Tommy Fury’s decision to pull out of his originally scheduled fight with Jake Paul was more difficult to make than most were poised to believe.
Fury defeated Anthony Taylor on the first Paul vs. Tyron Woodley card in 2021 before agreeing to a fight with Paul next. The buildup to the Fury vs. Paul fight began backstage in Cleveland when their respective teams nearly came to blows.
The fight was expected to be a true test for Paul, who arguably hasn’t faced a true boxer in his young fighting career. Just weeks before the event, Fury withdrew due to a chest infection and rib injury.
“When I made the call, to call this fight off, me and my team, that was probably the darkest days that I’ve had in my life so far,” Fury said. “Because when you train as a kid for that particular night, you know, the big headlining show in Florida, in America, streamed all over the world, that’s the moment you train for all your life.
When it gets ripped away from you through no fault of your own really, it’s devastating. That was the darkest time of my life.
“But I’ve said to myself I’m not gonna let that carry on into next year. This year is all about positivity. I’m leaving all those setbacks in 2021.”
Tommy Fury Still Thinks Jake Paul Rescheduled Bout Is Fight To Make
Paul won back-to-back fights over Woodley in 2021. Before that, he earned a vicious first-round knockout over former UFC fighter Ben Askren. Both he and Fury are undefeated in their young boxing tenures.
Tommy, the younger brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, has been tabbed as a legitimate boxing prospect in recent years. But despite his flawless record, his strength of competition hasn’t exactly been stellar, with many of his opponents having abysmal records.
It’s unclear whether or not Fury vs. Paul will happen next, as Paul has alluded to taking some time off and returning in the summer. In the meantime, Fury sounds hellbent on getting the fight rescheduled and settling their beef inside the ring.
How do you think a Jake Paul-Tommy Fury fight plays out?
The original story was published on this day five years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.
On This Day Five Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 9, 2017, 9:21 AM]
Headline: Meryl Streep Says MMA is Not an Art, Scott Coker & Fighters Disagree
An unlikely name has entered the realm of mixed martial arts (MMA) overnight. Renowned actress Meryl Streep accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement award last night (Jan. 8, 2017) at the 74th Golden Globe Awards. During her speech, Streep gave MMA a mention, although it wasn’t a flattering one.
Here is what she said:
âHollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners. And if we kick them all out youâll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts, which are not the arts.â
This prompted responses from some MMA fighters and even Bellator President Scott Coker chimed in. He offered Streep an invitation to see Bellator 170 live in Inglewood, California (via Twitter). Here is his invitation:
“Meryl,
I’m a lifelong fan of your work but also a lifelong martial artist who happens to promote mixed martial arts around the world.
The global sport of mixed martial arts celebrates male and female athletes from all around the world who work years tirelessly honing their craft and- yes- art. They come from every country and every walk of life. We at Bellator support them and honor their skill.
Please be my guest at the LA Forum on January 21st and you will see that Mixed Martial Arts is truly artistic – which will feature fighters from all over the world competing at a world class level.
Scott Coker
President Bellator MMA”
Others weren’t as kind in their responses. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight Tamdan McCory was none too pleased with Streep’s words:
Rozenstruik and Tybura were both in the heavyweight title discussion before recent losses. Rozenstruik fell to Curtis Blaydes at UFC 266 while Tybura lost just weeks later at UFC 267 against Alexander Volkov.
Rozenstruik has traded wins and losses since his knockout loss to Francis Ngannou in just 20 seconds at UFC 249. He’s earned wins most recently against Junior dos Santos and Augusto Sakai.
Tybura was arguably the hottest heavyweight contender before a loss to Volkov. He had won five fights in a row over the likes of Ben Rothwell, Greg Hardy, and Walt Harris.
The full card for UFC Vegas 49 has yet to be announced, but the card will be headlined by top lightweight contenders Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev. The winner of that matchup will more than likely be next in line for the 155-pound title.
Before losing to Blaydes, Rozenstruik had called for potential matchups with the likes of Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic at heavyweight. Both men remain sidelined and are expected to return at some point in 2022.
As for Tybura, he remains a potential dark horse in the heavyweight division. Previous wins over Stefan Struve and Andrei Arlovski helped propel him into the heavyweight rankings.
Rozenstruik is listed at No. 6 and Tybura is slated at No. 9 in the latest UFC heavyweight rankings. The winner of this matchup could get a Top-5 opponent next.
Amanda Nunes and Chuck Liddell have one thing in common. They are both all-time great UFC champions. One thing they do not have in common? A penis.
The following story is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 9, 2017, 10:13 AM]
Headline: Bruce Buffer: ‘Amanda Nunes is Chuck Liddell Minus The Penis’
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announcer Bruce Buffer has a way with words.
The world of mixed martial arts (MMA) and sports, in general, was buzzing when Ronda Rousey’s bid for a second run with the women’s bantamweight title was derailed in 48 seconds by champion Amanda Nunes. “The Lioness” was dominant while “Rowdy” didn’t showcase any improvements from her brutal knockout loss to Holly Holm in Nov. 2015.
Buffer recently appeared on The Pony Hour podcast (via Bloody Elbow) and talked about Nunes’ first successful title defense. Despite Rousey’s performance, Buffer believes she took the bout very seriously:
âI thought (Rousey) was focused, she just got her ass handed to her. She came into Vegas, on Monday or Friday previous, weighing 135 lbs, instead of coming in on 150 or whatever, and having to lose 15 lbs in 5 days. Thatâs focused! She came in for the kill.”
With Nunes’ punching power, Buffer compared the 135-pound queen to UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell. There is one significant difference, however.
âIn the case of Amanda Nunes, who is like Chuck Liddell with a clitoris. Itâs like â and minus the penis â this is a woman who can move back and forward, who doesnât punch and hit you in the face, she punches through your head. Sheâs probably going to hold that belt for a long time.â
Many have provided their theories as to why Rousey hasn’t improved in the sport. Some shoulder the blame on her coaches while others feel she was overrated to begin with. Buffer offered his take on what has gone wrong.
âShe came in being told, in Hollyâs case, that she was invincible. Wrong!â Buffer exclaimed. âNobody is invincible. Okay? She came into this next fight, without any improvement to be seen in the 48 seconds that we saw. Flat-footed, no head movement, walking into a devastating striker to fight her fight. Bad judgment!”
UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar RakiÄ took a subtle dig at former UFC fighter turned commentator Paul Felder on Twitter.
RakiÄ is set to face former light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz later this year in his return to the Octagon. He most recently defeated Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith in a pair of massive light heavyweight wins.
RakiÄ has never been afraid to speak his mind, especially when it comes to the UFC commentary team and their supposed bias. He most recently took a shot at Daniel Cormier after Dominick Cruz criticized his fight commentary leading up to UFC 269.
“Just say what you gotta say,” Felder said. “Is this a third-grade crush? Tell me you don’t like my commentary and I’ll tell you some of your fights suck.”
In a series of since-deleted tweets, RakiÄ said he tends to mute the UFC broadcasts when commentators such as Felder are at the desk. Felder took exception to this and even responded to Rakic in the middle of a fight card.
RakiÄ has emerged as one of the more outspoken light heavyweight contenders, as evidenced by his recent back-and-forths with JiĆĂ ProchĂĄzka. RakiÄ could get the next 205-pound title shot with another impressive win in the Octagon.
Felder also has a history of not letting trolls and critics go unchallenged. He’s notorious for putting harsh critics of his commentary on blast and often engages in Twitter back-and-forths.
