Dana White ‘very happy’ for Ronda Rousey after WWE move

At her peak, Ronda Rousey was unquestionably the broadest reaching star in UFC history. She may have only broken the million PPV buy mark twice (still an impressive feat) as a headliner – ironically in her two KO losses – but over the course of her title reign, she became a mass market celebrity unlike anything the UFC had seen before.

And now she’s more or less gone from the mixed martial arts sphere.

On the back of those losses, Rousey cut herself off from any and all MMA related media, focusing instead on her personal life, and her potential careers in Hollywood and in pro wrestling. The latter of those got its first big shot in the arm this last weekend at WWE’s Royal Rumble, where Rousey made her first appearance as a contracted wrestler for the promotion.

A bitter pill for Dana White to swallow? Seeing one of the promotion’s main attractions take off at the height of her drawing power? It doesn’t sound that way.

“I’m very happy for her,” White told the Las Vegas Review-Journal following Rousey’s Royal Rumble appearance. “She loves pro wrestling and has always been a big fan so I know how much his means to her. She keeps accomplishing everything she’s ever wanted.”

It’s a reaction that doesn’t come as much of a surprise for those who have followed the friendship between Rousey and White over the years. White has, at several points, compared his relationship to the former Olympic Judoka as akin to the friendship he’s had with former champion Chuck Liddell over the years. And has bristled at the idea that the UFC would want Rousey to keep fighting in order to make the promotion more money.

“I care about her as a human being more than the fighter side,” White said in a 2017 interview. “You read the bulls—, ‘Oh man, UFC’s in trouble, their golden goose….’ She’s not a f—king golden goose. She’s a human being. And she’s a very good f–king friend of mine.”

Cain Velasquez on light heavyweight talk: ‘If I had to do it, I could do it’

Is Cain Velasquez’s MMA career about to take a new and fascinating twist? The career heavyweight, and former UFC champion has been battling a myriad of injuries over the past four years, largely due to problems with his back and knees. But, it’s starting to look like the two-time ‘baddest man on the planet’ is getting ready for a comeback.

But will it be at light heavyweight?

That’s what teammate Daniel Cormier was teasing recently on the MMA Hour, when he spoke to Ariel Helwani about a cryptic Velasquez tweet. “But what if he said, ‘Things may get interesting’ meaning he might go to 205? Oooh, that would be interesting, wouldn’t it?” Cormier hinted.

Later that day, Velasquez spoke to Helwani as well, and while it doesn’t sound like a move to 205 is actually in the works, it certainly seemed to be something he’d considered (transcript via MMA Fighting).

“If I had to do it, I could do it,” Velasquez said of a potential weight cut to light heavyweight. “I think it would be hard, but it’s just the will of the person. If I really want to do something, I could do it. Again, things could get interesting, so we’re just going off of that and we’re just going to play it by ear. First things first, helping him get ready, me get ready, and then getting that job done in July, both of us.”

As for Cormier moving up to challenge for the belt that used to be Cain’s? While the two men are still adamant that they’d never fight each other in the Octagon, it doesn’t sound like Velasquez is at all put out by the idea of his teammate taking the title in his division.

“We talked about it and I’m all for it, I support Daniel 100 percent,” Velasquez said. “I feel like I just have to go back and prove myself. I have to get a fight and show people why everyone should fear me, so I have to go out there, I have to look impressive. I do plan on fighting again, I’ve never had talks of a retirement. Not yet. I still want to do this.

“He called me up, he told me that he had this opportunity. I was just like, ‘Yes, we can do it.’ We can get ready together, that’s the best for us. He’s fighting on that card in July, I’m going to try to get on that, hopefully. I think that would be perfect and enough time for me to get on that card and me and Daniel can train together and get ready together because when we do that, that’s when we are the best.”

Velasquez last fought at UFC 200 in July of 2016, TKOing Travis Browne in the closing seconds of the first round. The bout was only his second since 2013, when he beat Junior Dos Santos at UFC 166. Hopefully for fans, he can stay healthy ahead of his planned return this summer.

Video: Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson square off in the club

Has their beef really lasted this long? Or is this just a bit of kayfabe for any fans out there still keeping the dream alive that Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans might fight again?

