UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley doesn’t believe champion Aljamain Sterling and interim titleholder Petr Yan are “big enough” to headline a pay-per-view.
The much-anticipated rematch between Sterling and Yan, originally scheduled for UFC 267 last October, was set to go down at UFC 272 in March. After they were to unify the bantamweight title in the co-main, Alexander Volkanovski was targeted to defend his featherweight belt against Max Holloway in the main event.
During a recent episode of his YouTube podcast, #12-ranked bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley commented on the adjusted schedule. His takeaway from the decision to move Sterling and Yan’s rematch to UFC 273 was that the pair simply aren’t big enough to headline a pay-per-view.
O’Malley’s solution to the bantamweight division not boasting PPV-headline names? “Big daddy.”
“You know what’s crazy to me? Well, I don’t know if it’s crazy or not. Petr and Aljo can’t main event their own pay-per-view. So their main event [Volkanovski vs. Holloway 3] pulled out. They couldn’t just, ‘Ah, we’ll be main event.’ They’re not big enough. It’s weird. The best division in the UFC, maybe, and they can’t even headline their own pay-per-view. They need big daddy.”
Giga Chikadze’s confidence remains intact after his brutal defeat to Calvin Kattar last Saturday at UFC Vegas 46.
At UFC Vegas 46, Calvin Kattar showed his resilience by rebounding from the year-opening card of last year that saw him take a savage beating from Max Holloway. This time, it was him dishing out the beating across five rounds to kick off the year, with Chikadze’s face at the conclusion of the bout telling the tale of how the fight transpired.
Giga Chikadze
Seeing as how, prior to UFC Vegas 46, Chikadze was vocal about fighting Alexander Volkanovski for the title next, including preemptively requesting to replace Max Holloway against him this spring, many people thought this was a humbling experience for Chikadze.
One notable person to react to Chikadze’s loss was Chan Sung Jung, aka “The Korean Zombie,” who was ultimately chosen to replace Holloway for the featherweight title fight in a move that Chikadze criticized as Volkanovski selecting the easy fight. After Chikadze’s loss on Saturday, Jung hit him with the ol’ face-palm emoji on social media.
Chikadze would issue the following statement in response to the criticism he received immediately following the fight and also addressed The Korean Zombie’s reaction to his defeat.
Thank you my real supporters! I love you all and owe you speed comeback. Lot of fake people around, but it’s okay. Also fuck you Korean Zombie! Be happy with someone’s (loss) you cheap fuck,” Chikadze wrote.
Giga Chikadze would have much more to say later in a Facebook Live after the fight. The Georgian chalked the loss up to an error on his part and vowed to return after making the necessary adjustments.
“It is what it is,” Chikadze said on Facebook Live. “It was not my day, but it’s okay. Sometimes it happens, shit. It was a good fight. My opponent showed up good. I made mistake…
“I’m gonna recover a little bit, guys. I know you guys are following my journey, and this is a part of the journey. When I signed up for the sport, I knew this was a part (of it). I fucked up last night, but it’s all good. It’s a journey. I’m learning from this, and next time, I’m gonna come back so much stronger. I already feel bad for my future opponents. I’m gonna learn a lot from this one; trust me on that.”
Chikadze also displayed the same confidence about a future matchup against Kattar that he had coming into their UFC Vegas 46 bout. In fact, the Georgian would imply that Kattar’s victory Saturday was tantamount to a fluke based on him chalking the loss up to a mistake and considering his assessment of how a 10-fight series between them would play out.
“I feel like if I would fight with this guy 10 times, 9 I would win,” Chikadze said. “That would be the one I would lose and that was last night. It is what it is. I made mistake and I’m paying now with it. It’s all good. Guys, I’m unbreakable. Remember this shit, Georgians always unbreakable. This is how we fight, until the fucking end.”
What are your thoughts on Giga Chikadze’s comments following UFC Vegas 46?
UFC interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane says despite the tense UFC 270 buildup, he doesn’t have anything against Francis Ngannou.
Gane is set to face Ngannou in arguably the best heavyweight fight in UFC history at UFC 270. He earned the interim title at UFC 265 over Derrick Lewis in a dominant performance.
During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Gane shared his thoughts on Ngannou as a person after things have become tense leading up to the event.
“We’ll shake hands before, during, and after the fight,” Gane said. “I have nothing against him. He’s just my opponent, I have no deal with him. Just an opponent, that’s it.”