What are your thoughts on the UFC commentary team?
The conversation surrounding fighter pay has continued into the new year as expected. Earlier this week, Sean O’Malley stated that he understands why Dana White doesn’t provide better pay for the fighters who do not draw well. On this day five years ago, we ran a story where UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn gave all fighters a bit of advice.
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 9, 2017, 7:40 PM]
Headline: BJ Penn to Fighters: ‘Make Yourself The Money Fight’
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Hall of Famer B.J. Penn knows a thing or two about marquee fights.
“The Prodigy” competed against Georges St. Pierre in a super fight at UFC 94. Penn was the reigning lightweight champion, while “Rush” held the welterweight title. The pay-per-view (PPV) buy rate was estimated at 920,000. Penn’s base salary was $125,000.
A lot has changed since that time and the money has increased. For example, Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis got paid $150,000 to show for their interim title fight at UFC 206. The PPV was only estimated to have done 150,000 buys. Those certainly aren’t buys you’d expect for a super fight, yet both men got paid more than Penn did back in 2009.
Reigning lightweight champion Conor McGregor has played a significant role in some fighters’ change in thinking. With the amount of money “Notorious” makes ($3,500,000 base salary for UFC 205), many competitors, including Tyron Woodley, have tried holding off potential contenders in favor of big money fights.
Penn isn’t thrilled with the new craze. He told FOX Sports that fighters should become the attraction rather than beg to face one:
âIâll tell you this, Iâm not the guy to go out there and say âoh give me this money fight, give me that money fight. I look at all these guys doing that and Iâm like why donât you go knock out 100 guys and become the money fight yourself? â(Expletive) (expletive).”
“The Prodigy” will come out of retirement on Sunday (Jan. 15) to face soaring prospect Yair Rodriguez. The bout will be headlining the next UFC Fight Night card. It’ll be Penn’s second fight in the featherweight division. A win over “El Pantera” would be his first in over six years. The action takes place inside the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The main card will begin at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1).
Former UFC bantamweight champion Miesha Tate may consider a run at flyweight, but she’s ruling out a potential gig on OnlyFans.
Tate most recently fell to Ketlen Vieira last November via a unanimous decision, after dominating her UFC return against Marion Reneau. She returned to the Octagon after retiring following her loss at UFC 205 in 2016.
There has been some speculation as to what Tate may do with her career. She’s hinted at a potential move to 125 pounds to challenge for another UFC title but is also still pursuing a run at bantamweight.
But one fan was interested in whether or not Tate would ever join the adult site OnlyFans.com as a side gig, and the former UFC champion shut that idea down quickly.
Miesha Tate has managed to accumulate quite the following on social media despite her prior absence from fighting. As of the publishing of this story, she has earned 2.1 million followers on her Instagram page and is also increasingly active on her YouTube channel.
The biggest win of Tate’s UFC career came when she pulled off a remarkable comeback win over Holly Holm for the bantamweight title at UFC 196. She went on to lose the title to Amanda Nunes at UFC 200 before her pre-retirement loss to Raquel Pennington.
Tate appears to be rejuvenated in this next chapter of her career, but fans shouldn’t expect any mature content from the star athlete.
Long before Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor was announced, the two superstars were already involved in an inter-sport feud, as captured in the following story.
The following article was published on this day six years ago. It is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Six Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 9, 2016, 9:00 AM]
Headline: Conor McGregor Calls Out Floyd Mayweather Over Racism Comments
Author: Eric Lynch
Conor McGregor has officially called out undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather, saying the two “can organize a fight no problem.”
McGregor recently wrote a message on his Facebook page mostly addressing the media and apologizing for a photo of him with a rifle, but the note also took aim at Mayweather. McGregor responded to an interview Mayweather did in December, where the boxer said he feels the media favors McGregor over him due to racism.
“I don’t really know the McGregor guy, never seen him fight,” Mayweather told FightHype.com. “They say he talks a lot of trash and people praise him for it, but when I did it, they say I’m cocky and arrogant. So biased! Like I said before, all I’m saying is this: I ain’t racist at all, but I’m telling you racism still exists.”
McGregor, who is fresh off a 13-second knockout victory over Jose Aldo at UFC 194, fired back at “TBE” on Friday. He told Mayweather not to bring race into his success and made it clear he’s willing to fight over it. McGregor also took the opportunity to say he feels Mayweather only deserves 20% of the revenue from their potential fight, as McGregor’s last pay-per-view event may have had twice as many sales as Mayweather’s last fight against Andre Berto in September.
Here’s what the UFC featherweight champion had to say on Facebook about Mayweather:
“Floyd Mayweather, don’t ever bring race into my success again. I am an Irishman. My people have been oppressed our entire existence. And still very much are. I understand the feeling of prejudice. It is a feeling that is deep in my blood. In my family’s long history of warfare there was a time where just having the name ‘McGregor’ was punishable by death.
“Do not ever put me in a bracket like this again. If you want we can organise a fight no problem. I will give you a fair 80/20 split purse in my favour seen as your last fight bombed at every area of revenue.
“At 27 years of age I now hold the key to this game. The game answers to me now.”
Related: Video: Floyd Mayweather Takes Shots At Randy Couture & MMA
Back in August, McGregor felt confident that both he and Ronda Rousey could defeat Mayweather in a hypothetical scenario.
âIn a real fight I would dismantle him in seconds,â McGregor told The Guardian. âRonda Rousey would dismantle him in seconds â 100%. When you donât know how to grapple you donât stand a chance. For us, itâs like playing with a baby. People who donât understand the sport cannot understand how vulnerable they are. There are always clinches and Ronda is a judo Olympian. She would throw Floyd on his head in a second. Me? I would knock him out. Cold.â
Related: Ronda Rousey Also Says She Could Beat Floyd Mayweather In A No-Rules Fight
Conor McGregor will reportedly be challenging UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC 197 on 3/5 in Las Vegas.
UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman has brought with him a zero-tolerance policy for hate entering 2022.
Known for his cool-and-collected disposition, Usman took some time out to address one or two of his all-star haters in a Snapchat Story. On this occasion, rather than playing it cool, “The Nigerian Nightmare” delivered a message that was downright chilling (h/t The Mirror).
“Whomever you are watching my story, please just choke yourself. 2022 started and your life is centered around others,” he wrote in the story. “Better yet, kill yourself. Having fun watching my life and not yours,” Usman posted to his Snapchat Story along with a middle finger emoji.
While it is unknown what was said to draw out this response from Usman, the current pound-for-pound king seemed to recognize the looming controversy that could await when suggesting a fan take their own life. Consequently, Usman would then tone down his rhetoric a couple of notches while still getting a similarly stern message across.
“Let me clear this up, I know that was tough. It was 4am in the morning, it was a little slizzered and obviously, I typed that the wrong way,” he said in the video.
“Let me rephrase this for that hater, you know who you are, that particular hater there’s one of you or maybe two of you that keeps watching my story so you can have something to hate on.
“Choke yourself, it’s me saying it now, choke yourself. For the rest of my fans, my real fans I love and appreciate you guys, I always have and always will.”
It wasn’t all talk of hate and violence. The Nigerian-American also had a more appreciative message for his fans and supporters.
“I love my fans even those that (hate) because you truly only wish you could be me.”
Usman showed more patience during the build-up to his most recent fight against rival Colby Covington. Covington tried everything under the sun to get under Usman’s skin, including repeatedly referencing his father’s stint in prison. And yet, Usman let it all slide off his shoulders prior to defeating Covington for the second time at UFC 268, where the two enemies temporarily squashed their beef with a partial embrace.