The two former light heavyweights had a notably contentious rivalry during their filming of the 10th season of the Ultimate Fighter during Quinton Jackson’s time in the UFC. The feud eventually turned into a PPV headliner for UFC 114, which brought in more than a million buys, as fans flocked to see them settle their score.

The actual result was a fairly lackluster decision, that involved a lot more stalking and staring than it did meaningful blows exchanged, with Rashad taking home the win.

Now, via Rampage’s Instagram, you can relive the hype.

“Out of all the places i see @sugarashadevans sweet ass on my vacation in the same fucken club!” Jackson wrote on his social media account. “ i better not see him when i leave this Bitch!”

Out of all the places i see @sugarashadevans sweet ass on my vacation in the same fucken club! i better not see him when i leave this Bitch!

A post shared by Quinton Jackson (@rampage4real) on Jan 26, 2018 at 11:53pm PST

Jackson is currently coming off a recent unanimous decision loss to Chael Sonnen in the opening rounds of the Bellator heavyweight grand prix. While Rashad is looking to rebound from three straight losses at middleweight, and is being teased as a possible opponent for Michael Bisping’s retirement fight in London, on March 17th.

Is Khabib looking toward retirement? Maybe after beating Ferguson & McGregor, says manager

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s UFC career has been dogged by a series of narratives. Can he stay healthy? Can he make weight? Can he be beaten? But one of the more surprising lately has been, how long will he keep fighting?

The 29-year old Dagestani phenom is still very much in his athletic prime, and although he has an MMA career that stretches back nearly a decade, he’s shown no signs of slowing down. But, just last year, his father told reporters that he didn’t see his son fighting past the age of 30.

It was a statement that Nurmagomedov quickly shot down, in an interview on the MMA Hour, telling fans, “…how I retire if I have to fight for the title? Now, I have very big name. And now, a lot of big fights are coming. How I retire?”

The “big fights” have arrived. But, this time it’s Khabib’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who seems to be suggesting that the talented lightweight won’t be hanging around in the UFC for too much longer (transcript via MMA Fighting).

“We’re gonna beat Tony. We’re gonna stop Tony in three rounds. Khabib’s probably gonna retire undefeated because he’s gonna beat Conor, he’s gonna beat Tony, and he’s probably gonna say ‘Bye-bye,’” Abdelaziz told TMZ Sports in a recent interview.

The catch (beyond the obvious one of trying to plan a fighter’s retirement) is that it sounds pretty uncertain as to just how far apart those fights with Ferguson and McGregor might be, if they ever happen at all.

“Khabib said he’s gonna make the motherf**ker wait,” said Abdelaziz. “That’s what he told me, word for word. ‘When I beat Tony, Conor’s got to get in line or he can go fight Nate Diaz or somebody and make some money.’ [Khabib] said he’s gonna make the division right. At the end of the day, he said Conor’s gonna have to beg.

“On April 7, El Cucuy’s gonna get an ass-whooping and maybe Conor, maybe we’ll give him a crack. You see all his b**ch-ass coaches saying ‘Oh, Conor will knock out Khabib in the first round.’ Motherf**ker, you should have fought Khabib when you were supposed to fight him, when you said you wanted to fight him in Russia!”

Even if Nurmagomedov does beat Tony Ferguson, and even if Conor McGregor does get stripped of the lightweight belt (as seems likely), there’s still no guarantee that McGregor fights Nurmagomedov. The UFC’s biggest PPV star has made it clear over the years that he’s looking for the biggest selling fights possible. If Nurmagomedov can establish himself as a draw, McGregor would likely come calling. If he can’t? That may be a fight McGregor is happy to avoid.

UFC on FOX 27: Jacare vs. Brunson 2 – Fights to make

UFC Charlotte wasn’t bad, per se, but as a card that didn’t have any standout narrative heading into it, the biggest one to come out of it was bad judging. And that’s not a great thing. Jacare Souza put a solid punctuation on the evening with a headkick KO over Derek Brunson. But where does that leave him? Is he going to contend for the interim middleweight title? Or just fight another top contender looking for a bout? Andre Fili enters the bantamweight rankings, but what credit does that get off a fight most people don’t think he won?

