Tag: UFC News

Jorge Masvidal Responds To Jake Paul’s $5M Fight Offer

Jorge MasvidalUFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal has responded to Jake Paul’s $5 million offer to meet him in the boxing ring if the UFC allows it. Masvidal was supposed to fight Leon Edwards at UFC 269 before withdrawing from the bout due to an injury. He’s anticipating a return to the octagon in 2022 after he’s […]

Jorge Masvidal

UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal has responded to Jake Paul’s $5 million offer to meet him in the boxing ring if the UFC allows it.

Masvidal was supposed to fight Leon Edwards at UFC 269 before withdrawing from the bout due to an injury. He’s anticipating a return to the octagon in 2022 after he’s fully recovered.

Masvidal sat ringside to watch Paul knock out his former American Top Team teammate, Tyron Woodley in Tampa, FL this past weekend. After the fight, Paul called out Masvidal and Nate Diaz for fights, with Masvidal responding in a Twitter video hours later.

Paul offered Masvidal a fight via a recent episode of the IMPAULSIVE podcast on YouTube. After getting word of Paul’s comments, Masvidal responded via his Twitter page.

“The UFC isn’t gonna let me go for chump change,” Masvidal said. “Make that 20 [million] guaranteed plus PPV and I’m sure the UFC will be ok with it as long as I break them off their fee and then I’ll gladly break your face.”

“If the UFC still says no because the money is still too low, then come over to the UFC, sign a 1 fight deal and we can stipulate I can only box in the cage. If I do anything other than that, I forfeit my purse to you. Come on over and get paid and laid out.”

Jorge Masvidal, Jake Paul Go From Cordial To Foes Within A Year

Masvidal and Paul have a bit of history, stemming from their brief training together before Paul’s fight with Ben Askren. Things would turn hostile after Masvidal picked Woodley to beat Paul not once, but twice.

It’s unclear if we’ll ever see one of the biggest UFC stars face Paul, but tensions seem to be heating up. It’ll be interesting to see if the UFC brass will allow Masvidal to get out of his current deal and fight Paul in a big-money boxing match.

Do you think we’ll see Jorge Masvidal vs. Jake Paul next?

Jake Paul & Jorge Masvidal Publicly Negotiate Potential Fight

Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal have publicly begun negotiations for a potential fight.

Last weekend, Jake Paul left no doubt who was the better man in his trilogy with Tyron Woodley when he knocked out “The Chosen One” in the 6th round. One man who w…

Jake Paul, Jorge Masvidal

Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal have publicly begun negotiations for a potential fight.

Last weekend, Jake Paul left no doubt who was the better man in his trilogy with Tyron Woodley when he knocked out “The Chosen One” in the 6th round. One man who was in attendance to witness the violence was Jorge Masvidal, who has a history with both men.

Masvidal’s and Woodley’s friendship dates back years from their time shared at American Top Team. “Gamebred” became acquainted with Paul in the lead-up to the Paul/Askren bout April, with the MMA vet giving the YouTuber a few pointers in a loose training session.

That alliance would deteriorate ahead of the first fight between Paul and Woodley after Masvidal predicted Woodley would make easy work of Paul. This prompted Paul to brand Masvidal a “hoe” who easily switched up, perhaps unaware of Woodley’s and Masvidal’s friendship that long predated his acquaintance with the Miamian.

After Paul knocked out Woodley, he addressed Masvidal and Nate Diaz in his in-ring interview, stating that the two BMFs were shook from what they witnessed and wanted no part of a fight with him. Masvidal has since responded to the quasi-callout, stating that Paul could not afford him.

Jake Paul Throws Out An Initial Offer To Masvidal

Tuesday, Paul put Masvidal’s assumption about his budget to the test by throwing out an initial offer to “Gamebred.”

“Masvidal is like, ‘I only fight the best people or I fight for money, and you’re neither one of those,’” said Paul on the IMPLAUSIVE podcast. “Masvidal, I’ve got an offer for you right now: $5 million guarantee, plus percentage of pay-per-views.

“That’s the most you would have ever made in a fight, ever. So now you can’t say, ‘I either fight the best, or I fight for money.’ … Let’s make it happen.”

Jorge Masvidal would soon respond with a counteroffer.

“1. The ufc isn’t gonna let me go for chump change. 2. Make that 20 guaranteed plus Ppv and I’m sure the ufc will be ok with it as long as I break them off their fee and then I’ll gladly break your face.”

“If the ufc still says no because the money is still too low then come over to the ufc, sign a 1 fight deal and we can stipulate I can only box in the cage. If i do anything other than that I will forfeit my purse to you. Come on over and get paid and laid out.”

