Category: Front Page

The MMA Depressed-us 75: Drew McFedries Career Retrospective

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

Another non-UFC week in the books means another week with the MMA Depressed-us back in action. The advent of our sudden sub-stack plans may have killed my Patreon idea (it just didn’t feel right), but we did have a few more viewer requests to work with, and one especially struck a chord, watching the UFC career of Drew McFedries.

For those that don’t remember, McFedries was a Miletich Fighting Systems protegé from the team’s glory days in the early 2000s. He may never have risen to the heights of Lawler, Sylvia, Hughes, or Miletich himself, but his 3 year UFC career was a non-stop highlight reel of finishes, whether McFedries was winning or losing.

The MMA Depressed-us is a listener-supported broadcast. To receive new episodes and support our team’s work, consider becoming a paid subscriber at the Bloody Elbow Podcast Substack.

For this week’s MMA Depressed-us we’re watching six fights, in chronological order: McFedries vs. Alessio Sakara, McFedries vs. Martin Kampmann, McFedries vs. Mike Massenzio, McFedries vs. Thales Leites, McFedries vs. Thomasz Drawl, and McFedries vs. Gary Tapusoa (the rare 3-round McFedries fight…that he actually won!).

As is usually the case with the MMA Depressed-us, we’re watching all bouts on UFC Fight Pass. For those that wish to watch along with us, start each video at the beginning when Zane says “go.” If you’re watching these videos on another platform, Connor will try to announce the start of round 1 so you can sync from there.

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‘We need the FBI’ – Gilbert Burns wants UFC San Antonio judge investigated for fight fixing

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA News, UFC News, UFC San Antonio: Vera vs. Sandhagen

By the conclusion of the fifth round of the main event of UFC San Antonio last Saturday night, one thing was clear: Cory Sandhagen had defeated Marlon Vera. The Elevation Fight Team talent had out-struck, out-wrestled, and out-grappled his foe for the majority of five rounds on his way to what must surly be a unanimous decision victory.

Then the scorecards were read.

Sandhagen still got his hand raised in the end—the only thing that really matters—but local judge Joel Ojeda turned in a mind-bending 48-47 Marlon Vera card to make it a split decision in a fight where the vast majority of fans and media had the fight sitting at a clear 50-45 or 49-46 for the victor. MMA is no stranger to wild decisions. In a sport with only a few rounds and a somewhat antiquated 10-point must-system refitted from boxing, small discrepancies in judgement from round-to round can create major shifts in the end result. But, even by that standard, this felt like a wild aberration.

So much so that at least one longtime UFC veteran is calling for an investigation. Welterweight top contender Gilbert Burns sat down with TMZ in the days following the event. When asked about the controversial scoring, ‘Durinho’ had a strong solution: Call in the FBI.

“I think this judge needs to be investigated,” Burns said of Ojeda (transcript via MMA Mania). “We need the FBI on this judge. Because those judges may be working with the betting company, getting a third person to bet. I just think it’s not real, I think those guys are being dirty and maybe try to get money out of this. Chito’s my guy and I want him to win, but there’s no way he won that fight. It’s clear to anyone. What’s wrong with that judge? It’s not the first time. What bothers me is that it doesn’t stop. We have to do something or I dunno, nothing changes.”

While commissions will regularly debrief officials after events and sometimes go over controversial scorecards or officiating decisions, those kinds of conversations are rarely ever made public. Commissions have also generally proven disinterested in taking on disputes over things like adjudication—perhaps unsurprising considering the number of fighters every week who might feel hard done by any number of decisions.

However, that leaves athletes, coaches, and managers in the unfortunate place of feeling practically powerless when it comes to filing any kind of official complaint. Ojeda’s scorecard was definitely bad, and seems like it would be hard to defend, but it also seems very unlikely that he’ll ever have to do so in any kind of public forum—even if Burns does get the FBI on the horn.

Got a humiliation fetish? Just $1000 will get your name in the UFC Octagon

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA News, UFC News

There’s nothing in the rule book that says the world’s largest mixed martial arts organization can’t run shop like a high school gymnasium in need of a new hardwood floor. Despite seemingly ever-increasing massive amounts of annual revenue, the UFC is always on the lookout for new ways to disentangle its fanbase from their finances.