To answer these questions, and more, I’ll be employing the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking model. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent against one another. If you’d like to take your own shot at fantasy matchmaking immortality, leave a comment below starting out with, “I’d like to go fishing tomorrow. I know North Carolina’s probably pretty good fishing, huh?” I’ll pick one winner from the responses to join me next time out.

This week’s winner is BE reader Highlight.

Hello BE, some of you might recognize me from my time on MMA twitter where I antagonize Mookie Alexander and Tim Burke. Follow me @high_light if that’s something you’d enjoy like.

RONALDO SOUZA

Highlight – Jacare had a strong but not unexpected showing last night. Booking him in anything other than a title fight seems like wasting him to me, but David Branch just lost his dance partner for UFC on Fox so that seems like the clear place to put him if forced to place him in a fight.

Zane – Maybe Robert Whittaker will be bounce back and be ready to go again ASAP, but I’m not going to bet on it. Staph in your stomach just sounds like a nasty nasty thing to go through, and it could easily mean that Whittaker doesn’t fight again until late this year. If I’m wrong, then Whittaker gets the Romero/Rockhold winner and Jacare fights either Weidman or Gastelum (probably Weidman). If I’m right, however, and Whittaker is going to be on the sidelines for a minute, then Jacare vs. the winner of Yoel Romero vs. Luke Rockhold is the way to go.

DEREK BRUNSON

Highlight – Brunson is in a weird place right now, 2-3 in his last 5. I’d be looking to get him a very winnable fight but with a ranked fighter. If Eryk Anders beats Lyoto Machida I’d like to see that match up, if only for the UFC to possibly get new blood at the top end on 185.

Zane – This loss doesn’t diminish Brunson that much. He was a gatekeeper to the top 10 before this fight, and that’s still exactly who he is afterward. But, it did very much reassert that Brunson has probably reached his zenith as a talent, and it’s as a gatekeeper to the top 10. That means it’s time for another fighter trying to establish himself as a top tier middleweight. Krzysztof Jotko hit a couple hard losses against David Branch and Uriah Hall, Brunson might be a logical next fight? Otherwise the UFC could go winner loser and put him against Brad Tavares or Paulo Costa. I like the Jotko fight, but with two losses already, moving him up against higher ranked opposition to potentially lose again feels weird. Instead I’ll say, go winner-loser and book Brunson against Brad Tavares. Two longtime veterans who have somehow avoided each other to date, with Tavares trying to move beyond the edges of the top 15.

ANDRE FILI

Highlight – This is hard for me to pick, mostly because I scored the fight for Bermudez. This win likely puts Fili in the top 15, though it really shouldn’t. If Miles Jury is free I think he should be the one to test if Andre actually belongs on the top 15 list.

Zane – It wasn’t much of a win (and arguably it was more of a robbery), but being real for a second, Andre Fili has way more fights to book as a newly ranked featherweight than Bermudez does as a guy who has seemingly already fought everyone of note. Myles Jury and Mirsad Bektic are ranked fighters coming off wins; Renato Moicano is coming off a tough loss but would make for a solid fight. Eventually I feel like the Moicano booking makes the most sense. Considering Fili didn’t exactly ‘win’ this bout and Moicano is ranked off way less experience, it feels like just the right matchup of questionable records. Andre Fili vs. Renato Moicano, book it.

GREGOR GILLESPIE

Highlight – Gregor Gillespie sort of snuck his way onto the main card as far as I’ve noticed. I can’t think of many guys that are 11-0 at Lightweight in the UFC that I can’t remember what they look like. A fight between him and the winner of Desmond Green/Michel Prazeres is my choice.

Zane – Do I just get lazy and toss 4-0 undefeated (in the UFC) lightweight prospects together to see who shines? Gregor Gillespie vs. David Teymur; the career wrestler vs. the career kickboxer. It’s got some serious curbside appeal to it. The UFC could also give Gillespie someone like Pichel, or Makhachev, all would make for tough outs. But why not go for the style clash and see which of these two streaking prospects can take some serious momentum from the other one.

