Tag: UFC News

Khamzat Chimaev Calls For ‘Easy’ Israel Adesanya Fight After UFC 271

Khamzat ChimaevKhamzat Chimaev was clearly not impressed by Israel Adesanya’s performance at UFC 271. ‘The Wolf’ took to social media post-fight to call for an “easy money” fight against the UFC middleweight king. @stylebender easy money for me, 0 wrestling. 1 round I’m gonna kill him,” Chimaev wrote on Twitter. Adesanya edged out a second win […]

Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev was clearly not impressed by Israel Adesanya’s performance at UFC 271.

‘The Wolf’ took to social media post-fight to call for an “easy money” fight against the UFC middleweight king.

@stylebender easy money for me, 0 wrestling. 1 round I’m gonna kill him,” Chimaev wrote on Twitter.

Adesanya edged out a second win over Robert Whittaker on the judges’ scorecards. ‘The Last Stylebender’ was taken down on several occasions in the fight but always managed to impressively pop straight back up.

Earlier on the UFC 271 fight card, Jared Cannonier established himself as the middleweight number one contender with a vicious second-round KO win over Derek Brunson. Post-fight, UFC president Dana White seemed to confirm that Cannonier will get the next shot at Adesanya.

“I was excited to see that fight to see how it played out,” White said. “It was an exciting fight. And yeah, I’m not going to say no to Cannonier.”

Khamzat Chimaev Still Has Work To Do At Welterweight

Chimaev burst onto the scene in the summer of 2020 and made an instant impact when he fought twice in the space of 10 days.

The Dagestani native made his promotional debut at middleweight against Welsh puncher John Phillips. Chimaev was so dominant in his first UFC round that one judge scored it 10-7 in his favour. A round later he wrapped up his first Octagon win by way of D’arce choke.

Just 10 days later, Chimaev dropped down to welterweight to take on UFC debutante and Cage Warriors standout, Rhys McKee. This time he looked even better, dominating McKee from the opening bell and finding the finish inside the first round.

In September 2020, Chimaev moved to 3-0 in the UFC as he picked up the biggest win of his career with a spectacular one-punch KO of Gerald Meerschaert. The long-time UFC middleweight was a considerable step in opposition and many suspected that ‘GM3’ could spring the upset. However, Chimaev silenced his doubters with the first punch he landed which closed the show in just 17 seconds.

Chimaev returned from a year-long layoff at UFC 267. ‘The Wolf’ faced the toughest test of his 10-fight career when he squared off against Li Jingliang in Abu Dhabi.

‘Borz’ reminded everyone why he is one of the most exciting prospects in MMA when he picked up Jingliang, carried him over to the corner Dana White was sitting in, and then slammed him to the mat in that area so he could chat with the UFC president.

Chimaev made the toughest test of his career to date look like a stroll in the park, submitting Jingliang in just over three minutes.

The 27-year-old now seems set to face Gilbert Burns next in what appears to be a number one contender fight. If victorious, Chimaev should get a shot at Kamaru Usman in 2022. After that, maybe he can start to think about trying to dethrone Adesanya.

Do you think Khamzat Chimaev could beat Israel Adesanya?

Dana White Addresses Rumors That Joe Rogan Was Pulled From UFC 271

UFC President Dana White has denied any company involvement in Joe Rogan’s absence at UFC 271. UFC 271 is in the books, and by and large, the event delivered. It was a solid night of action that saw Israel Adesanya retain the middleweight championship, Tai Tuivasa snatch the KO torch from Houston’s hometown hero Derrick…

Continue Reading Dana White Addresses Rumors That Joe Rogan Was Pulled From UFC 271 at MMA News.

UFC President Dana White has denied any company involvement in Joe Rogan’s absence at UFC 271.

UFC 271 is in the books, and by and large, the event delivered. It was a solid night of action that saw Israel Adesanya retain the middleweight championship, Tai Tuivasa snatch the KO torch from Houston’s hometown hero Derrick Lewis, and other great performances from Jared Cannonier, Douglas Silva de Andrade, and Renato Moicano to name a few.

One man who was conspicuously absent throughout it all was longtime UFC PPV color man Joe Rogan.

Joe Rogan
Joe Rogan

Rogan had been originally scheduled to take part in the event, but he was suddenly replaced by Michael Bisping during Fight Week.

