Tag: UFC 217

TJ Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt II Reportedly Finalized For UFC 227

A blockbuster bantamweight rematch has reportedly been finalized for this summer. News broke tonight (Wed., April 4, 2018) from ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that the UFC has supposedly booked TJ Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt II for August 4’s UFC 227 from The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The fight is expected to be officially announced […]

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A blockbuster bantamweight rematch has reportedly been finalized for this summer.

News broke tonight (Wed., April 4, 2018) from ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that the UFC has supposedly booked TJ Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt II for August 4’s UFC 227 from The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

The fight is expected to be officially announced in the coming days.

Current champion Dillashaw recently won the title back from Garbrandt in the co-main event of last November’s UFC 217 after the archrivals served as coaches of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). The Denver, Colorado-based ‘Viper’ won the title by knocking out then-pound-for-pound great Renan Barao at UFC 173, defending it twice before losing it to Dominick Cruz via controversial split decision in January 2016.

‘No Love’ then won the title from Cruz in turn at UFC 207, paving the clear path for a rivalry with pre-installed beef from their days as Team Alpha Male teammates and training partners, where Dillashaw left for Denver alongside former TAM head coach Duane Ludwig. The bad blood resulted in a great back-and-forth bout at UFC 207, with ‘No Love’ rocking Dillashaw in the first round and Dillashaw winning the fight with an earth-shattering punch in the second.

Dillashaw had long been rumored to be headed for a super fight with dominant UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson, but that fight is apparently off for now, and the bantamweight division’s most awaited rematch sits in its place.

Was this the right fight to make at 135 pounds?

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Tyron Woodley Reacts To Interim Title Bout Rumors

Some surprising news surfaced in mixed martial arts (MMA) yesterday (Thurs., March 22, 2018) when a report arrived the UFC was targeting an interim welterweight title bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington at May’s UFC 224 from Rio de Janeiro. Upon second glance, it may not be all that surprising considering the UFC’s […]

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Some surprising news surfaced in mixed martial arts (MMA) yesterday (Thurs., March 22, 2018) when a report arrived the UFC was targeting an interim welterweight title bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington at May’s UFC 224 from Rio de Janeiro.

Upon second glance, it may not be all that surprising considering the UFC’s extreme focus on interim title fights over the past year-and-a-half or so, but the timing was a bit odd because divisional champ Tyron Woodley, although on the sidelines since last July with a shoulder injury, was planning to return this summer.

So the outspoken 170-pound champ not surprisingly spoke up on the situation on this week’s episode of UFC Tonight (via MMA Weekly), detailing his recovery and projecting a July return:

“I feel really good. I had surgery in December. I had two series of PRP, as well as stem cell injections to my shoulder. I have one more series in April. After that, I’ll be in training camp.

“I fought four world title fights in 12 months, if anybody deserves to heal and be back at 100 percent (it’s me). I will be back when it’s time for Tyron Woodley to be back.

“My projection is July. The doctors are telling me that. I’m feeling good about it. I’m healing up very well. I’m back to training again. After I do that third series of PRP and stem cells, I’m gonna be 100 percent. Somebody is getting hurt.”

With Woodley predicting he’d be back in three months, he predictably scoffed at the prospect of an interim title being made after he had fought so often the year prior:

Woodley is on the mend, but his next fight is unknown in terms of date and opponent. He urged everyone to be a little patient with him, insisting that the top-ranked combatants in the deeply talented welterweight division would all get sent packing one by one.

He believes it’s an exciting time for the weight class, with surging names like dos Anjos and Convington joining rising contenders like Darren Till and Kamaru Usman stirring things up on social media, even if Woodley believes they ultimately don’t really want to face his jaw-dropping power:

“Everybody is gonna get it. It doesn’t matter. It’s just a matter of when. At the end of the day, every welterweight that wants to be at the top is gonna have to see me at some point,” Woodley said when asked about who is next for him.

“I could fight (Rafael Dos Anjos), I could fight Colby (Covington), I could fight (Kamaru) Usman, I could fight Darren Till. It’s a good time for the sport because I’ve got the red dot on me, but to be honest, I don’t think any of these guys want to see me. I’ve already beat the toughest guys in the division. I’m the champion for a reason. I got here the old school way,” he continued.

“They are doing what they are supposed to. They’re supposed to want to fight me. They’re supposed to want to be the UFC champion, but it’s not gonna happen.”

‘The Chosen One’ is correct in his suggestion that the welterweight division is buzzing with top contenders and talent at the present moment, but the issue is all of them are just talking about fighting each other instead of actually sorting out the mess at the top.

With dos Anjos rumored to face Covington in Brazil and Till supposedly headlining UFC Liverpool against former title challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, the division should get some much-needed direction in the somewhat near future.

