Tag: UFC 306

UFC Exec Provides Response To Calls For Second Sphere Show: ‘Dana Is Pretty Intent…’ 

UFC 306 had a lot to live up to after the hype that Dana White and the UFC had created around the event. There was criticism of the card on paper but all of that changed once the event got underway. The MMA leader’s use of the ground-breaking Las Vegas Sphere made for an incredible […]

Continue Reading UFC Exec Provides Response To Calls For Second Sphere Show: ‘Dana Is Pretty Intent…’  at MMA News.

UFC 306 had a lot to live up to after the hype that Dana White and the UFC had created around the event. There was criticism of the card on paper but all of that changed once the event got underway.

The MMA leader’s use of the ground-breaking Las Vegas Sphere made for an incredible spectacle that we’ve never seen before and seemingly, won’t again for some time. White was very clear that their decision to run the Sphere was because the T-Mobile Arena was already booked for the night that they wanted to do the second annual Noche UFC.

Since the event took place, both fans and fighters have called for the promotion to do it again but there hasn’t been any movement on this since. Endeavour President Mark Shapiro recently spoke about this in a recent statement, making it clear once again that White wants to double down on it being a one of a kind show.

“We do not intend to do another event at the Sphere. That was a one and done, I think we’ve signalled that to the market. Of course, anything can change like rock bands do their farewell tours and seem to stick around for another 20 years but Dana is pretty intent that this is a one and done, that’s why we spent so much, that’s why we made so much out of it.”

Shapiro added that though the Vegas Sphere has already been ticked off the bucket list, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t do another event like this in a different location much further down the line.

“By the way, last time I checked, the Sphere is launching in Abu Dhabi. Dana did say no more events at the Sphere in Vegas, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go to Abu Dhabi. So, I’m looking forward to pursuing that when that gets built, probably two decades from now.”

Continue Reading UFC Exec Provides Response To Calls For Second Sphere Show: ‘Dana Is Pretty Intent…’  at MMA News.

UFC Exec Provides Response To Calls For Second Sphere Show: ‘Dana Is Pretty Intent…’ 

UFC 306 had a lot to live up to after the hype that Dana White and the UFC had created around the event. There was criticism of the card on paper but all of that changed once the event got underway. The MMA leader’s use of the ground-breaking Las Vegas Sphere made for an incredible […]

Continue Reading UFC Exec Provides Response To Calls For Second Sphere Show: ‘Dana Is Pretty Intent…’  at MMA News.

UFC 306 had a lot to live up to after the hype that Dana White and the UFC had created around the event. There was criticism of the card on paper but all of that changed once the event got underway.

The MMA leader’s use of the ground-breaking Las Vegas Sphere made for an incredible spectacle that we’ve never seen before and seemingly, won’t again for some time. White was very clear that their decision to run the Sphere was because the T-Mobile Arena was already booked for the night that they wanted to do the second annual Noche UFC.

Since the event took place, both fans and fighters have called for the promotion to do it again but there hasn’t been any movement on this since. Endeavour President Mark Shapiro recently spoke about this in a recent statement, making it clear once again that White wants to double down on it being a one of a kind show.

“We do not intend to do another event at the Sphere. That was a one and done, I think we’ve signalled that to the market. Of course, anything can change like rock bands do their farewell tours and seem to stick around for another 20 years but Dana is pretty intent that this is a one and done, that’s why we spent so much, that’s why we made so much out of it.”

Shapiro added that though the Vegas Sphere has already been ticked off the bucket list, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t do another event like this in a different location much further down the line.

“By the way, last time I checked, the Sphere is launching in Abu Dhabi. Dana did say no more events at the Sphere in Vegas, but that doesn’t mean we can’t go to Abu Dhabi. So, I’m looking forward to pursuing that when that gets built, probably two decades from now.”

Continue Reading UFC Exec Provides Response To Calls For Second Sphere Show: ‘Dana Is Pretty Intent…’  at MMA News.

Herb Dean vs. Joe Rogan? Veteran Referee Breaks Down His Controversial UFC 306 Decisions

Herb Dean vs. Joe Rogan? Veteran Referee Breaks Down His Controversial UFC 306 DecisionsTenured referee Herb Dean wants to have a sit-down conversation with Joe Rogan and the rest of the UFC…

Herb Dean vs. Joe Rogan? Veteran Referee Breaks Down His Controversial UFC 306 Decisions

Tenured referee Herb Dean wants to have a sit-down conversation with Joe Rogan and the rest of the UFC 306 broadcast team.

In September, Dean saw a significant amount of criticism flung his way during UFC 306’s headliner between Merab Dvalishvili and ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley. During the later rounds, Dean repeatedly warned Dvalishvili to keep working and stay busy while deploying his grappling-heavy attack. Rogan called Dean’s tactics “insane” and was quite critical of his performance in the championship rounds.

