Tag: UFC 266

Nick Diaz Admits He Never Enjoyed Fighting Just Days Before UFC Return

Nick Diaz has somewhat shocked the MMA world by admitting that he never had any love for fighting just days before his long-awaited return to the Octagon. January 31, 2015, was the last time we saw Nick Diaz compete in the sport of mixed martial arts. Although he suffered a decision loss to Anderson Silva, […]

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Nick Diaz has somewhat shocked the MMA world by admitting that he never had any love for fighting just days before his long-awaited return to the Octagon.

January 31, 2015, was the last time we saw Nick Diaz compete in the sport of mixed martial arts. Although he suffered a decision loss to Anderson Silva, which was later overturned by the NSAC, his star power never died down, and he remains just as popular to this day.

While the wait for his comeback is almost over, Nick Diaz has boldly claimed that he was never the biggest fan of fighting, despite being a former Strikeforce and WEC welterweight champion.

Nick Diaz domestic violence
Image Credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

During a recent interview with Brett Okamoto, Nick Diaz opened up on his thoughts about fighting.

“I never enjoyed fighting. It’s just something that I do.” Diaz said.

Aside from his self-proclaimed “inevitable” return, Nick Diaz explained his reasoning behind his UFC return.

“All the people around me and all the money, and the sponsors, they don’t let me get away from fighting. There’s things I could do, but that’s not gonna work out. I might as well just go and take my punches,” expressed Diaz. “I don’t want to look back and say, ‘Why did I not just do it? Because even though I don’t feel great about everything, if I don’t do this, then I don’t know how I’m gonna feel about myself if I don’t—two years down the road if I’m sitting here going, ‘Why didn’t I just go do these fights? I would’ve won.”

Diaz then insisted that nothing excites him anymore when questioned whether he enjoys any part of the entire process that accompanies these huge events.

“No, nothing. Nothing at all. This whole thing is for everybody else. I’m glad that the fans are happy, and they love it, and that’s just what gets them going, you know? It got me going when I was a kid. Five months in, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, in five months, man, I’m gonna be good!’ And I was good.

And I’m like, ‘After I make 5-0, I’m gonna be so good.’ And I didn’t even make it to 5-0. So then, I had to go back for more. And after that, it was just no way out.” Diaz stated.

Although he may not enjoy it anymore, Nick Diaz is set to compete for the first time in over six years when he faces off against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266 on September 25.

Do you believe that Nick Diaz not enjoying MMA gives him a disadvantage leading into fights?

Continue Reading Nick Diaz Admits He Never Enjoyed Fighting Just Days Before UFC Return at MMA News.

Murphy Feels Valentina Shevchenko’s Opponents All Made One Mistake

Lauren Murphy believes all of Valentina Shevchenko’s fallen victims have one thing in common. On Sept. 25, Murphy will challenge Shevchenko for the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship. The title bout will serve as the co-main event of UFC 266. This will be Shevchenko’s sixth title defense. MMA News’ James Lynch spoke to Murphy ahead of […]

Continue Reading Murphy Feels Valentina Shevchenko’s Opponents All Made One Mistake at MMA News.

Lauren Murphy believes all of Valentina Shevchenko’s fallen victims have one thing in common.

On Sept. 25, Murphy will challenge Shevchenko for the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship. The title bout will serve as the co-main event of UFC 266. This will be Shevchenko’s sixth title defense.

MMA News’ James Lynch spoke to Murphy ahead of the fight. The title challenger shared the one common mistake that she believes Shevchenko’s opponents have made.

“I think some people end up fighting her reputation instead of fighting the person in front of them, and that can be really detrimental. I’ve definitely fallen prey to that before. Like when I fought Sara McMann, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m fighting Sara McMann.’ Instead of just focusing on the moment and kind of owning the moment, I got really caught up in the name of who I was fighting. And so I’m glad I made those mistakes before now so that hopefully I don’t repeat them,” Murphy said with a laugh.

That fight with Sara McMann took place back in 2014. Going into that bout, Murphy was undefeated with a record of 8-0. Murphy ended up suffering the first defeat of her pro MMA career via split decision.

As far as a prediction goes for her showdown with “Bullet,” Murphy kept it simple.

“Man, I would love to make a prediction, but I don’t know. I just know I’m gonna get my hand raised at the end of it, and it’s gonna be ‘And New.’”

UFC 266 will be headlined by a featherweight title clash between champion Alex Volkanovski and Brian Ortega. Also scheduled for the card will be the return of Nick Diaz, who will meet Robbie Lawler in a rematch.

Continue Reading Murphy Feels Valentina Shevchenko’s Opponents All Made One Mistake at MMA News.

Nick Diaz’s Team Denies Injury Rumors Ahead of UFC 266 Return

Nick DiazRumors have circulated in recent days that returning UFC star Nick Diaz is suffering from injuries ahead of his return against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266; rumors that his coach, Cesar Gracie has since denied. Diaz will finally make his return to the octagon at UFC 266 in a rematch 17 years in the making […]

Nick Diaz

Rumors have circulated in recent days that returning UFC star Nick Diaz is suffering from injuries ahead of his return against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266; rumors that his coach, Cesar Gracie has since denied.

