Tag: UFC News

Islam Makhachev Ignores Justin Gaethje’s Demand, Accepts War Instead

We are no closer to finding out who will challenge for the UFC lightweight championship after UFC 269, so Justin Gaethje and Islam Makhachev continue to fill the waiting room with contentious chatter.

Business has picked up in the UFC’s lightweigh…

Islam Makhachev, Justin Gaethje

We are no closer to finding out who will challenge for the UFC lightweight championship after UFC 269, so Justin Gaethje and Islam Makhachev continue to fill the waiting room with contentious chatter.

Business has picked up in the UFC’s lightweight division as of late. At UFC 267, Makhachev swiftly disposed of Dan Hooker with a first-round submission victory. This made nine consecutive victories for Makhachev and bumped him up to #4 in the rankings. One month later, Gaethje and Michael Chandler put on a Fight of the Year candidate at UFC 268, which ultimately saw “The Highlight” survive the flames of another war.

UFC 268: Justin Gaethje, Michael Chandler put on epic battle
Justin Gaethje vs Michael Chandler, Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Justin Gaethje Gives Islam Makhachev A Marching Order

Prior to the bout between Gaethje and Chandler, there was already debate about who should be next in line for a crack at the lightweight championship. Should it be Islam Makhachev or the winner of Gaethje’s bout against Chandler? Both Gaethje and Chandler dismissed Makhachev from the championship conversation and insisted that their bout was a title eliminator.

Nevertheless, the debate has only picked up since Gaethje’s victory. Fighters, fans, and media members have all weighed in on who they believe should meet the winner of Dustin Poirier and Charles Oliveira’s upcoming bout. But as far as Justin Gaethje is concerned, he’s already done his job to earn the title shot. Now, it’s Islam Makhachev’s turn to do his (h/t MMA Fighting).

“Makhachev fought No. 14, went to No. 5 and fought a late replacement in Dan Hooker,” Gaethje said on the UFC Unfiltered podcast. “It wasn’t Dan Hooker on a full camp. It does not count as much, but still, it’s two top 15 guys, none in the top five, only one in the top 10. That’s not how this sh*t works.

“Do your f*cking job, fight these guys, and Beneil Dariush is right here. And I like the dude, he’s my friend so you know I’m just going to jump over this man and expect to get a title shot when the No. 3 guy is Beneil Dariush. Handle that. That has to be handled.”

Islam Makhachev Accepts An Expedited War

Beneil Dariush (#3) is, in fact, currently ranked ahead of Islam Makhachev (#4) in the lightweight rankings. Like Makhachev, Dariush is also enjoying an extraordinary winning streak, stringing together seven straight W’s, most recently over “El Cucuy” himself, Tony Ferguson.

At any rate, if Makhachev heard Gaethje’s demand, it’s impossible to notice. That is because he was too busy holding Gaethje to some of his other recent remarks, which is that a war is coming if and when the two meet in the future. The dominant Dagestani is primed and ready to stop the talking and begin the battle to settle who should rightfully advance to championship territory.

“So we’ll go to war,” Makhachev tweeted with a crossed swords emoji.

Makhachev isn’t the only person to make this suggestion. The man currently occupying the challenger role they are vying for, Dustin Poirier, thinks it would make sense for these two to fight it out to settle who should be next in line for the title shot. Makhachev’s head coach, Javier Mendez, believes it will ultimately come down to the fans to determine who’s next.

Opinions and debate aside, Gaethje has been adamant and consistent in his belief that he has already earned another title shot. If the UFC brass agrees, Makhachev may have to steer his artillery in the direction of Beneil Dariush or whoever else is brave enough to tussle with the seemingly unshakeable.

Which fight do you think makes more sense at this current juncture: Justin Gaethje vs. Islam Makhachev, or Islam Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush?

Continue Reading Islam Makhachev Ignores Justin Gaethje’s Demand, Accepts War Instead at MMA News.

Jorge Masvidal Gives Injury Update & Timeline For His Return

Jorge MasvidalJorge Masvidal did something he has never done before when he pulled out of a bout due to injury.   “Gamebred” recently withdrew from his long-awaited grudge match at UFC 269 with Leon Edwards. During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Masvidal refused to reveal exactly what injury forced him off the December 11 pay-per-view […]

Jorge Masvidal

Jorge Masvidal did something he has never done before when he pulled out of a bout due to injury.  

