Khabib’s manager says there’s ‘no way in hell’ they get less than Nate Diaz to fight McGregor

Nate Diaz’s declared public earnings from UFC 202 came in at just $2 million dollars. A lot of money for a UFC base salary, but not the kind of figure manager Ali Abdelaziz seems to have in mind when says that his fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov, needs to be pulling in more than Nate if a bout with McGregor is going to come to fruition.

Abdelaziz is currently in negotiations with the UFC to put together a PPV headlining fight between Nurmagomedov, the current lightweight champion, and Conor McGregor – in McGregor’s first fight since his loss to Floyd Mayweather in August of last year. McGregor held the belt right up until Khabib stepped into the Octagon against Al Iaquinta at UFC 223 back in April, when the UFC officially stripped him. A bout between the former and current champs makes sense for all parties. Especially where Nurmagomedov is concerned, since McGregor is one of the biggest guaranteed paydays in combat sports today.

And it’s that last point that Abdelaziz addressed at a recent media luncheon in Los Angeles, where he sounded confident that the fight would get made, most likely in time for the October 6th UFC 229 card in Las Vegas (transcript via MMA Fighting).

“We will get a deal done,” Abdelaziz said at a UFC 227 media lunch for his client Cody Garbrandt. “Trust me. My relationship with Dana, Hunter, Sean, Mick. I have a different relationship. I’m not gonna overplay my hand and they need to be fair. There’s no way in hell Nate Diaz can make more money than Khabib. There’s no way in hell. [Nurmagomedov is the] undefeated, undisputed lightweight champion of he world. That’s it.”

As to how much they were asking for, Abdelaziz threw out $10 million as a casual number – although it’s unclear whether that would be guaranteed money, or PPV buy & live gate dependent.

“I’m not a greedy guy,” Abdelaziz said. “Go ahead and make $100 million. If Khabib can make $10 million, I’m happy. At the end of the day, it’s not just somebody I manage. It’s my little brother, too. It’s not, ‘I’m gonna fight for him, I’m gonna get you this deal.’ It’s what he deserves. I don’t want anything extra than what he deserves. That’s it. I believe he’s one of the biggest stars in the UFC today.”

If Khabib vs. Conor can sell anything like the way McGregor’s two bouts with Diaz did (never mind trying to hit those Mayweather numbers) that’s likely still a bargain. So hopefully all sides can come together and make this fight happen in the next couple months. Otherwise the UFC may go the full year without a million+ buy PPV event.

Invicta champ lobs ‘disgraceful’ claim of ‘stinky strategy’ at recent opponent

It looks like the controversy from Minna Grusander’s Invicta FC 30 bout against Jinh Yu Frey didn’t end with the judges. In a fight that had many (including cage-side commentary) questioning the eventual decision, Frey – who lost a previous title shot to Ayaka Hamasaki in 2016 – took home the vacant Invicta atomweight strap with a unanimous decision over Grusander earlier in July.

The bout was a somewhat slow affair, featuring a lot of cage grinding, sporadic ground work, and extended, slow-paced standup exchanges. Eventually judges felt Frey had done enough to win. However, not happy to simply take home the belt, Frey and her husband, Douglas, took to social media to say that they felt Grusander had intentionally avoided bathing ahead of the fight to make herself smell as bad as possible. Employing what Douglas Frey dubbed “the stinky strategy” in a since deleted tweet.

In a post on Instagram, Frey responded to critics of the judges decision noting that, “I also had never had an opponent who did the whole ‘I’m not showering for a week so that my body odor makes my opponent gag’ tactic. So that was new.”

Invicta’s in-cage interviewer, Laura Sanko, responded to the allegations on Twitter, saying that, “I stood right next to Minna after the fight and didn’t notice odor like that.” Which prompted Frey’s husband to give an unusual explanation.