If and when it does, the returning ruler will hopefully have his next rival.

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Rumor: Interim Welterweight Title Bout Targeted For UFC 224

With welterweight champion Tyron Woodley on the sidelines, the 170-pound division could move on with an interim title match very soon. And it may contain two very high-profile contenders. A report surfaced earlier today from BJ Penn’s Chris Taylor detailing that multiple sources have confirmed to him a Rafael dos Anjos vs. Colby Covington interim […]

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With welterweight champion Tyron Woodley on the sidelines, the 170-pound division could move on with an interim title match very soon.

And it may contain two very high-profile contenders.

A report surfaced earlier today from BJ Penn’s Chris Taylor detailing that multiple sources have confirmed to him a Rafael dos Anjos vs. Colby Covington interim title fight is in the works for May 12’s UFC 224 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Although not finalized, it is reportedly expected to be soon:

Dos Anjos has appeared reinvented at welterweight after ditching the draining weight cut at his former home of 155 pounds, a division where he became the UFC champion but ultimately decided to move up following two consecutive losses to Eddie Alvarez and Tony Ferguson.

He’s been on a tear ever since, most recently taking out former 170-pound champion Robbie Lawler after wins against Neil Magny and Tarec Saffiedine.

Covington, on the other hand, has become MMA’s public enemy number one after calling out a large portion of the UFC roster whether they fight at 170 or not.

The brash, Brazil-blasting contender has won five straight fights in a row with his most recent a unanimous decision over Brazilian fan favorite Demian Maia last October, a fight after which he called the Sao Paulo crowd “filthy animals” and had to be escorted out of the stadium by security.

Another trip to the hostile territory is apparently in the works for Covington, and you can’t deny his gall for going back to Brazil.

UFC 224 is currently headlined by a women’s bantamweight title fight between Amanda Nunes and Raquel Pennington.

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Quote: TJ Dillashaw vs. Demetrious Johnson Will Happen In July

As a 35-fight MMA veteran, Muay Thai world champion and former UFC fighter Duane Ludwig spent 15 years competing in combat sports. After retiring from fighting in 2012, ‘Bang’ settled into a role as a full-time Muay Thai and MMA striking coach by propelling California’s Team Alpha Male to new heights in a short amount of […]

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As a 35-fight MMA veteran, Muay Thai world champion and former UFC fighter Duane Ludwig spent 15 years competing in combat sports. After retiring from fighting in 2012, ‘Bang’ settled into a role as a full-time Muay Thai and MMA striking coach by propelling California’s Team Alpha Male to new heights in a short amount of time.

In particular, current UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw found the most success from Ludwig’s tutelage. After he won the bantamweight title from Renan Barao at UFC 173 in 2014, Dillashaw and Ludwig moved their fight camp – amidst a highly-publicized spat with TAM that exists to this day – to Colorado where ‘Bang’ opened his own gym.

Since then, Dillashaw lost the title to Dominick Cruz in a close split decision in 2016, before winning it back against Cody Garbrandt after the feud started by Dillashaw and Ludwig moving away from TAM. A possible rematch between Dillashaw and Garbrandt was rumored for March 3’s UFC 222, but Dillashaw and his team were understandably much more interested in a champ vs. champ super fight with dominant flyweight king Demetrious Johnson, although no official details have been confirmed.

Speaking during an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour today, Ludwig discussed why Dillashaw vs. Johnson is the much better fight:

“The better fight is against Demetrious Johnson, he is the only real big fight for TJ Dillashaw right now. Cody (Garbrandt) doesn’t deserve a rematch. (Cody) got knocked out in the second round, he hasn’t really earned that rematch. I know TJ got dropped in the first round but he came back and knocked Cody out.”

‘Bang’ also detailed why Dillashaw vs. Johnson was the best fight for ‘The Viper’ and why a rematch with Garbrandt was not.

The longtime coach said he understood that new UFC owners Endeavor were trying to make back their investment when featherweight champion Max Holloway was forced out of his headlining bout with Frankie Edgar, but he insisted the timing was wrong for Dillashaw given that he had just had a child, and also thought Garbrandt just didn’t deserve the fight:

“What we’ve got here is an entertainment business taking over a martial arts company. TJ just had a kid, and the timing wasn’t right for the Johnson fight at that time, but the company is trying to make their investment back, but TJ vs. Johnson has to happen. They must really like Cody right now because he doesn’t deserve that rematch.”