BOBBY GREEN

Highlight – By far the easiest pick of the card. Play back the Lando fight. Not sure why anyone would book any other fight for Bobby Green at this point. A rematch of a FOTN that went to a draw? Everyone would be happy.

Zane – Bobby Green is clearly better than a lot of lightweight fighters out there. But somehow, at least in the UFC, that’s never translated into being quite among the lightweight elite. Beating Erik Koch like he did serves to prove he hasn’t fallen way off, but Koch has his own struggles against top competition. I don’t see Green getting fights with either Lee or Alvarez, like he asked for, but a fight with Beneil Dariush may not be out of the realm of possibility. Instead, however, I like the idea of him taking on another longtime vet who put a couple good wins together. Bobby Green vs. Clay Guida.

MIRSAD BEKTIC

Highlight – Another case of a fighter that I’m caught between protecting and building to contender status. Bektic was on a fast trajectory aimed squarely at the top 5 of the division until Elkins headkicked him back to earth. If the Korean Superboy could be turned around before his military service it’d be a good way to start getting Mirsad back up the ladder.

Zane – Bektic wanted a fight with the winner of Fili vs. Bermudez, and I’m not at all opposed to that. I’d even be fine with him fighting Bermudez, since it felt more like Bermudez won. But the ‘Menace’ has now dropped 3 in a row, putting him against a top prospect looking to make a name feels a bit too much like potentially using him as a stepping stone. Fights against Calvin Kattar or Myles Jury would be good tests right now, and Nick Baldwin mentioned the idea of Bektic vs. Chad Mendes, when Mendes returns this summer. Instead I’m going to say, make the coolest fight right now and book Mirsad Bektic vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov. Zabit’s already proved he’s got the makings of an elite talent, and Bektic looks like a killer, but that Elkins loss still lingers. It has all the feel of an edge-of-your-seat fight. So do it now.

KATLYN CHOOKAGIAN

Highlight – Before writing this I was almost completely unaware of the that Chookagian dropped a weight class. Considering her relatively high rank at 135, I’d like to see her fight the 10th ranked Jessica Eye. Yes, Eye is just now coming off a multi fight skid, but this is MMA where the young eat the old.

Zane – Normally, an ugly win like that wouldn’t mean much in the UFC. But… flyweight is anything other than well sorted right now, and Chookagian has moved to 3-1 off this controversial decision. With a champion like Nicco Montano at the top of the division, every fighter that puts wins together has a reasonable shot at the belt. I struggled to think of what the next right fight for Jessy-Rose Clark might be after beating Paige VanZant, and Chookagian likely fits the bill. Either that, or a fight with Jessica Eye. Clark vs. Chookagian is my option A, though.

RANDA MARKOS

Highlight – Randa Markos has been in a Win-Loss pattern dating back to before she made her UFC debut. She’s a solid journeyman fighter for now, and like all journeymen fighters she should be used to test new talent. The winner of Maroz/Hill is what I’d be calling for as a promoter.

Zane – I still want to see Markos vs. Herrig, but Herrig seems to have already moved on to bigger things, with her upcoming bout against Karolina Kowalkiewicz. In general, given her losses and the state of teh division, there aren’t that many winning fighters ahead of Markos to book her against. She could rematch Carla Esparza, otherwise Waterson, Calvillo, and Gadelha are all coming off losses. I almost wouldn’t mind seeing her take a shot at Gadelha, just to see where she’s at in her career, but a fight with Cynthia Calvillo feels much more the right speed at the moment. Kill any chance at MMA math if Calvillo wins it, too. Randa Markos vs. Cynthia Calvillo.

OTHER BOUTS: Bermudez vs. Johnson, Rinaldi vs. Powell, Dober vs. Laprise, Camacho vs. Good, Koch vs. Oliveira, Pepey vs. Knight, Romero Borella vs. Kish, Lima vs. Casey, Ji Yeon vs. Dobson, Pichel vs. Santos, Silva vs. White, Price vs. Alhassan, Sullivan vs. Musoke, Sandhagen vs. Bravo, Arnett vs. Ige

Francis Ngannou ‘taking some time off’ after UFC 220 loss

It’s hard to remember, sometimes, that Francis Ngannou only made his UFC debut in late 2015. In the two(ish) years since, he’s fought seven times. A better than average clip for any UFC fighter, let alone one competing at 265 lbs.

