Tag: UFC News

Leon Edwards addresses rumor that he KO’d Ian Garry while sparring: ‘He got a little taste for sure’

Leon EdwardsReigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards addressed all the drama surrounding Ian Garry, including reports that he kicked the…

Leon Edwards

Reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards addressed all the drama surrounding Ian Garry, including reports that he kicked the rising Irish contender out of his gym.

Garry has found himself as the talk for the town over the last few months, but seemingly for all the wrong reasons. It all started when ‘The Future’ made claims that he was kicked out of Team Renegade where Edwards trains because the champ was supposedly “weak-minded” and afraid of some competition on the mats. Particularly from a kid who is working his way up the divisional ladder.

Since then, a few fighters, including Sean Brady and Michael Chandler, have come out suggesting that Ian Garry’s conduct in the gym was the likely catalyst for his removal.

Addressing the drama directly, Leon Edwards suggested that the entire situation was blown out of proportion, but he did echo sentiments similar to that of Brady and Chandler.

“I feel like once he came to the gym, he just didn’t fit into the gym,” Edwards told MMA Fighting. “This is like the third gym now he’s been kicked out of. It is what it is. He’s just a different kind of guy. He’s hard to blend with. Everywhere he goes there’s a camera there. Everywhere he goes, his wife is there, his kid is there. There’s a lot going on.

“There wasn’t any bad blood. He came out and made it into a big thing and it wasn’t. He’s been kicked out of more gyms than mine. Like why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

‘Rocky’ has a pretty good idea as to why Ian Garry made such a fuss about the situation compared to other gyms he’s been booted from.

“Because I’m the champion he wants to ride off the back of my coattails and go back and forth with me on social media,” Edwards said. “It is what it is. You’ve got to focus on yourself.

“If he does get to the title — does he? I don’t know yet. That’s it. Wish him well. We’ll see what happens.”

Following Garry’s exit from the gym, Paddy Pimblett added some fuel to the fire when he claimed that ‘The Future’ had been knocked out by Edwards during their brief time training with one another. Rocky’ revealed that while he didn’t put Garry to sleep, he gave the Irishman a little taste of what’s to come should they ever meet inside the Octagon.

“I didn’t knock him out clean, no,” Edwards said. “He got a little taste [of the Kamaru Usman head kick] for sure.”

Leon Edwards Not concerning Himself with Ian Garry’s Rise up the ranks

Edwards and Garry will make their respective returns on Saturday night (December 16) at the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year, UFC 296. ‘Rocky’ will look to defend the 170-pound crown for the second time when he meets perennial contender Colby Covington in the evening’s main event.

Garry will face his toughest test to date when he faces No. 8 ranked contender in the welterweight division, Vicente Luque.

Though ‘The Future’ enters UFC 296 with an impressive 13-0 record, six of those victories coming inside the Octagon, Leon Edwards isn’t concerning himself with a potential showdown between the two just yet.

“Skill-wise, he’s a long way away from even a thought in my brain for competing for a title,” Edwards said about Garry. “Like I said, I wish him well in his endeavors but I feel like skill-wise right now, he’s not a guy I think ‘Oh sh*t, I need to stay away from this guy.’”

Leon Edwards addresses rumor that he KO’d Ian Garry while sparring: ‘He got a little taste for sure’

Leon EdwardsReigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards addressed all the drama surrounding Ian Garry, including reports that he kicked the…

Leon Edwards

Reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards addressed all the drama surrounding Ian Garry, including reports that he kicked the rising Irish contender out of his gym.

Garry has found himself as the talk for the town over the last few months, but seemingly for all the wrong reasons. It all started when ‘The Future’ made claims that he was kicked out of Team Renegade where Edwards trains because the champ was supposedly “weak-minded” and afraid of some competition on the mats. Particularly from a kid who is working his way up the divisional ladder.

Since then, a few fighters, including Sean Brady and Michael Chandler, have come out suggesting that Ian Garry’s conduct in the gym was the likely catalyst for his removal.

Addressing the drama directly, Leon Edwards suggested that the entire situation was blown out of proportion, but he did echo sentiments similar to that of Brady and Chandler.

“I feel like once he came to the gym, he just didn’t fit into the gym,” Edwards told MMA Fighting. “This is like the third gym now he’s been kicked out of. It is what it is. He’s just a different kind of guy. He’s hard to blend with. Everywhere he goes there’s a camera there. Everywhere he goes, his wife is there, his kid is there. There’s a lot going on.

“There wasn’t any bad blood. He came out and made it into a big thing and it wasn’t. He’s been kicked out of more gyms than mine. Like why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

‘Rocky’ has a pretty good idea as to why Ian Garry made such a fuss about the situation compared to other gyms he’s been booted from.

