MMA News

Tag: Conor McGregor

  • [ARCHIVES] Aldo Says “POS” McGregor Didn’t Keep His Word

    [MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]

    The following article was published five years ago, where tonight’s UFC Vegas 44 headliner José Aldo accused McGregor of backing out of a deal they had made prior to their UFC 194 bout. The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 14, 2016, 5:48 PM]

    Former UFC Featherweight Champion José Aldo recently spoke out about a pre-fight agreement made with UFC officials prior to his title defense against Conor McGregor at UFC 194 and explained how “The Notorious” Irishman broke his word immediately after the fight.

    Aldo told Portal Vale Tudo that prior to losing his title to McGregor at the UFC 194 pay-per-view that both he and McGregor agreed to vacate the Featherweight title after the fight — regardless of who won — and move up to the Lightweight division where they were told they would then receive an immediate shot at the UFC Lightweight title.

    “I won’t accept another fight if it’s not for the belt. When we signed the contract, the intention was that the winner would fight at lightweight, but we would need to abandon the featherweight belt.”

    Aldo continued, explaining that after that, if they wanted to return to the Featherweight division, they would again immediately receive a shot at whoever the champion would be at that point in the weight class.

    “That was the plan, that’s what they told us. If we fought at lightweight, win or lose, and then had the opportunity to fight at featherweight again, it would be for the title immediately. I think they gave him too much power and he’s playing now, calling the shots more than the others. I think that’s wrong, no one ever did that.”

    In conclusion, Aldo said that it’s not so much that the “piece of sh*t” McGregor broke his word, but it’s a sign that it shows it is McGregor, not Dana White or another UFC executive, that appears to be calling the shots in the UFC lately.

    “It doesn’t matter if it’s about money or not at this point, what matters is show who calls the shots, who’s the boss, and not just a piece of s–t talking about things you see. He doesn’t deserve to be where he is. I’ve always respected all the merits, but he had more luck than merits.”

    (H/T for transcribing: MMAFighting.com)

  • [ARCHIVES] Holloway: Conor McGregor Beat Me When We Were Kids

    [MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]

    It’s been eight years since Conor McGregor defeated Max Holloway. Much has changed since then, and for the past several years, one thing that has remained the same is talk of a potential rematch between the two. As far back as four years ago, the two former opponens were still trash talking, as they continue to do to this day. The following article is was published on this day four years ago and is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    On This Day Four Years Ago…

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 4, 2017, 11:51 PM]

    Max Holloway doesn’t take too kindly to Conor McGregor’s social media jab.

    This past Saturday night (Dec. 2), Holloway successfully defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) featherweight title against Jose Aldo. “Blessed” earned a third-round TKO victory in the main event of UFC 218.

    After the bout, Holloway told the media that McGregor doesn’t want a rematch with him because he’s too busy hoping for a mixed martial arts bout with Paulie Malignaggi. McGregor responded by taking a jab on Twitter:

    Holloway didn’t waste time firing his own shot:

    During a recent appearance on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour,” Holloway said he fought hard to restore order in the featherweight division:

    “You know, it’s funny. The guy’s funny, I couldn’t help but laugh. I’m on his mind apparently. Like I said, I told you guys, I’m a champion and we just brought order back to the division. I’m trying to think of our division and respect all the other fighters. It took me 10 fights to get the damn interim title shot and then 11 to get an undisputed shot. It’s my duty to make sure everything runs smoothly. I gotta respect our sport, my division and the guys that are fighting in it. That’s what I gotta do. At the end of the day, this guy is gonna keep yapping.”

    He went on to say that McGregor’s win against him came at a time where they both were developing fighters.

    “This guy has got a win over me when we were kids in a Fight Night show — I think the main event was (Chael) Sonnen and (Mauricio) “Shogun” Rua. I don’t know if the two of them are in the UFC anymore. You know me and him made 12K that night and I think he’s happy to hold onto that. That’s the kind of person he is.”

