The Mayweather-McGregor press tour takes place this week and it promises to be big and rowdy.

The tour kicks off Tuesday at Staples Center in Los Angeles with stops in Toronto on Wednesday, Brooklyn on Thursday, and concluding Friday in London, England. A press release stated that 30,000 tickets had already been issued for the two U.S. stops. Additionally, interest was so high in Toronto that the event was moved from the indoor Sony Center theater to the larger outdoor Budweiser Stage.

With the big crowds expected and what we know about both Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather, UFC president Dana White is expecting a wild atmosphere. “It’s going to be a f—ing sh– show,” White said at Saturday’s UFC 213 post-fight press conference. “Absolute sh– show. So, I don’t know. It’s going to be crazy.”

White also confirmed that he will be in attendance at each stop of the tour alongside McGregor. He also posted a picture to his Instagram of he and McGregor having just landed in L.A.

With the fight being a boxing match and promoted by Mayweather and Showtime, White expects a different type of press conference than what UFC fans may be accustomed to. “I think it’s going to be more like a boxing press conference than it is our press conferences,” he said. “You know how mine are. No bullsh–. We walk in, and we sit down, and, ‘What’s up? Who has the first question,’ and we get it rolling. I think there’s going to be a lot more bullsh– in this one.”

All the events are free, but you will need a ticket to get into the North American stops. L.A. and Brooklyn are sold out, Toronto tickets became available this morning at Ticketmaster. Fans should be able to show up to Wembley Stadium for admission on Friday.

The press tour schedule is as follows:

Tuesday July 11 – Los Angeles 5:30 p.m. ET
Wednesday July 12 – Toronto 6 p.m. ET
Thursday July 13 – Brooklyn 7 p.m. ET
Friday July 14 – London 2 p.m. ET

Hiscoe’s Analysis: This should be fun to watch and see if any storylines develop throughout the week in order to keep interest from stop to stop. I imagine the London event will be insanity. Knowing McGregor he likely has a couple tricks up his sleeve to make news each stop of the tour.

MONDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…

-Amanda Nunes revealed yesterday that chronic sinusitis led to her pulling out of her fight with Valentina Shevchenko the morning of the fight. Nunes wrote on Instagram: “I have fought with it before but this time it didn’t work out. During the weight cut I was unable to breathe and felt off balance from the pressure in my sinuses. I was not feeling well enough to risk getting punched in the head with such pressure.”

-Dana White told a Hawaiian TV station that Max Holloway is likely to defend his UFC Featherweight Championship against Frankie Edgar before the end of the year. Holloway has been lobbying hard for UFC to run an event in Hawaii, but White said he doesn’t know where the fight will take place.

-Following his release from UFC, Frank Mir told NBC Sports Radio that he is looking for a fight with either Fedor Emelianenko or Brock Lesnar.

-Andre Harrison, the final World Series of Fighting Featherweight Champion, will fight Steven Rodriguez to headline the Professional Fighters League event from Everett, Washington on July 29.

NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: SUNDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/9: More questions than answers regarding Nunes missing UFC 213 main event (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis)

The post MONDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/10: Dana White talks up this week’s Mayweather-McGregor press tour (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis) appeared first on MMATorch.

UFC president Dana White is understandably frustrated with Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes, but his emotional outburst toward her does nothing to help grow his business in a time when star power is a diminishing resource.

The only star that is created by these diatribes is… Dana White.

To recap: Just hours before UFC 213, Nunes pulled out of her scheduled main even title defense opposite Valentina Shevchenko, citing an illness. White publicly stated that Nunes had been cleared by doctors, but was unwilling to fight. The day after UFC 213, Nunes took to social media to explain that she was in fact cleared based on blood tests and hydration, but was experiencing a bout with chronic sinusitis.

It is perfectly reasonable for Dana White to be fuming after losing a main event on a card that had already been through several makeovers, but it is also unproductive to air grievances about someone that White will have to actively promote in the very near future.

