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.”
This is the third time that ESPN has bumped the price of UFC pay-per-views since the biggest MMA promotion found its new broadcasting home. The price tag moved to $64.99 at the beginning of 2020 and bumped up to $69.99 last year.
“We don’t. We don’t have any say in that,” White said. “We gave the pay-per-views to ESPN. So yeah, that’s their decision. You know how I feel about that stuff. I don’t love when prices get raised, but it’s not my decision. It’s theirs.”
Fans went wild when news first broke regarding the PPV increase. It’s unclear if this will hurt the UFC’s sales as 2022 begins.
White and the UFC’s calendar year began with UFC Vegas 46 and an exciting featherweight main event between Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze. The event was available to watch for ESPN+ subscribers at no extra charge.
As White gets ready for UFC 270, the residual impact of the PPV price increase could be a story to watch as the event gets closer.
What are your thoughts on the new UFC pay-per-view price? Will this hurt the UFC financially?
Kenny Florian was briefly suspended for the plagiarism documented in the below editorial published six years ago. Today, he works as a commentator for The Professional Fighters League and is also the co-host of the Anik and Florian podcast.
On This Day Six Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 16, 2016, 8:31 PM]
Headline:Kenny Florian & Why The Cover-Up Is Worse Than The Crime
Author: David Bixenspan
As noted earlier, former three-time UFC championship challenger turned UFC and Fox Sports analyst/color commentator has been suspended by the latter entity. His crime? He plagiarized large portions of his technical breakdown of T.J. Dillashaw vs. Dominick Cruz from boxing analyst Lee Wylie’s video breaking down 1040s boxer Willie Pep. Twitter personality The Naked Gambler deserves credit for pointing out exactly what Florian did:
Florian then decided to have a chat with Naked Gambler via direct message, where he explained that it was all a simple misunderstanding…or at least in his head it was:
This introduced us to Florian’s defense, which he later used in his public “apology;” That he keeps a running list of notes on martial arts technique, has for years, and it’s very jumbled with little effort to keep track of what he got where or which thoughts were his own. In and of itself, that would be fine, and it’s totally believable that he keeps those kinds of notes. But…then he went on to say that he must have forgotten that the notes on footwork taken from Wylie weren’t his own.
There are a few problems with this. The first is that even if he knew that even if he genuinely didn’t remember that the footwork notes weren’t his, since he did remember that not all of the notes were his, he’s still knowingly plagiarizing. Even if he didn’t know that those specific notes weren’t his, he knew there was a reasonable likelihood that it was the case.
However, in this specific instance, that doesn’t pass the smell test, either. Why? Wylie’s breakdown only went up on December 3rd, just last month. In addition, being a video (with Wylie’s notes contained in the video as on-screen graphics) as opposed to text in an article, Florian couldn’t have just absent-mindedly copied and pasted it without giving much thought to it. He would have devoted a good bit of time to transcribing the text by hand in the weeks leading up to the article, where he says that he “forgot” that the words weren’t his own.
Soon enough, the story hit Deadspin. At that point, it was probably just a matter of time that the story would really blow up (if it already happened), so Florian issued what he termed an apology:
Note the wording: Florian said that he was ““referenc[ing] perspectives on [something], which were originally articulated by [someone else],” when he was outright lifting Wylie’s analysis word for word. He was deliberately mischaracterizing what he did to obfuscate as well as minimize what he did. Worse, according to twotweets from Naked Gambler, he had attempted to defuse the situation by promising to try to get Wylie a job at Fox Sports.
Does this sound like someone who made a genuine mistake he was sorry for? Or does sound like someone who, for reasons known only to him, knowingly plagiarized large portions of an article and scrambled to cover it up when he got caught? He buried himself deeper every time he addressed the situation, and it’s a miracle that so far, he’s just suspended.
As for Lee Wylie? The poor guy who donates his time to creating cool analysis videos, who had his work stolen by a well-compensated television personality, has been made to feel like a jerk for no good reason:
Dana White, Francis Ngannou Photo Credit: Heidi Craig / USATSI CBS Sports
With a list of outstanding achievements on his record and currently being on a 5-fight win streak, the 16-3-0 fighter has simply felt underappreciated.
The results of UFC 270 may have no impact on the fighter’s stance with his current contract, but it could be possible to see just one more fight if Ngannou gets his wish.
One thing that could help make this possible would be if that fight were to take place in Africa. Francis Ngannou has always shown pride in his African roots, and with the support of other African-born champions, he could possibly bring his dream to fruition.
In an exclusive interview with Stake, Ngannou touched on his dream bout in Africa and making it a reality in the UFC:
“It is a big dream to fight in Cameroon, but I also know it will be very hard to make a reality at this point. However, I believe eventually we will figure out a way to make it happen to fight for our people. It’s very important to each of us – myself, Israel and Usman. Ideally with the UFC, but even without the UFC that is going to happen one day.”
On January 22, Francis Ngannou has the opportunity to add “defending heavyweight champion” to his stellar résumé. The battle against his former sparring partner and Interim Heavyweight Champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight matches of all time.
Francis Ngannou’s path after the UFC is sure to deliver more headlining performances. And perhaps after UFC 270, regardless of the outcome, Ngannou fans will see his next bout in Africa.
Do you think the UFC will ever consider an event in Africa?
