MMA News

Author: Kyle Dimond

  • Marc Diakiese Explains ‘Relief’ Switching From UFC To PFL: ‘The Way They Treated Me As A Fighter…’

    Marc Diakiese Explains ‘Relief’ Switching From UFC To PFL: ‘The Way They Treated Me As A Fighter…’

    Former UFC lightweight Marc Diakiese is one of the latest fighters to make the switch over from the UFC to the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

    He leaves behind a seven-year stint in the promotion, a run that saw him compete 15 times inside the Octagon.

    His PFL signing was announced at the recent PFL Europe event in Newcastle and his debut fight has already been made official.

    “Bonecrusher” will compete in a battle of Brit strikers when he faces Tim Wilde in London on September 14 in his Bellator Champions Series debut.

    Diakiese has now spoken more about his decision to make the switch in order to start what he sees as a new chapter for his career.

    Marc Diakiese Says Lack Of Activity Led To Him Leaving UFC, Joining PFL

    Diakiese spoke about his departure from the UFC in a recent interview with InsideFighting, during which he made it clear that he didn’t want to say the wrong thing or give the wrong impression.

    For him, the decision became an easy one over time because of two main factors, one from both sides.

    Diakiese was becoming frustrated with how long he was having to wait before receiving fights, and after his win over Kauê Fernandes last November, he was even waiting to be cut by the promotion.

    He detailed how this growing frustration and desire to be active meant that he felt like he was being “set free” when everything was finalized with the PFL.

    “Fresh start. For me, people see it different, but for me, it’s actually a relief. I can actually focus on certain things that I want to focus on, as in my career, so it’s a perfect spot for me and I’m really happy where I am,” Diakiese said. “There was a couple issues with myself before leaving, so I’m just happy that I’ve been given a spot where I can perform because I’m 31. Like I said, I want to be busy, active, put on a show. Not just one win and wait six months. For me, I can’t be doing that.

    “It might come out wrong but it was just like, I don’t want to wait, I don’t want to wait around. It were like okay, I had a fight in Brazil, after that I got given another fight in Vegas but it was another five-week notice, it was too short for me and I was hoping for something (in) Europe. Then they said July, so I was waiting for that, but then for some reason I got nothing from them on the July card. So I’m going to wait around and just keep waiting. I want to be active.”

    The other side to the coin was that although he was hoping to be kept more active in the UFC, he was coming around to the idea of signing with the PFL after attending events and speaking to fighters on the roster.

    As he has previously stated, Francis Ngannou played a role in the move, which only made the decision easier once it became time for him to make the call.

    “Just the way they treated me as a fighter and like, yeah, I’m sure you know I’ve been speaking to Francis Ngannou for quite a while and he spoke to me like I was a younger brother and talked to me maybe like six months ago, eight months ago. You know when you’ve come back to it and you just think about it and you’re like, ‘Is it right? Is it not?’ But when it came, it was the easiest decision, like, ‘Yeah okay, I don’t want to sign with anybody else but PFL.’”

  • Paddy Pimblett Reacts To Green Changing First Name To ‘King’ Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Can Officially Call Me The Kingslayer’

    Paddy Pimblett Reacts To Green Changing First Name To ‘King’ Ahead Of UFC 304: ‘Can Officially Call Me The Kingslayer’

    Paddy Pimblett looks to continue his undefeated streak in the UFC when he returns on July 27 at UFC 304.

    “The Baddy” is sure to get an incredible reaction when he makes the walk in Manchester, despite it being the early hours of the morning.

    His opponent, while known as a fan favorite on the roster, will be welcomed to England as the away fighter, but this won’t phase the #15-ranked lightweight.

    In fact, his next outing is set to be the first of a new chapter in his career after King Green, formerly known as Bobby Green, announced that he had officially changed his name on social media.

    Paddy Pimblett Reacts To UFC 304 Opponent Changing His Name To King Green

    Green had laid out his plans in the past for wanting to change his first name to his longtime fight moniker in order to show just how far he has come in his career and what he has been able to achieve.

    July 27 will be his 50th professional fight, but flying to England to face a star like Pimblett after changing his name to King is sure to be one of the most memorable.

    It didn’t take long for his opponent to catch wind of this news, as “The Baddy” prepares to face the same man under a different name.

    He posted on social media to give his thoughts on this change for Green and, suffice to say, he won’t be following suit anytime soon…

    “This mushroom has actually changed his name to King so yous can officially call me the Kingslayer on July 28th”

    UFC 304 will be headlined by two title fights, with welterweight champion Leon Edwards’ rematch against Belal Muhammad and interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall’s second dance opposite Curtis Blaydes following Green vs. Pimblett.

  • Marc Goddard Names One UFC Champion He’ll Never Referee Fights For: ‘When He Was Just An Amateur…’

    Marc Goddard Names One UFC Champion He’ll Never Referee Fights For: ‘When He Was Just An Amateur…’

    When a big UFC main event is about to begin, you’re guaranteed to see one of just a few of the recognizable top officials in the sport standing between the fighters.

    Marc Goddard has been one of the staple referees working in the sport for some time now and is a former ‘Referee of the Year’ winner at the Annual MMA Awards.

    Despite being such a prominent fixture of the biggest events of the year, there are some occasions where the Brit has decided to remove himself from the equation for various reasons.

    Having been in and around the sport for such a long time, it’s only natural that you’re going to build connections with certain fighters or teams that may effect your ability to remain impartial.

    Marc Goddard Says You Never Have & Never Will See Him Referee A Leon Edwards Fight

    During a recent and rare podcast appearance, Goddard spoke about one of his only exceptions to officiating a fight on the Overdogs Podcast.

    He noted that fans will never see him be the third man in the cage when a current UFC champion is in action because of his ties to that fighter.

    With that in mind, you can expect to see a name like Herb Dean or Jason Herzog in the Octagon for the upcoming main event of UFC 304…

    “Leon Edwards, you’ve never saw me referee Leon Edwards in the UFC and you never will. Why? Because I was Leon Edwards’ first coach in MMA way back when, when he was just an amateur. But again, the common sense element for me…you never saw me referee him and you never will because we’ll just keep it out the way.

    “I just don’t want any hassle and I don’t want to be put in a predicament where I’m making a call that could go against him, so it’s both ways.”

    Goddard also revealed that there are other scenarios that can lead to him turning down a particular assignment.

    He gave the example of how he withdrew from being the official for Israel Adesanya’s rematch with Alex Pereira last April in Miami.

    Goddard gave the reason that after Adesanya wasn’t satisfied with the stoppage of his first encounter with Pereira five months prior, the official didn’t want this to have any impact on the challenger in the second fight.

  • Nick Diaz’s Former Coach Disagrees With Decision To Accept Vicente Luque Fight: ‘If I Was Advising Nick…’

    Nick Diaz’s Former Coach Disagrees With Decision To Accept Vicente Luque Fight: ‘If I Was Advising Nick…’

    Fight fans were certainly caught off guard to see an announcement seemingly drop out of nowhere regarding Nick Diaz’s UFC return.

    His last outing against Robbie Lawler three years ago also came as a shock, but given the way that fight ended and the lack of movement since then, many would have assumed that we wouldn’t see Diaz back inside the Octagon.