Coming off the first loss of his Octagon career, however – and his second loss overall – it looks like Ngannou is going to be slowing things down a little. ‘The Predator’ went five grueling rounds with champion Stipe Miocic on January 20th in Boston, MA, dropping a unanimous decision – 50-44 on all cards. Now, just a little less than a week later, the Cameroonian-born fighter is telling social media that he needs to take a break.

“I’m taking some time off which will benefit my personal life,” Ngannou wrote in a post on Instagram, “by going back home to see family and friends then I’ll be back to set things up #relax”

I’m taking some time off which will benefit my personal life by going back home to see family and friends then I’ll be back to set things up #relax

A post shared by Francis Ngannou (@francisngannou) on Jan 25, 2018 at 11:26am PST

//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js

Ngannou’s record drops to 11-2 following the Miocic loss. For Stipe, the 35-year-old Ohioan moves to 18-2 after his latest title fight, having now become the first fighter to defend the UFC heavyweight strap more than twice.

He’s currently lined up for potential bouts with Fabricio Werdum or Cain Velasquez, although the UFC is expressing interest in a superfight between Miocic and Daniel Cormier. Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more news and updates.

Floyd Mayweather Sr. charged with battery, turns himself over to police

Floyd Mayweather is headed to court. But this time it’s not Floyd Mayweather Jr. – who has seen his own share of legal trouble. Instead, his father, Floyd Mayweather Sr. has reportedly turned himself over to police on Thursday, January 25th.

Mayweather Sr. is facing misdemeanor battery charges (as reported by TMZ Sports) stemming from an incident following the recent Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin fight. Apparently, the elder Mayweather got into an altercation with a woman and ended up dragging her out of his car, by the leg, after she supposedly refused to exit the vehicle. According to the the police report filed, he then struck her in the leg, before driving away from the scene. The woman was treated for minor injuries at the hospital following the incident.

Deadspin.com reports that an arrest warrant was issued for Mayweather Sr. on January 16th, and that he has pleaded ‘not guilty,’ after turning himself in to authorities. A representative for Mayweather elaborated his position in a statement to TMZ.

“[The alleged victim is] trying to extort money and she’s angry because she’s not getting the money from Floyd,” Mayweather’s representative told the publication. “It’s not going the way she wants it to go.”

Mayweather is set to appear for a bench trial, in Clark County, on March 27th.

The MMA Vivisection – Bellator 193: Larkin vs. Gonzalez picks, odds, & analysis

If the UFC is putting on a lack luster event this week, Bellator is right there to match. The Paramount Network production is headlined by a fight between Lorenz Larkin and Fernando Gonzalez, also featuring Saad Awad and Kendall Grove. And that’s about it. A night of ‘guys fighting’ from two of the world’s largest MMA promotions.

As always, if you enjoyed the show, give us a “like” over on YouTube. And while you’re there, subscribe to MMANATIONDOTCOM. That way you’ll always be among the first to get the latest BE shows, interviews, and analysis.

Here’s the Bellator 193 card as it stands right now:

PARAMOUNT MAIN CARD
Lorenz Larkin vs. Fernando Gonzalez
Saad Awad vs. J.J. Ambrose
Kendall Grove vs. A.J. Matthews
Steve Kozola vs. Jake Smith

ONLINE PRELIMS
Tyrell Fortune vs. Joe Hernandez
Tim Riscen vs. Mark Vorgeas
Everett Cummings vs. Ben Beebe
Julio Aguilera vs. Mike Andaya
Justin Lawrence vs. Andrew Natavidad
Joshua Jones vs. DeMarcus Brown
Chris Herrera vs. Moses Murrietta

The MMA Vivisection – UFC on FOX 27: Jacare vs. Brunson 2 picks, odds, & analysis

This week’s UFC card feels like anything but a FOX offering. What has typically been the home for top contender bouts, and even the occasional non-PPV draw title fight, is getting thrown a fight card that wouldn’t be amiss as a Fight Pass exclusive. Ronaldo Souza taking on Derek Brunson just doesn’t have any snap to it. Not only have they already fought before, but both men have just recently lost to the reigning champ. After that, no fighter on the card is likely even three bouts from title contention.

