Month: January 2021

‘I want to fight this f-cker so bad’ – Uriah Hall has burning desire to compete against Israel Adesanya

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News

Israel Adesanya’s UFC career may only be three years old, and his time as middleweight champion has only lasted a little under a year and a half, but the ‘Last Stylebender’ is already crafting his legacy as a fighter opponents would love to face. Obviously a large part of that is the chance to grab the UFC gold that a fight with Izzy currently offers, but for at least one top-ranked middleweight there’s a bit more to it.

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting’s What the Heck podcast, former Ultimate Fighter finalist Uriah Hall explained why, even without a belt on the line, he’s champing at the bit to take on the City Kickboxing star.

“The last time I wanted to fight someone so bad was Josh Samman on The Ultimate Fighter,” Hall said. “I want to fight him so bad because I get him. There’s not a lot of dynamic people left, and for those who are dynamic and not winning, they’re trying to be flashy. [I’m talking about] that dynamic with fluidity. I have that fluidity. It’s coming out. I lost it for awhile because I was in La La Land but man, I’m putting my sh*t together.”

“Good god, I want to fight this f*cker so bad,” Hall added. “But with the politics, the media, it’s like someone saying, ‘Well, you’re not worthy.’ Or, it’s the ranking system: ‘We here think you’re number eight. We feel that you’re number eight. We’ve never competed before, but we think you’re number eight.’ Get the f*ck out of here. Who comes up with this ranking system? It’s a joke. So you’re gonna tell me what number I am?”

‘Prime Time’ is currently riding a three-fight winning streak, his first since 2013-15 when he beat Chris Leben, Thiago Santos, and Ronald Stallings back-to-back-to-back. Most recently the Fortis MMA talent picked up a 4th round KO over former champion and middleweight legend Anderson Silva. He’s currently sitting at #8 in the promotion’s official rankings for the 185 lb division.

Hall had been set to fight another former belt holder in ‘All-American’ Chris Weidman on February 13th, but that bout has been delayed following Weidman’s COVID-19 diagnosis. Hall is expected to face the long-time Serra-Longo trained fighter on April 24th instead.

Following his recent title defense win over Paulo Costa, Adesanya is now set to take his first trip up to the light heavyweight division for a superfight against the newly crowned king Jan Blachowicz—in Blachowicz’s first defense of the 205 lb belt. Exactly when the Nigerian-born New Zealander will return to his home division is anyone’s guess. But when he does come back, it seems Hall will be waiting for him.

Poirier is fighting to be ‘world champion’ – Coach says UFC belt is bigger focus than Conor McGregor trilogy

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News

Whatever the UFC does next with the lightweight title picture, it seems likely that Dustin Poirier will be at the center of it. The ‘Diamond’ is fresh off a massive PPV performance that saw him KO combat sports superstar Conor McGregor midway through the second round of their UFC 257 headlining bout. That victory puts the Lafayette native on a two fight winning streak, since dropping his interim lightweight title in a unification bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov back in September of 2019.

In Poirier’s eyes, and following Nurmagomedov’s apparent retirement, his latest victory now makes the ATT fighter the UFC’s new uncrowned lightweight king.

“Uncrowned world champion,” Poirier posted on his Twitter account shortly after his stopping McGregor.

In the post fight press conference, he tossed around a few names as to who he might like to face next. Nate Diaz was mentioned, Charles Oliveira got a less than enthusiastic nod, and Michael Chandler was entirely dismissed. But, Poirier did give some credence to the idea of giving McGregor an instant rematch. Whatever fight he’s booked for, however, ATT head coach Mike Brown made it clear that getting the official UFC belt around his waist is the top priority.

“I think all depends on what Dustin wants,” Brown told MMA Fighting when asked about facing McGregor again. “Obviously it was big. It was the second biggest pay-per-view of all time. That’s certainly a reason. They are split 1-1, so it does make sense in some ways.

“But really what Dustin is fighting for is to be the world champion. I think he wants to take time, relax, enjoy his family and not think about anything right now and just enjoy it. But I know really what he wants more than anything else is to have that undisputed world champion title to his name.”

As for Poirier’s comments that he’s already the ‘uncrowned champ’, Brown lent some credence to that position—noting that with a recent resume that includes wins over Justin Gaethje, Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez, and Max Holloway – as well as Conor McGregor – nobody’s got a clearer claim to the title of best lightweight in the world right now than he does.