He claimed that his knowledge of Icelandic allowed him to overhear a conversation between Grusander and her team, in Finnish. A conversation he claims confirmed their suspicions. His response, once again, has since been deleted (h/t MMA Fighting).

“Don’t be disappointed, Laura,” he wrote. “I took Icelandic language lessons, and can follow along in Finnish pretty well too. On the ride back to the hotel we had to ride in the same can [sic] and her and her team were laughing about it…”

For her part, Grusander spoke to MMA Fighting, where she didn’t mince words about what she felt to be a ‘disgraceful’ attempt to drag her reputation.

“I think the fact that they are even making up and shouting out this little bullshit, it’s pretty disgraceful right now,” said Grusander. “I’ve heard and seen some bad losers in sports in general and I kind of understand the trash talk in combat sports prior to an upcoming bout, but I can’t really figure out the purpose of their actions right now.

“I don’t think I’ve seen everything, I’m not really digging deep into what they’re talking about me, I’m just amazed how immature they’ve been with it.”

“With all this Icelandic stuff and ‘bad-smelling thing,’ it really sounds like some first-grader wannabe badass bully desperately trying to put down someone even when they can’t come up with anything,” said Grusander.

It sounds like Grusander is hoping, if nothing else, the ongoing war of words outside the cage helps secure her a rematch in it, where they can settle the score. Especially considering controversy already surrounding how the bout was judged. Unfortunately for her, considering Frey and her husband’s current complaints, that may not be a bout the newly crowned champion is especially interested in taking.

Reebok scuttled UFC Calgary fighter Ion Cutelaba’s weigh-in ‘surprise’

Ion Cutelaba’s fight at UFC on FOX 30: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2 marked a welcome return to form for the young light heavyweight prospect from Moldova. After spending 6 months on the sidelines, due to a USADA investigation of voluntarily disclosed ‘Ozone Therapy’ – a form of blood doping – he fought off the early aggression of Gadzhimurad Antigulov to score a first round KO.

Unfortunately, however, for the fighter who once painted his entire body green for his UFC bout against Jonathan Wilson – and who walked out on Saturday to Bret Hart’s theme, while sporting a pair of the pro wrestler’s iconic sunglasses – he didn’t get to have quite the return to action he’d hoped for. Not due to anything that happened in the cage, or even on the night of the event, but instead due to cancelled plans for another special weigh in performance.

During his post-fight media scrum the ‘Hulk’ revealed that the UFC uniform sponsor, Reebok, axed his idea for a weigh-in outfit.

“He wanted to make a really good show at the weigh-ins, but Reebok didn’t allow them,” Cutelaba’s translator revealed to the attending media.

As to what “them” were, Cutelaba wouldn’t say, only telling the press that it was a “surprise.” But, that doesn’t mean that future displays are off the table. He sounded expectant that, for his next bout, he’d be able to put on “a really good show.”

Hopefully in the time between then and now he can sort things out with Reebok and continue bringing a little extra personality to the UFC’s pre-fight rituals.

This latest win brought the 24-year old’s record to 14-3, with one ‘No Contest.’ No word yet on just when he’ll be back in action or against who, but he sounds confident that big things are coming soon.

“Hey Cormier, I see you’re here,” Cutelaba told the light heavyweight champion – who was on color commentary duties cage side – in his post fight interview. “Keep the belt, I will come after you. And if you want a picture with me or my autograph, I’ll be outside.”

Cormier looks to claim place as ‘one of the great heavyweights of all time’ with Brock Lesnar win

Whatever happens in the last two fights of Daniel Cormier’s career, he’s already secured a spot in the UFC record books. Not just as a title holder – or even as a champion in multiple divisions – but as only the second fighter in the promotion’s 25 year history to hold multiple title belts at the same time.

It’s an accomplishment that many fighters dream about during the course of their career, but for which few ever even get the opportunity to try. Cormier, however, is hoping that, before his career is finished, he can add a little something extra to his legacy. For all he’s accomplished in MMA, he hasn’t exactly set himself apart as the greatest talent of his era at either heavyweight or light heavyweight.