“Because I’m the champion he wants to ride off the back of my coattails and go back and forth with me on social media,” Edwards said. “It is what it is. You’ve got to focus on yourself.

“If he does get to the title — does he? I don’t know yet. That’s it. Wish him well. We’ll see what happens.”

Following Garry’s exit from the gym, Paddy Pimblett added some fuel to the fire when he claimed that ‘The Future’ had been knocked out by Edwards during their brief time training with one another. Rocky’ revealed that while he didn’t put Garry to sleep, he gave the Irishman a little taste of what’s to come should they ever meet inside the Octagon.

“I didn’t knock him out clean, no,” Edwards said. “He got a little taste [of the Kamaru Usman head kick] for sure.”

Leon Edwards Not concerning Himself with Ian Garry’s Rise up the ranks

Edwards and Garry will make their respective returns on Saturday night (December 16) at the promotion’s final pay-per-view of the year, UFC 296. ‘Rocky’ will look to defend the 170-pound crown for the second time when he meets perennial contender Colby Covington in the evening’s main event.

Garry will face his toughest test to date when he faces No. 8 ranked contender in the welterweight division, Vicente Luque.

Though ‘The Future’ enters UFC 296 with an impressive 13-0 record, six of those victories coming inside the Octagon, Leon Edwards isn’t concerning himself with a potential showdown between the two just yet.

“Skill-wise, he’s a long way away from even a thought in my brain for competing for a title,” Edwards said about Garry. “Like I said, I wish him well in his endeavors but I feel like skill-wise right now, he’s not a guy I think ‘Oh sh*t, I need to stay away from this guy.’”

Joe Rogan Details How he almost fought action film star wesley snipes: ‘I was going to kill him’

Joe Rogan Wesley SnipesJoe Rogan loves telling the story of how he almost fought action film star Wesley Snipes. The Blade and…

Joe Rogan Wesley Snipes

Joe Rogan loves telling the story of how he almost fought action film star Wesley Snipes.

The Blade and Demolition Man star found himself in some hot water when The IRS tried to collect $23.5 million from Snipes in outstanding taxes for the years between 2001 to 2006 during the late 2000s. Originally the actor attempted to settle for significantly less than the amount owed by only paying $850,000 in cash.

The offer was declined and US Tax Court Judge Kathleen Kerrigan upheld the IRS’ decision for Wesley Snipes to pay $9.5 million, adjusted from the initial demand for $23.5 million. In a desperate attempt to come up with the cash quickly, Snipes planned to call out fellow film star Jean-Claude Van Damme for a fight.

UFC co-creator Campbell McClaren advised against that option and instead suggested that he fight Joe Rogan.

“I was supposed to fight Wesley Snipes,” Rogan said during a recent episode of his popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. “That was real. Lawyers were in negotiation. I was training twice a day for six months. It was f*cking hard. I was so tired all the time and I only got a taste of what it’s like to train like an MMA fighter. I was training knowing that the fight was eventually going to take place so I was building up a base. I was kickboxing every morning and then I was doing jiu-jitsu every night and I was doing it for six months.

Rogan Says Wesley Snipes Bailed once he found out the former Fear Factor host was a trained martial artist

The longtime UFC commentator went on to suggest that Wesley Snipes ultimately bowed out of the bout after realizing that Rogan was an experienced martial artist, training in both taekwondo and jiu-jitsu.

“I think it’s because he knew I was going to kill him,” Rogan continued. “I think in the beginning he thought that he would be able to stuff takedowns and he would kick my ass. Then he found out that I’m a taekwondo champion. I’m a kickboxer. I’m way better at standing up than I am on the ground.

“I don’t know what happened. There’s a bunch of different demands. At first, it was going to be 50/50 and then he wanted it to be 60/40 and I agreed to everything. Then finally, it was like, ‘Just give me this amount of money and give him whatever the f*ck else you want. I’m gonna f*cking strangle that guy’ and it never happened.

“This would be a perfect thing to do; he’s never fought in MMA before. I’ve never done it before. This would be fun and I’ll make a lot of money. Just the idea of this guy who had never had any competitive fights at all, that he thought he could do that.”

In the end, Wesley Snipes was sentenced to three years in prison for misdemeanor charges of willful failure to file federal income tax returns. He served 28 months behind bars and was released in April 2013.

“He was doing a lot of blow if I had to guess,” Rogan said. “He was in a bad situation where he owed a lot of taxes and he had some advisor or one of those dudes that tells you that it’s unconstitutional to pay taxes. There’s a few of those guys out there that will get you convinced that they’re not going to prosecute you because then it’ll have to be revealed that taxes are against the Constitution. There’s a lot of wacky people that people fall under the influence of and unfortunately, he wound up going to jail.”