The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories
In this installment of The Pulse of MMA, we look at the raw, unfiltered reactions from MMA fans to the result of Calvin Kattar’s unanimous decision victory over Giga Chikadze at UFC Vegas 46.
Calvin Kattar def. Giga Chikadze via Unannimous Decision At UFC Vegas 46
In the first UFC card of the year, the main event saw Calvin Kattar kick off the 2022 season with a victory in contrast to last year’s loss to Max Holloway that began 2021. It was Kattar’s pace, jabwork, and cage generalship that helped deliver the following official scorecards from the judges:
If you missed any of the action, you can catch the results and highlights from UFC Vegas 46 here. You can also see how the fighters reacted to the Kattar/Chikadze main event here.
What about the Pulse of MMA? How did they react to the main event results? You can peep the raw reactions down below!
Calvin Kattar just gave Giga Chikadze the same beating that Max Holloway gave him. Pretty big way to put your career right back on track
UFC President Dana White made some strong accusations about the United States health care system’s response to Joe Rogan’s COVID-19 treatment advice.
Last week, 270 doctors, scientists, professors, and nurses among others penned an open letter to Spotify calling on the streaming platform to create a misinformation policy. The letter was written as a reaction to a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience that had Dr. Robert Malone on as a guest.
In the letter, the coalition accused Malone of spreading COVID-19 conspiracy theories. They also criticized Rogan for being a consistently negative influence on the public, particularly his younger audience members.
“Well, how about this? Ever since I came out and said what I did, it’s almost impossible now to get monoclonal antibodies,” White said. “They’re making it so you can’t get ’em. Medicine that absolutely works, they’re keeping from (us). I don’t want to get too political and start getting into all this shit, but ivermectin and monoclonal antibodies have been around for a long time. Now all of a sudden you can’t dig ’em up to save your life. Doctors won’t give ’em to ya.
“And even when I did it here in Vegas, which was, however many weeks ago that I had it…I made one phone call and was able to get it done. And that’s not like some fuckin’ rich, famous-guy shit. Like, anybody could’ve called….now, Rogan’s been talking about it, then I went crazy talking about it, you can’t get those things to save your life now, literally.”
White was then asked if he’s surprised that people are not being allowed to even openly discuss alternative treatment options to COVID-19. The UFC boss provided the following strong response.
“It’s disgusting. It’s disgusting,” White said. “Yeah, it’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever witnessed in my life. And we’re not talking about experimental drugs. This stuff’s been around.”
At this point, someone in the audience shouted out, sarcastically asking White if he is a doctor.
“No, but I took ’em, and they both worked for me, so why shouldn’t I be able to take ’em again—or other people?”
After poking fun at the audience member’s outburst as another example of people trying to silence the conversation around this topic, White went on to use the prescription rate of pain relievers as an example of the health care system’s hypocrisy.
“You want to know what’s scary? Bet I can get some fuckin’ pain pills quicker than I can get monoclonal antibodies,” White said. “No, not maybe. That’s a fact. That’s a fact. They fuckin’ hand out pain pills like they’re Tic Tacs….Monoclonal antibodies and ivermectin isn’t gonna do anything to ya. Pain pills kill ya. Fact. And I’m not a doctor, but that’s a fact,” White concluded with a light chuckle.
The event took place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility. Headlining the card was a featherweight clash between Calvin Kattar and Giga Chikadze. This fight was crazy. In the first round, calmness as Giga slipped and Calvin jumped on top of him where he got back mount.
The second round, these guys let their hands go as both stunned each other. Calvin did get a brief takedown to end the round. The third round continued the striking. Calvin did think about going for a takedown, but decided against it. At the end of round four, Calvin hurt him at the end of the round, but Giga survived. Kattar, who dropped him at the end of the round, grabbed the decision win.
The co-main event saw more action between Jake Collier and Chase Sherman in a heavyweight fight.
This fight saw it end quickly. Jake scored a trip takedown where he would get full mount and rained down strikes that sliced open his opponent. Sherman gave up his back so Jake took advantage of that and locked in the rear-naked choke for the win.
Peep the full list of performance bonus winners below.
Fight of the Night: Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze
Performance of the Night: Viacheslav Borshchev and Jake Collier
Were the right choices made for the UFC Vegas 46 bonuses?
Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze was a worthy main event. The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday night (January 15, 2022) at the UFC Vegas 46 event from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility.
An interesting start as Giga actually slipped and Calvin dove on top of him. Calvin worked him over with strikes from half guard. Giga did give up his back, but didn’t let him lock the rear-naked choke fully in. The second round was wild as both fighters hurt each other.
Calvin was putting together jabs and combos. Giga had a nice combo that included a head kick. Calvin did get a brief takedown to end the round. The third and fourth rounds saw them strike it out as Calvin was pushing forward and both were bloody.
At the end of round four, Calvin hurt him at the end of the round, but Giga survived. Calvin continued to put it on him and dropped him at the end of the round enroute to a decision win.
Let’s see how the fighters reacted to the outcome of this fight:
Kattar entered this fight after dropping a decision loss to Max Holloway in January 2021. Before that he had picked =up a decision win over Dan Ige in July 2020 and a TKO win over Jeremy Stephens at the UFC 249 pay-per-view event from Jacksonville, Florida at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. This was prior to him dropping a decision loss to Zabit Magomedsharipov at the UFC Moscow event and then Kattar blitzed Ricardo Lamas his way to victory at the UFC 238 pay-per-view event from the United Center in Chicago, Illinois where he won by TKO.