Sure, things like VIP experiences, autograph signings, meet & greets, or even fight-worn paraphernalia, might offer diehards a chance to enhance their enjoyment of MMA through actual physical objects and experiences. But, what about the fan that wants spend a whole lot of money and get almost nothing in return?

Say no more, we got you.

In a post to their social media sites, the UFC announced that for the small price of a mere $1000, fans can see their name “hand painted” onto the Octagon.

By the look of things, names will be printed on the black band separating the center of the Octagon from the perimeter. Whether that will be big enough to actually make them discernible on camera during the event is anyone’s guess.

It’s a one-event-only offer (for the moment), for the upcoming UFC 288 fight card. After the PPV is concluded, the UFC will mail you proof of your humiliating excess, in the form of a plaque with a photo, and that section of canvas that has your name on it. I suppose if fans are really lucky, maybe one of their favorite fighters will spit on it, or rub their feet over it too.

Then again, maybe this is the best chance for Bloody Elbow to get a shoutout at a UFC event since the glory days of ‘Killa B’ Ben Saunders. I’ll go dig into my couch cushions.

Two fights cancelled hours before UFC San Antonio: Sandhagen vs. Vera

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC News, UFC San Antonio: Vera vs. Sandhagen

If the COVID pandemic cemented one long-term change for the UFC it’s the expectation that, come the week of a card, fights are going to get cancelled. The world’s largest MMA promotion went from putting together 12-13 bouts per-event on the regular to going for 13-15 every week, just hoping that they still had at least 10 bookings by the time Bruce Buffer stepped into the Octagon.

That kind of forward thinking has paid off once again this week in San Antonio, where the UFC hit Texas on Monday with 13 bouts, and will see just 22 fighters make it to the cage on Saturday (provided, of course, that we don’t see any more late cancellations). This news comes via promotion officials who notified the media that a lightweight bout between Manuel Torres and Trey Ogden had been pulled from the event due to “medical issues” in the Torres camp.

Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes reports that the fighter was hospitalized after suffering from severe stomach pain during his weight cut.

The latest cancellation arrives on the heels of reports that Tamires Vidal had been forced from her fight against Hailey Cowan as well, in the prelim opener—under the similarly nebulous cause of “undisclosed medical issues.”

As a result of these scratches, the UFC has pushed their start time for the Sandhagen vs. Vera Fight Night event back 30 minutes. Prelims will now begin at 4:30 pm Eastern/1:30 pm Pacific on ESPN & ESPN+. A flyweight booking between Victor Altamirano and Vinicius Salvador will now serve as the card’s opening fight.

The MMA Vivisection – UFC San Antonio: Vera vs. Sandhagen picks, odds, & analysis

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA Podcasts, UFC Gambling, UFC San Antonio: Vera vs. Sandhagen

The UFC is back in Texas this week with a Fight Night card that’s really thriving on it’s main event. Cory Sandhagen vs. Marlon Vera should be an absolute thriller. The rest of the card may not have so much sparkle, but Nate Landwehr vs. Austin Lingo will be fun and Andrea Lee vs. Maycee Barber is a solid flyweight scrap. Should make for some fun finishes if nothing else.

For those looking to dive deeper into a card that feels as though it’s all just undercard, check out the Prelims Vivi below.

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For our paying subscribers on Substack, we have a special treat for you today! With our inaugural MMA Vivi Substack Podcasts you get some EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT right away – stay tuned after the bout analysis & odds for each card… for THE REST OF THE SHOW (accessible only to paid subscribers), featuring a guest appearance from our fearless leader, ‘Kid’ Nate ‘Paywall’ Wilcox! You also earn the ability to comment on the shows over on Substack, and gain access to our entire archive (which is only free for two weeks from the date of publication for our free subscribers). Now we also have individual sections on the Podcast Substack for each of our podcasts, this means you can subscribe to receive emails for specific show sections, and not others! In the future, we may put special content in the section posts, so keep reading the Substack while you catch our shows.

