Tag: UFC News

Jake Paul’s Fighter Pay Campaign Would See ‘700 fighters’ Cut If Successful

Jake PaulJake Paul’s crusade of fighter pay would cull the UFC roster by nearly 80%, leaving more than 700 fighters without their positions within the UFC if Jake Paul’s fighter pay plan played out, it has been claimed. Jake Paul labelled “clown” for using fighter pay issue for self-relevancy UFC veteran and light-heavyweight/middleweight ever-present Sam Alvey […]

Jake Paul

Jake Paul’s crusade of fighter pay would cull the UFC roster by nearly 80%, leaving more than 700 fighters without their positions within the UFC if Jake Paul’s fighter pay plan played out, it has been claimed.

Jake Paul labelled “clown” for using fighter pay issue for self-relevancy

UFC veteran and light-heavyweight/middleweight ever-present Sam Alvey is not on board with the Jake Paul publicity parade, and has, in fact, come out swinging at him, branding him a “clown” who only cares about keeping his own name relevant. The 35-year-old, who holds a record of 33-17 in the UFC, has had his say about Paul, and has not held back:

“Jake Paul is a clown and he is not trying to help fighter pay, he is trying to help himself,” Alvey said in an interview with Full Mount MMA, per The Mirror. “Every fight sells when you either want to see somebody win or see somebody get knocked out. Jake Paul has figured out that everyone wants to see him get knocked out so he wants to try and switch that narrative.”

“So he goes after the low-hanging fruit that sounds great to everyone, ‘pay fighters more’… If UFC, Dana White, any of those guys were to do what Jake Paul is asking, he wouldn’t get us paid more. He would eliminate the roster of the UFC. We would go from a roster of what 800 to down to 75.

“It would be the Jon Jones’, Francis Ngannous, Conor McGregors and then a bunch of people to feed to them, that’s the way it would go.”

Alvey made his own UFC debut in 2014, in a losing unanimous decision effort to Tom Watson. He fought earlier this month, dropping a loss to Brendan Allen in Las Vegas. Alvey has actually claimed that he earns a lot more compared to when he made his debut. He expanded on and clarified this:

“Right now it’s up to $12,000 to show $12,000 to win for your first UFC fight. You find me any other job in the world, a 50 per cent increase in 9 years of the base pay, you’d be hard pressed to do it.”

“I currently make more money than Joe Stevenson and Gray Maynard did when they fought for titles, the UFC’s pay is going up dramatically every year.”

Jake Paul has been embroiled in a tit-for-tat [social] media spat with UFC president Dana White for a number of months now, even claiming that he would retire from boxing and sign a one-fight UFC deal were Dana to agree to Paul’s propositions, including minimum base pay of $50,000 for every fighter, as well as better fighter healthcare and sharing 50% of the profits with the fighters.

Watch: O2 Arena Ripped Apart By Storm Weeks Before UFC London

It appears the UFC’s long-awaited return to London, England may have hit another roadblock in the form of Britain’s worst storm in decades. On March 19, MMA’s premier promotion is set to host a card in England’s capital for the first time since 2019. After an attempt to cross the Atlantic proved unsuccessful last September,…

Continue Reading Watch: O2 Arena Ripped Apart By Storm Weeks Before UFC London at MMA News.

It appears the UFC’s long-awaited return to London, England may have hit another roadblock in the form of Britain’s worst storm in decades.

On March 19, MMA’s premier promotion is set to host a card in England’s capital for the first time since 2019. After an attempt to cross the Atlantic proved unsuccessful last September, the UK audience has finally had an event officially confirmed, one that sold out in minutes.

But an extreme weather event may be about to throw a spanner in the works. As Storm Eunice causes havoc across the British Isles and delivers record-breaking gusts, damage is inevitable. What most probably hadn’t banked on, though, was the roof of the O2 Arena being torn off…

While it’s uncertain how serious the damage is and what a potential repair timeline will look like, the storm continues to rage on. With that in mind, it’s unlikely the venue will remain in its current state, with further destruction expected.

It’s impossible to tell at this stage whether UFC London will be affected. However, with WBC Cruiserweight World Champion Lawrence Okolie set to make his second defense against challenger Michel Cieslak next weekend at the O2, we can expect the status of the March 19 UFC Fight Night to become clearer towards the end of the month.

The O2 Is Set To Host A Stacked British Showcase

Having been kept to US-based events and Abu Dhabi-held cards since the COVID-19 pandemic caused havoc in 2020, the UFC has understandably pulled out all the stops ahead of its return to overseas events.

As well as the presence of top UK names and prospects like Tom Aspinall, Arnold Allen, Paddy Pimblett, Paul Craig, and Molly McCann, well-known international fighters like Dan Hooker, Ilia Topuria, Nikita Krylov, Gunnar Nelson, and Alexander Volkov are also set to enter the cage inside London’s O2 Arena.

