Tag: UFC 248

Robert Whittaker Releases Statement After Pulling Out Of UFC 248

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has released his first statement since pulling out of his fight with Jared Cannonier. Whittaker was set to meet Cannonier at UFC 248 on March 7 in Las Vegas. However, it was reported earlier this week that “The Reaper” was pulling out due to undisclosed personal reasons. It is […]

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Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has released his first statement since pulling out of his fight with Jared Cannonier.

Whittaker was set to meet Cannonier at UFC 248 on March 7 in Las Vegas. However, it was reported earlier this week that “The Reaper” was pulling out due to undisclosed personal reasons.

It is the third fight Whittaker has pulled out from since the start of 2018. However, the previous two were due to injury. This time, it appears Whittaker simply needs more time to reset as he posted on social media:

“I’m sorry to all my friends, supporters and family for not being able to fight in March,” Whittaker wrote. “A lot has happened over the 12 last months and I need to take some time now to be with my family, slow things down and to refocus.

“Sorry to everyone again but I’ll be back. The best is yet to come.”

There is no doubt that Whittaker suffered a tough past 12 months. He was set to defend his title against Kelvin Gastelum in February last year only to pull out after the weigh-ins due to abdominal pain.

He then headlined UFC 243 in his native Australia in October but would get outclassed by Israel Adesanya, who knocked him out in the second round to become the new middleweight king.

Hopefully, Whittaker is fully focused when he eventually makes his return to the Octagon.

What do you make of Whittaker’s response?

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Robert Whittaker Issues Statement On UFC 248 Removal

Robert Whittaker has spoken out on pulling out of UFC 248. The former UFC middleweight champion was scheduled to take on Jared Cannonier at UFC 248. The bout would’ve taken place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. ESPN’s Ariel …

Robert Whittaker has spoken out on pulling out of UFC 248. The former UFC middleweight champion was scheduled to take on Jared Cannonier at UFC 248. The bout would’ve taken place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani would report that “The Reaper” bowed out of the contest due to undisclosed […]

The post Robert Whittaker Issues Statement On UFC 248 Removal appeared first on MMA News.

Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero Locked In For UFC 248

Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero will collide just before the spring season begins. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that UFC president Dana White has confirmed that Adesanya vs. Romero is a lock for UFC 248. The UFC middleweight title bout will serv…

Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero will collide just before the spring season begins. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that UFC president Dana White has confirmed that Adesanya vs. Romero is a lock for UFC 248. The UFC middleweight title bout will serve as the event’s headliner. Fight fans can witness the action on March 7. “BREAKING: […]

The post Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero Locked In For UFC 248 appeared first on MMA News.

Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero Official For UFC 248

The fight is finally official. UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will defend his title against Yoel Romero at the UFC 248 pay-per-view (PPV) event on March 7. The action will go down from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Adesanya had said in an interview earlier this month that the fight was done, however, […]

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The fight is finally official. UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will defend his title against Yoel Romero at the UFC 248 pay-per-view (PPV) event on March 7. The action will go down from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Adesanya had said in an interview earlier this month that the fight was done, however, the UFC had not yet made things official.

“The fight’s done. … Make no mistake — I’m still putting work in,” Adesanya said. “I’m still getting ready for my second title defense against a veteran of the game. A veteran in wrestling, a tough motherf*cker, the boogeyman of the division. The guy nobody calls out — except for ‘Stylebender.’”

Now, according to a report from ESPN, the fight has been finalized, although bout agreements have yet to be signed. This will be Adesanya’s first-ever title defense after winning the championship from Robert Whittaker this past October at UFC 243. “Stylebender” put Whittaker away in the second round via TKO after a dominant performance.

As for Romero, he comes off a controversial decision loss to Paulo Costa, who was supposed to be Adesanya’s initial opponent before getting injured. Now, Adesanya will test himself against who many call the most dangerous matchup in the division.

