Tag: UFC 261

Joe Rogan Reacts To Daniel Cormier Confronting Jake Paul

Joe RoganJoe Rogan and Dana White have similar-but-different opinions over Jake Paul’s dustup with UFC fans and commentary team members at UFC 261 last Saturday. Paul was one of the main talking points of the night aside from the fights themselves, due to face-to-face confrontation with UFC analyst and former two-division champion Daniel Cormier during a […]

Joe Rogan

Joe Rogan and Dana White have similar-but-different opinions over Jake Paul’s dustup with UFC fans and commentary team members at UFC 261 last Saturday.

Paul was one of the main talking points of the night aside from the fights themselves, due to face-to-face confrontation with UFC analyst and former two-division champion Daniel Cormier during a commercial break and with fans chanting “F**k Jake Paul!” numerous times during the evening.

In a recent podcast segment, Rogan talked about the recent beef between Cormier and Paul and what people should understand about the YouTuber turned Boxer.

“Well, he wants to make some money and he’s a very clever fellow,” Rogan said during his most recent podcast. “Sold out arena, and they were all chanting ‘F*** Jake Paul.’ He’s got his phone out, he’s like, ‘Yeah!’ (Because what he’s hearing is) money. He’s hearing ‘Cha-Ching! Cha-Ching!’ He said it was 1.5 million PPV buys when he knocked out Ben Askren. I don’t know if that’s true, Dana White says it’s nonsense, but maybe.”

Paul is just weeks removed from his viral knockout over Ben Askren in his last Boxing match and has quickly turned the page to calling out stars from around MMA including Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, and Cormier. Rogan also said that the amount of money generated around Paul is not something for fans and critics alike to dismiss, as he’s turned into one of the most talked-about fighters on the planet.

White also spoke about Paul’s run-in with Cormier and the interest that he has generated from around combat sports as a whole.

“The kid is making money, man. He makes people care,” White said in an interview with Morning Blitz. “I know there’s a lot of people who are very excited for the day when he gets clipped and gets knocked out and it’s coming. His 15 minutes are almost up but listen, the kid’s gonna make some money and good for him.”

It’s always interesting to hear from the voice of the octagon, along with the UFC president on matters involving the UFC and the drama that sometimes comes with it. While it’s unclear what’s next for Paul in his young boxing career, it appears that he’s garnered the attention of some of the most notable personalities in combat sports.

Do you agree with Joe Rogan and Dana White’s comments regarding Jake Paul and his dramatic appearance at UFC 261?

Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel Refers To Zhang Weili As ‘Li Na’

Ari EmanuelThe UFC went public on Thursday, which, unfortunately for Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, led to a very public slip-up. The UFC owner was discussing the company’s decision to go public and the hugely successful UFC 261 event. The card was co-headlined by the UFC’s first Chinese champion, Zhang Weili. However, Emanuel didn’t appear to know […]

Ari Emanuel

The UFC went public on Thursday, which, unfortunately for Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, led to a very public slip-up.

The UFC owner was discussing the company’s decision to go public and the hugely successful UFC 261 event. The card was co-headlined by the UFC’s first Chinese champion, Zhang Weili. However, Emanuel didn’t appear to know who she was (H/T MiddleEasy).

“Well, here’s what I would say to you, even during the pandemic—we didn’t have live audiences, we didn’t have commercial PPVs—we beat our EBITA [earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization] number by 10 percent,” Emanuel told CNBC.

“Now with the re-opening, you just saw we had live audiences for the first time. In Houston, we’re going to have a live audience. In July we’re having another live audience. Our direct-to-consumer business on Fight Pass is up 40 percent. Our commercial numbers and marketing numbers are up. China is going to be bigger than ever.

“Actually, because of the fight—even though our Chinese champion lost, Li Na—there was over a billion video views out of China.”

If you’re wondering who Li Na is, don’t worry, you’re not alone. There is not – nor has there ever been – a Li Na on the UFC roster. However, it’s possible that Emanuel did confuse Zhang with Liang Na, though how he could mix up a headliner and champion with someone who fought in the very first fight on the card is anyone’s guess.

The one thing Emanuel did get right is that the Chinese champion did in fact lose her title at UFC 261. Coming off a ‘Fight-of-the-Year’ favourite against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Zhang was felled by a Rose Namajunas headkick early in the first round.