What do you make of these remarks from Kamaru Usman?
Happy New Year, fight fans! To kick off our 20th anniversary, we will be rolling out the MMA News Top 100 UFC fighters of 2021 throughout the month of January as voted on by our panel.
This list is NOT solely based on fights and performances of 2021. Being active in 2021 is what QUALIFIES one to make the list. Instead of only considering performances of the year, we are taking a holistic look at who is the better overall fighter exiting 2021 based on our selected criteria. A full explanation of the criteria can be found below.
1: Career Trajectory/Recent Performances (50%)
Where are the fighters trending right now? How much evidence-backed momentum do they have?
3: Likelihood To Be The Betting Favorite In Any Fight In 2021 (25%)
This was determined using past betting history, betting lines during 2021, and the projected odds moving forward as determined by the panel. This category is being used to get a gauge of the talent level the public feels the fighter is/was at.
Be sure to keep checking back right here at MMANews.com for frequent updates to this list throughout the month of January as we continue to update this list!
Reasoning Behind Ranking: With 17 of his 22 wins by finish, Jack Hermansson has been a constant reminder of how to make men panic. The last time Hermansson put the squeeze on his opponent was at UFC Fight Night: Figueiredo vs. Benavidez 2 when he submitted Kelvin Gastelum in the very first round.
“The Joker” most recently defeated middleweight prospect Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt. Hermansson is capable of being ranked higher on our list, but he’s had mixed results as of late, going 2-2 in his last four fights.
Heading Into 2022: Entering 2022, Jack Hermansson is the #6-ranked middleweight in the world. In his next bout, he’ll be facing the surging Sean Strickland on February 5.
#69: Dominick Reyes
Dominick Reyes
Reasoning Behind Ranking: It wasn’t too long ago that Dominick Reyes was 12-0 with seven wins by finish. Then, he gave the great Jon Jones arguably the closest fight of his career at UFC 247. Whenever you can say that, even when you’ve lost three straight, you’re going to get some respect from our panel, especially considering the fact that his latest defeat to JiĆĂ ProchĂĄzka was ultra-competitive and won Fight of the Night.
Heading Into 2022: Dominick Reyes will be in need of a win if he wants to reaffirm his relevancy at 205. “The Devastator” will undoubtedly have the support of California behind him as he looks to remind the world how the West Coast does it. The 32-year-old is currently ranked #7 in the light heavyweight division.
#68: Sean Brady
Sean Brady
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Standing at 15-0 at 29 years old, it may not be too long until Sean Brady is greeted by Brotherly love when he hits the top of the lightweight stairs. Brady is currently 5-0 in the promotion, but it was his one-sided victory over Michael Chiesa at UFC Fight Night: Vieira vs. Tate that really put Brady on the map and in a firm spot on our list. He also won Performance of the Night in his victory over Christian Aguilera last year with his guillotine submission win.
STILL UNDEFEATED.
If @SeanBradyMMA gets a hold of your neck, it's over.
Heading Into 2022: It will be fun to see where Brady winds up on our list next year. In terms of the UFC rankings, he enters 2022 at #9 in the welterweight division and hopes to be facing Stephen Thompson the next time he steps in the Octagon.
#67: Tom Aspinall
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Tom Aspinall is on a seven-fight winning streak and has yet to taste defeat in the UFC. But what really stands out about Aspinall isn’t just that he’s winning but the way in which he’s doing it. Three of Aspinall’s four UFC victories have won Performance of the Night, and every single one of the wins has been finishes. His last two wins over proven names Andrei Arlovski and Sergey Spivak show that Aspinall will be ready to test himself against the big boys in the heavyweight rankings his next time out.
Heading Into 2022: As Tom Aspinall continues his move up the heavyweight ladder, whatâs his ultimate destination? How far will this 28-year-old ascend this year? We’ll get a better idea of the answer to this question when he faces top-10 heavyweight Shamil Abdurakhimov on March 19.
#66: Mateusz Gamrot
Mateusz Gamrot
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Mateusz Gamrot fought three times in 2021, and he just kept on lighting up the win column. First up, he knocked out Scott Holtzman in April. Three months later, he won his second consecutive Performance of the Night when he submitted UFC veteran Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens.
Last up, he earned a TKO win over Carlos Diego Ferreira as the UFC said farewell to 2021.
Heading Into 2022: Will Gamrot extend his streak in 2022? If he is able to follow his pattern of activity, winning, and finishes, then we may very well be looking at a legitimate lightweight title contender by year’s end.
Heading Into 2022: Muniz comes into 2022 ranked at #13 at middleweight, but if the first four fights are any indication, then that number could be much higher at some point in 2022. One name Muniz has identified as a potential next opponent is Darren Till, with his native Brazil being the preferred destination.
#64: Sean Strickland
Sean Strickland Saying Lord Knows What
Reasoning Behind Ranking: After having mixed results at welterweight, Sean Strickland’s career has experienced a strong surge in the middleweight division. When he’s not making headlines for some of his comments, the eccentric fighter is marching to the beat of his own drummer to victories, five straight to be precise, with the last four being in his new home of 185. Most recently, Strickland defeated Uriah Hall in his first main event with a unanimous decision victory.
Heading Into 2022: Strickland will now face his stiffest middleweight test to date when he faces former top-5 contender Jack Hermansson in February. At the moment, Strickland is ranked #7 in the division.
#63: Marina Rodriguez
Marina Rodriguez
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Another high-level striker to win a main event in 2021 is Marina Rodriguez. In fact, Rodriguez won two main events, first over Michelle Waterson in May followed by a victory over our #89-ranked fighter, Mackenzie Dern, in a Fight of the Night back in October. She also pulled off what at the time was considered to be a significant upset when she defeated Amanda Ribas at UFC 257.
Heading Into 2022: Despite some of her questionable results earlier in her career, there’s no question that Marina Rodriguez has been outpacing the strawweight competition after finding her legs in the division. So much so that she is currently ranked #3 in the division. Who’s next for Rodriguez? None other than the #4-ranked Yan Xiaonan on March 5.
#62: Rafael Fiziev
Rafael Fiziev, Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Continuing with the trend of strikers who went unrestricted in 2021, Russian swinger Rafael Fiziev comes in at #62 on our list. Fiziev is currently enjoying a five-fight winning streak, capped off by one of the best knockouts of the year over fellow kickboxing threat Brad Riddell.
Fiziev does have one loss on his UFC record, but he’s only human, after all. That may be hard to grasp when you see a kick like the one above, but Fiziev has shown that he can be beat. What has become increasingly uncertain, however, is whether it will ever happen again.
Heading Into 2022: Rafael Fiziev will make his 2022 debut in his first main event against former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos. dos Anjos was not eligible for our list this year due to not competing in 2021. Still, dos Anjos remains ranked in the top 10 at #6, so a victory for Fiziev, who currently sits at #11, would be massive.
#61: Anthony Smith
Anthony Smith, Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports
Reasoning Behind Ranking: If youâre among those who have been told that Anthony Smith is done and out of the light heavyweight title picture: they lied to you.
Entering 2020, Anthony Smith showed his bounce-back ability when he defeated Alexander Gustafsson in a Performance of the Night winner right after his loss to Jon Jones at UFC 235. But that was a rocky year for “Lionheart,” dropping back-to-back fights to Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar RakiÄ. Given the success those men have had, those losses have aged well for Smith.
