Tag: UFC News

Urijah Faber Admits He’s No Longer Interested In Chasing UFC Title Shot

Urijah Faber has revealed he is open to fighting again despite suffering a tough knockout loss to top bantamweight contender Petr Yan at UFC 245. The MMA veteran coming off a quick win over Ricky Simon started well in this considerable step up against Yan. However the tide started to turn in round two and […]

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Urijah Faber has revealed he is open to fighting again despite suffering a tough knockout loss to top bantamweight contender Petr Yan at UFC 245.

The MMA veteran coming off a quick win over Ricky Simon started well in this considerable step up against Yan. However the tide started to turn in round two and Faber eventually ate a brutal head kick that forced the referee to wave off the fight.

The 40-year-old although interested in another fight appears to have admitted defeat in his pursuit for a UFC title after four failed attempts at bantamweight. Speaking to Ariel Helwani, he said. (H/T The Ariel Helwani Show)

“I’m not going to be pursuing the belt at this
moment. I’m going to be chilling with the family, staying in great shape,
staying in the gym, and it’s a ‘I could, or I couldn’t.”

“I’m not
doing a fight just to have a fight,” Faber said. “I’ll do it on my terms if I
want to do it to celebrate my birthday, or if there’s something that’s really
intriguing.”

Faber was quick
to pay tribute to his opponent but always Team Alpha Male, he bigged up his
bantamweight prospects in the process. “I mean he’s very tough, but I knew he
was tough. I felt like he’s one of the most dangerous guys, period, in the
division.”

“I knew that going in, and that’s kind of why I wanted to fight – aside from the guys on my team, Song Yadong and Cody Garbrandt, are both faster and just as powerful and a little more well-rounded, but I knew that was going to be a nasty fight. I knew I would have a chance to catch him, but he had a very good chance of catching me.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

Would you like to see Urijah Faber fight on against lesser opposition?

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Frankie Edgar vs. ‘Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung…

Hot on the heels of an epic UFC 245 MMA fans get to witness yet another mouth-watering match-up this weekend at UFC Busan. The stacked fight card will be the promotions last of 2019 and will round off an massive year for the sport in fantastic fashion. Former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, now fighting at […]

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Hot on the heels of an epic UFC 245 MMA fans get to witness yet another mouth-watering match-up this weekend at UFC Busan. The stacked fight card will be the promotions last of 2019 and will round off an massive year for the sport in fantastic fashion.

Former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, now fighting at featherweight will travel to South Korea to face off against the ‘Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung in his home country.

The 38-year-old Edgar could get another title shot with a win but is considered an underdog after stepping in on short notice to travel to South Korea. You can find the former 155lb king priced as high as +153 with bookmakers. The favourite ‘Korean Zombie’ is as low as -167. Fight fans can check out online casino and sports betting operator Zulabet for all the latest odds and to place some bets on the card.

Brian Ortega was originally scheduled to make the trip to Asia for his first fight since suffering a loss to Max Holloway over a year ago. However, Ortega was forced off the card due to an injury just two weeks out from the fight, leaving the UFC to scramble to find a new opponent.

In steps Edgar despite already having a fight lined up with bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen in January. The fight veteran Edgar is hoping to still fight in January but that seems unlikely unless he makes quick work of the ‘Korean Zombie’.

UFC prospect Sandhagen was understandably upset when speaking to ESPN, he said. “The UFC is trying to do their jobs and save a huge card, which I get, but they’re also losing a shot at an opportunity to turn a young, new face into a star and the Raleigh fans are going to be pretty bummed too.”

What’s done is done and UFC fans have an epic fight to look forward to this weekend. A fight that has been in the making for over a year. Edgar was meant to fight Jung in Denver last November but was himself forced out of the fight through injury. Yair Rodriguez stepped in and scored one of the most epic KO wins of all-time.

On paper this fight should be an absolute war. Both men like to stand and bang, but both can also get it done in other ways. Edgar has elite level wrestling that has made him a champion and kept him relevant over the past decade. ‘Korean Zombie’ has fantastic jujitsu which saw him pull off the first ever twister submission inside the UFC back in 2011. The second was only completed a couple weeks back by hot prospect Bryce Mitchell.

