Tag: UFC fight bookings

Barnburner Alert: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier a Go for UFC 178


(“No, I’d rather not fight Ronda Rousey at UFC 176. Why would you ask me that, Joe?” Photo via Getty.)

Maybe it’s just me, but people seem to be riding pretty high on this Conor McGregor character following his first round destruction of Diego Brandao at what Kevin Iole referred to as “the greatest UFC event of all time” with 100% sincerity. Great job, Kevin. I hope Dana gave you the week off for partaking in such blatant shillery.

Right, back to McGregor. Following his win over Brandao, the Irish phenom was called out by Dustin Poirier on Twitter, who had a late September matchup in mind. McGregor quickly agreed at the Fight Night 46 press conference, and as luck would have it, they are now set to meet at UFC 178: Jones vs. Gustafsson II on September 27th.

“The fights were good and the crowd loved the show.” — Kevin Iole, describing UFC 75 to his fullest capabilities before declaring Fight Night 46 as the greatest UFC event of all time. If you ever thought this MMA writing stuff was easy, you’re right.

I’m sorry, I keep getting off track. Anyway, here’s what Poirier had to say about McGregor and how he carries himself on The MMA Hour yesterday. Spoiler: It is not exactly a ringing endorsement…


(“No, I’d rather not fight Ronda Rousey at UFC 176. Why would you ask me that, Joe?” Photo via Getty.)

Maybe it’s just me, but people seem to be riding pretty high on this Conor McGregor character following his first round destruction of Diego Brandao at what Kevin Iole referred to as “the greatest UFC event of all time” with 100% sincerity. Great job, Kevin. I hope Dana gave you the week off for partaking in such blatant shillery.

Right, back to McGregor. Following his win over Brandao, the Irish phenom was called out by Dustin Poirier on Twitter, who had a late September matchup in mind. McGregor quickly agreed at the Fight Night 46 press conference, and as luck would have it, they are now set to meet at UFC 178: Jones vs. Gustafsson II on September 27th.

“The fights were good and the crowd loved the show.” — Kevin Iole, describing UFC 75 to his fullest capabilities before declaring Fight Night 46 as the greatest UFC event of all time. If you ever thought this MMA writing stuff was easy, you’re right.

I’m sorry, I keep getting off track. Anyway, here’s what Poirier had to say about McGregor and how he carries himself on The MMA Hour yesterday. Spoiler: It is not exactly a ringing endorsement.

I mean, come on man. The guy runs his mouth too much. Right off the bat I’m fired up about this guy. I’ve been in this division since the WEC merged (with UFC), I’ve paid my dues and I’ve stayed quiet and busted my ass day in and day out. I’ve won the fights that I’ve needed to win, I’ve had some tough fights. I feel like I need to be up there. I need to be up there where people are talking about me. His name in the same sentence as featherweight title should never come out of anybody’s mouth.

I can’t believe the hype this guy is getting man. I think he is over-hyped, no doubt about it, 100 percent. And to tell you the honest truth, I feel like I should be fighting Frankie Edgar, Chad Mendes and Cub Swanson again. I should be fighting the top guys. But, I’ve asked for those fights and I haven’t got them. What should I do?

The answer is simple, Dustin: Find yourself a big audience and then just start spewing nonsense until you become a commodity. It’s worked for all of the UFC’s heavy hitters: Rousey, Jones, Sonnen, Iole, and so on.

Look, I know everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but calling Fight Night 46 the greatest UFC event of all time is just poppycock. Pure, unadulterated, poppycock. What has the UFC done with your soul, Iole? What are you going to tell me next, that the Phantom Menace is your favorite Star Wars movie? When you finished the final sentence of that article, did a single tear roll down your eye? Or have the years spent transforming from a legitimate reporter into a UFC PR robot eradicated your ability to emote? I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION, DAMN YOU.

………….

Also being rumored for UFC 178 is a welterweight showdown between top contenders Tarec Saffiedine and Rory MacDonald. The former is fresh off a decision win Hyun Gyu Lim in one of the greatest brawls of the year so far. The latter is on the heels of a dominant return to form over Tyron Woodley at UFC 174. So that should be fun.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go punch some trees in Minecraft until my Iole rage dissipates.