But what has aged even better is Smith himself, who bounced back yet again with three straight wins, including a 2-0 record in 2021, with victories over Jimmy Crute and a Performance of the Night submission victory over Ryan Spann in September.
Heading Into 2022: With 52 professional bouts under his belt, it may be hard to believe that Smith is still only 33 years of age. What is in store in the year ahead for this battle-tested veteran? We’ll have to await the answer to that. But being that Smith is still ranked within the top 5 at light heavyweight, you can expect his next fight to be a big one as he continues to step to his comeback song.
Stay tuned to find out who is next on the MMA News Top 100 Fighters Of 2021 in Part 5!
Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo believes the UFC 266 main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega is the “greatest fight” in MMA history.
At the start of one of the most memorable sets of final pay-per-views a year has seen in the UFC, reigning featherweight titleholder Volkanovski met with top contender Ortega in the September 25 headliner. The pair were originally set to clash at UFC 260 six months prior, but a positive COVID-19 test forced the Australian out.
In the end, the pair coached the 2021 return of The Ultimate Fighter. Whilst it certainly wasn’t the most thrilling season of the show, it did add an extra pinch of animosity and helped build the matchup more heading into their eventual showdown at UFC 266.
But even in defeat, we saw why “T-City” has a spot among the elite at 145 pounds, with two tight submission attempts in the third round providing one of the most memorable frames in history.
Cejudo Believes Volkanovski vs. Ortega Had Everything
In the eyes of many, the UFC 266 main event was certainly a top contender for the Fight of the Year, in the conversation with the likes of Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler at UFC 268, Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 42, and JiĆĂ ProchĂĄzka vs. Dominick Reyes at UFC Vegas 25.
But while many didn’t have Volkanovski’s one and only defense of 2021 in their top spot for the year, one former UFC champion had it there and more. Cejudo, who held both flyweight and bantamweight gold simultaneously during his UFC career, believes the memorable September five-rounder was not only the FOTY, but the greatest fight in the history of mixed martial arts.
âThe one I really like the most, Iâm going to have to go to with Alexander âThe Averageâ (Volkanovski) and Brian Ortega,â Cejudo said on his podcast with The Schmo. âThat isnât, to me in my eyes, the Fight of the Year, but this is the greatest fight in my eyes in mixed martial arts history. It displayed striking, defense, escaping from submissions, takedowns, takedown defense, I mean, it was everywhere.â (h/t BJPenn.com)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CYXgZgqpeu3/
Having extended his win streak and featherweight reign with victory over Ortega, Volkanovski is now in need of a next challenger after Max Holloway had to withdraw from their UFC 272 bout.
As fate would have it, Cejudo, who has been lobbying to fight Volkanovski for several months, has thrown his name into the ring as a potential short-notice replacement. If selected, maybe Cejudo will be the one on the other end of an all-time classic against Volkanovski.
Giga Chikadze isn’t happy with Alexander Volkanovski after the featherweight champion alluded to ‘The Korean Zombie’ getting the next title shot.
Volkanovski was originally supposed to fight Max Holloway in their trilogy at UFC 272 before Holloway reaggravated an injury in recent days. Chikadze is slated to face Calvin Kattar in a UFC Fight Night main event on Jan. 15 and could potentially get a title shot if he wins.
After Holloway pulled out, the UFC and Volkanovski immediately began looking for potential replacements. Chan Sung Jung, otherwise known as ‘The Korean Zombie’, is reportedly at the top of the list, along with possibly Yair Rodriguez.
This appeared to irk Chikadze, who is coming off a dominant win over Edson Barboza. He aired his frustration in a recent Twitter rant.
Giga Chikadze Roasted Alexander Volkanovski On Twitter
@alexvolkanovski The chump Picking up all the easiest link in a division Zombie and specially Rodriguez heâs suck I will handle my business on Saturday and Iâm gonna kick your midget head ass back Singapore or Ireland whatever you from@danawhite@seanshelby
Volkanovski most recently defeated Brian Ortega at UFC 266 via unanimous decision, in one of the most gritty performances of 2021. Before that, he had earned back-to-back wins over Holloway inside the Octagon.
It’s still unknown who will get the short-notice bout at UFC 272, but Chikadze appears ready and willing to step up if he can get past Kattar.
UFC heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa fought at the same event as rising bantamweight star Sean O’Malley twice in 2021, a trend he hopes continues this year.
Like O’Malley, Tuivasa has been in fine form as of late. He’s built a destructive four-fight win streak that has seen him climb to within one spot of the top 10 at heavyweight.
Since a submission loss to Sergey Spivak in 2019 added a third straight loss to his skid, “Bam Bam” has knocked out Stefan Struve, Harry Hunsucker, Greg Hardy, and Augusto Sakai.
Tuivasa’s other 2021 win, a first-round KO against Greg Hardy at UFC 264, provided another memorable moment inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena, with members of the crowd pouring their beers into their shoes and either chugging it themselves, or giving it to a victorious Tuivasa as he made his way to the back.
As well as two knockouts and two Octagon shoeys, another constant for Tuivasa’s 2021 was the presence of fellow entertainer Sean O’Malley. Like the Australian heavyweight, “Sugar” recorded triumphs at both UFC 264 and UFC 269.
“Yeah, me and Sean, we talk, and it’s good that we’ve been fighting on the same card the last few times,” Tuivasa told Ariel Helwani on a recent edition of The MMA Hour. “Like I say, he’s a showman as well, so it’s good we’re on the same card. We give the fans what they want.”
With their performances last year, both men achieved an impressive 100% bonus record. Out of their five combined appearances, The UFC dished out an additional $250,000. They’ll be hoping for similar success in 2022, and if they believe in lucky charms, both men will be pushing to be on the same card given their results in 2021.
Unless O’Malley is booked swiftly, Tuivasa will be making his first 2022 appearance on a card that will not feature “The Suga Show.” That is because, as of yesterday, it was revealed that Tuivasa will be facing another showman, Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis at UFC 271 next month.
Would you like to see Sean O’Malley and Tai Tuivasa fighting on the same card again this year?
As of this writing, Anthony Smith never was able to get a hold of Luke Rockhold at Walmart. But here’s a story where he expressed a willingness to do just that, even naming his preferred isle for the desired altercation.
The following article is published in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Three Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 8, 2019, 6:57 PM]
Headline: Anthony Smith Would Fight ‘A**hole’ Luke Rockhold At Walmart
Author: Jon Fuentes
Anthony “Lionheart” Smith is currently expected to be Jon Jones’ next challenger for the 205-pound title. However, it appears he could already have another opponent at light heavyweight lined up as well.
Recently, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold took aim at Smith. Hyping his eventual jump to 205 pounds, Rockhold is also eying a fight with Jones. However, with talk of Jones likely facing Smith next, Rockhold said “Bones” should quit wasting his time with fighters like “Lionheart.”
Speaking to Luke Thomas on Sirius XM Fight Nation Smith got the opportunity to respond. Smith is unsure what he did to provoke Rockhold to speak his name, but one thing is for sure, he certainly isn’t a fan (via MMA Mania):
âFor Luke to come and start talking about me, first of all, youâve been knocked out two of your last three times. Yoel Romero almost f*cking decapitated him. Heâs coming off a loss and he canât even make it to his next fight,â Smith said.
âSo who is he to talk about anybody else in the UFC? Heâs the most arrogant prick Iâve ever seen or heard speak in my life. And Iâve never done anything to that dude. Iâve never even literally shook his hand. I just donât know where his sense of arrogance comes from.
