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Chael Sonnen agrees with John Kavanagh about McGregor
Recent reasonable remarks by SBGi head coach John Kavanagh have been widely misconstrued. He said McGregor had accomplished so much, and is so dangerous, that coaching him further would take some convincing. Chael Sonnen agrees: “Not for nothing but I really do respect that and that’ll tie into some other fights that we’ve seen. I don’t want to call coaches out, I don’t want do that, but I have seen fighters in general that are in fights that can no longer be won. When I see an athlete that can no longer win, I am stopping the fight. It is okay for an athlete to make statements even if he believes them to be true to his core of ‘I am willing to die in the ring.’ If an athlete needs to get himself in that frame of mind to go out and go into combat, I am okay with it. I am not okay with the corner making that statement. The corner, in no part of the bravado and the machoness that surrounds this business, can share that mindset. When I see a corner allow his fighter to go on in a fight that he can no longer win, I think it warrants explanation" h/t Sherdog • Watch
Ngannou coach points to UFC PI as source of losses
Francis Ngannou went from The Next BIG Big Thing to a two-fight losing streak, but bounced back by crushing Curtis Blaydes at UFC Beijing last month. Ngannou’s head coach, Fernand Lopez, recently suggested that the losses were due to training at the UFC PI, rather than with his old team in Paris: “Francis Ngannou did all his camps in Paris; he was winning all the fights. When he went to Vegas in PI, then he had the problem losing to Stipe. Then he had the second fight in the PI and he lost [to Lewis]. We worked a lot to have this victory. We really did have a good camp. Two months of hard camp. We tried to work on everything on the mental side, on the conditioning, on the skills. The work paid off. He showed that he’s still there for a long time. He’s not going anywhere.” h/t BE
Raphael Assuncao: Title shot shouldn't hinge on social media following size
In the NFL you don't get into the Super Bowl by selling the most jerseys, but in the UFC you kind of do. As has long been the case, combat sports are not real sports. In a recent interview with Combate, bantamweight contender Raphael Assuncao lamented the state of the art: “I think I’ve done enough to warrant a title shot a long time ago. There are some factors that shouldn’t be pivotal for them not to give me a title shot. A certain number of followers is an example. I don’t think that should define who deserves it, who will be the next challenger. I’m no Tiririca [a famous Brazilian comedian], let’s put it that way. I don’t have a ‘X’ number of followers, so I can’t warrant a title shot. That’s not cool. But it’s what the boss said, so let’s move on. I’m a pretty down-to-earth guy,” He added. “My followers are people who follow me for real, I reply to them. You have two million followers, do you know who they are? You have no idea, sometimes it’s not even a legit follower, they can be bought, Unfortunately, that makes a difference when selling a fight." h/t BE
UFC 233 on 1/26 has been postponed
UFC has announced that the UFC 233 Pay-Per-View event scheduled for January 26 has been postponed. All bouts previously slated for UFC 233 are being rescheduled for upcoming cards. The February 10th Pay-Per-View event at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Australia will remain titled UFC 234: WHITTAKER VS GASTELUM. UFC’s 2019 event calendar will still feature 12 Pay-Per-View events. h/t UFC.com
3 years ago today - Conor McGregor's most impressive fight
Poirier vs. Ferguson Twitter bicker continues
Philippine gov't joins with Brandon Vera to combat youth drug use via MMA
The Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) is pushing for MMA as a means to improve the lives of poor Filipinos in urban areas and help prevent youth crime and drug use. PCUP chairman Alvin Feliciano and ONE heavyweight champion Brandon Vera signed a Memorandum of Agreement towards this end. "You can take a person who's at the bottom of the barrel, the most drug-laden person, the most broken soul, if you show them martial arts and they can fall in love with the disciplines, the process, and the attributes it takes to become a martial artist," explained Vera. "It will take over their lives and you can take that person who was a negative and turn them into a positive. If you have somebody who finds himself loving that lifestyle and understanding that they can get out of where they are, they will stop using/doing all the bad stuff on their own, kasi may pangarap na sila 9because they now have dreams), they have another avenue. The reason why people use drugs: they have no ambition, no goals, nothing to look forward to." h/t PNA.gov
Eve Torres accidentally puts Rener Gracie to sleep
Tank Abbott discusses liver transplant
There are few sure things in MMA, but Wanderlei Silva getting a broken nose and David 'Tank' Abbott having liver issues are two of them. During a recent appearance on “Hannibal TV” Tank talked about the surgery that nearly killed him and left him 100 pounds lighter: "[My body] finally caught up with all of my wild life. Blew a gasket on my liver, but I got a nice transplant and everything is moving right along. It was not without complications, though. I died five times on the operating table, had over six strokes, but I’m still here. This is the hardest fight I’ve ever had. I spent 107 days in the intensive care unit. I’ve been out of commission for a little bit. I’m getting fired up again and do things that I love to do, which is to kick ass." Abbott reports he has quit drinking. h/t Wrestlezone • Watch