Immediately after the loss, Zhang expressed interest in a rematch against Namajunas, something that seemed to peak the interest of Dana White. Whether that fight actually comes to fruition remains to be seen. If Emanuel will know who Zhang is by then is an entirely other question.

Do you think Ari Emanuel knows who Zhang Weili is?

Masvidal Reacts To Usman Using “Super Necessary” Phrase Against Him

After suffering a brutal knockout loss in the UFC 261 main event, Jorge Masvidal is taking Kamaru Usman’s snappy post-fight remarks in stride. Coming into UFC 261, Jorge Masvidal had never been knocked out in his UFC career. He has been on the giving e…

After suffering a brutal knockout loss in the UFC 261 main event, Jorge Masvidal is taking Kamaru Usman’s snappy post-fight remarks in stride. Coming into UFC 261, Jorge Masvidal had never been knocked out in his UFC career. He has been on the giving end of knockouts, though, particularly in 2019, when he was regarded […]

EXCLUSIVE | Jeff Molina Eyes Benoit Or Adashev After Successful UFC Debut

Jeff Molina Aori QilengJeff Molina is a born fighter. From the time he was in his teens, Molina knew that he wanted to achieve his ultimate goal of fighting in Mixed Martial Arts’ biggest stage: the UFC. After earning a UFC contract by defeating Jacob Silva on Dana White‘s Contender Series and his unanimous decision victory over Aori […]

Jeff Molina Aori Qileng

Jeff Molina is a born fighter. From the time he was in his teens, Molina knew that he wanted to achieve his ultimate goal of fighting in Mixed Martial Arts’ biggest stage: the UFC.

After earning a UFC contract by defeating Jacob Silva on Dana White‘s Contender Series and his unanimous decision victory over Aori Qileng at UFC 261, it appears that “El Jefe” is in the perfect spot in his life and career.

In defeating Qileng on Saturday in Jacksonville, Molina earned Fight of the Night from UFC president Dana White and brought home an extra $50,000 for his efforts in the octagon. The 23-year-old said he wants to be smart about the extra cash and that he spoke with White about the fight beforehand, telling the boss to not miss it.

“I tapped him on the shoulder at the weigh-ins and said ‘Hey man, I heard you watch the early-prelims from a room? Don’t miss this one.’,” Molina told LowKickMMA. “The callout for the bonus after the fight wasn’t planned, I was just going off my intuition.”

It’s no surprise that Molina has garnered the attention of UFC fans from around the world with his quick rise in the flyweight division. Training at Glory MMA in Kansas City, Molina has basked in the knowledge he’s gained from veterans such as women’s flyweight Gina Mazany, fellow flyweight Tim Elliott and head coach James Krause.

Molina singled-out Krause when dishing out credit for his victory during his post-fight press conference, and the glowing reviews continued a few days removed from the fight.

“No other coach has put in the time with his guys and showed the amount of improvement with his team,” Molina said. “We still got a lot of the year left to go, and it’s only going to go up from here.”

Molina’s family went wild after he earned the victory, including his father; who is currently battling kidney cancer. Through the trials and tribulations that he and his family have underwent, Molina is glad to have put on a performance that made them proud.

“They were the first people I facetimed after the fight in my hotel,” Molina said. “They were on Cloud-9. They’ve seen the sacrifices I’ve made for this sport and they were so proud of me. That means a lot.”

Molina also said he wants to repay his family going forward with his UFC career and believes he’ll be a champion one day.

In terms of what’s next for the up-and-coming flyweight prospect, he wants to fight in late-July/early-August and compete against the winner of Ryan Benoit and Zarrukh Adashev, who fight on May 8th in a UFC Fight Night event.

“I wanna stay active, I wanna fight at least 3 times this year,” Molina said. “I got a couple of injuries I gotta get checked out, but yeah I wanna stay active. I’d love to fight the winner of Zarrukh Adashev and Ryan Benoit. I’m familiar with both of their styles. So maybe late-July, early-August.”

What are your thoughts on Jeff Molina’s Fight of the Night performance at UFC 261, and where the 23-year-old fits in to the reborn flyweight division?