“I fought four times in 13 months or something, got three bonuses. What are you doing? Youâre not doing sh*t. Youâre sitting on the sidelines, limping around.â
Fight Rockhold At Walmart
For the time being, Smith will focus on preparing for a likely title shot against Jon Jones. But if he were ever to run into Rockhold in public, say somewhere like Walmart perhaps, there could be trouble:
âI donât understand how you can just disparage someone so bad that, number one, has done nothing to you, and number two, is highly-regarded as one of the hardest-working and most devoted guys in the sport,â Smith said.
âIâve never attacked him, I just donât get it. I will fight that guy anywhere. I will fight that guy in aisle five of Walmart.â
UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis is hoping to avoid fights like the UFC 265 main event for the remainder of his career in the Octagon.
After falling to back-to-back losses versus then-champion Daniel Cormier and former titleholder Junior dos Santos, Lewis found the form of his life on the way back to the top of the division.
Between late 2019 and early 2021, “The Black Beast” secured victories over Blagoy Ivanov and Ilir Latifi on the scorecards and knocked out Alexei Oleinik and Curtis Blaydes with his devastatingly-powerful hands. That four-fight win streak cemented his spot as number-one contender, a status that was expected to see him challenge former opponent Francis Ngannou for the gold.
But with the UFC’s desire to have Lewis headline Houston’s UFC 265 pay-per-view, and the champion’s inability to make that date, Ciryl Gane was drafted in for a contest for the interim title. In an incredibly disappointing night in front of a home crowd, Lewis was comfortably controlled and beaten throughout, falling to a third-round TKO.
For Lewis, it was a relief to return to the atmosphere and setting of a building he described as “perfect” for him. Not only did his December win, which saw him break the record for most KO triumphs in UFC history, provide an instant rebound from his August failing, but it made his future clearer.
During a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour, Lewis suggested he is finished with the high-intensity fight weeks and pressure-loaded matchups. For the rest of his career, he’s targeting fun and easy-going fights.
“This last fight helped me. (It was) a big experience difference, coming into this fight. I just really wanted to go into a fight week and not have pressure on myself, and it felt great. I plan on doing that for the rest of my career now. I can just go out there and just have fun. I feel like I don’t have to prove anything. That’s one of the reasons I wanna fight Stipe (Miocic) next.”
Discussing his experience leading up to his main event clash with Gane at UFC 265, Lewis admitted the pressure put on him was too much for him to handle. To put his nerves into perspective, “The Black Beast” revealed he’d even tried to acquire marijuana to calm him on fight day.
“I don’t wanna experience that ever again. It was too much pressure. To the point where I was really calling people up like, ‘Let me get some weed off you so I can relax my nerves,’ during fight day; that type of pressure. Never felt it that bad… It felt embarrassing.”
With his latest remarks, it seems like it’s victory dances, cup-throwing, and a laid-back attitude for Lewis moving forward. If that means more brutal KOs, not many fans will be complaining, that’s for sure.
The fact that Ben Askren had just signed with the UFC two months prior to this story did not prevent him from continuing to take shots at company president Dana White. In this story published three years ago, Askren addressed Colby Covington about why he was foolish for trusting White.
The following article is presented in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of The MMA News Archives.
On This Day Three Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 8, 2019, 12:45 PM]
Headline: Ben Askren Rips Colby Covington For Trusting Dana White
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Ben Askren is getting a laugh out of Colby Covington’s current situation.
Covington is in a tough spot at the moment as he’s gone from interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight titleholder, to not even being next in line to challenge for Tyron Woodley’s gold. That honor went to Kamaru Usman, who will meet Woodley in the planned co-main event of UFC 235 on March 2.
Ben Askren Takes Another Dig At Colby Covington
Covington recently blasted UFC president Dana White, saying he went back on his word. “Chaos” also said White “ain’t got the balls” to fire him. Askren took to Twitter to rag on Covington:
— Funky đșđžđșđžđșđž (@Benaskren) January 8, 2019
“[Colby Covington] I realized you were dumb but please, please don’t tell me you were dumb enough to really trust Dana.”
Askren and Covington have been trading barbs ever since “Funky” signed with the UFC. Askren is set to make his promotional debut on the same card as Woodley vs. Usman. He’ll go one-on-one with former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler. The former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder will go into the fight with some serious hype. Time will tell if he can live up to it on the brightest stage.
Do you think Colby Covington put too much trust into Dana White’s “promise?”
Footage is circulating on social media of a physical mismatch that was somehow allowed to be featured at the Evolution of Combat 9 MMA event last September.
Critics came at the event organizers, along with Aron Leo, for appearing to attempt to pad records rather than fighting fair in the cage. Leo, who is just 3-0 in his career, held a distinct physical advantage over the much smaller Connor Knight at ECMMA 9.
Both fights were less than 15 seconds. From what I understand EoC really struggled to get matchups for this card and we're scrambling last minute. pic.twitter.com/1UGi16sWAt
Aron Leo Went On To Earn Dominant Win Just Weeks Later
After earning the lopsided win over Knight, Leo went on to compete just weeks later at ECMMA 10, earning a quick submission victory over Robbie Dunlop to remain undefeated.
Unfortunately for Knight, he has yet to earn an amateur or professional win inside the cage. He had two scheduled amateur MMA fights canceled to wrap up 2021 against Ryan Southern and Brandon Jackson. Aside from the decisive defeat to Leo, he had lost in his pro kickboxing debut to Toby Preistley.
What is your reaction to this amateur MMA mismatch in Scotland?
On this day five years ago, we ran a story about former WWE personality Jonathan Coachman stating that the WWE would never want Ronda Rousey after Rousey’s crushing loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. One year later, this happened…
The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form courtesy of the MMA News Archives.
On This Day Five Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 8, 2017, 7:08 PM]
Headline: Jonathan Coachman: WWE Won’t Be Interested In “Broken Star” Rousey After UFC 207
Former WWE broadcast team member turned ESPN analyst Jonathan Coachman made headlines in the MMA world this week.
In a new interview with SIRIUS-XM “Busted Open Radio Show,” Coachman spoke about Rousey’s devastating 48-second knockout loss to Amanda Nunes in the main event of UFC 207, her second KO loss in a row inside the Octagon. The current ESPN analyst who came up in the sports / sports media industry, spent years working on-camera in WWE before making the transition to ESPN, claims his former place of employment won’t have much interest in the pioneer of Women’s MMA any longer.
“When she lost, not only was she devastated but she admitted that some thoughts that went through her head were not good ones,” said Coachman, before adding, “Hopefully, she understands that she [has] gone much [further] than almost any female in really sports in the last 15 years.”
“The Coach” continued, “As far as WWE is concerned, they don’t bring in .. and I refer to her as a broken star .. because that’s what she is, she’s broken from a professional sense .. they don’t rebuild broken celebrities outside of the WWE.”
According to Coachman, who works alongside Bellator MMA star and former UFC title contender Chael Sonnen on multiple recent ESPN broadcasts covering MMA, Rousey “showed a lot
“They go after, if you’re bringing in somebody from the outside, they go after people with a certain type of makeup and Ronda Rousey showed all of us that, how she responded to a loss, showed a lot about what she’s made of,” Coachman explained. “I’m not saying that’s good, I’m not saying that’s bad, I’m just saying as far as the kind of person you want to go after and build a program around. To bring her in the WWE and build up this perception of what her reality is not, you can’t do that.”