“Gamebred” recently withdrew from his long-awaited grudge match at UFC 269 with Leon Edwards.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Masvidal refused to reveal exactly what injury forced him off the December 11 pay-per-view card but did give a timeline for his rehab and subsequent return to the Octagon.

“(It was) a good injury,” Masvidal said. “A good injury happened. I don’t think I’ve ever signed a bout agreement and pulled out ever. In my whole history in the UFC, this is my first time. I don’t want to discuss the actual injury that I got. It should impact me for five to six weeks. The reason is that I never discuss my injuries online is, why? Why am I going to give info out on myself?”

Masvidal wants to push the fight back but understands why Edwards his not willing to do that.

“I told the UFC that we could push it back further,” Masvidal said. “It’s up to Leon, and from his initial response, he doesn’t want to wait and I don’t blame him. If he has an option to fight for a title or wait two more months for me, I don’t know what he wants to do or nor do I give a f*ck. All I know is if he wants to go February or March, we can go. If he doesn’t want to wait, then he’s onto the next thing.”

‘Rocky’ reacted angrily to Masvidal’s withdrawal from UFC 269 calling him a “fraud” and suggested the BMF titleholder never intended on fighting him. ‘Gambred’ gave his thoughts on Edwards taking shots at him over the past week.

“(Edwards) could respond to all of that and make all of that be true and known (by) just fighting in March,” Masvidal said. “Shut your mouth. Wait for me. Fight in March. Whatever, you know? I have history on my side. I’ve always made weight. I’ve never pulled out of a signed agreement. I have history on my side. First time, I’m coming off two losses. I’ve just got to make sure I go in there healthy and well to give it my all. If he wants to wait until February or March, I can decapitate him on sight for the world to see. If he doesn’t, I mean, what can I do, you know?”

Who is next for Jorge Masvidal?

With both welterweights coming off two losses to the champion it seems only right for former friends turned rivals, Masvidal and Colby Covington to fight next. But, Masvidal says in an ideal world he’ll still get the chance to settle his beef with Edwards.

If it was right now on this particular date and time, I would say I’d beat Leon’s ass because I signed. I made an agreement as a man like, ‘Hey, I’m f*cking you up next.’ I want to hold (true) to that as much as possible. But if that’s not able to happen, of course I’d love to bash Colby’s face. We’re talking about the biggest coward in my sport, all across all divisions, all sports.

“This guy is the king coward. He can’t control himself from being a coward so I’d love to smash his face in and get a handsome reward from it. But at this particular time, since I signed first for Leon, I would like to address his b*tchass first and then we’ll take care of the fragile that guy. Now, he’s changing his thing where he’s a nice guy and sh*t. Usman beat his ass so hard and now he’s the nice guy. Damn, what a f*cking turn of events, huh? That f*cking coward.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

Do you think we will ever see the fight between Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards ?

Halle Berry Reveals Valentina Shevchenko Broke Her Ribs During Filming

Halle BerryHalle Berry claims the UFC flyweight champion Shevchenko broke her ribs while recording scenes for the movie Bruised. Berry was cast as Jackie Justice who is an MMA fighter, during a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday the 15th November the Academy acclaimed actress revealed the methods she went through while playing a […]

Halle Berry

Halle Berry claims the UFC flyweight champion Shevchenko broke her ribs while recording scenes for the movie Bruised.

Berry was cast as Jackie Justice who is an MMA fighter, during a recent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday the 15th November the Academy acclaimed actress revealed the methods she went through while playing a fighter. 

Halle Berry posted via her Instagram “the fight begins, can’t wait to share my labor of love with the world”.

Berry revealed that after reading the script she was excited with the aspect of having to learn some aspects of mixed martial arts. 

During her interview with Kimmell, the 55-year-old revealed what martial arts she had been learning during filming.

‘”I had to learn Jiu-Jitsu, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, wrestling, Judo, boxing, kickboxing, all of these elements come into play in MMA.”

The Oscar winner went to say that her favourite aspect of MMA was Jiu-Jitsu.

“That’s the ground game,” she said. “It’s like wrestling when you are on the ground and you are doing all of the moves. That is naturally where my talents lie”.

Valentina Shevchenko Didn’t Want To Hurt Halle Berry But…

When the UFC champion and Berry started filming Shevchenko was adamant that she didn’t want to make any physical contact. 