Ciryl Gane’s Coach Has The Most Beef With Francis Ngannou
Gane and Ngannou used to train together at MMA Factory in France, and leaked sparring footage is part of what has caused a rift between Ngannou and his former coach, Fernand Lopez. In a variety of interviews, Lopez has attacked Ngannou’s character and added more spice to the buildup.
Ngannou has gone on the record saying he has no relationship with his former coach after allegedly being close for years. Lopez went as far as calling Ngannou a “f**king liar” over his denial of alleged Gane sabotage.
The speculation in regards to Ngannou and Lopez’s relationship began after the two sides had an awkward run-in backstage at UFC 268. While Ngannou and Gane have each denied that this fight isn’t personal for them, it’s hard to doubt that there won’t be a bit of extra motivation for each man to get their hand raised.
What is your prediction for Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane?
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña believes she exposed Amanda Nunes in the UFC 269 co-main event last month.
Delusion, no chance, underdog, zero hope, inevitable loss. What do those words and terms have in common? They’re all along the lines of how most in the MMA community described Peña’s pre-fight confidence and chances of victory on December 11.
That didn’t affect the challenger. She knew something most didn’t. Her self-belief and predictions weren’t an attempt at motivating herself for an uphill battle. They were the truth. In her mind, the performance she delivered at UFC 269 wasn’t shocking; it wasn’t the greatest upset in UFC history,;it wasn’t an underdog triumph; it was as expected.
Despite that, for most fans and pundits, Peña’s seasonal submission success against the “Lioness”, which ended Nunes’ dominant reign over the 135-pound weight class, lengthy win streak, and seven-year unbeaten run, will go down in the history books as one of the biggest shocks the Octagon has ever played host to.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYHysQivvs7/
Peña Doesn’t Think Nunes Underestimated Her
For many, whether fans of Nunes or adamant believers in the reigning featherweight titleholder’s superiority, the nature of the loss is up in the air. As well as claims the Brazilian quit after being taken to waters she hadn’t swum in since 2014, some have suggested the former bantamweight queen simply underestimated “The Venezuelan Vixen.”
For the new champ, the answers to that are: wrong and wrong.
In reality, she believes the consensus female GOAT was simply exposed inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
“I think Amanda was prepared for the best version of Julianna that she was gonna see. She was ready,” Peña told the New York Post. “I said six months prior to the fight exactly what I was gonna do. I exposed her and I even gave her the message prior to the fight that that’s what I was gonna do. She didn’t underestimate me at all. She trained her ass off and was adamant, in her mind, to win the fight no matter what. She just got exposed, and that’s kind of what it was.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXulK21Duae/
While the discussion around her championship-winning performance is likely to continue given the way she toppled the “Lioness” of the top step, Peña will seemingly have the chance to further legitimize her place on the bantamweight throne in an immediate rematch later this year.
The fight week of the first UFC pay-per-view of 2022 is upon us, as we are now days away from an epic heavyweight showdown for the ages at UFC 270.
At UFC 270, the UFC heavyweight championship will be unified when undisputed champion Francis Ngannou and interim champ Ciryl Gane take center stage in Anaheim California’s Honda Center. “The Predator” will now experience what it feels like to be the hunted as he will look to make his first successful title defense. In order to do so, he’ll try to be the first man to reveal a chink in Bon Gamin’s armor and hand the Frenchman his first career loss.
In the co-main event, we see a flyweight championship trilogy between champion Brandon Moreno and ex-champion Deiveson Figueiredo. The first fight was considered arguably the best flyweight bout of all time. The sequel, however, served as a coming-out party for Mexico’s Brandon Moreno. Will Figueiredo spoil this party, or will Tijuana rejoice once again?
The UFC’s countdown video sets the stage for both title fights.
UFC 270 Ngannou vs. Gane: Countdown
“I know and he knows there’s only one thing that can happen if I connect with him: knock him out.” – Francis Ngannou
Image Credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
As Francis Ngannou seeks his 13th career knockout against a former sparring partner, the countdown episode tells the story of the Cameroonian’s history with Gane and the soured relationship Ngannou has with his ex-coach and Gane’s current coach, Fernand Lopez.
“The footwork, the speed, precision, the cardio…every fight, I bring this in the cage.” – Ciryl Gane
ESPN
The post-modern MMA project that is Ciryl Gane has his toughest assignment to date in champion Francis Ngannou. In the countdown video, Gane’s unique skill set and familiarity with Ngannou are documented as well as the swollen confidence Fernand Lopez has in his fighter.