With a host of exciting matchups set, fans will certainly be hoping any more damage to the host venue as a result of Storm Eunice is limited.

Listed below are the fights currently expected to go down on March 19 in London, England:

Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall (heavyweight main event)

Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen (featherweight)

Paul Craig vs. Nikita Krylov (light heavyweight)

Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Sergei Pavlovich (heavyweight)

Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev (bantamweight)

Paddy Pimblett vs. Kazula Vargas (lightweight)

Gunnar Nelson vs. Claudio Silva (welterweight)

Nathanial Wood vs. Liudvik Sholinian (bantamweight)

Ilia Topuria vs. Jai Herbert (lightweight)

Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy (featherweight)

Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina (women’s flyweight)

Cody Durden vs. Muhammad Mokaev (flyweight)

Cory McKenna vs. Elise Reed (women’s strawweight)

Which UFC London fight are you most looking forward to on March 19?

Continue Reading Watch: O2 Arena Ripped Apart By Storm Weeks Before UFC London at MMA News.

Adesanya Slams Abdelaziz For “Disgusting” Talk Of Usman Fight

Israel Adesanya has slammed Ali Abdelaziz for comments he recently made about a superfight between the UFC Middleweight Champion and the reigning welterweight king, Kamaru Usman. Adesanya and Usman are currently two of the most dominant champions in MMA’s premier promotion. The pair have enjoyed a similar rise up the ladder of their respective divisions,…

Continue Reading Adesanya Slams Abdelaziz For “Disgusting” Talk Of Usman Fight at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya has slammed Ali Abdelaziz for comments he recently made about a superfight between the UFC Middleweight Champion and the reigning welterweight king, Kamaru Usman.

Adesanya and Usman are currently two of the most dominant champions in MMA’s premier promotion. The pair have enjoyed a similar rise up the ladder of their respective divisions, culminating in championship glory and multiple defenses.

“The Last Stylebender” has recorded two wins over top contender Robert Whittaker and defended his title against Paulo Costa, Yoel Romero, and Marvin Vettori. Meanwhile, “The Nigerian Nightmare” has seen off two challenges each from Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, along with one from former teammate Gilbert Burns.

With nine defenses between them and limited remaining challengers to their individual reigns, many have suggested the next logical step is a blockbuster showdown between the two Nigerian compatriots.

But owing to their national connection and both men’s desire to avoid dethroning a fellow African titleholder, the matchup seems unlikely. Usman even recently claimed it would take a $100 million offer to force him into the Octagon with Adesanya.

Despite that, Usman’s manager, Dominance MMA Management CEO Abdelaziz, is still harboring hope of it coming together. He’s even suggested that if the pair are “real brothers,” they’d agree to make each other some money by sharing the cage.

Adesanya To Abdelaziz: Are You My Brother?

It’s safe to say Abdelaziz’s comments haven’t gone down well with the reigning middleweight king…

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Adesanya responded to the suggestion he and Usman should ditch their allegiance in the name of money-making.

“The Last Stylebender” slammed Abdelaziz’s view as “disgusting,” and suggested Usman’s manager wouldn’t push for the superfight if he really was a fellow “African brother.”

“The way [Abdelaziz] did it was just disgusting. I usually express that the way we do it in our gym and the code that we have,” said Adesanya. “And like I said, me and Kamaru definitely feel the same way. What’s the point? This is bigger than us. Kids are gonna look at us generations from now and be like, ‘Those guys from Nigeria, they did that. They ruled this whole thing till they left, and they left on top’—same with Francis as well.

“[Abdelaziz] always comes up to me, ‘My brother, African brother!’ this and that. So I’m like, if you’re supposed to be a brother brother, why you trying to be selfish now and look at the dollar signs?” Adesanya concluded.

Given Adesanya’s reaction, it seems it would take a spectacular falling out in order to make him share the Octagon with Usman. With that said, it appears both men will have to look to light heavyweight if they’re to achieve two-division success.

While the Nigerian-New Zealander has already failed in that quest once, his manager Eugene Bareman recently hinted that another attempt could be on the cards if his man can get past Jared Cannonier later this year.

Meanwhile, “The Nigerian Nightmare” recently revealed he’d considered moving up to 205 pounds to challenge Jan Blachowicz when the Polish Powerhouse sat on the throne. It remains to be seen if the 170-pound titleholder will ever consider that jump again.

How do you think a fight between Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman would play out?

Continue Reading Adesanya Slams Abdelaziz For “Disgusting” Talk Of Usman Fight at MMA News.

