Tag: UFC 219

With no return date set for UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor’s first-ever title defense, the most speculated-upon topic in all of MMA is undoubtedly just what “The Notorious” will do next.

The Irish UFC megastar has been out of the Octagon since winning the 155-pound belt over Eddie Alvarez at last November’s UFC 205, choosing to take some time to welcome his first child into the world before embarking on an overblown “rivalry” with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. that ended with McGregor getting stopped in the tenth round of their boxing super-circus on August 26.

Many if not most think he should return – and soon – to defend his title against interim champ Tony Ferguson, who won the second-place title against Kevin Lee in the main event of October’s UFC 216. Of course, the long-rumored trilogy fight with Nate Diaz is always there, too, so it’s anyone’s guess as to when and against whom McGregor will return. When he does, however, his longtime Straight Blast Gym (SBG) head coach John Kavanagh thinks he’s going to be better than ever.

Speaking in a recent interview with The Daily Star (via MMA Mania), Kavanagh said that due to his year of training specifically boxing, his star student’s hands will be even better than they were during his decorated opening run in the UFC:

“When would an MMA guy have a chance to take six months just to focus on one aspect of MMA?. Never is the answer, they’re always trying to work on everything. But when he does return to the Octagon, his hands are going to be a lot better than what they were. And I’m excited to see that.”

While his foray into boxing would understandably refine his striking technique, it also brings the question if McGregor then let his progression in wrestling and grappling, which has long been pointed out as his weakness, stagnate as he focused only on the stand-up portion of MMA.

Kavanagh said that the opposite of the case, noting that he and McGregor hit the mats recently so grappling was also in McGregor’s mind:

“You know, I was rolling with him two weeks ago and I was wondering how his jiu-jitsu would be,” Kavanagh said. “And I was very annoyed that he took my back and choked me. So he hasn’t lost too much there. Of course, he has to tighten up there before he goes to fight in the Octagon again. But he really does love grappling.

“Even in the lead up to the Mayweather fight, he would still kind of ask you about wrestling or jiu-jitsu, and he’d say, ‘hey, look at this’. I know it’s in his head all the time although he wasn’t physically training it. I know mentally he’s still thinking about it.”

McGregor may be thinking about it, yet it can’t be denied that the main struggles he had in the few UFC bouts he experienced adversity, most notably against Chad Mendes in a fight he came back to win by TKO, and of course against Diaz, who submitted McGregor after rocking him on the feet in their first showdown at March 2016’s UFC 196.

Ferguson is known for his unorthodox submission game and collegiate wrestling background, two things that could clearly give McGregor problems should they fight, but he’s also known for getting hit too much, something that could end his night early against the Irish heavy hitter – especially if his hands truly are better like Kavanagh says.

It’s an interesting clash of styles to be certain, yet at this point, McGregor fans are probably just hoping he announces his MMA return regardless of whom it’s against.

The post Coach: Conor McGregor’s Hands Will Be “A Lot Better” When He Returns appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Without a bonafide headliner – at least, until Cris Cyborg signed to fight Holly Holm for the women’s featherweight title – at December 30’s year-ending UFC 219 pay-per-view (PPV) from Las Vegas, rumors abounded this week that welterweight champion Tyron Woodley would face fan favorite Nate Diaz for the 170-pound belt.

Talk of the fight understandably made it a controversial one, as Diaz, a normal lightweight, only has a 3-3 record at welterweight and has been out of action since a close decision loss to Conor McGregor at August 2016’s UFC 202. But a deeper plan may be at hand, as the winner could potentially face McGregor to somehow grant “The Notorious” a shot at a third UFC title without defending his featherweight or lightweight belts once, especially if Diaz were somehow able to defeat the heavily favored ‘Chosen One.’

The bout is still in its early stages with a month-and-a-half remaining until UFC 219, but Woodley told TMZ that he had already signed on the dotted line and was awaiting Diaz’ reply. He took that stance to a new level at yesterday’s UFC Fight Night 121 weigh-in show (via MMA Fighting), prodding Diaz to sign by wondering why he was ‘scared’:

“I’m here. All I need is the paperwork sent — UFC 219, Dec. 30 needs a headliner. It’s been offered to me, it’s been offered to Nate Diaz. Unfortunately, one half has not accepted. So you guys, people listening and watching, you guys need to get the Twitter fingers and ask your man that said ‘Don’t be scared,’ why is he scared?”

Yet while the fight is the massive ‘money fight’ Woodley has been calling for ever since he won the 170-pound title from Robbie Lawler in July 2016 – he was first calling for it to be versus Nate’s brother Nick – it’s also a joke in terms of merit and overall adherence to the so-called ‘official’ UFC rankings, and Woodley is rightfully favored heavily in early odds for the bout.

But ‘The Chosen One’ replied to that suggestion with the observation that the rankings have gone out the window in the UFC recently, instead offering the view that Diaz’ overall body of work makes him deserve a welterweight title shot:

“Our sport is out of the blue at this point. So, there’s no real rules.

“I’m a huge fan of the Diaz boys. I’m a huge fan of what they’ve done for our sport. I feel like it’s not about the rankings anymore. Sometimes the rankings are a little shaky. When you think about who’s put in the most work, the most time, is he not deserving of the world title based upon what he did? Fighting Conor McGregor; even before, just fighting in these wars.”

Oft-criticized for speaking his minds on many issues in MMA, Woodley has a solid point here, as the rankings have been thrown by the wayside in favor of bouts that the UFC ownership believes will attract casual fans and therefore bigger pay-per-view sales.

But in 2017, that hasn’t translated into anything resembling that perceived success without McGregor fighting in the octagon.

Would a fight with Woodley and Diaz help solve that problem, or would it just add to the issues plaguing the UFC and their increasingly worthless rankings?

The post Tyron Woodley Rips ‘Scared’ Nate Diaz For Avoiding UFC 219 Fight appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.