Sure, White has gone on the claim that he will never headline a card with Nunes again. (If you believe that, I have a pyramid scheme you might be interested in.) Nonetheless, unless Nunes is stripped of her title, White will have to sell a card with a champion that has had her mental toughness questioned by the promoter.

While it is refreshing for a sports executive to not spew clichés when dealing with the media, it is counterintuitive to constantly disparage fighters, especially when there is no reciprocation.

When Ronda Rousey, Connor McGregor, or Chael Sonnen publicly demean future opponents, they are building interest in an athletic contest, with the goal of increasing their payday. Similarly, when a Diaz brother takes swipes at UFC management, they are solidifying their brand. On the other hand, when Dana White takes shots at Amanda Nunes or Demetrius Johnson, he is building the Dana White brand, but not cultivating the viability of his champions.

White’s public persona might play well with those that are only concerned with the $60 that they just submitted their cable provider, but those same consumers will never pay to see Dana White fight in an Octagon. Public feuds between UFC management and fighters are not a new or novel, they just do not have a place in the 2017 UFC landscape. To put it mildly, 2017 has been a rebuilding year, with mixed results.

Before Justin Gaethje put on a performance for the ages against Michael Johnson on the eve of UFC 213, the UFC lacked a transcendent fight or potential supernova fighter in 2017. Coming off of two years of producing spectacular main events and crossover stars, 2017 has seen a regression for the promotion.

Of course, White does not have the power to wave a magic wand and produce new mainstream stars, but he does have a pulpit to cut the legs out from under his current independent contractors. Whether he likes to admit it or not, Dana White is still the most powerful man in MMA. That power does in fact come with great responsibility.

If the man who has a large financial stake in his champions selling pay-per-views tells the public that Amanda Nunes’s inability to fight was “90 percent mental,” why should public feel compelled to spend hard-earned money on one of her fights?

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: MEDIA & BUSINESS: Fox shortchanges UFC fans with new video content strategy after laying off writing staff

The post MEDIA & BUSINESS: Dana White undermining his business with his stream of public comments appeared first on MMATorch.

The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale and UFC 213 were both this past weekend. Let’s get straight to the rundown.

The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale

GOOD: Jordan Johnson vs. Marcel Fortuna

I’m being generous with the GOOD rating because I’m in a good mood, and both guys tried, so there’s that. This is one those ubiquitous “solid” fights, ones that aren’t all that good but aren’t bad either. Johnson won the decision and has now won his first eight fights.

GOOD: Brad Tavares vs. Elias Theodorou

Now, this was a true GOOD fight. Tavares ended up winning the decision but this was a very close fight. Theodorou couldn’t quite pull it out, but he fought hard. Tavares landed more and had some good reversals, but Theodorou had success with his takedown attempts. Good win for Tavares.

GOOD: Jared Cannonier stops Nick Roehrick

Roehrick took a hellacious pounding before finally being stopped in the third round. Cannonier has tremendous power, but Roehrick stayed in front of him and keep coming forward. I was expecting him to take the fight to the ground, but he seemed content to stand and trade with Cannonier. That was very dangerous and he ended up paying for it. Cannonier is exciting to watch with his good stand-up. I don’t know how far he can go in the division, but it’ll be fun to see him try. He’s got the power to lay out most people, so he’s got a chance to beat anyone at anytime. Good win for Cannonier.

GOOD: Marc Diakiese vs. Drakkar Klose

Klose was able to do just a bit more than Diakiese here and was rewarded with a split decision victory. I’m not a fan of foot stomps in MMA and I hate when guys use them, so I personally would like to see Klose stop using them, but I suppose he’ll do whatever he thinks will help him win. Anyway, nice win for Klose.

GOOD: Jesse Taylor submits Dhiego Lima

Taylor was all over Lima with his takedowns and grappling. He just kept working and working, but Lima was able to avoid danger in the first round. In the second round, though Taylor took Lima’s back and that was it. Lima was forced to tap to a rear-naked choke and Jesse Taylor is your The Ultimate Fighter 25 winner.