His career at 205 will always be shadowed by Jon Jones, and his decision to drop down from heavyweight back in 2014 derailed the opportunity to really carve out an overwhelming list of wins in the 265 lb division. However, now that he’s secured the belt in his former weight class – with a stunning KO win over Stipe Miocic earlier this month – he’s hoping that an iconic title defense in his final career bout can make him not just a rare ‘double champ,’ but an all-time great heavyweight as well.

“Brock’s a big, bad, tough boy,” Cormier said in a recent interview on the Steve Austin Show (transcript via MMA Fighting). “A former UFC champ. Obviously he’s the WWE champion. Just a massive guy with a lot of fighting ability. I’ve known Brock a long, long time and I’m excited to compete against him. And really, not to compete against him, I want to put it on him because when you beat a guy like Brock Lesnar – if I beat the most dominant heavyweight champ of all time and then couple that with a fight over Brock, they may call me one of the great heavyweights of all time.”

At the time of his win over Miocic, the Ohioan held the all time record for UFC heavyweight title defenses at three. And, while it was Cormier’s first fight at 265 in nearly a half decade, he does have wins over former UFC HW title holders Frank Mir and Josh Barnett. What do you think? Would a win over Lesnar send his resume into heavyweight GOAT consideration? Or will he always be measured more by his concurrent title reign than anything else?

UFC on FOX 30: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2 – Fights to make

The UFC made good on a long standing promise to return to Calgary with a great fight card to make up for UFC 149. It may have taken 6 years to do it, but when they put together a card like UFC on FOX 30: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2, it was almost worth the wait. While no titles were on the line, three former champions looked to state their case to stay in contention among their respective divisions. And they did it against three well seasoned veterans who were all hunting for their first chances at UFC gold.

So, who made the cut? Who has a coveted title shot within reach? And who fell back into the ever-churning sea of rising talent?

To answer all these questions – and more – I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking model of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent against one another. If you’d like to take your own swing and fantasy matchmaking glory, leave a comment below starting with, “Keep the belt, I will come after you. And if you want a picture with me or my autograph, I’ll be outside.” I’ll pick one winner from the responses to join me next time.

This week’s winner is BE reader ‘goatphayse’:

The first fight card I ever watched was UFC 92 which was a knockout fiesta. I was instantly intrigued, but I wasn’t fully hooked until UFC 100. As a pro wrestling fan, Brock’s post fight speech that night was the most sports entertained I have ever been. I have watched or read about every single UFC event since then. My favorite fighters are Frankie Edgar and Korean Zombie which makes their upcoming fight a real emotional hurdle. I am also fond of any fighter that succeeds at the highest level while indulging in the devil’s lettuce (Diaz bros, Gastelum, Blaydes, etc).

DUSTIN POIRIER

Goat – Another stellar performance from Poirer. Once he had Alvarez hurt, he poured it on. The top of the lightweight division is absolutely stacked, but luckily, the matches are writing themselves. Khabib vs. Conor is going to be next for the belt so instead of targeting one of them, Poirer vs. Tony Ferguson on the same card would make for one of the best Main/Co-mains we have ever seen in the UFC.

Zane – If Ferguson can come back from injury any time in the near future then yeah, he and Poirier more or less have to fight for the next top-contender slot (even if Ferguson should already sort of have that locked down). It’s one of the best fights the UFC can make, and a guaranteed all-action bout. However, assuming Ferguson won’t be returning ASAP – or that he has no interest in fighting Poirier – then go Poirier vs. Kevin Lee. I’m sure it’s not the fight the ‘Diamond’ would want, but lightweight is incredibly backed up right now, so sacrifices must be made. Poirier vs. Ferguson is option A, but Poirier vs. Lee is right there if need be.