Coachman concluded, “And you can’t disappear, guys, for 13 months from the fight game and then come back and expect all of us to think you’re going to be as nasty as you were before.”
New Eagle FC signing Kevin Lee hopes to one day have the opportunity to exact revenge on UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira.
The pair met in the main event of a Brazil-held UFC Fight Night in March 2020. It was the final card before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the UFC to shut down for a number of weeks.
Heading into the clash, Lee was riding high off the back of a memorable knockout of Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244 four months prior. Oliveira, meanwhile, carried a six-fight win streak into the headline bout.
While he didn’t have the support of a home crowd behind him, Oliveira secured a submission victory that would have had the fans on their feet inside the Nilson Nelson Gymnasium, had it not been empty.
After that fight, Oliveira went on to dominate Tony Ferguson and win the vacant lightweight gold with a TKO victory over Michael Chandler soon after. Last month he defended the title against Dustin Poirier, whom many considered to be the best lightweight on the plant, cementing his spot on the 155-pound throne.
While he’ll be focusing on returning to form when he debuts for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC promotion this year, Lee still has one eye on the past. During an appearance on The Schmozone Podcast, “The Motown Phenom” admitted he wants to get his loss to Oliveira back.
“There’s a lot of things surrounding that fight. I want that fight back. We’ll see. We’ll make that happen in the future, at some point. I gotta prove I’m the best at ’65 first. And then, at some point, maybe we make that fight.”
Discussing what he’d have changed leading up to his defeat to “Do Bronx,” Lee suggested he should have taken more time after his KO win against Gillespie. According to the former interim title challenger, he was “talked” into returning so soon.
“(I’d have) took more time. Took more time, for sure. After I fought Gillespie, I needed some time off. I needed some time to let it sink in. Instead, I just rode the wave, and I was talked into riding the wave and going into the next fight.”
Lee went on to describe what went wrong prior to UFC Brasilia. As well as the quick turnaround, the 28-year-old cited his first winter in Canada at the Tristar gym, travel, and the fact he underestimated Oliveira as reasons behind the devastating loss.
“That moment (the Gillespie KO) was so big, that I knew I had to let it sink in. It was my first real camp with Firas (Zahabi). So I felt like we learned a lot about each other. I was just trying to get my feet underneath me in Canada and in Montreal, but then I had to go back home to kinda handle some stuff here in Vegas. Then I took that fight and it was right back into it. It was right back to Canada, in the middle of winter; it had been six or seven years since I had dealt with the winter. That’s another layer on top of it.
“It was a lot to deal with. On top of that, they flew me to Brazil on one day, and then back; all this happened within a five-week span of getting ready to fight someone like Oliveira. I think part of it was I underestimated Oliveira until mid-way through the second round. Then I was like, ‘This dude’s legit, fuck.’”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXgsHVpJkL5/
If he’s to make his way back to a clash with the reigning 155-pound UFC titleholder, Lee will have to make a splash in the rising Eagle FC promotion. Having finally been given the chance to show his talents at 165 pounds, “The Motown Phenom” must prove his claim to be the best at that weight to be true.
If he can find success in the coming months and years, starting with his likely debut against Diego Sanchez in March, perhaps we’ll see Lee get the chance for redemption against Oliveira before his career is done.
How do you think Kevin Lee would fare in a rematch against UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira?
One of Cody Garbrandt’s biggest nemeses in his MMA career is TJ Dillashaw. Dillashaw is now 2-0 over his former training partner, but almost a year prior to their first contest, Garbrandt was already throwing shots at his future opponent and showing him “No Love.”
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.
On This Day Five Years Ago…
[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 8, 2017, 3:25 PM]
Headline: Cody Garbrandt: ‘T.J. Dillashaw Can’t Even Draw PPV Buys’
Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.
Cody Garbrandt may have just won the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight title, but he’s already looking to call the shots. Big money fights seem to be a recurring theme these days and “No Love” is no exception. Garbrandt hasn’t been shy about his interest in fighting featherweight champion Jose Aldo and lightweight title holder Conor McGregor.
One fighter that doesn’t seem to pique Garbrandt’s interest is his former Team Alpha Male training partner, T.J. Dillashaw. For Garbrandt, it boils down to Dillashaw’s pay-per-view (PPV) drawing abilities (via MMAFighting.com):
âLike I said, I went for the title shotâŠit was a two man race. Really it was just about getting paid, getting a contract, is why T.J. squeezed back in. You know, he was selling peanut butter, and anteing up $100,000 to bribe Cruz into a title shot. Dude, I donât want to even speak on Dillashaw. He doesnât even draw pay-per-view buys. Itâs not even a fight that makes sense from that standpoint.”
“No Love” knows what it was like to be a teenager hoping to one day capture UFC gold. It’s something he had visualized for over 10 years and it came to fruition at UFC 207 against Dominick Cruz. Garbrandt says he’s now the hunted and wants to keep evolving.
âBut like I said, I got my eyes on Jose Aldo. I saw something that he wanted to fight me, so Iâm ready to take down another legend. Thatâs why I got into this sport. Iâm ready to build my legacy, and then to defend it. Thereâs going to be kids like me, that are teenagers, watching right now that want to whoop my ass. So I got to make sure that I keep improving and improving and doing my legacy. Thatâs why I jumped into the UFC and the fight game to do this, itâs to be the greatest. Lord willing, Iâll have longevity and have a lot of success.â
Despite Garbrandt’s comments, few would argue that Dillashaw is deserving of a title shot. The former bantamweight champion swept John Lineker on the same card “No Love” won the 135-pound strap. The Elevation Fight Team standout is 6-1 in his last seven bouts.
Junior dos Santos is ecstatic to get in the ring with vicious European boxer Kubrat Pulev for his debut boxing match.
Although the former UFC heavyweight champion dos Santos ended his contract with the UFC on a four-fight loss streak in March 2021, his love for the sport of fighting remains intact.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
However, fans of Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos are worried the fighter might be biting off a bit more than he can chew. His very first opponent, Kubrat “Cobra” Pulev, holds a professional boxing record of 28 wins and 2 losses, was the European heavyweight champion twice between 2012 and 2016, and recently destroyed mixed martial artist Frank Mir by first-round TKO at the first Triller Triad event.
In a recent interview with ESPN, dos Santos expressed his gratitude for the fans’ concern but has a message for them:
âWell, for all of those, I (know there will be) some bad comments but also some comments coming from people that believe in me and support me. And like you said, they will be worried about me, you know? But I appreciate that. Thank you for the comments and for the worry. But you know what? This time, I took to myself and to my family to think about everything, decide what to do. Man, I’m 37 years old now, and I was feeling likeâI was thinking about stopping. Maybe it’s not for me anymore. But that’s not my truth.”
Despite the defeats and controversial departure from the UFC, “Cigano” is happy and doing what he loves. Now that the spark of joy is once again within him, we could see an improved version of dos Santos when he steps in the ring.
Goodbye UFC, Hello Triller Triad
The end of February marks the beginning of Junior dos Santos’ boxing career with Triller at Triad Combat II.
dos Santos wants fans to understand that his exit from the UFC was crucial. The fighter blames the promotion’s “unprofessionalism” for hindering his success within the platform but does not allow the situation to negatively impact his goals.
“My truth is I love this thing, and I still can do it. I’m 37 years old, like I said. If you go to the gym and see me training, man, I’m getting better, with some great skills every time. So the moments I was going through right now in the UFC, that’s not me. This fight now will show all those people, all the people that support or those who doesn’t support, this fight will show everybody who I am for real,” he continued in the interview with ESPN.
