Tag: UFC News

Colby Covington Banishes Jorge Masvidal From The City Of Miami

Colby Covington has ordered Jorge Masvidal to leave the city of Miami immediately. When a fight has two years’ worth of trash talk leading in, you can expect there to be some post-fight gloating to match it, especially if the winner’s name is Colby Covington. Covington hasn’t exactly earned a reputation for being the most…

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Colby Covington has ordered Jorge Masvidal to leave the city of Miami immediately.

When a fight has two years’ worth of trash talk leading in, you can expect there to be some post-fight gloating to match it, especially if the winner’s name is Colby Covington.

Covington hasn’t exactly earned a reputation for being the most humble of competitors on the UFC roster. Prior to his UFC 272 bout against former roommate and teammate Jorge Masvidal, Covington was already making bold predictions for how the fight would play out.

Now that the fight has come and gone and Covington is satisfied with the unanimous decision victory, he’s not being coy about reminding the world of the fight’s outcome.

One of the claims made by Covington prior to the fight was that he was putting four titles on the line. One of those titles was the “Miami title,” with Covington proclaiming himself to be the “King of Miami.”

Now that he has turned in a successful title defense, if you will, his next act as “king” is to banish Masvidal from the city he has called home for his entire life.

This means no more luscious Miami beaches, no more home games for the #1-ranked Miami Heat, no more intoxicating nightlife down at South Beach, etc. And should Masvidal not obey Covington’s order, the self-proclaimed king warns of a harsh penalty.

“I’m the king of Miami now. Jorge needs to leave the city,” Covington ordered at the UFC 272 post-fight press conference.

“It’s not big enough for the two of us. So he needs to leave or he’s gonna get sparked again.”

Although Drizzy Drake coughed up $275,000 in a losing bet on Masvidal to defeat Covington, it’s a lock bet that Masvidal will not obey the self-proclaimed “king.”

In fact, Masvidal has already said that he would still love nothing more than to finish this rivalry on the streets once and for all by doing what he failed to do at UFC 272: break Covington’s face.

Do you believe we’ve seen the end of the Colby Covington/Jorge Masvidal rivalry?

Continue Reading Colby Covington Banishes Jorge Masvidal From The City Of Miami at MMA News.

Daniel Cormier Writes Letter To Court In Support Of Cain Velasquez

Former UFC multi-division champion Daniel Cormier wrote a letter to Santa Clara County Superior Court in support of Cain Velasquez. Cormier and Velasquez have been friends for years, stemming from their time as teammates at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, CA. They helped one another get ready for various title fights in the…

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Former UFC multi-division champion Daniel Cormier wrote a letter to Santa Clara County Superior Court in support of Cain Velasquez.

Cormier and Velasquez have been friends for years, stemming from their time as teammates at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, CA. They helped one another get ready for various title fights in the UFC during their times competing in the Octagon.

Just weeks ago, Velasquez was arrested on an attempted murder charge for allegedly attempting to kill the alleged molester of one of his younger relatives. After chasing down Henry Goularte with his SUV, he shot and accidentally hit Goularte’s stepfather, with the victim suffering non-life-threatening injuries.

If convicted, Velasquez could face a minimum of 20 years in prison for attempted murder and other various charges relating to the incident.

cain velasquez mugshot
Cain Velasquez Mugshot

Many around the MMA community have spoken in support of Velasquez in recent weeks. UFC President Dana White, and former and current fighters such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Colby Covington, have spoken out in favor of Velasquez for his actions.

In a letter obtained by ESPN, Cormier spoke about his former AKA teammate Velasquez in a positive light in a hinted ask for leniency.

“Cain has helped me on more occasions than I can count,” Cormier said. “Like me, he is a father and husband so he knows the demand of trying to do it all. Throughout the years, he has traveled with me, supported me, and even helped me prepare for a coaching job at the high school while I retired from my fighter career. Cain has taken it upon himself to help every chance he gets. During the pandemic when many gyms and restaurants were closed, Cain opened his home and provided a place for wrestlers to train and eat. He even housed them.”

Goularte is under investigation for an alleged lewd act upon a child under the age of 14. He was released from temporary custody on Feb. 25 and has been sentenced to home detention.

Cormier has had a lot to deal with in recent weeks. His mother also passed away in his hometown of Lafayette, LA and he has taken a leave of absence from his UFC broadcasting obligations.

Velasquez has also recently been denied bail and is scheduled to reappear in court on April 12.

What is your reaction to Daniel Cormier’s letter in support of Cain Velasquez?