Herb Dean

Appearing on the JAXXON podcast with Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson, Dean attempted to address the criticism from Rogan and Co. and revealed how he first became aware of their negative comments.

“I’m not sure if I totally understand that myself,” Dean said. “I think the analysts who started it — and I don’t want to be critiquing those guys, or have an adversarial relationship because, first of all, they say a lot of good things about me, and they have over the years.

“I would like to talk to them… the commentators. I can tell it was the commentators before I even heard that it was because on social media, I was getting a lot of the same thing. … I see a bunch of grown men saying somebody else’s opinion, must’ve been something the analysts said, and it was” (h/t MMA Fighting).

Dvalishvili ultimately came out on top, scoring a unanimous decision victory over O’Malley to claim the bantamweight world title. Before that, Dean was part of a few other odd moments during the 25-minute affair, including an instance where he had to discourage ‘The Machine’ from speaking to O’Malley’s coach Tim Welch in the opening seconds. Dean was also forced to tell Dvalishvili to stop “kissing” his opponent during a grappling exchange.

Herb Dean

Herb Dean defends his actions at UFC 306 amid criticism from Joe Rogan

However, it was Rogan’s issue with Dean’s calls to “keep working” that generated a majority of the negative attention on online.

Herb Dean
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“They’re saying that I shouldn’t be telling the guys to work,” Dean explained. “This is something I’ve always done. Our sport, there’s rules that are there for safety. There’s rules that are there for fairness, we have rules that are there to build our sport. To make our sport what it’s supposed to be. To make our sport more exciting. …

“Most of the coaches can say my pre-fight instructions with me because I say the same thing. I tell them about things we have problems with. Most of them know the rules… but to this stuff, two things that are the most important things before I intervene: The biggest intervention is when I’m going to start your fight. So you always hear me say, ‘Fight back. Fight back.’ That lets them know so it’s not a surprise to them. …

“The next thing I’m going to say is, I’m going to say ‘work.’ And that means that I’m about to take your position away. Because in this sport we have position, and a position can lead to a fight being finished, but when I say ‘work,’ that means what I’m looking for is not just busy work, I’m looking for effort to finish the fight.

“Instead a bunch of [tapping] punches, where you could do a full five-minute round with this and not change, I’m expecting you to posture, throw bigger shots. Instead of trying to hold on, I’m expending you to spend energy advancing position, passing guard, or if you’re up against the fence, putting energy into a takedown. Something that’s going to bring the fight to a conclusion.”

Herb Dean

Simply put, if a fighter is using their dominant position to ride out the clock, Dean is going to step in and issue a warning or force a standup to make the sport more exciting for fans.

“If you have a superior position, if you’re not using it to win the fight, you’re using it to hide from your opponent to burn time,” Dean said. “That’s not what we want our sport to look like, I don’t think.”

Irene Aldana: UFC 306 Cut Was ‘Poorly Managed’ By Cutman, Cageside Doctor

Irene Aldana has always been known as an incredibly tough competitor in the UFC’s bantamweight division but she took that to another level at UFC 306. In her three-round war with Norma Dumont, the Mexican fighter suffered one of the worst cuts in UFC history. The cut stemmed from an accidental headbutt in the second […]

Continue Reading Irene Aldana: UFC 306 Cut Was ‘Poorly Managed’ By Cutman, Cageside Doctor at MMA News.

Irene Aldana has always been known as an incredibly tough competitor in the UFC’s bantamweight division but she took that to another level at UFC 306. In her three-round war with Norma Dumont, the Mexican fighter suffered one of the worst cuts in UFC history.

The cut stemmed from an accidental headbutt in the second round and with how big it was, no one would have been surprised to see the doctor wave the fight off before Aldana went out for the third and final round.

That didn’t happen and the former title challenger has got some issues with the way that she was treated in that moment when she looks back at her September outing. In an exclusive Spanish interview with MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura, Aldana says that in her opinion, the doctor and cutman didn’t do their jobs effectively.

“I’ve seen fights stopped for smaller cuts, at least for the doctor to get called to check the cut to see if the fighter should continue,” Aldana said. “Honestly, I thought the approach from the cutman and the commission in the corner was very strange.

“I don’t remember the doctor checking on the cut, and I didn’t get Vaseline. The cutman was putting his weight onto the cut, and I feel like that opened it more. I remember having to posture firmly so I wouldn’t go back because his body weight was on me. I do think it would’ve been best to check the replay and have the doctor check on the cut. On that aspect, I do think it was poorly managed.”

Aldana went on to express that overall, she has mixed feelings on the whole situation and the way it was handled. She is happy that she got the opportunity to continue fighting but also can’t help but weigh up what the potential risks could have been as a result.