These negotiations are being made despite the public knowledge that Dana White’s skin crawls at the very thought of Jake Paul and he has assured that he will never do any business with him. Then again, even the wealthiest of men have a price. Time will tell if Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal can find Mr. White’s.

Do you think there’s any chance we see a boxing match between Jake Paul and Jorge Masvidal?

Continue Reading Jake Paul & Jorge Masvidal Publicly Negotiate Potential Fight at MMA News.

Dana White Talks Icey Francis Ngannou Contract Negotiations

Francis NgannouUFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will be fighting for more than his title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. According to UFC president Dana White, he may be fighting for his future with the promotion. Ngannou will face Gane for his first title defense at UFC 270 on the first pay-per-view of 2022 on Jan. […]

Francis Ngannou

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou will be fighting for more than his title against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. According to UFC president Dana White, he may be fighting for his future with the promotion.

Ngannou will face Gane for his first title defense at UFC 270 on the first pay-per-view of 2022 on Jan. 22. This after earning the title over Stipe Miocic nearly a year ago at UFC 260 via second-round knockout.

Ngannou and the UFC brass haven’t exactly seen eye to eye over the past year. He was originally scheduled to defend his belt against Jon Jones, then Derrick Lewis, before eventually an interim title bout was made between Lewis and Gane. This allegedly stemmed from stalled contract negotiations with Ngannou asking for a big payday.

During a recent interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, White explained Ngannou’s current contract situation and where the two sides could go from here.

“When you’re a fighter, you have to be careful who represents you,” White said of Ngannou. “I don’t think he’s had the best representation. Look, if you want to be with us, we’d love to have you. If you don’t want to be with us, no problem. It’s all good. I think his contract, and this is off the top of my head, if he wins he still has time with us after this fight. He’d probably have one more fight.”

Francis Ngannou, UFC Have Had A Tense 2021

White has gone back-and-forth with Ngannou’s manager, Marquel Martin, on social media and in various outlets. If Ngannou loses to Gane, he would then become a free agent, to the surprise of many.

A Ngannou win at UFC 270 could buy more time for the two sides to come to terms on a new deal. This will surely be a question that will be asked multiple times leading up to the fight, and both sides seem firm on their stances regarding their current agreement.

Do you think the UFC will eventually come to terms with Francis Ngannou?

Tony Ferguson Mocks Charles Oliveira For Not Being Able To Finish Him

Tony Ferguson is looking to run things back with champion Charles Oliveira.

Fresh off his UFC 269 win over Dustin Poirier, Oliveira was bound to get some call-outs from the rest of the lightweight division. With a successful title defense under his…

Tony Ferguson Charles Oliveira

Tony Ferguson is looking to run things back with champion Charles Oliveira.

Fresh off his UFC 269 win over Dustin Poirier, Oliveira was bound to get some call-outs from the rest of the lightweight division. With a successful title defense under his belt, Oliveira’s status as the champ is more solid than ever.

Oliveira has been called out by the likes of Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor, but one callout that may be surprising is that from Tony Ferguson. Ferguson had a reminder for the new champion after his UFC 269 submission victory.

Ferguson isn’t exactly the most logical next choice for Oliveira. Ferguson is currently on a three-fight losing streak. He has dropped down to number seven in the official UFC lightweight rankings. His last win was against Donald Cerrone back in June of 2019.

Oliveira defeated Ferguson at UFC 256 right before he went on to win the lightweight title. If Ferguson had won that bout, he could be the one holding the belt right now. Oliveira won by unanimous decision and that is the basis that Ferguson is running on when he claims Oliveira was unable to finish him.

Tony Ferguson Hints At Looming Return

Even though Ferguson probably won’t see Oliveira again anytime soon, it is a bit of a relief for Ferguson fans to see that he wants back in the Octagon. His last fight was in May, and he has been unclear of what his future plans were. He later sent out a tweet that could be an indicator of an incoming fight announcement.

This message from Ferguson is a bit cryptic like most of his tweets, but he does have a trophy and number one medal in there, maybe insinuating a title shot. If he can string together a couple of wins over top-ranked opponents, then perhaps he will find his way to the lightweight title and a fight with Oliveira.

Do you want to see Charles Oliveira and Tony Ferguson run it back?

Continue Reading Tony Ferguson Mocks Charles Oliveira For Not Being Able To Finish Him at MMA News.

UFC Rankings Report: Muhammad Cracks Top 5, LW Gets New Face

The UFC rankings have been updated following UFC Vegas 45, and we’ve got the full report for you below!

Men’s Pound for Pound: No Changes

Women’s Pound for Pound: Lauren Murphy (#13) and Mackenzie Dern (#14) swap positions.