Diaz will finally make his return to the octagon at UFC 266 in a rematch 17 years in the making against Lawler, the former UFC welterweight champion. The fight will take place at middleweight instead of welterweight, and the two sides have been relatively coy when asked for the reasoning behind the switch.

MMA commentator and former UFC fighter Josh Thomson recently alluded to Diaz getting knocked out during a sparring session in camp and is feeling the effects of the incident. This has been assumed as the reasoning behind why Diaz wanted the fight moved up to 185 pounds, but Gracie tweeted to confirm this was not the case.

“[Nick Diaz] was not injured and never knocked out in sparring,” Gracie tweeted Tuesday.

It’s been six years since Diaz last fought in the UFC octagon against Anderson Silva at UFC 183 in a unanimous decision loss that was later changed to a no-contest. Before that, Diaz had fought for the UFC welterweight title and fell short against then-champion Georges St-Pierre.

It’s been quite the roller coaster ride for Diaz’s return to the octagon. Diaz served a long suspension stemming from a positive drug test for marijuana following UFC 183 and has been sidelined ever since. He met with UFC president Dana White earlier this year with an intention of fighting again and will finally return this weekend.

While it appears that the Diaz injury rumors may be far-fetched, it’s definitely worth a raise of the eyebrow as to whether or not this could be partially to blame for the last-second weight change. As is so often with a Diaz fight week, the story changes day-to-day.

What is your prediction for Nick Diaz’s long-awaited return against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266?

Shevchenko’s UFC 266 Game Plan: Show Up, Break Murphy, And Leave

UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko has revealed her plan heading into her co-main event clash with Lauren Murphy at UFC 266 this weekend. Shevchenko will be looking to make the sixth successful defense of her 125-pound gold. Since winning the vacant title with a victory over Joanna J?drzejczyk in 2018, “Bullet” has fought off […]

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UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Valentina Shevchenko has revealed her plan heading into her co-main event clash with Lauren Murphy at UFC 266 this weekend.

Shevchenko will be looking to make the sixth successful defense of her 125-pound gold. Since winning the vacant title with a victory over Joanna J?drzejczyk in 2018, “Bullet” has fought off the challenges of Jessica Eye, Liz Carmouche, Katlyn Chookagian, Jennifer Maia, and Jéssica Andrade.

The Kyrgyzstani’s motivation to remain at the flyweight mountaintop is clear every time she enters the Octagon, something she’ll hope to demonstrate again when she faces Murphy on September 25.

“Lucky” has built a five-fight win streak that includes victories over Roxanne Modafferi and Joanne Calderwood. Despite Shevchenko’s dominance, and the doubts about her title credentials that the likes of Cynthia Calvillo hold, the 38-year-old believes she’s the toughest contender the champ will have faced.

Ahead of her upcoming fight, Shevchenko revealed her UFC 266 game plan to Sports Illustrated. While it may not be the sort of masterplan we’ll be seeing in the new James Bond film, it’s simple, effective, and is a pretty accurate description of her reign so far; enter, destroy, and leave.

“I will go there, break my opponent, take the belt, and go back home,” said Shevchenko. “That’s what I am preparing to do. That is what I will do.”

Shevchenko may acknowledge the toughness of her opponent, but she’s confident she’ll “destroy” yet another challenger come fight night.

“I know this level of competition is the top level. There are no easy or weak opponents, and everyone brings danger to the fights. I train to be capable to stop my opponent and do what I have to do to win the fight. I know my opponent will be strong, but I am going to destroy her.”

Shevchenko’s latest title defense joins a number of exciting matchups set for UFC 266. The pay-per-view, which will be held inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, will be headlined by a featherweight title clash between champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Brian Ortega. After the pair coached this year’s return of The Ultimate Fighter, the animosity between them is certainly higher than when they were originally set to collide at UFC 260.

The main card will also see the highly anticipated return of fan-favorite Nick Diaz. In a rematch 17 years in the making, the Stockton native will run it back with former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler in what will be the UFC’s second five-round non-title and non-main event bout.

Who do you think will have their hand raised on Saturday? Valentina Shevchenko or Lauren Murphy?

Continue Reading Shevchenko’s UFC 266 Game Plan: Show Up, Break Murphy, And Leave at MMA News.

TJ Dillashaw’s Comeback Win Gave Brian Ortega A Confidence Boost

UFC featherweight Brian Ortega has revealed the confidence boost he received from new teammate TJ Dillashaw’s return victory at UFC Vegas 32. Having not fought in 11 months, Ortega is set to return in this weekend’s UFC 266 main event. “T-City” was last in action against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight […]

Continue Reading TJ Dillashaw’s Comeback Win Gave Brian Ortega A Confidence Boost at MMA News.

