Gastelum vs Kennedy gets the go-ahead for UFC 206, NYSAC suspension cleared

UFC 205 wasn’t just a landmark event for the promotion, it was also a sharp lesson for a couple of the athletes on the card: The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) isn’t messing around with weigh ins. Miss weight bad enough and you won’t just get your fight cancelled or your paycheck cut down, you’ll get suspended too. And the thing about a suspension is, when one commission gives it out, the others tend to honor it.

That was a major potential problem for Kelvin Gastelum, who missed weight badly enough at UFC 205 that his fight with Donald Cerrone had to be called off at the last minute. As a result, the UFC pushed Gastelum out of the welterweight division and up to middleweight. And the NYSAC handed him a provisional 6-month suspension.

So, when the UFC tried to re-book him to fight at UFC 206 in Toronto, taking place just one month later, that suspension looked like a major roadblock.

Fortunately for the fighter and the promotion, it seems that roadblock has been cleared. MMAFighting reports that the NYSAC settled with Gastelum for a $2,000 fine in place of the original punishment. That frees up Gastelum to fight immediately, and should mean his bout against Tim Kennedy on December 10th is a go.

Kennedy had originally been pegged to fight Rashad Evans at UFC 205, but problems with Evans’ medical screening scrapped that bout. Evans then met similar issues getting rescheduled for UFC 206, as the Ontario commission was also unwilling to license him.

Gastelum will enter his bout with Kennedy off a win over Johny Hendricks back in July, at UFC 200. For Kennedy, the bout will be his first since suffering a controversial TKO loss to Yoel Romero in 2014.

GSP on collective bargaining and the UFC: ‘I can fight that battle’ for other fighters

Chris Weidman: Being part of UFC 205 was ‘a dream come true… minus losing’

UFC 205 was a massive event, a point in history that was more than just the UFC getting a new platform for big PPVs. It was the first major MMA event in New York in more than 20 years. It was the first major MMA event in the state for the modern era of the sport. Fighters who got a slot on that card got a chance to be a part of history. And for former middleweight champion Chris Weidman, it was also an opportunity to fight in front of a hometown crowd for the first time in his UFC career.

And while he got to fight and be part of the show, things didn’t exactly go as planned. Weidman fought Yoel Romero on the PPV main card and was likely sitting even at 19-19 after two rounds. Then he shot for a takedown to open round 3 and got clipped with the kind of flying knee you usually only see in Tony Jaa movies. On a recent episode of the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Weidman recounted the experience and his feelings afterward.

“I just felt like there’s no way I’m losing. If I win this third round, it’s over,” Weidman explained on The MMA Hour. “And I shot a takedown. If you watch, if you’re a technical person in the MMA game, when you fight a southpaw, you always put your head to the side of his front leg. You never go to the back leg. And every one of my takedowns I hit on him in the fight was to his front leg, my head to the outside of his front leg, which stays away from the danger of a knee or a heavy left hand. And the one time I shot to the wrong side, which I drilled a million times not to do, he came up with that knee.”

After that, Weidman admits he was pretty down on himself, even if the rest of the experience was a great one. He went as far as to pin much of the blame for Stephen Thompson’s draw against Tyron Woodley later up the card on his own performance. “To see that, someone who you love get hit with a knee like that, and then you’ve got to make that walk next, there’s no question it affected him,” Weidman said in reference to his status as Thompson’s brother-in-law.

“I thought I was on my way to winning the fight, and one mistake is all it takes, and that’s the beauty of this game,” Weidman said. “That’s why everybody loves to tune in and watch these fights, because at any given moment, any given fight, any given fighters, anything can happen. A fighter could win nine out of 10 times, but there’s always that one time. I’m not saying that’s me and Yoel, but it’s just, that’s what makes this sport beautiful.