He then reiterated their team was looking for the super fight, and that it would happen this July during International Fight Week while touting Dillashaw’s standing as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in his mind:

“We are hunting for that Johnson superfight. TJ is not a big 135-pounder, he has to lift quite a lot make 135 pounds. He is basically between the two weight classes, he could defend both titles. We’ve trained from day one to be the best, our main goal is to see how good we can get him. It’s time to have the two best mixed martial artists in the lower weight classes meet and test TJ’s skill set again Demetrious. The fight with DJ will happen in July, at international fight week, and TJ will be the new 125-pound champion of the world.

“I think right now, TJ is the best fighter in the world regardless of weight class. Who knocked Cody out in the second round, anybody else? No, he ran through Renan Barao twice.”

Yet while it seems Ludwig is only focused on grabbing the highest-profile fight he can for his best student, ‘Bang’ also discussed a bigger picture view of his career as a martial arts coach, noting that he was excited to have a rewarding non-stressful career teaching. He’s apparently parlayed that into a seminar with Dillashaw and Bas Rutten in addition to a few other high-profile names, and wants to use that forum to pass on his wealth of fighting skill to those willing to learn:

“I’m super happy and I just love teaching martial arts. I focus on just teaching martial arts to martial artists, it’s not stressful, it’s pretty much rewardable and enjoyable. I have a huge seminar coming up this weekend.”

“I’ll be in New York this weekend with TJ Dillashaw, Bas Rutten, Andy Souwer, Chinzo Machida and also Shane Fazen. We are going to be doing a three-day seminar in New York City, teaching the best martial arts to all the people we can get together. It’s open to the public.

“I love being the Google of martial arts, finding the best martial artists and picking their brains and passing that information on to the people who are attending.”

So while Ludwig may be the in the media for his connection to Dillashaw, he also wanted to clarify that he doesn’t run an MMA team any longer, and wants to teach the current students at his MMA academy to be the best martial artists they can be:

“I want to help other people become better people and martial artists now. If I was running a fight team still, I would have the best fighters, but I’m running a martial arts academy and I try to teach them to be the best martial artists.”

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Quote: GSP Will Return Against Conor McGregor For ‘Biggest Fight In MMA History’

Recently, former UFC middleweight and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre revealed he would return to MMA if the right opportunity to ‘elevate himself’ arose – even if it was all the way down at 155 pounds. The statement prompted speculation that “GSP” was looking for a lucrative match-up with current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, a […]

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Recently, former UFC middleweight and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre revealed he would return to MMA if the right opportunity to ‘elevate himself’ arose – even if it was all the way down at 155 pounds.

The statement prompted speculation that “GSP” was looking for a lucrative match-up with current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor, a bout that many, including St-Pierre’s longtime coach Firas Zahabi, touted as potentially the biggest MMA fight of all-time.

But Zahabi then went on record shortly thereafter saying that he didn’t think the fight would actually happen. 

However, there’s a prominent name in MMA who disagrees with that sentiment, and not surprisingly it’s Chael Sonnen. The former UFC title contender recently offered his opinion on his “Beyond the Fight” podcast (via MMA Junkie), stating that St-Pierre will return against McGregor and it will be the biggest fight in history:

“It will be against Conor in what will be the biggest fight in MMA history.”

The decorated MMA great returned from a nearly four-year absence late last year to submit Michael Bisping and win the 185-pound title at November’s UFC 217.

It was one of MMA’s feel-good moments at the time; however, St-Pierre incited a bit of controversy when he vacated the middleweight title shortly thereafter, claiming that he was suffering from colitis due to the increased food intake consumed to fight at 185. Several accused him of picking and choosing his fights – and finding an ‘easy’ one in Bisping – but at this point in his decorated career, it doesn’t seem like he’s trying to hide that fact.

He claimed it wasn’t only because of the money that a fight with McGregor would bring because he’s more focused on furthering his legacy at this point, yet Sonnen wasn’t buying that in the slightest.

According to ‘The American Gangster,’ St-Pierre’s saying the right things and still wants the monster payday a bout versus McGregor brings:

“Conor doesn’t have the belt, and George wants to come back, and George only wants to come back for Conor. And they both want to do this legacy and all this other … a check, guys. That’s what you’re getting in this. Forget about how we think about you in the future, let’s talk about tonight. That’s the fight.”

“Making a statement like, ‘Hey, that does nothing for me,’ that is condescending, it’s rude, it’s mean-spirited, and it’s extremely appropriate if you’re Georges St-Pierre. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want that fight.”

With McGregor still enjoying his $100 million purse to box Floyd Mayweather last August, his MMA return remains unknown – if he even returns at all.

It’s largely thought he will finally make his first defense against the winner of UFC 223’s Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov main event this April, but nothing feels guaranteed when it comes to McGregor and his ongoing contract talks with the UFC. He’s teased a rematch with Mayweather in the UFC, and there’s little doubt a super fight with St-Pierre would be the most lucrative fight the UFC could book.