“It was tough because that really, with Khabib retired, that should have been a title fight,” Brown said. “I feel like we’re in a similar situation with Yves Edwards years ago. He was the uncrowned champion when they kind of got rid of the title and the division was in limbo and he fought Josh Thomson. That legitimately should have been for the vacant lightweight title, and he won that fight and looked great. He doesn’t officially have that to his title, UFC champion.

“But I think a lot of people feel that way with Dustin. I think a high percentage of the experts and the other athletes, he’s the guy. He was the No. 1 guy going into that, he was the No. 1 contender. Conor was the former two-division champion, definitely a fighter worthy of that fight. Biggest draw in the sport ever. That really should have been a title fight.”

Hopefully the UFC will announce their plans for the lightweight belt sometime in the coming weeks, and lend a little extra clarity for the elite talent at 155 looking for their chance to grab a the most coveted piece of hardware in mixed martial arts. Until then, Poirier will have to be content with his self-proclaimed title.

Huntington Beach City Council proposes vote of ‘no confidence’ to strip Tito Ortiz of Pro Tem Mayor status

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA News

It’s been an eventful couple months for Tito Ortiz in his role on the Huntington Beach City Council. The former UFC-Champion and unabashed Donald Trump supporter has clashed repeatedly with council members over his refusal to wear a mask during civic functions. And was even caught on tape in a parking lot dust-up with a local constituent over federal policing policy.

Now, just a week shy of three months after winning a seat on the council (and just about a month and a half since taking office), several members are moving to push a vote of “no confidence” in the old school MMA icon. It does not appear that that vote would remove him from the council altogether, but it would strip him of the Mayor Pro Tem role that he was unanimously selected for, due to a 1991 resolution that bans former Huntington Beach mayors from serving in the Pro Tem Mayor position for four years after their time in office (Ortiz was also selected based on the fact that he got more votes than the two other new incoming council members).

News of Ortiz’s potential removal from the office hit Twitter on Wednesday, January 27th.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Ortiz has failed to perform at a level expected for this position and has demonstrated little commitment to serving in the role with honor and dignity,” the statement reads. “His unprofessional demeanor and poor judgement have raised concerns among residents, local business owners, and his fellow council members. The Huntington Beach community expects local elected officials to take their governing responsibilities seriously and we whole heartedly agree.”

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Ortiz made headlines earlier this month when he was barred from attending a City Council event in person after the Huntington Beach Library, where the meeting was being held, refused to let him in without a mask. Ortiz posted a reaction to the situation to social media.

“Welp, we have our first workshop here for Huntington Beach City Council and we’re doing it at Huntington Beach Library,” Ortiz said. “I go in for the meeting and [Mayor] Kim Carr says you can’t come in without a mask. Now I’ve gotta do it from Zoom. Great way to start the New Year off. Embarrassing.”

It looks like we’ll know as of Monday, February 1st, whether or not the council will vote to clip the wings on Ortiz’s fledgling political career, or let his first tastes of political responsibility continue on, unabated.

The MMA Depressed-us: Ricardo Mayorga MMA retrospective

Posted on by Zane Simon in Boxing, Front Page, MMA Podcasts

A UFC off week means that the MMA Depressed-us is once again back in business. After our last debacle, trying to plumb the depths of 2020 in the UFC, we’ve decided to take on some slightly different fare than our usual Fight Pass driven show. This time around, we decided to take a look at one of the best boxers to ever try his hands in the cage, none other than WBA, WBC, & Ring welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga.

Following a series of losses to more notable boxing talents across the aughts, Mayorga decided to try his hand at mixed martial arts. The experiment lasted all of one year, resulting in a no contest and three straight losses. And we’re watching them all. Starting out with Mayorga vs. Wesley Tiffer at Omega MMA: Battle of the Americas, then jumping over to his bout against Rene ‘Level’ Martinez at WSOF 1: Central America. And wrapping the whole thing up with his first, and second bouts against Sergio ‘Checho’ Ortiz.

As always you can follow along by starting the videos in time with our countdown (we skipped ahead 15 minutes for Mayorga vs. Martinez). We didn’t bother doing any timing to sync up round 1 this time. If you’ve got another source for Ricardo Mayorga fights that isn’t the videos above, more power to you.