–J. Jones

Diego Sanchez Avoids Bowel Surgery, Will Face Ross Pearson at Fight Night Albuquerque in June


(“The Dream” is not impressed by your moshing skills. Check out this bromoshop and more here.)

Less than a day after I hinted at the possibility of 2014 becoming the true year of the injury curse, Georges St. Pierre tore his ACL while training for absolutely nothing. Proof of the curse, or of my prophetic abilities as a blogger? I can’t say for certain, but I do know that the job of an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine is becoming more lucrative by the day thanks to UFC stars like Johny Hendricks, Chris Weidman, and Carlos Condit, making my decision to drop out of fancy doctor school and follow my passion of writing fart jokes for a living seem…hasty.

Thankfully, those two-bit body mechanics (technical jargon) won’t be able to get their greasy hands on Diego Sanchez, whom most assumed would be going under the knife after he was (self) poisoned by a raw quail egg and beef tartare at UFC 171. Quite the contrary, however, as Sanchez has not only managed to avoid surgery, but has already booked his next fight against TUF 9 winner Ross Pearson at a Fight Night event in his native Albuquerque on June 7th. A true “mind over matter” story if I’ve ever seen one before.

Sanchez finds himself in a unique position with the UFC, having dropped three out of his past four fights for the first time in his career. His excitement-over-strategy style has been entertaining as of late, sure, but “The Dream” better approach this fight with a more intelligent gameplan than lowering his hands and asking bros to come at him if he wants to score that win he so desperately needs.


(“The Dream” is not impressed by your moshing skills. Check out this bromoshop and more here.)

Less than a day after I hinted at the possibility of 2014 becoming the true year of the injury curse, Georges St. Pierre tore his ACL while training for absolutely nothing. Proof of the curse, or of my prophetic abilities as a blogger? I can’t say for certain, but I do know that the job of an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine is becoming more lucrative by the day thanks to UFC stars like Johny Hendricks, Chris Weidman, and Carlos Condit, making my decision to drop out of fancy doctor school and follow my passion of writing fart jokes for a living seem…hasty.

Thankfully, those two-bit body mechanics (technical jargon) won’t be able to get their greasy hands on Diego Sanchez, whom most assumed would be going under the knife after he was (self) poisoned by a raw quail egg and beef tartare at UFC 171. Quite the contrary, however, as Sanchez has not only managed to avoid surgery, but has already booked his next fight against TUF 9 winner Ross Pearson at a Fight Night event in his native Albuquerque on June 7th. A true “mind over matter” story if I’ve ever seen one before.

Sanchez finds himself in a unique position with the UFC, having dropped three out of his past four fights for the first time in his career. His excitement-over-strategy style has been entertaining as of late, sure, but “The Dream” better approach this fight with a more intelligent gameplan than lowering his hands and asking bros to come at him if he wants to score that win he so desperately needs.

Pearson, on the other hand, has not fought since his Fight Night 30 bout with Melvin Guillard was declared a No Contest due to an illegal knee that wasn’t really illegal. “The Real Deal” was scheduled to rematch Guillard at Fight Night 37: Gustafsson vs. Manuwa earlier this month until a knee injury (CURSE!!) forced him to bow out. Now that Guillard has been released by the UFC following his loss to Pearson’s replacement opponent, 46 year-old Olympic sprinter-turned 27 year-old MMA fighter Michael Johnson, the likelihood of the rematch has been downgraded to “nah, son.”

Fight Night Albuquerque transpires on June 7th and features a rematch between flyweight title challengers John Dodson and John Moraga as well as Ben Henderson vs. that guy he thought was Khabib Nurmagomedov.

–J. Jones

Barnburner Alert: Cub Swanson vs. Jeremy Stephens to Headline ‘Fight Night Something or Other’ on June 28th


(Stephens puts the stamp on TUF Brazil winner Ronny Jason, while Kenny Florian does his best Joe Silva impersonation in the background. Photo via Getty.)

