 Vitor Belfort
10 Uriah Hall
10 Brad Tavares +5
12 Thiago Santos -1
13 Lyoto Machida -1
14 Paulo Costa
15 Antonio Carlos Junior *NR

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Daniel Cormier
1 Alexander Gustafsson
2 Volkan Oezdemir
3 Glover Teixeira
4 Ilir Latifi
5 Jan Blachowicz
6 Jimi Manuwa
7 Mauricio Rua
8 Ovince Saint Preux
9 Misha Cirkunov
10 Corey Anderson
11 Patrick Cummins
12 Tyson Pedro
13 Gadzhimurad Antigulov
14 Gian Villante
15 Jordan Johnson

HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Stipe Miocic
1 Francis Ngannou
2 Alistair Overeem
3 Alexander Volkov
4 Curtis Blaydes
5 Fabricio Werdum
6 Mark Hunt
6 Derrick Lewis
8 Marcin Tybura
9 Andrei Arlovski
10 Aleksei Oleinik
11 Stefan Struve
12 Tai Tuivasa
13 Shamil Abdurakhimov
14 Junior Albini
15 Justin Ledet

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
Champion: Rose Namajunas
1 Joanna Jedrzejczyk
2 Jessica Andrade
3 Claudia Gadelha
4 Karolina Kowalkiewicz
5 Tecia Torres
6 Carla Esparza
7 Michelle Waterson
8 Felice Herrig
9 Alexa Grasso
10 Cortney Casey
11 Randa Markos
12 Tatiana Suarez
13 Joanne Calderwood
14 Nina Ansaroff
15 Angela Hill

WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Nicco Montano
1 Valentina Shevchenko
2 Sijara Eubanks
3 Lauren Murphy
4 Alexis Davis
5 Roxanne Modafferi
6 Barb Honchak
7 Liz Carmouche
8 Katlyn Chookagian
9 Jessica-Rose Clark
10 Jessica Eye
11 Ashlee Evans-Smith
12 Mara Romero Borella
13 Paige VanZant
14 Montana De La Rosa
15 Rachael Ostovich

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Amanda Nunes
1 Holly Holm
2 Raquel Pennington
3 Julianna Pena
4 Ketlen Vieira
5 Germaine de Randamie
6 Cat Zingano
7 Marion Reneau
8 Sara McMann
9 Leslie Smith
10 Aspen Ladd
11 Bethe Correia
12 Irene Aldana
13 Lucie Pudilova
14 Sarah Moras
15 Lina Lansberg

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Former UFC Champ: Conor McGregor ‘Set Fighters Back’ With Outburst

Always considered the biggest and best character in MMA, Conor McGregor continued the cross the line in his strange post-Mayweather era when he threw a dolly through the window of a bus containing Khabib Nurmagomedov at a UFC 223 media day. It’s understandably lead to a vast amount of debate of how much the UFC should […]

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Always considered the biggest and best character in MMA, Conor McGregor continued the cross the line in his strange post-Mayweather era when he threw a dolly through the window of a bus containing Khabib Nurmagomedov at a UFC 223 media day.

It’s understandably lead to a vast amount of debate of how much the UFC should punish him, as he was arraigned on both felony and misdemeanor charges and will next appear in court on June 14. Most believe he won’t be punished by his bosses at the UFC because they need him to come back for a huge fight, however, and in truth, his court case will likely be only a small punishment for his first offense in the U.S.

But in the views of some, McGregor has already done enough to sully the reputation of MMA fighters overall, and one such fighter is former UFC champion Frank Mir. Speaking up on the all-out-chaos in a recent interview with FanSided, Mir said that as MMA’s biggest name, McGregor undid years of hard work put in by he and his fellow MMA pioneers with just one act:

“Seeing Conor do that, on a personal note, it bugs me,” said Mir. “The guys like me, Randy Couture, Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, we fought for years to not be considered a thug, and now you’re going to drag us back in. You are the most famous guy in our sport, the richest guy, the most notable character … People judge us [fighters] by our most notable face.”

