Tag: UFC Glendale

Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier II Is Finally Official

Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier will finally throw down in their awaited rematch:

The post Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier II Is Finally Official appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The lightweight division’s most anticipated rematch is finally official.

Former champ Eddie Alvarez will face No. 4-ranked Dustin Poirier at July 28’s UFC on FOX 30 from the Scotiabank Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, according to a report from MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report the bout.

Alvarez tweeted that the fight was official today, but was rebuffed by Poirier’s claim that there was “1,000 percent” no fight. Apparently, that turned around rather fast, and the two archrivals will meet on a rapidly expanding UFC on FOX event that looks like one of the best of the summer so far.

After accusing Alvarez of refusing to agree to the bout multiple times, ‘The Diamond’ had set his own deadline of May 4, but the UFC was apparently able to talk him into the match-up.

The two rivals threw down in an exciting, back-and-forth war at last May’s UFC 211, with Poirier gaining the early edge before Alvarez came storming back to hurt “The Diamond.” The fight then came to an anticlimactic end when the former UFC and Bellator champion hit a downed Poirier with an illegal knee that referee Herb Dean somehow deemed inadvertent, causing the fight to result in a no contest.

Since then, both fighters have fought and beaten fan-favorite slugger Justin Gaethje in two rousing, brutal slugfests, putting their paths on a collision course once again. With the fight’s addition, UFC on FOX 30’s lineup now features three high-profile match-ups with championship implications in Alvarez vs. Poirier, Jose Aldo vs. Jeremy Stephens, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Tecia Torres.

The post Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier II Is Finally Official appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Eddie Alvarez Says Poirier Rematch Is Official, But ‘Diamond’ Shoots Him Down

Will this anticipated lightweight rematch ever happen?

The post Eddie Alvarez Says Poirier Rematch Is Official, But ‘Diamond’ Shoots Him Down appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

A rematch between Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier has seemed inevitable ever since the controversial ending to their rousing first fight at last May’s UFC 211 from Dallas.

And earlier today, it appeared the fight was finally close to happening when Alvarez tweeted he would “see Poirier in Calgary” in reference to July 28’s UFC on FOX 30 from Canada:

That fakest of well wishes suggests Alvarez cleared up his recently discussed contract dispute with the UFC, which was reportedly strong enough to state there was that the rematch Poirier was “not f***ing happening” without the new deal.

But now it seems that “The Diamond” is the one denying the fight will happen, as his camp reportedly told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto today that their May 4 deadline to sign the bout was a serious one, causing the bout to ‘one thousand percent’ be off as of now:

So while Alvarez insists the fight is official from his end, Poirier confirmed his deadline was solid to MMAjunkie yesterday, and Alvarez still hasn’t signed the agreement, he wasn’t really even in discussions for the fight right now:

“I gave him a week deadline for the first time I accepted the fight last week,” Poirier said. “I gave him the whole week, and he still didn’t accept. Then we talked to the UFC and extended it to Monday for him to say yes.

“He still didn’t say yes, so pretty much everything they’re saying now, I don’t know. I’m not even talking with (the UFC).”

Poirier has been campaigning for the obvious rematch ever since Alvarez blasted him with an illegal knee in a fight he felt he was winning (and that was somehow declared a no contest), the former UFC and Bellator champion went on to coach The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) opposite Justin Gaethje instead.

The two fought in a rousing war won by Alvarez at December 2017’s UFC 218, and Poirier also dispatched ‘The Highlight” in another slugfest at April 14’s UFC Glendale, shifting their paths back to one another again.

Overall, however, Poirier is sick of planning his life about Alvarez’ availability, or lack thereof, so he insists the fight won’t happen in Calgary:

“I had a trip to Asia planned,” he said. “I’d have to really cancel a bunch of stuff, and I would have if they’d let me know in the week and a half I gave them to say yes, for him to get his contract figured out.

“I’ll fight him at another date. But it’s looking like Calgary is not going to happen.”

‘The Diamond’ was also still calling him out on Twitter as early as last night, poking fun at the t-shirt Alvarez received for achieving 25 clean USADA drug tests:

The negotiations for a rematch many fans believed should have already happened appear to be getting a bit confusing, but it also seems it will happen at some point down the road.

With a mess of a logjam at the top of the immensely talented UFC lightweight division as the UFC awaits the return of champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, former champ Conor McGregor, and former interim champ Tony Ferguson, there probably isn’t a better match-up for either fighter to prove they belong in the title picture with those elite stars.

It’s just going to happen on their own respective terms from the looks of it.