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Your Official & Honorary MMA Vivisection Fight Analysts

June M. Williams | Anton Tabuena

The MMA Vivisection is brought to you by ‘The Fine Art of Violence’, a collection of art and essays recapping the year in MMA by Chris Rini, featuring the most talented artists and writers in Mixed Martial Arts. The book is available in both hard copy and digital formats at chrisrini.com.

Here’s a look at the UFC San Antonio fight card, as it stood at the time of recording:

ESPN/ESPN+ MAIN CARD | SAT. MAR. 25 — 7/4PM ETPT

Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen — Picks, Both: Sandhagen | At 05:00, Odds 19:11
Holly Holm vs. Yana Santos — Picks, Both: Holm | At 20:05, Odds 27:45
Nate Landwehr vs. Austin Lingo — Picks, Both: Landwehr | At 28:55, Odds 35:19
Andrea Lee vs. Maycee Barber — Picks, Both: Barber | At 36:23, Odds 46:35
Alex Perez vs. Manel Kape — Picks, Both: Kape | At 47:38, Odds 57:03
Chidi Njokuani vs. Albert Duraev — Picks, Both: Njokuani | At 59:50, Odds 1:08:14

ESPN/ESPN+ PRELIMS | 4/1PM ETPT

Daniel Pineda vs. Tucker Lutz — Picks, Both: Lutz | At 1:54, Odds 11:18
Steven Peterson vs. Lucas Alexander — Picks, Both: Peterson | At 13:36, Odds 22:27
Trevin Giles vs. Preston Parsons — Picks, Both: Parsons | At 23:00, Odds 36:19
CJ Vergara vs. Daniel da Silva — Picks, Both: Vergara | At 37:25, Odds 42:05
Manuel Torres vs. Trey Ogden — Picks, Both: Torres | At 42:55, Odds 47:07
Vinicius Salvador vs. Victor Altamirano — Picks, Both: Salvador | At 50:04, Odds 54:37
Tamires Vidal vs. Hailey Cowan — Picks, Zane: Vidal, Connor: Cowan | At 55:09, Odds 1:01:28For every event on your MMA calendar, be sure to check in over at DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK for all of your up-to-date odds, stats and betting whims.

For those of you following the picks made on the show, we started tracking them with the July 13th, 2020 Vivisection shows for UFC Fight Island 1: ‘Kattar vs. Ige’. So far, here are the overall standings:

For our last event, UFC 286: ‘Edwards vs. Usman 3’:

Zane picked 10/15 for 67% and Connor picked 9/15 for 60%

Overall stats from UFC Fight Island 1 in July, 2020, through UFC 286 in Mar., 2023:

Zane went 871/1357 for 64% and Connor went 830/1357 for 61%

2023 Stats:

Zane is 71/115 for 61.7% and Connor is 66/115 for 57.4%

2022 Stats:

Zane went 331/505 for 66% and Connor went 312/505 for 62%

2021 Stats:

Zane went 305/493 for 62% and Connor went 295/493 for 60%

July-Dec 2020 Stats:

Zane went 164/244 for 67% and Connor went 157/244 for 64%

Stats Reference Spreadsheets: Vivi Picks Stats_3.23.2023.pdf

If you enjoy our variety of shows, please give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, and give us a “like”, share & subscribe on your BE Podcast platform of choice: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, SoundCloud,TuneIn, OverCast, PocketCasts, Castro, Castbox, Player FM, imdb, ThisMMALife, Podcast Addict, Podvine, Podchaser, Podbay, Podtail, Owltail, Listennotes, Podcast Republic, MuckRack, Chartable, Podtoppen.se, & BE Podcast Substack…. & of course on The Vivi Patreon.

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For previous episodes, check out our archives on any of our BE Podcast platforms.

Check out the MMA Vivi Facebook Page, be sure to “Like”, Follow, Share — At: https://www.facebook.com/TheMMAVivi.

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Reserve your BE Username for the new Bloody Elbow before April 1, 2023. CLICK HERE for more details. (The SBNation/VOX version of Bloody Elbow you are reading right now will cease to exist as of March 31, 2023)

Loyal Vivi Follower ‘Call to Action’: We need a loyal Vivi listener to volunteer your time for us…

The task we need accomplished, is for someone to go to the Bloody Elbow Presents YouTube Channel Vivisection Playlist, scroll down to UFC 251 Main Card show & UFC 251 Prelims Show (from July, 2020) and listen to each show every few minutes before the odds were timestamped (timestamps are listed in the show descriptions); you will be carefully listening for the guys’ picks for each bout. Make a log of Zane’s picks, as well as Connor’s picks for each bout they discussed on the Main Card show AND the Prelims show, noting the name of the event as you go along.