UFC featherweight Brian Ortega has revealed the confidence boost he received from new teammate TJ Dillashaw’s return victory at UFC Vegas 32.

Having not fought in 11 months, Ortega is set to return in this weekend’s UFC 266 main event. “T-City” was last in action against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung at UFC Fight Island 6. Across five rounds, the 15-1 contender outpointed the dangerous 34-year-old and secured a unanimous decision victory.

After looking back to his best, Ortega secured his second shot at gold. He was set to meet UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 260 co-main event in March. Unfortunately, a positive COVID-19 test from the Australian forced a cancelation. Rather than an immediate rebooking, the pair instead heated their rivalry as coaches on season 29 of The Ultimate Fighter. After a long wait, the pair will finally collide inside the octagon in Saturday’s pay-per-view headliner.

Ahead of his title challenge, Ortega has revealed the positive impact former UFC bantamweight Champion TJ Dillashaw’s return to action had on him. In preparation for his main event bout with Cory Sandhagen in July, Dillashaw had trained with “T-City.”

Ortega believes the 35-year-old’s ability to make his comeback against one of the division’s best, and fight through early animosity in the form of a knee injury, proved to him that he’s training with the right team.

“It let me know the caliber of people I’m working with now, someone who could go out and do what he did in that kind of a situation,” Ortega said. “… And it helped my confidence because it lets me know I’m in the right place with the right people.” (h/t Yahoo Sport)

Dillashaw also returned the compliment. The Californian praised Ortega’s abilities, and suggested his reach advantage over Volkanovski could see him find success against the champ at UFC 266.

“I got some rounds in with him [when I was preparing for Sandhagen] and I was super impressed with him,” Dillashaw said. “He has a great jab, he’s able to keep the distance and he’s real tall for the weight class, especially fighting Volkanovski. He’s going to have such a huge reach advantage. His jab is so sneaky and he’s able to load up his punches.”

After serving a two-year suspension following a positive EPO test in 2019, Dillashaw jumped straight back into title contention with a split decision win against Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 32. The former 135-pound king is anticipating a shot at gold once he’s recovered from knee surgery in early 2022.

While he prepares for a likely clash against the victor of Aljamain Sterling’s championship rematch against Petr Yan at UFC 267, perhaps he’ll be receiving the help of the new featherweight champion, should Ortega emerge victorious this weekend inside the T-Mobile Arena.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 266? Brian Ortega or Alexander Volkanovski?

Continue Reading TJ Dillashaw’s Comeback Win Gave Brian Ortega A Confidence Boost at MMA News.

Murphy Believes She’s The “Toughest” Contender Shevchenko Has Faced

UFC women’s flyweight Lauren Murphy believes she is the “toughest” and most “well-rounded” contender that Valentina Shevchenko will have faced. In the first of two championship fights at UFC 266 this weekend, Murphy will get her first shot at UFC gold. An inconsistent start to her career in the promotion saw defeats to the likes […]

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UFC women’s flyweight Lauren Murphy believes she is the “toughest” and most “well-rounded” contender that Valentina Shevchenko will have faced.

In the first of two championship fights at UFC 266 this weekend, Murphy will get her first shot at UFC gold. An inconsistent start to her career in the promotion saw defeats to the likes of Liz Carmouche and Katlyn Chookagian leave her with a 2-4 record. But “Lucky” certainly found form in 2019. Since a loss to Sijara Eubanks, Murphy has built a five-fight win streak that includes successes against Roxanne Modafferi and Joanne Calderwood.

If she’s to extend her streak to six and, in doing so, leave the Octagon with the flyweight title, the 38-year-old will have to go through one of the most dominant champions in the UFC.

Despite Shevchenko’s accolades and ongoing dominance at the top, Murphy is confident heading into her clash with “Bullet.” And while the flyweight queen may have have breezed past the likes of Jessica Eye, Katlyn Chookagian, and Jéssica Andrade, the Alaskan believes the Kyrgyzstani will be facing her toughest test yet in her her sixth title defense.

In an interview with MMA News’ own James Lynch, Murphy described the challenge she’ll be bringing to the table when she enters the cage with Shevchenko.

“I think I’m the best contender she’s ever faced, I think I’m the most well-rounded contender she’s ever faced, I believe in my heart of hearts I’m the toughest contender she’s ever faced, just in terms of pure grit and able to bring the fight to anybody in the world. And so that’s what I’m bringing to the table.”

Catch our full interview with Lauren Murphy ahead of UFC 266 below:

Murphy’s first title challenge is set to go down this Saturday, September 25. The pay-per-view, which will be held inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, will be headlined by a blockbuster featherweight clash between champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Brian Ortega.

The event will also signal the return of fan favorite Nick Diaz. The Stockton native hasn’t entered the Octagon since 2015 and is without a win since 2011. He’ll be facing former UFC Welterweight Champion Robbie Lawler for the second time in his career. The pair previously fought at UFC 47 in 2004.

Do you think Lauren Murphy can defeat Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 266?

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