The actress reminisced about her efforts to persuade Shevchenko to really hit her.

“Val you gotta do it. I have to feel it. I’ve never done this, that is why you are here. Give it to me.’,” Berry told Shevchenko.

“She gave it to me and she broke two ribs,” Berry added.

Netflix Media Centre says that the global release date of “Bruised” will be on November 24th and November 17th in select theatres. 

Shevchenko is looking to follow in the footsteps of fellow UFC stars who have made the cross over to films such as George St-Pierre, Ronda Rousey and Randy Couture.  

Will you watch Halle Berry and Valentina Shevchenko’s new film?

Vettori Not Thrilled By The Idea Of Being Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 Backup

UFC middleweight contender Marvin Vettori isn’t keen on signing on as a backup fighter for the anticipated UFC 271 main event between 185-pound king Israel Adesanya and former champion Robert Whittaker.

Vettori was last in action at UFC Vegas 41 in…

Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker & Israel Adesanya

UFC middleweight contender Marvin Vettori isn’t keen on signing on as a backup fighter for the anticipated UFC 271 main event between 185-pound king Israel Adesanya and former champion Robert Whittaker.

Vettori was last in action at UFC Vegas 41 in October. Having fallen short of capturing gold against “The Last Stylebender” at UFC 263, the Italian rebounded in style against fellow former title challenger Paulo Costa. In the build-up to the headlining clash, the 28-year-old was praised for his attitude and toughness after his Brazilian counterpart couldn’t make weight.

Having entered fight week over 20 pounds north of the middleweight limit, the bout was changed to a 195-pound catchweight, before being bumped up yet again, this time to light heavyweight. Despite facing one of the UFC’s top powerhouses at a much higher weight than he’s used to, Vettori shined inside the Apex.

Throughout a five-round war, “The Italian Dream” pushed the pace, landed some hard shots at an impressive volume, and ate the biggest and best “Borrachinha” had to offer. After going the 25-minute distance, Vettori was awarded a well-deserved unanimous decision victory.

Vettori Doesn’t Want To Waste A Camp

After leaping straight back into title contention, many have wondered whether Vettori will be asked to stand in as the backup fighter for the expected championship rematch between Adesanya and Whittaker, which is expected to take place at UFC 271 in February 2022.

Despite UFC President Dana White suggesting it would make sense, the #2-ranked contender doesn’t share the same level of enthusiasm for the idea. Speaking during an appearance on the Real Quick With Mike Swick Podcast, Vettori said that whilst the money would be good, he wants his second title shot to be on his own terms.

“No, it’s not confirmed… but, yeah man, I want to fight it on my terms, for the next time that I fight Adesanya. It goes both ways, when I’m ready, I wanna fight. So, I mean, I know it’s good money but like, I don’t know if I can be, I don’t know if I can do that in a sense.”

Further discussing why the backup slot doesn’t appeal to him, Vettori suggested he wouldn’t want to waste weeks of preparation on the event if he’s likely not going to be needed. In the Italian’s mind, he’s earned the right to decide when he next competes for the gold, and to do so with a full camp.

“I hate giving away a whole preparation, you know. A lot of people would do it for money, but for me… I’m always open to business and all that, but money is not the first goal when I got into the sport. I wanna be champion. I mean, I don’t know. When they will ask me I’ll give a real answer. But I feel like I earned, eventually, the right to fight it (championship fight) on my terms. ‘Cos even the last time, and I’m not saying I wasn’t ready, I was 100% ready, but I basically prepared for the fight in seven weeks and a half. I fought Holland. Eight weeks after the day I fought Holland, I fought Adesanya. This time I want a whole camp and I think I earned that.”

Despite not being targeted for Seattle or Canada as initially reported, the UFC 271 pay-per-view is still set to be headlined by Adesanya and Whittaker’s blockbuster rematch. The pair first collided at UFC 243 in 2019. Bringing an end to the New Zealand-born Australian’s reign, Adesanya secured a second-round knockout in Melbourne.

Having looked back to his best in decision victories over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum, “The Reaper” has earned his chance at redemption. He’ll look to become the first blemish on Adesanya’s perfect middleweight record next year.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC 271, Israel Adesanya or Robert Whittaker?

Continue Reading Vettori Not Thrilled By The Idea Of Being Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 Backup at MMA News.