De La Hoya says he plans to do another MMA event
Oscar De La Hoya debuted Golden Boy MMA on 11/24 and did a reported 40,000 PPV buys. That was the good news - the main event was terrible, and DLH was clearly out of his depth, to the point he couldn't pronounce Liddell correctly. However, during a recent appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” DLH vowed to do it again: “I’m gonna sit down with my team. I’m gonna analyze the free agents out there, because I’m not gonna get a hold of no fighters who are under contract with the UFC. I want to see who’s a free agent, who contacts me. And then I’ll build another event, but I’ll build a big event. I’ll build an event where the fighters are not Chuck Liddell’s and Tito Ortiz’s age, but I’ll build an amazing event. And not do it on pay-per-view. I’ll do it on a platform that is not gonna charge you $80, $90. Pay-per-view’s gone. That’s why Canelo Alvarez is gonna make $365 million not fighting on pay-per-view. I’m gonna compete with Dana White. Just the way I started Golden Boy promotions, and now we’re the biggest powerhouse in boxing. That’s exactly what I’m going to do with MMA.” h/t Sherdog • Watch
USADA case dismissed against Grant Dawson, after 14 months of inactivity
In November of 2017 UFC featherweight Grant Dawson had an anti-doping test flagged. After being forced to not fight for 14 months, the case has been dismissed. Official UFC statement: "UFC was informed by USADA that Grant Dawson received a dismissal of his potential anti-doping policy violation that was first reported in November 2017. This dismissal was based on the likelihood that the ingestion of the prohibited substance occurred prior to Grant coming under the UFC Anti-Doping Program. We understand that Grant was cooperative throughout USADA’s investigation. Today’s dismissal of Grant’s case reinforces UFC’s recent decision to resolve potential anti-doping policy violations before making them public. We wish Grant the best in his fighting career, whether that be here with UFC or elsewhere." How Dawson gets back a year of the very short career that is fighting at the elite level is not clear. Does he even get an apology?
Bispijng to assume event commentary role in 2019
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping announced on his ‘Believe You Me’ podcast that he will assume a UFC event commentary role starting in 2019: ”I’m going to be commentating on UFC events going forward, so that’s interesting and exciting for me. Yeah just going back and forth with the UFC obviously I’m going to be continuing with ESPN in the new year, got the first few dates, Brooklyn, Phoenix, London so that’s exciting and there’ll be some commentary in there as well. Yet to get my first gig booked but we’ve negotiated the deal and everything so that’s good news it’s exciting times. It wasn’t something I was yearning to do but of course, I’m not fighting anymore and I’ve dedicated my life to this sport, I do know a lot about it ... I do want to stay involved with the sport, it keeps me relevant it keeps me current.” h/t FanSided
Emil Meek chopping wood with a flaming axe
Jon Jones CSAC licensing hearing recap
Latest 10 UFC fight announcements
Lucie Pudilovavs. Liz Carmouche for UFC Fight Night 145 on 2/23
UFC 233 PPV on 1/26 has been postponed and bouts will be rescheduled
Jessica Penne vs. Jodie Esquibel at ESPN debut on 1/19
Thomas Almeida returns vs. Cory Sandhagen at ESPN debut on 1/19
Kai Kara-France vs. Raulian Paiva at UFC 234 on 2/10
Johnny Walker vs. Justin Ledet at UFC Fight Night 144 on 2/2
Nick Diaz Vs. Jorge Masvidal at UFC 235 on 3/2 confirmed by Dana White
Diego Ferreira vs. Kyle Nelson at UFC 231 on Saturday, with Jesse Ronson out due to weight cutting issues
Greg Hardy vs. Allen Crowder at ESPN debut on 1/19
Henry Cejudo vs. T.J. Dillashaw moved from UFC 233 to ESPN debut on 1/19
Dominick Cruz injured, fight vs. Lineker at UFC 233 in question
MMAbrasil.com.br reports that due to another injury, Dominick Cruz has been forced out of his fight vs. John Lineker at UFC 233 n January 26. It has been confirmed that Cruz is injured, but at least yet, not that he has withdrawn from the fight.
DC makes ESPN's Most Dominant Athlete list
"Senior writer Peter Keating developed a statistical methodology to determine the list of athletes who redefined the impossible." 1. Simone Biles (Olympic gymnast) • 2.Eliud Kipchoge (Olympic runner) • 3. Daniel Cormier (MMA fighter/former Olympic wrestler) • 4. Ariya Jutanugarn (professional golfer) • 5. Katie Ledecky (Olympic swimmer) • 6. Chloe Kim (Olympic snowboarder) • 7. Breanna Stewart (WNBA/Seattle Storm) • 8. Luka Modric (professional soccer player/Real Madrid) • Simona Halep (professional tennis player) • 9. Novak Djokovic (professional tennis player) • 10. Yuzuru Hanyu (Olympic figure skater) • 11. Lewis Hamilton (professional race car driver) • 12. LeBron James (NBA/Los Angeles Lakers). h/t ESPN
ONE is coming to America
ONE Championship has signed a three-year broadcast deal with Turner Sports; starting on Jan. 1, 24 events will air live on B/R Live, Turner's digital platform. In addition to the live events, Turner will air shoulder programming and taped events on TNT and there is also a reality show in the works, as well, according to sources. The first event is scheduled for Jan. 19 in Jakarta, Indonesia. h/t ESPN