Be sure to follow Zane on twitter @TheZaneSimon, follow Connor, @BoxingBusch, follow Phil @EvilGregJackson, and follow @BloodyElbow for all the latest in MMA happenings. If you enjoyed our show, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, or give us a “like”, share & subscribe over on one of our other BE Presents Channels: SoundCloud, YouTube, iTunes & Apple TV, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, TuneIn, OverCast, or Player FM – whichever one happens to be your listening platform of choice. While you’re there, don’t forget to subscribe to Bloody Elbow Presents; that way you’ll always be the first to get all of BE’s daily MMA offerings. For previous episodes of the show, check out our playlists on all of our BE Presents channels.

Dustin Poirier and the UFC’s Michael Chandler problem

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC Editorial

“That doesn’t really interest me at this point,” Dustin Poirier told reporters following his victory at UFC 257, after being asked about a potential title fight against Michael Chandler. “I’m going to sell hot sauce if that’s the case.”

From a fighter such a strong reputation as one of the UFC’s tried and tested ‘good guys’ – a fight-everyone-and-anyone kind of action talent – those words felt like a shock. Dustin Poirier would rather retire than fight Michael Chandler? It’s a hell of a stance to take against what seems like a fight that could be in a lot of people’s interests to see happen.

Michael Chandler has provided the UFC with a rare opportunity, and if history is any indication, that opportunity is only going to get more tenuous down the line.

The world’s largest mixed martial arts organization has, over the years, become something of an insulated system. No matter how good a fighter is, no matter how storied a career an athlete has had outside the promotion, just about everyone enters with dues to pay. That kind of rigid structure lends the whole thing a certain sense of fairness (although other internal factors can detract from that), but it also caries a lot of risk.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

For every fighter like Justin Gaethje – who got tripped up by Eddie Alvarez and Dustin Poirier soon after his debut, but battled his way back into title contention a couple years later – there’s a Ben Askren or a Jacare Souza or a Gegard Mousasi; fighters who clearly had everything it took to be title contenders upon their entry to the UFC, but found themselves instead treading water at the top of the division—taking losses until that UFC title shot seemed thoroughly out of reach.

This isn’t to suggest that Chandler will, by default, be gone from title contention if he has to wait a year or two to get there. He’s got a brash, bold personality, he knows how to cut a promo, and he’s clearly a powerhouse athlete who can compete both standing and on the mat. But, he’s also an aggressive risk taking fighter, not averse to putting himself in harm’s way to create the kind of highlights that fans love to see. The upside is 13 first round finishes. The downside is that, at 34-years-old and with a couple KO losses already, his stock might never be higher than it is right now.

Chandler has achieved a rare thing in the MMA world of 2021. He’s captured even some small amount of notoriety and hype entirely outside of that UFC ecosystem. He was, for years, the de-facto face of Bellator, a walking, talking, Dave & Buster’s themed, marketing campaign for the Viacom-owned promotion’s elite class. That kind of status tends to create its own spark of interest. Just how well can Michael Chandler perform against the UFC elite? The kind of hype that the UFC were quick to jump on with Gilbert Melendez on the tail of his Strikeforce career, but have struggled to pull that same trigger with nearly everyone else.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

For Poirier, he’s trying to sell his lack of interest as a fairness angle. He had to pay his dues, so Chandler does too. But, his “hot sauce” statement came with a call-out of Nate Diaz that offers a much more honest perspective of what he’s aiming for. For good reason, it’s all about the money. Chandler may or may not be at the height of his drawing power right now, but that doesn’t make him the biggest fight Poirier can get.

A trilogy with Conor McGregor would unquestionably bank more for the Lafayette native. And a fight with Nate Diaz (or maybe even Jorge Masvidal) has unquestioned curb appeal, given Diaz’s long running and seemingly untiring fanbase as an elite B-side PPV draw. Poirier may still only be 32 years old, but he’s put some serious city miles on that body and deserves to make some bank as he hits the third act of his career.

I get it. The ‘Diamond’ has to look out for himself here. Lord knows no one else in this sport will. But, that includes me, and – I’d argue – it should probably include the UFC.

There’s other money to be made with McGregor than throwing him right back at the man who just knocked him cold. And another big loss for the Irishman could truly cause long-term damage to his stock as the UFC’s only current and active surefire PPV star. Running straight back into the rubber match feels like truly a high-risk/high-reward situation.