Jeremy Stephens is a perfect example of a fighter who all but saved his career by dropping a weight class. While Stephens was a staple of the UFC’s lightweight division for some five years, his last three appearances all resulted in losses — a pair of one-sided decisions to Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone and a first round KO (the first of his career) at the hands of Yves Edwards.

Since making the cut to featherweight, however, “Lil Heathen” has been a man reborn (also, acquitted). With decision victories over Estevan Payan and Darren Elkins and a brutal KO over TUF Brazil winner Rony Jason (who did not take the loss well), Stephens has gone from a perennial gatekeeper to a fighter ranked just outside the top 10 on the UFC’s totally unbiased rankings system.

And now, Stephens will be given arguably the biggest fight of his career when he faces off against #4 ranked Cub Swanson in the main event of a Fight Night card scheduled for June 28th in San Antonio. The likelihood of the winner receiving a title shot? Kinda sorta maybe. The likelihood that this fight turns into a slugfest the likes of Lawler vs. Hendricks? Definitely maybe.

Swanson, on the other hand, has strung together five straight wins since dropping his UFC debut to Ricardo Lamas, including stoppage victories over Ross Pearson, Charles Oliveira, and Dennis Siver. He also has some pretty funny-lookin’ tattoos, if you ask me.

Who you like, Nation?

–J. Jones


(Stephens puts the stamp on TUF Brazil winner Ronny Jason, while Kenny Florian does his best Joe Silva impersonation in the background. Photo via Getty.)

Jeremy Stephens is a perfect example of a fighter who all but saved his career by dropping a weight class. While Stephens was a staple of the UFC’s lightweight division for some five years, his last three appearances all resulted in losses — a pair of one-sided decisions to Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone and a first round KO (the first of his career) at the hands of Yves Edwards.

Since making the cut to featherweight, however, “Lil Heathen” has been a man reborn (also, acquitted). With decision victories over Estevan Payan and Darren Elkins and a brutal KO over TUF Brazil winner Rony Jason (who did not take the loss well), Stephens has gone from a perennial gatekeeper to a fighter ranked just outside the top 10 on the UFC’s totally unbiased rankings system.

And now, Stephens will be given arguably the biggest fight of his career when he faces off against #4 ranked Cub Swanson in the main event of a Fight Night card scheduled for June 28th in San Antonio. The likelihood of the winner receiving a title shot? Kinda sorta maybe. The likelihood that this fight turns into a slugfest the likes of Lawler vs. Hendricks? Definitely maybe.

Swanson, on the other hand, has strung together five straight wins since dropping his UFC debut to Ricardo Lamas, including stoppage victories over Ross Pearson, Charles Oliveira, and Dennis Siver. He also has some pretty funny-lookin’ tattoos, if you ask me.

Who you like, Nation?

–J. Jones

Fight-Shuffling of the Day: Jorge Masvidal Replaces Reza Madadi Against Michael Chiesa at UFC on Fox 8


(Jorge Masvidal, a man after our own heart | Photo CombatLifestyle)

Undefeated TUF 15 champion Michael Chiesa will now face former Strikeforce lightweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal on the UFC on Fox 8 card which goes down on July 27th in Seattle, WA. Chiesa was originally scheduled to face Swedish submission machine Reza Madadi until visa issues forced him out of the bout this week. Seems to be a lot of that going around…

The news was broken on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight program last night. Chiesa is coming off of a submission win this past February at UFC 157 and Masvidal most recently fought and won three weeks ago in his UFC debut at UFC on Fox 7.

UFC on Fox 8 is headlined by a flyweight title bout between champion Demetrious Johnson and John Moraga, as well as a welterweight bout between top contenders Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger.

The Chiesa/Masvidal fight is an interesting one because of what a big opportunity it is for both guys. Masvidal gets a big name in just his second UFC bout and a chance to become more known to fans. Chiesa’s opportunity is more of personal growth than anything, since it is a chance for him to fight a super tough veteran of the division and see how he stacks up – though with the negative being that only niche fans really know how good Masvidal is.