What do you think about the matchup between Adesanya and Romero?

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Jeremy Stephens Out Of UFC 248 Fight With Calvin Kattar

The UFC 248 card simply can’t catch a break, as another fight has been affected. Jeremy Stephens has reportedly pulled out from his scheduled featherweight scrap with Calvin Kattar, per MMA Junkie. Stephens and Kattar had verbally agreed to the matchup, however, the UFC had not yet officially announced it for the card. Stephens reportedly […]

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The UFC 248 card simply can’t catch a break, as another fight has been affected.

Jeremy Stephens has reportedly pulled out from his scheduled featherweight scrap with Calvin Kattar, per MMA Junkie. Stephens and Kattar had verbally agreed to the matchup, however, the UFC had not yet officially announced it for the card. Stephens reportedly suffered an injury before the fight was finalized, and a rescheduling is expected. No timetable was given for how long that may be.

Kattar comes off a close loss to Zabit Magomedsharipov in his first-ever UFC headliner in November. As for Stephens, he’s currently on a four-fight winless streak. His last victory came against Josh Emmett via knockout in February of 2018. Since, he has been defeated by the likes of Yair Rodriguez, Magomedsharipov, and Jose Aldo.

UFC 248 already took a hit with the withdrawal of Robert Whittaker, who was expected to face Jared Cannonier. You can check out the updated card below.

Updated UFC 248 Card

  • Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
  • Jared Cannonier vs. TBA
  • Danaa Batgerel vs. Guido Cannetti
  • Polyana Viana vs. Emily Whitmire
  • Li Jingliang vs. Neil Magny
  • Beneil Dariush vs. Drakkar Klose
  • Sean O’Malley vs. Jose Quinonez
  • Max Griffin vs. Alex Oliveira
  • Saparbek Safarov vs. Rodolfo Vieira
  • Austin Hubbard vs. Mark Madsen

Who do you want to see Kattar fight after Stephens was forced to pull?

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Paulo Costa Early Return Could Spoil Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero

The UFC middleweight title picture is very confusing at this point in time. Initially, newly-crowned champion Israel Adesanya was expected to make his first title defense against Paulo Costa. However, an unfortunate injury to the Brazilian forced those plans to be put on hold. As a result, a subtle beef between Adesanya and multiple-time title […]

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The UFC middleweight title picture is very confusing at this point in time.

Initially, newly-crowned champion Israel Adesanya was expected to make his first title defense against Paulo Costa. However, an unfortunate injury to the Brazilian forced those plans to be put on hold. As a result, a subtle beef between Adesanya and multiple-time title challenger Yoel Romero began to brew.

Now, the expectation is that an Adesanya vs. Romero matchup could be on the horizon for UFC 248 in March. However, those plans could be in doubt after a recent update from UFC president Dana White. While Costa was initially expected to be out-of-action until the beginning of the second quarter of 2020, now, the Brazilian is hard at work to get back even earlier. Potentially early enough to face Adesanya after all.

White provided the following update during a recent interview with MMA Junkie.

“The only question is, I don’t know if you’ve seen on social media, but if you look at Costa, he looks like he’s ready to go again, and he’s pushing hard saying, ‘I could take this fight,’” White said

“If you look at him online, he looks great and everything else, but we want to hear it from a doctor. We want a doctor to tell us that this guy is going to be OK to fight sooner. Why rush it?”

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2020 vamos com tudo

A post shared by Paulo Costa (@borrachinhamma) on

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@teamborracha_oficial

A post shared by Paulo Costa (@borrachinhamma) on

Costa initially earned his shot by topping Yoel Romero at UFC 241 this past summer. He earned the nod in a very close decision over the Cuban after three rounds of fighting. Costa and Adesanya have developed a very personal rivalry with one another, so it’s likely they’ll settle their differences inside the Octagon one way or another down the road.

What do you think about Costa potentially swooping back in to spoil a potential Adesanya vs. Romero matchup?

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