A fight with Chandler would offer Poirier his own chance to become the A-side draw in what should be a fascinating matchup. An opportunity to capitalize on a rare moment of momentum that certainly might come around again, but absolutely is not guaranteed.

Strike while the iron is hot, make hay while the sun shines, get after it while the getting is good. Book Michael Chandler in the Octagon with Dustin Poirier with a belt on the line, see what Chandler can do straight away, before the brutal lightweight division has a chance to undercut his opportunities for success.

Conor McGregor will still be MMA’s biggest star

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC Editorial

There’s no doubt that Conor McGregor’s stock took a serious hit on Saturday night at UFC 257. The ‘Notorious’ Irishman has molded himself into one of combat sports’ biggest superstars (if not the biggest). And, in part, that sale-ability has been built around an aura of strength.

It’s not like fans have never seen McGregor lose before. They’ve even seen him catch the wrong end of a pure standup battle, in his lone foray into boxing. However, despite those losses, a mystique – perhaps buoyed by inactivity – always remained.

In the minds of his legion of fans, nobody – in MMA at least – could stand and trade with McGregor without getting seriously hurt. Even Nate Diaz, in his win over McGregor, exited that first round bloody and busted up. The former double-champ was never actually unbreakable, or even unbeatable, but the confidence he projected made him seem that way. And a fanbase that largely only ever showed up to watch him fight tended to be easily swayed by spin.

That’s going to be a much tougher sell now. Moreso than any opponent before, even including Khabib Nurmagomedov in his largely dominating performance over the SBG Ireland talent, Dustin Poirier put the Conor McGregor show on ice. That last image of McGregor, bloodied and barely conscious – lying on the mat as though waking from some miserable nightmare – is going to have a lasting impact. Especially coming at the hands of someone he handled so easily years ago.

Dana White’s 2021 dream fight just went up in smoke.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

And the immediate implications are already obvious. McGregor has suggested that his loss just cost him a boxing match with Manny Pacquiao that was “as good as done” before UFC 257. While Dana White, who had been banging the drum for Khabib vs. McGregor 2 for years, was clearly hoping that a McGregor win would catapult that fight into reality. Instead, it seems more likely than ever that White will be announcing Khabib’s official retirement shortly.

If boxing and MMA history has taught us anything, however, it’s that losing – even badly – is rarely the death sentence it feels like in the moment. Even with the damage done, today Conor McGregor likely outsells every other fighter in MMA (with the possible exception of a now-retired Nurmagomedov). And, assuming this doesn’t start a landslide of disastrously bad fight results for the Dublin native, a few months and a win will likely right the ship and put him back to something approaching peak drawing power.

Not that examples of this aren’t easy to find, but a 40-year-old Manny Pacquiao still proved to be boxing’s best draw of 2019—with back-to-back PPVs clocking in at 400,000 & 500,000 buys. His record setting fight against Floyd Mayweather came just three years (and only three fights) after getting knocked out cold by Juan Manuel Marquez. Even Oscar De La Hoya’s late career boxing match against Ricardo Mayorga reportedly pulled in somewhere near a million buys.

Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather 2 in 2035.
Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Triller

Unfathomably, Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. combined their efforts to draw in 1.6 million PPV buys in 2020. And that’s for a boxing match between totally washed 50-year-olds that was sold, upfront, as merely a hard sparring session. For most athletes in the fight game, once they grab a hold of superstardom their chance to cash in on fan interest never really fades.

All that said, it is a notably more difficult ticket to ride in mixed martial arts. With promotions setting the matchmaking, and fighters largely out of the drivers seat as to who they fight and when, MMA has a tendency to grind its former big draws out of the public interest.

Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz were once both easily bankable marquee names inside the cage. In 2018, their long awaited grudge match brought in somewhere in the neighborhood of just 40,000 customers on PPV. By the time Anderson Silva’s UFC career came to a close, he was working a co-main event slot to Rose Namajunas & Jessica Andrade—who brought in just 110,000 buys for their efforts. Even fighting Israel Adesanya as the headliner of UFC 234 didn’t crack 200k.

The comeback that nobody was asking for.
Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images

But, for Silva, Ortiz, and Liddell, those numbers were the results of long and unmistakable slides, and little in the way of decided course correction. Losses in batches. Not just a bad day at the office here and there, but years long periods where they didn’t just get beat, they got beat badly. Ortiz may have turned his luck around heading into his Liddell bout, but it turns out a Bellator run doesn’t grab fans they way he and Golden Boy Promotions might have hoped.