“I was on the tough side of it that night. UFC 205 was the first fight ever in New York. It was a dream come true for me, and obviously I was definitely hurt after the fight as far as my feelings. I was upset, but I realized the blessings — just being a part of that event really was a dream come true, minus losing. The walkout, even fighting, I had fun the whole week. It was all great up until the loss, but even that, it’s just a part of the game and you’ve got to get right back on that horse and get back out there and get a ‘W.’ I just want to be done losing. I don’t want to lose anymore.”

As for what’s next? Weidman says he wants to fight in February and again a couple months after that, so he’s definitely not looking for an extended amount of time off coming out of this loss. Whether or not the UFC’s schedule can accommodate him is, of course, another matter.

Cole Miller details grievances with UFC over cancelled event: ‘It makes me want to quit’

Gabi Garcia says RIZIN wants bout with 52-year-old former pro-wrestler to be like Sapp vs. Nogueira

In the near-decade the former Pride FC boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara was out of the MMA world, the landscape changed. The UFC, once an overseas rival, has grown massively to dominate the global landscape. MMA in Japan has faded from a mainstream phenomenon to a hardcore subculture. The UFC’s event schedule doesn’t just dominate the MMA calendar, it is the MMA calendar. Everyone else just has to hope they can work around it.

But now, with his non-compete clause firmly in the past, Sakakibara is stepping firmly into this brand new MMA world. And to do so, it seems he’s bringing a lot of old tools with him under the banner of his new promotion: RIZIN Fighting Federation.

It’s no secret that Pride was home to some of MMA’s biggest spectacle (or freak, if you want to be unkind) fights in MMA history. And with a landscape scraped bare of elite veteran talent, that penchant for the bizarre is shining through in RIZIN. The latest entry in their matchup weirdness features 6’ 2”, 224lb former BJJ world champion Gabi Garcia taking on 5’ 7”, 52-year-old former pro-wrestler turned politician Shinobu Kandori in a New Year’s Eve bout.

And while it’s a fight that’s almost sure to draw eyes (even if they can’t believe what they’re seeing), it doesn’t sound like a bout Garcia herself was very eager to take. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Garcia revealed that she was only told of her opponent moments before the press conference announcing the bout and Sakakibara had to do some work to convince her to take it.

“When I told him I didn’t want this fight, that it’s not the type of fight I wanted for me right now, he explained her history in the sport, that she challenged me,” Garcia said. “She was the only Japanese that wanted to fight me. She fought men in the past, she has a history in judo, and she wanted to fight me. (Sakakibara) went to her gym to watch her train, too. In his head, this fight is like Bob Sapp against ‘Minotauro’ (Nogueira). It’s the concept of the Japanese show.

“It’s good for the market. I was shocked at how excited Japanese fans are for this fight. (Sakakibara) said ‘Gabi, this fight will be good for your name in Japan, good for us, and good for her.’ And now I have the obligation to win [laughs]. The last time I underestimated an opponent I lost, so I will never do that. I respect her history. I had losses to smaller girls in jiu-jitsu in the past, so I respect everyone.”

Whether or not Japanese fans are on board, and whether or not Garcia respects her opponent and is prepared to treat the bout like a true competitive test, the BJJ ace is also prepared for the backlash from the broader MMA community.

“I’ve received some criticism online, people saying there are heavier girls that want to fight me,” Garcia said. “I’ve seen seven heavier girls who want to fight me. There’s a kickboxing champion at Blackzilians who is taller and heavier than me, and she called me out. There’s a Brazilian girl, too. I’m an employee and I’ll fight anyone. I can turn down a fight, but this fight is important here in Japan. My opponent is really popular, and this fight is already huge here. And for those who want me in a bigger challenge, just ask Rizin. I want bigger girls too, but I believe this will come with time. This is my fourth MMA fight. And I don’t even know what will happen in the fight. I can’t underestimate anyone.”

Garcia added that she wasn’t even thinking about fighting at the end of the year initially, but that her bout against Destanie Yarbrough apparently “did big ratings in Japan.” As much as “30 times more” than what Kron Gracie and Mirko Cro Cop were able to bring for their bouts.