Lest we forget dos Santos has wins against Derrick Lewis and Stipe Miocic, two renowned names in the heavyweight division, in his MMA career. Now, it will be former heavyweight champion vs former heavyweight champion when dos Santos’ boxing debut commences.
Are you excited to see Junior dos Santos’ boxing debut?
Before the pub attacksand alleged DJ abuse, Conor McGregor was in hot water for….a photograph?
In January 2016, then-UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor was under investigation in Ireland for a photo he posted on Instagram that appeared to depict him holding an automatic rifle. The Notorious then returned to Dublin and had the Gardai looking into whether the weapon was real or a replica.
âWe are investigating the circumstances under which the photo was taken,â a Gardai spokesperson told The Irish Independent. âGardai from Crumlin are investigating.â
Here’s the photo in question:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAOA3AHrztJ/
Some believed the firearm to be a replica Heckler and Koch MP5 machine pistol with a silencer attached.
One day later, McGregor revealed released the following Instagram post to explain the image.
“Media instigators/An Garda Siochana. I apologise for having the air-soft in public. I was simply rehearsing for a potential upcoming film role. I understand that the more traffic a story can get the more revenue it generates. So I understand and respect that the media must create these stories and these situations even if at times it is at other people’s expense. We’ve all got to eat. And I eat well. So I will not complain.”
Despite the alleged investigation, McGregor went on to become obscenely rich, famous, and very much free to involve himself in multiple legitimate criminal investigations over the years.
Most recently, McGregor was hit with assault charges after an alleged attack on famous Italian DJ Francesco Facchinetti while in Rome last October and breaking his nose.
As it stands, McGregor continues to live life lavishly and comfortably. Indeed, the only cage he can be found in is the UFC Octagon, where he continues to smash pay-per-view records quicker than a fan’s cell phone.
The Notorious One is expected to make his UFC return this year after recovering from leg surgery. There is no word yet on who he will face next.
Sean O’Malley understands why some fighters aren’t getting the money they’d like.
The UFC’s fighter pay has been a hot topic for quite some time. Recently, it’s gained more traction since Jake Paul has called out UFC President Dana White multiple times about how he and the company underpay their fighters.
While each fighter has their own opinion, it seems as though many fighters stand by Paul’s opinions in thinking that they are underpaid. Some fighters get paid as little as $10,000 to $30,000 while a select few make around or a little north of $500,000 per fight.
#12-ranked bantamweight Sean O’Malley addressed the topic yesterday on his YouTube channel during his most recent episode of TimboSugarShow. O’Malley seems to support White based on the numbers.
“Dude, like I don’t even blame Dana. It’s like some of these f*cking people have zero following. They’re not making the UFC one hundred thousand. I mean, they’re not making the UFC fifty thousand. They’re not making the UFC any money really. But that’s from a business perspective, from Dana’s business perspective, I can see that,” said O’Malley.
Jake Paul, on the other hand, thinks fighters are underpaid, they don’t receive the right medical attention, and that the fighter’s minimum should be increased. Paul made a proposal to Dana White that he’d retire from the sport of boxing if was granted permission from the UFC to box Jorge Masvidal. In the proposal, White would pay his fighters $50,000 minimum per fight, 50% revenue for the first five years, and long-term healthcare.
At the end of the day, the UFC is a business and operates as such. They would probably agree with O’Malley’s take in regards to how the majority of the fighters don’t generate that much revenue for the company.
Do you think fighters are currently underpaid in the UFC?
Happy New Year, fight fans! To kick off our 20th anniversary, we will be rolling out the MMA News Top 100 UFC fighters of 2021 throughout the month of January as voted on by our panel.
This list is NOT solely based on fights and performances of 2021. Being active in 2021 is what QUALIFIES one to make the list. Instead of only considering performances of the year, we are taking a holistic look at who is the better overall fighter exiting 2021 based on our selected criteria. A full explanation of the criteria can be found below.
1: Career Trajectory/Recent Performances (50%)
Where are the fighters trending right now? How much evidence-backed momentum do they have?
3: Likelihood To Be The Betting Favorite In Any Fight In 2021 (25%)
This was determined using past betting history, betting lines during 2021, and the projected odds moving forward as determined by the panel. This category is being used to get a gauge of the talent level the public feels the fighter is/was at.
Be sure to keep checking back right here at MMANews.com for frequent updates to this list throughout the month of January as we continue to update this list! You can view Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Part 3 begins right now!
#80: Chris Daukaus
Chris Daukaus. Image Credit: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Coming in at #80, Chris Daukaus is ranked just above Tai Tuivasa (#82) and Jairzinho Rozenstruik (#81) despite having much less UFC experience. That is because, unlike the aforementioned heavy hitters, the power in Daukaus’ punches knocked out two men this year who have been ranked in the promotion: Alexey Oleynik and Shamil Abdurakhimov.
Furthermore, Daukaus’ only loss in the UFC was against the #3-ranked Derrick Lewis. We will find out if Tuivasa will fare any better against The Black Beast at UFC 272.
In the meantime, Daukaus’ two KO wins over proven opponents along with winning five of his last six fights, each by KO, is why the former Philadelphia police officer is our #80-ranked fighter of 2021.
Heading Into 2022: At the start of 2021, Daukas was 2-0 in the UFC and ready for a big step up in competition. By the finish of his second KO and Performance of the Night win of 2021, everybody knew his name. Daukaus is currently ranked #7 in the UFC’s heavyweight division and will be looking to bounce back from his KO loss to Lewis the next time he enters the Octagon.
#79: Kai Kara-France
Kai Kara-France. Image Credit: 2021 Jeff Bottari
Reasoning Behind Ranking: In 2021, Kai Kara-France was sure to get one message across loud and clear: Don’t Blink. Two first-round knockouts and two Performance of the Night bonuses make Kai Kara-France our #79 fighter of 2021. The 28-year-old is currently only ranked #6 at flyweight, but unlike all the flyweights ranked above him, Kara-France holds a KO victory over a former UFC champion: Cody Garbrandt.
In addition to his blinkless picture-perfect 2021, Kara-France has won three of his last four fights overall and has a 6-2 UFC record.
Heading Into 2022: Kai Kara-France will now set his sights on a title eliminator against Askar Askarov at the March 26 UFC Fight Night event.
#78: Marlon Vera
Jason da Silva-USA TODAY Sports
Reasoning Behind Ranking: You can add Marlon Vera to the 2021 Undefeated Club, with “Chito” spittin’ out buck shots to two victims with a pair of performance bonuses for his bounty. First, Vera outgunned Davey Grant in the Fight of the Night of UFC on ESPN: The Korean Zombie vs. Ige. Next, he turned in a viral KO of former champion and UFC legend Frankie Edgar, which is the primary reason behind his placement at #78.
Vera also holds a victory over our #87-ranked fighter, “Sugar” Sean O’Malley from 2020.
Heading Into 2022: Marlon Vera enters 2022 ranked #8 in one of the deepest divisions in the UFC at bantamweight. His next fight is up in the air, but one man he’s expressed interest in is former foe “Sugar” Sean O’Malley in a rematch of their 2020 bout that saw an ending that left many wanting more answers.
Heading Into 2022: After defeating Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 269, Neal finds himself ranked #12 in the welterweight division. His next opponent is unknown, but after three straight fights that went to a decision, Neal’s Handz of Steel are itching to revert to laying out his opponents like hypnosis.