  • [ARCHIVES] Wife Says UFC Tried To Get Aldo To Fight McGregor Hurt

    [MMA NEWS ARCHIVES]

    Tonight, José Aldo will be headlining UFC Vegas 44 opposite Rob Font, and hopefully he’ll be doing so at 100%. The following is an article about a time his wife accused the UFC of trying to get Aldo to fight arguably the biggest fight of his career while injured. The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED DECEMBER 8, 2015, 6:13 PM]

    As we draw closer to this Saturday’s UFC 194 pay-per-view featuring the UFC Featherweight Championship unification bout between José Aldo and Conor McGregor, controversy over their originally scheduled fight at UFC 189 is starting to come to light thanks to the wife of the linear UFC 145-pound champion.

    Aldo’s wife, Vivianne Pereira, recently spoke with Brazilian media outlet Combate and made the claim that UFC President Dana White called her husband and tried to get him to fight McGregor at UFC 189 as scheduled, despite the fact that he was suffering from a painful rib injury.

    “Dana [called], talking about numbers. ‘It’s millions of dollars that you’re losing. You have to fight. You’ve never made this in your life’. [Jose] trying everything, doing everything. They didn’t want to announce it because who else would they put in the fight? They spent millions on the fight. How would they say he broke his rib? They didn’t want to admit they held it back, threw that on us, and we were saying it was broken.”

    UFC has since responded to the claims made by Aldo’s wife. A UFC official issued the following statement to MMAFighting.com.

    “Jose’s health and safety were always a priority and we worked closely with he and his team to ensure that he had access to the best medical care and consultation after sustaining the injury. We respect and understand that he could not proceed with the fight at UFC 189 due to the injury. Both fighters have now arrived in Las Vegas for this historic event, and we’re excited that UFC 194 is just days away.”

    Fans know the rest of the story. Aldo pulled out of the fight on very short notice and top contender Chad Mendes, who was paid by UFC to be on standby in case either fighter had to pull out, stepped in and fought McGregor in an interim title fight. “The Notorious” one went on to knock out Mendes in the second round to set the stage for another Aldo-McGregor show to close out the year.

    And we’re almost there!

    UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor takes place this Saturday, December 12th from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada and will air live on pay-per-view. Make sure to visit MMANews.com on Saturday evening for the absolute best UFC 194 live results on the web!

  • McGregor Says He’ll Fight Khamzat Chimaev If “B*tch” Nate Diaz Won’t

    Conor McGregor has implied that he’d have “no problem” fighting Khamzat Chimaev if Nate Diaz won’t.

    Khamzat Chimaev has been on a call-out rampage ever since smeshing Li Jingliang at UFC 267 in October. The man has even called out Brock Lesnar and Georges St-Pierre for crying out loud. However, there is one call-out of a legendary fighter that was as realistic as it gets, Nate Diaz.

    While that pairing was dismissed by some critics, the very fact that Dana White endorsed the idea shows that it was only one piece away from being complete. That piece, of course, was Nate Diaz himself, who emphatically rejected the fight this week.

    Following Diaz’s rejection, Chimaev mocked both Nate and his older brother Nick, and now Nate Diaz has decided to help Borz out and play matchmaker for him as well as an old rival:

    “Let him fight kamrat that be a great fight to make He needs a easy new guy to fight anyway he can taper back in and see if he can even still fight at all Great idea Nate Thanks.”

    Plot Twist: McGregor Approves Nate Diaz’s Matchmaking Idea

    Full transcript Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather Toronto press conference, boxing

    Within the hour of Nate Diaz’s matchmaking proposal, Conor McGregor would respond, implying that he’d have no problem taking on Borz even though Diaz wouldn’t.

    https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1466921243416879111

    “No problem, bitch” McGregor posted in response to Diaz.

    Diaz would then hit back immediately after McGregor’s snappy reply.

    “Good job do what ur told BITCH”

    McGregor would then respond referencing a line used against Diaz in an old exchange between the two, where McGregor requested Diaz go fetch him his coffee.

    https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1466927306199470083

    “Two sugars,” said McGregor.