Then do the same for all of the following events from the beginning of 2020:
UFC 251, UFC Vegas 4: Poirier vs Hooker, UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs Volkov, UFC Apex 1: Eye vs Calvillo, UFC 250, UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs Burns, UFC FN: Overeem vs. Harris, UFC FN: Smith vs Teixeira, UFC 249, UFC Brasilia (UFC on ESPN+ 28): Lee vs Oliveira, UFC 248, UFC Norfolk (aka UFC on ESPN+ 27): Benavidez vs Figueiredo, UFC Auckland (aka UFC on ESPN+ 26): Felder vs Hooker, UFC Rio Rancho (aka UFC on ESPN+ 25): Anderson vs Blachowicz 2, UFC 247, UFC Raleigh (aka UFC on ESPN+ 24): Blaydes vs Dos Santos, & UFC 246.
(These are the events in 2020 we did not track picks on, which makes our stats tracking incomplete for that year, and all years since then.)

Please send your completed log to our BE Production Manager: June M. Williams at orijunels@gmail.com and she will input your data into the ‘Vivi Stats Spreadsheets’ for us.

This project requires someone with integrity who will log the picks honestly and accurately, without bias towards either Zane or Connor. You will be credited by name for your hard work in the first post which contains the updated spreadsheet files.

If you are interested in volunteering for this project, please email June with any questions and let her know you are ready to undertake the task for us. Thanks for your consideration!

‘I don’t want your kids to grow up without a dad’ – Colby Covington threatens UFC’s Jon Anik

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA News, UFC News

Is it a gimmick? Is it real life? Do any of those questions even matter?

Colby Covington is one of MMA’s loudest personalities. It’s a trick he picked up, allegedly, after realizing that the quiet, respectable version of him was boring everyone to death and might someday cost him his spot on the UFC roster. That was 6+ years and several title shots ago.

His status with the world’s largest MMA promotion may have changed for the better since then, but the gimmick has only gotten worse. And with the announcement of another title shot in the making, it seems ‘Chaos’ has decided to ramp up the trash talk once again. This time, targeted at those critical of the 35-year-old’s seemingly unearned re-entry into no. 1 contender status.

A seemingly innocuous show of support from UFC commentator Jon Anik for one of the men very clearly in the hunt for a chance at welterweight gold. But apparently also exactly what Covington needed to go full pro-wrestling mode and threaten to kill the man while also claiming that Muhammad is a racist.

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“So, you wanted to lick my frickin’ balls in London, ‘Oh Colby! This, this, this!’” Covington said in a hilarious moment of self censorship during a recent interview on MMA Fighting. “But then you want to go back behind the stage and cheerlead for a racist! So he associates with racism and Belal Muhammad.

“And, you know, Jon Anik, dude, I don’t want your kids to grow up without a dad. Just realize you live in Boca, I live in Miami motherfucker. You’re not too far from me. So you better shut your fucking mouth. You poke the bear? Now you get the bear comes after you.”

Chances self professed ursine impersonator Covington actually takes a swing at Jon Anik ever? Almost certainly zero. In the meantime, however, he sounds more than happy to provoke and promote violent hostility towards Anik and Muhammad; pleased as punch to be someone’s inspiration, but completely unwilling to get his hands dirty on his own.

There’s currently no set date for Covington vs. Edwards. For his part, ‘Rocky’ has sounded just as skeptical of the MMA Masters fighter’s claim to a title shot as Anik. However Dana White has been bullish on the idea that the two men will face off sometime later this year.

Reserve your username for the new Bloody Elbow before April 1, 2023. Go here for more details (link).