The post Eddie Alvarez Says Poirier Rematch Is Official, But ‘Diamond’ Shoots Him Down appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

UFC Glendale Medical Suspensions: Dustin Poirier Facing 180-Day Sit

The UFC Glendale medical suspensions are in. The UFC made their first trip to Glendale on April 14. UFC Glendale was held inside the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. In the main event, Dustin Poirier earned a fourth round TKO victory over Justin …

The UFC Glendale medical suspensions are in. The UFC made their first trip to Glendale on April 14. UFC Glendale was held inside the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. In the main event, Dustin Poirier earned a fourth round TKO victory over Justin Gaethje in a “Fight of the Year” front runner. While Gaethje was finished, it […]

The post UFC Glendale Medical Suspensions: Dustin Poirier Facing 180-Day Sit appeared first on MMA News.

Sean O’Malley Reveals Exclusive Reebok Shirt To Debut On 4/20

Surging UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley avoided any potential trouble for pretending to light a joint on live TV last weekend, and now he’s headed for a lucrative sponsorship deal. The touted 135-pound striker recently revealed on this week’s episode of The MMA Hour that he was the latest fighter to sign an exclusive deal with the […]

The post Sean O’Malley Reveals Exclusive Reebok Shirt To Debut On 4/20 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Surging UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley avoided any potential trouble for pretending to light a joint on live TV last weekend, and now he’s headed for a lucrative sponsorship deal.

The touted 135-pound striker recently revealed on this week’s episode of The MMA Hour that he was the latest fighter to sign an exclusive deal with the UFC’s apparel partner Reebok, and that the shirt will go on sale on a date that almost definitely coincides with his latest public appearance.

That date, of course, is this Friday, April 20, 2018, and apparently, the shirts are already selling like hotcakes:

“Actually, my manager hooked it up. I am going to sign a two-year deal with Reebok, so I am excited about that. These shirts will go on sale on 4/20 at UFC.com and MMAWarehouse.com.Reebok didn’t make enough shirts to stock their one Reebok.com store.”

This would only seem to reinforce the fact that the UFC is tabbing O’Malley as one of the biggest future stars after he debuted on Dana White’s “Tuesday Night Contender Series” last summer, following it up with a decision win over Terrion Ware in his official promotional debut at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 26 Finale last December and a second UFC win over Andre Soukhamthath at March’s UFC 223, a bout where “Sugar” injured his foot and required surgery on afterward.

He said it wasn’t anything his “medicine” couldn’t take care of during his now-classic post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, however, and it’s become plain to see that a big part of O’Malley’s drawing power is going to be centered around the ganja.

Based on Nate Diaz’ ability to make cash outside of the octagon using the booming business of legalized medicinal and recreational marijuana, it’s not a bad plan for success.

The post Sean O’Malley Reveals Exclusive Reebok Shirt To Debut On 4/20 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Sean O’Malley Describes UFC’s Reaction To Joint-Smoking Joke On Live TV

Surging bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley has made headlines for his flashy in-cage style in his two UFC wins over Andre Soukhamthath and Terrion Ware. But ‘Sugar’ has begun branching out his overall scope of appearance by promoting himself in his own unique way, and he continued that during the live TV broadcast for last Saturday’s […]

The post Sean O’Malley Describes UFC’s Reaction To Joint-Smoking Joke On Live TV appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Surging bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley has made headlines for his flashy in-cage style in his two UFC wins over Andre Soukhamthath and Terrion Ware.

But ‘Sugar’ has begun branching out his overall scope of appearance by promoting himself in his own unique way, and he continued that during the live TV broadcast for last Saturday’s UFC on FOX 29 from Glendale, Arizona.

O’Malley channeled his inner Nate Diaz and pretended to light a joint on live television, lighting the Twitterverse on fire and furthering his already-growing (and weed-focused) persona. While you might have thought O’Malley would get into at least some trouble for pretending to smoke weed on television, apparently, that wasn’t the case.

The rising star revealed on this week’s episode of The MMA Hour that his bosses at the UFC weren’t too angry with him for his on-camera stunt:

“Where they sat us was right in the UFC section, so I figured they would [put me on camera],

“Eventually they come up to us and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to shoot you guys here in a little bit, we’ll let you know’. I was like, ‘this is perfect timing.’

“I kept smiling at [UFC official] Heidi [Dean] who had just told us that we’re going to get on camera because I knew that she wasn’t going to be happy with me, but she wasn’t too mad. She was the one who said, ‘Okay, you guys are going to be on camera in 3,2,1,’ and I kept smiling at her but she didn’t know why, but I think she did then.”

‘Sugar’ was also sitting next to a fellow rising star in touted women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern, his teammate at the MMA Lab in Arizona. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom appeared surprised when O’Malley pretended to light his spliff, but O’Malley insisted he told her his plan and she had approved:

“I told her before; I warned her. Well, I told her right before and she said, ‘Okay’. Mackenzie is cool. She’s been training at The MMA Lab for three years, so I’ve known her for a while.”