    It should come as no surprise that Conor McGregor was among the plethora of names that Borz has called out in recent weeks. To be precise, he proposed that they make a “big drama show.”

    Should McGregor’s Twitter acceptance actually take fruit in a McGregor/Chimaev booking, then a drama show is what we would have indeed: on Twitter, in the press conference, and certainly in the climactic Octagon finale.

    Do you think Conor McGregor is really down to fight Khamzat Chimaev?

  • Conor McGregor Donates To Bellator Fighter Paralyzed During Training

    Conor McGregor is feeling the holiday spirit, as the Irish star donated to Ian Coughlan’s cause after the fighter was left paralyzed during a training accident on July 31, 2021.

    A somber tone filled the room when Ian Coughlan’s accident resulted in doctors telling him he may never walk again. During MMA practice, the fighter fell directly on his head in a freak accident. Just one second after the impact occurred, Ireland’s Ian Coughlan was completely paralyzed.

    Doctors also indicated that Ian Coughlan would more than likely need carers to help with mundane, everyday tasks for the foreseeable future. In response to the tragic circumstances, supporters of Coughlan put together a GoFundMe. The effort is ongoing and he is accepting donations to help him recover from spinal damage.

    Conor McGregor Donates To A Good Cause & Helps A Fellow Irishman

    According to TMZ, Conor McGregor is donating $11,000 to help provide for the costs of stem cell treatments.

    “Guys let’s get together and support this young Irish fighter who suffered a terrible injury at a gym in Ireland. Coach John and the team at SBG are hosting a training day and my own recovery permitting, I hope to be in attendance. There will be signed fight wear also!” Conor McGregor shared.

    When Conor McGregor was made aware of the tragic accident, he immediately donated 10,000 euros ($11,339) after hearing the stem cell procedure could cost up to $80,000 USD. “The Notorious” donated the money on Thursday.

    Conor McGregor and his coach, John Kavanagh will be hosting a fundraiser on Dec. 18 in Dublin to help support the young Irish fighter. Despite being away from competition healing up injuries, it appears McGregor still has some time to spread holiday joy.

  • Dana White Compares Conor McGregor To Rocky Balboa

    UFC President Dana White believes former two-division champion Conor McGregor currently has as much desire to fight inside the Octagon as ever.

    While McGregor’s global superstardom and prominence hasn’t dwindled, his form inside the Octagon has plummeted off a metaphorical cliff. By the end of 2016, the Irishman boasted a 9-1 UFC record and was the promotion’s first-ever simultaneous two-division champion. In just four fights since, which came in-between large periods of inactivity, McGregor has gone 1-3.

    Aside from a sole welterweight victory over veteran Donald Cerrone, McGregor has struggled, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov and twice to Dustin Poirier. Having been knocked out for the first time in his career by “The Diamond” in January this year, McGregor hoped to revive his pursuit to regain the lightweight title at UFC 264 in July. Instead, the 33-year-old left the Octagon with another setback and this time on a stretcher, courtesy of a gruesome broken leg.

    White Is Confident Motivation Isn’t An Issue For McGregor

    Given his form in recent years, the severity of the injury he suffered in the trilogy fight with Poirier, and the immense wealth he already owns, many predicted we’d seen the last of the former double champ inside the Octagon. But if McGregor is to be believed, he’s as eager as ever to fight.

    Having consistently showed the progress he’s been making on his journey to recovery, McGregor has recently been discussing his return to action heavily on social media. After revealing his intention to make his comeback against whoever is holding the lightweight title at the time, the Dublin native suggested he’ll return to full MMA sparring by April.

    During a recent appearance on the Jim Rome Podcast, UFC kingpin Dana White said McGregor’s eagerness to return is genuine, and agreed that a return to sparring in the second quarter of 2022 is an accurate timeframe.

    “Yeah, he’s chomping at the bit to get back in there and compete again. It’s gonna be a while before he can start to put some thwark on that leg so, April, for him to start training again in April, is probably about right.”