Who ya got, Nation? “GameBred” or “The Fighting Hippie?”

– Elias Cepeda


(Jorge Masvidal, a man after our own heart | Photo CombatLifestyle)

Undefeated TUF 15 champion Michael Chiesa will now face former Strikeforce lightweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal on the UFC on Fox 8 card which goes down on July 27th in Seattle, WA. Chiesa was originally scheduled to face Swedish submission machine Reza Madadi until visa issues forced him out of the bout this week. Seems to be a lot of that going around…

The news was broken on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight program last night. Chiesa is coming off of a submission win this past February at UFC 157 and Masvidal most recently fought and won three weeks ago in his UFC debut at UFC on Fox 7.

UFC on Fox 8 is headlined by a flyweight title bout between champion Demetrious Johnson and John Moraga, as well as a welterweight bout between top contenders Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger.

The Chiesa/Masvidal fight is an interesting one because of what a big opportunity it is for both guys. Masvidal gets a big name in just his second UFC bout and a chance to become more known to fans. Chiesa’s opportunity is more of personal growth than anything, since it is a chance for him to fight a super tough veteran of the division and see how he stacks up – though with the negative being that only niche fans really know how good Masvidal is.

Who ya got, Nation? “GameBred” or “The Fighting Hippie?”

– Elias Cepeda

Spencer Fisher vs. Yves Edwards, Michael Chiesa vs. Reza Madadi Booked for UFC on FOX 8 in July


(The plaque is nice and all, but Chiesa would have gladly entered the TUF 15 tournament for two dollars.)

Although we can’t exactly accuse Spencer Fisher of violating our ban on MMA fighters retiring only to immediately unretire, he came about as close as humanly possible when he told various media outlets that his trilogy-completing fight with Sam Stout at UFC on FX 4 last June would probably be his last. As we originally remarked, it seemed about as fitting an end to his MMA career as Fisher could have asked for — his pair of previous fights with Stout had not only fueled an intense rivalry between the two (not on the level of Paraguay vs. Uruguay, but still), but had earned the duo Fight of the Night honors on two separate occasions. That he suffered a razor-thin split decision loss should not have cheapened the significance of the moment, at least in our minds.

In either case, it appears that Fisher is not quite ready to call it quits, as he has been booked to face fellow UFC vet Yves Edwards at UFC on FOX 8, which transpires from the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington on July 27th. Fisher has dropped 5 of his last 6 contests, whereas Edwards has gone win-loss in his last 5 fights and is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Strikeforce newcomer Isaac Vallie-Flagg at UFC 156. For Fisher’s sake, we hope he wins this, because ending your career on your own terms sure beats joining the And Now He’s Fired club.

And now let’s address the possible person of interest pictured above, who has also been booked for UFC on FOX 8…


(The plaque is nice and all, but Chiesa would have gladly entered the TUF 15 tournament for two dollars.)

Although we can’t exactly accuse Spencer Fisher of violating our ban on MMA fighters retiring only to immediately unretire, he came about as close as humanly possible when he told various media outlets that his trilogy-completing fight with Sam Stout at UFC on FX 4 last June would probably be his last. As we originally remarked, it seemed about as fitting an end to his MMA career as Fisher could have asked for — his pair of previous fights with Stout had not only fueled an intense rivalry between the two (not on the level of Paraguay vs. Uruguay, but still), but had earned the duo Fight of the Night honors on two separate occasions. That he suffered a razor-thin split decision loss should not have cheapened the significance of the moment, at least in our minds.

In either case, it appears that Fisher is not quite ready to call it quits, as he has been booked to face fellow UFC vet Yves Edwards at UFC on FOX 8, which transpires from the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington on July 27th. Fisher has dropped 5 of his last 6 contests, whereas Edwards has gone win-loss in his last 5 fights and is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Strikeforce newcomer Isaac Vallie-Flagg at UFC 156. For Fisher’s sake, we hope he wins this, because ending your career on your own terms sure beats joining the And Now He’s Fired club.