This fight has seriously implications on the featherweight title picture. Both men are top contenders and a win for either could see them next in line for a shot at new champion Alexander Volkanovski. The Australian claimed the title this past weekend and is now in search of an opponent for his first defence.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Will Decide If There’s ‘Any Point’ In Fighting Again After Tony Ferguson Bout

Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to the Octagon on April 18. Nurmagomedov has been matched up with Tony Ferguson for the fifth time. Each time the fight has been booked, both Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have pulled out twice each. Hopefully, the fifth time will be the charm. The pair will headline an event to be named […]

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Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to the Octagon on April 18.

Nurmagomedov has been matched up with Tony Ferguson for the fifth time. Each time the fight has been booked, both Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have pulled out twice each. Hopefully, the fifth time will be the charm. The pair will headline an event to be named from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Ahead of the matchup, Nurmagomedov has been very vocal that his mixed martial arts (MMA) career is close to wrapping up. In a recent interview with RT Sport, “The Eagle” doubled down on these comments, saying he will reevaluate if there’s any point to fighting again after his matchup with Ferguson.

“Well, we don’t have a plan for when we’re going to finish but I do know it is not over the mountains, as they say,” Nurmagomedov said. “That time is very close. I don’t want to think about the future, I still have to live to April, I still have to fight, I need to win. So, I don’t like to look too far ahead.

“Now we have an opponent, Tony Ferguson, a very serious opponent. And I think it’s necessary to have this fight then we’ll sit down and think about what’s next. We’ll consider whether there’s any point in fighting any more. There will always be a reason to fight, money. But will we need it? We’ll think about it.

“I feel good now. I’m 31 and it’s a very good age to fight, and for sport. I’m far from retirement age, but it’s around the corner.”

Specifically, on the matchup with Ferguson, Nurmagomedov believes he has several advantages. He sees himself as the better wrestler, the more physical fighter, and believes his power can give Ferguson problems, as “El Cucuy” has been dropped several times before.

“I always rate my chances higher than those of my opponents since I can’t approach a fight with uncertainty,” Nurmagomedov said. “I think I’m a lot better than him at wrestling, I’m much better than him physically. I’m tougher than him, and I haven’t lost yet, unlike him.

“Unlike him I haven’t been knocked down yet. He has, I believe seven UFC knockdowns, a lot of falls from punches. So I can hit, I’m going to hit him especially hard.”

Do you think Nurmagomedov will fight again after his bout with Ferguson?

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Mike Perry Releases Statement After UFC 245 TKO Loss To Geoff Neal

Geoff Neal followed through on his promise to become the first person to finish Mike Perry via TKO. Neal made quick work of Perry on the UFC 245 featured preliminary bout on ESPN this past weekend (Sat. December 14, 2019). Perry got rocked with a head kick early on and Neal proceeded to finish him […]

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Geoff Neal followed through on his promise to become the first person to finish Mike Perry via TKO.

Neal made quick work of Perry on the UFC 245 featured preliminary bout on ESPN this past weekend (Sat. December 14, 2019). Perry got rocked with a head kick early on and Neal proceeded to finish him with strikes. It was a tremendous showing from Neal, who established himself as a contender to keep your eye on at 170 pounds.

As for Perry, it’s quite the setback, as he’s now on a two-fight losing streak, having dropped three of his last four. Now, Perry has released a lengthy statement on Instagram, praising Neal for his performance Saturday night.

“He set things up. Adapted to my movement. I was waiting and he took initiative. Thought even tho my right hand loaded I would still block the kick. I remember the kick. Then I went to defensive mode. Didn’t fire back. Didn’t shoot In or go for the clinch. Can’t wait. Had him against the cage but I didn’t GO.

“Missed my chance. Gonna be an interesting year 2020. I have to look at life with such a different plan. Maybe I’m gonna start living. Possibilities are endless. I am forced to be better. I’ve hit the bottom but I know I will find a path up hill. I’ll be the turtle. Got some sense and inner peace knocked into me. I will be better.