    Busting the myth that McGregor has lost his Octagon appetite, White claimed the Irishman’s desire to fight at the highest level still exists.

    “Listen, he obviously still has the desire to compete. You know, you don’t ever hear Conor going, ‘You know what, man? I just don’t have the desire for this anymore.’ Yes, he’s obviously very rich and he’s training like Rocky in Rocky 3, you know what I mean? But he still has the desire to compete and the desire to fight. We’ll see what happens.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CW-lAT3JoWC/

    What’s certain is that McGregor won’t be short of options when his comeback is due. Aside from the lightweight title shot he desires, which could come in the form of a fourth clash with Poirier, and the fact virtually everyone would accept a fight with him, a number of contenders have made their desire to face him known.

    Ahead of his clash with Yair Rodriguez, Max Holloway made it clear that he’d be willing to run it back with the Irishman, who defeated him back in 2013. Meanwhile, Michael Chandler is continuing to look for big fights, and called out McGregor for a 2022 booking.

    Do you think Conor McGregor can make a successful comeback?

  • Dariush Won’t Be Happy If McGregor Jumps The Queue For A Title Shot

    UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush has admitted he harbors some concern over the possibility of former two-division champion Conor McGregor jumping him in the queue for a title shot.

    Given his hard-fought rise up the 155-pound ladder, it’s understandable Dariush wouldn’t be best pleased if the #9-ranked lightweight was granted a championship fight after back-to-back defeats in the division. While McGregor has been through large spells of inactivity, Dariush has been grinding inside the Octagon.

    Since 2016, McGregor has had his hand raised once with a victory over Donald Cerrone at welterweight. In the same period, Dariush has built his entire active seven-fight winning streak. Victories over the likes of Thiago Moisés, Drew Dober, Drakkar Klose, Diego Ferreira, and Tony Ferguson have seen the Iranian-born American climb to the #3 spot in the rankings.

    Now inches away from a title shot, Dariush will be looking to secure his place opposite the champion in 2022 when he meets surging Dagestani contender Islam Makhachev. The pair are expected to clash in the main event of a UFC Fight Night on February 26.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CWyQIc0twjW/

    Dariush Will Call Dana White Personally If McGregor Gets A Title Shot

    Despite his much-superior ranking, better form, and abundance of wins, Dariush isn’t as sure of his advantage over McGregor as he should be. That, perhaps, wasn’t helped by the former double champ’s recent claim that he’ll be fighting whoever sits on the lightweight throne when he returns.

    During a recent interview with ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Dariush admitted he remains concerned about the Irishman skipping the queue in order to face arch-rival Dustin Poirier for the fourth time. That, of course, also depends on “The Diamond” successfully dethroning Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 next weekend.

    Dariush said that if he finds himself below McGregor the pecking order, even with a headlining win against Makhachev, he’ll be upset at the promotion for the first time ever, and claimed he’d be having stern words with UFC President Dana White.

    “Yes, it’s definitely a concern. Because you know, I always make a joke about this but it’s true; Conor can make a highlight video of him training hard and (people will be) like, ‘Alright guys, title shot. Give the man a title shot. Look what he is doing. Look at the way he is hitting the bag or look at the way he’s, you know, pushing himself in the wheelchair.’ I don’t know man, he can do whatever he wants and he will get a title shot.

    “It could happen but if it does happen, it’ll be the first time I’m upset with the UFC. And I’m gonna call Dana [White] personally and be like, ‘Listen buddy, you’re gonna triple my paycheck if we’re gonna do it this way. Because if you’re going to insult me this way, at least you’re gonna show me respect with your pocketbook.’”

    Conor McGregor
    Joe Rogan, Conor McGregor. Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

    McGregor’s quest to regain the lightweight belt, which he won back in 2016 with a memorable victory over Eddie Alvarez inside Madison Square Garden, was firmly derailed this year.