Chikadze was on a nine-fight winning streak heading into this bout including a TKO win over Edson Barboza in August 2021, decision wins over Irwin Rivera and Omar Morales. His previous fights saw him beat Jamey Simmons by TKO in November 2020 and Cub Swanson in May 2021 by TKO.
Jake Collier vs. Chase Sherman lived up to co-main event status with a slugfest.
The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday night (January 15, 2022) at the UFC Vegas 46 event from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility. This one didn’t last long as Jake got a trip takedown before getting in full mount where he rained down strikes and elbows that sliced open Sherman. This led to Sherman giving up his back and Jake locked in the rear-naked choke for the win.
Peep the highlights of the fight courtesy of the UFC’s official Twitter account:
Collier entered the fight by going 2-3 in his previous five fights. After beating Gian Villante by decision in December 2020, he lost by split decision to Carlos Felipe at UFC 270.
Sherman entered this fight on a two-fight losing streak after ripping off four straight wins. He lost back-to-back decision losses to Andrei Arlovski and Parker Porter.
UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou believes welterweight king Kamaru Usman is the greatest fighter of all time.
In 2021, Usman extended his reign at 170 pounds and continued his dominance over the top contenders in the division. At the start of the year, he overcame early adversity at UFC 258 to TKO former teammate Gilbert Burns, who was riding a six-fight win streak into his first title shot.
After showing the improvements he’s made to his striking under the tutelage of Trevor Wittman against Burns, Usman put it on full display two months later when he ran it back with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 261. In the second round, he secured his place in the Knockout of the Year debate with a brutal right hand.
Having ascended the pound-for-pound mountain, Usman further tightened his grip on the welterweight class by defeating Colby Covington for the second time at UFC 268. After being taken the distance in Madison Square Garden, “The Nigerian Nightmare” added another victory over the #1-ranked contender on the scorecards.
But while that opinion is hotly debated in the MMA community, one UFC titleholder believes Usman has earned that status and a whole lot more.
Speaking in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Usman’s fellow African UFC champion Francis Ngannou suggested “The Nigerian Nightmare” is “definitely” the best fighter of all time.
“If you go on his professional record, he’s the best pound-for-pound fighter. And in my opinion, he’s definitely the best fighter of all the time,” said Ngannou. “He’s undefeated (in the UFC), with at least like four or five title (defenses), which is something that (others have done that), but he’s doing it in a pretty way.”
While he perhaps hasn’t gone beyond the likes of Anderson Silva, Jon Jones, and Georges St-Pierre in the opinion of many fans and pundits, it’s hard to deny that Usman is certainly on his way to contending for GOAT status.
If the champ can defeat contenders like Leon Edwards, Vicente Luque, and Khamzat Chimaev in the coming months and years, Ngannou’s opinion may well become the consensus.
Do you think Kamaru Usman is in the GOAT conversation? If not, how many more title defenses does he need?
Seven months ago, a frustrated Giga Chikadze vented about Yair Rodriguez, his featherweight peers, and the UFC ranking system. Tonight at UFC Vegas 46, the #8-ranked Chikadze will have the type of opportunities he was fighting for last year when he takes on the #5-ranked Calvin Kattar.
The following article is presented in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JUNE 25, 2021, 11:00 AM]
Headline:Giga Chikadze Blasts Rodriguez, FW Top 10, & The UFC Rankings System
You could say that Giga Chikadze is just a tiny bit miffed at his UFC featherweight peers.
You could say that, but it would be more accurate to say that he has reached peak frustration at his inability to land an opponent inside the top 10. After winning his eighth consecutive fight at UFC Fight Night: Reyes vs. Procházka, Chikadze was eager to step back inside the Octagon for a high-profile fight.
He offered to jump in for short-notice fights on multiple occasions, as this has been a proven path up the ladder for many UFC fighters in the past, with Kevin Holland perhaps being the best recent example of this. Nevertheless, whether it’s been a short-notice pitch, a public callout, or a proposal submitted through the appropriate channels, Chikadze has remained on the sidelines despite his best efforts.
Failure To Land Yair Rodriguez Fight Sends Chikadze Over The Edge
Most recently, Chikadze tried to step in as a short-notice replacement for the July 17 Fight Night main event against Yair Rodriguez after Rodriguez’s original opponent, Max Holloway, was forced to withdraw from the fight.
Chikadze had already expressed his frustrations when Rodriguez was allegedly nonresponsive to the UFC’s offer, and now that Rodriguez has officially been removed from the card, the Georgian is letting out the rest of his anger through the media since he hasn’t been able to do so in the cage.
“They called me to replace Max, and I was happy to step in,” Chikadze told MMA Fighting. “I don’t know how this guy is gonna stay ranked No. 3 if he don’t agree on the fight cause he hasn’t fought for a long time and look at me. I had like five, six fights in the same time. I don’t know what’s going to happen.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
“It’s not surprising from (Rodriguez), because he’s been doing this for not only me but for other fighters. With Zabit [Magomedsharipov], he turned him down four times and after USADA violation and the UFC cut his contract, cut him from the UFC. I’m really upset on one thing. This guy is not ranked No. 3 [in the UFC rankings], that’s the only thing. I feel like my name should be higher.”