And after all, this still feels very much like a world where Brock Lesnar could step back into the Octagon and have fans salivating to wonder how he’d stack up against Stipe Miocic or Jon Jones.

Given his financial stability, seemingly largely built off a booming liquor business, McGregor seems unlikely to find himself forced into the same matchmaking grinder that’s chewed up other notables. Whether it’s 4 months from now, or a year, or even three, when he returns it will likely be against an opponent made to do one of two things: sell big, or get him a highlight reel win.

Losing to Dustin Poirier undoubtedly hurt, but memories are short and options are plentiful for the superstars of combat sports who know how to play the game of hype and marketing. Something McGregor has always done better than anyone else in MMA.

UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 – Fights to make

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC Editorial, UFC Results

UFC 249 was set up to be the UFC’s first major event of 2021 and it delivered on all fronts. Dustin Poirier made his bid to become one of the UFC’s new PPV stars with a stunning round 2 TKO of Conor McGregor. Michael Chandler announced himself as a thrilling new contender with a first round pasting of Dan Hooker. And Marina Rodriguez reasserted her status as a top prospect in the women’s strawweight division.

So, is Poirier really dead set against facing Chandler? Will ‘Iron’ Mike have to fight another top 5 lightweight to get his shot at UFC gold? And did Joanne Calderwood just put herself back in the conversation at 125 lbs?

To answer those questions – and a whole lot more – I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking methodology from the UFC of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. Hopefully, by following that model, a few of these bout ideas will actually make it off the page and into the Octagon. Now, let’s get to the fights.

DUSTIN POIRIER

Poirier wrapped up his huge night of successes by laying down the groundwork for an interesting problem going forward for the UFC. Namely he made it clear that whatever he was going to do next, fighting Michael Chandler was out of the question. He even suggested that Chandler & Oliveira compete for top contender status. Poirier went on to make his own callouts, to either run things back with McGregor or maybe take a fight with Nate Diaz—who hasn’t competed in more than a year, and was last seen getting roughed up by Jorge Masvidal.

I get that he’s shooting for big money fights. But, after signing a new eight fight deal with the UFC, it doesn’t sound like he’s planning on wrapping up his career any time soon, so I’m not entirely sure what the rush is right now. Given that Chandler isn’t exactly immune to taking a definitive loss here and there, having him wade through the lightweight elite seems more likely to use up what excitement fans have for his contender status than it is to enhance it. If Poirier absolutely won’t face Chandler, then Oliveira or a McGregor rematch seem the obvious other moves. But, I’d much rather see the UFC strike while the iron is hot and have Chandler vs. Poirier for the lightweight title.

CONOR MCGREGOR

What makes the most sense for McGregor right now depends so much on what he actually wants to do. He’s always got the money to sit and wait for whatever matchup he thinks is best. But, as he himself made a point of saying after getting thumped by Poirier on Saturday, all the time off he’s been taking hasn’t exactly done him any favors. Whether or not inactivity was actually to blame, if Conor views it as the reason for this loss, he’s probably going to be looking to fight again sooner rather than later. And the ideal opponent seems as though it would be Nate Diaz. But, banking on Diaz for a future fight booking is nobody’s idea of a sure thing. That could mean fights with Rafael Dos Anjos, Tony Ferguson, or Paul Felder instead. End of the day, Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 3 seems like the clear fight to shoot for—but if Diaz isn’t interested in the trilogy, then McGregor vs. Felder seems like it could be a whole lot of fun.

MICHAEL CHANDLER

A huge win for Michael Chandler, who more or less put Hooker away with the first clean shot he landed upstairs. That’s a massive statement from him, especially considering that Hooker has never been TKO’d like that before. A real showing of poise and power on the biggest stage of his career. That sets the table for Chandler to be in the immediate title conversation. Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje both have their own seats at that table too, but Gaethje is coming off a loss. And if the UFC’s attempt to book him against Oliveira says anything, it’s that they don’t see Oliveira as their contender of the moment. With Dustin Poirier picking up the huge win in the main event, it feels like the title fight should be set. Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier for the vacant lightweight title. Get it done.