If Garcia can continue to be that kind of electric draw for Sakakibara’s Pride reboot, this bout could be the first of a number of strange sideshows that capitalize on her popularity. Fans will just have to hope that they don’t become the dominant narrative of her career going forward.

Dan Kelly fine with UFC underdog status: ‘Apparently I move like a robot and someone who can’t strike’

The thing about being a perpetual underdog is that it never stops happening. That seems simple enough – after all ‘perpetual’ is right there in the title. But it’s a strange concept to grapple with in practice. Seeing a fighter everyone was sure would lose win, only to have everyone be sure they’ll lose again the next time out, and the next time, and the next time.

Dan Kelly wears that underdog role like a glove. The 39-year-old Aussie middleweight came to the UFC off the Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia as something of a feel-good story. A former Judo Olympian and national team wrestler who turned to MMA later than most, he was the kind of fighter pegged to peak with a scrappy UFC win (maybe even two) before fading out of the sport. Only he’s won 5 fights in the big show now, and he doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

“I think I’ve shown now that just about every fight I have to dig deep to get over the line,” Kelly told the assembled media after beating Chris Camozzi in Melbourne, Australia. “I might not be the most skillful guy in a whole heap of areas, but I make up for it in the capacity to push forward. And I take a little bit of damage and keep going. That was no different today. I was very tired at the end of this fight, but it was fine. Except for [points at cut]… this is more cosmetic than anything. He didn’t hurt me on the feet at all. He didn’t kick as much as I thought he would. His jab was always in my face, but it wasn’t damaging at all. The elbows obviously caused a lot of the damage. And I think I hit him a lot with my cross. So, I think I won and made him more worried standing than he expected. I think that surprised him a little bit.”

And with that latest win, Kelly addressed fans and media interested in just how far he sees himself going in his MMA career. To hear him tell it, whatever doubters may say, Kelly is ready to fight until his body won’t let him.

“There’s no ceiling,” Kelly responded, when questioned about his future. “There’s no ceiling at all. And guys in the media, some of them say, ‘He should retire. He should do this and that.’ Even after my last fight. There’s no ceiling. We’ll keep going, I keep improving. My striking’s improving, I came to it late. Everything’s going along okay. I’ve said before, as long as my body holds up I’ll keep going forward. I’m on a 3-fight win streak now. Everything’s going alright. They’re exciting fights, so no ceiling.”

“Look, I’m older,” Kelly continued. “I’m 39. Apparently I move like a robot and someone who can’t strike. Camozzi’s what… That was his 18th fight in the UFC? And I was as comfortable in there as he was. So, I hope they keep underestimating me and keeping me the underdog. I’m happy with that. And if I keep fighting better guys, it’s going to happen. Every time I come up against someone, they’re going to say, ‘Ugh, I don’t know how he still keeps doing it!? Oh, there’s some kind of mystery. What’s going on?’ And that’s fine with me. Just keep making me the underdog and I’ll keep carrying on.”

Adding to his confidence, Kelly stated that he’s at the point where he deserves a shot at a ranked opponent. With a 5-1 overall record, it’s hard to deny that he’s on the cusp. He didn’t call out any particular names, just anyone in the top 15. If he gets that step up, he’ll almost certainly be the underdog once again. But, that seems to suit him just fine.

UFC Melbourne: Whittaker vs. Brunson – Fights to make

With how much there’s been to write about on Fights to Make lately, it’s a little odd to have a card as low key as UFC Melbourne was. Even going in, there wasn’t that much notable talent to highlight – and a lot of what there was ended up losing. So this week I’m digging a little deeper to highlight the fighters of UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. Brunson.

As has become the way lately, I’ll be joined by a guest fantasy matchmaker. This week it’s BE community member Mburtoni. If you want to take a crack at matching next week’s card, start a comment below with “I do, I do let you bang, man.” After that you can write whatever you like (including nothing), but that’s how it has to start to be considered. I’ll pick one winner and fill them in on the details. On that note, lets get to the fights!

