Trending Content
DLH interested in putting MMA on DAZN
Oscar De La Hoya did a deal with DAZN for his Golden Boy Promotions boxing events, but hope to get MMA streaming as well, once he has proof of concept with Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 on 11/24: “Once this fight card takes place, I’m going to have some serious talks with [former ESPN president turned DAZN executive] John Skipper. If I’m serious about promoting future MMA cards, I’m very positive and certain DAZN will back us 100 percent. I want to see how (Nov. 24) turns out. I want to see if the card turns out good. I want to see what the PPV numbers are. I want to see if Chuck and Tito were happy the way I promoted them. And then we’ll take it from there.” H/T MMAjunkie
Kayla Harrison has a Ronda complex
PFL star and 2x Olympic gold medalist in Judo Kayla Harrison: "I probably wouldn't have a job if it weren't for Ronda. We were teammates back in the day, roommates. I was her training partner. ... She was older than me. I was 16 when I moved to Boston, so she used to beat the crap out of me. But it made me into the strong fighter I am today. ... For me, she's always been someone I strive to follow in her footsteps. I always call it my Ronda complex. Anything she does, I have to do." H/T The Post Game
Henry Cejudo sees possible free agency in his future
The UFC may be winding down the flyweight division. Current champ superfights bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw at 125, at UFC 233, and that could be it. Cejudo on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show said he wants a trilogy fight vs. Demetrious Johnson, but where? "That is to be announced," said Cejudo. “I think everything changes once they dismiss the flyweight division, if that's going to be the plan. I believe there's free agency in there, possibly. I believe the contract is signed at 125 pounds." Read more at H/T Sherdog
DLH: Chuck vs. Tito 3 ticket sales are strong
Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions is getting into the MMA business with a trilogy fight between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz on 11/24: "The price points are perfect for this type of fight, and fans are coming out and supporting it. Everywhere I go, they don’t talk to me about the boxing cards I’m putting on. They talk about Canelo or Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. ... The profits are going to be for Chuck and Tito. That’s exactly the way it’s structured. We feel that the gate being 70 percent sold, once you sell out the gate, the pay-per-view numbers are going to be relatively high. Every boxing show that I’ve promoted, you have to start with the gate. Once you sell out the gate, the pay-per-view numbers will be higher than expected." H/T MMAjunkie
Dillashaw: I'm getting paid F@$%load of money to drop and kill the flyweight division
UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw appeared recently on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show and discussed his drop to 125 for a fight with flyweight champ Henry Cejudo at UFC 233 on 1/6, and the potential demise of the division: “The UFC wants to get rid of the division and they hired me to go down and close it and get another belt in the process. It’s a win-win for me. They’re paying me a f***load of money to move down and kill the 125-pound division and collect a second belt. So, it’s game time. ... If I’m the champ in both weight classes, why even have it? All the attention is at 135 anyway so at the end of the day, make the guys that they believe should stick around, come up and challenge for the belt.” H/T MMA Fighting • Watch
Khabib and co doing good works in Nigeria
Blaydes: Ngannou's got to be in a dark, dark place
Francis Ngannou beat Curtis Blaydes via doctor stoppage in April of '16. Blayes went 5-0 since, with a win changed to NC due to the presence of the demon weed marijuana. Ngannou went 4-0 and gave every appearance of being the Next Big Thing, but has dropped his last two fights, by decision. Ngannou-Blayes 2 takes place at UFC Fight Night 141 on 11/24, and 'Razor' is confident about the rematch: “It was inevitable. I knew he’d be around, I’d be around. The UFC likes natural stories like this. We already have a natural storyline. It’s not fake. We had a fight, he won, but I didn’t get to finish it. So I do have a bit of redemption I want to get. He’s probably in a hole right now. 0-2 after being the hotshot? That’s got to be a dark, dark place. I want him to be his best. I don’t want any excuses out of his camp or the fans or the company. I want him at his best. I’ll beat him 10 out of 10 times.” H/T MMAjunkie