EDDIE ALVAREZ

Goat – I love watching Eddie fight – but the Poirer saga has left me frustrated. From the illegal knee that robbed us of the 1st fight to the 12-6 elbow in this one that led to the stand-up preceding the finish, Eddie just can’t seem to get out of his own way. What makes this fight all the more baffling is that you can see his corner calling for the elbow right before Eddie threw it. And when he did throw it, the corner acted surprised that the ref was standing it up – as if they didn’t know it was illegal! Anywho, aside from this annoyance, Eddie was incredible to watch as always and he fortunately will stay right atop the division since Alvarez vs. Kevin Lee sounds like a treat.

Zane – It’s too bad that Alvarez and Barboza have been long-time training partners, because that’s absolutely a fight that I want to see. And it’s just about the best fight out there for Eddie, if Ferguson doesn’t fight Poirier and Lee does. But since the Brazilian is just not on the table, I’ll say give Alvarez a bit of a step back and let him hook ‘em up with Al Iaquinta. ‘Ragin’ Al has been pretty choosy with his opponents lately, but I’d bet a bout with Alvarez would be just the kind of fight to lure him back to the Octagon. Plus the boxing heavy style of both men would be perfectly geared toward another great action bout. Iaquinta vs. Alvarez is my next fight.

JOSE ALDO

Goat – This was a vintage Aldo performance – throwing caution to the wind and eventually landing the vicious body combo that led to the stoppage. Unfortunately for him, he is in a very difficult spot in a division that has quite a few moving parts. At this stage, there is no way the UFC books Aldo against Holloway or Edgar which leaves only Ortega and Zombie (if he beats Edgar) as potential opponents. The UFC may punish Ortega for not taking the short notice fight at 226 and if they do, Ortega vs. Aldo is a banger of a #1 contender fight while Holloway heals whatever is ailing him. If the UFC goes straight to Holloway/Ortega (which I am assuming they will), Aldo should wait to see if Zombie can get by Edgar. Then, Aldo vs. Korean Zombie is the rematch I have always wanted to see. If Holloway beats Ortega and Edgar beats Zombie, then Aldo’s path back to the top is murkier than ever.

Zane – Fights with Chad Mendez, Chan Sung Jung, or even Cub Swanson all hold appeal to me for Aldo at 145. However, there’s one bout that I’d really love to see, and it’s just the absolute perfect time to make it. Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis. Yesteryear’s star talents have both had big recent wins that showed they’re still dangerous men to be reckoned with. And this is one of those ‘promised’ bouts that we were supposed to see years ago and never came to be. I know it doesn’t sound like Aldo wants to move up and I doubt Pettis wants to move down again, but damnit UFC, find a way to make this fight. Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis is a better idea than it has been in years.

JEREMY STEPHENS

Goat – I was really rooting for Stephens here – partially because him getting his 1st title shot after such an amazing career would be fitting…but mainly because it would make the top of the division significantly cleaner. Stephens looked good before the body shot and had Aldo in a bit of trouble against the fence. As countless featherweights can attest to, it is quite difficult to look good against Aldo. Stephens is at his best when he has someone who wants to test him on the feet – as Aldo so willingly did. So, in the interest of creating some fireworks, Stephens vs. Chad Mendes is the way to go.

Zane – I could watch Stephens throw down with Chad Mendes. It’s the kind of ‘top 5’ opponent Mendes said he wanted next, and I’m sure Stephens would be up for it as a bounce-back from a loss that he almost certainly feels he didn’t deserve. I’d like to suggest some other, better loser vs. loser matchup as well, but I really don’t see anything that moves me. Ricardo Lamas maybe? The Mendes fight is just way cooler, and thus must happen. Jeremy Stephens vs. Chad Mendes is THE fight for both men.

