MMA News

Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.

  • (Archives) Rodriguez On BJ Penn Fight: It Wasn’t A Late Stoppage (2017)

    The following article was published on this day five years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 16, 2017, 10:41 AM]

    Headline: Rodriguez On BJ Penn Fight: ‘I Don’t Think It Was Late Stoppage

    Yair Rodriguez’s first fight of 2017 was a successful one. “El Pantera” shared the Octagon with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer B.J. Penn last night (Jan. 15). It was a one-sided destruction in favor of Rodriguez.

    The first round saw the Mexican bruiser throw out multiple kicks that kept “The Prodigy” backing up. Early on, Penn tried to keep his opponent against the fence, but Rodriguez got out with ease. From there on, he kept his frenetic offense going.

    In the second round, Rodriguez landed a front kick followed by a straight punch that dropped Penn. He followed up with some vicious ground-and-pound. The fight was stopped by referee “Big” John McCarthy 24 seconds into the round.

    Some felt the stoppage should’ve come sooner. In a backstage interview with Megan Olivi, Rodriguez disagreed:

    “I don’t think so. He was moving and even though he was in danger, I knew he was pretty good. And throwing those upside kicks and all that stuff so I was just trying to be careful with that. If I stop a little, he’ll probably stand up. He’s a guy who has a lot of experience. You cannot play around with that. So you gotta take a chance, if you have the chance you take it a hundred percent.”

    During his post-fight interview, Rodriguez didn’t call anyone out specifically. He explained why.

    “I’m a real contender in the featherweight division. I don’t have nothing to bring. I don’t wanna ask for no fighters. I’m not the type of fighter to ask for other opponents. I don’t pick my guys. I don’t pick my guys and say, ‘oh I think I can win against this guy,’ no. I’m just gonna wait and see what the UFC wants to bring next. They know their plans and I’m just here.”

  • Archives: Mike Perry Takes Heat For Using N-Word In Twitter Beef (2020)

    The following story was published on this day two years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Two Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 9, 2020, 9:23 AM]

    Headline: Mike Perry Takes Heat For Using N-Word In Social Media Beef With Michael Jai White

    Mike Perry is defending himself after taking heat for using the N-word.

    Perry hasn’t been one to shy away from controversy. “Platinum” is known for being outspoken and some have said his personality is an acquired taste. Some, however, believe that Perry has gone too far with his insult towards actor and martial artist Michael Jai White.

    Mike Perry Gets Flak For Saying N-Word, Responds

    Perry recently took to Twitter to challenge White to a “backyard bare-knuckle” fight.

    “I just feel like #KimboSlice would beat the fuck outta @MichaelJaiWhite and his tone in the video really bothered me. He should fight me backyard bare knuckle because I would like to learn this ‘prison movie technique’ he was talking about #PPV #Or #For #Free.”

    White fired back at Perry with an offer of his own.

    “Maybe if MP learned my ‘Prison Movie Technique’ he wouldn’t be ranked #20? I got no time for playground callouts Brother but holla when you come thru and maybe I’ll have time to give you a personal demo. Just DM me Bro. It really ain’t that hard!”

    Perry would go on to question what credibility White has when it comes to world-class competition.

    “What’s your world class rank ? I’m the real deal. I know it. I leveled up the intensity of the whole sport soon as I hit the world stage. You fight on playgrounds in your movies. Fight me in a pro fight and let the world watch. @danawhite ‘s backyard .”

    Things took a turn when Perry used the N-word in an attempt to goad White into a fight.

    Perry caught flak for his use of the N-word from fans and even UFC strawweight Angela Hill.

    “White people using ‘nigga’ to insult a black person, I don’t give a fuck what your intentions were, it ain’t right. The few times I’ve run into Perry during fights he’s seemed cool, this isn’t cool.”

    Perry isn’t likely to apologize anytime soon.

    “You have to make a big deal out of this. A white man said that to you because you straight up being one. Y’all can’t act like you don’t hear me. It was bull shit he was trying to slander a real gangsta so people would think he more than an actor. For #FLA we say #FOH”

    “You are already offended I’m alive and breathing.”

    What is your reaction to this story?