#76: Calvin Kattar
Calvin Kattar (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa via Getty Images)
Reasoning Behind Ranking: With only one fight in 2021 in what was a one-sided beatdown in favor of his opponent, Max Holloway, it certainly wasn’t the “recent performances” category that netted Kattar his #76 placement. However, let’s not pretend that this loss was not against arguably the greatest featherweight in UFC history.
In terms of body of work and likelihood to win a fight, Kattar’s overall record of 22-5 is one of the more impressive in the division and is no doubt a strong reason why he is ranked in the top 5 at featherweight.
In the UFC, Kattar is 6-3, with four of those six wins coming by way of finishes, including victories over the following respected names: Ricardo Lamas, Jeremy Stephens, Andre File, Shane Burgos, and Dan Ige. Additionally, two of his three losses in the UFC (Holloway and Zabit Magomedsharipov) have won Fight of the Night.
Heading Into 2022: After getting bruised up by Blessed to kick off the 2021 UFC season, Kattar will arrive in Las Vegas prepared to rise like the New Orleans sun above the brand-new horizon that is 2022. He will again kick off the UFC’s season this year when he faces Giga Chikadze next Saturday at UFC Vegas 46. This time, he’ll be the one hoping to lead the battering dance.
Heading Into 2022: Coming off his aforementioned victory over Geoff Neal, Neil Magny’s next assignment is undetermined. One thing we have learned from Magny over the years is that he will sign any contract in a heartbeat and heâll do it with absolutely no regrets. Magny is currently ranked #8 in the UFC’s welterweight division.
#74: Gregor Gillespie
Gregor Gillespie, Credit: Don Wright-USA TODAY Sports
Reasoning Behind Ranking: In his lone fight in 2021, Gregor Gillespie arrived like a man unashamed of his first defeat, proving that he still has The Gift. Prior to his loss to Kevin Lee in 2019, Gillespie had established himself as one of the biggest and brightest prospects at 155 lbs. The Division I All-American wrestler was 6-0 in the UFC with five of the six wins being finishes. Frankly, many thought that we’d be seeing Gillespie challenging for a world title by now, with many wondering how he would have fared against the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov.
After being knocked out by Lee in 2019, Gillespie took over a year off from competition before bouncing back with yet another stoppage, this time against formerly ranked lightweight Carlos Diego Ferreira.
Heading Into 2022: Gregor Gillespie is currently ranked at #10 in the lightweight division. If Gillespie had it his way, his next opponent will be Tony Ferguson, whom he has called out in a somewhat uncharacteristic fashion.
#73: Edson Barboza
Edson Barboza, Credit: USA TODAY Sports
Reasoning Behind Ranking: With over a decade in the UFC under his belt, Edson Barboza has managed to remain relevant. During this lengthy stretch, the Brazilian has picked up victories over names like Paul Felder, Anthony Pettis, Beneil Dariush, Dan Hooker, and many others.
Although Barboza has never fought for, let alone won a title like some of the other veterans he is ranked above on this list, he has always managed to bounce back when faced with hardships like a true-life Rocky Balboa and has thus remained a fixture in MMA’s most competitive promotion. In 2021, Barboza went 1-1, with a KO victory over Shane Burgos and a loss to Giga Chikadze in his most recent bout.
Heading Into 2022: The 35-year-old Barboza will begin this year ranked at #10 in the featherweight division. He is scheduled to face Bryce Mitchell on March 5. Mitchell did not make this year’s list due to him not being active in 2021.
#72: Movsar Evloev
Movsar Evloev
Reasoning Behind Ranking: If you want someone who is flying under the radar and right under your nose, it’s this dude. Movsar Evloev has one of the most efficient fighting styles in the UFC as evident by his flawless 15-0 record. His hard-nosed style carries the melody of the mountains that has proven to be a safe play for gambling sharps to push. Evloev’s 5-0 run hasn’t been against easy opponents. He’s beaten game opponents like Enrique Barzola and Nik Lentz as well as fellow prospects Mike Grundy and, most recently, Hakeem Dawodu.
Heading Into 2022: Movsar Evloev will begin his 2022 campaign against our #86-ranked fighter, Ilia Topuria. Topuria arguably has a better win than any of Evloev’s by defeating Ryan Hall, but Evloev has four more victories on his undefeated record. If Topuria gets the win over Evloev, he’ll almost assuredly be ranked higher next year. If Evloev wins….and keeps winning…then there’s no telling where this Russian will land on next year’s list.
#71: Arman Tsarukyan
Arman Tsarukyan, Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Reasoning Behind Ranking: Arman Tsarukyan has two losses on his 17-2 record. One of them took place in 2015. The other was against Islam Makhachev. So let’s just say we’re not faulting him too much for those losses, especially when you consider that he managed to be relatively competitive against Makhachev in an exquisite contest that won Fight of the Night in 2019.
When you have a Fight of the Night against Makhachev as opposed to being on the wrong side of a Performance of the Night…and you do so at 22 years old…you might just be a bonafide prospect of the highest degree.
Since that loss in his UFC debut to Makhachev, Tsarukyan has gone 4-0 in the UFC, including wins over much more experienced names like Olivier Aubin-Mercier, 3rd-degree Brazilian black belt Davis Ramos, and a Performance of the Night TKO over Christos Giagos in September.
Heading Into 2022: Arman Tsarukyan’s young MMA career has shown that the sky is the limit for the Armenian-Russian. This Master of Sport in MMA and wrestling is currently ranked #13 at lightweight and is scheduled to face Joel Ălvarez on February 26, 2022. He had hoped to be fighting Dan Hooker, but Hooker has committed to dropping down to featherweight. He also agreed to fight Gregor Gillespie, but that fight never came to fruition, either.
Like many elite rising contenders before him, it may be a long climb up the ranks for Tsarukyan due to the ol’ “high-risk, low-reward” dilemma that he poses to his peers. But if he remains active in 2022, you can just close your eyes and imagine where he might be placed on our list next year.
Jake Paul has dropped a pair of hints that suggest he is preparing to make a jump over to MMA.
Jake Paul has been linked to MMA arguably more than any boxer in history. Between the handpicked MMA opponents, the feud with the biggest promoter in the sport, and the neverending banter with MMA fighters on social media, Paul has remained a steady presence in MMA headlines.
Today’s Jake Paul/MMA story isn’t about callouts, trash-talking, or even another round of commentary about UFC fighter pay. It’s about Paul appearing to take the first steps to now become the cross-over athlete himself with a potential move to MMA.
Friday, Paul released the following tweet that showed himself training kicks for the first time.
“1st day training kicks. Doubted every step of the way.. but kick down the doors of the doubters. @bellatormma@pflmma.”
What’s every bit as noteworthy as Paul revealing that he’s training leg kicks is the fact that he went out of his way to tag Bellator’s and PFL’s Twitter handles, hinting that these could be where he ultimately takes his finished MMA product if and when it’s ready for presentation.
Scott Coker has already confirmed that he would be more than happy to welcome Paul into the Bellator fold with open arms. And Friday night, an unconfirmed report began to circulate that Paul is in talks to sign with the PFL. Conspicuously absent from Paul’s tag roster is the UFC. This no doubt is mostly because of the YouTuber’s contentious relationship with company president Dana White.
However, over the past week, Paul did state that he would be open to an MMA fight against Jorge Masvidal if White provided better pay and benefits to UFC fighters. As expected, White did not comply, which leaves a Jake Paul/UFC partnership just as unlikely today as it’s been over the entire past year.
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