And now let’s address the possible person of interest pictured above, who has also been booked for UFC on FOX 8…

Since making mincemeat of his three opponents during his run on the fifteenth season of The Ultimate Fighter, Michael Chiesa has collected two straight victories in the octagon via rear-naked choke (sound familiar?). Although he’s heard a fair share of criticism in regards to his standup game (again), Chiesa’s smothering Jiu-Jitsu attack has been the kiss of death for all of his opponents thus far in his MMA career.

Unfortunately for Chiesa, he’ll be facing an equally dangerous submission artist when he takes on Swedish prospect Reza Madadi, also at UFC on FOX 8. Like Chiesa, Madadi has collected both of his octagon victories via submission and is coming off a third round, come-from-behind Brabo choke victory over TUF something-or-other runner-up Michael Johnson at UFC on FUEL 9. 

Who do you like for this pair of lightweight battles, Potato Nation?

–J. Jones

Booking Roundup: Trio of Fights Added to UFC’s July Events Including Robbie Lawler vs. Tarec Saffiedine


(Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.) 

In one of the greater upsets of 2013 thus far, Robbie Lawler returned to the UFC last February and successfully smashed former top contender Josh Koscheck in the opening round of their UFC 157 main card scrap. Although the fight was not without its share of controversy (because it is physically impossible to fully knockout a Fraggle), the UFC quickly took notice nonetheless and has now booked “Ruthless” against the final Strikeforce welterweight champion, Tarec Saffiedine, at UFC on FOX 8. 

On the heels of the aforementioned Strikeforce welterweight championship-earning performance over Nate Marquardt at the final Strikeforce event, Saffiedine was originally tapped to face Carlos Condit at UFC 158 following Rory MacDonald’s withdrawal. Saffiedine declined the matchup, however, and has now been given what many fans would consider a much easier fight as punishment. The UFC rewards system at work, ladies and gentlemen.

Also booked for UFC on FOX 8, is a battle of exciting lightweights…


(Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.) 

In one of the greater upsets of 2013 thus far, Robbie Lawler returned to the UFC last February and successfully smashed former top contender Josh Koscheck in the opening round of their UFC 157 main card scrap. Although the fight was not without its share of controversy (because it is physically impossible to fully knockout a Fraggle), the UFC quickly took notice nonetheless and has now booked “Ruthless” against the final Strikeforce welterweight champion, Tarec Saffiedine, at UFC on FOX 8. 

On the heels of the aforementioned Strikeforce welterweight championship-earning performance over Nate Marquardt at the final Strikeforce event, Saffiedine was originally tapped to face Carlos Condit at UFC 158 following Rory MacDonald’s withdrawal. Saffiedine declined the matchup, however, and has now been given what many fans would consider a much easier fight as punishment. The UFC rewards system at work, ladies and gentlemen.

Also set for UFC on FOX 8 is a battle of exciting lightweights when Team Alpha Male’s Danny Castillo takes on Strikeforce import Bobby Green. Currently 5-2 in the UFC (4-1 in his last 5), “Last Call” recently rebounded from a second round KO loss to Michael Johnson at UFC on FX 5 with a unanimous decision victory over Paul Sass at UFC on FUEL 7. God dammit, we are less than 10 FXs and FUELs in and I am already getting confused by this bullshit. When UFC on Fox Sports 1 1 rolls around, I am out of this bitch. Anyways, Bobby Green will be looking to improve upon a successful SOTN victory over Jacob Volkmann in his UFC debut that earned the seal-of-approval from DW himself. Expect some fireworks in this one.

And in other fight booking news, Dave Herman — yes, the very same that has been busted for marijuana twice and has been stopped in his last three UFC fights — has apparently finished his rehabilitation program and has been booked to take on the similarly struggling (but not nearly as high) Shane Del Rosario, who has been (T)KO’d by Stipe Miocic and Pat Barry in his first two UFC contests.

We know we’re beating a dead horse here, but Jon Fitch has been fired, Dave Herman is still employed, and Bubba McDaniel is fighting on the main card of the TUF 17 Finale. Strange times, Potato Nation. Strange. Times…

–J. Jones