Rumors circulated that this was because either the UFC or ESPN decided to yank Rogan in response to his recent controversy regarding past race-related remarks. The fact that this controversy came immediately after the Spotify boycott in connection to Rogan‘s podcast only helped bolster this conspiracy theory.

Dana White Addresses The Rogan Rumors

There was later word from UFC officials that Rogan did not serve as a color commentator for UFC 271 due to a scheduling conflict. At the post-fight presser, reporters asked White about Rogan’s absence, and the boss implied that the decision for Rogan not to work this event came down to only one man: Rogan himself.

“There was no conflict of schedule,” White said. “Joe Rogan didn’t work tonight. Joe Rogan could’ve worked tonight.”

When directly asked if Rogan elected not to work the event, White was firm about there being nothing from the UFC’s side that kept him from commentating the PPV.

“Yeah…I don’t know what Joe Rogan had to do, you guys will have to ask Joe Rogan, but there was no ‘Joe couldn’t work’ or anything like that. I know that came out—it’s total bullshit.”

White was unable to confirm when it is Rogan might return to the broadcast booth, but he continued to suggest that Rogan could return to work whenever he wants to.

Rogan has missed pay-per-views from time to time as of late, so it is not too strange that he was absent last night. Ever since this latest controversy spread, he has been hit with a deluge of support from the MMA community, both fans and fighters alike.

Even India Arie, who possibly is mainly responsible for the racial videos going viral, came forward recently to applaud Rogan’s apology for using “the N-word.”

It is currently unclear if Rogan will be back to call UFC 272, but it appears that when he does return, he can expect a very warm welcome from the majority of the MMA community.

Continue Reading Dana White Addresses Rumors That Joe Rogan Was Pulled From UFC 271 at MMA News.

Dustin Poirier Explains Why He Won’t Fight Colby Covington

Dustin PoirierDustin Poirier isn’t going to jail, but he says if he and Colby Covington fight they both will be. The two fighters are former training partners out of American Top Team. However, behind the scenes friction between Covington and others at the gym caused a divide, and “Chaos” left to join MMA Masters. Speaking with […]

Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier isn’t going to jail, but he says if he and Colby Covington fight they both will be.

The two fighters are former training partners out of American Top Team. However, behind the scenes friction between Covington and others at the gym caused a divide, and “Chaos” left to join MMA Masters. Speaking with The Mac Life Poirier talked about his beef with Covington, and why a UFC fight facing him will never happen.

“I’ll never fight Colby in an octagon where there’s finances on the line… If I fight Colby we’re both going to jail, I’m going to jail. I’m not going to fight him in the octagon, he’s not making money off my career, off what I’ve done. This is something different.” 

When asked about the difference between this beef and the one “The Diamond” had with Conor Mcgregor, Poirier claimed the difference was the money involved. Insinuating that this feud with “Chaos” is much darker.

A Look At the Dustin Poirier vs Colby Covington Rivalry

It all started in July of 2021 when Colby Covington left ATT on a very bad note. The tension between him and the rest of his teammates (primarily Jorge Masvidal, Dustin Poirier, and Joanna J?drzejczyk) due to his brash and loud-mouth persona escalated until the point of him basically being asked to leave by the owner Dan Lambert. Here’s what Covington had to say about all this to MMA Fighting:

“A lot of people were sensitive, namely ‘Doufus’ Dustin [Poirier] and ‘Street Judas’ [Jorge] Masvidal… They had feelings. They don’t want to fight me in the cage. They’d rather go cry to Dan Lambert and beg him to protect their precious little feelings cause if they fight me in the cage, they know what’s going to happen. I’m going to tear them limb from limb,” Covington said.

“The last six months, I’m going into ATT, and Dustin or Jorge are in there, they’re screaming across the [gym]… I’m like let’s go. You want to fight, let’s fight right now. Stop talking this sh*t, creating drama in the gym so they have to make a decision like this or have to do a drastic action. But no, they just want to scream in front of coaches and disrupt all the pro fighters training because they don’t respect Dan and they don’t respect ATT. It’s pathetic.”