Video: Watch Israel Adesanya React To Events Of UFC 261

AdesanyaUFC 261 will go down as one of the greatest events of all time. And thanks to his YouTube channel, we got to see how Israel Adesanya reacted to how things went down. There were the two leg injuries to open the main card involving Jimmy Crute and Chris Weidman with the latter suffering a […]

Adesanya

UFC 261 will go down as one of the greatest events of all time. And thanks to his YouTube channel, we got to see how Israel Adesanya reacted to how things went down.

There were the two leg injuries to open the main card involving Jimmy Crute and Chris Weidman with the latter suffering a brutal leg break against Uriah Hall.

Then, Valentina Shevchenko exerted her dominance with a comfortable second-round TKO win over Jessica Andrade in their flyweight title fight before Rose Namajunas shocked the world by head kicking Weili Zhang in the first round to become a two-time women’s strawweight queen.

And of course, the main event saw Adesanya’s Nigerian compatriot in welterweight champion Kamaru Usman successfully defend his title after becoming the first to brutally knock Jorge Masvidal out cold in the second round of their headliner.

Adesanya was watching the event at his home with a few friends and documented his reactions to all the aforementioned events in a recent video published on his YouTube channel.

He also explained why he ended up fighting Marvin Vettori instead of Robert Whittaker and gave some interesting insight on some of the fighters taking part.

You can watch his full reaction below:

Kamaru Usman Calls Fight Against Khabib ‘Biggest In UFC History’

Kamaru UsmanKamaru Usman thinks a fight between him and former lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov would be the biggest in company history, but doesn’t think it will ever come to fruition. The welterweight champion is coming off his fourth title defense, handing Jorge Masvidal the first knockout loss of his career. While Dana White has said that […]

Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman thinks a fight between him and former lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov would be the biggest in company history, but doesn’t think it will ever come to fruition.

The welterweight champion is coming off his fourth title defense, handing Jorge Masvidal the first knockout loss of his career. While Dana White has said that Colby Covington will be next in line for a title opportunity, the list of true contenders should Usman once again claim victory over ‘Chaos’ is beginning to look a little thin.

One man who could potentially pose a threat to Usman’s reign is the recently retired Nurmagomedov. He reportedly told White that he would only came back if he saw something “spectacular,” and it’s hard to frame Usman’s knockout as anything other than that.

While the champion is intrigued by the match-up and believes it would be the biggest in the history of the UFC, he told TMZ Sports that he doesn’t see it ever coming together.

“It absolutely would be the biggest fight in UFC history,” Usman said. “The problem is, it wouldn’t happen. That’s just hypothetical… and I’ve lost faith in this one as well. I think you have more of a chance of making Kamaru Usman and Georges St-Pierre happen before Kamaru Usman and Khabib Nurmagomedov. That one just won’t happen.”

Usman said that his performance against Masvidal will actually act as a deterrent for a St-Pierre fight. In fact, he believes his recent tear has a number of fighters second guessing their desire to step into the octagon with him.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of people in this line saying, ‘We want this guy,’” Usman continued. “There’s not a lot of people. More power to Georges. Georges is doing wonderful things, amazing things. I’m impressed, I’m so happy for him. Right now, I’ve said it before, I’m just blessed to be in this time, to really be maximizing my potential and just taking it in full stride. So, I’m blessed and I’m thankful. But these guys know that they definitely need to be worried, because you give me adequate time, everybody will be hurt.”

There is one last fighter who could potentially come out of retirement to challenge Usman for his welterweight throne: Nick Diaz. While it’s been over 6 years since the older Diaz brother last stepped into the octagon, many think he has the tools to cause Usman trouble. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ said he isn’t looking past Diaz just because of his lay-off and sounded genuinely intrigued by the idea of facing him one day.

“We don’t know (how Diaz is going to look)”, Usman said. “At the end of the day, if he got everything in order and he’s able to compete, that’s always a fun fight. Nick Diaz. Imagine, Nick Diaz at the top of the bill once more. Nick Diaz fighting for the title. That’s a humungous fight. Hopefully gets his faculties and everything in order, and if he’s able to do that, Nick is able to come in and do something spectacular… Of course, that’s always a fun fight.”

Is Kamaru Usman vs Khabib Nurmagomedov the biggest fight the UFC could make?