O’Malley injured his foot in his win over Soukhamthath at March’s UFC 223, and had fans talking when he said he would heal up with the aid of some ‘medicine’ in his now-infamous post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

We now know what medicine he’s referring to, and based on the increased legality of medicinal marijuana and his online personality flaunting its use, O’Malley is quickly -and cunningly – gaining a large number of fans by promoting that side of his persona.

Will he become the next Nate Diaz in MMA?

The post Sean O’Malley Describes UFC’s Reaction To Joint-Smoking Joke On Live TV appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Dustin Poirier Clarifies How Many Times Eddie Alvarez Turned Down Rematch

Dustin Poirier may have won the biggest fight of his career versus Justin Gaethje last Saturday, but he’s aiming for a much higher goal. ‘The Diamond’ called out UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov after his fourth-round stoppage of a tough-as-nails Gaethje in Glendale, Arizona, and there’s little doubt that he’s certainly in that mix after […]

The post Dustin Poirier Clarifies How Many Times Eddie Alvarez Turned Down Rematch appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Dustin Poirier may have won the biggest fight of his career versus Justin Gaethje last Saturday, but he’s aiming for a much higher goal.

‘The Diamond’ called out UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov after his fourth-round stoppage of a tough-as-nails Gaethje in Glendale, Arizona, and there’s little doubt that he’s certainly in that mix after a four-fight unbeaten streak including wins over Gaethje, Anthony Pettis, and Jim Miller.

The top of the storied UFC 155-pound arena is quite a mess at the current time, as Nurmagomedov, recently stripped champ Conor McGregor, and recently stripped interim champ Tony Ferguson are still most likely entwined in a strange three-part rivalry without a clear end in sight.

So that could leave Poirier out in the cold requiring at least another big win to truly cement a title shot, and the clear pick for that bout is rival former champion Eddie Alvarez, with whom he fought to a no-contest in an all-out brawl at UFC 211 and the only blemish during his recent run. Many believed Poirier was well on his way to finishing the former champion when he was hit with a fight-changing illegal knee on the mat that referee Herb Dean deemed inadvertent, thus ruling the bout a no-contest.

Apparently, Poirier’s all for it, but the so-called ‘Underground King’ has allegedly turned the fight down several times. Poirier appeared on today’s episode of The MMA Hour to reveal that they were even offered the fight at this month’s UFC 223 as a precaution for Khabib or Ferguson pulling out, which could have earned Alvarez a title shot:

“Me and Eddie were offered a rematch on that Brooklyn show that Tony and Khabib were on,” Poirier said. “And my management told me that pretty much they’re probably trying to book this fight because if they fall out, one of you are going to replace them. I accepted the fight. Eddie turned it down. This was months ago. We could have been on that card, Eddie’s ranked higher than me, he probably would have fought for the belt a couple weekends ago.”

‘The Diamond’ said that in total, Alvarez had turned down the rematch five times:

“It was offered a bunch of times, man,” Poirier said. “There were a bunch of cards that they offered the fight on. I accepted every time they offered it, Eddie turned it down every time. I think it was five times.”

Based on both fighters’ propensity for all-out violence, the Poirier vs. Alvarez rematch is sort of a clear booking while the jumbled title picture gets figured out in the lightweight division.

The beef behind the rivalry is real, and Poirier admitted he is still a little miffed by how Alvarez responded to the illegal knee at UFC 211. In his opinion, his reaction was disrespectful because his strike was simply against the rules. Looking to right that wrong, Poirier admitted Alvarez was the next opponent on his radar if he didn’t get his coveted title shot:

“The things that he said after our fight, just the way he acted, I tried to stand up for the man and tell the crowd stop booing him not a dirty fighter, have some respect for the man,” Poirier said. “… Just way he acted after that. Saying that I was trying to milk the knee, he tweeted me “are you finally off your stool yet’ just all kinds of stuff like that that was very disrespectful. This isn’t a bar fight. You don’t knee somebody in the head and expect the guy to just keep going like it didn’t hurt. He got me pretty good with that knee, and it could have changed the outcome of fight. This is a sport. There has to be some line drawn.

“If I do not get the title shot next, it’s going to be Eddie.”

So while the eyes may be on Nurmagomedov, McGregor, and the title, perhaps the most entertaining fight in the oft-featured, deeply talented lightweight division is Poirier vs. Alvarez II.

The weight class has a ton of momentum after UFC 223, UFC on FOX 29, and this weekend’s Edson Barboza vs. Kevin Lee-headlined UFC Fight Night 128 from Atlantic City, New Jersey, so booking this hard-hitting rematch will keep that rolling well into the summer.

The post Dustin Poirier Clarifies How Many Times Eddie Alvarez Turned Down Rematch appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.