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Kamaru Usman Reveals His Game Plan For Leon Edwards: ‘I Am Coming In To Wrestle’

Kamaru UsmanKamaru Usman admits he has got no intention of striking with Leon Edwards. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has been working on his standup skills for a while now and it’s paying dividends as he’s picked up KO/TKO wins in three of his last five fights. Usman is so confident in his striking that he fancies himself […]

Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman admits he has got no intention of striking with Leon Edwards.

‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has been working on his standup skills for a while now and it’s paying dividends as he’s picked up KO/TKO wins in three of his last five fights.

Usman is so confident in his striking that he fancies himself in a boxing bout with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. Despite that, the UFC welterweight champion does not want to exchange shots on the feet with Edwards when they clash later this year.

“He said that if I step in there with him, I won’t be striking the way that I am now, so I’ll oblige. I’ll give it to you, I will not strike,” Usman told MMA Junkie. “I am coming in to wrestle, I’m going to take him down, I’m going to beat on his face until he quits so don’t expect me to strike at all. No, I’m going to wrestle, don’t expect me to strike, don’t expect me to strike since I’m not a good striker. Don’t expect me to strike, I’m coming to take him down and I’m going to beat his face.” (Transcribed by Sportskeeda)

Kamaru Usman Already Holds A Win Over Leon Edwards

Usman and Edwards first clashed all the way back in 2015.

The welterweight duo, who were fairly new to the UFC at this point, battled it out for three rounds before Usman walked away with the unanimous decision victory.

Since then, ‘Rocky’ has put together a nine-fight winning run but is yet to secure what seems to be a long-overdue shot at Usman. The Englishman has been plagued by bad luck that has seen him pick up just one win in the last two years.

Dana White has confirmed that Edwards is next for Usman, who is currently healing up after undergoing an operation on his hand.

The 170lb pair are expected to rematch in the summer months of 2022.

Do you think Kamaru Usman is scared to strike with Leon Edwards?

UFC NFTs Sellout & Earn Fighters $18k

UFCThere is always a lot of excitement around MMA – and UFC fighters are revered. Mixed Martial Arts is one of the most bet on sports across the globe, with more people getting involved all the time. People head over to sites such as oddsindex.com to put money on their favourite stars and hope that […]

UFC

There is always a lot of excitement around MMA – and UFC fighters are revered. Mixed Martial Arts is one of the most bet on sports across the globe, with more people getting involved all the time. People head over to sites such as oddsindex.com to put money on their favourite stars and hope that they can fight their way to a win.

Now, things are taking a step forward as the world of MMA joins forces with the metaverse of NFT (Non-Fungible tokens). 

A Big Success

From the surface, it seems as though it has been a big hit with crypto traders as UFC NFTs have sold out – meanwhile, the fighters involved have hit a payout of around just $18,000.

The UFC industry is always looking for ways to make money – and not just through ticket sales for fight nights. There are also the hot dog branders – and now the metaverse. Basically, if there’s a profit to be made, the UFC will certainly explore all possibilities to benefit in some way, shape or form. However, just because the UFC is making money, this isn’t always passed on to the athletes – the ones who put themselves on the line for the sport. This has become a huge source of controversy for sports, especially in the light of the most recent Cryptocurrency sponsorship.

UFC Ventures into Non-Fungible Tokens

The UFC’s latest venture is into the world of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). However, it has been reported that there is to be a 50/50 profit split between the UFC and the featured athletes. The official source of licensed UFC NFTs is UFC Strike – and they sold out their first drop in just four hours.

The first drop includes 35 different fight moments in the pack. In each of these NFTs, both the winner and loser of the fight will receive money. So, based on the figures of 2 fighters being paid per NFT – and all the fighters combined receiving 505 of the money, it works out that each fighter will receive just $18k. However, if a fighter features in two NFTs, then they will receive twice the amount.

A Profitable Face

Fighters being paid for representations of their likenesses has always been a point of discussion between the UFC administration and its contractors. Indeed, back in 2008, the promotions even released (very briefly) each athlete from the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) over that very same issue – including future champions including Cain Velasquez.

This looks as though it could be a sign that progress is taking place and hopefully fighters might be able to expect even more profit from revenue streams from coming from their fights aside from their original official purse.

What is an NFT?

An NFT, which stands for a Non-Fungible Token, is a one off, unique unit of data that uses technology that allows digital content (such as visual imagery of UFC fight moments) to be logged and authenticated on a cryptocurrency blockchain (usually Ethereum). As soon as the content has been logged onto the blockchain, each transaction from transfers to sales will then be recorded on-chain. This creates an easy to access ledger of provenance and its price history.

NFTs have simply made it easy to own, buy and sell digital content. So, before artists and businesses would have had trouble making money from digital art as it would have been possible to screenshot it for free.

However, now creators will mint their work on an NFT marketplace. When a creator mints their work, – this is the creation of an NFT. This involves creating a smart contract that would then be stored on the blockchain. This smart contract will contain lots of vital information – such as the creator of the work, and ensures that the creator (the UFC in this case) and any other involved parties (the fighters) will get royalties when they are sold.

Watch: Sean Strickland Gets In Road Rage Run-In With Female Driver

UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland has been known to have a short temper, as recently demonstrated by a road rage incident. Strickland has divided some UFC fans for his brash, and often controversial, persona in and out of the cage. He also isn’t afraid to detail his real-life interactions with people that become heated fast…

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UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland has been known to have a short temper, as recently demonstrated by a road rage incident.

Strickland has divided some UFC fans for his brash, and often controversial, persona in and out of the cage. He also isn’t afraid to detail his real-life interactions with people that become heated fast and in a hurry.

It all started when a female driver allegedly almost hit Strickland while on a ride on his motorcycle. While the alleged near-accident wasn’t captured on video, the heated aftermath between Strickland and the unidentified driver was shared on his social media.

Strickland shared a brief explanation of what happened and what led to the altercation on the side of the road.

“Almost hits me and they flags us down to get our license plate,” Strickland said. “God I fucking hate old rich white women!!!!!”

This isn’t the first time that Strickland has captured video of a nearly violent road rage incident. Last November, he challenged a driver to a fight during a heated verbal altercation and asked if the driver had any guns or knives.

Strickland was also injured in a motorcycle accident back in 2018 but luckily walked away from a brief hospital stay with no lasting damage to his body.

Strickland has surged into the UFC middleweight title picture with six straight wins, including most recently against Jack Hermansson. He could be one win away from a potential title shot against Israel Adesanya, who he has accused of using steroids.

Whether or not people like Strickland as a person and as a fighter, he doesn’t care how he is portrayed in the public and is unafraid to be himself.

What are your opinions on Sean Strickland’s antics?

Continue Reading Watch: Sean Strickland Gets In Road Rage Run-In With Female Driver at MMA News.

Bryce Mitchell Willing To Be Backup For UFC 273 Main Event

UFC featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell is ready and willing to step up on short notice if needed to fill for the UFC 273 headliner. UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski will make his next title defense against Chan Sung Jung (otherwise known as ‘The Korean Zombie’) at UFC 273 on April 9. Mitchell recently defeated Edson…

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UFC featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell is ready and willing to step up on short notice if needed to fill for the UFC 273 headliner.

UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski will make his next title defense against Chan Sung Jung (otherwise known as ‘The Korean Zombie’) at UFC 273 on April 9. Mitchell recently defeated Edson Barboza in an impressive performance on the UFC 272 main card.

Mitchell has been on a roll in the featherweight division and continues to climb up the rankings. If the UFC needs a backup plan should Volkanovski or Jung pull out, Mitchell appears ready to be on-weight if needed.

Mitchell offered his services in a recent tweet to the UFC.

“If Volkanovski or Zombie backs out – call me [UFC],” Mitchell said.

If Mitchell doesn’t end up being needed as a backup to UFC 273, he appears to have a ready opponent in Sodiq Yusuff. Following an impressive win over Alex Caceres at UFC Vegas 50 last weekend, Yusuff called out Mitchell for a fight between two rising featherweights.

Mitchell has won six straight fights since his time on The Ultimate Fighter Season 27. His win over Barboza came after a nearly two-year layoff due to various health issues.

Before his hiatus, Mitchell earned dominant wins over the likes of Charles Rosa and Andre Fili. Mitchell’s victory over Barboza proved that he’s a potential force in the featherweight division going forward.

Volkanovski most recently defended his title against Brian Ortega at UFC 266. He was originally supposed to face former champion, Max Holloway, in a trilogy this year before Holloway pulled out with an injury.

Mitchell has been the subject of conversation after speaking out on various political and societal issues. He also made an appearance on Fox News for an interview with commentator Tucker Carlson.

While Mitchell appears to be enjoying the limelight of speaking his mind on various issues, he’s looking forward to his next appearance in the Octagon. If anything happens with the UFC 273 headliner, Mitchell could have his next fight booked sooner rather than later.

Who do you want to see Bryce Mitchell fight next?

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