“Sometimes I feel all the weight of my country on my shoulders.” – Brandon Moreno
Brandon Moreno, Credit: AFP
At UFC 263, Brandon Moreno became the first Mexican UFC champion. The countdown video takes you through his range of emotions and how his nation joined him in celebrating his historic achievement.
“I’m going to be more technical, quicker, and more explosive, ready to finish him.” – Deiveson Figueiredo
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Deiveson Figueiredo has vengeance on his mind heading into UFC 270. In the countdown video, we get a glimpse into the measures the Brazilian have taken to ensure there is a different result come Saturday night, including enlisting the services of former flyweight champion, “Triple C” Henry Cejudo.
UFC 270 takes place this Saturday, January 22, from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. You can find the full card and viewing information below.
UFC 270 Main Card (ESPN+ PPV, 10:00 PM ET)
UFC Heavyweight Championship Bout: Francis Ngannou (c) vs. Ciryl Gane (ic)
UFC Flyweight Championship Bout: Brandon Moreno (c) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
Welterweight: Michel Pereira vs. Andre Fialho
Bantamweight: Cody Stamann vs. Said Nurmagomedov
Middleweight: Rodolfo Vieira vs. Wellington Turman
Francis Ngannou has known that his ex-coach would be a problem for years.
Francis Ngannou is getting ready to defend his heavyweight belt for the very first time this Saturday at UFC 270. He will be facing off against interim champion Ciryl Gane. Ngannou and Gane have a common bond. They used to be training partners, and Gane is still coached by Ngannou’s former head coach Fernand Lopez.
“I won’t say I’m surprised knowing the person (Lopez). I always knew that something like this could come from him,” Ngannou said in an interview with UFC’s Megan Olivi. “I was in Paris two years ago after the Derrick Lewis fight, and I was dealing with some personal stuff on my end.
(via Francis Ngannou’s social media)
“I was so in the bad place that I decided to see a psychiatrist. If you look at the psychiatrist’s notes, it’s funny because even two years ago she pointed out Fernand as a problem and to watch out. I thought she was like, crazy. She started to break it down and put it on the note. Now I think she was all right.”
Ngannou might not only be fighting for his UFC belt on Jan. 22 but also perhaps his peace of mind. He will be looking to put Gane, Lopez, and possibly the UFC behind him.
What do you think of a therapist warning Ngannou to watch out for Lopez?
Former UFC featherweight and Bare Knuckle FC star Artem Lobov has admitted there are two scenarios that could draw him out of retirement.
Over the course of his 11-year career in professional combat sports, Lobov became one of the most popular and recognizable names. Whether through his fighting style, appearance on The Ultimate Fighter, or connection to Conor McGregor and the SBC Ireland team, every fan knows “The Russian Hammer.”
After leaving mixed martial arts with a 13-15-1 record, a résumé that includes two UFC victories, following his defeat to Michael Johnson in 2018, Lobov turned his attention to bare-knuckle boxing.
But after back-to-back losses to Knight and Denys Berinchyk, the latter of which took place under the promotional banner of Mahatch FC, Lobov took a realistic look at his career, aspirations, and responsibilities. He decided to call time on his career last July, a week after his final appearance in combat sports.
After the announcement, many in the community reflected on Lobov’s memorable career as they bid farewell to a combat sports mainstay. While the 35-year-old doesn’t see himself breaking his promise to himself and darting in and out of retirement, he has provided some hope for fans who wish to see him back in action.
During a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, Lobov laid out two scenarios that would clench his fists and bring him back to the cage or ring. As unlikely as they seem, the answer will certainly instil some hope into the hearts of his loyal fanbase.
“I gave myself a promise, ‘Artem, you will not go back in there, no matter what. Fucking make it elsewhere now, it doesn’t matter what happens, it doesn’t matter how much you want to go back in there. Do not go back in there.’
“There’s only two ways that I go back to fighting; the (Zubaira) Tukhugov fight, that goes without retirement, I don’t care If I am retired or not, I always want that fight, no matter what,” Lobov continued. “And, if somebody wants to make my dreams come true and offer me seven figures, well then it’s going to change things up… seven figures could allow you to set up your financial future for the family, and that’s a big thing for me, of course. And open up a lot of doors as well. I would consider coming back for those reasons.”