“It was risky to continue after seeing he cut and the videos, I mean you could basically see my skull. It was a risk, I could’ve gotten a facial paralysis or had big consequences of it, but that’s how things played out, and fortunately, I’m OK. I do hang on to the fact that I got a small chance to go finish the fight. I’m happy with that. But on the way things were handled by the commission, I do have my doubts.”

Continue Reading Irene Aldana: UFC 306 Cut Was ‘Poorly Managed’ By Cutman, Cageside Doctor at MMA News.

PFL CEO Says Battle Of The Giants Card Exceeds UFC 300 & UFC 306 As Biggest Event Of The Year

Undoubtedly the biggest MMA event of the weekend sees the PFL host the most significant night in the history of the promotion to date. Battle Of The Giants sees the promotion’s biggest ever signing, the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, make his long awaited debut. His fight with Renan Ferreira is the real draw […]

Continue Reading PFL CEO Says Battle Of The Giants Card Exceeds UFC 300 & UFC 306 As Biggest Event Of The Year at MMA News.

Undoubtedly the biggest MMA event of the weekend sees the PFL host the most significant night in the history of the promotion to date. Battle Of The Giants sees the promotion’s biggest ever signing, the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, make his long awaited debut.

His fight with Renan Ferreira is the real draw here because fans have waited a long time to see “The Predator” step back into MMA following his recent boxing contests. That being said, there’s other fights on this card that make it the PFL’s best event to date.

The main card in particular features several homerun match-ups from the promotion that really shows the strength of the roster and how much it has improved since the Bellator acquisition.

As they prepare for a massive night of fights in Riyadh, PFL CEO Peter Murray spoke about the card in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. In his opinion, Saturday’s event is the clear winner for the biggest and baddest event of 2024 in the MMA world.

He specifically referenced how it stacks up when you compare this weekend’s card to the likes of UFC 300 and UFC 306 which would also be in the same conversation. There was criticism from some fans of both of those events for not having the kinds of cards that would live up to the high expectations on paper.

In hindsight, it’s fair to say that both produced pretty special nights this year, even if some of the big fights at UFC 306 weren’t the most entertaining. Regardless, Murray believes that Battle Of The Giants stands tall not only next to any PFL event, but any MMA event that has taken place this year.

“This is the biggest event of absolutely the PFL company history and the biggest event of the year and, you know, I’m looking forward to stacking this up against, when you look at the cards from UFC 300, The Sphere, but like as it relates to the card, this fight, this event on October 19, biggest of the year, second to none.”

Continue Reading PFL CEO Says Battle Of The Giants Card Exceeds UFC 300 & UFC 306 As Biggest Event Of The Year at MMA News.

WWE’s Triple H Admits Envy Over Dana White’s Noche UFC Production

WWE's Triple H Admits Envy Over Dana White’s Noche UFC ProductionTriple H is envious of what Dana White accomplished at Noche UFC. Last month, the Ultimate Fighting Championship delivered…

WWE's Triple H Admits Envy Over Dana White’s Noche UFC Production

Triple H is envious of what Dana White accomplished at Noche UFC.

Last month, the Ultimate Fighting Championship delivered on its promise to produce an event unlike anything combat sports fans had ever seen before. The promotion’s card inside the already iconic Sphere in Las Vegas was a spectacle that had everyone, including the WWE’s Chief Content Officer, swooning.

“When I see what Dana is doing and they’re just crushing it and I see stuff at The Sphere and I look at that production and I’m like, ‘I wanna do that.’ It’s just like a lot of fun,” Triple H said during a press conference following WWE Bad Blood on October 5. “Man, it’s amazing to watch them do what they do, at the level they do it, and there’s nothing like that in the world” (h/t Sportskeeda).

Noche UFC

Though the budget for the event exceeded $20 million, Noche UFC brought in a record-breaking $22 million gate, breaking the $17 million record set by Conor McGregor’s clash with Eddie Alvarez in November 2016.

It also eclipsed the company’s previous records for highest-grossing merchandise sales and highest-grossing sales for VIP experiences. It also generated more sponsorship dollars than any other event in UFC history.

Noche UFC

Noche UFC fails to close the show with a bang

As much as a spectacle as the evening was, the action inside the Octagon left a lot to be desired. Particularly in the case of the co-main and main events. Both Valentina Shevchenko and Merab Dvalishvili deployed a wrestle-heavy attack against their opponents en route to a pair of uneventful world title victories.

Their performances were dominant, but not exactly fan-friendly which left the UFC CEO a bit frustrated.

“You can control how much you spend on the production of an event, but you can’t control the fights,” White said of the lackluster title fights during the post-fight press conference.