JOANNA JEDRZEJCZYK

Goat – Joanna got some swagger back in this fight (if she would admit to losing any of it to begin with). She handled Torres’ pressure game extremely well and was never in any real danger. Her striking was crisp as always, but she impressed most with her takedown defense and clinch work. With her last fight against Rose being as competitive as it was, and with no other sensible opponent for her, Joanna vs. the winner of the eventual Rose Namajunas/Jessica Andrade showdown is the only option.

Zane – Jessica Andrade getting booked to fight Karolina Kowalkiewicz is just weird. She should be getting the next chance at the belt, but I guess the UFC isn’t sure just when Rose is returning to action. And after all, both women have clear cases for title contention and that leaves the winner perfectly situated to take on Rose. No doubt Joanna will campaign hard for her own shot, but as long as Rose has the belt, I think she needs to make a stronger case than just a Torres win. If Rose loses to either Andrade or Kowalkiewicz, then Joanna can be next, no question. If she doesn’t, however, then let Joanna fight the Andrade/Kowalkiewicz loser. It’s not that fair to her, she’s beaten both, but I’m especially interested in the Kowalkiewicz rematch. Of course, the real dream is for Joanna to take on the winner of Montano vs. Shevchenko, but until she says she’s moving up, it’s just a dream.

TECIA TORRES

Goat – The fight was competitive and Torres’ stock shouldn’t be too hurt after falling to the best strawweight of all time. Torres is so good at keeping the pressure on but never seems dangerous – especially with someone like Jedrzejczyk who is so tough to take down. After losses to two of the division’s best, the UFC should give Torres a pretty winnable fight to get her right back on track to the top. Earlier in the night, Nina Ansaroff strung together her 3rd win and The Tiny Tornado would be a stern test to see if Nina can hang with the division elite. Torres vs Nina Ansaroff is the fight to make.

Zane – Would Torres fight Ansaroff? After all Nunes fought Pennington, but that was with a belt on the line. Otherwise all four women seem like close friends, not to mention being former training partners. Obviously Torres against Karolina Kowalkiewicz off a loss would be a very good fight to make, but Claudia Gadelha is right there. Gadelha is coming off a win, but not an especially convincing one against Carla Esparza. Let’s see if she can keep momentum going against Torres. If she can’t, then that’s also a quick way to put Torres right back in title talk. Tecia Torres vs. Claudia Gadelha needs to happen.

ALEXANDER HERNANDEZ

Goat – Hernandez’s athleticism is off the charts and everything he does is lightning quick. He has the build to be a problem for a lot of lightweights. He did look a bit vulnerable on the mat during the scrambles with OAM. Hernandez needs a decent step up against someone who can make him pay for his pressure style. Pettis has the striking chops to give Hernandez a stern test on the feet and if the fight goes to the ground, Pettis has always been savvy from his back. Hernandez vs. Anthony Pettis will tell us if ‘The Great’ can back the hype or if Pettis’ rejuvenation is for real.

Zane – Just how big a fight has Hernandez earned? Because he’s been damn impressive so far, and looked every bit like a potential future contender dominating OAM the way he did. But, he’s also only had two bouts in the UFC. I can’t actually see Anthony Pettis wanting to fight him. But, what about Daniel Hooker? Hooker has had a career renaissance at lightweight, most recently cracking the rankings with a win over Gilbert Burns. A win over Hernandez would be a great feather in his cap as he searches for a top-10 opponent. And if Hernandez wins, then it’s yet more proof that he’s an elite fighter everyone needs to watch out for – not 1-2 years from now, but today. Hernandez vs. Hooker is a great fight.

ISLAM MAKHACHEV

Goat – Makhachev was dominant yet again. Dare I say, as dominant as Khabib – his fellow Dagestani. He definitely deserves a top 15 opponent. With grappling on a completely different level than most of the division, I would like to see Makhachev with someone who has the potential to be a threat on the ground. In the top 15, Chiesa and Pettis both sound like fun battles on the mat. I think Pettis is too big of a step up (and I have different plans for him) so Makhachev vs. Michael Chiesa is the fight to make. If anyone can scramble out of Makhachev’s grip, Chiesa is the guy to do it.