There is a common argument that has been used against fighters who are in Chikdadze’s current position of a fighter looking to make a significant move up the rankings, which is that they haven’t beaten a big enough opponent to earn a marquee fight. During his diatribe, Chikadze was sure to point out the flaw in this logic.
“Everyone is talking about my opponents, how I beat non-ranked opponents,” Chikadze said. “This and that and Cub Swanson was older age and stuff but how am I going to prove these guys wrong if nobody fights me from the top 10? Who should I fight?
Giga Chikadze
“I’ve been calling out pretty much everybody. Arnold Allen, Edson Barboza, Calvin Kattar, Max, Yair, whoever don’t have a fight, [The Korean Zombie] now, it would be great fights. But nobody really accepted. Now the champion [Alexander Volkanovski] has a fight with Brian Ortega and whoever is available, everybody is not picking up the phone.”
Giga Chikadze referenced other fighters who have gone through similar struggles to find big fights while climbing the rankings, notably Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kamaru Usman. Usually, having something in common with these UFC greats would be a high honor, but in this case, it’s a grave annoyance for the #10-ranked featherweight.
Coincidentally, Chikadze shares the same manager as Usman and Nurmagomedov, Ali Abdelaziz. Eventually, Abdelaziz was able to land both eventual champions the fights that got them to the title, so he is definitely a good man to have on your side when faced with a booking crisis.
When it comes to his featherweight peers, however, Chikadze has lost all faith in their commitment to being what he deems to be a true fighter.
“I don’t have an answer how these guys are top-ranked fighters today,” Chikadze said. “Back in the day when a fighter was a real fighter and he was in the ranking, he was going to fight anybody. You would [fight] anybody, quality guys and I’m a quality guy. I’m top 10. I was last year the most busiest guy and I proved to anyone already. I want my main event fight.”
What do you think? Does Giga Chikadze have a legitimate gripe?
After a busy and entertaining 2021, UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler has revealed the type of opponent and fight he’s looking for when he returns to the Octagon this year.
It’s safe to say that not many promotional newcomers have made as big of an impact in as short a timeframe as Chandler has since arriving in the UFC. When he signed for the world’s premier MMA organization in 2020, some had low expectations, with a select few expecting his transition to the UFC to follow a similar path to the likes of Ben Askren, who failed in his pursuit of finding success in the promotion.
While he hasn’t won gold and boasts a negative UFC record, Chandler has firmly turned any doubters he had into believers.
And even though he fell to a 1-2 promotional record at UFC 268 last November, Chandler’s contribution to the year’s consensus Fight of the Year against Justin Gaethje ensured his stock rose in defeat.
This one has 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐂 written all over it 👏
With a strength of schedule about as strong as any fighter has boasted across their first three fights in the UFC, Chandler hasn’t shied away from the big names and the big fights. That’s a trend he hopes continues when he enters the Octagon for the first time in 2022.
During a recent interview with Megan Olivi for ESPN MMA, Chandler outlined his targets in the stacked lightweight division for 2022. As expected, the veteran wants a big-name opponent who will help him provide another entertaining, fun, and back and forth contest for the fans.
“It’s hard, I was talking to my manager… I think the UFC lightweight division is easily one of the toughest, of course, but also one of the most exciting. There are so many different matchups, with obviously everybody inside the top five, you’ve got Conor (McGregor) coming back from injury, you got Tony Ferguson, who is outside the top five but still a guy who is a perennial entertainer. So it’s such an entertaining division to be a part of.
“I want big fights. I want to get close to that title shot… I’ve just gotta get back in the win column. And I want a big, fun, exciting, entertaining fight. I’ve been doing this for a very long time, and obviously every fight in the UFC is huge, but (I) definitely have to be calculated and really think about what the next move is. But it’s gonna be a big name, on a big card, with big title implications, no matter what. And I’m gonna go out there and do what I do; bite down on my mouthpiece and go out there and try to get a finish.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYUBbYSgrVh/
While his next opponent is yet to be decided, there are a number of 155-pound stars Chandler could be matched up with next. The 35-year-old has made his desire to face MMA’s biggest star clear, a challenge that McGregor suggested he’d be up for down the line.
Today, Francis Ngannou is pushing hard for a fight against Tyson Fury. In fact, the UFC heavyweight champion says he will not re-sign with the promotion unless he is allowed to explore such boxing opportunities.
Thus far, the only time the UFC has allowed a contracted fighter to participate in such an endeavor was in 2017 when Conor McGregor boxed Floyd Mayweather. As recently as last year, White was open to the idea of allowing McGregor to crossover again, this time against boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. However, at the time, the two sides were far apart on when it could take place.
The original story is presented in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day One Year Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 15, 2021, 6:29 PM]
Conor McGregor and Dana White are not in agreement on whether the Irishman will be boxing Pacquiao this year, if ever.
Before Conor McGregor agreed to fight Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, his sights were originally set on a boxing match with Manny Pacquiao. And even when he agreed to fight Poirier, there was speculation that McGregor accepted the fight in part to help prepare for Pacquiao’s southpaw style. Speaking to The Mac Life recently, McGregor reaffirmed that his interest in boxing Pacquiao stands, and he even expects the match to take place this year (via The Sun).