GOOD/GREAT: Justin Gaethje stops Michael Johnson

This was a really fun and entertaining brawl. Johnson hurt Gaethje several times during this fight, but Gaethje just kept coming forward. It was incredible because Johnson was landing some big shots, he just couldn’t put him away. He would hurt Gaethje and swarm on him, but then Gaethje would just battle through. His chin is unbelievable. Both men were exhausted when, late in the second round, Gaethje hurt Johnson and started unloading on him. The referee had no choice but to step in and call the fight.

What a fantastic UFC debut for Gaethje. This perfectly encapsulated everything about him. You can hurt him, but you can’t stop him. And then he wears you down and finishes you off. Common sense tells you that he can’t keep this up forever and eventually this will take its toll, but it’ll be a fun ride until it does. I love watching Gaethje fight, and I think he can contend for the lightweight title. Hopefully that’s sooner rather than later so we can see Gaethje fighting on the biggest stages possible. Great win and debut for Gaethje.

UFC 213

GOOD: Rob Font submits Douglas Silva de Andrade

Font was landing some really good shots, especially in combinations. He dropped Silva de Andrade in the second round and pounced, securing the choke and forcing the tapout. Good win for Font as he looks to head up the rankings at bantamweight.

GOOD/BAD: Anthony Pettis vs. Jim Miller

This was another of those solid fights, not all that good, but not bad either. Pettis just look completely different from a few years ago. It’s like Invasion of the Body Snatchers or something because he doesn’t seem like the same person at all anymore. Pettis won the decision in his return to lightweight, which was nice for him. I didn’t expect Pettis to get the finish, Miller is really tough and has a lot of experience, but it would have been nice to see him be more dominant here. He still seemed hesitant at times. Nonethless, solid win for Pettis.

BAD: Daniel Omielanczuk vs. Curtis Blaydes

Blaydes won the decision, but this fight was pretty bad. There was some effort there, but both guys gassed badly. That’s not surprising, considering this was a heavyweight fight, but it’s still frustrating to see. Moving on.

GOOD: Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum

Werdum came out swinging, but Overeem had the advantage for most of the fight. However, at the end, Werdum dropped Overeem and started laying into him. It was too little, too late, though, as Overeem got the majority decision victory. After the fight, Overeem asked for a rematch with UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic. I don’t think a win like this is enough to get you a title shot, but it is the heavyweight division so things are incredibly wide-open.

GOOD: Yoel Romero vs. Robert Whittaker

Romero came out strong and hurt Whittaker’s leg with kicks. He took the first two rounds but started to gas and fade and Whittaker took over, winning the last three rounds and becoming the Interim UFC Middleweight Champion. This sets up a fight with UFC Middleweight Champion Michael Bisping to unify the belts later this year (hopefully). This was a really tense fight as you knew that Whittaker had no room for error. And he came through bigtime. Romero is super tough and didn’t go away. He was able to somehow summon up the energy to make things tight in the fifth round. He was really close, and should get right back into the title mix with a few wins. However, he is forty years old and you can’t help but wonder when Father Time is going to catch him. I’d love to see these two rematch, or see Romero fight Bisping down the road. Either of those would be great fights to see.

UGLY: Dana White rips Amanda Nunes

This is going to sound very familiar, but Dana White has foolishly ripped one of the UFC’s champions. UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes was scheduled to fight Valentina Shevchenko on this card in the main event. However, the day of the fight, Nunes was hospitalized and pulled out. White says that the doctors told him that Nunes was physically fine and able to fight. He said that she just didn’t want to. We probably won’t ever know if that’s true or not, but White just needs to shut up on this. He has no credibility on this whatsoever. This is the same guy who’s ripped Georges St. Pierre, Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, and UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson and accused them of being scared to fight. He’s bashed UFC Lightweight Champion Conor McGregor, Nick and Nate Diaz, Cris Cyborg, and numerous others, often with the vague line “They don’t want to fight.”