    The Stockton native is now set to take on #14-ranked welterweight contender Vicente Luque in the co-main event of the UFC’s return to Abu Dhabi on August 3.

    However, Diaz’s former coach has some worrying comments about the fight that aren’t going to go down well with fans who are excited to see him back…

    Cesar Gracie Expresses Concern Over Nick Diaz’s Return Against Vicente Luque

    In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Cesar Gracie gave his thoughts on the Octagon return of Diaz.

    He made it clear throughout that he isn’t involved in this fight, so while he is still in constant communication with Diaz, he doesn’t know much about it.

    Nevertheless, Gracie doesn’t think that coming back against a top 15 competitor in Abu Dhabi is the right move for his former fighter considering where he is at in his career.

    “I’m really not that involved in that fight, gonna be perfectly honest with you. That wasn’t my idea, it wouldn’t have been the fight that I would’ve — like, if I was advising Nick, I wouldn’t have advised him to do that fight.

    “It’s in Abu Dhabi, I wouldn’t advise to go fight overseas at this point. Luque is a very tough guy, Nick is a tough guy but it just doesn’t make that much sense for me. Where Nick is at in his career and I don’t know, it’s not the fight that I would’ve made.”

    At 40 years old, Diaz hasn’t had his hand raised inside the cage since his win over BJ Penn at UFC 137, a staggering 13 years ago.

    Gracie also expressed some concerns over whether this fight actually happens, stating once again that everything is a little bit up in the air right now, at least on his end.

    “I don’t even know what’s going on with that fight, to be honest with you. I spoke to Nick today and, yeah, I don’t have any plans for that fight to be honest with you, I don’t know what’s going to happen with that one at all.”

  • MMA News Today: Dana White Hits Back At Claims UFC Is A ‘Monopoly’, Ranked UFC Fighter Legally Changes First Name To ‘King’, & More

    MMA News Today: Dana White Hits Back At Claims UFC Is A ‘Monopoly’, Ranked UFC Fighter Legally Changes First Name To ‘King’, & More

    Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 8, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

    • White argues that UFC is the best at what they do rather than a monopoly
    • There’s a new “King” in the lightweight division
    • Top 15 lightweights scheduled for UFC’s return to Paris

    Dana White Insists UFC Isn’t A Monopoly Because ‘Anyone’ Can Start An MMA Promotion

    During the long process of the antitrust lawsuit that was filed against the UFC by former members of the roster, the case was granted class certification.

    While a settlement was eventually reached, many concluded that the class certification validated the allegation that the UFC holds a monopoly over the sport. Unsurprisingly, the promotion disagreeds with that notion.

    Dana White spoke out on this during a recent interview with Fox News, where he debated the idea that the MMA leader prevents others from being able to compete at its level.

    He made the case that the UFC is simply the best at what it does, but that it’s not stopping others from trying to replicate the success achieved by the sport’s leading promotion.

    “People have called us ‘monopoly’ and all this stuff for years. We’re not a monopoly, we’re just the best,” White said. “We’re the best at what we do, there’s no barrier to entry, anyone could get into this.

    “You could start a league tomorrow and pay the guys whatever you want, you can do whatever you want but a lot of smart, talented, big business moguls have got into this sport and tried to compete with me and they couldn’t do it,” White continued. “But everybody — there’s no barrier to entry, anyone can get into this thing tomorrow.”

    Bobby Green Officially Changes His Name To ‘King’ Green Ahead Of UFC 304 Return

    Islam Makhachev sits atop the UFC’s lightweight division as the world champion and pound-for-pound best fighter in the sport. Now, however, 155 pounds has a new king.

    #15-ranked Bobby Green made his intentions clear in the past that he was looking to change his name, but it has now been made official.

    When he makes the walk at UFC 304 later this month to face Paddy Pimblett, he will do so under a new name, King Green.

    He gave fans a glimpse of the official documentation on Instagram, which clearly shows that from this point on, he will answer to King and King only.

    Renato Moicano Set To Face Benoît Saint Denis In Paris Over Five Rounds

    The Octagon is set to return to the French capital for a third consecutive year, with UFC Paris going down at the Accor Arena on September 28.

    Ag. Fight reported that top 15 lightweights will face off in Paris with France’s Benoît Saint Denis taking on Brazil’s Renato Moicano. MMA Junkie later confirmed that the contest is set to take place over five rounds.

    It remains to be seen whether that marks the break of Ciryl Gane’s streak of Paris headliners, or if “God of War” and his Brazilian counterpart are set for a five-round co-headliner.

    Moicano is riding a three-fight win streak from the #10 spot, while Saint Denis, who is two spots below him in the rankings, will look to bounce back from his defeat to Dustin Poirier in March.

    Read more on the story here.

    For more MMA news, check out:

  • Israel Adesanya Has Kind Words For Robert Whittaker After His Big Win Over Ikram Aliskerov: ‘Robbie’s That Guy!’

    Israel Adesanya Has Kind Words For Robert Whittaker After His Big Win Over Ikram Aliskerov: ‘Robbie’s That Guy!’

    During a recent appearance on the Today Show Australia, Israel Adesanya took the moment to congratulate a former opponent on his recent victory.

    Robert Whittaker produced back-to-back wins when he stopped Ikram Aliskerov in the late-notice main event of UFC Fight Night Saudi Arabia on June 22.

    “The Reaper” is now back into the title picture after getting Aliskerov out of there in the first round to build on his decision victory against Paulo Costa at UFC 298 this past February.

    Adesanya and Whittaker have met two times inside the Octagon, with “The Last Stylebender” coming out on top on both occasions.

    While reacting to footage of his iconic UFC 243 walkout in Melbourne, the Nigerian-New Zealander took a second to praise his Australian peer.

    “I was fighting the local hero, Rob Whittaker, who just actually had a great win a week or two weeks ago, but I was fighting him here.

    “It was beautiful. Robbie’s that guy. We fought twice. We always have history but it was good to see him back in the win column, and he’s coming for me, so I got to stay ready.”

    Israel Adesanya Says Dricus Du Plessis Feud Is About Respecting ‘The Guys Who Came Before You’

    If Adesanya’s fight with Whittaker — which pitted Australia and New Zealand up against one another — was a big deal, it has nothing on the grudge match that is on deck for UFC 305.

    “The Last Stylebender” is set to finally go up against the current middleweight world champion, South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis, and it’s safe to say that they don’t see eye-to-eye.

    Much of the tension between them stems from comments made by Du Plessis about how him winning the middleweight title and bringing it back to Africa would make him the first true African champion because he still lives and trains out of the continent.

    Adesanya spoke about this during his recent TV appearance, stating that the lack of respect being shown to the people that came before the current champion is where he feels his next opponent crossed the line.

    “For me, it’s you have to honor the guys who came before you. He’s the guy saying, ‘I’m the real African champion,’ but look, you wouldn’t have been able to do what you’re doing at home in South Africa if myself, Francis Ngannou, and Kamaru (Usman) didn’t pave the way for you. So you have to respect your elders and I’ll make sure I do that to him.”

    Du Plessis and Adesanya will headline the UFC 305 pay-per-view event in Perth, Australia, on August 17. The bout comes almost a year on from the latter’s most recent appearance, an upset loss to Sean Strickland in Sydney.