DAN HOOKER

Hooker reportedly left his gloves in the cage after this fight, but I doubt he’s about to walk away. He’s still in what should be his physical prime, and still among the elite at lightweight. He definitely got clubbed by Chandler here, but it’d be pretty shocking if this were the last time fans saw him in the Octagon. If Hooker is set to return sometime in the not too distant future, there are a couple fights out there waiting for him. Tony Ferguson would be a choice one, as would Kevin Lee, or maybe a Paul Felder rematch. Still the idea of the Ferguson fight is pretty obviously the best option of everything that could be on the table. Ferguson vs. Hooker to see if either man can turn the tables and get their name back into the title hunt.

JOANNE CALDERWOOD

Calderwood and Eye have both tended to go to a lot of close decisions. But, even as they saw the judges again here, Calderwood made sure there was no doubt who the winner was. She piled on the volume against Eye through a bevy of clinch knees and body kicks from distance. That puts Calderwood right back in the title hunt. But she didn’t sound too keyed up to face Shevchenko next, telling Jon Anik that she’d happily fight 10 more people on the way to the belt if that’s what the UFC wants. With Jessica Andrade likely lined up for Shevchenko in the immediate future, there’s no reason not to make another top tier scrap for Calderwood. As long as she’s willing to fight anyone, then Lauren Murphy is looking for a way to get to the belt. For both women it’s a chance to beef up their contender resume and get a little more momentum going on their way to a shot at UFC gold. That’s exactly what the UFC needs in that division. Murphy vs. Calderwood seems like a rock solid top contender’s bout.

MARINA RODRIGUEZ

A crushing win from Rodriguez. Ribas made her pay for her lax takedown defense early in the fight, but every round starts on the feet—and Ribas spent entirely too much time at range trying to get her own offense going in round 2. She paid for it with several huge Rodriguez right hands that put the fight away. A big win for Rodriguez who has taken just about the hardest possible path up the women’s strawweight division. Afterword she called for a fight with someone in the top 5. I’d love to see her take on Joanna Jedrzejczyk at some point, but it’s probably not the kind of highlight fight the former champ is looking for. Michelle Waterson would be a great option too, but she’s nursing an injury. So how about a fight with Claudia Gadleha. Gadelha may be coming off a loss, but she’s got the kind of dominating top game that Rodriguez still strugles with, plus plenty of striking power. A good test to see if Rodriguez can keep her momentum going to the belt against a former title contender. Rodriguez vs. Gadelha would be a top quality scrap.

ARMAN TSARUKYAN

The Russo-Armenian didn’t exactly put on the most electrifying performance of his career against Matt Frevola, but he once again showed just how hard he is to throw off his dominating wrestling game and clean range striking. The only thing to do next with the 24-year-old team Lion Heart product is to keep putting him in against more and more dangerous competition. Lightweight is full of tough outs who could test his ability to stay technical and in control. Guys like Joel Alvarez, Magomed Mustafaev, or Brad Riddell would all be strong opportunities. But what about a fight against Rafael Fiziev? Fiziev’s striking has looked absolutely dominant lately. And he’s also showed off some great takedown defense. Does Tsarukyan have what it takes to crack his wrestling game? Or would he get lit up standing with the Kazak-born Kyrgyzstani? Tsarukyan vs. Fiziev would be a fascinating clash of styles and give the winner a big boost of momentum in the lightweight division.

BRAD TAVARES

A badly needed win for the Hawaiian who has been a prospect on the rise for a decade now. While he hasn’t yet turned the corner into a title contender, Tavares did show off just why he’s managed to stick around for so long. Namely that he’s one of the more difficult to crack defensive fighters at 185 lbs. He shucked 10 of 11 takedown attempts from Antonio Carlos Jr. And the one that landed barely mattered. Off a victory like that, Tavares at least deserves to keep cracking with the top 15 at middleweight. While I might argue for a fight with Marvin Vettori off his recent big win, it feels a bit more like Omari Akhmedov is a bit better test of just where Tavares is at. Another hard punching consistent fighter who often depends on takedowns to make the difference on the cards. Can Akhmedov get Tavares down, or will this be another fight where Tavares’ defense turns the tide for him. Tavares vs. Akhmedov is a good chance for one man to climb out of the top 15 gatekeeper position.