Brock Lesnar Reveals Request He Made To Dana White Ahead Of UFC Debut

Brock LesnarFormer UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar has revealed a rather surprising request he made to promotional president, Dana White ahead of his organizational bow – which included the shipping of a full-sized Octagon for him to prepare in. Lesnar, who ended his professional mixed martial arts career boasting a 5-3(1) record, most recently featured in […]

Brock Lesnar

Former UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar has revealed a rather surprising request he made to promotional president, Dana White ahead of his organizational bow – which included the shipping of a full-sized Octagon for him to prepare in.

Lesnar, who ended his professional mixed martial arts career boasting a 5-3(1) record, most recently featured in a main card bout against fellow promotional alum, Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in July 2016.

The former undisputed champion has initially secured a rather one-sided unanimous decision win over Hunt, until the bout was eventually overturned to an official ‘No Contest’ after Lesnar failed a post-fight drug test administered by anti-doping agency USADA after testing positive for the banned substance, clomiphene in an in-competition drug test sample. Lesnar was fined a sum of $250,00 for his infringement, and issued a one-year retroactive suspension from active competition.

Brock Lesnar has competed nine times professionally in mixed martial arts, scoring a 5-3(1) record

Despite a return to Vince McMahon’s professional wrestling outfit, WWE, Lesnar was linked, albeit briefly to an Octagon return to challenge then-heavyweight champion, former two-weight titleholder, Daniel Cormier in a title bout in 2018.

In the time since, the bout failed to ever materialize, however, Lesnar has continually been linked to a clash against former two-time light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, who called out the former heavyweight champion, as well as a potential Bellator MMA signing to meet with sport icon, Fedor Emelianenko.

Competing for the UFC in all but one of his nine professional mixed martial arts walks, Lesnar, who recently competed at the WWE’s flagship event, Royal Rumble, claimed he had ordered the UFC to send him an Octagon to train in to prepare of his UFC debut, as well as claiming that a person would have to be “batsh*t crazy” to compete in MMA.

“It’s a different game, you know, entering the Octagon,” Brock Lesnar said on The Pat McAfee Show. “And I’m telling you, you’ve got to be – like, you’ve got to be half batsh*t crazy. Like when you go through the door – like, I built or ordered an Octagon so I could, didn’t have to at first – like, jitters of getting in an Octagon.”

I’m like, ‘Dana (White), I want an Octagon,’” Brock Lesnar continued. “And like, ah boom, (the UFC) shipped an Octagon. So I can fight in it and practice in it, you know? But then you’re in front of 20,000 people and they shut the door and it’s like, ‘Ahhh’.” (Transcribed by WrestlingInc.com)

A former undisputed heavyweight champion with the UFC, Brock Lesnar managed to clinch the title with a 2008 knockout win over Randy Couture, before defending the title against two-time foe, Frank Mir, and then unifying the titles against Shane Carwin.

Dropping the championship in 2010, Lesnar suffered a first round ground strikes loss to Cain Velasquez, before suffering a first round knockout loss to Alistair Overeem in December of the following year.

Rockhold Open To Hunting For Costa’s ‘Wine-Affected Liver’ In June

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is raring to go and targeting a return to the Octagon this summer. Rockhold hasn’t been in action since a brutal 2019 knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239. With consecutive devastating losses to the Polish powerhouse and Cuban destroyer Yoel Romero, it’s understandable why the 37-year-old has…

Continue Reading Rockhold Open To Hunting For Costa’s ‘Wine-Affected Liver’ In June at MMA News.

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is raring to go and targeting a return to the Octagon this summer.

Rockhold hasn’t been in action since a brutal 2019 knockout loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239. With consecutive devastating losses to the Polish powerhouse and Cuban destroyer Yoel Romero, it’s understandable why the 37-year-old has taken a hiatus from the sport.

But last year, Rockhold committed to a return. He was set to share the cage with rising contender Sean Strickland last November at UFC 268. That clash fell through when the former 185-pound titleholder suffered a herniated disc.

But with his recovery going well, the Californian recently teased a comeback. In a post uploaded to Instagram, Rockhold can be seen hard at work in the ring. In the accompanying caption, he seemingly hinted towards a potential showdown with #5-ranked contender Paulo Costa.

“Wine night in June”

The caption appears to be in reference to Costa’s infamous post-fight revelation following his loss to Israel Adesanya in 2020. The Brazilian put his defeat down to the fact he’d consumed an entire bottle of wine the night before UFC 253.

While Rockhold was keeping his cards close to his chest regarding the post during a recent appearance on Submission Radio, he did confirm that a clash with “Borrachinha” is an option if the right terms are met.

“It’s an option. It’s a very viable option. If terms are met, you know, we could have a dance.”