“I am excited for a Manny Pacquiao bout and it looks like it will happen this year. What time this year? I am not sure. “We’ll have to have some good discussions with Dana White and the UFC and see where it goes.”
Dana White’s Short-Term Plans for McGregor Differ
Conor McGregor assures that his interest in fighting Manny Pacquiao is not in conflict with his plans for an active MMA year. McGregor said in his MacLife interview that he plans to have a very active year in MMA for 2020. However, McGregor’s confidence in his abilities to multitask is not convincing enough for Dana White, who would love McGregor to focus on one thing while he is at his peak (via MMA Fighting).
“The way that this kid is right now mentally, physically, emotionally, I mean this kid is on and ready to fight,” White told ESPN. “I would love to see him focused on what he can do here at the UFC. Whether it’s take another shot at that title against Khabib [Nurmagomedov] or fight for the title against somebody else if Khabib retires and defend that title.
“A boxing match with any of these guys, that stuff’s always going to be there. You are the absolute best in the world right now in MMA and the timing is right now. Not getting any younger. I’d love to see him go for it here over the next year. If he wants to fight one of these boxing guys, do that next year. That fight’s always going to be there.”
Dana White chalks up McGregor’s previous boxing blockbuster against Floyd Mayweather as being a “perfect storm” that took on a life of its own. At least for the time being, White feels this 2017 boxing contest was a one-off, and there is currently substantial real estate between White’s vision for McGregor’s future and what McGregor has planned for himself in the world of boxing.
Do you think we will ever see Conor McGregor box Manny Pacquiao?
Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos ripped the UFC for how they handled the final days and months of his tenure.
dos Santos is slated to face Kubrat Pulev at an upcoming Triller Triad Combat event next month. He was released by the UFC last year after a string of losses and alleged tensions with the brass and Dana White.
“They are businessmen, they are good at doing that,” dos Santos said. “They don’t care about anybody, they care about making money and that’s it. I’m thankful for everything that happened to me and my career. When I took my last two fights they said ‘you take or you’re out’. After this last fight what he [Gane] did wasn’t legal. After that, the UFC called me with a fight on 20 days’ notice and I was like, ‘I just fought I can’t fight’. If you can’t fight, then you’re out. They do business and they don’t build anything for athletes and our careers. I was treated like that and they were trying to drain everything that I had, everything that I was so that they could keep everything for them.”
dos Santos challenged for the UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 211 but fell via first-round knockout. He would go on to win three straight before slumping with four straight defeats.
dos Santos isn’t the only former UFC fighter to allege wrongdoing by the promotion. Fighters such as former champions Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva have also criticized how the promotion conducts their business in the past.
For now, it appears that dos Santos is hell-bent on success in Triller, but his MMA future remains uncertain.
What do you think about Junior dos Santos’ allegations against the UFC?
After the comments featured in this archived article were made, Chase Sherman would lose his next three fights and be released from the UFC. However, that’s not where his story ends.
He would return to the promotion in December 2018 and win his next four fights. Last year, however, he dropped two straight, first to Andrei Arlovski in April and then to Parker Porter in August, both via unanimous decision.
Tonight, Sherman looks to avoid a third consecutive loss when he faces Jake Collier in the co-main event.
The following article is brought to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JULY 24, 2017, 2:40 AM]
Headline: Chase Sherman Would Rather Be A UFC Washout Than a One-Hit Wonder
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Chase Sherman’s nightmare is to be a flash in the pan.
Sherman is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Damian Grabowski this past Saturday night (July 22). It was “The Vanilla Gorilla’s” second straight victory, which is much needed after losing his first two Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bouts.
Speaking to the media, Sherman admitted there may have been more pressure on him this go-round because of his sudden popularity on social media (via MMAJunkie.com):
“It almost seemed like I had a little more pressure this time than last time because I don’t want to let my fans down. They invest a lot in me, and they’re constantly watching.”
The heavyweight is happy to turn things around, but if he wouldn’t have found any success in the UFC he would’ve been satisfied knowing that he wasn’t just lucky.
“I always want to prove them right. I always want to make them proud, make my family proud, make my friends proud. So there’s a little more pressure there because I told myself I’d much rather just go 0-3 and completely fail at it than be a one-hit wonder – to get that little bit of fame and then fizzle out and no one remember who you are.”
During a recent interview, Justino shared her thoughts on the public reaction to Rousey’s first MMA loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 in November. Cyborg explained why no fighter likes to lose, however, she admits it does show you who really has your back and who doesn’t.
Cyborg offered the following comments regarding Rousey’s loss while promoting her own title defense against Daria Ibragimova at the Invicta FC 15 this Saturday, relating to the former UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion because of her own past troubles in public when she dealt with the reaction to her failed steroid test.
“It’s terrible. When you’re there, everybody is with you. I feel sorry about this. I know this, because before something happened in my career — the doping — and before everybody is with you [and then they’re not]. But I love my fans. Some fans kept with me and I’m sure she has that, too. It’s sad, but sometimes it’s good so you can see who’s with you. You can see who you really have to appreciate. This is not nice. Losing a fight, winning — it happens. But these people make fun. … I know it’s not nice.”
While she is understanding of the situation, she did say that Rousey should use this experience to work on being careful about what she says before a fight, pointing out the fact that it might come back around if you lose.