That behavior won’t result in a positive outcome according to Mir, who said impressionable young people would be following his example and see he had gained fame and fortune by breaking the law. Because of his overall influence on others, Mir thinks it crucial that the UFC gives him a significant punishment:

“The problem is we have all these young guys and women watching him,” Mir said. “Like anything in life, you sit there and go ‘How did that guy get those shoes? Well, I’m doing this. But how did I get those shoes? Well, you have to follow this.’ We’re a pack mentality.

“So with Conor being the most famous face and you give him a slap on the wrist, how do you deter other guys going down this path?”

A good question to be certain, and it would seem McGregor is truly above the law if he is able to avoid any reprimanding from the UFC. He somehow avoided any for his arguably illegal outburst at a Bellator event in his native Dublin, Ireland, last year where he pushed referee Marc Goddard and slapped a security guard who told him to get off the cage.

But this time he’s actually in real legal trouble, and even though he can clearly afford an attorney to get his charges reduced to possibly next to nothing, there’s only so much more the UFC can do put up with before doing something.

As for Mir, he’ll face legendary Pride FC heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 198 as part of their heavyweight grand prix.

Does the former champion have a good point, and will the UFC ever draw a line in the sand with McGregor?

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Cormier: Conor McGregor Could ‘Go Off The Deep End’ At Any Time

Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor committed what was by far the most ‘Notorious’ act of his MMA career when he stormed into the Barclays Center on April 5 and threw a metal dolly through a bus containing current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The fallout of the all-out chaos saw McGregor booked […]

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Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor committed what was by far the most ‘Notorious’ act of his MMA career when he stormed into the Barclays Center on April 5 and threw a metal dolly through a bus containing current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The fallout of the all-out chaos saw McGregor booked and jailed on a felony charge and multiple misdemeanors, and also left two fighters riding that bus unable to compete at April 7’s UFC 223 from Brooklyn.

It’s left the future of the UFC’s biggest star in extreme uncertainty – if not outright jeopardy – and it’s also left him drawing comparisons to troubled all-time UFC great Jon Jones, who has seen his otherwise historic career go careening down a path of disappointing drug-related issues.

The man perhaps most connected to the sad saga of ‘Bones,’ his longtime rival and current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, recently weighed in on the parallels between McGregor and Jones during a recent media appearance (via Yahoo!) to promote tomorrow’s debut of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 27, which he’ll coach alongside heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

To Cormier, his unpredictable nature won’t prevent fans from accepting him because he’s seen the same scene unfold with Jones:

“His behavior has been a tad bit erratic, and the one thing people don’t like is erratic behavior where they really don’t know what you’re doing next,” Cormier said. “But as we saw with Jones, it did not lead to people completely turning their backs on him. I think because of his ability to fight, and he’s such a special talent, people will accept him when he comes back.”

Cormier stopped short of declaring that the public would accept McGregor back fully, however, because he thinks people will still be somewhat tentative considering that he’s now showed he could do anything at any time:

“But they’ll be a little more leery of him because of that erratic behavior, he could go off the deep end at any time, as we saw in Brooklyn.”

It’s a good point from Cormier, who will face Miocic for the heavyweight title in the main event of July 7’s UFC 226 in an attempt to become one of the more decorated champions in UFC history.

The fight just as easily could have gone to Jones if he had not been suspended for using the anabolic steroid Turinabol prior to his UFC 214 knockout win over his longtime rival, but he did, and now it’s “DC” who stands on the edge of making history. It’s far from Jones’ only outside-the-cage transgression while scheduled to fight Cormier, so he’s all too familiar with how going off the edge in public can derail an otherwise supremely talented fighter.

McGregor’s the biggest star in UFC history on the other hand, and he’s yet to receive any kind of punishment from the UFC and accounting for how much they need him to return, he may not.

But the legal system he’s now caught up in is another matter altogether, and even though he may get off easy the first time, another such outburst may not produce the same result.

Will McGregor eventually go off the deep end as Cormier suggests he could?

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