But the topic of what weight class it would be at would be a minor hurdle to surpass. Sonnen believes it would be at a new weight of 165 pounds after McGregor supposedly asked the promotion to create a new belt in the class for him to save last weekend’s UFC 222 on short notice:

“I know that George would do it. He’s made that clear. And I also know contrary to what some fans will say about, ‘Well, what wait class? You can only ask Conor to go up so much.’ Georges will go down. Now that it has come out that Conor talked to Dana and wanted to do a 165-pound fight, George will go down to 165. I’ll speak for him. I’ll tell you he for sure will. I’m not speaking for him; he shared that with me. But I will pass it on to you. He will go to 165 if it means Conor.”

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Georges St-Pierre Confirms He Could Return At Lightweight

Legendary former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre made one of MMA’s legitimate feel-good moments when he came back from four years off to win the middleweight title from Michael Bisping at last November’s UFC 217 from New York. Questions arose about his chances fighting up a class he’d never competed in before, but St-Pierre answered […]

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Legendary former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre made one of MMA’s legitimate feel-good moments when he came back from four years off to win the middleweight title from Michael Bisping at last November’s UFC 217 from New York.

Questions arose about his chances fighting up a class he’d never competed in before, but St-Pierre answered those with a resounding display of striking and wrestling, perhaps fighting at a level even he had never attained despite being regarded as one of the finest mixed martial artists of all-time.

But that success came with a dire price, and he ultimately had to vacate the 185-pound title when he suffered a bout of colitis from the increased diet he ate in order to keep weight on at middleweight. So he vacated the title hardly a month after he won it, drawing some criticism that he only came back for an ‘easy fight’ in Bisping and never planned on defending the title.

He’s been quiet ever since, yet St-Pierre appeared on The MMA Hour today to discuss his fighting future with Ariel Helwani.

Noting that he could have kept the belt if he really wanted to, he instead chose to let the division move forward instead of costing his fellow athletes a chance to improve their standing:

“I could have kept the title for one year, walked around with and take the sponsors. And I could be in the spotlight, say I’m the champion. The truth is I don’t know, I knew I had a condition, I knew I would probably lose weight because I was forcing myself to eat like crazy; it’s not how I eat,

“I had a lot of water retention, not at my natural weight and it’s not a healthy way of living. The reason I vacated the title is because I did not want to put the division on hold. I didn’t want people to wait for me. Even though I could’ve done it, I didn’t want to be that guy. I have always been very vocal about fights, being for the fighter’s conditions and I didn’t want to be the guy who stalled the division. Because everyone’s trying to make money and a living. That’s why I vacated the title.”

While he won a classic bout in his return, his fighting future was thrust into unsure territory yet again, and that was only further clouded when he said he also didn’t defend the middleweight title because he didn’t know what weight he’d be fighting at when he returned.

In his eyes, it could be at 185 or 170 – or even down at 155 pounds:

“As far as if I will defend it or not, I don’t know where my weight will be when I will get back. Like, I don’t know if I will be 185, or 170, maybe even 155, you know?”

In doing so, he potentially confirmed he would return, something that Helwani asked him about him immediately.

St-Pierre said he would most likely return to fighting after his health improved:

“I think so, I think I will fight again. It just depends on my health condition and everything. It’s too soon to say now, but I feel much better now than what I did after my fight. I always prioritized my health over my performance. And I knew something was wrong with my body, and I don’t feel right in my own skin,”

If he does return, however, he wants it to be for a fight that elevates him even further into the public eye, no easy task based on his prior body of work. After so many high-profile bouts where he was the hunted, he now wants a fight where he has a lot to win as well:

“If I fight, it needs to be something that excites me, something that elevates me. The fight with Michael Bisping was a big risk, but he had the potential to elevate me as a fighter and my legacy,” said St-Pierre. “That’s why I took the fight, it was a great opportunity, a win-win opportunity. I could have lost and it could have been a disaster. But I was confident I put the work in and it would’ve been win-win. I had a lot to win, and a lot to lose. If I come back, there has to be a lot to win for me, not just a lot to lose.”

I’m no psychic, but the talk of a fight where he has ‘a lot to win’ after fighting a whos who of mixed martial arts talent for the past decade coupled with his hint at a move to lightweight could mean he wants one fight – the elusive payday against current UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor.

McGregor’s tentatively set to come back against the winner of Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, or maybe he’ll fight Floyd Mayweather in the Octagon, or perhaps he’ll even finish his oft-discussed trilogy with Nate Diaz, making his queue quite full for a man who doesn’t seem in a hurry to fight again.

St-Pierre will have to wait in line, but if he can get it, there’s not much doubt it could be the biggest fight in UFC history.

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