    While a knockout loss in January did damage to his pursuit of gold, a defeat at UFC 264 further affected his title aspirations, but also did some significant physical damage. After a gruesome broken leg, the Irishman has been on the sidelines ever since, and is expected to be out until deep into 2022.

    How would you react if Conor McGregor was granted an immediate title shot upon his return from injury?

  • Chandler “Guarantees” He Can Carry His Weight On The Mic vs McGregor

    UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler believes he’ll be able to match former two-division champion Conor McGregor on the microphone if the pair collide in 2022.

    Despite only stepping into the Octagon for the first time in January this year, Chandler, a former three-time Bellator titleholder, has already faced three top names, come inches away from capturing gold, and thrilled a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd with a Fight of the Year contender.

    After finishing the tough and durable Dan Hooker in his debut at UFC 257, “Iron” fought promotional veteran Charles Oliveira for the vacant belt at UFC 262. Having been on the end of a remarkable second-round comeback, Chandler had to watch “Do Bronx” leave the cage with the title in his possession.

    In his attempt to jump back into contention, Chandler’s stock continued to rise, despite falling to a defeat on the scorecards. Across three rounds against former interim champ Justin Gaethje, the 35-year-old threw everything he had and ate everything “The Highlight” served up in return.

    Looking to continue his trend of big-name fights, Chandler was quick to callout McGregor last month, who is currently recovering from the broken leg he suffered at UFC 264. In a respectful response, the Irishman praised Chandler’s performance, and expressed his desire to share the Octagon with the #5-ranked contender.

    While speaking to Daniel Cormier on a recent episode of DC & RC, Chandler admitted that whilst his ultimate goal remains reaching the 155-pound mountaintop, opportunities like a clash with McGregor is why he got into the sport of MMA.

    “For me, obviously, as an athlete, the number one goal (is) I wanna be the UFC champion, I wanna be the number one guy in the world. But as fighters, we get into the sport because we want big stages (and) big opportunities against big opponents in big arenas, and it doesn’t get any bigger than Conor McGregor.”

    Chandler Backs His “Linguistic Jiu-Jitsu”

    In a challenge unlike most in the UFC, McGregor poses a threat both inside and outside the cage. Not many boast the trash-talking pedigree of “The Notorious” megastar. While Dustin Poirier has admitted his 2014 defeat to McGregor derived from the emotional state his rival’s words pushed him into, many also believe the former double champ’s verbal attacks had a part to play in his 2015 featherweight crowning against José Aldo.

    Despite carrying himself in a more respectful way ahead of his own fights, Chandler is more than ready to challenge McGregor on the mic. “Iron” told Cormier that if the bout gets booked, he’ll be prepared to use his “linguistic jiu-jitsu” to combat the Irishman’s attacks.

    “To me, (the respect’s) genuine. That’s how I like to do things, I’m not a big trash-talk guy, I’m not gonna attack the guy on social media… I guess if the fight happens, I guess we’ll see (what happens if McGregor trash talks). You might see a different side of me… I think I’m pretty good at using my vocabulary and my linguistic jiu-jitsu to wrap guys up in some words that they may not understand without having to really take to base-level assaults or talking about different things that are gonna be, you know, damaging to a guy’s reputation.

    “We’ll see man. I respect Conor for what he’s done, I respect Conor as a fighter, and I even respect his trash-talk game… It is something that I’m looking forward to… If it does (happen), it’s definitely gonna be fireworks inside the Octagon, and I guarantee I can carry my weight outside the Octagon on the microphone.”

    Conor McGregor
    (via John Locher/AP)

    McGregor’s trash talk was certainly on display before and after his latest appearance. After a mostly respectful rematch with Poirier in January, the Dublin native went back to his old ways ahead of their trilogy, attacking “The Diamond” and his family.

    With his recent comments on Chandler, it seems unlikely McGregor would go to the same level against the former title challenger. But given Chandler’s confidence, perhaps the 33-year-old will be tempted to test his skills on the mic.

    Would you like to see Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler square off in 2022?