About the author: Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. Host of the MMA Vivisection and 6th Round, he has covered MMA and the UFC since 2013.(full bio)

Phantom tap!? – Filho considering appeal of UFC loss, Mokaev claims ‘his foot was in my boxers’

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA News, UFC 286, UFC News

One of the strangest fights that took place at UFC 286 this past weekend came way down in the middle of the prelim card. There, flyweight uber-prospect Muhammad Mokaev took on relatively-unknown Brazilian up-and-comer Jafel Filho.

Despite the fact that there was little at stake for either man beyond their win bonus, the bout both carried and created several remarkable storylines. First and foremost, Mokaev apparently entered the fight with a badly injured shoulder, having foregone surgery in favor of PT so he could compete on the card. The injury drama got kicked up a notch in the third round, when Filho latched on to a deep kneebar and cranked the submission to the point that Mokaev’s knee was badly hyper-extended. Despite the clear pain and likely tearing of tendons, Mokaev rode out the danger to fight his way to Filho’s back and slap on a face crank that forced the former Shooto champion to give in before the final bell.

But did Mokaev actually submit long before Filho? Even well before the kneebar that saw him badly hobbled as he exited the Octagon with his hand raised?

Way back in the first round, where Mokaev spent much of his time on top in Filho’s guard the two men had a strange exchange. Despite being in a fairly neutral position, there appeared to be a moment where the Dagestani-born fighter gave Filho several quick taps on the back. Fans were quick to jump on it as a possible moment of controversy.

At the time, even Filho didn’t seem to react as thought the fight had ended. Mokaev kept wrestling in guard and Filho kept looking for opportunities to get his hips active. The ref didn’t see it, and no appeals were made. At least, not until now.

With the benefit of hindsight, it seems Filho wants the outcome reconsidered. In a statement to MMA Fighting, the 29-year-old said he actually felt Mokaev tap on three distinct occasions throughout the bout. Once in the aforementioned video, once when defending an earlier guillotine, and once when defending the now-famous kneebar attempt.

“[Mokaev tapped] at least three times,” Filho said of his loss at UFC 286. “I felt him tapping on my back like he was hiding, with malice. There was another situation I went for the guillotine and then attacked his injured shoulder, he tapped and I loosened it up a little bit.

“I was looking at the referee the entire time. The kneebar, I felt him tapping with his foot and the referee asked him, ‘Tap?’ I loosened it, and he was able to twist his knee a little bit.”

As a result, Filho says his manager Andre Pederneiras is reviewing the tape with the potential consideration of filing an appeal to get the result overturned. Considering the UK lacks a US-style commission, however, it’s unclear where an appeal could even be filed. The UFC often brings their own version of the NSAC with them when they travel, and appealing to the promotion seems unlikely to be a path to any kind of results reversal.

For Mokaev’s part, he was quick to dismiss the controversy in an interview with Ariel Helwani on Monday.

“Listen, Ariel, if I didn’t tap to my knee, do you think I would tap to—what he said? Guillotine, right?” Mokaev laughed, when asked about the phantom tap. “Guillotine wasn’t even locked. How the hell people would actually believe I would tap to this guillotine that can’t put me to sleep?

“Basically, his foot was in my boxers, and he said ‘Sorry.’ He said ‘Sorry, sorry.’ He stopped and I said, ‘All good. All good. Let’s go.’ That’s what I said. I said, ‘Let’s go!’ C’mon Ariel, why I would tap in position? On the video, actually, there was position that there is nothing [to tap to]. He said, ‘I attacked his shoulder.’ That’s why I was ground-and-pounding with that same shoulder,” Mokaev deadpanned.

“It’s like, c’mon man. He wants rematch. I respect this guy, I don’t know. When I see this today, I got upset, actually, because I gave him so much respect I don’t give to anyone. I see he carry bible before the walkout and I’m like, ‘Hey, this guy’s religious. He came here, just fought for his family. I give him respect, warm welcome in UK.’ When I see he say this? It’s not nice to be honest.

“He lost. Lose like a man. Fight all the way to the top, and we’ll meet at the top. [Asking for a rematch] that way? I don’t like.”

Filho did tell MMA Fighting that he hopes to fight Mokaev again, and that a rematch “would be ideal,” once Mokaev recovers. As for the other two points where Filho claims Mokaev tapped…

“Did I tap with my foot?” Mokaev exclaimed, when hearing Filho’s statement read back to him. “Maybe the way he went—when I grab him in the choke—maybe when he was tapping, maybe he’s counting those taps.”