After the dust settled from that, Covington would also leak a video of Poirier knocking out an “amateur” sparring partner and “celebrating” after. Most recently, in another interview, “Chaos” wouldn’t hold back when discussing his feud with Poirier, even going so far as to trash-talking the man’s wife and his parenting:

“…He said it’s ‘on site’ in the media, he said: ‘when I see Colby it’s on site’ so I wanna keep these guys accountable for their street cred. Cause they’re talking all this sh*t in the media, but when it’s time to do business and get in the cage and actually fight they’re nowhere to be found. So, Dustin, you’re a f****** coward, your wife’s a h**… and you’re a piece of sh*t father.”

Has Colby Covington crossed the line, and do you want to see him fight Dustin Poirier in the UFC? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Conor Mcgregor Takes Aim at ‘Versace Tw*t’ Tyson Fury

Conor McGregorMMA’s biggest superstar Conor Mcgregor is known for having his fair share of Twitter clashes, and it’s happened again. This time with one of boxing’s heavyweight champions, Tyson Fury. After Fury shared a picture of Khabib Nurmagomedov saying, “This man did it right. Got in & won & got out on top. Big respect @TeamKhabib,” […]

Conor McGregor

MMA’s biggest superstar Conor Mcgregor is known for having his fair share of Twitter clashes, and it’s happened again. This time with one of boxing’s heavyweight champions, Tyson Fury.

After Fury shared a picture of Khabib Nurmagomedov saying, “This man did it right. Got in & won & got out on top. Big respect @TeamKhabib,” Mcgregor seemed to take offense and replied taking a dig at Fury.

“Yup the Joyces. Big Joe ! U bottled it with Billy joe Da , what were you doing there ? ULeft him, Versace tw*t U.Done.Nothing. Ya’s did it right ye right hahahahaaj. Even when I’m wrong i’m right. Who did it right ? The Mac daddy tonight, in house. Miami d12! Bahamas [B.S.].”

Mcgregor is referencing the instance where Fury stood by and witnessed a clash between Billy Joe Saunders’ father and security during the aftermath of Saunders vs Canelo. After BJS left the ring with a fractured orbital, his father Tommy Saunders hopped a security barricade and was met with brutal force. Fury can be seen attempting to quell the attack but doesn’t appear to try very hard to do so. Here’s the clip:

Fury has since responded to McGregor taking shots at him.

“come back when u win a fight mush,” Fury wrote. “& the difference in me & you is i don’t get myself in trouble & people actually like me, your just a bully who hit old man, ? & yes Big up the hulk Joe, #morecambebay. in the house.”

What’s Going on With Conor Mcgregor?

Conor Mcgregor (22-6, 10-4 UFC) is in the midst of the roughest patch his illustrious career has ever seen. He’s riding a two-fight losing streak, and his last bout against Dustin Poirier ended in a gruesome fashion. 2-3 in his last five fights, you’d have to go back two years to find Mcgregor’s last win.

After the leg injury, “The Notorious” has been recovering and bulking up. With reports of him even reaching up to 190lbs, it’ll be interesting to see exactly what weight class we see him return at. Furthermore, the biggest question is who he returns against. Will it be someone like Tony Ferguson or Justin Gaethje? Or maybe a welterweight, like Robbie Lawler or even Nick Diaz?

Who do you want to see Conor Mcgregor return against, and what do you make of his shots at Tyson Fury? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Dana White Confirms Jared Cannonier Is Next For Israel Adesanya After UFC 271

Jared Cannonier, Israel AdesanyaUFC president Dana White has confirmed that top middleweight contender Jared Cannonier will get the next title shot against Israel Adesanya. Cannonier continued his rise up the middleweight rankings with a vicious knockout of Derek Brunson at UFC 271. After struggling with Brunson’s wrestling early in the fight, he found his rhythm in the second […]

Jared Cannonier, Israel Adesanya

UFC president Dana White has confirmed that top middleweight contender Jared Cannonier will get the next title shot against Israel Adesanya.

Cannonier continued his rise up the middleweight rankings with a vicious knockout of Derek Brunson at UFC 271. After struggling with Brunson’s wrestling early in the fight, he found his rhythm in the second and landed a flurry of strikes that finished Brunson.

Cannonier has now won two in a row and five of his last six bouts. Entering UFC 271, he earned a lopsided win over Kelvin Gastelum last August. Cannonier also earned finishes over the likes of Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson en route to the title conversation.

The fight with Brunson was billed as a No. 1 contender fight, but nothing was certain regarding the next middleweight title bout. During his UFC 271 post-fight press conference, White affirmed that Cannonier will get the next shot at Adesanya.