Confirmed that the Lobov vs. Tukhugov fight in Moncton later this month has been canceled. UFC looking for a new opponent for Lobov. Tukhugov’s status is uncertain. https://t.co/KME9IC24jG
Lobov and Tukhugov were set to collide back at UFC Fight Night 138 in October 2018. The clash would have extended the fiery rivalry between Khabib Nurmagoemdov’s camp and that of Conor McGregor.
UFC heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa has become famed for his post-fight shoeys, and he’s now hoping to spread the beer-drinking practice to all walks of society.
The Australian powerhouse combines a unique spectrum of characteristics we all love: knockout power, charisma, fun, alcohol, and ’90s pop music walkouts (depending on if you’re an Aqua fan).
While he’s able to deliver laughter before he enters the cage, when the Octagon door shuts, Tuivasa is as dangerous and hard-hitting as they come, something he’s put on full display in his recent outings.
Since losing three-in-a-row between 2018 and 2019, “Bam Bam” has been on a tear. On his way to #11 in the rankings, he’s left the dazed and unconscious frames of Stefan Struve, Harry Hunsucker, Greg Hardy, and Augusto Sakai in his wake.
The one constant after each victory? A shoey.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXXY0h7pD-m/
Tuivasa Wants Everyone To Embrace The Shoey
Having seen the crowd embrace his post-fight traditions with shoeys of their own inside the arenas, and in one case at UFC 269, a full-on beer shower (what were you thinking, sir?), Tuivasa is now looking to spread the dirty beer-filled tradition throughout the community. And by “throughout,” we mean throughout…
Having sobered up from the copious amount of shoeys he chugged on his way from the Octagon to the back inside the T-Mobile Arena last month, Tuivasa has put his business hat on to create a device capable of providing the shoey experience to all. Its name? The Shoeyvasa.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYJnzbUAXpu/
Having debuted the hilarious drinking tool on his Instagram, Tuivasa discussed the creation during a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour. The ambition, according to the Australian, was to provide a shoey utensil for everyone, including the grandmas and the aunties of the world.
“That’s the Shoeyvasa. It’s a little drinking device I’ve come up with. It’ll be on sale soon. The thing is, right, a lot of people don’t wanna do shoeys out of dirty shoes. There’s a bit of a barrier there. I wanted to make the shoes available for everyone, grandmas, moms, aunties, you know what I mean? You just put your beer can or your beer bong in the end, then you’ve got the funnel, and it’s like a beer bong. You just crack away. It’s not available yet, but follow my Shoeyvasa page and it’ll be there soon,” said Tuivasa.
Conor McGregor has his whiskey, Dustin Poirier has his hot sauce, Tuivasa has a shoey-replica drinking device…
The following article was published on this day one year ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
We finally know the outcome of Dana White’s meeting with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s shocking MMA retirement may be over almost as abruptly as it was announced. Yesterday, Khabib and Dana White had their long-anticipated meeting to confirm whether or not he was retired. The idea to have the meeting was brought up by Dana White when he believed the retirement may have been an emotional decision.
“Well, like I said, I thought that, in his last fight, his father had passed away, he’d been away from his family during that time, he got injured while he was training, and I thought that he made an emotional decision,” Dana White said on the UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar broadcast. “There was no reason to make a hasty decision like that then. We didn’t have to. I talked to him. I told him to take his time. We would get together later on. And last night, we did.”
Dana White Reveals Khabib’s Decision
White would go on to tell us the specifics of what was said in the meeting, but unfortunately, there still is no definitive answer on whether or not Khabib will fight again. But based on White’s paraphrasing of Khabib, it seems much more likely than not that we’ll see the champion defend the lightweight title again.
“And basically, the way that he feels right now is he’s accomplished everything he’s set out to accomplish. He thought that Oliveira looked really good in his last fight against Tony Ferguson. So next Saturday, we got the McGregor/Poirier fight and Chandler/Hooker on there.
“So his words to me were, ‘I’m gonna watch this fight.’ He said, ‘I would never tie up the division. I would never tie up the division, hold the belt, keep the belt away from anybody else. These guys do something spectacular, show me something spectacular, and make me want to come back and fight.’”
Charles Oliveira defeated Tony Ferguson at UFC 256 and is currently ranked #3. Michael Chandler, of course, is unranked and may only able to make it up to #6 if he defeats Dan Hooker, who currently occupies that position. As for the UFC 257 headliners, Conor McGregor is ranked #4, and Dustin Poirier is ranked #1, so those two names may be in the best position to get the next crack at Khabib in terms of rankings in case you needed any more reason to watch that epic rematch.