Zane – Michael Chiesa may be headed to welterweight, otherwise I agree he’d be a very fun next test for Makhachev. Whoever the Dagestani fights, it needs to be someone who can seriously hang with him in terms of wrestling and grappling. The Trinaldo/Dunham winner will be sitting around the bottom of the top 15 after their bout, so that wouldn’t be a terrible idea, but lightweight’s deep enough that Makhachev shouldn’t have to wait. There’s Alan Patrick, coming off his recent dominance of Damir Hadzovic, but there’s no prestige in that. How about Charles Oliveira? It’s not a ranked bout, but it’s high profile enough that I bet it’d satisfy Makhachev and give him a test against a really elite grappler who showed fantastic hands last time out. Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira for all the grappling. If that won’t work for some reason, then do Makhachev/Gillespie, because I need it.

DUSTIN ORTIZ

Goat – A 3 fight win streak and 2 KOs speaks loudly in a division that is largely devoid of both. He said he is the #1 contender but he isn’t quite there yet. He has fought pretty much everyone in the division except for DJ, Cejudo, and Pettis. With DJ and Cejudo set to lock horns next week, Ortiz vs. Sergio Pettis can determine a true #1 contender – and maybe be for a fancy interim title if DJ decides to go for a Bantamweight superfight.

Zane – If Ortiz really wants a title shot, then it does kinda feel like he should battle Sergio Pettis to be no. 1 contender. But, Ortiz has a lot of other losses he could avenge. Most notably Jussier Formiga and Joseph Benavidez. The Benavidez fight, while winner vs. loser feels like the biggest proving ground. An opponent that was well out of reach for Ortiz years ago, but may not be now. And the fact that Benavidez just took a tough loss may make him more amenable to rematch a fight he’s won – unlike Formiga who probably doesn’t want to break a two fight win streak on a guy he already beat. I’d also be down to see Ortiz rematch Ray Borg. He won that one, but Borg charged out to title contention way ahead of him, so it’d be interesting to see where both men are now. Still, Dustin Ortiz vs. Joseph Benavidez is a rock solid flyweight fight.

OTHER BOUTS: Aubin-Mercier vs. Burns, Mein vs. Okami, Morono vs. Ottow, Dawodu vs. Guan, Arnett vs. Taha, Johnson vs. Pichel, Cutelaba vs. Johnson, Antigulov vs. Cannonier, Makdessi vs. Teymur, Pearson vs. Guida, Chookagian vs. Eubanks, Davis vs. Modafferi, Nicolau vs. Moreno, Ansaroff vs. Waterson, Markos vs. Herrig, Powell vs. Gruetzemacher, Herrera vs. Moret

UFC on FOX 30: Alvarez vs. Poirier 2 6th Round post-fight show

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Dan Hardy wants to take on Gordon Ramsay: ‘He walks into every kitchen in the world like he can fight’

For most people, their bucket list includes things like sky diving, bungee jumping, world travel, or a chance to see a famous artist or work of art, live and in-person. For Dan Hardy, it includes a list of celebrities he’d like to take a crack at in the cage.

The former UFC welterweight title contender has more or less entirely transitioned away from a competitive cage-fighting career – following the revelation of a long standing heart condition – into being one of the UFC’s best color commentary voices during live events. But, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still dream about stepping back into the Octagon.

Hardy has often said he’d like to get a final few fights under his belt before really calling it quits on MMA. And while it seems like any kind of official plans for a return to competition have stalled out, when asked by bet365 if he had any celebrity opponents he’d like throw down against, one name sprung immediately to mind.

“Try and speak to me like that in my own kitchen and you’ll get a slap across the face.”