  • Chael Sonnen: Alex Pereira Might Be The ‘Greatest Athlete’ Of All Time, Not Just Fighter

    Chael Sonnen: Alex Pereira Might Be The ‘Greatest Athlete’ Of All Time, Not Just Fighter

    What Alex Pereira has been able to accomplish during a short time in MMA has been nothing short of execeptional.

    The Brazilian certainly arrived in the Octagon with some hype behind him because of a stellar career in kickboxing, where he was famed for his one-punch knockout power.

    He already made history in the sport of kickboxing by becoming the first man in the history of Glory to hold titles at two weight classes simultaneously.

    Fast forward several years and he hasn’t just succeeded in transitioning to MMA, he’s become one of the best in the world. As a result, he is one of the biggest names in the MMA.

    And according to this ex-fighter, one of the best across any sport…

    Chael Sonnen Says Alex Pereira’s Greatness Transcends Combat Sports

    In a recent appearance on The Zach Gelb Show, Chael Sonnen spoke about Pereira’s unprecedented rise in MMA and how it may transcend combat sports.

    He made the case that, for a start, nothing like this has ever been done in fighting, where someone is able to reach the very top in effectively two different sports.

    Sonnen also chose to look at the bigger picture by bringing the entirety of sport into question. Once again, Sonnen insisted that no one has ever been this successful in two different fields during their career.

    Pereira’s kickboxing skills are obviously a vital part of what he does in MMA, but even Dana White recently admitted that he once had reservations about how well “Poatan” would do inside the Octagon, where opponents can grapple with him.

    Sonnen believes that Pereira’s career deserves to be looked at in sport as a whole, making some bold claims about just how great he truly is.

    “I can guarantee it never happened in combat sport. I’m telling you, in sport! I’m old enough to remember when Bo Jackson was playing football and went and played baseball, but he wasn’t 36 when he started and he didn’t become the best in the world.

    “I have never seen a rise like this. Basketball, baseball; anyway you want to do it. This might be the greatest athlete of all time. I mean that’s silly, it might be true.”

    Pereira could be in for his toughest test to date later this year should expected plans come to fruition.

    Off the back of another knockout at UFC 303 this past weekend to successfully defend his light heavyweight title for the second time, “Poatan” could face a stiff grappling challenge in the form of Magomed Ankalaev.

  • Former ONE Championship Strawweight King Jarred Brooks Names Jon Jones As The Perfect Fighter

    Former ONE Championship Strawweight King Jarred Brooks Names Jon Jones As The Perfect Fighter

    Jarred Brooks has achieved great success since departing the UFC and signing with ONE Championship, where he currently competes in the strawweight division.

    After losing his belt via disqualification at ONE 166 earlier this year, he is set to return at ONE Fight Night 24 in an interim title fight with Gustavo Balart. In the meantime, Brooks recently put together his perfect fighter in an interview with FightWave.

    He picked out which fellow athletes he would combine in order to build an unbeatable force of nature based off naming certain fighters renowned for their specialist skills…

    Jarred Brooks Says Picking Jon Jones For Each Category Would Build A Perfect Fighter

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0bGB9609-o

    Brooks started with his own specialist field, the grappling realm, where he picked two names who also compete in ONE Championship.

    Garry Tonon was one of the top submission grapplers in the world before making the move to competing in MMA, a venture that Kade Ruotolo has also recently embarked on.

    Brooks has said multiple times that his dream fight would be against the legendary Demetrious Johnson, who is the flyweight champion in ONE. He picked both “Mighty Mouse” and Merab Dvalishvili for cardio.

    In the boxing ranges, he named two featherweights who could be lined up to face one another in the near future as Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway continue to trade words on social media.

    Brooks also didn’t take long to name his pick for which fighter he would want for their kicking game, taking the consensus greatest of all time, Jon Jones.

    After adding “Bones” to his create-a-fighter, Brooks went on to say that, in reality, the correct answer to this question would be to pick the UFC heavyweight champion for each category.

    “It’s Jon Jones, period, though. 100 percent, and I’ve watched him since I was 12.”

    Jones has held the UFC’s heavyweight gold since his divisional debut in Las Vegas last March, which saw him submit Ciryl Gane in quick time.

    The Rochester native is expected to make his first defense against Stipe Miocic this November at Madison Square Garden, a year on from their canceled showdown in New York City.

  • Darren Till Predicts Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry, Provides Update On Future: ‘We Always Push For War, Never Peace!’

    Darren Till Predicts Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry, Provides Update On Future: ‘We Always Push For War, Never Peace!’

    Former UFC title challenger Darren Till is set to finally make his combat sports return this weekend after taking a late-notice fight at Social Knockout 3 in Dubai.

    Till was previously scheduled to make his long awaited boxing debut against Julio César Chávez Jr. on the undercard of Jake Paul’s fight with Mike Tyson. With that card being postponed until November, the fight was off, but the Brit hopes that he will still be a part of that event in some capacity when it takes place later this year.

    It has taken him a long time to get back in the mix, and after having this big fight collapse, he doesn’t want to lose out on the big opportunities that could have come with getting a win on July 20.

    Till is still targeting two of the biggest names that are out there for him in boxing as they’re set to meet on the originally planned date for Paul vs. Tyson.

    Darren Till Talks Wanting To Face Jake Paul & Mike Perry, Predicts Their Upcoming Fight

    In an interview with Fred Talks Fighting ahead of his return to competition, Till laid out his plans for the near future.

    Regardless of what happens on July 20, he is hoping to face either Mike Perry or Jake Paul, and there’s no denying that both fights would be big occasions for “The Gorilla.”

    “I think it’s either Jake Paul or Mike Perry at this point. Me and Mike Perry have got a lot of history. … It’s always beef, it’s always war with Mike. We always push for war, never peace.”

    Till also gave his prediction for the upcoming clash between Perry and Paul that was announced shortly after the postponement of the Tyson fight.

    The former UFC fighter finds it difficult to call a winner because of what both men bring to the table, but he is leaning ever so slightly toward “The Problem Child.”

    “I keep 50:50 on both, some days I say Jake ‘cause I know Jake’s the bigger man, but then I don’t think you can rule Perry out. Perry’s a tough man and he’s been beating all these veterans now. like, I think it’s a 50:50. I’m gonna sway towards Jake a little bit more.”

  • Coach Hints At Major Career Change For Jiří Procházka After UFC 303 Defeat: ‘A Potential Restart…’

    Coach Hints At Major Career Change For Jiří Procházka After UFC 303 Defeat: ‘A Potential Restart…’

    Following his bounce-back win over Aleksandr Rakić at UFC 300, Jiří Procházka made the claim that competing at the weight class below could be an option for him in the near future.

    He said that going into his fight in April, he didn’t have much weight to cut in order to make the light heavyweight limit, which made him confident of dropping to middleweight at some stage.

    Procházka told Michael Bisping in an interview that it was something he was thinking about as a way to further challenge himself, even after the former middleweight champion warned him of how tough the weight cut may be.

    “So, good food with some good diet for me, I think 84 kilos, middleweight will be no problem. I’m still thinking about that, how I can feel with these guys in middleweight because I know I can do that.