“I know she hurts now and I know depression. Always you can lose. You can lose, you can win. It’s not embarrassing. It’s embarrassing when you speak before you fight. It’s embarrassing speaking bad. I think you have to work hard on what you say, because if you lose, when you come back from the airport you have to have a pillow on your face. I think she’d like to use this to challenge herself and get better. To come in and change. Something bad in life has to happen before you change and grow. I can’t say anything bad about her. She’s been good for women’s MMA. She opened a lot of doors. I know I [fought] before her, but she had opportunities and she’s handled it and helped everybody.”
UFC President Dana White is big on the promotion’s upcoming heavyweight title fight.
White recently had high praise for the UFC 270 bout between UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou and interim champ Ciryl Gane. In an interview with BT Sport, White gave his pitch for why the title unification bout could be one of the greatest heavyweight bouts of all time.
White cited the high level of the fight and the storylines behind it as reasons for why people should pay attention.
“That fight’s ridiculous—one of the best if not the best heavyweight matchup ever. You got two guys that train together, two guys that had a falling out now and don’t like each other,” said White. “One guy has unbelievable knockout power and the other guy moves around like a middleweight, probably the best technical striker in heavyweight history. So I mean, you couldn’t ask for a better matchup.”
White: This Fight Has ‘Bad Blood’
Francis Ngannou, Dana White
As White said, there is seemingly a real rivalry between Ngannou and Gane heading into this fight. Controversy struck last month, as old sparring footage of them was released by Gane’s camp. Ngannou argued the footage was used to make Gane look good before their fight, potentially playing mind games with the champ and the public as a whole.
Gane will enter the fight with an undefeated record of 10 wins, including seven in the UFC cage. Ngannou will be fighting to defend his title for the first time in the bout. He first gained the championship last year, stopping Stipe Miocic with a brutal second-round knockout.
White feels that the stars have aligned perfectly for the upcoming heavyweight title fight.
“They’re both champions. You got one (who) has the interim title; the other one has the title. Everything’s on the line—and how in-depth the bad blood is between the camp. You just couldn’t write a better story than this.”
Do you agree with Dana White? Does this fight have the potential to be one of the greatest heavyweight bouts of all time?
The UFC Vegas 46 post-fight press conference will be live once the action concludes.
In the headliner, Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze will collide in a featherweight clash. UFC Vegas 46’s co-main event will see a clash between Jake Collier and Chase Sherman
The fighters from both the main and co-main events are expected to attend the post-fight press conference barring any hospital visits. Of course anyone else on the card who has a breakout performance could also attend the presser.
MMA News will be providing live coverage of the UFC Vegas 46 card. Be sure to check back here for the post-fight presser with a tentative start time of 10:15 p.m. ET.
Let us know your big takeaways once the UFC Vegas 46 post-fight press conference.
Headline: Dana White Says Jon Jones One Day Rehab Story Isn’t True, “The Truth Will Come Out Soon”
Author: Matt Boone
Although Jon Jones’ mother, Camille Jones, claimed that her son checked himself out of rehab after only one day, UFC President Dana White says that is “not necessarily the case.”
White spoke with the Boston Herald this week about the highly publicized story of Jones’ positive test for cocaine and subsequent rehab stint, indicating that there’s more to the story than people might think.
“When the whole story comes out, people will understand, it will be put into perspective,” said White. “When Jon Jones comes out and does his interview, the truth will come out, and everyone will understand. Or they won’t, you know. Jon is a very polarizing guy, people either love him or they hate him. Either way, the truth will come out soon.”
White and the UFC have taken some pretty heavy criticism themselves regarding the matter, as many questioned how a failed drug test on December 4th did nothing to prevent a fight between Jones and Daniel Cormier taking place a month later at UFC 182, and how Jones has ultimately seen zero consequences despite the fact that he consumed illegal drugs.
White was quick to point out that although it’s a serious situation, legally speaking, he and the UFC’s hands were tied.
“You can bust guys, you can fine guys, but I can’t pull him out of a fight,” said White. “That thing will be in a lawsuit in 3.5 seconds and I’ll lose. So then we don’t have a fight and I’ve still got to pay the money.”
The UFC boss continued, “When you start talking about cocaine and some of these other drugs, that’s hardcore stuff, man, and that’s when people need help. So I want to know that. I wish I could know what everybody was doing, but you can’t police 567 guys year-round.”
Jones is rumored to be attending the NFL’s AFC Championship game on Sunday, as both of his brothers will be playing, however, whether or not he breaks his silence once he’s back in the public eye for the first time since all of this has gone down remains to be seen.
Former two-division UFC Champion Henry Cejudo is frustrated that he didn’t get the call to face Alexander Volkanovski.
Numerous names floated around earlier this week after Max Holloway pulled out of his title bout against UFC Featherweight Champion Alex Volkanovski. One of the many was Cejudo, who said he would come out of retirement for the bout.
The Korean Zombie has since been selected to fight Volkanovski. Cejudo voiced his displeasure in this outcome in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. Part of his anger in the situation comes from how he doesn’t think he would get his fair slice of the profit from a fight.