JULIANNA PENA

Following Pena’s nice third round comeback against McMann, she made a big callout for a bout with the women’s bantamweight & featherweight champion Amanda Nunes. It’s worth a shot. After all, it’s not like 135 is replete with challengers for the title. But it doesn’t feel like the kind of win likely to vault her straight into contention. Whether it’s Raquel Pennington, Holly Holm, Irene Aldana, or Aspen Ladd, Pena probably needs at least one top 5 win to get the title shot she wants. Ladd is injured, and Aldana is coming off a loss. That leaves Pennington and Holm. Between those two, Holm feels like the bigger fight, so why not shoot for it. Julianna Pena vs. Holly Holm; see if Pena can finally capitalize on her prospect status to become a title contender.

MOVSAR EVLOEV

Evloev is carving out his niche as a clear problem in the featherweight division. A young, hungry prospect with a high-energy game that can compete with opponents in all phases. He’ll chain wrestle, flow with his grappling, and throw punches in bunches to wear opponents down with pace and pestering damage. He’s 14-0 in MMA and 4-0 in the UFC, it’s time to start throwing him in with some of the other prospects who have been making noise at 145. Fighters like Sodiq Yusuff, Gavin Tucker, Giga Chikadze, or Bryce Mitchell. Wait… Bryce Mitchell needs a fight? Movsar Evloev vs. Bryce Mitchell would be a non-stop thriller. A true test of Evloev’s grappling game. And, if he can hang with Mitchell on the mat, a huge test of the Arkansas native’s ability to keep pace with a high output striker into the third round. Evloev vs. Mitchell would be a top shelf prospect war.

OTHER BOUTS: Jessica Eye vs. Jennifer Maia, Makhmud Muradov vs. Karl Roberson, Andrew Sanchez vs. Brendan Allen, Amanda Ribas vs. Angela Hill, Matt Frevola vs. Joaquim Silva, Antonio Carlos Jr. vs. Jacare Souza, Sara McMann vs. Sijara Eubanks, Marchin Prachnio vs. Da Un Jung, Khalil Rountree vs. Ovince St. Preux, Amir Albazi vs. David Dvorak, Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Cody Durden

‘I’m just sayin’ – Dana White caught on tape badgering Khabib with McGregor rematch

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News

“He and I are going to sit down next month. We’re going to find out how persuasive I can be,” those were the words from Dana White to TMZ back in early December.

“I’ll bet on me every time,” he added, speaking to his confidence of bringing Khabib around on his abrupt retirement plans that appear to have left the promotion entirely blindsided.

A little more than a month later and it doesn’t appear that bet will cash.

“There are two fights coming up, and if these guys can do something special, Khabib will fight them,” the UFC president told fans during the UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Kattar broadcast. If that statement rang hollow, though, recent footage from the latest Looking for a Fight taping gives a little more insight into White’s negotiation tactics.

“This fight with Poirier is trending bigger than the fight with you and Conor on PPV,” White told Nurmagomedov while the two men were seated cageside for a regional event. “Imagine what you and Conor would do in another fucking fight. Just sayin. I’m just sayin!”

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UFC 257 goes down this Saturday, January 23rd in Abu Dhabi. The headliner will feature Dustin Poirier’s long-awaited rematch with Conor McGregor. A bout between former Bellator champ and UFC newcomer Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker is set for the co-main event. Khabib Nurmagomedov will reportedly not be in attendance.

‘Dana said that,’ not Khabib – Conor McGregor dismisses Nurmagomedov, suggests belt should be ‘stripped’

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News

Is Khabib Nurmagomedov really waiting in the wings to see what happens in the main & co-main events of this Saturday’s UFC PPV in Abu Dhabi? That’s the yarn Dana White is looking to spin, but it doesn’t seem many people are buying it.

In a recent interview with Russian media site Sport24, the ‘Eagle’ even seemingly reiterated his intentions not to make a comeback, telling the outlet “I don’t even have plans for UFC in the near future.”

But, if that’s the case, then it doesn’t seem to bother Conor McGregor at all. Even if he still feels strongly that a rematch with the AKA talent needs to happen.

“I don’t really care,” McGregor told fans and media during fight week when asked about Khabib’s supposed message to Dana White (transcript via MMA Fighting). “He did not say that, Dana said that. Let’s just get through the fight. All these men are up here, there’s plenty of challenges. It’s a tough business. Things have gone on in his personal life, I don’t wish him any harm. Like I said, it was in 2018, a lot of time has passed.

