Makhachev Doubles Down On Title-Fight Plans Despite White’s Mandate

UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev isn’t interested in anything other than a title shot for his next Octagon appearance. UFC President Dana White accused Makhachev of turning down a fight with Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 272. This resulted in White voicing his intentions to re-book the fight with Beneil Dariush for Makhachev’s next bout….

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UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev isn’t interested in anything other than a title shot for his next Octagon appearance.

UFC President Dana White accused Makhachev of turning down a fight with Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 272. This resulted in White voicing his intentions to re-book the fight with Beneil Dariush for Makhachev’s next bout.

Makhachev was supposed to face Dariush in a potential No. 1 contender bout at UFC Vegas 49. This was before Dariush pulled out with an injury and Makhachev ended up facing the unranked Bobby Green, earning a quick TKO victory.

During a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Makhachev responded to White’s recent comments regarding his next fight.

“Now, Dana say ‘Islam have to fight versus Dariush,’” Makhachev said. “I have no problem (fighting) him, but we have to fight for the title next. I don’t know who we have. Poirier? He lose many times. Chandler? Hooker? Tony Ferguson? RDA have four fights (with) two wins. And Gillespie, he (fought) one time (in) two years. Who (will) fight for the title?”

Makhachev has won 10 straight and seemed on the verge of a title shot before allegedly turning down a fight with dos Anjos on short notice at UFC 272. Despite White’s mandate that Makhachev has to face Dariush next before a potential title shot, Makhachev has no plans to comply.

“I’m gonna take this belt and fight (Dariush). No problem.”

Makhachev is still expecting to fight the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje in November in Abu Dhabi. White has hinted at the UFC’s potential return to Fight Island later this year.

Oliveira will defend his lightweight title against Gaethje at UFC 274. While Dariush’s timetable for a return is uncertain, Makhachev is willing to wait for the next shot at the belt.

Who do you predict Islam Makhachev’s next fight will be against?

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Covington Again References Dustin Poirier’s Child In Latest Trash Talk

Colby Covington is clearly willing to say and do whatever it takes to land a fight against Dustin Poirier despite Poirier’s insistence that the fight won’t happen. Colby Covington has been setting his sights on a Dustin Poirier fight for several months now, citing Poirier’s past remarks to fight Covington “on sight” as the primary…

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Colby Covington is clearly willing to say and do whatever it takes to land a fight against Dustin Poirier despite Poirier’s insistence that the fight won’t happen.

Colby Covington has been setting his sights on a Dustin Poirier fight for several months now, citing Poirier’s past remarks to fight Covington “on sight” as the primary motivation behind the callouts. Covington hasn’t merely floated the idea of a fight against Poirier; he’s taken extremely personal shots at his former American Top Team teammate in the process.

Most notably, he has called Poirier’s wife Jolie a “Jezebel” and his daughter Parker a “prop.” In fact, he even went so far as to claim that if Poirier did not accept his challenge, then that would make him, not Poirier, the true father of his child.

Speaking at the UFC 272 post-fight press conference following his victory over Jorge Masvidal, Covington would once again drag Poirier’s family into their beef, not unlike how he did with Masvidal ahead of their grudge match.

Colby Covington Makes Wild Remark About Dustin Poirier’s Daughter

Some have accused Covington of following Conor McGregor’s playbook in talking about Poirier’s wife and thus lacking originality. Coincidentally, Covington himself would invoke McGregor’s name in his latest round of personal shots at Poirier. 

Now, when challenging Poirier to a fight, the irreverent welterweight stated that it is McGregor, not Poirier, who fathered Parker and later stated that McGregor is having sexual relations with Poirier’s wife.

“So I figure I’ll get another tune-up fight with Dustin Poirier, who said it’s on sight,” Covington began. “He weighs more than me. He’s just a bully who cuts a lot of weight. I don’t cut any weight because I know I’m the best in the world and I don’t need to have a weight advantage over anybody. So Dustin, name the site, bring that Jezebel of a wife and bring Conor’s little kid Parker.”

Colby Covington
Colby Covington, Getty Images

Though Covington’s comments are as baseless as they are tasteless, the reasoning behind them is likely in reference to Jolie allegedly sending McGregor a direct message request prior to UFC 264. McGregor made frequent references to the DM request before and after his trilogy against Poirier, notoriously taunting his rival and his wife with venom.

Now, Covington isn’t just arguably stealing a page out of McGregor’s playbook but is now including the Irishman in his own when continuing to make crude and inflammatory remarks about Poirier’s family.

Poirier has stated that he will never fight Colby Covington in the UFC. One likely reason for this is that he does not want to reward Covington and his vile remarks with a payday. Still, as evident by these latest remarks, Covington will insist on continuing to up the ante on his trash talk until Poirier joins him and the UFC brass at the negotiating table.

Are these the most objectionable remarks publicly uttered by Colby Covington about another fighter?

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Henry Cejudo Lashes Out At The UFC Over Jorge Masvidal’s New Contract: ‘He’s Got 17 Losses’

Henry CejudoHenry Cejudo says he will not return to UFC unless he receives a sizeable pay grade.  The former UFC dual champion who retired back at UFC 249 following a successful Bantamweight title defense against Dominick Cruz, has been teasing a comeback to the sport ever since he left. Rumors of the king of cringe re-entering […]

Henry Cejudo

Henry Cejudo says he will not return to UFC unless he receives a sizeable pay grade. 

The former UFC dual champion who retired back at UFC 249 following a successful Bantamweight title defense against Dominick Cruz, has been teasing a comeback to the sport ever since he left.

Rumors of the king of cringe re-entering the USADA testing pool surfaced late last year but were ultimately shut down by Cejudo himself, who said he will not return unless he is paid substantially. 

To make his point, he took a couple of shots at UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Jorge Masvidal, who have both recently signed new, lucrative contracts.

“Money talks, bullsh*t walks, and I’m not walking,” Cejudo said in an interview with the Underground. “I’m not signing up to USADA until I really get what I deserve. They are going to give Israel Adesanya, who doesn’t know how to do a damn moonwalk, can’t win a second belt, can’t defend a takedown to save his life. Or Jorge Masvidal, they are going to give him money? He’s got 17 losses in his career, dude, they can’t give ‘Triple C’ some of that cash?”

Although he never mentioned exactly how much he’s been asking for, Cejudo, who has been coaching title contenders at Fight Ready, most notably Zhang Weili and Jiri Prochazka, said he is willing to put his coaching career and other duties aside to compete again. 

“Yeah Khabib just got inducted into the Hall of Fame, but not even his credentials match up to mine. I got another belt on top of that, and on top of that, I have an Olympic gold medal. I prefer that over 29-0 any day, and I love Khabib.

“The reason why I’m saying this is because it’s different, you know what I mean I guess I’m not that company guy. I’m that freakin’ black sheep that’s just trying to make money. I’m not saying to start a union here. What I’m saying is pay me. I want that green. I deserve that damn green. Every man for himself, and that’s the way I see it.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

Do you think Henry Cejudo will fight in the UFC again? 

Donald Trump Thinks Dana White Is Irreplaceable: ‘I Don’t Know What Would Happen To The UFC Without Him’

Donald TrumpFormer US President Donald Trump has claimed that Dana White is simply irreplaceable within the UFC, and he could not see the company’s future without him involved. Trump spoke on an episode of the Full Send Podcast and had this to say. “I don’t know what would happen to the UFC without him. That’s one […]

Donald Trump

Former US President Donald Trump has claimed that Dana White is simply irreplaceable within the UFC, and he could not see the company’s future without him involved. Trump spoke on an episode of the Full Send Podcast and had this to say.

“I don’t know what would happen to the UFC without him. That’s one man. They say you can always replace somebody. I’m not sure if that man is replaceable.”

No one can argue White helped elevate not only the UFC but the entire sport to help it get to where it stands today. Trump has also had a close relationship to the UFC. Jorge Masvidal joined Donald Trump Jr. during his re-election campaign to promote ‘fighters against socialism’. The former president is known to have a close relationship with Masvidal’s opponent from this last weekend in Colby Covington having shared a picture together inside of the White House. According to reports Trump was supporting Jorge Masvidal heading into last weekends clash at UFC 272.

Donald Trump and Dana White

Donald Trump and Dana White have been acquainted since the now UFC president bought the promotion back with the Fertitta brothers. Trump can often be seen in attendance at UFC events and has offered out his facility at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City

The UFC boss openly supports trump and showed his support for the former president back in 2016 whilst delivering a speech at the Republican National Convention.

“I’ve been in the fight business my whole life. I know fighters. Ladies and gentlemen, Donald Trump is a fighter, and I know he’ll fight for this country. Arenas around the world refused to host our events. Nobody took us seriously; nobody except Donald Trump. Donald was the first guy that recognized the potential that we saw in the UFC and encouraged us to build our business.” (Transcribed by Sportskeeda.com)

Do you think the UFC would struggle without Dana White?

Rob Font Vs. Marlon Vera Set To Headline On April 30

Rob Font Marlon VeraTwo top ten ranked bantamweights in Rob Font and Marlon Vera have been scheduled for five rounds to headline the UFC’s fight night card on April 30th. Marlon Vera currently sits eighth in the bantamweight division. ‘Chito’ will be heading into the bout on a two-fight win streak having beaten Davey Grant in their rematch […]

Rob Font Marlon Vera

Two top ten ranked bantamweights in Rob Font and Marlon Vera have been scheduled for five rounds to headline the UFC’s fight night card on April 30th.

Marlon Vera currently sits eighth in the bantamweight division. ‘Chito’ will be heading into the bout on a two-fight win streak having beaten Davey Grant in their rematch earlier in 2021. Vera topped off the year by delivering a stunning front-kick to TKO Frankie Edgar in their matchup at UFC 268.

During his time with the promotion, Vera has also collected victories over the likes of Sean O’Malley, Brad Pickett and Brian Kelleher.

‘Chito’ has been in the UFC since 2014 holds a 12-6 record for his time with the promotion.

Rob Font’s UFC Tenure

Rob Font will be looking to bounce back following his five-round main event loss at the hands of Jose Aldo. Prior to this loss Font was beginning to build quite the resume with decision victories over Sergio Pettis and Ricky Simon. Font would then go on stop Marlon Moraes via TKO before besting Cody Garbrandt over five rounds.

Before joining the UFC Font claimed the title in the CES as their bantamweight champion. Since then Font has acquired wins over the likes of Thomas Almeida, Douglas Silva De Andrade, and Matt Schnell and has gone 9-4 in the octagon since joining the UFC.

The remainder of the card sees the likes of Justin Tafa take on Jake Collier. Gerald Meerschaert will return to action for the first time in 2022 when he takes on Krzysztof Jotko. Meerschaert had a superb 2021 winning all three of his matchups via submission.

UFC Fight Night Card:

  • Rob Font vs. Marlon Vera
  • Antonina Shevchenko vs. Cortney Casey
  • Gerald Meerschaert vs. Krzysztof Jotko
  • Gina Mazany vs. Shanna Young
  • Daniel da Silva vs. Francisco Figueiredo
  • Mike Breeden vs. Natan Levy
  • Yohan Lainesse vs. Gabe Green
  • Jessica Penne vs. Luana Pinheiro
  • Jared Gordon vs. Rafael Alves
  • Tatsuro Taira vs. Carlos Candelario
  • Darren Elkins vs. Tristan Connelly
  • Jake Collier vs. Justin Tafa

Who do you see winning Rob Font on Marlon Vera?

Shane Gillis Reveals His Epic Night Out With Nate Diaz Included A Brawl

Shane GillisShane Gillis has recalled hanging out with Nate Diaz, Marvin Vettori, and their friends ahead of UFC 270 which took place in Houston, Texas on January 22. The comedian was in the area doing a show with Joe Rogan and after the UFC commentator had finished his set Gillis was given the green light to […]

Shane Gillis

Shane Gillis has recalled hanging out with Nate Diaz, Marvin Vettori, and their friends ahead of UFC 270 which took place in Houston, Texas on January 22.

The comedian was in the area doing a show with Joe Rogan and after the UFC commentator had finished his set Gillis was given the green light to go hang out with Diaz. According to the long-time Diaz fan the night could not have played out more perfectly.

“Nobody on earth is better than Nate Diaz,” Gillis said on KFC Radio.

“If you can hang out with one athlete, Nate Diaz, without a doubt. Bro, it’s exactly what you think it is. It was everything I wanted.”

“He’s the nicest dude ever. As soon as I walked in, he was like, ‘Yo get this mother*cker one (a drink) also’ and he got me one.

“Then we walked outside, and he front kicked a stranger. He got into a fight with a stranger immediately.”

Gillis explained that Diaz was happily getting pictures with his fans until a muscular man came into the area. At that point, it becomes unclear if the person in question was threatening Diaz or if he just happened to be a big guy in the wrong area.

“One dude walked up that was like jacked,” Gillis said. “Nate Diaz was just immediately like, ‘Yo, you wanna run up on us?’ I was a little f*cked up. It was tough for me to decipher if he was mean mugging because of the situation. I didn’t see pre. As soon as Nate called him out the dude was immediately like, ‘What’s up?’

Gillis says that Diaz then slapped the man before people jumped in to break up the fight. However, that didn’t stop the Stockton, California native from getting in one final shot.

“His boys jumped in and pulled them apart and while they’re pulling them apart, he threw a front kick,” Gillis said. “I was just standing there like, ‘Yo!’ He connected on this dude’s hip which made him lose (his balance), he just flew everywhere.”

Apparently, the night didn’t get any calmer from that point. Gillis says that everyone in the group grappled with each other throughout the evening.

“Everybody in the squad was wrestling,” Gillis said. “Marvin Vettori was with us also. He’s a beast. He’s a monster. He had just got done fighting Izzy (Israel Adesanya) for the belt. He was with us like, ‘Don’t fuck with me.’

“I was enjoying it but I was just praying to God that no one started wrestling me,” Gillis added.

What do you make of Shane Gillis’ hilarious Nate Diaz story?