UFC 257 takes place next Saturday, January 23, 2021 streaming live on ESPN+.
What’s your take on the outcome of the Dana White/Khabib meeting?
UFC fighter Kevin Holland has a plan in place to continue to build his brand outside of the Octagon in 2022.
Holland is set to make his UFC return at 170 pounds at UFC 272 against Alex Oliveira. This is his first fight since his controversial no-contest against Kyle Daukaus in October.
Holland is looking to get back in the win column after going home without a victory over his last three fights. Before the Daukaus fight, he lost back-to-back unanimous decisions to top middleweight contenders Derek Brunson and Marvin Vettori.
Lots of things are changing in Holland’s MMA career, including a drop to welterweight from middleweight. Standing at 6’3″, he’ll easily be one of the biggest welterweights in the division as he gets set to make his 170-pound debut.
During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Holland revealed that he’s also planning on a pursuit on the adult site OnlyFans to help support his income.
“It’s pretty cool,” Holland said. “I’ll probably put some of my gaming content up there so I can still smoke while playing games, so on and so forth. I can just be who I wanna be on OnlyFans, without having to worry about being kicked off… It’s free, you don’t have to pay. So, I’m gonna drop, kinda like, a day in the life type thing. So when I drop that, I’ll probably do the first couple of episodes free, and then if everybody likes it, you know what I mean, I’ll probably do a small subscription to the page. I’ll try and keep it real cheap. I got 4,000 fans on there. If I can do a dollar a fan, that’d be crazy.”
Holland’s comments come just weeks after former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate shut down the idea of making an OnlyFans account. She has since clarified her comments in which she alluded to it as a “desperate” career path.
OnlyFans is often used to post mature content, but it sounds like Holland intends to use his account to stream video games and chat with his fanbase. As he gets ready for a potentially eventful 2022, he seems to be in a great place in and out of the cage.
How do you think Kevin Holland will do at welterweight?
UFC President Dana White thinks the public counted out Calvin Kattar ahead of his main event bout against Giga Chikadze.
Kattar walked away with a unanimous decision win over Chikadze on Saturday night, clearing scorecards after a brawl against a fellow ranked featherweight. The win saw him emerge as the better striker, hurting Chikadze with a high volume of shots.
This impressive showing from Kattar came after a week where Chikadze was viewed by many as the expected winner. He was even in discussion to step in on short notice to replace Max Holloway in a title fight against Alexander Volkanovski.
White feels that people didn’t give Kattar enough of a chance before the fight. He discussed how we have seen Kattar’s toughness in his previous appearance and how he has proven himself before.
“It’s almost like everybody forgot about Calvin Kattar and [his fight against] Max Holloway. Everybody counted him out tonight. I thought that the spinning elbow he landed changed the fight. I think that first round wrestling tired them out,” said White, speaking at the post-fight press conference on Saturday.
“They just dug in and went to war … [Kattar] kept constant pressure on him. He stayed in his face. He kept him moving backwards. It looked like Giga was out of it halfway through the second round.”
White: Kattar’s Layoff Helped Him
The win on Saturday night was Kattar’s first appearance in nearly a year. He was fighting for the first time in 364 days, appearing for the first time since he was on the losing side of a dominant performance by Max Holloway.
White thought the extensive break for Kattar worked in his favor because of how his last fight went.
“I think after that fight he had with Max [Holloway], you gotta take a year off. I think you have to … He absolutely, positively needed to take that time off,” said White.
Paddy Pimblett is giving credit to his early training partner.
Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett is the new kid in the UFC block. He made his promotional debut last year in a big way. The former Cage Warrior champion had a warm reception when he came to the UFC and won his first fight. Pimblett is now giving some props to the people who helped him get his start in MMA.
“Something I think that helped me a lot, and Paul (Reed) always says it helped her as well, was Rosi Sexton. When I first started training, she had not long been signed by the UFC. She might had not even been signed by the UFC yet. And I became her sparring partner,” Pimblett explained to ESPN.