“The gym is calling me. No pressure. I’ll just be taking my time. I will Earn the right to win again. No telling how long it will take.”

View this post on Instagram

He set things up. Adapted to my movement. I was waiting and he took initiative. Thought even tho my right hand loaded I would still block the kick. I remember the kick. Then I went to defensive mode. Didn’t fire back. Didn’t shoot In or go for the clinch. Can’t wait. Had him against the cage but I didn’t GO. Missed my chance. Gonna be an interesting year 2020. I have to look at life with such a different plan. Maybe I’m gonna start living. Possibilities are endless. I am forced to be better. I’ve hit the bottom but I know I will find a path up hill. I’ll be the turtle. Got some sense and inner peace knocked into me. I will be better. The gym is calling me. No pressure. I’ll just be taking my time. I will Earn the right to win again. No telling how long it will take.

A post shared by Platinum Mike Perry (@platinummikeperry) on

What do you think about Perry’s statement after his TKO loss to Neal?

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Ali Abdelaziz Praises Colby Covington For UFC 245 Performance

Mixed martial arts (MMA) manager Ali Abdelaziz and UFC welterweight star Colby Covington have had their fair share of issues over the past few months. However, Abdelaziz is willing to put their differences aside to give respect where it’s due. Over this past weekend, Covington took part in a tremendous back-and-forth war with welterweight champion […]

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Mixed martial arts (MMA) manager Ali Abdelaziz and UFC welterweight star Colby Covington have had their fair share of issues over the past few months.

However, Abdelaziz is willing to put their differences aside to give respect where it’s due. Over this past weekend, Covington took part in a tremendous back-and-forth war with welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the UFC 245 main event on pay-per-view (PPV). However, after having his jaw broken midway through the fight, Usman was able to put “Chaos” away with about a minute left in the fifth round.

Now, days later, Abdelaziz has taken to Twitter to offer some praise to Covington, crediting his toughness and fighting ability before stating he holds no grudges towards him.

“I just want to say Colby Covington can fight Love him or hate him you cannot take this from him Much respect to him and the whole ATT team Things got a little bit ugly but we are 0 grudges , life is going on”

Covington has not responded to Abdelaziz’s comments as of this writing. However, according to American Top Team (ATT) owner Dan Lambert, Covington doesn’t plan on sitting around on the sidelines for longer than he needs to.

What do you think about Abdelaziz’s praise for Covington?

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Max Holloway Issues Classy Statement After UFC 245 Title Loss

Max Holloway is no longer the UFC featherweight champion of the world. Holloway was bested by Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 245 on pay-per-view (PPV) over the weekend (Sat. December 14, 2019). The Hawaiian thought he did enough to win the fight after five rounds inside the Octagon with […]

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Max Holloway is no longer the UFC featherweight champion of the world.

Holloway was bested by Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 245 on pay-per-view (PPV) over the weekend (Sat. December 14, 2019). The Hawaiian thought he did enough to win the fight after five rounds inside the Octagon with the Australian, but the judges thought differently. Now, Holloway will regroup and attempt to bounce back in 2020.

Recently, Holloway took to Instagram to issue out a classy statement, congratulating Volkanovski and his family on the big win, before vowing to meet him inside the Octagon down the road. Here’s what “Blessed” had to say.

“He was willing to fight for an interim belt. If he couldn’t fight me he was willing to fight anybody even fighters ranked below him. When you’re a champ everybody is below you so Alex was carrying the weight of that belt before Dana wrapped it around his waist. Happy for Alex and Emma and their daughters, and Australia. Same ocean, different waves. See you in the lineup again”

It will be interesting to see what’s next for Holloway. Volkanovski has said he believes Holloway is deserving of a rematch and will happily grant him one for his first title defense. A rematch to headline a PPV in Australia in 2020 sounds like a solid option. Regardless of what happens next for Holloway, he’s still regarded as the best featherweight in UFC history, as it stands.

What do you think about Holloway’s statement after his title loss to Volkanovski at UFC 245?

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