Coach: Next UFC Lightweight Title Shot Will Come Down To The Fans

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez is not sure who will get the lightweight title shot between Islam Makhachev and Justin Gaethje.

Mendez has been coaching and singing the praises of Makhachev for a while, even starting the rumors…

Justin Gaethje Islam Makhachev

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez is not sure who will get the lightweight title shot between Islam Makhachev and Justin Gaethje.

Mendez has been coaching and singing the praises of Makhachev for a while, even starting the rumors that he is better than his close friend and former lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. With these two vouching for him, Makhachev has gotten something of the fast track through the UFC rankings, securing a place in the top five before he even took out a top-ten opponent.

With Makhachev securing a quick win over Dan Hooker and Justin Gaethje scoring a victory in a war with Michael Chandler, there has been a bit of a debate on which of these two deserves the title shot. While speaking on his podcast, Mendez says that he is not sure who will end up getting the title shot, but the UFC is going to decide based on who brings in the most money, as they usually do.

“If the fans want it, the UFC will put it on. It’s a matter of not what coach thinks, not what Justin [Gaethje] thinks – It’s what makes the most money. And if it’s Justin that makes the most money for the UFC, that’s who’s gonna get it. The UFC is not making decisions based on anything but what fits in their pocketbook,” Mendez said (h/t Sportskeeda).

After this, Javier Mendez directed his attention to the way that the UFC runs things, saying that they are not a real promotion. He says this is the case in all MMA organizations though, not holding anything against the UFC in particular.

“That’s what they do. And you know what, it’s not a legit promotion; no promotion is. No fight promotion is legit. None. So, don’t think I’m bashing on one or the other. I’m not bashing on anyone. I just understand how promotion does, and what they do, and what they have to do,” Mendez said.

“The UFC is a great promotion, but that’s the politics of the game. And Bellator is a great promotion, but if they were in pay-per-view, that’s the politics of the game for them, too. That’s just the way it goes. Not bashing anybody; just stating facts.”

The point that Javier Mendez seems to be making here, is that there are good reasons for both Islam Makhachev and Justin Gaethje to get the title shot. However, in the end, the UFC will do whatever they think is best for the promotion.

Check out the full podcast in the video below:

Continue Reading Coach: Next UFC Lightweight Title Shot Will Come Down To The Fans at MMA News.

Conor McGregor Clears Up Why He Deletes His Tweets

Conor McGregorConor McGregor has recently explained why he deletes some of his tweets after posting them and keeping them on his page for hours at a time. Everyone knows McGregor loves to take shots at people on Twitter. Some of his more off putting tweets tend to get deleted after he has them out there for […]

Conor McGregor

Conor McGregor has recently explained why he deletes some of his tweets after posting them and keeping them on his page for hours at a time.

Everyone knows McGregor loves to take shots at people on Twitter. Some of his more off putting tweets tend to get deleted after he has them out there for a little while. In a recent rant, ‘The Notorious’ explained that he deletes his tweets to keep the negativity off his page. He says what he has to and gets it off his page instead of keeping it there.

McGregor has recently been going on rants about other fighters and has also voiced his displeasure with the current COVID protocols in Ireland. Ireland has recently shut down again to prevent the spread of the virus.

‘“Frustrated with these new restrictions in Ireland,” McGregor said in a since deleted tweet . “We’ve done our part and we’ve followed the rules. [They] told us last month we had the virus suppressed. And yet we move forwards only to move backward again. All we ask for is clarity, and we have gotten none since the beginning.”

A political commentator called out McGregor on Twitter for deleting his tweets about the Irish government and he responded with,

“My point stands. I am ashamed of those in government! Leo comment, disgraceful. I’m worried for our neglected hospitals and for our people. It is an abomination what is happening! It hurts me beyond belief. If you think I enjoy saying these things and want to keep them, i do not.”

Conor McGregor responded back to another political commentator that called him out for deleting his tweets as well

 “Hey, d*** breath, you must be new here. I will always say what I need to say, it gets reported/spread, then I remove from my page. “It’s done and out. I do not like to keep negativity on my channels. Ever. You do zero to help anything or anyone in any situation. So shut up.” McGregor responded back to the commentator in another tweet he deleted.

McGregor is currently in the middle of making his biggest comeback yet after breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier.

How do you feel about Conor McGregor deleting his tweets?