Strawweight: Follo…

Belal Muhammad

The UFC rankings have been updated following UFC Vegas 45, and we’ve got the full report for you below!

Men’s Pound for Pound: No Changes

Women’s Pound for Pound: Lauren Murphy (#13) and Mackenzie Dern (#14) swap positions.

Strawweight: Following Claudia Gadelha’s retirement, Tecia Torres (#7), Michelle Waterson (#8), Amanda Ribas (#9), Amanda Lemos (#10), and Virna Jandiroba (#11) each moved up. At the bottom of the rankings, Jessica Penne (#13) and Brianna Van Buren (#14) move up one position, and Luana Pinheiro (#15) debuts in the rankings.

Women’s Flyweight: Viviane Araujo (#6) and Joanne Wood (#7) swap positions, as do Jessica Eye (#9) and Cynthia Calvillo (#10).

Women’s Bantamweight: Raquel Pennington (#7) and Miesha Tate (#8) swap places after Pennington’s submission victory over Macy Chiasson at UFC Vegas 45. 

Submission! Watch Raquel Pennington tap Macy Chiasson with slick guillotine - UFC Vegas 45 - MMAmania.com

Women’s Featherweight: N/A 

Flyweight: Amir Albazi moves up two positions to #11 while Tim Elliott (#12) and Sumudaerji (#13) drop one spot.

Bantamweight: Sean O’Malley moves up one spot to #12, and Ricky Simon’s KO victory over Raphael Assuncao has Simon appearing in the rankings at #13 and Assuncao falling three positions down to #15. 

UFC Vegas 45 video: Ricky Simon scores vicious knockout of Raphael Assuncao, calls out Sean O'Malley - MMA Fighting
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Featherweight: No Changes

Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot debuts at #12 in the rankings following his TKO victory over Diego Ferreira at UFC Vegas 45. Because of the loss, Ferreira drops three spots down to #15. 

UFC Vegas 45: Mateusz Gamrot stops Diego Ferreira With Knee To Ribs
Mateusz Gamrot def. Diego Ferreira, Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Welterweight: Belal Muhammad is now ranked #5 after his dominant victory over Stephen Thompson at UFC Vegas 45. The loss drops Thompson two spots down to #7. Meanwhile, due to Muhammad’s ascension, Neil Magny (#8), Sean Brady (#9), and Michael Chiesa (#10) each fall back one position.

Middleweight: Kevin Holland (#14) and Chris Weidman swap places yet again. Though it should be noted that Holland has decided to make a move down to welterweight henceforth. 

Light Heavyweight: No Changes

Heavyweight: The rankings remain the same following Derrick Lewis’(#3) first-round KO of Chris Daukaus (#7) at UFC Vegas 45. 

You can view the full updated UFC rankings here. 

What are your thoughts on these updates to the UFC rankings following UFC Vegas 45?

Continue Reading UFC Rankings Report: Muhammad Cracks Top 5, LW Gets New Face at MMA News.

Alex Pereira To Make UFC Return Against Bruno Silva On March 12

A potential barnburner between UFC middleweights Alex Pereira and Bruno Silva is in the works for an upcoming March 12 Fight Night event.

MMA Junkie was among the first to report news of the booking.

Pereira, a former Glory kickboxing world cham…

Alex Pereira, Bruno Silva

A potential barnburner between UFC middleweights Alex Pereira and Bruno Silva is in the works for an upcoming March 12 Fight Night event.

MMA Junkie was among the first to report news of the booking.

Pereira, a former Glory kickboxing world champion who signed with the UFC this year, is coming off of his promotional debut win over Andreas Michailidis at UFC 268. He landed a vicious flying knee followed up by a barrage of punches to secure the second-round finish.

Pereira will face a step up in competition against Silva, who has been on a tear with seven-straight wins in M-1 and the UFC. He has won all seven bouts by knockout, including most recently against Jordan Wright at UFC 269.

The two sides have verbally agreed to the bout ahead of an anticipated formal announcement by the promotion.

Alex Pereira Looks To Continue His Rise In MMA

Pereira is well known for being the only man to ever knock out Israel Adesanya in either kickboxing or MMA. During his time in Glory, he earned the light heavyweight and middleweight world titles before making the move to the UFC and MMA.

Along with his kickboxing accolades, Pereira had put on impressive performances in smaller MMA promotions such as Legacy and Jungle Fight. He registered quick knockouts over the likes of Marcelo Cruz and Thomas Powell.

The card will be headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between top contenders Thiago Santos and Magomed Ankalaev. The venue and location have yet to be determined for the event.

What are your thoughts on this UFC middleweight matchup?

Continue Reading Alex Pereira To Make UFC Return Against Bruno Silva On March 12 at MMA News.