UFC 286: Edwards vs. Usman 3 – Fights to make

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, UFC 286, UFC Editorial, UFC Results

UFC 286 is all wrapped up. While it didn’t have the high tension thrills of 285, it was a pretty satisfying PPV all around. Leon Edwards put on what may have been the most complete performance of his career to put his rivalry with Kamaru Usman firmly to bed in the main event, while Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev gave us exactly the war we’d hoped for in the co-main. Throw another submission highlight for Gunnar Nelson in there, and there was plenty of high level MMA on display.

So, is the UFC really going to shove another Colby Covington title shot on us? Is there any clear path for Gaethje back to a shot at the lightweight strap? And who’s the next top prospect that’s going to have to tangle with Jennifer Maia to get to the flyweight elite?

To answer those questions—and a bunch of other stuff—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!

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LEON EDWARDS

A fantastic fight from Leon Edwards who made a couple of small, fundamental adjustments going into this bout that seem to have finely tuned his game to beating Kamaru Usman. First and foremost, Edwards almost entirely went away from head strikes for this fight. It’s a strange move for just about anyone to make in MMA, since striking to the head is the easiest way to do damage that catches the eye of the judges. But, for Edwards—who has long struggled to keep his back off the cage—it proved to a truly brilliant tactic. With less focus on letting his hands go in a quickly collapsing pocket, ‘Rocky’ was able to put a lot more emphasis on his circling footwork, maintaining exactly the range he needed for his kicking game.

The other adjustment, as noted multiple times throughout the broadcast, was his focus on always attacking one wrist with both hands every time Usman shot in on his legs. The ‘Nigerian Nightmare’’s best wrestling rarely comes from a pure, explosive double-leg. He’s at his best when he drives an opponent to the cage, gets his hands locked, and uses his fantastic upper-body strength to rip his foe’s hips off the fence and dump them on the mat. Edwards always making sure he controlled one wrist ensured that a key step in Usman’s takedown process was always broken. The result was a lot more time spent up on his feet, at distance.

Usually, this is the spot where I’d talk about how Edwards should now be fighting the next clear challenger in front of him. By all rights, that would be Belal Muhammad. If everything stays the way it is right now, however, that won’t be happening. At the post-UFC 286 presser, Dana White revealed that not only is the promotion looking to book Muhammad against top rising prospect Shavkat Rakhmonov, but Colby Covington (who served as surprise backup contender at this event) is getting the next crack at gold. End of discussion. As others have already noted, Covington hasn’t beat a fighter coming off a win since RDA in 2018. It’s not the choice I’d make, but it seems Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington is the fight we’re going to get.

KAMARU USMAN

The big question to be had going into this fight for Kamaru Usman was, would he pressure more? At UFC 278, Usman stayed on the front foot a lot, but his volume was nowhere near what it had been in bouts with Gilbert Burns, Colby Covington, or Tyron Woodley. It felt a bit like the Trevor Wittman-trained athlete kept Edwards in their last fight with his lack of consistent offensive output. Especially in that 5th round, where he threw all of 16 strikes in 4 minutes—before getting brutally KO’d. So with a second chance, at sea level, this was Usman’s time to put his foot on the gas, right? Wrong.

He once again kept things slow and cautious, giving Edwards ample time to ramp up his kicking game as Usman tried to stalk into range without much in the way of offense to work behind. The result was a reasonably clean loss. Even me scoring this fight a draw meant that I comfortably had Edwards winning 3/5 rounds.

So with the title now out of reach for the foreseeable future, who does Usman need to fight? Chimaev’s apparently moving up, Muhammad is apparently fighting Rakhmonov, Covington’s booked (plus we’ve seen that fight enough)—same with Burns & Masvidal. That leaves one easy option. A glaring omission from Usman’s resume: Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson. Thompson’s coming off a big win over Kevin Holland, the UFC should strike while the iron is still surprisingly hot. Thompson vs. Usman is a great high-profile next booking for the former king.