    “I’m looking forward to that because I want to try more clear foods in preparation because I really know how to work with my body, with that weight, and I feel it can be good.”

    Jiří Procházka’s Coach Says Middleweight Would Give Them A ‘New Start’ Post-UFC 303

    Moving to middleweight looks to be back in contention for Procházka after he was unable to reclaim the light heavyweight title this past weekend at UFC 303 in a rematch with Alex Pereira.

    Many were critical of his approach to the fight, with the former champion also stating that he would need to go back and work on becoming a new version of himself if he was going to continue fighting.

    His coach, Martin Karaivanov, spoke in an interview with TN CZ Sport about how this could mean moving to middleweight in order to begin a new chapter of his career.

    “Personally speaking, I see [middleweight] as a potential restart and a positive step,” Karaivanov said (translated by MMA Mania). “He is also still at an age where he can cut weight to [185] relatively well. We will definitely talk about it. It won’t be my decision, but a team decision.

    “Middleweight would make sense because it would be a new start, something new to focus on. A return to light heavyweight would make sense if and when it starts becoming difficult for him to cut weight to middleweight.”

    Having admitted that he either needs to evolve as a fighter or not return to competition following a second setback at the hands of “Poatan,” perhaps “BJP” will look to do so down at 185 pounds in pursuit of becoming the promotion’s latest double champ.

  • Tyson Fury’s Brother Admits Father John’s Advice In Oleksandr Usyk Fight Was Counter-Productive: ‘Them Instructions Is Sometimes Not What you need…’

    Tyson Fury’s Brother Admits Father John’s Advice In Oleksandr Usyk Fight Was Counter-Productive: ‘Them Instructions Is Sometimes Not What you need…’

    Following the first loss of his professional career, there was some criticism regarding the corner work that was done by Tyson Fury’s team in his fight with Oleksandr Usyk.

    Fury appeared to be behind in the later stages of the fight after nearly being stopped in the ninth round. While some of his corner team looked to correct some mistakes that he had been making in the fight, his father John Fury was more focused on motivating his son.

    Fury could be heard in the corner saying that all “The Gypsy King” needed to do was get through the final stages of the fight in order to be crowned the undisputed heavyweight champion despite the fact that the scorecards had it in Usyk’s favor.

    Shane Fury Says His Father Was More Concerned With Protecting Tyson Fury Than Giving CFight Advice

    The brother of Tyson Fury, Shane Fury, is the latest to give his thoughts on whether or not the corner were partly to blame for the defeat in May.

    Tyson’s uncle Peter has been very critical in recent weeks with his words about how there was far too many voices all saying different things and talking over one another rather than delivering precise and clear information.

    He questioned the professionalism of the corner and how each man should have their specific job and stick to that rather than everyone trying to play head coach.

    Shane echoed this without being quite as critical, telling iFL TV that his father was trying to protect his son rather than giving him the right advice on how to win the fight.

    “My take is, deeply, truly, my honest opinion is my dad wants what’s the best for his son, and the best for his son after he’s been put down and nearly out cold is to get him through the fight. F*** the boxing, you can be KO’d and not wake up. That’s his mentality ’cause he wants the best for his sons, but sometimes when you want the best for someone, it’s maybe not the best instructions. Them instructions is sometimes not what you need.”

  • MMA News Today: Michael ‘Venom’ Page Makes First Statement On UFC 303 Loss, WBC President Expels Ryan Garcia From ‘Any Activity With Our Organization’ After Racial Slurs, & More

    MMA News Today: Michael ‘Venom’ Page Makes First Statement On UFC 303 Loss, WBC President Expels Ryan Garcia From ‘Any Activity With Our Organization’ After Racial Slurs, & More

    Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 5, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

    • “MVP” plans to learn and come back stronger from UFC 303 setback
    • WBC refuses to work with Ryan Garcia after latest offensive outburst
    • Ankalaev believes he can exploit Pereira’s striking in one area

    Michael ‘Venom’ Page Speaks On Social Media After First UFC Setback

    Michael “Venom” Page suffered his first defeat in the Octagon at UFC 303 this past weekend where he was beaten on the scorecards by Ian Garry.

    Despite displaying some of his unpredictable striking at it’s best, he was unable to prevent his opponent from taking the fight to the ground.

    Page could have been lined up for a massive fight if he was able to hand Garry the first defeat of his career, but now it’s time to go back to the drawing board for the London-based fighter.

    Page spoke for the first time since the setback via a post on his Instagram profile, where he reflected about learning from this defeat in order to come back stronger.

    “When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal. #ufc303”

    WBC Cut All Ties With Ryan Garcia After Latest Controversial Rant Goes Too Far

    WBC President Mauricio Sulaimán has taken action against controversial boxing star Ryan Garcia after his latest outburst pushed the line too far.

    Garcia made headlines after using incredibly offensive racial slurs and referencing George Floyd during a rant on X Spaces.

    With Garcia’s behavior only appearing to become more erratic and troubling since his clash with Devin Haney, the people around him are starting to act.

    Sulaimán said that the governing body will be cutting all ties with Garcia from this point on and refuse to work with him.

    His post on social media also makes reference to how he has declined the opportunity for help from the WBC on multiple occasions, claiming that they wished to support him through is struggles with mental health and substance abuse.

    “Exercising my authority as president of the WBC , I am hereby expelling Ryan Garcia from any activity with our organization. We reject any form of discrimination. I fear for Ryan well being as he has declined multiple attempts for our help with mental health and substance abuse”

    This latest outburst also led to Garcia’s family putting out a statement, insisting that they don’t support the things he said and that they don’t reflect who he truly is.

    Magomed Ankalaev Makes Bold Claim About Alex Pereira’s Striking

    Ask any MMA fan who the best striker in the sport is right now and you’re likely to be given the name of the UFC light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira.

    Following his latest title defense at UFC 303, where his devastating stand-up skills were on full show once again, his likely next opponent has made a bold claim.

    Magomed Ankalaev believes that he will dethrone “Poatan” when they eventually meet, and while he would be expected to have an advantage in the grappling, he also believes that he can out strike the champion.

    Ankalaev spoke in an interview with Mike Bohn for MMA Junkie about the one aspect that he sees in Pereira’s striking that he believes he would be able to take advantage of.

    “I think he is a great striker. But he is the kind of guy who always moves forward, and that is where sometimes he might make a mistake. That’s where I might catch him,” Ankalaev continued. “Definitely he has a strong punch, but I think just overall, his standup fight is overrated. Watch his fight with Jamahal Hill; he had something to offer to counter him. Same with the fight with Procházka. … He was probably lucky or didn’t face serious opposition. Wrestling is there, but I’m ready to fight with him standing up.”

    Read more on the story here.

    For more MMA news, check out:

  • Former UFC Champion On Why We May See ‘One Of The Most Dangerous, Nasty Versions Of Israel Adesanya’ Against Dricus Du Plessis

    Former UFC Champion On Why We May See ‘One Of The Most Dangerous, Nasty Versions Of Israel Adesanya’ Against Dricus Du Plessis

    Israel Adesanya is certainly not going to be short on motivation heading into his middleweight title fight at UFC 305.

    After the longest break of his fighting career, the former champion returns to try and reclaim the belt against his rival, Dricus Du Plessis.