“The world knows this fight is not over. The war is not over. The sport needs it to happen. The people need it to happen. I’m not going to chase it if he doesn’t want it. That’s it. I’ll keep my calm and move on. That’s what I’m doing. I’m back here at the 155-pound division. I’ll show the world what’s what over time and that’s it. It begins on Saturday night against Dustin Poirier.”

As long as Khabib isn’t interested in fighting, however, McGregor did seem to have one recommendation at the ready. It’s time to strip the champ of his title belt, and get the division moving. A slightly surprising stance coming from the man who went more than a year without defending his lightweight title before the UFC stripped him of the belt.

“I would make the case if that man is continuing to dodge this and dodge the commitment of competing again, the title should be stripped and we should be engaging in a title fight,” McGregor said. “But I’m sure it will happen after this bout.”

UFC 257 goes down this Saturday, January 23rd, live on PPV. Conor McGregor’s rematch of Dustin Poirier is expected to headline the event. With a lightweight bout between Dan Hooker and promotional newcomer Michael Chandler set for the co-main. Khabib is not expected to be in attendance.

The MMA Vivisection – UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 picks, odds, & analysis

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA Podcasts, UFC Gambling

It’s not, perhaps the most electric main card that the UFC has ever put together for a PPV, but it is a fantastic event from top to bottom. Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2 feels like a big chance for both men to prove where they are atop the lightweight division. Dan Hooker seems like a distinct challenge for Octagon newcomer Mike Chandler. And Matt Frevola vs. Ottman Azaitar should be an absolute banger.

For fans looking to dive into the UFC 257 undercard, headed up by a fantastic bout between Arman Tsarukyan and Nasrat Haqparast, check out the Prelims Vivi below.

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Here’s a look at how the UFC 257 fight card stacks up right now:

PPV Main Card | 10pm/7pm ET&PT
Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor – At 2:18, Odds 28:32, Picks, Both: McGregor
Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler – At 29:59, Odds 42:13, Picks, Both: Hooker
Jessica Eye vs. Joanne Calderwood – At 42:28, Odds 47:18, Picks, Both: Calderwood
Ottman Azaitar vs. Matt Frevola – At 47:47, Odds 54:52, Picks, Zane: Frevola / Connor: Azaitar
Marina Rodriguez vs. Amanda Ribas – At 55:10, Odds 1:01:17, Picks, Both: Ribas

ESPN Prelims | 8pm/5pm ET&PT
Nasrat Haqparast vs. Arman Tsarukyan – At 1:21, Odds 15:57, Picks, Both: Haqparast
Brad Tavares vs. Antonio Carlos Jr. – At 18:01, Odds 28:28, Picks, Both: Tavares
Julianna Pena vs. Sara McMann – At 28:40, Odds 39:18, Picks, Zane: McMann / Connor: Pena
Khalil Rountree vs. Marcin Prachnio – At 39:57, Odds 42:12, Picks, Both: Rountree

ESPN+ Prelims | 6:30pm/3:30pm ET&PT
Andrew Sanchez vs. Makhmud Muradov – At 42:52, Odds 46:01, Picks, Both: Muradov
Movsar Evloev vs. Nik Lentz – At 47:44, Odds 51:43, Picks, Both: Evloev
Amir Albazi vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov – At 52:01, Odds 58:14, Picks, Both: Albazi

For those of you following the picks made on the show, we started tracking them with the July 13th, 2020 Vivisections for ‘Kattar vs. Ige’… Standings for our last event, UFC Fight Island 8: Zane went 10 out of the 14 bouts picked & Connor went 9 out of those 14. So far, here are the overall standings: Zane – 181/272 & Connor – 171/272.

Be sure to follow Zane on twitter @TheZaneSimon, follow Connor, @BoxingBusch, and follow @BloodyElbow for all the latest in MMA happenings. If you enjoy our shows, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, or give us a “like”, share & subscribe over on whichever BE Presents Podcast Channel happens to be your listening platform of choice: SoundCloud, YouTube, iTunes & Apple TV, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Play, TuneIn, OverCast, or Player FM, & NOW AMAZON MUSIC! – While you’re there, don’t forget to subscribe to Bloody Elbow Presents; that way you’ll always be the first to get all of BE’s daily MMA offerings. For previous episodes of the show, check out our playlists on all of our BE Presents channels.