Tag: UFC 223

Anderson Silva Sounds Off On Jon Jones, Conor McGregor Troubles

Anderson Silva has an opinion on both Jon Jones and Conor McGregor.

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Anderson Silva is back.

The longtime former UFC middleweight champion was recently exonerated for a failed USADA drug test prior to his scheduled bout against Kelvin Gastelum last fall and is eligible to return to competition on November 10 after it was found he had ingested a contaminated supplement.

“The Spider” is understandably excited to have his legacy intact after his status as one of the greatest of all-time was brought into serious question when he tested positive for banned substances a second time. With his reputation now less tarnished, Silva recently sounded off to MMA Fighting about two other legendary fighters with outside-the-cage troubles, Jon Jones and Conor McGregor.

First, Silva detailed his opinion of Jones’ current situation where the disgraced former light heavyweight ruler currently awaits potential punishment from USADA for his failed drug test prior to his UFC 214 knockout win over Daniel Cormier last summer. “The Spider” hoped Jones’ current plight results in a moment of reflection for “Bones,” adding that he ‘deserves our respect’:

”I’m his close friend [of Jones], I have a big affection for him, I see him as a younger brother, and I hope this moment he’s going through is a moment of reflection,” Silva told MMA Fighting. “He’s young and has everything it takes to come back and reclaim what’s his. I’m rooting for him, as always. He’s an amazing guy, a guy that has been through several difficulties, several problems, and deserves our respect.”

Silva then moved on to discuss McGregor, who will appear in court this week to reportedly work out a plea deal for his April arrest in Brooklyn where he threw a metal dolly through a bus containing lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and other UFC 223 fighters.

Although he didn’t blast “The Notorious” and his actions outright, Silva did say that fighters like himself had worked hard to make the sport of mixed martial arts a viable entertainment option for people of all walks of life, so he hoped McGregor didn’t jeopardize that by committing further crimes and tarnishing the sport’s name:

”Man, I think that not only me but other athletes that worked really hard to turn this sport into a sport to be watched by kids, ladies, women, men, people from all ages and social classes,” Silva said, “And it’s complicated when this kind of thing happens, but who am I to judge? It’s something that must come from each person.

”Athletes have to have this conscience. Everybody has problems, everybody goes through situations, and I hope he realizes how much he means to many people and doesn’t do something like that again and ends up tarnishing a bit of what we worked for this sport.”

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Conor McGregor Reportedly Nearing Plea Deal To Avoid Jail Time

This could be a lucky break for “The Notorious One.”

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Conor McGregor might just avoid jail time for his actions before UFC 223 back in April.

The Irishman stormed media day with his entourage and attacked a pair of fighter buses carrying competitors for the next night’s card. A few fighters on the bus were either shaken up or injured from McGregor’s actions.

Later on that night he turned himself in to local authorities and was charged with one count of felony mischief and three counts of misdemeanor assault. The 30-year-old made bail on $50,000.

TMZ is reporting that the Irishman’s legal team is closing in on a plea deal would prevent him from serving jail time and also allow him to travel freely to and from the United States.

Initially McGregor was looking at the possibility of up to seven years in prison and permanent deportation from the country. The plea deal could be finalized in the next few days as McGregor is due back in New York court next week.

McGregor’s reason for the bus attack in New York was in attempt to throw down with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had confronted “The Notorious One’s” good friend and training partner Artem Lobov at the designated UFC 223 fighter hotel earlier that week.

If McGregor is finally able to get these legal issues out of the way, it allows him to shift his focus to booking a long-anticipated 155-pound title fight with Nurmagomedov so the pair can settle their differences once and for all.

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Khabib Reveals Why There Was No Conor McGregor Confrontation At World Cup

Those looking for a Khabib vs. Conor McGregor faceoff yesterday will have to wait.

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Yesterday while the soccer world was fixated on the World Cup final between France and Croatia, the mixed martial arts world was more concerned with the fact that rivals Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor were finally in the same place at the same time.

It turned out that McGregor was a guest of Russian president Vladimir Putin, oddly enough, as it would have been thought that the Dagestani Nurmagomedov would have been a much more likely guest of the leader.

Regardless, Nurmagomedov and the controversial former UFC champ McGregor are rumored to be headed for a massive megafight sometime later this year, although nothing concrete has arisen in terms of details of the booking. “The Notorious” is still awaiting his next court date for the insane assault he initiated by throwing a metal dolly through the window of a bus containing Nurmagomedov and other fighters days prior to April’s UFC 223, so we have no clue as to where negotiations truly stand.