    There has been tension between the two men that stems back to last year when some comments from “Stillknocks” made this feud personal and intense.

    Now, Du Plessis had added more fuel to the fire with his statements in interviews and the recent press conference, where he gave his feelings on Adesanya’s career.

    Michael Bisping Says Dricus Du Plessis Is Motivating & Firing Up Israel Adesanya Ahead Of UFC 305

    Despite their feud, Du Plessis has made it very clear that he has a lot of respect for everything that Adesanya has accomplished in his career.

    The difference is that the current champion believes his next opponent is not the same man that he used to be anymore and his best days are behind him.

    In a recent video on his YouTube channel, former 185-pound champion Michael Bisping gave his reaction to the words between the two men at the press conference.

    He believes that Du Plessis saying these things about Adesanya could end up backfiring by giving his opponent more venom ahead of their eventual meeting in Perth on August 17.

    “That’s kind of harsh words for Israel Adesanya to hear and for Israel, that’s going to motivate him big time. That’s going to p*** him off, that’s going to grind his gears, that’s going to get in his head, that is going to force him to train his a** off, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see one of the most dangerous, nasty version of Israel Adesanya that we’ve seen.”

    Adesanya’s return comes on Australian soil, where he was shockingly unseated by Sean Strickland last September in Sydney.

    He’ll look to return to the throne inside Perth’s RAC Arena, where fellow Oceania-based fighters like Kai Kara-France, Steve Erceg, Junior Tafa, and Jack Jenkins will also be among those in action.

  • Georges St-Pierre’s Coach Labels Jiří Procházka’s UFC 303 Performance As ‘Worst Approach To A Fight Ever’

    Jiří Procházka was unable to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title in a rematch with Alex Pereira this past weekend in Las Vegas.

    Despite believing that he had made some significant adjustments for his approach this time around, UFC 303 was a far more one-sided affair than their previous encounter last November.

    Though it is true that Procházka was having success in the first fight until he was stopped in the second round, he was seemingly fighting a losing battle mostly due to the damage that was done to his leg early on in the fight.

    The same thing happened on Saturday night but Pereira was able to find a home for his devastating left hook even earlier on this occasion, before finishing the fight at the start of the second round with a head kick.

    Firas Zahabi Criticizes Jiří Procházka For Being Happy To Strike With Alex Pereira

    The highly-regarded MMA coach Firas Zahabi gave his breakdown of the fight during a recent video on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel.

    He was very critical of the approach that Procházka came into the rematch with because there wasn’t enough emphasis placed on switching things up on Pereira.

    Zahabi referenced how there is a stark difference in the amount of MMA experience that both men have, with Procházka coming into the main event with 36 pro fights compared to Pereira’s 13.

    The former coach of Georges St-Pierre couldn’t understand why the challenger wouldn’t look to take advantage of this by trying to take the former world champion kickboxing out of his comfort zone.

    “You’d think Jiří would have like 10 more years under his belt in wrestling and still he didn’t even fathom a takedown. He tried one little clinch, he didn’t even knock on that door. Very disappointing strategy by Jiří. Jiří was just seemingly happy to strike and I will tell you, within the first minute of round one, “Poatan” had landed like four kicks and you could tell he was already hurting Jiří’s leg.

    “Jiří’s game plan and performance, I think that was his worst approach to a fight ever, he’s ever had. I heard he was like three days in a cave somewhere meditating, thinking about this fight, how he’s going to approach it. Unfortunately for him it really didn’t work.”

  • ‘Big’ John McCarthy Slams Influencer Who Disrespected Nate Diaz At Press Conference: ‘Homeboy, You’re Lucky He Doesn’t Jump Over The Table…’

    ‘Big’ John McCarthy Slams Influencer Who Disrespected Nate Diaz At Press Conference: ‘Homeboy, You’re Lucky He Doesn’t Jump Over The Table…’

    A recent trend in combat sports sees influencers asking intentionally provoking questions to professional fighters in order to stir up social media.

    The latest example came during the press conference for Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal’s boxing match this Saturday where a streamer named “N3on” got hold of the mic.

    He proceeded to ask Diaz whether he was going to retire when he gets knocked out on Saturday night, which obviously did not go down well with the Stockton fighter.

    The streamer’s name may ring a bell for fight fans after he was prevented from attending UFC 296 in December last year following comments online about how he would confront Donald Trump at the event.

    ‘Big’ John McCarthy Says N3on Is Lucky Nate Diaz Didn’t Go Right At Him After Insulting Question

    On a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, “Big” John McCarthy gave his reaction to the clip of N3on attempting to antagonise Diaz at the press conference.

    Diaz did hold his own and repeatedly responded with expletives before his team appeared to pursue the streamer once the press conference had finished, as shown in the video below.

    McCarthy expressed his dislike of this trend that keeps coming back around, expressing that N3on should be lucky that Diaz didn’t just decide to jump off the stage and handle it right then and there.

    “Where is it that a guy that has never been in a fight in his life wants to be a smarta** with a guy who is a real fighter, he has to sit up there, he has to listen to your b******* and you want to sit there and say, ‘Are you gonna retire when you get knocked out this Saturday night?’

    “It’s like, do you think maybe, do you think just maybe that’s a f****** douchebag thing to say to a guy that’s been through wars throughout his career and you’ve never done a f****** thing?”

    McCarthy then continued, warning streamers like N3on who push their luck against real fighters that they may end up biting off more trouble than they can chew.

    “It’s always these guys that they’ll never f****** do anything and they’ll sit there and say something like, ‘You’re gonna get knocked out, you gonna retire when you do’. It’s like, homebody, you’re lucky he doesn’t jump over that table and just drop kick you into the f****** third row and let your teeth become f****** chicklets.”

  • VIDEO: Former Bellator Fighter Ryan Curtis Back Hitting Heavy Bag Just Months After Neck-Down Paralysis Due To Freak Training Injury

    VIDEO: Former Bellator Fighter Ryan Curtis Back Hitting Heavy Bag Just Months After Neck-Down Paralysis Due To Freak Training Injury

    At the start of the year, former Bellator fighter Ryan Curtis suffered an injury in training that was compared by doctors to being in a severe car crash or falling from a balcony.

    The freak accident required extensive surgery to replace the discs from his spine with titanium cages.

    Curtis’ close friends and teammates were there to support him, his partner and his young daughter through this incredibly difficult process which started with him being paralyzed from the neck down.

    Since then, thanks to the surgeries and a ton of support coming in from his loved ones, supporters and other members of the MMA community, promising updates have continued to come in.

    Curtis posted on his Instagram page back in April to say that he had been able to exercise on a cycling machine while lying down, just two months on from being told that he may never walk again.

    His remarkable recovery is still ongoing but once again, there are more positive signs.

    Ryan Curtis Shares More Inspirational Videos Of His Recovery Process – This Time, Doing What He Does Best

    The latest video to come out and track his path to recovery was once again posted by Curtis via Instagram.

    A series of videos show him slowly hitting the heavy bag with gloves on, walking uphill on a treadmill and even lifting weights by sitting up without any kind of assistance.

    His caption on the post says it all as this inspirational fighter continues to push towards the light at the end of the tunnel following the incredibly difficult events that he was forced to face just over six months ago.