JUSTIN GAETHJE

Full credit to Justin Gaethje, Rafael Fiziev looked like he had done his homework and came out attacking the body hard. He landed tons of kicks from range, dug with knees on the inside, and was happy to sit down and land big shots in the pocket when the time called. But Gaethje made a couple superb adjustments that saw him stall ‘Ataman’’s momentum and eventually start taking it over late.

The first adjustment was to start meeting Fiziev’s pocket body strikes with uppercuts. The second was to fight behind his jab. The first step convinced Fiziev to be more cautious about pressing with real conviction. The second kept him firmly on the end of Gaethje’s punches the rest of the way. The end result is a big win that Gaethje absolutely had to have if he’s going to make another title run like he wants.

The ‘Highlight’ intimated that he might not have many fights left, so we can’t waste them. Unfortunately getting there will likely mean going through a couple of men who already have his number: Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira. If Gaethje’s really lucky, Beneil Dariush will beat Oliveira and still won’t get a title shot and he can get that fight (although the two men are also close friends, so that still might not be a bookable match). Otherwise the only obvious answer right now is Poirier vs. Gaethje 2.

GUNNAR NELSON

Bryan Barberena is lots of fun, but this was more or less a walkover booking for Gunnar Nelson. The Icelandic fighter pressured his way into an early takedown and once he had Barberena on the mat, it was only a matter of time before this was gonna be all wrapped up. A couple minutes and an armbar attempt later and the fight was over.

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Nelson’s apparently more committed to his coaching career right now than being a full time fighter, so we might not see him anytime soon. But when he does come back, bouts with Muslim Salikhov, the winner of Holland/Ponzinibbio, or a re-booking of the Daniel Rodriguez bout would all be good. Hell I’d love to see him against Max Griffin or Michel Pereira or Jack Della Maddalena too. Lots of options. Considering the unlikelihood he runs back to the cage for a quick return, I’ll say wait for the winner of Holland/Ponzinibbio. Holland vs. Nelson would be so much fun and a rematch of that Ponzinibbio fight feels long overdo.

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About the author: Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. Host of the MMA Vivisection and 6th Round, he has covered MMA and the UFC since 2013.(full bio)

 

‘Ass beating, make money, be happy’ – Islam Makhachev wants McGregor fight, thinks Conor won’t face Chandler

Posted on by Zane Simon in Front Page, MMA News, UFC News

Conor McGregor hasn’t won a fight since 2020. He hasn’t held a UFC title since 2018, having never defended the belt he won off Eddie Alvarez two years earlier. But, readers wouldn’t know that judging by his box office receipts, something fighters aren’t likely to overlook.

Despite having been largely outside the contender’s circle in the UFC’s lightweight division for the past half decade, Conor McGregor is still a superstar. So much so that, if current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev got the chance to face off against the ‘Notorious’ SBG Ireland talent inside the Octagon with his lightweight title on the line, he wouldn’t hesitate to take it.

“Why not?” Makhachev told the ‘Weighing In’ podcast, when asked if he’d fight McGregor (transcript via Middle Easy). Some fighter have to be stupid for say not. It’s 100% big money fights. Now everybody know he’s not in shape.

“Ass beating, make money, be happy.”

With an upcoming bout against Michael Chandler seemingly in the works for McGregor, it seems a little odd that Makhachev would single the man out for not being in fight shape. But, the Dagestani doesn’t sound like he believes that contest will ever come to fruition.

“I don’t know,” Makhachev said, of whether McGregor would beat Chandler. “They try to make the fight, but it’s not official now. No, I don’t think Conor wants to fight with him, cause he’s drinking too much, smoking all day and he just can’t.”

“TUF makes some interesting thing, cause everybody forget him,” he added. “I don’t know when he fight last time, but if they fight I think it’s gonna be 170. Maybe if you [are] Chandler, they gonna try to push him, make 155. And I know they want to give [McGregor] title choice.”

Adding some fire to the smoke Makhachev is issuing, in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, McGregor was somewhat evasive when asked when he would be re-entering the USADA testing pool, saying only that “there’s an interview scheduled and a meeting happening,” both claims that the drug testing agency later denied.

McGregor has since claimed that USADA are now “in the bin” and that he would “not be scapegoated,” or made to look like a cheater.