As always, if you’ve enjoyed the show, give us a “like” over on YouTube. And while you’re there, subscribe to MMANATIONDOTCOM. That way you’ll always be notified of the latest BE shows, interviews, and analysis.

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Here’s the UFC on FOX 27 lineup as it stands right now:

FOX MAIN CARD
Ronaldo Souza vs. Derek Brunson – 1:29:24
Dennis Bermudez vs. Andre Fili – 1:19:09
Jordan Rinaldi vs. Gregor Gillespie – 1:14:37
Drew Dober vs. Frank Camacho – 1:04:34

FS1 PRELIMS
Bobby Green vs. Erik Koch – 56:34
Mirsad Bektic vs. Godofredo Pepey – 48:22
Katlyn Chookagian vs. Mara Romero Borella – 41:28
Randa Markos vs. Juliana Lima – 34:19
Justine Kish vs. Ji Yeon Kim – 26:21
Vinc Pichel vs. Joaquim Silva – 18:20

FIGHT PASS PRELIMS
Niko Price vs. George Sullivan – 12:22
Austin Arnett vs. Cory Sandhagen – 4:46

Demetrious Johnson talking TJ Dillashaw bout for International Fight Week 2018

Is it finally going to happen? After 9 months of teasing, hemming, and hawing, it’s starting to sound like Demetrious Johnson and T.J. Dillashaw might actually fight one another.

What started as a knee-jerk title fight idea – when Cody Garbrandt injured his back and T.J. Dillashaw decided to look toward the flyweight division rather than wait around – became something of a public meltdown of Dana White’s relationship with the promotion’s 125 lb champion. DJ wasn’t interested in fighting Dillashaw, who had never taken a bout in his division before, and the UFC’s handling of his desire to fight Ray Borg instead got pretty ugly.

In the interim, Dillashaw did eventually fight Garbrandt, recapturing the bantamweight belt. And Johnson set the record for UFC title defenses, with an amazing suplex armbar of Borg.

Related

TJ Dillashaw: Time for ‘scared’ Demetrious Johnson to ‘man up and take this fight’

Dana White claims Dillashaw vs. Johnson ‘will happen,’ but report says it is ‘nowhere near done’

Over the course of it all, Dillashaw’s interest in the fight remained strong. With regular public call-outs of Johnson, along with White’s insistence that the fight would get made. Now that Johnson is rehabbing from a recent shoulder surgery, it’s starting to sound like Dillashaw and White may just get their superfight wish (transcript via MMA Junkie).

“Recovery is going good,” Johnson said at one point, during an hour-and-a-half long Metro PCS Q&A session with Forrest Griffin surrounding UFC 220. “I had rotator cuff (surgery), labrum and joint clean-out. After 11 title defenses and 12 championship fights, the old dog needs to get some rehab. I got it cleaned up. (With) six weeks recovery, we can get strong again, and hopefully T.J. Dillashaw can get this match done. Hopefully July, International Fight Week, on a big, big card.”

Classically, the ‘International Fight Week’ mid-July PPV has been one of the UFC’s biggest of the year, playing host to events like UFC 100, UFC 200, Lesnar vs. Carwin, Silva vs. Sonnen 2, and Mendes vs. McGregor. However, last year was something of a letdown, especially where the buyrate was concerned.

UFC 213, headlined by Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero, only managed 150,000 buys. The card had initially been planned to include Dillashaw vs. Garbrandt, Nunes vs. Shevchenko, and Cerrone vs. Lawler before various injuries and ailments saw each of those bouts scratched from the card.

The promotion has penciled in UFC 226 as their mid-year PPV this year, set to coincide with the Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale. The event is scheduled to take place on July 7th, in Las Vegas, NV. And if everything goes to plan, Demetrious Johnson vs. T.J. Dillashaw just might be on it.