“I could make a list for you, to be honest,” Hardy admitted. “But, the one that I would pick straight away – and I always see him at boxing events as well, I know he’s a fan of combat sports – Gordon Ramsay. You know, he walks into every kitchen in the world like he can fight, and I would like to see if he actually can. Because, it’s unwarranted to have that kind of attitude with people, if you can’t actually throw down. So, you know, try and speak to me like that in my own kitchen and you’ll get a slap across the face.”

For his part, Ramsay appears to have other plans. The TV chef, best known for “Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” and “MasterChef” has just recently announced his latest venture into entertainment cookery. Variety magazine reports that National Geographic will be airing “Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted” in 2019. A globetrotting “anthropology-through-cuisine” show that will feature Ramsay attempting to compete against local chefs among other cultural activities. A proposed fight against Dan Hardy may just have to sit on the back burner for a while.

51-year-old Renzo Gracie gets submission win in first fight since 2010 Matt Hughes loss

It’s been a minute since Renzo Gracie last took a fight in MMA. In fact, it’s been over 4 million minutes, to be a little more precise. The legendary head of the Renzo Gracie BJJ Academy and Renzo Gracie Combat Team was last seen wearing a pair of 4oz gloves back in 2010, when he took a lopsided beating at the hands of Matt Hughes.

In the years since, he’s done some competitive submission grappling, most notably taking on Mario Sperry at the 2011 ADCCs and Kazushi Sakuraba at Metamoris V in 2014. And all during that time, he’s teased the possibility of returning to mixed martial arts competition. Still, it was something of a surprise to see what felt like a pipe-dream become reality, with the announcement that Gracie would face fellow MMA legend – and former Pancrase star & UFC title contender – Yuki Kondo.

Related

51-year-old Renzo Gracie: ‘This is not my farewell fight’

Kondo, a veteran of over 100 fights – whose unbroken career stretches all the way back to the ‘No Holds Barred’ era of MMA – faced Gracie this past Friday, July 27th at ONE FC: Reign Of Kings. And after an uneventful first round, Renzo shot in for a single leg early in round 2. From there he transitioned to a bodylock back take and dragged Kondo to the mat. The rest was history.

The legendary Renzo Gracie returns to the cage at 51-years-young and submits Yuki Kondo in R2. “I did what my family has been doing for 100 years, choking people.” #ReignOfKings pic.twitter.com/fhmQBpwjHA

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) July 27, 2018

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Renzo Gracie vs Yuki Kondo #ONEFightNight #ReignOfKings #ONEReignofKings pic.twitter.com/5xahrexDim

— ZombieProphet (@GIFsByZP) July 27, 2018

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Even before the fight, Gracie announced that this would not be a ‘farewell’ bout, but rather a re-ignition of his competitive cage-fighting career. What that may mean for a next bout remains to be seen, but fans of the old-school BJJ legend can likely look forward to seeing him fight again in the not too distant future.

The MMA Vivisection – RIZIN 11 picks & analysis

RIZIN returns with a card that’s… well it’s weird, not gonna lie. The good news is that Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo is one of the best fights to be made out there. The bad news is that you might have said the same thing about Takanori Gomi vs. Melvin Guillard 10-12 years ago. Still throw some Rena Kubota, Jiri Prochazka, Rin Nakai, Diego Brandao, and Daron Cruickshank on there and things are guaranteed to get wild.

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

RIZIN’s iPPV will be broadcast live on FITE.tv starting at 2:00 am Eastern/11:00 am Pacific, early Sunday morning/late Satruday night depending on your time zone. Here’s a look at the fight card as it stands right now.