Who do you think would have won between Joe Rogan and Wesley Snipes inside the Octagon?

Octagon Legend Georges St-Pierre Shuts Down Rumors of His MMA Return at UFC 300: ‘I am not coming back!’

Georges St-PierreIf you were hoping to see Octagon legend Georges St-Pierre make his long-awaited return at UFC 300, we’re afraid…

Georges St-Pierre

If you were hoping to see Octagon legend Georges St-Pierre make his long-awaited return at UFC 300, we’re afraid we’ve got some bad news.

Originally rumored to compete against Nick Diaz at a UFC Fight Pass Invitational event this month, GSP was pulled from the submission grappling showcase due to a reported injury. Enter former three-title UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen who suggested that “meaningful people” were talking about re-booking the bout between St-Pierre and Diaz in the cage rather than on the mat.

“You got to 300 a certain way,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “Did you do that by bringing guys in on a one-off? I mean the St-Pierre versus Diaz, does that draw? sure. Why didn’t it happen at 199 or 201? Or 299 or 301? Why wouldn’t it happen there, if that is what got us to 300, why would we not continue to follow the principles and policies that got us here?

“I mean, I’m just asking because I’m hearing from some pretty good people, from some pretty meaningful people, a level of silliness within these fights.”

It wouldn’t be the first time the UFC pulled a legendary fighter out of mothballs for a milestone event. UFC 200 saw the return of former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. Perhaps there was some truth to what Sonnen was spitting.

Okay, maybe not.

Recently, St-Pierre poured cold water over the rumors of his epic comeback, making it abundantly clear that it’s not going to happen.

“I haven’t stepped foot in the UFC octagon in a very long time,” GSP wrote on X. “And no, I am not coming back!”

St-Pierre Says there is ‘No Chance’ he’s coming back

In case that wasn’t clear enough, St-Pierre responded to a fan directly on social media, letting him know that there is “No chance!” that he’ll be returning at UFC 300, or any other event for that matter when it comes to MMA.

Are you disappointed to find out that the former welterweight and middleweight world champ won’t be making his return in 2024?

Song Yadong dominates Chris Gutierrez en route to unanimous Decision victory: UFC Vegas 83 (Highlights)

Song YadongHeadling the final UFC Fight Night of 2023 was a high-stakes bantamweight clash between Chris Gutierrez and Song Yadong….

Song Yadong

Headling the final UFC Fight Night of 2023 was a high-stakes bantamweight clash between Chris Gutierrez and Song Yadong.

Both fighters stepped inside The APEX in Las Vegas looking to build on their prior wins and go into 2024 with back-to-back victories. Gutierrez is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Alatengheili in October while Song’s last appearance produced a solid fifth-round knockout against Ricky Simon in August.

Things started relatively slow between the two 135’ers, with both looking to attack the lead leg early. Throughout the contest, Song maintained control of the Octagon and dictated the pace, but things remained fairly even until we entered the later rounds.

In the fourth, Song Yadong managed to catch a leg kick from Gutierrez and sweep his other leg out from under him, quickly getting top control for the first time in the fight. Song was content to keep the dominant position for the remainder of the round.

As we went into the fifth, Gutierrez decided to go for a Hail Mary leg lock, but Song saw it coming a mile away and quickly got back into top control. Gutierrez tried his best to move back toward the cage wall, but Song managed to keep him pinned to the ground, peppering him with hammer fits until the final horn sounded.

Official Result: Song Yadong def. Chris Gutierrez via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45)

Check Out Highlights From Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez at UFC Vegas 83 Below:

Devin Haney defeats Regis Prograis via unanimous decision to win WBC super lightweight Title – Haney vs. Prograis (Highlights)

Devin HaneyDevin Haney retained his undefeated record on Saturday night, scoring a decisive victory over Regis Prograis. Emanatating from the…

Devin Haney

Devin Haney retained his undefeated record on Saturday night, scoring a decisive victory over Regis Prograis.

Emanatating from the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif, Haney (30-0, 15 KO) delivered another dominant performance to claim the WBC super lightweight world championship. Through 12 rounds of action, Haney was in complete control, essentially playing with his prey throughout the 36-minute affair.

The most exciting moment of the bout came in the third round when Haney landed a big right hand that put Prograis on the canvas momentarily.

Prograis managed to get up and make it through the remainder of the fight, but never posed much of a threat from that point on.

Official Result: Devin Haney def. Regis Prograis via unanimous decision (120-107, 120-107, 120-107)

Check Out Highlights From Devin Haney vs. Regis Prograis Below: