Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo have had their fair share of tense moments, but that doesn’t mean they don’t respect each other.
Moreno looked to end his saga with Figueiredo victoriously inside the Octagon at UFC 270. However, it wasn’t meant to be, as Figueiredo earned a unanimous decision win and landed more damage throughout the fight.
Moreno and Figueiredo had their back-and-forths ahead of the event, mostly focused around Moreno’s past training with Henry Cejudo and Figueiredo’s move to train with him in Arizona.
“You know, I said this before, and I still think the same, I really think he’s (Figueiredo) a nice guy, he’s a good person, but with crazy and bad people around him who say like, ‘Hey, you need to sell the fight and you need to say this, you need to say that.’” Moreno said.
“Even like, in the press conference, he looks like, very fake, all the trash talk. That’s why I was like, ‘Man, why do you do it? Why are you trying so hard to impress the people here man?’ That’s what I said before, I don’t need that in my life, man. I prefer to be real with the people. This is who I am. Love me or hate me, but it’s this.”
While UFC President Dana White has yet to confirm whether a fourth fight between the two is next, it certainly makes sense. The first fight was a majority draw followed by wins by Moreno and Figueiredo, respectively.
The Moreno-Figueiredo rivalry has added new excitement to the flyweight division. Despite their mutual competitive respect for one another, it appears as if this story has yet to be fully written.
Do you think we’ll see Brandon Moreno vs. Deiveson Figueiredo 4 next?
The PAWFC made Canadian history at their inaugural live event on January 15.
The exciting event was held in Calgary for the Pallas Athena Women’s Fighting Championships. Out of six fights, two went to a decision.
Brazilian fighter Maria Fontoura gained another win by armbar submission as the co-main event. And “Dangerous” Dakota Ditcheva stopped her opponent with relentless punches in round 2. Melissa Croden and Alana Cook took home the other submission wins.
The creators of the league are putting women at the center to create a better atmosphere for them in MMA.
“Pallas Athena Women’s Fighting Championship (PAWFC) is the first of its kind created for women, showcasing the best professional Mixed Martial Arts from Western Canada and the world! The goal of PAWFC is to promote women in the sport and build a better industry for future athletes,” as mentioned on the PAWFC website, according to Media Referee.
PAWFC President, Clayton Belitski and his team are working diligently to acquire sponsors to support their movement. The promotion focuses on improving the inequality in pay among women fighters and seeing women flourish within the sport.
The PAWFC Pushes Growth
The PAWFC sheds even more spotlight on the presence of women in MMA.
Many women in MMA have put on showstopping performances. Champions like Valentina Shevchenko and Amanda Nunes bring a lot of attention to women in the sport.
In addition, the largest all-women MMA promotion, Invicta FC, took off in 2012. Headed by MMA veteran Shannon Knapp, Invicta has seen a lot of success in the male-dominated industry.
Shannon Knapp, Invicta Fighting Championships President; Photo Credit: Invicta FC
In recent years, women have put on jaw-dropping, Fight-of-the-Night performances in the UFC and other great showcases in Bellator, BKFC, etc. And with Invicta’s increasing popularity, it is a delight to see more countries and more women gaining interest in mixed martial arts.
Are you looking forward to future events from PAWFC?
Adesanya’s ongoing dominance has taken him full circle to “The Reaper.” Since losing his title, Whittaker has been in the form of life. Across 18 rounds of action, he put his fluent striking on full display in headlining wins Against Darren Till and Kelvin Gastelum, and a pay-per-view co-main event victory over Jared Cannonier.
The stage is now set for a blockbuster rematch, which will go down inside Houston’s Toyota Center on February 12.
Everything is bigger in Texas, and this one is going to be 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄 🔥
Despite the convincing ending to their first fight, many are expecting a rejuvenated Whittaker to provide a much stiffer test for Adesanya this time around. One man who disagrees with that sentiment is top-10 middleweight Strickland, who expects the champion to “starch” the New Zealand-born Australian.
But while the charismatic and controversial contender’s prediction is partly due to Adesanya’s undeniable talent inside the Octagon, “Tarzan” also believes the Nigerian-New Zealander gets a helping hand from steroids, an accusation he’s made in the past.
“I mean, Israel’s just a crafty motherfucker,” Strickland told combat sports journalist Helen Yee. “Like, don’t get me wrong, we all know he does steroids, and that probably helps his performance. We all seen him fight with the titty that hung down. I mean, have you ever seen a man fight in the UFC with gyno from weed? I mean, look at Nate Diaz; if that was the case, Nate Diaz would have tits down too is knees. Get out of here with this.
“So, anyways, back to him and Whittaker. Izzy is a great striker; he comes from a steroid background of kickboxing,” added Strickland. “I think he’s gonna starch Whittaker, cause he is a great fighter.”
The medical term for swelling in male breast tissue is Gynecomastia. The condition can be can be caused by a wide variety of factors, including drugs and alcohol, some medications, and even herbal products. One of the more well-known triggers is the use of anabolic steroids, an accusation many directed at Adesanya following the September 2020 pay-per-view.
That answer is clearly not a convincing one for Sean Strickland…
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC
Despite having the first defeat of his professional MMA career added to his record last March thanks to a failed venture to light heavyweight, Adesanya has continued to look unthreatened at 185 pounds.
Claressa Shields is hoping former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo can teach her wrestling as she continues to fight in MMA.
Shields is considered arguably the best pound-for-pound women’s boxer in the world, as she’s 11-0 and is the only boxer in history, female or male, to hold all four major world titles in boxing—WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO simultaneously, in two weight classes. She has had multiple titles in three different weight classes and is undisputed in two.
However, she has been critical about boxing’s pay and how much interest they show in women, so she signed with the PFL to also fight in MMA. However, after winning her debut, she lost her second fight after being outgrappled and is now looking to turn to Cejudo to help her.
“Goats recognize goat. Maaahhhhh,” Cejudo wrote, with Shields responding with “Let’s go! I’m ready to learn!”
It shouldn’t be a surprise to see Henry Cejudo offer to train Claressa Shields as since retiring from MMA, he has taken up a coaching role at Fight Ready. Cejudo has recruited the likes of Deiveson Figueiredo, Weili Zhang, and Jiří Procházka to Fight Ready and has been coaching all three of them, including being in Figueiredo’s corner at UFC 270.
Cejudo is an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling and was a great wrestler in MMA, which led him to win titles in two different weight classes. His expertise would no doubt help Shields, who was taken down multiple times in both her fights. And in the second fight, wrestling was the reason she lost.
However, if she can learn enough to just keep the fights standing, she will be dangerous, as she has power in her hands and is a phenomenal boxer overall.
Do you think Claressa Shields and Henry Cejudo will train with one another?
UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler says he suffered more than a loss on the scorecards to Justin Gaethje in their war at UFC 268.
Chandler and Gaethje threw bombs from start to finish over three rounds, with both fighters dealing significant damage. After 15 minutes of action, Gaethje earned the unanimous decision win.
Gaethje and Chandler would each earn ‘Fight of the Year’ awards for their efforts at UFC 268. Both men also received performance bonuses following the event.
But Chandler’s loss to Gaethje might’ve stung more than most realized.
“It took a while. I mean, we had a lot of soft tissue damage,” Chandler said. “Obviously, the face is always the most telling, but the face healed up pretty quick… Really just soft tissue damage. Obviously there’s no doubt I took a lot of leg kicks. So, my left leg was pretty beat up. My right foot, from the leg kicks that I landed on Justin Gaethje, my right foot/right ankle is still a little bit creaky when I wake up in the morning. But I mean, it was probably six weeks, total, to where I felt like I was able to train at 100% again.”
Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Michael Chandler Is Turning His Attention To 2022 Opponents
Chandler is still in the process of working his way back to the Octagon in 2022, including possible fights with Conor McGregor, Tony Ferguson, and Nate Diaz. Chandler and McGregor have gone back-and-forth in lighthearted banter on social media in recent months. It is the Ferguson bout, however, that is currently in the works as confirmed by UFC President Dana White.
Despite the loss to Gaethje, Chandler arguably won more than he lost following the bout. He earned the respect and name recognition of the UFC fanbase in just his third fight with the promotion following a long tenure in Bellator.
How do you think Michael Chandler’s 2022 run will look?
Jake Paul has opened up on his diss track against Dana White and why he did it.
Paul and White have had an ongoing feud ever since Paul fought and knocked out Ben Askren back in April of 2021. Since then, he beat Tyron Woodley twice, including KO’ing him once, and he has taken shots at White over fighter pay.
With nothing changing involving pay, Paul released a video on his YouTube channel where he released a diss track on White. Not only did he release a diss track, but Cris Cyborg and Antonio McKee, who were vocal about their displeasure about White and the UFC, were featured in it. For the brash YouTuber, he says he needs to speak up about the disrespect the UFC boss is showing his fighters.
“Imagine if Adam Silver sent a lawsuit to Lebron James minutes before he took the floor for the NBA Finals, then, refused to present him with the NBA championship trophy after he won,” Paul said to MMAFighting when reacting to White not putting the title on Ngannou. “It’s pure disrespect to the athlete and the sport.”
Jake Paul (Image Credit: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Jake Paul also added this is about fighters getting paid what they deserve and he says it is clear White has them in terrible contracts and most of them can’t speak up about their pay.
“This isn’t about boxing or MMA,” Paul explained. “This is about doing what is right. UFC can and should do better given the control it has exerted over MMA fighters. Either treat them as independent contractors, like Uber does its drivers, or give them the compensation and benefits they deserve as employees. So my fund has invested in his company’s stock and I will be working to expose his constant exploitative practices, starting by putting out this song with all proceeds going directly to fighter causes.”
There is no question Paul has made more people known about fighter pay. However, only time will tell if it will result in any actual change.
If you missed the release of Jake Paul’s Dana White diss track, you can view it below.
Jorge Masvidal thinks he has the support of former U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of his grudge match with Colby Covington at UFC 272.
Masvidal is set to face his former American Top Team teammate and friend Covington in the UFC 272 main event. It’s arguably one of the most highly anticipated welterweight fights in recent memory.
Masvidal and Covington may not have a lot in common anymore, but both of them have a history with former president Trump leading up to their fight. Trump attended Masvidal’s win over Nate Diaz for the BMF belt at UFC 244, and Masvidal was a big supporter of his 2020 re-election campaign.
Masvidal also has a strong relationship with the Trump family as a whole and teamed up with Donald Trump Jr. to host a “Fighters Against Socialism” bus tour leading up to the election.
Image via Covington’s Twitter account
Covington has also been a vocal supporter of Trump over the years, especially after his win over Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225. Just weeks after the fight, Covington was invited to the White House to meet with Trump alongside UFC President Dana White.
Nevertheless, Masvidal believes he gets more love from the former president. During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Masvidal gave his opinion on who the 45th president will be rooting for on March 5.
“There’s only one. Gamebred…for a fact, man,” Masvidal said. “Ask this dude. He knows what a fighter looks like. He was around boxing forever. He knows what a nuthugger, ass-kissing machine like Colby looks like. Colby tried to kiss his hand and Trump was weirded out. He tried to pull that shit back. That’s on video, man….
“It’s me all day. Did Trump FaceTime with Colby’s ass and his kids? No. Trump did that with me.”
The buildup to UFC 272 is expected to be drama-filled leading up to the fight between Masvidal and Covington. It’s unknown whether or not Trump plans to attend the fight in Las Vegas, but he’s likely to be a fixture of the pre-fight trash talk.
What is your prediction for Jorge Masvidal vs. Colby Covington?
Markus Perez has taken a unique route since his UFC release.
The Brazilian was released from the UFC following a decision loss to Dalcha Lungiambula, which was his third in a row. Perez told the UFC to release him because he didn’t think he was ready for that level and wanted to get work on the regional scene as he was 2-5 in the UFC.
“I even think the UFC should fire me. I don’t think it’s right for a guy with two wins and five losses to stay hired, taking the opportunity from someone who’s fighting well. I don’t deserve to be in the UFC right now,” Perez said to AG Fight. “I don’t deserve it. They should let me go. I need to leave, solve my problems, win some fights so I can come back. That’s how I’ll be able to say I’m starting my life here (in the UFC). They haven’t talked to me, but I’m sure (I’ll be fired). I didn’t show them who I am.”
However, after getting his release, he lost his next fight to Zac Pagua at Cage Warriors. Yet, Perez got back into the win column back in December with a submission win. Next, instead of fighting in MMA again, he competed in pillow fights over the weekend and nearly fought his opponent.
After hitting each other with the pillow, Markus Perez’s opponent lost his pillow but Perez continued to hit him and even smiled at his opponent tauntingly. Shortly thereafter, his opponent would go at him and the two nearly threw down before being separated. However, as more people jumped into the ring, they continued to trash talk, even after being separated.
Whether or not Perez will do another pillow fight is uncertain, but it appears he is open to anything after his release.
What do you make of Markus Perez nearly fighting his opponent?
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña was heartbroken to hear Khabib Nurmagomedov’s comments that downgraded both her win over Amanda Nunes and the quality of women’s mixed martial arts.
At UFC 269, Julianna Peña silenced many a critic and generated the sorrow of overconfident gamblers across the globe who bet the house on Amanda Nunes. The bout was a true illustration of the unpredictability of MMA and the magnitude a big PPV moment could carry.
There was one man who was not impressed, however. And it wasn’t just anybody; it was the legendary and undefeated former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“I am like, we can watch what Julianna Peña did with Amanda Nunes [at UFC 269]. But Julianna Peña, she is not like the greatest or something like that. She just beat Amanda Nunes like [on the day]. We can watch not many good [female] fighters all around the world. There are only like five or six of them,” Khabib said.
Peña Heartbroken Over Khabib’s Comments
Until last week, Julianna Peña had not responded to Khabib’s remarks, and we now have a glimpse as to why that is.
Before her bout with Amanda Nunes was even made, she scoffed at a comparison between Nunes and Khabib when MMA reporter Ariel Helwani compared the fear factor the two figures carried across the sport. Peña would even outright demand that Helwani never make that comparison again, implying that The Eagle was too lofty of a figure to be juxtaposed with the Lionness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-iWFINrQyw
With this level of reverence in mind, it should come as no surprise that Peña was saddened to hear Khabib’s take on her championship victory and his downgrade of all of WMMA in the progress.
“I saw in a presser that they asked [Khabib] a question and he was just completely downgrading the whole win and everything like that….it totally broke my heart…” Peña said in a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. “I was like, ‘Dude, you’re breaking my heart, man. Like, I freaking love you. Like, seriously.”
Khabib’s name was brought up when Peña and Rogan were discussing fighters who retired on their own terms. Peña begrudgingly credited Khabib for the way he retired and stuck to his guns but still couldn’t help but revisit the recent wounds the ground-and-pound specialist inflicted on her.
“He must be friends with Kayla Harrison or something. I don’t know. Because he was like, [MOCK KHABIB ACCENT] ‘If this is the top of women’s division, it’s a joke,” Peña said. “I mean, it wasn’t very nice. I didn’t appreciate it, Khabib.”
Khabib’s comments were made when asked if there were any plans of adding women’s divisions to his Eagle FC promotion in the near future. Khabib left the door open, but as you might have guessed from his comments, he isn’t in any big hurry to make this addition to his promotion’s overall roster.
Meanwhile, Khabib criticisms aside, Peña is hoping to deliver an encore of her UFC 269 victory over Nunes sometime in 2022 in a rematch that she, Nunes, and UFC President Dana White have already signed off on, with a potential season of The Ultimate Fighter leading up to the big sequel.
Perhaps if she defeats Nunes again and proves that it wasn’t a fluke, she will have gained the approval of this man she once admired and perhaps boost his perception of WMMA in the process.
What are your thoughts on Julianna Peña’s reaction to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s comments about her UFC 269 win over Amanda Nunes?
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has vowed to put one aspect of his life on hold as he prepares to return to full training ahead of an Octagon comeback.
McGregor, who’s experienced championship glory on MMA’s biggest stage at both featherweight and lightweight, has been on the sidelines since a disappointing 2021 in the cage came to a crashing (or snapping) end at UFC 264.
At the July pay-per-view, a heated feud came to a sudden stop with the brutal breaking of McGregor’s left leg. Since then, the 33-year-old has been recovering on the sidelines.
In recent months, McGregor has consistently updated the world on his healing process as he edges closer towards a return to full training and sparring. When he does so, he firmly plans on swapping the whiskey glass for the gloves.
McGregor Promises To Return The Proper No. Twelve To The Shelves
Perhaps the most successful of McGregor’s ventures outside the cage is his Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey. After helping it to a rapid rise, the Irishman and his business partners sold their majority stake in the business to Proximo Spirits for a whopping $600 million.
While his involvement with the whiskey brand continues, McGregor has also entered the free house business with the purchase of The Black Forge Inn, where he can often be seen drinking at on social media. Adding another boozy project to his resume, McGregor has also been plugging his pub’s Forged Stout.
Despite his ongoing presence in the alcoholic business, and enjoyment of holding a beverage himself, McGregor has promised fans he’ll be returning his bottles to the cabinet and using his hands for punching rather than pouring in the near future.
In a recent Instagram post, which features an image of a glass of Forged Stout and a bottle of Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey, McGregor vowed to abstain from his “liquid gold” and indulge himself in full training again soon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZUlROcNLC-/
“Sitting in actual awe at present. Can’t quite describe it. Last week, Saturday, the first day Ireland became free from restriction, and also coincidentally the anniversary of the late Arthur Guinness, @forgedirishstout outsold Guinness on premise for the first time. And everyday since! @forgedirishstout is now the clear leader in Stout sales for us! All of us in this industry know, for a Stout to do this is just unprecedented! Incredible!” Conor McGregor wrote on Instagram. “The fact it happened for the first time on that day in particular, I feel it a sign that I am on the right path here with all of this! Onwards and upwards we go! For my fighting fans, I want to say I know I am enjoying myself with my liquid, but very soon I will be immersing my self in full training again with complete abstention from my wonderful creations of Spirit and Ale. Just 5 more minutes Ma ❤️”
While a possible return still seems many months away, McGregor’s desire to compete has consistently remained, something his latest post seems to show once again.
Whether for a fourth fight with Poirier, a trilogy clash with Nate Diaz, or a meeting in the Octagon with Michael Chandler, it seems likely we’ll be seeing McGregor make the walk in 2022.
Do you think Conor McGregor can make a successful comeback to the Octagon this year?
Joe Rogan has responded to the accusations of misinformation directed at his podcast after two music legends boycotted Spotify in protest.
Last week, Canadian music artist and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Neil Young told Spotify that they could either remove his music or the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast, which Young accused of presenting misinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly thereafter, Young’s longtime friend and fellow R&R Hall of Famer Joni Mitchell stood in solidarity with him and also decided to remove her music from Spotify.
The brunt of the criticism came after a pair of controversial medical experts appeared on the podcast. This resulted in over 200 individuals submitting an open letter to Spotify requesting for the streaming service to take action against Rogan’s podcast for allegedly spreading misinformation.
UFC President Dana White and Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña are among the notable list of individuals who have come to Rogan’s defense against the wave of criticism. In White’s case, he claimed that Rogan was uncancelable; and Peña, who was a recent guess on JRE, did not understand what all the fuss was about for merely exchanging thoughts and opinions.
Joe Rogan Responds To Misinformation Accusations
Sunday, Rogan himself would address the backlash he is facing in a post to his Facebook page. Rogan’s impetus for releasing the video was to help straighten out the “distorted perception” of his podcast that may have been influenced by cherry-picked soundbites or “disparaging” headlines and articles about him.
“The podcast has been accused of spreading ‘dangerous misinformation,’ specifically two episodes—a little bit about some other ones but specifically about two—one with Dr. Peter McCullough and one with Dr. Malone,” Rogan began. “Dr. Peter McCullough is a cardiologist, and he is the most published physician in his field in history. Dr. Robert Malone owns nine patents on the creation of mRNA vaccine technology and is at least partially responsible for the creation of the technology that led to mRNA vaccines.
“Both these people are very highly credentialed, very intelligent, very accomplished people, and they have an opinion that’s different from the mainstream narrative. I wanted to hear what their opinion is. I had them on and because of that, those episodes in particular were labeled as being dangerous. They had ‘dangerous misinformation’ in them.
Joe Rogan, Credit: Getty Images
“The problem I have with the term ‘misinformation,’ especially today, is that many of the things that we thought of as misinformation just a short while ago are now accepted as fact. Like for instance, eight months ago if you said if you get vaccinated, you could still catch COVID and you could still spread COVID, you would be removed from social media. They would ban you from certain platforms. Now, that’s accepted as fact. If you said, ‘I don’t think cloth masks work,’ you would be banned from social media. Now, that’s openly and repeatedly stated on CNN. If you said, ‘I think it’s possible that COVID-19 came from a lab,’ you would be banned from many social media platforms. Now, that’s on the cover of Newsweek.
“All of those theories that at one point in time were banned were openly discussed by those two men that I had on my podcast that have been accused of dangerous misinformation. I do not know if they’re right. I don’t know because I’m not a doctor. I’m not a scientist. I’m just a person that sits down and talks to people and has conversations with them.”
Rogan cited multiple examples of medical professionals he’s had on as guests who offer a differing view from Malone and McCullough, such as Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Dr. Peter Hotez, and even Dr. Michael Osterholm, who has served on President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 panel.
Rogan also stated that he agrees with the recent disclaimer Spotify has added to Rogan’s podcast episodes that feature viewpoints that stray from the consensus regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The disclaimer encourages listeners to speak with their physicians to learn more about COVID-19 and what treatment is best for them and issues a general warning regarding the content in the episodes.
Rogan went on to state that he does not claim to be infallible, but he is willing to correct himself when wrong and will continue having open conversations in pursuit of truth and a stronger understanding of the topics discussed.
“Do I get things wrong? Absolutely I get things wrong,” Rogan continued. “But I try to correct them. Whenever I get something wrong, I try to correct it because I’m interested in telling the truth. I’m interested in finding out what the truth is. And I’m interested in having interesting conversations with people that have differing opinions. I’m not interested in only talking to people that have one perspective.”
Joni Mitchell (left) & Neil Young (right) circa 1976
Rogan also expressed sadness at the Spotify boycott by Young and Mitchell, both of whom Rogan says he’s a big fan of. At the end of the video, Rogan even shared a story of working as a security guard at the age of 19 during a Neil Young concert, where he quit because of the chaos that ensued and drove back home singing along to Young’s classic “Rockin’ in the Free World.”
Moving forward, Rogan is open to ideas on how to improve his process as a podcast host, with one possibility being to have guests who have differing opinions on back-to-back episodes.
Rogan closed out the post thanking Spotify for their support and reflecting on how much his podcast has grown beyond his wildest expectations to the point where such massive controversies could even derive from it.
You can view Rogan’s full response below. (h/t Mindful Motivation)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYdcTacXK9g
What do you make of Joe Rogan’s response to the backlash against him and his podcast after the Spotify boycotts?
Dan Hooker knows that he is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Dan Hooker is on a new journey in the UFC. After a successful run in the lightweight division, he is now heading down to featherweight. hooker has his first opportunity at 145 pounds as he was recently matched up with Arnold Allen for the UFC London event in March. Hooker’s journey at lightweight ended when he lost three of his last four in the division. Hooker fans may have been looking for an undisclosed reason for the slide, but Hooker has no excuses to give them.
“Nah, it just sounds like excuses at this point,” Hooker told The AllStar. “Excuses, to me, are like, there’s a lot of people that when you lose, fall off the bandwagon, and there’s a lot of people that are half in and half out,” said Hooker. “I feel like your excuses are to try and convince, or not even excuses, but if you give a reason, you’re almost trying to convince the people that are teetering on the edge of whether to support you or not support you, you’re trying to get them back on the bandwagon. That’s not my intention. If you don’t wanna support me, don’t support me.”
Hooker’s run in the 155-pound division wasn’t all bad. He put together a string of eight wins from 2017 to 2020 and put himself in line to fight some of the best in the UFC, including Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler. This change-up of weight classes will be new hope for Hooker’s title aspirations. However, he is being realistic with his fans.
“I will admit, I will 100% admit, being a Dan Hooker fan is not an easy run, you know what I mean? It’s not like being a Khabib fan. That’s one guy in the history of this sport that has done that,” added Hooker. “Being a Dan Hooker fan is a tough road, and if you wanna be on that bandwagon, we take the bumpy road, we take the off-road; there’s cracks in our road, there’s bumps, there’s hills, but it’s fun. We’re here because we ride rollercoasters. We’re not here for smooth sailing. If you want smooth sailing, there are plenty of other fighters with nice, pretty records and 0s and this and that. That’s not what my story is about, that’s not why I do this, that’s not what I find fun.”
His first test at featherweight since 2014 will be a tough one. Allen is on a ten-fight winning streak and has not yet lost since entering the UFC. He is ranked seventh in the division, and Hooker will be looking to replace him in the top ten with a win in London.
Do you think Hooker will fair any better at featherweight than he did at lightweight?
After the following article was published, Michael Bisping had two more matches in his MMA career: Georges St-Pierre and Kelvin Gastelum. It wasn’t the “perfect scenario” he had mapped out, especially considering that he lost both bouts, but you can relive how Bisping envisioned his career winding down in the following article published on this day five years ago, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Five Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 30, 2017, 12:26 PM]
Headline: Bisping: Fighting GSP & Romero Would Be ‘Perfect Scenario’ Before Retirement
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr
Michael Bisping isn’t getting any younger.
The current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight titleholder will be 38 years of age before his next title defense. “The Count” is currently out with a knee injury and won’t be back until at least May.
With all that he has accomplished, it’s easy to see Bisping as a future UFC Hall of Famer. Before the champion goes, he wants mega fights that are the most lucrative. On his SiriusXM show, “The Countdown” (via Flo Combat), Bisping reiterated his desire for a “big money fight” or two:
“I said I want to be a part of the biggest fights possible. Whether that’s Yoel Romero, Georges St-Pierre or whether that’s Jacare [Souza] or Anderson Silva, I just want to be a part of the biggest fights ever earning as much money as possible.”
One would think the potential match-up that would make the most money is one with Georges St. Pierre. “Rush” left the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) with nine straight successful title defenses. He was also the UFC’s most consistent pay-per-view (PPV) draw during his run.
“The Count” insists that he doesn’t care who his next opponent is, as long as he brings in the cash.
“We will get the surgery out the way and when it’s done, it’s done and then I’ll fight Yoel Romero if I have to and I’ll whip his ass and if it’s GSP I’ll whip his ass. I just want the biggest fight possible on the biggest fight card possible.”
It isn’t crazy to think Bisping may get his wish. He has been a mainstay with the promotion since 2006 and his body has been put through the wringer. The ideal set of circumstances would be for the champion to face “GSP,” then Romero to close his career.
Despite their recent social media banter, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski didn’t even consider Giga Chikadze a potential next opponent.
Chikadze fell to Calvin Kattar at UFC Vegas 46 via unanimous decision and left the Octagon bloodied and battered by Kattar’s boxing. He had won nine straight fights entering the bout.
Volkanovski was supposed to face Max Holloway for his next title defense before Holloway pulled out due to an injury. Chikadze had been one of the first featherweight contenders who threw his name into the conversation after news broke of Holloway’s withdrawal.
Volkanovski and the UFC opted to give Chan Sung Jung, otherwise known as ‘The Korean Zombie’, the next title shot as a replacement. This irked Chikadze and created quite the tension between him and the champion.
During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Volkanovski revealed whether or not he would’ve considered facing Chikadze next if he got the better of Kattar.
“Mate, to be honest, when he was carrying (I thought) not only does he have to win to even start talking, you know, let’s try and get out of that fight unscathed before you even ask, but then, I still don’t think he’d deserve it,” Volkanovski said. “Remember, he’s ranked #8. He was ranked #8 and he was fighting #5… He’s so surprised that I’m fighting Zombie; these guys (contenders for the title shot) are ranked higher than him, (and) were gonna be ranked higher than him even if he won. It just doesn’t make sense. Yeah you’ve got a winning streak, but let’s fight some contenders, let’s fight some top guys, and you did and look what happened.”
In the buildup to UFC Vegas 46, Chikadze blasted Volkanovski as a “chump” and alluded to losing respect for the 145-pound champion. After his loss to Kattar, he’ll likely need to go on another winning streak to get back into the featherweight title discussion.
If Volkanovski beats Jung, the UFC will more than likely attempt to book the Holloway trilogy again. For now, it appears that Chikadze is a long way off from getting a title shot against Volkanovski.
Do you think we’ll ever see Alexander Volkanovski vs. Giga Chikadze?
Bellator featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino has hit back at Cat Zingano after she accused the champion of potentially doping.
Justino is expected to potentially face Zingano for her next appearance in the cage. But, Zingano has alleged that she has a matchup with another opponent set in March as a No. 1 contender fight.
“Cat Zingano, why are you lying?” Justino said. “I haven’t refused any drug tests. I’m ready whenever you are. Behind the scenes you keep saying to Bellator you need more time to prepare for me, you need a different opponent first, now you go on social media with lies and smear campaigns and excuses? Sad.” (h/t BJPenn)
Justino last competed against Sinead Kavanagh back in November, earning a first-round knockout. It was speculated that Justino could potentially face Kayla Harrison next, but Harrison’s free agency appears to be headed in the PFL’s favor and not Bellator’s.
Zingano, a former UFC title challenger, has yet to fight for the belt since making the move to Bellator. Following a loss to Megan Anderson in her UFC finale, she’s earned back-to-back wins over Olivia Parker and Gabrielle Holloway.
Justino has had a complicated legacy in MMA. She tested positive for steroids earlier in her career and had her license suspended to compete in California.
It’s unclear if and when Justino and Zingano will settle their beef in the Bellator cage, but it’s sure to be quite the buildup to their fight.
What are your thoughts on the Cat Zingano/Cris Cyborg controversy?
After Conor McGregor ran through Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith shared his harsh opinion of Cowboy’s performance, which resulted in Conor McGregor, Joe Rogan, and many others in the MMA community coming down hard on Smith.
Donald Cerrone would later say, in his own words, that he “didn’t want to be there” at UFC 246. Prior to Cerrone making these remarks, Nate Diaz had already come to Smith’s defense against McGregor’s and Rogan’s criticisms.
On This Day Two Years Ago...
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 30, 2020, 9:38 AM]
Headline: Nate Diaz Blasts Conor McGregor & Joe Rogan Over Stephen A. Smith Ordeal
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Nate Diaz thinks Conor McGregor and Joe Rogan are in the wrong when it comes to their ordeal with Stephen A. Smith.
Stephen A.’s post-UFC 246 comments on Donald Cerrone’s performance against McGregor have been a hot topic within the MMA community. The ESPN personality ripped “Cowboy’s” performance and called it “atrocious.” He even said that it looked as if Cerrone “gave up.”
Rogan criticized Smith over his remarks and said he shouldn’t be allowed to talk about MMA again. Stephen A. responded by saying Rogan is wrong to question his ability to cover MMA but Conor McGregor wasn’t thrilled with the response as he made clear on his Twitter account.
The call you discuss here is A+. I didn’t show enough. I’m not paid by the hour though. Joe’s comments however, come from you saying the opposition fighter quit. Broken nose/orbital bone say different. Fighting is vicious. Those who make the walk deserve full respect! Apologise.
“The call you discuss here is A+. I didn’t show enough. I’m not paid by the hour though. Joe’s comments however, come from you saying the opposition fighter quit. Broken nose/orbital bone say different. Fighting is vicious. Those who make the walk deserve full respect! Apologize.”
Nate Diaz Puts Conor McGregor & Joe Rogan On Blast
Diaz is aware of the whole ordeal and he’s taking Stephen A.’s side as he revealed in a Twitter post.
Rogan and Conor should give Stephen Smith a apology he said what it was The fight was over before it started Get offfeachothers nuts
The following article was published on this day three years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Three Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 30, 2019, 1:16 PM]
Archives: Dana White Disagrees With ‘Harsh’ Punishment Handed Down to Khabib Nurmagomedov
Author: Damon Martin
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was forced to pay a $500,000 fine for his role in the infamous post-fight brawl that he initiated following his win over Conor McGregor last October.
Just seconds after Nurmagomedov secured a fourth-round rear-naked choke finish, he leaped over the cage to go after McGregor’s teammate Dillon Danis, who was working in his corner for the fight.
Chaos ensued immediately afterwards but security quickly contained the ugly incident but the commission wasn’t going to let it go without handing down some stiff penalties for everybody involved.
Nurmagoemdov was dinged with the $500,000 fine and a six-month suspension assuming he completes an approved anti-bullying public service announcement for the state of Nevada. Meanwhile, McGregor was hit with a $50,000 fine and a six-month suspension and both fighters should be eligible to return after April 6.
UFC president Dana White has definitely gone back and forth with the Nevada Commission in the past over certain decisions that have been made and in this case, he believes Nurmagomedov got a raw deal when it comes to his punishment for the brawl.
“I was obviously surprised by how much they put on Khabib,” White told ESPN on Wednesday. “You’ve got a half-a-million dollars and six months [suspension] if he does some [public service announcements]. What he did was wrong, he jumped out, we had the whole thing contained in seconds.
“I don’t know. It was a little harsh in my opinion but it is what it is.”
The commission also took exception to the excessing amount of trash talking between Nurmagomedov and McGregor that led to their fight at UFC 229.
As personal as things may have gotten, the fight ended up as the biggest UFC pay-per-view of all time while the promotion put out a study earlier this week showing more than $86 million in revenue was generated for the city of Las Vegas by that single event.
White obviously doesn’t agree with trying to police what the fighters are saying to each other in the lead up to a fight, especially when it oftentimes leads to the biggest rivalries in the history of the sport.
“Here’s the thing — it’s a fight. At the end of the day, it’s a fight,” White said. “Sometimes you come across people that don’t like each other and there’s a lot of bad blood. That was the case in this fight. This is what we do. This is the fight business. These guys are talking about fighters saying mean things to each other and all this other stuff.
“If you break it down and go back to when [Muhammad] Ali fought [Joe] Frazier and you look at the times when that happened, the stuff that he said about Frazier and saying to Frazier was horrible. Horrible things that you don’t say to somebody else back then.”
It’s tough to imagine the Nevada commission actually attempting to curb trash talk before a fight but either way they definitely made Nurmagomedov pay for his choices after the fight was over.
Through his manager Ali Abdelaziz, Nurmagomedov has reportedly stated that he will no longer fight in Nevada as a result of this harsh penalty.
Was the Nevada commission wrong to fine Khabib Nurmagomedov so much money? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
Askren spent most of his MMA days fighting for Bellator and ONE Championship in Japan. When he finally got his chance in the UFC, unfortunately, it did not go his way. With one win in the UFC, followed by being made into a meme by Jorge Masvidal, Askren decided to try his hand at boxing.
Askren was the first former MMA fighter to challenge Paul inside the squared circle and lost. Since then, Paul’s targeting of MMA fighters is becoming his signature move in boxing. He has been rumored to want a fight with former UFC champion Anderson Silva. Although this bout is far from confirmed, Askren is hoping that Silva can do what no other man has done yet, stop Paul in the ring.
“I thought Tyron [Woodley] was going to. The first bout was obviously really competitive,” Askren told MMA Island. “Anderson Silva looked great in his one boxing match he did. It was against a guy who had a significant amount of boxing experience, so I would say yeah, I would think so. If Anderson can’t do it, then shit, Jake Paul is pretty damn good.”
Silva has had four professional boxing fights since retiring from the UFC. He has won his last three bouts, including the win Askren referenced that came over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and most recently over fellow former UFC fighter Tito Ortiz. Silva has expressed interest in taking on Paul, but nothing has materialized on that fight being made as of this writing.
Do you think Anderson Silvawould be able to beat Jake Paul in the boxing ring?
Cody Garbrandt’s uncle is worried about his health and safety.
Coming up in combat sports, Cody Garbrandt was under the tutelage of his uncle Robert Meese. Meese was his boxing and a striking coach. He was Garbrandt’s main coach in his early days and has stayed with him through his time at Team Alpha Male. Meese has seen Garbrandt through ups and downs and was there when he won his bantamweight title. But recently, Garbrandt has been having trouble finding a win in the UFC.
Meese spoke presently to TalkSports about his nephews’ future and his health overall.
“If Cody gets knocked out again, I am pretty sure his career is over,” Meese said. “But Cody can come back, George Foreman hit a bump in his career and came back and he had more fun and made more money and won the heavyweight title.”
Garbrandt has lost two in a row and five of his last six. Of those five losses, four were via KO or TKO. After losing his bantamweight title, Garbrandt decided to try his hand at flyweight. He made his flyweight debut last year but lost to Kai Kara-France. Garbrandt’s uncle knows firsthand what a significant weight cut can do to a fighter.
“In terms of cutting weight, I can only speak about what I know. I was preparing for a fight, and I had to cut extra weight at the last minute due to the opponent. So, I had to get down to a certain weight,” Meese said. “Then the night of the fight, I thought I was going to die. I cut so much weight it felt like Mike Tyson hit me. So, you’re really not going to know until the night of the fight how it feels to get hit at that weight. The real weight was 125 pounds but you’re not really doing any sparring at 125.”
The future is unclear for Garbrandt right now. With the loss to Kara-France, his chances at getting a title shot at 125 pounds seem slim. His best bet might be to return to bantamweight and try again to regain his title. From 2015 up until he lost to TJ Dillashaw in 2017 he was unstoppable. He could fight a rematch that the fans could be interested in and work his way back up to the title fight.
As for staying at flyweight, his uncle doesn’t seem to believe that is a good idea.
“We all knew Cody wasn’t at his best going into that fight, me, Urijah Faber, Chris Holdsworth we all knew,” he said.
Do you think Cody Garbrandt is nearing the end of his career or will he have a resurgence?
The following article was published on this day five years ago. It is presented in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Five Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 30, 2017, 3:29 PM]
Headline: Joe Rogan: Conor McGregor “Will Manipulate Leverage” in “Star Driven” MMA
Author: Adam Haynes
Joe Rogan and friends theorize on a new dawn in MMA, and discuss Conor McGregor’s announcement on the newly established ‘McGregor Promotions’.
McGregor had numerous topics to discuss with Ariel Helwani on Saturday in Manchester, England, including a potential bout with Floyd Mayweather, Ronda Rousey and the soon-to-come birth of his first child.
The current UFC lightweight champion also announced the birth of ‘McGregor Promotions,’ insisting that he will look to co-promote any Mayweather match with the UFC and the boxer’s company, but with considerable conditions:
“Everyone’s got to know their place,” McGregor said. “There’s Mayweather Promotions, there’s the UFC and now there’s the newly formed McGregor Promotions. And we’re all in the mix.”
Joe Rogan spoke with ex-UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub and others on Saturday’s installment of their ‘Fight Companion’ podcast, and hypothesized on the rapid evolution of MMA:
“It’s going to become what boxing is. It’s going to become that. It’s star-driven” Rogan said. “when it’s star-driven like that, guys like Conor who are legitimate stars, they have the leverage. And they’re going to manipulate that leverage. They’re going to utilize that leverage and we’re going to see what happens”.
It’s been almost five years to the day since Julianna Peña lost to Valentina Shevchenko. As we now know, Peña was able to turn out just fine, currently sitting as the women’s bantamweight champion. But in the following article, we re-experience her raw reaction to losing in the UFC for the first time.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 30, 2017, 8:41 PM]
Headline: Julianna Peña Issues Statement After Losing to Valentina Shevchenko
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Julianna Peña may have lost her first fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), but the sky isn’t falling.
Peña was submitted in the second round courtesy of an armbar from Valentina Shevchenko this past Saturday night (Jan. 28). The loss was Peña’s third as a professional mixed martial artist (MMA). That almost means her four-fight winning streak was snapped.
On her Facebook page, Peña apologized to her fans for falling short in Denver. She believes the defeat will help her grow:
“So, so sorry about my loss you guys. Too hungry. At this level of competition, you cannot make the first mistake or you pay the price. This is a big-time learning experience for me. Time to move forward though. I take one look in the past and then I turn around and keep it pushing toward the future.”
“The Venezuelan Vixen” said she hasn’t lost sight of what’s important. A loss inside the Octagon isn’t going to make her forget about the people who have supported her.
“Michael Jordan missed shots and even the best MMA fighters have tasted defeat at some point in their career. My character is not defined by my wins and losses nor are they contingent on the amount of love I receive from those who truly matter to me. Thank you to those who realize how much work goes into this process. It takes a village to get to the big stage and I could not be more grateful for my team who continue to help me achieve my dreams on a daily basis.”
Peña ended her statement by showing appreciation for her fans.
“You guys motivate and inspire me to continue to be great. You guys are my mentors, my heroes, my main support and without you being there for me, there would be no ‘Venezuelan Vixen.’ Much respect, love and thankfulness to those who tuned in to the fight. Like the terminator says, I’ll be back.”
Tony Ferguson still has his eyes set on Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov and Ferguson were booked to fight one another five times but for a variety of reasons, the fight never happened. Ever since then, Ferguson has called out “The Eagle” and said he isn’t undefeated because he “lost” to him due to him pulling out multiple times.
Now, Ferguson has taken to social media to say he has something ready for Nurmagomedov when they go to battle.
“Got A Five Point Move Reserved For This Asshole When WeBattle,.. Ippon # TeamTiramisu4L -Champ,” Ferguson wrote on social media.
Ferguson is currently on a three-fight losing streak and during this losing skid, Nurmagomedov blasted “El Cucuy” saying he needs to retire.
“He is 38 years old,” Nurmagomedov said in an interview posted and translated by RT Sport. “Tell me how he can make a comeback? He was dominated in his last three bouts. Different styles – a striker, a grappler… Dariush, Oliveira, Gaethje, they all dominated him both standing up and on the ground. When you are 38, I believe, you have to pull the brakes and there have to be people around him to say: ‘Hey, you are aging, you have to stop.’”
Tony Ferguson is coming off back-to-back lopsided decision losses to Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira. Prior to those losses, he suffered a TKO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 for the interim lightweight title.
Before the setbacks, Ferguson was riding a 12-fight winning streak and was also the former interim lightweight champion. He’s currently in talks to face Michael Chandler next time out in an all-action scrap.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, retired at 29-0 after his submission win over Justin Gaethje in 2020.
What do you make of Tony Ferguson’s latest shot at Khabib Nurmagomedov?
A fighter getting ready to compete at a Russian MMA event took mental warfare to a physical level during a pre-fight press conference.
As most MMA events play out, mental warfare and getting into opponents’ head was on full display ahead of an MMA event in Russia. There isn’t a ton of information on the identity of the fighters in question, outside of the fighter in the blue polo shirt allegedly going by “Atamah”.
The verbal banter between the two turned hostile fast and in a hurry, with one of the fighters sprinting across the stage and attempting to assault his adversary with a kick. This sparked full-out mayhem as security personnel quickly intervened.
It’s currently unknown how the actual fight will/did play out, but it’s clear these two Russian fighters have virtually no respect for one another.
The clip of the incident went viral on social media, with fighters such as Michael Chiesa weighing in. Chiesa was involved in his own press-related altercation with Kevin Lee leading up to their fight in the UFC.
It is no secret Chael Sonnen has historically been one of Jon Jones’ biggest critics. The two have been in conflict, mostly on social media, for years now. In 2019, shortly after Jones had competed at UFC 232 despite atypical test findings, Sonnen would actually come to Jones’ defense—sort of.
The following article was published on this day three years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 30, 2019, 3:18 PM]
Headline: Chael Sonnen Says Jon Jones Is Being “Falsely Disparaged”
Author: Jon Fuentes
There has been a ton of controversy surrounding UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. “Bones” has been engulfed in criticism for his drug testing issues over the past several years.
Recently, Jones forced an entire pay-per-view (PPV) event to be moved to a different state. Jones was suspended in 2017 after testing positive for a banned substance. After his suspension was served, he returned last month against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232.
Initially, the fight was slated to go down from Las Vegas, Nevada. However, Jones again tested positive for traces of the same substance he was suspended for in 2017. It was determined that Jones did not re-ingest anything illegal, but this was instead a pulsing effect. This was not enough for the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to grant him a license to fight at UFC 232. Thus, the promotion moved the event to California.
Jones defeated Gustafsson via third-round TKO to capture the vacant 205-pound title. Recently, the NSAC granted Jones a conditional one-fight license to defend his title in Vegas on March 2nd. He’ll face Anthony Smith in the main event of UFC 235 from the T-Mobile Arena. One man who knows a thing or two about Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) is Chael Sonnen.
Sonnen has admitted to using PEDs in the past and has served a suspension for doing so. Speaking on a recent episode of his podcast, Sonnen believes Jones is being “falsely disparaged” for having retaken a banned substance (Bloody Elbow):
“I am seeing Jon falsely disparaged for having retaken banned substances. That’s not true. The conclusion and the analysis is accurate that this is residue that is left over,” Sonnen said.
“My conclusion and analysis that he was under-punished …. I’m just a guy looking at the rules that understands that on your second violation, you have a minimum of two years.
“Had they gone through that, we wouldn’t be in this spot (because there would no longer be turinabol residue in his system).
What do you think about Sonnes’s comments on the Jones situation?
Two-time PFL champion Kayla Harrison hasn’t made up her mind on her free agency, but the UFC’s offer may now be off the table.
Harrison earned the 2021 PFL lightweight championship after defeating Taylor Guardado in the finals. She remains undefeated in her professional MMA career after a successful tenure in Olympic Judo.
Many believed that the UFC might’ve been the most likely destination for Harrison. This included a potential matchup with her now-former teammate Amanda Nunes for the UFC featherweight title.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Harrison explained her free agency decision process and what promotions are still under consideration.
“I got the offer from the UFC. I know what it is. I think timing-wise, because of certain things that are gonna happen with Amanda [Nunes] and Julianna [Peña] etc…” Harrison said. “Timing is kind of everything in this sport, so PFL’s definitely the front-runner. Bellator, again, we had spoken to. I don’t know the exact details of what was said between Ali and them, but I know what I had proposed, so, it doesn’t look like that’s gonna—we’ll see.”
Harrison was then asked whether or not Nunes’ shocking loss to Julianna Peña altered any plans she had to sign with the UFC.
“Not really, I was bummed for my teammate that night, there’s a viral video of me screaming something like, ‘Fuck!’ But it was mostly ’cause I was in shock and bummed for her. But what Amanda does with her career has no barring on my career and I respect her, I have a ton of respect for her as a fighter, as a mom, as a human being, but my journey is my journey.”
Recent reports indicate that Harrison is expected to re-sign with the PFL on possibly a one-year contract. This would allow her to reevaluate the landscape next year.
Harrison has emerged as one of the most dominant fighters in MMA today and could fight on the biggest platform in the sport sooner rather than later. But for now, it appears that the UFC may be temporarily out of the Kayla Harrison sweepstakes.
What are your predictions for Kayla Harrison in 2022?
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