In the meantime, Makhachev is fresh off a successful defense of his belt against featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski. While there was some talk of an instant rematch for the Aussie, it seems more likely that the AKA fighter will be facing one of lightweight’s top contenders next time he steps back in the cage.

Wolf tickets? – Conor McGregor evasive on USADA re-entry, testing org rebuffs ‘meeting’ claims

Posted on by Zane Simon in Drugs and PEDs, Front Page, MMA News, UFC News

Conor McGregor hasn’t really seemed like a full-time athlete since winning the lightweight title belt off Eddie Alvarez in 2016. That victory was followed by a year of buildup for a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, which was followed by a year of buildup for a title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Then came a year of assault allegations and contract negotiations all for a single fight against Donald Cerrone and another year of build up to two bouts against Dustin Poirier, the last of which came more than a year-and-a-half ago.

The last 18+ months has seen McGregor rehab a brutal leg injury, face more assault allegations, and shoot a movie. At the moment, he’s just wrapping filming on the latest season of the Ultimate Fighter opposite former Bellator champion Michael Chandler. At some point this year, the two men are supposed to face off inside the Octagon…maybe…probably.

Related

‘When I say, it happens’ – Conor McGregor guarantees trilogy with Nate Diaz

One major stumbling block to that teased 2023 return is the UFC’s drug testing agency, USADA. Following his most recent Poirier loss, McGregor withdrew from the UFC’s pool of active athletes, apparently to pursue more advanced forms of injury rehab to repair his broken leg. To return to competition UFC regulations state that he’ll need to re-enter the pool for at least six-months and pass at least two drug tests.

When asked about his re-entry with USADA in a recent interview with the MMA Hour, however, McGregor was evasive—noting that he had been in contact with the agency, and was of the belief that completing the two tests was more important than the six-month window.

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“Yeah, well, I mean this—it’s—I’m not rushing the thing, alright,” McGregor said when asked about getting back into the UFC’s drug testing pool. “There’s hurdles and whatnot. But, we’re in contact, we’re in constant communication, and there’s an interview scheduled and a meeting happening, and then it will be official.

“But, the six-month thing is not—what they had said was: It’s two clean tests and off I go. So that’s why I’m not—I assume it won’t be too long.”

If that’s the story that McGregor’s management team has been telling him, though, it might be that he’s been misinformed. In a statement to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter USADA unequivocally rebuffed McGregor’s assertions, noting that they had “not received notice of his coming out of retirement to compete.” They also made clear that the ‘two tests, six-months’ requirements are not an either/or scenario. Both are expected to be completed.

“While we meet with all athletes who enter or re-enter the testing pool, we do not currently have a meeting set with Conor and, as of today, we have not received notice of his coming out of retirement to compete,” the agency said in a written statement.

“The UFC rules are clear that, in addition to two negative tests, an athlete must make themself available for testing for six months before returning to competition. This is a fair way to ensure an athlete does not use the retirement status to gain an unfair advantage by using prohibited substances during the retirement period, which would enhance their performance unfairly if they ultimately decide to return to competition. While the rules permit the UFC to make an exception to the six-month rule in exceptional circumstances, when the strict application of the rule would be manifestly unfair to the athlete, our position, which we have made clear, is that Conor should be in the testing pool for the full six-month period.”

USADA’s stance seems clear as to what they want to see from McGregor on his return. It is interesting to note, however, that the language leaves plenty of room for UFC meddling. Whatever the drug testing agency expects, it may very well be that McGregor has already come to a deal with Dana White & Co. to bypass the six-month window for his own convenience. The UFC president has made it clear time and time again that McGregor is at a level of superstardom where they’re very willing to grant special exceptions. That may just be the case again when all this shakes out.

In the meantime, the Ultimate Fighter Season 31 is set to premiere on May 30th on ESPN and will run weekly through mid-August. When (if ever) fans get to see Chandler and McGregor actually face off in the Octagon remains to be seen.

Reserve your user name for the new Bloody Elbow before April 1, 2023. Go here for more details (link).

About the author: Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. Host of the MMA Vivisection and 6th Round, he has covered MMA and the UFC since 2013.(full bio)