Because of that, some may have been hoping that public clash between the two superstars would provide some direction in that regard, but during a recent interview translated by Express.co.uk (via MMA Fighting), “The Eagle” said that while he did expect he may run into McGregor at the World Cup, he would have kept it professional in hopes of actually getting the fight:

“I thought I’d meet McGregor at the Luzhniki Stadium. But even if we meet now, we still will not be able to find out who is stronger. If there was a cage in the middle of the arena, it would be more interesting. And now something to find out on the street and so on. We are not at that age and not in that position.

“It would be ideal if there were no one around. Or vice versa — to the full stadium, in the middle of the cage, and in it — we. In general, I see no reason to approach him now. We are hospitable people. Let the football look, enjoy Russia.”

A calm, collected outlook from the highly reserved-yet-calculating champion, who apparently wants to let his fighting do his talking in the Octagon. There’s a decent chance we may not get to see the McGregor match-up this year, however, and even a chance it never happens at all.

“The Eagle” is aiming for that fight, yet if it doesn’t materialize, he recently revealed on his YouTube show that he’s eying a fight with his idol Georges St-Pierre, the winner of July 28’s Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier main event at UFC on FOX, or perhaps even a fifth scheduled fight with Tony Ferguson:

“If not Conor, if not (Georges St-Pierre), I think winner of Eddie Alvarez versus Dustin Poirier.

”The winner deserves a title shot. About Tony Ferguson, I don’t know. He has surgery but if he can [fight], why not? Tony Ferguson is the biggest matchup for me. It is the match I want.”

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Conor McGregor & Khabib Nurmagomedov Are Finally In The Same Place

Conor McGregor & Khabib Nurmagomedov are living it up in the same place today.

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After months of animosity, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov are finally in the same place.

Unfortunately for MMA fans, it’s just not for a fight.

The two have been at odds in a big way since McGregor stormed the Barclays Center this April and threw a metal dolly through a bus containing Nurmagomedov and several other fighters at UFC 223, forcing three fights off the card and landing “The Notorious” in jail on assault charges, for which he’ll appear in court again in Brooklyn this month. But that’s not preventing him from enjoying the best of the sports world abroad.

With France facing Croatia in the 2018 World Cup Finals in Moscow, Russia, today (Sun., July 15, 2018), both McGregor and Nurmagomedov have made their presence known on social media. First, McGregor tweeted late last night that his “Russian Compound” was taking shape as he walked through an undisclosed location with his entourage:

Next, Canadian bronze medalist in soccer, Karina LeBlanc, tweeted a picture with McGregor at the game earlier this morning:

Khabib made his presence known as well, saying he had fulfilled a childhood dream come true by attending the World Cup finals on Instagram:

News also came that “The Eagle” had a TV pass for the world-anticipated event (for whatever that’s worth):

McGregor and Nurmagomedov are living the high life at one of the year’s most awaited sporting events, but there’s still a long line of red tape to pass for them to finally get their bad blood-filled grudge match signed.

The UFC is waiting for the Irish superstar’s legal issues to pass, so even though Khabib says he wants to fight this fall or November-December at the latest, McGregor may not be clear of his latest self-caused hurdle – and his ongoing negotiations with the UFC may not be over even if he is.

Will Conor vs. Khabib ever happen? Or will they just continue with the public grandstanding?

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Conor McGregor & Dee Devlin Expecting Second Child

Conor McGregor has another child on the way

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He may not have a fight on the horizon, but today has brought Conor McGregor his 30th birthday and some more good news.

Today his longtime girlfriend Dee Devlin, with whom McGregor shares a son Conor Jr., posted a birthday message for MMA’s biggest superstar on Instagram, wishing Conor a happy 30th from her, Conor Jr., and a second baby soon to come:

“Happy 30th birthday babe! Thank you for being you! Love you to bits from me, Conor jr and the bump.”

McGregor is currently awaiting his next court date in New York for his highly-publicized assault on a bus containing UFC lightweight champion before April’s UFC 223. Dana White has insisted no negotiations with McGregor are forthcoming until he clears up his legal trouble.

Even before that, the Irish star didn’t seem all too rushed to get back into the Octagon after a reported $85 million payday to box Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August 2017. So he may have another child on the way, but that’s no sweat for MMA’s biggest star.

His return is uncertain, and perhaps he never will. A bout with “The Eagle” seems too good to pass, however, and there’s no telling how long even the cash McGregor has can sustain the lavish lifestyle he flaunts.

So as McGregor’s family grows, the mixed martial arts world is left to wonder if his legacy ever will as well.

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