Tag: Yoel Romero

Kevin Lee Enlists MMA Legend To Help Prepare For Tony Ferguson

The MMA world may be (sort of) fixated on tonight’s (Sat., September 9, 2017) UFC 215 from Edmonton, Alberta, but surging lightweight Kevin Lee is understandably focused on his interim lightweight title bout with Tony Ferguson at October 7’s UFC 216. “The Motown Phenom” parlayed a controversial submission win over Michael Chiesa into his interim […]

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The MMA world may be (sort of) fixated on tonight’s (Sat., September 9, 2017) UFC 215 from Edmonton, Alberta, but surging lightweight Kevin Lee is understandably focused on his interim lightweight title bout with Tony Ferguson at October 7’s UFC 216.

“The Motown Phenom” parlayed a controversial submission win over Michael Chiesa into his interim title shot, and he knows he’s going to need some outside help to help him snap “El Cucuy’s” nine-fight win streak, so he’s done just that.

On an impressive five-fight run of his own, Lee recently revealed that he’s trying to keep that streak alive by enlisting longtime former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, who takes on Michael Bisping for the middleweight title at November 4’s UFC 217, on Instagram (via Bloody Elbow).

In doing so, he also set an incredibly high bar for UFC 216 when he called himself a “legend” whom was about to become the “person people look up to. Check it out:

While “The Motown Phenom” may definitely be one of the deep lightweight division’s best talents, putting himself up on a pedestal with St-Pierre, who is regarded as the best welterweight in MMA history and one of the best fighters overall period, may seem a bit premature, even for Lee’s normally over-the-top and brash trash talk.

The gold belt he’ll face Ferguson for is unfortunately one that most fans will deem to be “fake” in a time where interim belts are thrown around like gifts on Oprah, and this one could be even worse considering the winner most likely won’t even get to face UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor for the real title in their next bout.

By comparison, St-Pierre is facing Bisping for the ‘real’ middleweight belt, and he’ll potentially become the fourth two-division champion in UFC history if wins. While many MMA fans have cooled regarding the all-time legends return, it’s extremely difficult to envision Lee becoming the”one they all look up to” with an interim title win – especially if St-Pierre can win the second belt Lee referred to in his post.

What do you think?

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Lyoto Machida’s UFC Return Set For Brazil

A decorated former UFC champion is reportedly returning to the octagon this fall. After serving an 18-month United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspension for using the prohibited substance 7-Keto due to it including DHEA, former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida will return to action against No. 7 Derek Brunson at October 28’s […]

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A decorated former UFC champion is reportedly returning to the octagon this fall.

After serving an 18-month United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) suspension for using the prohibited substance 7-Keto due to it including DHEA, former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida will return to action against No. 7 Derek Brunson at October 28’s UFC Fight Night 119 from Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, according to a report from Combate (via MMA Mania).Machida was last seen

Machida was last seen losing his previous bout to recent interim title contender Yoel Romero via vicious second-round stoppage at June 2015’s UFC Fight Night 70. The loss marked his second in a row after he was brutally submitted by Luke Rockhold in April 2015. Machida was then set to take on MMA legend Dan Henderson in a rematch of their UFC 157 snoozer at UFC on FOX 16 in April 2016, but his admittance to using 7-Keto forced the bout to be canceled.

Despite the recent downswing against the absolute top of the talented UFC middleweight division, Machida maintains a 22-9 record in MMA with nine of those wins coming by knockout.

He’ll meet another contender looking to fight his way up the ranks in Brunson, a pressuring knockout artist who recently got back on track with a massive knockout of the previously surging Daniel Kelly at this June’s UFC Fight Night 110. Prior to that, Brunson dropped a highly controversial decision to all-time legend Anderson Silva at February’s UFC 208 after getting knocked out by current interim champ Robert Whittaker last November.

UFC Fight Night 119 also features a pivotal light heavyweight bout between Glover Teixeira and Misha Cirkunov, both fighters in need of a big win after recent losses.