“So at the age of 15, I was sparring with Rosi, who was a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, and she’d fought all sorts. She’d fought a who’s who of women’s MMA. She just hadn’t fought in the UFC yet. I think she’d just beat Roxanne Modafferi. I was sparring with her for that fight. So when I was like 15, before I’d even fought, I was sparring with Rosi, just before she was going into the UFC and for her UFC fights. I was sparring with her until I eventually got too big for her. That’s something that I always say, that helped me a lot.”
Sexton fought in the UFC for two fights back in 2012-2013. In her time there she lost both fights to Jéssica Andrade and Alexis Davis. She also faced Joanna Jędrzejczyk before she came to the UFC. She also faced Gina Carano back in 2006. Pimblett gives credit to one other female training partner for helping fighters such as himself get started in MMA.
“You see it nowadays with Molly (McCann). Molly spars with the young lads who are like 15, 16, 17,” Pimblett said. “It brought me on tenfold, lad. That’s one thing that I don’t ever really mention, but I need to thank Rosi for that. Without her, I probably wouldn’t be as good as I am.”
Stipe Miocic has often lamented feeling disrespected by the UFC brass. This dates back to five years ago, regarding a contract offered to him for his UFC 203 title defense against Alistair Overeem in 2016.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 16, 2017, 9:26 PM]
Headline: Stipe Miocic Felt “Crapped On” With UFC 203 Contract
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Reigning UFC Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic last saw action at UFC 203 when he successfully retained his gold against Alistair Overeem with a first round knockout. While Miocic was able to celebrate his victory in front of a frenetic hometown crowd, the champ isn’t all smiles.
Stipe Miocic recently appeared on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour.” There, he expressed his frustration over making less money than the challenger:
“I just felt like I was kinda crapped on a little bit. I try to do things right and work with them, and they just didn’t give me a great deal. That’s my own fault, but also they knew what they were doing. They took my kindness for weakness. They told me it was the best deal they could do, and I said, oh ‘okay, great.’ And then come to find out, it wasn’t.”
Overeem’s base salary for the fight was $800,000. Miocic’s number sat at $600,000. The champion said he went to the UFC brass and told them how he felt about his payout. Their response didn’t sit well with the Croatian.
“Blah, blah, blah, blah. They just made up some excuse, like ‘that’s the contract you signed.’ You’re making money off me in my hometown, and you’re giving the man that’s a challenger who’s never won the title in the UFC, you’re giving him more money? It definitely should change. But the fact that my challenger made more money than me in my last fight was just kind of a slap in the face.”
While it appears the UFC is sticking to their guns on the contract, Miocic said he hopes going forward there will be some adjustments made. At the moment, he doesn’t feel things are on an even playing field.
“[It’s] terrible. Things definitely need to be changed. Something’s gotta change. It’s not really fair.”
Jared Cannonier believes the world needs more of Sean Strickland and his approach to life.
Strickland has been vocal in interviews and on social media as he speaks his mind and doesn’t hold back. To many, they don’t want to ruffle any feathers, but Strickland doesn’t care. For Cannonier, he says that is a welcomed sight and something he wishes more fighters would do.
“That’s absolutely why. I don’t like having to figure you out. Be who you are. If you’re not being honest with me, you’re definitely not being honest with yourself. You’re just putting on another face. You’re hiding your true self, and I don’t trust that,” said Cannonier to LowKick MMA. “I don’t trust somebody who’s hiding their true selves. If you’ve done something bad, that’s shadow work that needs to be done within that individual, so that they can come out and be their authentic self, so they can love themselves in front of the world, you know what I’m saying? Without having to hide ‘hide this part of me, hide that part of me.’
Jared Cannonier (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
“I do appreciate that (in Sean Strickland). The world needs more of that,” added Cannonier. “We’ve been living in this Dionysus-themed thing, with the social media and the media in general. People just put on faces, they put on masks whenever they go in front of a camera or in front of other people. I find it hard to trust that. One thing I will trust is somebody who’s gonna be themselves in front of me, whether you’re gonna be my friend or my enemy, I wanna know who you are and what’s your intent here?”
Although Cannonier believes the world needs more Stricklands, he has gotten in trouble for some of the things he has said online. He does cross the line on multiple occasions, but as Cannonier says, that is truly Strickland, and he isn’t hiding anything.
Jared Cannonier is set to return in the co-main event of UFC 271 on February 12 as he takes on Derek Brunson in a number one contender bout. Sean Strickland, meanwhile, headlines the February 5 Fight Night card opposite Jack Hermansson.
Do you agree with Jared Cannonier that the world needs more Sean Stricklands?
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?
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