But that dance certainly won’t be happening if Costa experiences more weight issues. Ahead of his last appearance, a unanimous decision defeat to Marvin Vettori last October, the Brazilian arrived at fight week massively overweight and unable to make the middleweight limit. As a result, the headlining fight was contested at 205 pounds.

While “The Italian Dream” went through with the bout and ultimately had his hand raised, Rockhold has assured Costa and the UFC that he wouldn’t have the same attitude to a weight miss.

“Yeah, I’m not here to fight f*cking cheaters,” Rockhold asserted. “If weight is met (the fight could happen) unless too much wine is consumed, you never know. Weight has to be made. Weight has to be met. There are too many weak-ass people trying to get advantages. I’ve killed myself to make weight and f*cking do things right. Can’t say the same for the rest of them. I ain’t gonna do that again. I ain’t gonna fight a guy who misses weight purposely to gain an advantage. F*ck no… It’s weak-minded. It’s a very similar thing to excusing a loss to drinking too much wine the night before a world title fight.”

Rockhold Hopes To Show Costa & His Liver The Door

Ultimately, if Costa can prove that he’s able to make the 186-pound limit for non-title middleweight bouts, Rockhold is open to sharing the Octagon with the former title challenger, suggesting it would be a “fun fight.”

Admitting his dislike for Costa, the former champ claimed the Brazilian’s “disrespect” for the sport of MMA motivates him to dispatch “The Eraser” inside the cage. Channeling his inner Hannibal Lector, Rockhold revealed his desire to feast on Costa’s ‘wine-affected’ liver.

“He’s a guy that I don’t like. I think (he) disrespects the sport,” said Rockhold. “That motivates me to f*cking correct it. It’s a guy who’s obviously, you know, top-ranked, somehow., someway; when he can’t even make weight. If anything, he should be ranked in the 205-pound division. I don’t care for the guy, I’ll tell you that. I think it’s a fun fight. I think I can go show him the door. I think you have a guy who f*cking wants to make excuses on wine and weight. His liver’s obviously affected, so let’s go munch on it,” concluded Rockhold.

Having seen a 42-year-old Glover Teixeira and 38-year-old Blachowicz deliver title-winning performances in recent years, it seems Rockhold is fancying his chances for another run for gold.

With the veteran targeting a June return, perhaps he can share the card with Adesanya’s next title defense, expected to be against Jared Cannonier in the same month.

If Rockhold can deliver an impressive performance against a powerhouse like Costa, maybe “The Last Stylebender” will have a new contender to deal with.

How do you think a fight between Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa would play out?

Continue Reading Rockhold Open To Hunting For Costa’s ‘Wine-Affected Liver’ In June at MMA News.

Michael Chandler Is Training To Fight Tony Ferguson

Michael ChandlerMichael Chandler has revealed that he is currently training for a fight with Tony Ferguson, despite not having confirmation that ‘El Cucuy’ will be his next opponent. During a recent interview with Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, Chandler said doesn’t have a date or a signed contract but is “all systems go for a Tony […]

Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler has revealed that he is currently training for a fight with Tony Ferguson, despite not having confirmation that ‘El Cucuy’ will be his next opponent.

During a recent interview with Shakiel Mahjouri of CBS Sports, Chandler said doesn’t have a date or a signed contract but is “all systems go for a Tony Ferguson fight.”

“As far as how far along it is, I’m assuming that is my next fight sometime this summer. I don’t know the exact date or the location, but that’s who I’m training for. That’s who I’m watching film of. That’s who I’m thinking of fighting. Getting in shape, laying a good groundwork, good foundation right now to go into a nice hard training camp for a fight this summer. I’m all systems go for a Tony Ferguson fight, so we’ll see when we get the contract signed and get this thing, moved along and get announced.

Chandler is hoping he can face off against Ferguson sooner rather than later.

“I don’t know if I want to wait till July, but I would definitely like to fight on an International Fight Week. So maybe I go run through Tony before that and then I can fight again in July. We’ll see.”

It appears Chandler won’t have to wait too long to fight again as, during a recent Spotify Greenroom appearance, Ariel Helwani claimed that the fight between Chandler and Ferguson is set to take place on May 7th at UFC 274.

Michael Chandler & Tony Ferguson Will Battle To Stay Relevant At 155lbs

This is a fight between two of the older guys at lightweight who are currently riding losing streaks. Another loss for either man would probably call time on their title aspirations.

After impressing in his UFC debut, Chandler has performed admirably but ultimately lost back-to-back fights against Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.

Ferguson failed to win a round as he dropped three successive fights against Gaethje, Oliveira and Beneil Dariush. He’ll be desperate to rediscover the form that made him one of the most successful 155lb fighters in UFC history.

How do you see Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson playing out?