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Pic: Georges St-Pierre Finally Signs To Face Michael Bisping At UFC 217

Georges St-Pierre has finally signed the bout agreement for his long-rumored UFC return against Michael Bisping. The longtime former welterweight champion, who has been out of action since his highly controversial split decision over Johny Hendricks at November 2013’s UFC 167, has been in talks to fight Michael Bisping for the 185-pound title since early […]

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Georges St-Pierre has finally signed the bout agreement for his long-rumored UFC return against Michael Bisping.

The longtime former welterweight champion, who has been out of action since his highly controversial split decision over Johny Hendricks at November 2013’s UFC 167, has been in talks to fight Michael Bisping for the 185-pound title since early 2017, with the two even meeting in a press conference this March.

But when St-Pierre continued to insist he couldn’t fight until sometime after October, UFC President Dana White called a hasty halt to the bout, saying the ‘ship had sailed’ and that Bisping would fight the winner of UFC 213’s Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero interim title fight while giving St-Pierre a shot at the winner of UFC 214’s welterweight title bout between Tyron Woodley and Demain Maia. When that fight failed to deliver, however, that ship sailed back into port, with Bisping ‘announcing’ it for November 4’s UFC 214 from Madison Square Garden on last week’s UFC Tonight.

It wasn’t yet official, but apparently, it is now. St- Pierre posted this picture of him signing his bout agreement on Facebook page today:
St-Pierre’s return, while wholly an awaited one since he vacated the title following his win over Hendricks, has become a controversial topic in the sport of MMA, as a large majority of the fanbase have criticized Bisping for not taking on the top contenders at 185 pounds since winning the belt from Luke Rockhold in June 2016.

It may be true that he only holds one title defense over a then-No. 14-ranked and now retired Dan Henderson, but the middleweight arena is now lacking a clear contender thanks to Whittaker, who knocked out Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and beat Romero while significantly injuring his knee to clear out of the top of the division for the time being.

That leaves “The Count” with no other contender than the fight that he’s wanted all along. But is it the one you want as a fan?

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Luke Rockhold: Yoel Romero Wanted To Delay It Into A Three-Round Fight

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold hasn’t competed since last June, when he was shockingly knocked out by current titleholder Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 199, but he’ll return to action in the main event of Sept. 16’s UFC Fight Night 116 against former WSOF (World Series of Fighting) champion David Branch. […]

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Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold hasn’t competed since last June, when he was shockingly knocked out by current titleholder Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 199, but he’ll return to action in the main event of Sept. 16’s UFC Fight Night 116 against former WSOF (World Series of Fighting) champion David Branch.

Many were a bit surprised when Rockhold was booked against the No. 9-ranked Branch, but the ex-champion recently said that he had difficulty finding an opponent:

“Really what it comes down to is, I can’t wait anymore,” Rockhold said Monday on The MMA Hour. “I had the thought process of waiting for that fight. In June it was Anderson Silva in Rio, he wouldn’t take the fight. Then they moved onto Gegard Mousasi, couldn’t get him to sign the fight. I mean, I went to 205, to Shogun (Rua), to try to get (Fabricio) Werdum (at heavyweight). I’ve tried to get everybody I could possibly think about to get a fight that really got me up, but no one would take a fight, and now we’ve come down to David Branch was the only guy in the top-10 that would take a fight, from June to July to August to September, and it’s time.”

One opponent that seemed likely to be matched against Rockhold was fellow top contender Yoel Romero, who’s coming off of a loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC 213 last month. Rockhold, however, claimed that Romero tried to ‘delay’ the negotiations in order to land a three fight:

“I tried to get everything that made a bit of sense and no one would step up and fight,” Rockhold said. “Yoel wanted to delay and get a three-round fight as much as he could. We all know his issues with fighting a real fight.

“I wanted a fight, and like I said, the delays, I was ready to go. Yoel wanted to delay it into a three-round fight. I mean, let’s call it what it is. I was more than happy to fight Yoel. I would’ve loved the opportunity to end all the talk and shut his mouth. It’s a fight I’ll fight here shortly, I’m sure.”

What do you make of Rockhold’s comments, and how do you expect him to look when he takes on Branch next month?