Rogan REACTS to Yair KO of TKZ
The prince makes a precious dream come true
Yair's coach: Every fighter needs one of those
Israel Martinez on The MMA Hour: “We believe every fighter needs one of those. It’s one of those things you tell a young fighter, even the older guys: You need to get your ass kicked to kinda be woken up a little bit, and you need to go through some dirty fights, some trenches. But you don’t need to do that every day. ... And that’s one of those fights that we’re gonna have in our bag and we’re always going to be able to pull out all the things we’re learned from that, but there’s no way we want that type of fight again. Those things are deadly. Yair is beat up, and that’s going to be stuck in his head, good and bad, for the rest of his life. So we want to make sure that we take the positives over the negatives and move forward. ... Those long five-round fights are good for the fans, but they’re not good for us. We want to try to [win] early.” H/T MMA Fighting • Watch
Tate: There is a power shift in MMA
Former UFC women's bantamweight champ Miesha Tate has a taken a VP brand ambassador role with ONE Championship, and sees a major change: “I think that there’s been a power shift, I just think that the Western media didn’t know about it, to be honest. I think that we were receiving the information we were receiving but if you really look at what ONE is doing in Asia… ONE is the UFC in Asia. I want to compare because that’s where I’m from, you know everyone where I’m from is all about the UFC, but you come here, and it’s all about ONE Championship. The UFC comes here, and it’s not quite the same. So again, I think that the branding of it, it speaks to the honor and it speaks to the true martial artist. I think that it fits over here well. I think it actually has a better appeal with the Asian culture, which is right up my alley too, so I think it’s the perfect home for me. ... I love the fact that ONE Championship appeals to the true martial arts fans and the true martial artists. It’s not about who has the biggest mouth, who can talk the biggest trash, it’s about who can get in there and fight the best and put on the best performances. To me, that speaks to my heart. That’s why I got into martial arts.” H/T BJPenn.com
SBGi protege pushing known submission boundaries at IMMAF worlds
Bellator donating to Genoa following Morandi bridge collapse
'Platinum' Mike Perry offers 'Cowboy' Cerrone heartfelt congratulations
Gus: Jones is #1 P4P
Alexander Gustafsson on fight vs Jon Jones at UFC 232 on 12/29: “Whatever Jon does, in that Octagon he has a strategy and he’s a very smart fighter with a good eye, so you can’t relax. ... You can’t even give him an inch. You have to be on your toes the whole fight, you have to be ready the whole fight. ... Jon has just been so impressive, that’s why he never lost. ... He’s been beating everybody, so we all know how he is and how he’s been. He’s the best fighter in the world. For me, he’s the pound-for-pound best fighter ... And when I beat this guy, it’s going to biggest thing ever, and it’s going to be a highlight in my career and it’s going to change my life, so that’s my motivation.” H/T Sherdog • Watch
The 10 latest UFC fights and fight changes
Zak Cummings vs. Trevor Smith at FOX 31 on 12/15
Louis Smolka vs. Sumudaerji Sumudaerji at UFC Fight Night 141 on 11/24
Suman Mokhtarian vs. Sodiq Yusuff at UFC Fight Night 142 on 12/2
Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 234 on 2/9
Tom Duquesnoy out vs. Nathaniel Wood at UFC 232 on 12/29 with rib injury
Alexander Hernandez in and Islam Makhachev out vs. Francisco Trinaldo at UFC 233 on 1/26
Tom Breese out, Ian Heinischof in vs. Cezar Ferreira at UFC Fight Night 140 on 11/17
Glover Teixeira vs. Ion Cutelaba at UFC on ESPN+ 1 on 1/19
Alonzo Menifield vs. Vinicius Moreira at UFC on ESPN+ 1 on 1/19
Joseph Benavidez vs. Alex Perez at TUF 28 Finale on 11/30
Islam Makhachev: I never signed a contract in the first place
Last week the UFC announced Khabib Nurmagomedov's teammate Islam Makhachev vs. #13 Francisco Trinaldo at UFC 233 on 1/26. Then Combate reported correctly that Makhachev was out and Alexander Hernandez was in. A baffled Makhachev responded on his social network (via Google translate): "I didn’t understand what happened, as the UFC themselves made and canceled this fight. I didn’t sign any contract. I plan to fight somewhere in February with a top 15 opponent, as promised by Dana White."
How many do you know? Every UFC champ since '93