Robert Whittaker:

Mburtoni – Whittaker impressed in his first headlining spot, patiently waiting out Brunson’s overly aggressive approach to get a late first round TKO. The obvious next opponent for Whittaker is Gegard Mousasi, as both are closing in on the top of the division and came out of their recent victories relatively unscathed. Few other fights make sense for Whittaker right now from a win / loss perspective. The only other good option for him would be a fight with Jacare if he wants to stay busy while waiting for the outcome of Bisping / Romero.

Zane – Mburtoni has the right of it here. Mousasi and Jacare are the best/most obvious options. And between them, Mousasi makes a lot lot more sense. Mousasi seems like he’d be more likely to take the fight, as he’s talked about himself as needing more wins to get a title shot. Whereas Jacare seems to be in more of a ‘top contender or bust’ situation. The winner of Jacare vs. Whittaker could be considered a top contender, but frankly, given that Rockhold is injured and Weidman lost, Jacare is already the top potential contender for the Bisping/Romero winner. Doubly so given his history if Romero wins. So, lets make Mousasi/Whittaker right now, and let Jacare wait for Bisping/Romero or for Rockhold to come back.

Derek Brunson:

Mburtoni – This was a significant setback for Brunson, who appeared a bit too eager to record his 5th straight KO victory and wound up paying for it dearly. Fortunately, there is no shortage of options for him to rebound against at middleweight. He could get big fights with Chris Weidman or Vitor Belfort next, as both are coming off stoppage losses and will have a lot to prove going forward. If the UFC wants to give a him a lower profile fight, a bout with Rafael Natal would be logical.

Zane – Brunson’s in a bit of spot here, in that he has never been able to gain the notoriety of a top prospective up-and-comer, even while carving out a win streak. Fights like Belfort or Weidman, while sensible given their recent losing ways, may still be beyond his reach as a lesser star at the top of 185. But at the same time, fighters like Tim Boetsch, Rafael Natal, and Thales Leites feel like a big step back. If Kelvin Gastelum loses to Tim Kennedy, then Gastelum vs. Brunson is a great fight to make. Otherwise, I’m pushing for the Weidman booking. After two bad losses, Weidman needs to bounce back and, if Brunson upset him, it would give him some of the interest he currently lacks.

Andrew Holbrook:

Mburtoni – Holbrook recorded a quality if unspectacular win over Jake Matthews. There’s just so much depth at lightweight right now that fighters have to really make themselves stand out if they want to gain any traction in the division. Fights with Michel Prazeres or Nick Hein would make sense.

Zane – Even with a win over Jake Matthews, Andrew Holbrook has too much to prove for me to see him as someone that should be run toward the top of the division. Nick Hein isn’t a bad call on that count, since Hein has also been winning the kinds of fights that show consistency without necessarily a push toward contention. But I’m going to push for a skill vs. skill fight against Alan Patrick. Put two big athletic grapplers in against each other and see who cans shine. If not that, then how about Stevie Ray, fresh off his own big-but-unspectacular winning performance?

Tyson Pedro:

Mburtoni – Pedro survived an early knockdown to come back and submit Khalil Rountree with a rear naked choke in the 1st round. The UFC badly needs to develop talent at light heavyweight, so it will be interesting to see who they match him up with next. I’d like to see him face Darren Stewart, who will likely be eager to return to action after his recent first round victory over Francimar Barroso was overturned.

Zane – Stewart would be a fun quick prospect fight to make, but I’d actually be a little surprised if Stewart came back to the light heavyweight division. He’s dramatically undersized there and doesn’t cut much weight. His next fight may be at middleweight. Pedro could get bumped up the division to take on a banger like Steve Bosse, or even big grinder Barroso fresh of his no contest, but I think the UFC should slow play Pedro and give him the winner of Christensen vs. Mihajlovic next. Not a thriller, but good 205 prospects are a rarity.

Daniel Kelly:

Mburtoni – The 39 year old Olympic Judoka continued his surprising run of success against mid tier UFC middleweight competition, battering the durable Chris Camozzi to a bloody unanimous decision win. If Kelly wants to make a serious run and not just stick to fighting the middle of the pack on hometown cards until father time catches up with him, he likely has to do it sooner rather than later. A fight with the recently victorious Tim Boetsch would be intriguing. If fighting someone in the top 15 is too much too soon, fights with Elias Theodorou or Cezar Ferreira would be appropriate.

Zane – Honestly, the guys ahead of Daniel Kelly that make sense for him to fight right now are an exceptionally short list. The only three that really stand out are Tim Boetsch, Brad Tavares, and Cezar Ferreira. I say it’s time to see if American Redneck Judo stands up to Aussie Redneck Judo. Put the dad-bod title on the line. Dan Kelly vs. Tim Boetsch is the only MW fight worth making right now.

Ben Nguyen:

Mburtoni – Nguyen rebounded nicely from a tough TKO loss to Louis Smolka with a decision win against Geane Herrera. It was not, however, the kind of one-sided performance that would indicate Nguyen is now ready for a big step up in competition, as the aforementioned loss to Smolka this past July was a significant setback that revealed some limitations. If Brandon Moreno defeats Ryan Benoit at the TUF 24 finale, a matchup with Nguyen would be a good test for both men. If not matched against Moreno, Nguyen could be an interesting final opponent for Neil Seery if he isn’t rebooked against Ian McCall.

Zane – Because of his combination of athleticism, power, and experience, Ben Nguyen is creeping into the top 15 at flyweight (as opposed to the bottom 10). Unfortunately for him, the other ranked fighters around him are pretty booked up. He could wait for John Moraga to come back from injury or hope that Matheus Nicolau comes back from suspension soon. Assuming they re-book McCall/Seery (if they don’t, that’s a great option, honestly), then Nguyen has to hope for a Brandon Moreno or Ray Borg win. Eventually though, because there are just too many unknowns out there, I’m going to say that Nguyen should get the winner of Ortiz vs. Makovsky. It’s a jump up for him, but it’d be a fun action fight and those guys are gonna have to fight someone.

Other Bouts: Matthews vs. Wade, Akhemedov vs. Carneiro, Volkanovski vs. Gillespie, Rountree vs. Wilson, Taylor vs. Cooper, Seohee vs. Chambers, Camozzi vs. T. Santos, Brown vs. Bravo, Meunier vs. Till, Herrera vs. Delos Reyes, Knight vs. Moicano, Hooker vs. De La Torre, Vera vs. White, Lausa vs. Sangcha-an

The MMA Vivisection – UFC Melbourne: Whittaker vs. Brunson picks, odds, & analysis

We’re running a day late, due to Turkey Day and unforeseen circumstances, but the Vivisection is here again to break down UFC Melbourne. It’s a pretty damn week offering from the UFC this time around, but we’ll be doing our best to give insight to all the fights along with our picks and betting odds.

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Listen to this episode on Soundcloud.

Here’s the UFC Melbourne card as it stands right now:

FS1 Main Card
Robert Whittaker vs. Derek Brunson – 1:09:31
Jake Matthews vs. Andrew Holbrook – 1:02:49
Kyle Noke vs. Omari Akhmedov – 56:28
Yusuke Kasuya vs. Alex Volkanovski – 50:17
Tyson Pedro vs. Khalil Rountree – 44:21
Seo Hee Ham vs. Danielle Taylor – 39:24

FS1 Prelims
Dan Kelly vs. Chris Camozzi – 31:14
Damien Brown vs. Jon Tuck – 27:25
Richard Walsh vs. Jonathan Meunier – 22:35
Ben Nguyen vs. Geane Herrera – 17:17

Fight Pass Prelims
Dan Hooker vs. Jason Knight – 12:55
Marlon Vera vs. Ning Guangyou – 8:55
Yao Zhikui vs. Jenel Lausa – 4:43

Holloway focused on ‘winning fashionably’ but hopes Aldo found a vaccine for his ‘p*ssy-itis’

Max Holloway is in a bit of a bind. Not only is the UFC’s featherweight title in seemingly perpetual limbo – around the waist of the now hiatus-ing lightweight champion – but the chances of fighting for an interim belt seem pretty slim as well. After all, the UFC already handed one out, when Jose Aldo rematched Frankie Edgar at UFC 200.

The problem for Holloway is that Aldo doesn’t seem all that interested in fighting him, or fighting at all for that matter. Instead the interim champ has been looking for a way out of his UFC contract. For a fighter who is very clearly the no. 1 contender in his division, there’s no clear way forward.

On a recent episode of Sirius XM Rush’s Toe-2-Toe, Holloway spoke about his upcoming bout with Anthony Pettis, and what he hopes will come afterward (transcript via MMA Fighting):

“After this fight everything to my agenda is let me know if Aldo found that f**king vaccine for that f**king pussy-itis he got. That motherf**ker been running. So tell him he can’t run for much longer. Tell him a Hawaiian is coming and I’m creeping. Tell him to be ready.”

And while he could be campaigning for a bout with Conor McGregor, Holloway realizes that at this point, that’s not a very realistic option. “That’d be f**kin’ wild,” Holloway said of a McGregor bout, “if the UFC let me pass the interim title to fight for the real belt. I’m just being realistic, that’s why I’m saying Aldo.”

But even if the Aldo fight doesn’t materialize, it doesn’t sound like Holloway is too broken up about the lack of chances to get a UFC title around his waist:

“I have no control over it so why cry over spilled milk? You spill milk, are you gonna try and mop it up and squeeze the mop back into the carton? No, you mop that s**t up and you move on. I’m not gonna cry about something I have no control over. It is what it is. I’m gonna keep showing the world what I deserve…and they can’t be denying me for much longer. All I have to do is keeping on focusing on what Max Holloway does and that’s winning and winning fashionably.”
…
“I ain’t making no excuses. Everybody is like, ‘oh you deserve a title shot, you should wait.’ If you’re waiting then you don’t believe you’re the best guy in the world. I believe I’m the best guy in the world. Pettis has a lot of value to his name. He’s a former champion. Motherf**ker’s on a Wheaties box so that’s pretty big. He has a huge name and I look forward to the challenge.”

Holloway’s next chance to hit the octagonal runway is at UFC 206 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. There he’ll take on former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis in the co-main event. A light heavyweight title fight between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson is expected to headline. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more news and updates as the event approaches.

Khabib slides into McGregor’s DMs: ‘Die like Irish warrior don’t run like chicken’

It’s probably a safe bet that most people sliding into Conor McGregor’s Twitter DMs aren’t sending him messages like these. From the looks of things, the recently crowned UFC lightweight -and reigning featherweight- champion may have woke up to a not-quite-encouraging message from top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov this last Sunday morning.

Khabib, who bested Michael Johnson on the UFC 205 prelims, posted a picture of the DM he apparently sent McGregor on Twitter, here’s how it read:

“Conor you the Champion now you need to fight with me. If you run every time you look in the mirror you not going to respect yourself, your kids not going to respect you, your friends, your family won’t respect you. Die like a Samurai don’t chicken out please. I know I’m bad matchup for you but you the champion and you need to fight the best. It’s ok. Die like Irish warrior don’t run like chicken. Irish people have history and fight for long time you need to represent your people with honor.”

I am old school and try to do this man to man but the he don’t want anything to do with a real man. Time to move on @danawhite @seanshelby pic.twitter.com/ilAL4yM6O7

— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) November 23, 2016

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As Khabib stated in the more public part of the message, it sounds like he’s ready to move on if McGregor isn’t willing to fight him in the near future. His father and coach Abdulmanap recently stated that Khabib would be willing to fight Tony Ferguson for an interim lightweight title belt, if McGregor fight couldn’t get made in the next few months.

With reports suggesting that McGregor may be in for an extended hiatus until late next spring, it may be we’ll be seeing Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson sooner rather than later.