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Luke Rockhold: Yoel Romero Wanted To Delay It Into A Three-Round Fight

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold hasn’t competed since last June, when he was shockingly knocked out by current titleholder Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 199, but he’ll return to action in the main event of Sept. 16’s UFC Fight Night 116 against former WSOF (World Series of Fighting) champion David Branch. […]

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Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold hasn’t competed since last June, when he was shockingly knocked out by current titleholder Michael Bisping in the main event of UFC 199, but he’ll return to action in the main event of Sept. 16’s UFC Fight Night 116 against former WSOF (World Series of Fighting) champion David Branch.

Many were a bit surprised when Rockhold was booked against the No. 9-ranked Branch, but the ex-champion recently said that he had difficulty finding an opponent:

“Really what it comes down to is, I can’t wait anymore,” Rockhold said Monday on The MMA Hour. “I had the thought process of waiting for that fight. In June it was Anderson Silva in Rio, he wouldn’t take the fight. Then they moved onto Gegard Mousasi, couldn’t get him to sign the fight. I mean, I went to 205, to Shogun (Rua), to try to get (Fabricio) Werdum (at heavyweight). I’ve tried to get everybody I could possibly think about to get a fight that really got me up, but no one would take a fight, and now we’ve come down to David Branch was the only guy in the top-10 that would take a fight, from June to July to August to September, and it’s time.”

One opponent that seemed likely to be matched against Rockhold was fellow top contender Yoel Romero, who’s coming off of a loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC 213 last month. Rockhold, however, claimed that Romero tried to ‘delay’ the negotiations in order to land a three fight:

“I tried to get everything that made a bit of sense and no one would step up and fight,” Rockhold said. “Yoel wanted to delay and get a three-round fight as much as he could. We all know his issues with fighting a real fight.

“I wanted a fight, and like I said, the delays, I was ready to go. Yoel wanted to delay it into a three-round fight. I mean, let’s call it what it is. I was more than happy to fight Yoel. I would’ve loved the opportunity to end all the talk and shut his mouth. It’s a fight I’ll fight here shortly, I’m sure.”

What do you make of Rockhold’s comments, and how do you expect him to look when he takes on Branch next month?

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Luke Rockhold Explains Why He Isn’t Fighting Yoel Romero

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold hasn’t competed since surrendering his title in shocking fashion to Michael Bisping at UFC 199 last June, but he’s scheduled to make his return in the main event of UFC Fight Night 116 on Sept. 16, 2017 against former WSOF (World Series of Fighting) champion David Branch. Many, however, […]

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Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold hasn’t competed since surrendering his title in shocking fashion to Michael Bisping at UFC 199 last June, but he’s scheduled to make his return in the main event of UFC Fight Night 116 on Sept. 16, 2017 against former WSOF (World Series of Fighting) champion David Branch.

Many, however, were expecting Rockhold to be booked against fellow top contender Yoel Romero, who’s also coming off of a loss. Recently speaking with ESPN.com. Rockhold explained why he isn’t facing off with “The Solider of God”:

“I tried waiting for the right fight, but September is the most logical main event spot. I’m a five-round fighter. That’s what I fight,” Rockhold said. “That’s the true tell of a fighter. They wanted Yoel Romero, I said, ‘Yeah, let’s do Yoel Romero, September 16.’ His camp tried to delay, said they needed three more weeks for a three-round fight specifically.”

“I want to fight a five-round fight. That’s what it is. Everyone knows Yoel has problems going the five. I don’t. I’m not going to force a fight with a guy. I’m not going to leave it up to the judges. I’m going to be technical, I’m going to be solid and I’m going to fight a real man’s fight. There’s a reason championship fights are five rounds.”

As far as Bisping goes, “The Count” is expected to defend his title against the returning Georges St. Pierre this November at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but Rockhold feels as if should be stripped of his title due to the lack of top contender’s he’s faced:

“Bisping has fought nobody in the top 10 for the last year-and-a-half and still isn’t going to fight anybody in the top 10,” Rockhold told ESPN. “Where does that put him? I think they should pull the title from guys like that who don’t fight anybody at the top. They pulled the title from [Germaine de Randamie] because she wouldn’t fight the No. 1 contender. Why is this any f–king different?”

“We’ll see if Georges even makes it to the fight,” he continued. “The guy has been out for so long, who knows where his head or his body is at, or if he actually makes it to that date. I’m going to go out and do what I have to do and we’ll see where everything is at that moment in time.”

What do you make of Rockhold’s comments?

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