    “Sometimes life sacrifices you for what you are, So that you can be what you can become. 🧱 by 🧱 don’t ever give up on yourself.”

  • MMA News Today: Jon Jones Teases Date For Potential Stipe Miocic Fight, Dan Ige Calls In His Favor With Dana White After Saving UFC 303, & More

    MMA News Today: Jon Jones Teases Date For Potential Stipe Miocic Fight, Dan Ige Calls In His Favor With Dana White After Saving UFC 303, & More

    Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 4, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

    • Jones says he will return at MSG in November
    • Ige calls to face Garcia
    • 303 winner makes quick turnaround to face Drew Dober

    Jon Jones Says His Return Will Be On November 9 At Madison Square Garden

    In a post on social media, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones teased a potential date and location for the first defense of his title.

    “Bones” was set to face off with former champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November of last year until an injury forced him to withdraw and postpone the fight.

    Jones appears to now be targeting the rescheduled fight for the same month in the originally planned venue, Madison Square Garden in New York.

    He replied to a comment on Instagram where he named November 9 at the iconic venue as the target that he is working towards right now.

    Dan Ige Wants To Fight Ryan Garcia At UFC 306 With No Takedowns Or Weigh-In

    After he stepped up on the day of the fight to save the co-main event of UFC 303, Dana White said that he will try to make it up to Dan Ige.

    Ige didn’t get his hand raised against Diego Lopes this past weekend but his efforts to be a company man didn’t go unnoticed or without reward.

    The featherweight contender posted on social media where he made his request for his next outing with a very bold idea.

    Ige posted that he wants to face the controversial boxing star Ryan Garcia at UFC 306 inside the Sphere with a few extra rules being put in place.

    Garcia responded on social media, so clearly the call out at least caught his attention, that he’s down to compete.

    https://twitter.com/RyanGarcia/status/1808595885770543420

    Jean Silva Set To Make Two-Week Turnaround To Fight Drew Dober In Denver

    Jean Silva delivered one of the stand-out performances at UFC 303 as he stopped Charles Jourdain in the second round.

    Despite missing weight for the fight, the Brazilian is now set to make a remarkable two-week turn-around in order to take on Drew Dober up at lightweight.

    Dober was originally set to face Mike Davis in a significant bout for the 155-pound fan favorite due to him training out of Denver, Colorado where the card will be hosted.

    Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight reported the news that Silva will be looking to pick up his third consecutive win in the UFC after debuting on the first card of 2024.

    Read more on the story here.

    For more MMA news, check out:

  • Dricus Du Plessis Matchmakes For Sean Strickland, Shuts Down Desire To Wait For Title Shot: ‘You Can Main Event That Fight On Any Card…’

    UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis is locked in to prepare for his first title defense, which will come at UFC 305 against Israel Adesanya.

    Without looking past the former champion, Du Plessis is still keeping an eye on who else could challenge him for the title in the near future, with it likely coming down to two potential opponents.

    Both Sean Strickland and Robert Whittaker have held the title in the past and they’ve rebounded in recent fights from losses to the current champion.

    After Whittaker stopped Ikram Aliskerov, who was a late-notice replacement for Khamzat Chimaev, and Strickland convincingly defeated Paulo Costa, a fight between them makes a lot of sense to the champion.

    Dricus Du Plessis Says Sean Strickland vs. Robert Whittaker Should & Will Happen Next

    In an interview with Submission Radio following the first press conference for UFC 305, Du Plessis spoke about what he thinks should be next for the middleweight division.

    Strickland has made it very clear that after believing he beat Du Plessis in January and then getting the win over Costa at UFC 302, he wants to sit out in order to wait for his second shot at the title.

    The champion believes that with Strickland and Whittaker both having claims to be the next in line, a number one contender’s match-up should and will take place in the near future.

    “Stillknocks” spoke about this option and why he wants to see his two former opponents meet for the first time inside the Octagon.

    “In my opinion, how I see this playing out, you cannot not do the Whittaker versus Strickland fight. I think that’s the fight that needs to happen. Now I know Strickland when we’re at the presser said Whittaker is nothing but a blitz and it’s an easy fight and now he doesn’t want to take that fight. Let me tell you one thing, Robert Whittaker is no easy fight for anybody. Strickland, also an incredible fighter, and that is just a fight that makes so much sense. That’s a fight on it’s own, you can main event that fight on any card and I honestly think that’s how it’s gonna play out.”

    Read also: ‘This Guy Is Such A Trash Person’ – MMA Fans Annoyed After Sean Strickland Puts A Beating On Navy Seal In Sparring

  • Nate Diaz Doubles Down On Support For Conor McGregor Following UFC 303 Pullout: ‘Lost His Last Fight Because He Went In There Like A G & Was Hurt…’

    When Conor McGregor announced the reason for his long awaited return at UFC 303 being pushed back, he received a lot of negativity.

    “The Notorious” made the call to delay his comeback fight after breaking his toe in training because after being out for so long, he wanted to step back inside the Octagon at 100%.

    A new date has not been provided yet for when he hopes to fight again and whether or not it will still be against Michael Chandler.

    Despite their long-running rivalry with each other that produced two of the most iconic fights in the history of the sport, Nate Diaz has McGregor’s back on this one.

    Nate Diaz Commends Conor McGregor For Making The Decision To Postpone His Comeback

    During an interview with MMA legend Demetrious Johnson on The MightyCast, Diaz said that he actually supports McGregor’s decision to postpone the fight.

    The Stockton fighter believes that this shows the Irishman’s experience and learning over the years – which is something Diaz has also noticed in his own career regarding fighting injured.

    “That’s experience, you know, he was f***** up when he fought his last fight and I’ve been f***** up in hella fights and I don’t want to like to cry about it afterwards ‘cuz your a** shouldn’t have came to fight if you was f***** up, that’s how I think about it.”

    Diaz made a clear distinction between the fact that McGregor didn’t cancel the fight but called for it to be pushed back, and commended him for making that call.

    He reflected on how he found himself in a similar position ahead of his fight with Leon Edwards which was moved to the following month’s event at UFC 263, after he suffered a cut in training that he nearly decided to fight through.

    Diaz also referenced how McGregor’s injury, which was a big reason why he was inactive for so long, came at UFC 264 because he went into the fight already compromised which further supports his decision to delay the return.

    “So now, before you just jump to conclusions and start being like, ‘He’s hurt, f****** p****’ it’s like bro, he lost his last fight because he went in there like a G and he was hurt and he f***** himself up, you know what I’m saying. That being a part of it, he shouldn’t have showed up though but now he knows. So it’s like when people are like, ‘wah’, I’m like why don’t you just shut up and sit down?”

  • Interim UFC Champion Tom Aspinall Reveals He Has Been Waiting Two Years For Son’s Autism Diagnosis: ‘I Want To Put Pressure On The NHS…’

    Being able to build a sizeable platform through the success he has achieved in his career, Tom Aspinall has spoken very openly about an issue that is close to his heart.

    The interim UFC heavyweight champion had one of his three sons diagnosed with autism but getting the specialist help that he needed was a difficult process.

    He revealed on the Happy Hour Podcast that both he and his partner only considered this to be an option after watching a documentary that aired on TV about English comedian Paddy McGuinness and his similar experiences.