Dana White Confirms Jared Cannonier/Israel Adesanya Is Next

“I was excited to see that fight to see how it played out,” White said. “It was an exciting fight. And yeah, I’m not going to say no to Cannonier.”

Adesanya escaped with another win over Whittaker at UFC 271, earning a unanimous decision victory. It was a much more competitive fight from beginning to end, and some believed that Whittaker even did enough to earn the win on the scorecards.

Cannonier has solidified himself as the No. 1 middleweight contender to face Adesanya later this year. During his post-fight interview, Adesanya hinted at a potential return in June, at the earliest.

For now, Cannonier will take some time off to celebrate the biggest win of his UFC tenure. He’ll look to shock the world later this year when he finally gets his shot at an elusive UFC title.

What is your early prediction for Jared Cannonier vs. Israel Adesanya?

7 Takeaways from UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2

UFC 271 featured a middleweight title fight that had Israel Adesanya retain his title and another middleweight put himself next in line. Also, a warrior hung up her gloves and some heavyweights shook things up in Texas in the co-main event that made the pay-per-view fun enough. There was a lot to take away from…

Continue Reading 7 Takeaways from UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 at MMA News.

UFC 271 featured a middleweight title fight that had Israel Adesanya retain his title and another middleweight put himself next in line. Also, a warrior hung up her gloves and some heavyweights shook things up in Texas in the co-main event that made the pay-per-view fun enough.

There was a lot to take away from UFC 271, here are some things that stood out. 

Contracts

On Wednesday of fight week, many of the UFC regularly reporting entities had mentioned that before the fight, Israel Adesanya’s management had announced that he renewed his contract with the UFC for another multi-fight deal. Considering that he had yet to defend the title at the time and signed his end of the deal to face Whittaker the same week is either proof that fighters are getting more leverage, or his management is one of the best for athletes in MMA.

One Fight Scrapped, One Goes up a Weight Class

During weigh-ins Friday morning there were some updates announced for UFC 271. William Knight came in 12 pounds over the contracted weight against his bout with Max Grishin. As a result, Knight had to forfeit 40% of his purse and the two will fight as heavyweights officially. Then, Alex Perez also missed weight as well and his match against Matt Schnell was canceled. 

No Rogan

You might have missed it, but Joe Rogan has been in the news a lot in recent weeks. Some of it is due to the guests he has had on his podcast and the conversations they had about COVID-19, and most recently for footage of him using a racial slur years ago. ESPN, a company owned by Disney handles the broadcast and sells the UFC pay-per-views. So, on Friday-the day before the event, it was announced that Rogan would not be calling the event.

While it was said that it was due to a “scheduling conflict,” given the current state of media, one has to wonder if that was the case. In the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White said he expects Rogan to work again when there are no conflicts that keep him from working.

The Happy Warrior

Roxanne Modafferi fought her last fight at UFC 271. She lost a split decision to Kasey O’Neill and while the judging of the fight was questionable, the heart of Modafferi has never left any doubt. Good luck to you and whatever you do in the future.

Jared Connonier Secures His Spot Amongst Middleweights

With the win he picked up at UFC 271 over Derrick Brunson, Cannonier made sure Dana White’s attention was on him in the cage in his post-fight interview when he said he wanted the winner of the main event of UFC 271. It’s hard to argue that he should be next in line for the middleweight crown.

Swangin and Bangin

Both Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa delivered on their promise to put on a show in the co-main event. With minimal clinching and a lot of swinging, fans were not disappointed in the fight these two heavyweights put on. While Lewis impressed with some takedowns in round one, it would be the resilience of Tuivasa in round two that would have him win the striking exchange and catapult himself up the heavyweight rankings.

To Beat The Champ…

Adesanya won his bout against Whittaker but Whittaker did a lot better than the first time they met. So much so, that he even felt he won the latter rounds and did enough to win. Given the odd judging in Modafferi and O’Neill’s fight, it’s no surprise that the result is sure to be a topic of conversation when the UFC updates their rankings on Tuesday. 

There’s obviously more to take away from this event than what is listed here. The match between Adesanya and Connonier is all but booked and with things opening up, Dana White expressed interest in adding more locations to the UFC’s road schedule in 2022. Time will tell but hopefully, things get back to something close to normal.

What did you take away from the event?

Continue Reading 7 Takeaways from UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 at MMA News.