  • Archives: Meryl Streep Says MMA is Not an Art, MMA World Reacts (2017)

    The original story was published on this day five years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Five Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 9, 2017, 9:21 AM]

    Headline: Meryl Streep Says MMA is Not an Art, Scott Coker & Fighters Disagree

    Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.

    An unlikely name has entered the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA) overnight. Renowned actress Meryl Streep accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement award last night (Jan. 8, 2017) at the 74th Golden Globe Awards. During her speech, Streep gave MMA a mention, although it wasn’t a flattering one.

    Here is what she said:

    “Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners. And if we kick them all out you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.”

    This prompted responses from some MMA fighters and even Bellator President Scott Coker chimed in. He offered Streep an invitation to see Bellator 170 live in Inglewood, California (via Twitter). Here is his invitation:

    “Meryl,

    I’m a lifelong fan of your work but also a lifelong martial artist who happens to promote mixed martial arts around the world.

    The global sport of mixed martial arts celebrates male and female athletes from all around the world who work years tirelessly honing their craft and- yes- art. They come from every country and every walk of life. We at Bellator support them and honor their skill.

    Please be my guest at the LA Forum on January 21st and you will see that Mixed Martial Arts is truly artistic – which will feature fighters from all over the world competing at a world class level.

    Scott Coker

    President Bellator MMA”

    Others weren’t as kind in their responses. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight Tamdan McCory was none too pleased with Streep’s words:

    https://twitter.com/TheBarnCatMMA/status/818294429970788353

    James Vick was just as heated over the speech as “The Barn Cat” was:

    A prominent name in MMA media, Ariel Helwani, also took issue with Streep’s comments on the sport.

    Even UFC host and reporter Megan Olivi took the actress to task.

    It’s unlikely that Streep will take Coker up on his offer, but never say never in the world of MMA.

  • [ARCHIVES] Dana White Confirms Verbal Agreement With Mayweather

    [MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]

    Dana White and Floyd Mayweather apparently came to an agreement as covered in the following story from 2019. What the precise nature of the verbal agreement was, to this day, remains worthy of an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. The following article was published on this day two years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Two Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 5, 2019, 6:52 PM]

    Dana White has confirmed that he and Floyd Mayweather have reached a verbal agreement.

    Last month, Mayweather had the combat sports world buzzing when he teased that something was in the works with the UFC president. “Money” and White had a conversation during an NBA game. Mayweather followed that up by claiming he was coming out of retirement in 2020.

    White Claims Verbal Agreement In Place With Mayweather

    White appeared on The Jim Rome Show and revealed that he’s hoping to put pen to paper in March (via MMAWeekly).

    “It’s true. We sat at the Clippers game. We started talking and we literally got a deal done right there on the court. And if things play out the way things Floyd and I think they will, I will probably sit down with Al Haymon (Mayweather’s manager) in March and get a deal on paper.

    “If everything goes our way, Floyd and I would be doing something in October or November (of 2020).”

    Mayweather retired from professional boxing with a perfect 50-0 record. He wrapped up his career with a 10th-round TKO victory over former UFC “champ-champ” Conor McGregor. MMA News will keep you up to speed on further updates on the Dana White-Floyd Mayweather talks as they become available.

  • [ARCHIVES] Ferguson Says ‘F**k No’ To Idea That Khabib Fight Is Cursed

    [MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]

    On this day two years ago, there was still hope that we’d see Khabib vs. Ferguson, and Ferguson refused to accept that the fight was cursed. The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Two Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 4, 2019, 11:24 AM]

    One would be wise not to tell Tony Ferguson that a bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov is cursed.

    Ferguson is set to challenge Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight title on April 18 in Brooklyn, NY. While fight fans are excited, some feel this bout is cursed. It has been booked several times in the past but never came to fruition due to injuries and illnesses on both sides.

    Tony Ferguson Blasts Those Who Say Khabib Fight Is Cursed

    Ferguson was a guest on ESPN’s Ariel Helwani MMA Show. During his appearance, “El Cucuy” had some choice words for those who think a bout with “The Eagle” is cursed (via MMAMania.com).