Basically, if you’re in the UFC and don’t do exactly what he wants you to do every single time, he calls you a coward by saying you don’t want to fight. There’s multiple problems with this, but I’ll just quickly cover the worst.
Would Adam Silver rip Kevin Durant and say he doesn’t want to compete because he joined the Warriors? Or bash Kawhi Leonard for not being more popular and being a bigger draw? Would Roger Goodell trash any of the NFL players for something like that? No, because that would be stupid. Those leagues are big boy leagues. The UFC wants to become a big boy league, and that means not acting like a petulant child on a regular basis.

You’re also undercutting your own product. Trashing your champions and saying they don’t want to fight isn’t going to get anyone interested in seeing them fight. I remember when Amanda Nunes beat Ronda Rousey for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Title. The talk leading into that was about how all the focus and promotion was on Rousey. And when she lost, White said that he could have spent millions promoting Nunes and no one would still know her. Which is an idiotic thing to say on its own, but White also said that now everyone knows who Nunes is and will want to see her fight now. What a 180 here. Now all of a sudden she’s a headcase who doesn’t want to fight?

Let’s just assume that White is right here. What good does this kind of talk do? Running down your own product makes no sense whatsoever. I think he’s gotten too in love with being the “no BS, straight-shooting, maverick” type of character he wants to be and has forgotten to do the one thing he’s actually being paid to be, and that’s a promoter. I’ve bashed White and the UFC for years for being bad at promoting. And it seems like every time I start thinking to myself that maybe I’m being too harsh on him, he goes and does something stupid like this. Is there no one in the UFC willing to pull him aside and tell him to knock off the dumb stuff? That he’s hurting the product that he’s being paid to help? I would have thought that the new owners would have already done that by now, considering they paid 4 billion dollars for the company. It’s just too bad that Dana White isn’t as good at promoting the UFC as he is at promoting himself.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: HYDEN’S TAKE: Quick Hits on Germaine de Randamie refusing to fight Cyborg, Tyron Woodley vs. Damian Maia early prediction

Comments and suggestions can be emailed to Frank Hyden here: hydenfrank@gmail.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @hydenfrank

The post HYDEN’S TAKE: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale and UFC 213 including Dana White ripping Nunes appeared first on MMATorch.

Week 1 of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series debuts tonight on UFC Fight Pass. The weekly series will feature five fights between both MMA prospects as well as veterans of the sport looking for another opportunity to make it back to the UFC. The fights on the show will be regulated by the Nevada Athletic Commission which means wins and losses count on the fighter’s record.

Dana White was granted a separate promotor’s license which means DWTNCS does not fall under the UFC umbrella. However, expect White, Sean Shelby, and Mick Maynard to be cageside for the fights.

“This sport continues to get bigger all over the world, and the more fights we can put on, the more talent we can find, the better the events will be for the fans,” UFC President Dana White said in an initial press release. “I love looking for up-and-coming talent. This show’s going to give us another opportunity to bring in young fighters who we think have potential to make it in the UFC or maybe even one day become world champions. It’ll also give some fighters who might be in a slump or on their way out of the organization an opportunity for that last shot. I truly can’t watch enough fights and I think our fans will love this new Fight Pass show.”

The Pre-Fight show starts at 6:30 p.m. CT with the main card airing at 7 p.m. CT.

MAIN CARD

Matt Bessette (22-7) vs. Kurt Holobaugh (17-4) – Featherweight 145 lbs.

Matt Bessette comes into his fight against Kurt Holobaugh riding a seven fight winning streak. His last four fights all took place for the Classic Entertainment and Sports (CES MMA) promotion in Rhode Island. Bessette has also fought under the Bellator banner seven times with a record of 5-2. The thirty-two year old Underdog Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu product has seven wins by KO/TKOs to go along with eight wins by submission in twenty-two career wins.

Kurt Holobaugh has won his last three fights in a row all under the Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) banner. All three fights ended inside the distance. Holobaugh also fought once for the UFC at UFC 159 back in April, 2013 where he dropped a decision to Steven Siler. The thirty year old Gracie United product boasts thirteen finishes in seventeen career wins.

Azunna Anyanwu (13-4) vs. Greg Rebello (22-7) – Heavyweight 260 lbs.