“I would be known as C4,” said Cejudo, mentioning a nickname that implies the four championships he has earned between MMA and wrestling. “But you also have to compensate because I’m the person who’s going to sell the fight. I’m the person who is going to make it entertaining, you know? So yeah, I do want my cake and eat it too. I really do. But I also really do deserve it. If I don’t get it, guys, it’s OK. You guys want me to show you my trophy case once again? It’s OK. I got enough of it. Demetrious Johnson’s record was going to be broken. Somebody better than Jon Jones will come.”
Cejudo: UFC Wants To Pay Me ‘Peanuts’
Photo via Instagram @henrycejudo
It’s not all about Cejudo, though. He later mentioned how he feels the promotion has large issues about properly paying their fighters as a whole.
“They don’t want to pay, man,” Cejudo said. “It’s plain and simple. They don’t want to pay. Dana [White] doesn’t want to pay. [If] they pay me, they got to pay the rest. And I’m out here. I’m not here to say to start a union. What I’m here to say is like, ‘Hey, man, everybody should be compensated individually.’ The guys are going to sell the fight, the guys that that are proven, like me. You know what I’m saying? So that’s plain and simple. Dana [White] would love to see the fight, but he wants to pay me peanuts in comparison to what I really deserve. I respect the man because it’s his business, what he’s able to do to take this company to a two-billion-dollar company to what it’s worth now seven [to] nine billion and I can’t get a raise. That just seems a little off to me, man.”
Cejudo went on to mention how fighters who don’t necessarily do the best in the cage are some of the more financially successful competitors. He feels that the promotion should be paying their actual champions more,
“If Conor McGregor is making money and getting paid, and Jorge Masvidal. They’re doing what they’re doing and they’re getting paid more than me and I got two belts and I’m doing the exact same shit and I’m not getting compensated, then you know what? F*** you, too.”
Do you agree with Henry Cejudo’s comments on UFC not paying people, himself included, enough?
As we now know, Calvin Kattar did survive his fight against Max Holloway last year, but Dana White wasn’t so sure that would be the case while watching the fight.
One year ago immediately following the Holloway/Kattar fight, UFC President Dana White said thought the main event between Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar should’ve been stopped after the fourth round.
In a video the UFC uploaded, it showed White freaking out thinking Kattar might die due to all the damage he sustained.
After the fourth round, White spoke to UFC executive Hunter Campbell and said he wanted Kattar to the hospital immediately after the fight.
“He took so much f*cking punishment in this fight, I’m freaking out a little bit, man. I don’t know. I don’t like it. This reminds me of the kind of fight where the fight’s over, and he walks out back and f*cking dies. I think that f*cking Herb Dean should’ve stopped it before the (fifth) round. He was wobbling all over the f*cking place,” White said on the UFC’s Grand Stage video.
“When we had him up against the cage, that’s when he had him,” Campbell said.
“He should have stopped the fight right there,” White said.
Kattar’s Manager Explains Non-Stoppage
Weeks later, Kattar’s manager, Tyson Chartier, offered the following explanation for why the fight was not stopped:
“It definitely did [get close to us stopping it],” Chartier stated to MMAFighting. “I’m sitting in the corner and every time things were getting really bad, Calvin’s back was to us, and we see Max, and we see Herb. There was a couple of times when we were like, ‘F*ck, is he gonna stop it?’ And I was hoping Herb would stop it. And then all of a sudden we saw he wasn’t going to stop it, we were like, ‘Should we throw in the towel?’ And then I’m thinking we’re gonna throw in the towel, and then Calvin would crack him. Then he would get off the fence and start landing shots. Like, damn it!”
“It definitely did [get close to us stopping it],” Chartier stated to MMAFighting. “I’m sitting in the corner and every time things were getting really bad, Calvin’s back was to us, and we see Max, and we see Herb. There was a couple of times when we were like, ‘F*ck, is he gonna stop it?’ And I was hoping Herb would stop it. And then all of a sudden we saw he wasn’t going to stop it, we were like, ‘Should we throw in the towel?’ And then I’m thinking we’re gonna throw in the towel, and then Calvin would crack him. Then he would get off the fence and start landing shots. Like, damn it!”
“There was one point in the fourth round where I looked at Jake [Mainini], the Muay Thai coach, and I was like, ‘Dude, Max is getting tired.’ It was crazy because he was beating us up, but you could see it in his eyes like, ‘Ughh,’ and then he tried to wrestle, tried to take us down, he was getting tired from beating us up and then Calvin landed a good shot again and the round ended.”
The good news was that Calvin Kattar ended up healing up his injuries and there was no significant life-altering damage. However, “The Boston Finisher” did sustain a plethora of injuries.
Tonight will be the first time he competes again since absorbing a record number of strikes from “Blessed.” He will be featured in the UFC Vegas 46 against another top-level striker, Giga Chikadze.
Daniel Cormier knows that the regular UFC rules do not apply to Conor McGregor.
Daniel Cormier spent seven years in the UFC. During his time there, he was both light heavyweight champion and heavyweight champion. He was one of the biggest names at the time, but even he could see that it was nothing compared to Conor McGregor.
Cormier was recently interviewed by The Schmo and was asked about Conor McGregor possibly getting a title shot in his return. Now, most people might agree that that is not something that should be happening next for the slumping McGregor, but Cormier is a realist. He knows the rules do not apply to McGregor.