    After meeting McGuiness in person shortly after, Aspinall was advised to try and get a diagnosis so that they could correctly identify how best to help his son – but getting this through England’s National Health Service, or NHS, was no easy task.

    Tom Aspinall Speaks Openly On His Struggles With The NHS System And Helping Others

    The NHS, which offers free healthcare in England, has got incredibly long waiting lists and this meant that Aspinall needed to look into other options.

    He spoke about this in depth during the podcast interview, stating that he was lucky to be in a position where he could pay for a private diagnosis rather than having to wait to receive the right assistance.

    “We tried getting it through the NHS and there’s like a three-year waiting list and the amount of progress you can make in the three years is like unbelievable and luckily, I’m in a spot financially where I could like pay privately to get a diagnosis.

    Like even now, we’ve not given up on the original one and this was like two years ago and we’ve still not got an appointment [with the NHS]. He’s been diagnosed now privately but we’ve still not got an appointment.”

    Aspinall then continued about why he wants to speak about this publicly because not every family is going to be in a similar position to him where seeking private help is an option.

    The Brit knows that it may be difficult to create any change by himself but if he’s able to raise awareness for the families that find themselves looking for help and not receiving it, he will continue to speak on the topic.

    “Absolutely wild. So I like speaking about it because I want to like, I mean it’s only little old me but I want to put pressure on the NHS to be like, let’s f****** do something about this because the waiting lists are just ridiculous, like for ADHD and autism, you just almost can’t get a diagnosis and there’s a lot of parents out there who are lost, they don’t know what to do.”

  • Robert Whittaker Has Sympathy For Referees In MMA Despite Bad High-Profile Calls: ‘Nobody Talks About A Ref Doing A Good Job…’ (Exclusive)

    June was a big month for the UFC’s middleweight division with several top contenders in action as the upcoming title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya draws closer.

    Former champion Robert Whittaker could have announced himself as the number one contender had Khamzat Chimaev not withdrawn from their main event in Saudi Arabia.

    Whittaker ended up facing Ikram Aliskerov where he produced a dominant display to earn a first-round finish.

    Earlier in the month, there was controversy in the division after Nassourdine Imavov stopped Jared Cannonier in a call that many believe was made too soon.

    Referee Jason Herzog waved the fight off in the fourth round with fans believing that he stopped the fight too early despite some worrying signs from Cannonier.

    Robert Whittaker Does Not Envy The Thankless Role Of Being A MMA Referee

    In an exclusive interview with MMA News, Whittaker said that he feels some sympathy towards MMA officials for the thankless jobs that they do.

    “The Reaper” didn’t agree with the stoppage of that fight but he also didn’t want to be too negative about the call that Herzog made in this instance.

    He stated that he understands the frustration of being on the wrong end of an early stoppage and having faced Cannonier in the past, knows that there is no quit in him.

    However, Whittaker said that he does not envy the role of the referees, specifically referencing how they never get credit but will always get criticized when a mistake is made.

    “Mate, being a ref’s hard. It’s a hard gig and it’s easy to point the finger at a ref for being trigger happy or pulling a fight too late or pulling a fight too short but man, the reality is their job is so hard. So hard. Nobody talks about a ref doing a good job, they only get hammered when they make a mistake or when it’s not to the liking of the fans. It’s a hard gig and I don’t have an opinion on it.”

    Here are the some of the other topics Whittaker discussed in the exclusive interview that you can watch in the video above:

    • Being upset with the media for misrepresenting his injury issue heading into the Aliskerov fight
    • Reacting to his first KO finish in seven years
    • On refereeing and how he would change judging in MMA
    • Explaining his decision not to weigh in at UFC 305 as the backup fighter
    • Discussing Sean Strickland, Bo Nickal, and Conor McGregor
    • Predicting how a rematch goes against Dricus Du Plessis

    Read More: VIDEO: Israel Adesanya Reacts To Longtime Rival Alex Pereira’s Knockout Of Jiří Procházka At UFC 303

  • MMA News Today: Dricus Du Plessis Lands Verbal TKO To Israel Adesanya During Heated Staredown At UFC 305 Press Conference, Jon Jones Responds To Rumors Of ‘Spirit Channeling & Magic’ In MMA Following Alex Pereira Fight, & More

    Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For July 3, 2024, we’re taking a look at:

    • Du Plessis has the best reply to Adesanya jab
    • Jones gives his side of the story on the use of magic and spirits
    • Diaz knew his own value before taking McGregor opportunity

    Dricus Du Plessis Makes Joking Remark To Israel Adesanya During Heated Faceoff

    Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya came face to face once again during the press conference that went down yesterday, for their upcoming middleweight title fight.

    Before the two rivals meet at UFC 305 on August 17 in Perth, they shared an incredibly tense staredown that is sure to build excitement for their eventual meeting.

    Adesanya appeared to be the one to say something to Du Plessis first during the staredown which the middleweight champion was asked about after the press conference.

    He jokingly made remarks about something that Adesanya’s last opponent, Sean Strickland, also chose to make fun of throughout the build-up to their fight.

    Du Plessis referenced a video of Adesanya and his dog which appears to be a bit of a sore subject for “The Last Stylebender”, as was proven after the Strickland fight.

    “I think he said, ‘Don’t kiss me’, as far as I know. I said I’m no dog so I won’t and you know, I don’t really know what he was saying. I wasn’t really focused on what he was saying.”

    Jon Jones Says He Has Experienced ‘Spirit Channelling’ & Magic’ For Himself Following UFC 303 Controversy

    Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka are two of the most intense individuals in the sport when it comes to fight night.

    Before UFC 303 got underway, Procházka spoke about how he believed “Poatan” was using the help of magic and spirits in his fight, asking him to abstain in their rematch.

    Whilst Pereira offered a classy response to this in his post-fight interview after beating the former champion, UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones is the latest to weigh in on this.

    He posted on social media about how there is some truth to this based on his experiences of stepping into certain arenas and coming up against specific opponents.

    “There has been a lot of talk about spirit channeling and magic in MMA lately. This stuff is all very real. I felt all types of weird energies walking into those arenas. Looking certain opponents in the eyes. I want to let you all know that Jesus Christ is king, he is and always will be undefeated. Every knee shall bow.”

    Nate Diaz Reveals How He Negotiated A Much Higher Purse For His First Fight With Conor McGregor

    Nate Diaz has always been a cult icon in combat sports but UFC 196 was a moment that changed his life forever.

    The Stockton fighter became a huge name overnight when he stepped into the main event on late notice to fight Conor McGregor in one of the most iconic moments in the history of the sport.

    Diaz was well compensated for stepping up to save the day in place of Rafael Dos Anjos but he did have to put his foot down in order to get a much higher purse than was initially offered.

    He told MMA great Demetrious Johnson during an interview on The MightyCast how he knew what his own value was at the time and made sure he was suitably compensated.

    “At the time, it was (the biggest pay check I’d received). But they were trying to give me pennies for that too,” Diaz said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, right. I know what I’m doing here. I’ve been through it.’ I’d already been into it with the organization about that. So they called me and they were like, ‘Hey, while you’re going to do this, we’re going to give you a million dollars.’ I was like, ‘Hey, you’re gonna give me more than that.’