    “F*ck no, you can stop right there. Don’t even get the fans going on that sh*t. We’re going to set the pace right now – I want the encouragement,” Ferguson told Ariel Helwani. “F*ck you, don’t watch this sh*t, don’t buy our stuff. Go watch Bellator or some other bullsh*t. Go find some knock-off copy of what he got going on here … this is the OGs, I’m the original genius right here.”

    Ferguson was last seen in action back in June at UFC 238. He earned a second-round TKO victory over Donald Cerrone. The victory extended Ferguson’s winning streak to 12. He is scheduled to be Nurmagomedov’s third UFC lightweight title challenger. Nurmagomedov is a perfect 28-0 in his pro MMA career.

    Stick with MMANews.com for the latest updates on the UFC 249 card. We’ll keep you up to speed as the card shapes up.

  • [ARCHIVES] Holloway: Conor McGregor Beat Me When We Were Kids

    [MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]

    It’s been eight years since Conor McGregor defeated Max Holloway. Much has changed since then, and for the past several years, one thing that has remained the same is talk of a potential rematch between the two. As far back as four years ago, the two former opponens were still trash talking, as they continue to do to this day. The following article is was published on this day four years ago and is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Four Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 4, 2017, 11:51 PM]

    Max Holloway doesn’t take too kindly to Conor McGregor’s social media jab.

    This past Saturday night (Dec. 2), Holloway successfully defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title against Jose Aldo. “Blessed” earned a third-round TKO victory in the main event of UFC 218.

    After the bout, Holloway told the media that McGregor doesn’t want a rematch with him because he’s too busy hoping for a mixed martial arts bout with Paulie Malignaggi. McGregor responded by taking a jab on Twitter:

    Holloway didn’t waste time firing his own shot:

    During a recent appearance on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour,” Holloway said he fought hard to restore order in the featherweight division:

    “You know, it’s funny. The guy’s funny, I couldn’t help but laugh. I’m on his mind apparently. Like I said, I told you guys, I’m a champion and we just brought order back to the division. I’m trying to think of our division and respect all the other fighters. It took me 10 fights to get the damn interim title shot and then 11 to get an undisputed shot. It’s my duty to make sure everything runs smoothly. I gotta respect our sport, my division and the guys that are fighting in it. That’s what I gotta do. At the end of the day, this guy is gonna keep yapping.”

    He went on to say that McGregor’s win against him came at a time where they both were developing fighters.

    “This guy has got a win over me when we were kids in a Fight Night show — I think the main event was (Chael) Sonnen and (Mauricio) “Shogun” Rua. I don’t know if the two of them are in the UFC anymore. You know me and him made 12K that night and I think he’s happy to hold onto that. That’s the kind of person he is.”

  • [ARCHIVES] Bisping Feels Israel Adesanya Would Be An Easy Fight For Him

    [MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]

    On this day three years ago, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping predicted how a fight between himself and Israel Adesanya would go. The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Three Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 4, 2018, 12:17 PM]

    Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title holder Michael Bisping believes Israel Adesanya would be the perfect match-up for him if he were still fighting.

    Adesanya is set to clash with Anderson Silva on Feb. 9. The bout will be a part of the main card of UFC 234. The event is set to take place inside the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

    Michael Bisping Believes He’d Have An Easy Time Against Israel Adesanya

    During a recent edition of his “Believe You Me” podcast, Bisping had quite the take on Adesanya. He believes “The Last Stylebender” would be an easy fight for him (via MMAFighting.com):

    “I like Israel Adesanya but I’ll tell you something, if there’s one person if you asked me who I want to fight right now, it would be Israel. When I look at him – listen, he’s good, he’s great, but I’m sorry, I’m not buying it. I’m not saying I’m not impressed. I’m on the hype train. He’s good, he’s beating people. He’s beating the Marvin Vettoris of the world. He had a good win against Derek Brunson but Derek Brunson looked like sh*t. He was terrified. I think I would have an easy time with him. Just saying, just throwing it out there.”

    Bisping retired after being knocked out by Kelvin Gastelum in late 2017. While it doesn’t appear that Bisping is hinting at a return, he doesn’t seem fully on board with Adesanya until he faces elite-level competition.

    Do you think Israel Adesanya would’ve had a difficult time against Michael Bising?