“Honestly, I really do believe that there are different rules in regards to Conor,” Cormier told The Schmo. “And people might not like it, people may hate it but if he is healthy and he starts to chirp and Oliveira is chirping back at him and there is fan interest, I can see a world where it happens. But again, it would make so many people upset – ultimately a lot of times it comes down to dollars and cents.”
McGregor is the most popular fighter on the roster and is by far the biggest earner for the company. If anyone can receive a title shot coming off two consecutive losses and a broken leg, it would be him. Cormier is right that money talks and not just from a UFC brass point of view but to his potential opponents as well.
McGregor is still healing up from his broken leg. Only time will tell if he gets his wish and fights for a title upon his return to the lightweight division.
Would you like to see McGregor get an immediate lightweight title shot?
The final UFC Vegas 46 betting odds are in for as this event is quickly approaching for the Las Vegas-based promotion.
The event is here, and it goes down tonight (Saturday, January 15, 2022) from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility.
Calvin Kattar vs. Giga Chikadze in a featherweight bout will headline the show. In the co-main event, Jake Collier vs. Chase Sherman will take place.
Rounding out the main card is Katlyn Chookagian vs. Jennifer Maia in a women’s flyweight bout, Brandon Royval vs. Rogerio Bontorin in a flyweight fight, Viacheslav Borshchev vs. Dakota Bush in a lightweight bout and Bill Algeo vs. Joanderson Brito in a featherweight bout.
According to oddsmakers, is a – favorite over, who is a + underdog. Other odds for the main card include being a + underdog against, who is a – favorite. Here are the full betting odds:
Giga Chikadze (-235) vs. Calvin Kattar (+190)
Jake Collier (-130) vs. Chase Sherman (+110)
Katlyn Chookagian (-180) vs. Jennifer Maia (+155)
Brandon Royval (-160) vs. Rogerio Bontorin (+140)
Joanderson Brito (-130) vs. Bill Algeo (+110)
Court McGee (-115) vs. Ramiz Brahimaj (-105)
Joseph Holmes (-150) vs. Jamie Pickett (+130)
Brian Kelleher (-305) vs. Kevin Croom (+255)
Viacheslav Borshchev (-180) vs. Dakota Bush (+155)
Demetrious Johnson is set to make his return to competition in a very intriguing way when he takes on ONE Championship Flyweight Muay Thai Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon on March 26.
CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced the fight last year on The MMA Hour after the original ONE X card planned for December 5 2021 was postponed.
The mixed-special-rules fight will have alternating rounds between Muay Thai and MMA. The first and third rounds will be under Muay Thai rules, and the second and fourth rounds will be MMA. This will be a tall test for Johnson, as Jitmuangnon has competed in over 300 professional Muay Thai bouts with a total of 267 wins. The ONE Muay Thai champion is currently on a five-fight winning streak and has held the title since August 2, 2019.
What makes this fight interesting, though, is that Jitmuangnon has never competed in MMA, just as Johnson has never competed in Muay Thai. After losing for the first time in ONE Championship in April to flyweight champion Adriano Moraes, Johnson did express interest in competing in a kickboxing bout, so this unique fight announcement should not come as a total surprise.
Also announced for this card is atomweight champion Angela Lee defending her title against Stamp Fairtex, who has held championships in multiple combat sports. This bout will serve as the main event for the card. Additionally, Adriano Moraes will take on Yuya Wakamatsu in his first flyweight title defense since defeating Demetrious Johnson last year.
Stick with MMA News for further updates on this event, including the broadcast information. Also, be sure to catch our coverage of ONE X on March 26!
Are you excited to see the mixed rules bout between Demetrious Johnson and Rodtang Jitmuangnon on March 26?
Julianna Peña is already sorting out opponents for her championship reign.
It has been just one month since Julianna Peña became UFC bantamweight champion, but she is already making a list of possible opponents. The top name on her dream list is a well-known name, but no longer in the UFC. Peña has a desire to lure Ronda Rousey back from retirement to settle an old score between them.
Peña got her start in the UFC as a member of The Ultimate Fighter Season 18. That season was coached by Rousey and Miesha Tate. Peña was a member of Tate’s team and also a friend of hers. Throughout the season, there was a lot of hatred between the coaches and Peña. Being friendly with Tate, Peña took some of that hate from Rousey as well.
“She really had a tough time getting along with me on The Ultimate Fighter,” Peña told The NY Post. “She didn’t like me at all because I was friends with Miesha Tate. She wasn’t the nicest.”
Rousey has a very successful run as the champion of the bantamweight division but hung up her gloves back in 2016. After a short time with the WWE, Rousey is now out of combat sports and raising a family. That doesn’t stop Peña from calling her out though. She would welcome a shot at that former champ if she ever got the itch to return.
“It would be amazing to pull Ronda Rousey back out of retirement,” She said. “It would be great to have her come back to UFC and fight again.”
Peña is just beginning her run as the 135-pound champion and has already done something Rousey could not, beat Amanda Nunes. Peña is not holding out for Rousey at this time but she is still holding a grudge.
“I don’t know that she’ll recall this because she ended up getting taken out by her entire team,” Peña said. “But when we won ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and got out of the house, she told me that, ‘You’re gonna give me a tougher fight than Miesha Tate, but when that day comes I’m still gonna kick your ass….’ I kind of said to her, ‘We’ll see.”
Would you like to see Ronda Rousey return to the UFC and face Julianna Peña?
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