ONLINE PPV CARD
Kanna Asakura vs. Rena Kubota
Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo
Jiri Prochazka vs. Bruno Cappelozza
Takanori Gomi vs. Melvin Guillard
Satoru Kitaoka vs. Diego Brandao
Shoma Shibisai vs. Unurjargal Boldpurev
Rin Nakai vs. Shizuka Sugiyama
Saori Ishioka vs. Miyuu Yamamoto
Tadaaki Yamamoto vs. Thanongsaklek Tiger Muay Thai
Daron Cruickshank vs. Tom Santos

Kevin Lee wants more divisions, says steps need to be taken on weight cutting before somebody dies

In a sport built off the concept of two men locked in a cage, beating each other until one of them goes unconscious, it’s a strange thing to say that the most dangerous aspect is likely taking place before either of them ever sets foot on the mat. Weight cutting is MMA’s dirty not-so-secret.

The process that (at least in one of its forms) once killed three collegiate wrestlers in little over a month back in the 90s has become one of the backbones of mixed martial arts over the last 20 years. Fighters routinely compete 20-30 lbs under their day-to-day walking weight, using training camps to slowly lean out, before dropping the last 5-10 lbs (or more) in the last couple days before the fight. In some cases, when the opportunity is big enough, fighters will shed nearly a quarter of their bodyweight in the span of a week or two, to make their designated division.

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Pietro Menga still ‘on really good terms’ with UFC, hoping for second callup

It’s an all too common practice that UFC lightweight Kevin Lee says needs to stop, before somebody gets killed.

Lee has had his own harrowing encounters with the UFC scales. Ahead of his UFC 216 bout against Tony Ferguson – and suffering from a bad staff infection – Lee, who walks around at about 185 lbs, had a weight cut that he claims “damn near killed me.” A notably drained version of his normally indefatigable form went on to lose the bout by submission in the third round.

And it’s that kind of personal struggle – along with the recent reports of Lee’s teammate Uriah Hall suffering a seizure and mild heart attack during his own disastrous cut down to middleweight – that are prompting Lee to speak out. On a recent episode of the Monday Morning Analyst with Luke Thomas, Lee gave his thoughts on how to fix the weight cutting problem. Most notably, he feels the UFC needs more divisions.

“But, they have expressed interest in a ‘65 lb division,” Lee said, speaking of the UFC’s future plans. “I think they’re just waiting on the right timing or trying to figure out how they’re going to do it. It’s gonna have to come. This weight cutting issue is such a big deal.

“Everybody’s just kinda waiting for somebody to die. And I don’t feel like that’s the right thing to do.”

“And it’s not even like… I’m not calling out for it because I can’t make 155 anymore. I’m smaller than some of these other guys. Right now I’m sitting at 178, I can make the weight class no problem again. It’s just, we have to do something about this weight cutting issue. The only commission to look at it was California, and the way they came up to fix it was, they added a 165 and a 175 lb division. That’s the only solution that there is.

“Everybody knows that this weight-cutting thing is a problem, but nobody is coming up with no fucking solutions. Everybody’s just kinda waiting for somebody to die. And I don’t feel like that’s the right thing to do. I think you have to take at least one step in the right direction and then just see how it goes. It’s really no downside to it.”

“Yeah, and it’s a shame too,” Lee continued, when pressed on the idea it taking a death to cause change. “It’s happened again and again and again in all these combat sports. You’ve seen it in boxing, you’ve seen it in wrestling – they just did it a couple years ago. When the three kids died in the sauna, they went ahead and changed all these weight classes. That’s what it’s gonna take.”

That extreme tragedy has yet to strike the UFC – although fighters in the promotion have been hospitalized on numerous occasions due to weight cutting complications. However, it’s already happened on the regional MMA circuit.

In 2015, 21-year-old ONE FC fighter Yang Jian Bing was rushed to the hospital ahead of his fight, suffering from severe dehydration and possible heat stroke, he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. And in 2013, 26-year-old Shooto Brazil competitor Leandro Souza died while cutting weight for his bout at Shooto 43. Reports at the time suggested he was likely trying to shortcut the process with diuretics and suffered a stroke.

Hopefully the UFC will find a solution to fighters dropping extreme amounts of weight, before another athlete falls victim. If not, then it’s just as Lee says, everybody’s just waiting for somebody to die.