One-time UFC title contender and former Bellator champion Joe Soto has agreed to step in and fight Chris Beal next month at UFC Fight Night 89.
Soto (15-5) has dropped three straight, including a 2014 loss to then-UFC champion T.J. Dillashaw. The Ca…
One-time UFC title contender and former Bellator champion Joe Soto has agreed to step in and fight Chris Beal next month at UFC Fight Night 89.
Soto (15-5) has dropped three straight, including a 2014 loss to then-UFC champion T.J. Dillashaw. The California native stepped in on short notice after Renan Barao was forced out of the championship match.
Beal (10-2), also of California, was set to meet Kid Yamamoto at the card. After earning a pair of wins in his first two UFC fights, Beal has dropped two straight.
UFC Fight Night 89 takes place June 18 from the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Rory MacDonald fights Stephen Thompson in the main event.
For 35-year-old Matt Brown, the UFC is where he wants to be.
Despite suffering three losses in his last four fights, Brown (20-14) has signed a new eight-fight contract with the promotion. News of the signing was first reported by FOXSports.
Brow…
For 35-year-old Matt Brown, the UFC is where he wants to be.
Despite suffering three losses in his last four fights, Brown (20-14) has signed a new eight-fight contract with the promotion. News of the signing was first reported by FOXSports.
Brown is coming off a submission loss to Demian Maia in Brazil following a submission win last July over Tim Means. Prior to that, he suffered back-to-back decision losses to Johny Hendricks and current UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.
An Ohio native, Brown’s next fight is likely to take place in September when the Octagon debuts in Cleveland for UFC 203. Fellow Ohioan Stipe Miocic defends his heavyweight title against Alistair Overeem on that card.
On Wednesday, UFC contender Nate Diaz spoke with Ariel Helwani for a special edition of “The MMA Hour” at MMAFighting.com.
During the discussion, Diaz spoke about the rumors stemming from his meeting with UFC manageme…
https://youtu.be/AP1B0sSW704
On Wednesday, UFC contender Nate Diaz spoke with Ariel Helwani for a special edition of “The MMA Hour” at MMAFighting.com.
During the discussion, Diaz spoke about the rumors stemming from his meeting with UFC management in Stockton, California. According to reports, the meeting ended abruptly with UFC President Dana White storming out of the restaurant they were meeting at.
“That was exaggerated,” Diaz said of the TMZ report. “We finished talking and then we walked out. It wasn’t the worst meeting. It wasn’t the best meeting but it wasn’t the worst meeting either.”
Regarding the issues that did come out of their meeting, Diaz made it clear that after drawing the second largest buyrate in UFC pay-per-view history for his first fight with Conor McGregor, he simply wants to be paid for an immediate rematch against the Irish mega-star.
“It seems like this is a pretty big deal, so can I be compensated for this?” Diaz said. “They weren’t the happiest about that, but they’re not talking to me about it right now, so we’re working on it and we’re going to get it figured out.”
Diaz also spoke about the fact that he feels he should be promoted better by the UFC.
“Can I get built up a little better?” Diaz said. “Conor McGregor is an artificial, they pushed him and he wasn’t whooping all types of asses and sh*t. They put me in, I’ve been in fight after fight, I didn’t do no media, I didn’t do no sh*t … now he’s where he’s at because the UFC kicked his ass and put him in gear and blew him up. How come he was such a big deal when he beat Dennis Siver. Who the f*ck is Dennis Siver? Is that guy even ranked? I’m like, ‘get the f*ck out of here.’
“My following is strictly from ass whooping and talking some sh*t,” Diaz added. “And this motherf*cker is like on top of the world because the UFC wanted him to?”
At the end of the day, it sounds like Diaz does, in fact, expect to meet “The Notorious” one inside the Octagon again.
“We went and took a picture by the mural that was downtown here, and then afterwards we talked a little more,” Diaz said. “They were cool and I was cool and it was just business talk. It didn’t end on the happiest notes but I think stuff is getting done and stuff is moving forward.”
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and former women’s bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey befell similar fates in the last six months. Although ‘The Notorious’ rose to prominence at the same time ‘Rowdy’ fell off her perch, it wouldn’t be long before Nate Diaz would step in and hand McGregor his first UFC loss. Where the two
UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and former women’s bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey befell similar fates in the last six months. Although ‘The Notorious’ rose to prominence at the same time ‘Rowdy’ fell off her perch, it wouldn’t be long before Nate Diaz would step in and hand McGregor his first UFC loss. Where the two differ is how they initially dealt with their first losses under the Zuffa banner.
Although McGregor has become entangled in drama with his bosses since his UFC 196 loss to Diaz, it pales in comparison to the crisis of identity that Rousey went through after UFC 193. After being hailed as the most dominant athlete of her time, ‘Rowdy’ suffered one of the most sudden and brutal downfalls in MMA history.
Holly Holm’s monster head kick not only separated Rousey from her consciousness, but it took away the essence of’Rowdy.’ The unbeatable image was shattered and the consequential backlash from fans on the internet led to a very dark stage in her life.
For McGregor it’s been more of a beef with the UFC themselves that’s been highly publicized recently, along with the wild rumours of a potential boxing match against Floyd Mayweather. Either way, without a return date set for either of the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view draws, the similarities are apparent.
There’s a lot to be said of the UFC’s style of promotion, and it’s clear when they want certain fighters to become popular. So what happens when a fighter falls off that so called ‘hype train?’ Perhaps it’s even harder for these types of names to bounce back from a loss.
One former UFC heavyweight who was popular for his heavy handed knockouts believes it’s best to fly under the UFC’s promo radar, and carve the path on your own terms…
UFC on FOX 20 has picked up another featherweight contest, as Jim Alers takes on Jason Knight.
Alers (13-2) has split his two Octagon fights, besting Alan Omer and falling to Chas Skelly. His most recent bout vs. Cole Miller ended in a no-contest af…
UFC on FOX 20 has picked up another featherweight contest, as Jim Alers takes on Jason Knight.
Alers (13-2) has split his two Octagon fights, besting Alan Omer and falling to Chas Skelly. His most recent bout vs. Cole Miller ended in a no-contest after an accidental eye poke.
Knight (13-2) dropped his debut to Tatsuya Kawajiri this past December after winning nine in a row on the regional circuit.
UFC on FOX 20 takes place July 23 from Chicago with Holly Holm meeting Valentina Shevchenko in the main event.