    “So I got like five times more than that because of that. I knew the game by then and I was like, ‘F*ck that,’” Diaz continued. “Remember when I was telling you about how if I fight every two months, I could be rich. That basic math attitude kind of f*cking times 10, times 100, over and over again. So I knew what it was with the whole money in the business and sh*t. I might not be educated but I’m not stupid.”

    Read more on the story here.

    For more MMA news, check out:

  • Jamahal Hill All Praise For ‘Evolved’ Alex Pereira After UFC 303 Performance: ‘Beautiful Adjustments, Bro!’

    Jamahal Hill was sure to have a close eye on the main event of UFC 303 this past weekend when the light heavyweight title was on the line.

    “Sweet Dreams” was unsuccessful in reclaiming the title at UFC 300 after he was stopped by Alex Pereira in the main event.

    Saturday night saw “Poatan” secure another title defense, this time in a rematch with former champion Jiří Procházka where he beat him even more impressively than the first time around.

    Hill broke the fight down in a video on his YouTube channel where despite his hunger to avenge his loss and take back the title, he gave lots of credit to his former opponent.

    Jamahal Hill Says Alex Pereira Looked Better Than Ever At UFC 303

    In his breakdown of the fight, Hill spoke about a few things that he noticed from Pereira that were different to his previous fights inside the UFC.

    Heading into this highly anticipated rematch, a lot was said about how Procházka was winning the first fight against “Poatan” until he was caught by his opponent’s lethal left hook.

    Hill pointed out how Pereira was able to take control of the fight much earlier on this occasion and dominate the contest until it was over, unlike many of his other fights.

    “Great main event, absolutely dominant performance by Alex from start to finish. I believe this is honestly probably the first that I’ve seen where Alex came out and won the fight from start until he got the finish. He didn’t have to come back and, it was still some adversity, Jiří still presented his challenges in it but he adapted and he made good adjustments.”

    Hill also spoke about the technique that Pereira used to set up his left hook that once again spelled the beginning of the end for Procházka.

    Having been on the end of an advancing, lunging left hook from the champion in April, Hill analyzed how his former foe made the adjustment in order to land the strike as a counter whilst moving away from his opponent, different to what he did back at UFC 295.

    “The adjustment that I seen that Alex made from that was the check hook. More so before, you see him in come like he steps in with that hook and he tries to land it leaning in and throwing his power forward. This time we seen him implement it from more of a defensive and a counteractive manner in this particular fighting sequence.

    “The first hook that he landed on Jiří, he hit him and you could see the eyes roll, you could see him get dazed a little bit. From there, he landed another one that kind of wobbled him, that kind of shook the legs a little bit and then he landed the one at the end of the round that put him out, that put him on his back. It’s beautiful adjustments bro, beautiful adjustments. He looked evolved, he looked like he’s taking more steps and getting better as a fighter.”

  • ‘This Guy Is Such A Trash Person’ – MMA Fans Annoyed After Sean Strickland Puts A Beating On Navy Seal In Sparring

    ‘This Guy Is Such A Trash Person’ – MMA Fans Annoyed After Sean Strickland Puts A Beating On Navy Seal In Sparring

    It’s another day in the world of MMA and that means another controversial sparring video from the former UFC middleweight champion, Sean Strickland.

    Strickland is best defined by his lack of any filter and his love of sparring which, in turn, is why he has been so successful at 185 pounds.

    However, despite being one of the best middleweights in the world, he rarely holds safety in the training room as a priority.

    The latest video of Strickland getting some work in sees him fighting a former Navy Seal and the term ‘fighting’ is used incredibly loosely here.

    In a short clip, he appears to wear down his sparring partner early on and from that point on, continues to toy with him and hit him repeatedly, as his opponent stands still against the cage.

    With blood coming from his nose, the trained soldier who clearly has no right being in there with Strickland, repeatedly falls to the floor only for the former middleweight champ to tell him to get back up to his feet again.

    MMA Fans React To Sean Strickland Putting A Beating On A Navy Seal

    MMA fans reacted on social media to the latest video of Strickland beating someone up for seemingly his own enjoyment.

    Of course, the sparring partner would have surely known what he was in for given the reputation of the man that he would be standing across the cage from.

    Strickland posted on social media before the video was published online where he said that despite his dislike of Navy Seals, the guy earned his respect.

    “This guy is such a trash person”

    “Strickland when they fight back”

    “Sean good at dominating non pros lol”

    “It’s almost like they are completely different skill sets.”

    “Other guy was barely fighting back. Why doesn’t Sean do this to professional fighters??”

    “What’s the point of this ?”

    “How did bro do worse than Sneako?”

    “why would anyone actually think they could do this?”

    https://twitter.com/silversteinmma/status/1807976673834320303

    Read also: VIDEO: Israel Adesanya Reacts To Longtime Rival Alex Pereira’s Knockout Of Jiří Procházka At UFC 303

  • Colby Covington Claims Nick Diaz Ducked Him But Will Not ‘Put Down The Diaz Brothers & Talk S**t About Them’

    MMA legend Nick Diaz is set to return to the Octagon on August 3 when he faces Vicente Luque in Abu Dhabi.

    It has been three years since the Stockton original last competed in the UFC and that, in turn, was a comeback from a six-year hiatus.

    Before his fight with Robbie Lawler at UFC 266, Diaz was reportedly offered several opponents before the decision was made to run back his first clash with Lawler.

    Colby Covington revealed in a recent interview with Submission Radio that he was one of the names in contention for a fight with Diaz – which would have surely been chaotic to say the least.

    Colby Covington Says Nick Diaz ‘Ducked’ The Fight But He Has Nothing Bad To Say About Him

    During the interview, Covington spoke about how there were talks of him facing off with Diaz back in 2021, with Madison Square Garden as a potential destination.

    The former three-time UFC welterweight title challenger said that he understands why the UFC hasn’t attempted to revisit this fight after Diaz turned this option down.

    “Unfortunately, he hasn’t been offered to me in about three years. The last time Hunter had called me with Nick Diaz’s name across my desk was when they offered me to him in Madison Square Garden about three years ago so, he turned down the fight, he didn’t want the fight so I think the UFC just knows that they can’t match that up.

    “I mean, that’s the biggest mismatch in UFC history to give me a guy like Nick Diaz so it wouldn’t be doing the company any justice to put some guy that’s over the hill and past his prime versus the guy that’s in his prime and the best welterweight on earth right now, Colby Covington.

    Covington also said that despite this and some comments that the Diaz brothers have made over the years, he has no hard feelings towards them after this fight didn’t come together.

    He said that he even shared a moment with the elder Diaz following one of his fights where the leader of the “Nick Diaz Army” was very complimentary of his skills and career.

    Covington states that despite Diaz being “scared” to fight him, he has nothing negative to say about one of MMA’s most iconic siblings.

    “He knew at that time that I was the best welterweight on earth. He came up to me one time when I fought, after UFC Sacramento, and he’s like, ‘Yeah you’re the future of this division’ and showed me a lot of respect so I’m not going to put down the Diaz brothers and talk s*** about them.

    “They’ve said some things about me but they’ve done great things in this sport and I’m not going to sit down and say anything bad about them but he did dodge the fight. He was scared to fight me and that’s facts, that’s truth.”

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