Anyanwu has spent the majority of his career fighting under the Cage Fury Fighting Championship (CFFC) umbrella where he has amassed a 9-2 record. While he doesn’t have experience fighting in the UFC or Bellator, Anyanwu, at thirty-five years old has seventeen professional fights under his belt to go along with two as an amateur. Nine of his thirteen pro wins have come via stoppage with seven KO/TKOs and two submissions.

CES has been the home of Cranston, Rhode Island native Greg Rebello over his last ten fights. He is 7-3 with six finishes. In Rebello’s pro career he has thirteen wins by KO/TKO to go along with two submissions. He has been finished five times in seven losses. The thirty-five tear old fights out of Team Sityodtong in Boston, MA.

Ricky Turcios (8-0) vs. Boston Salmon (5-1) – Bantamweight 135 lbs.

Ricky Turcios is undefeated in eight fights. Five of those wins were under the Fury Fighting Championship (FF) promotion including the previous two. Turcios won his only fight for Bellator by winning a split decision over Steve Garcia at Bellator 151. At twenty-four years of age, Turcios has yet to taste defeat going 8-0 as a professional and 4-0 as an amateur. Of his eight pro wins, three were by KO/TKO with five by decision.

Boston Salmon has fought under the Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) banner his entire professional career. Under RFA, Salmon has amassed a 5-1 record with four of the wins coming via knockout. The twenty-six year old Hawaiian native is a well-rounded fighter with solid skills in boxing, wrestling and jiu-jitsu.

Charles Byrd (7-4) vs. Jamie Pickett (7-2) – Middleweight 185 lbs.

Charles Byrd is 1-1 over his last two fights. He dropped a decision to Bojan Velickovic at AXS TV Fights and most recently beat Quentin Henry by first round knockout at LFC 57. Byrd has fought for multiple promotions in his eleven fight career including LFC, Dominion Warrior Tri Combat (DWTC), Fight Game, Legacy Promotions (LP), King of Kombat (KOK) and Global Fighting Promotions. In Byrd’s seven wins, three are by KO/TKO with 2 submissions.

After losing his first two fights as a professional, Jamie Pickett has rattled off six straight wins. His most recent fight was at Conflict MMA 42 where he decisoned Rashaun Spencer. Pickett has fought for LFC, Next Level Fight Club (NLFC), Zed Mitchell MMA (ZMMMA), the Warfare Fighting Championships and Triangle Promotions. He was supposed to get his first opportunity to fight for Bellator back in May but according to Pickett the fight was canceled due to budget issues. The twenty-eight year old has four wins by knockout with one submission in his six career wins.

Manny Vazquez (11-2) vs. Joby Sanchez (9-2) – Flyweight 125 lbs.

After starting his career winning his first six fights on the regional circuit, Joby Sanchez got his opportunity to fight in the UFC. His first fight was against Wilson Reis at UFC Fight Night 49 where he lost by decision. Sanchez returned at UFC Fight Night 59 where he won a split decision over Tateki Matsuda. His last fight under the UFC banner came at The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale where he was stopped in the second round by Geane Herrera. After that loss, Sanchez returned to the regional circuit where he has won his last two fights. The twenty-six year old Jackson-Wink product has three wins by KO/TKO to go along with four submissions in nine career wins.

Manny Vazquez amassed a 10-2 record fighting on the regional circuit. He fought for the Xtreme Fighting Organization (XFO), LFC, Turf Wars Extreme Fighting (TWEF), KOTC, United Combat League (UCL) and the American Predator Fighting Championships (APFC). Manny’s most recent fight came under the Bellator banner where he beat Nate Williams by decision at Bellator 157. Fighting out of the Patriots Fighting Systems in Elmhurst, IL, the twenty-three boats seven finishes in eleven career wins.

Enjoy the fights!

NOW CHECK OUT THIS PREVIOUS COLUMN: UFC 213 PREVIEW & PREDICTIONS: Grocke’s guide to Nunes vs. Shevchenko, Whitaker vs. Romero, Werdum vs. Overeem

The post DANA WHITE CONTENDER’S SERIES PREVIEW 7/11: Grocke’s preview of fights on debut episode tonight on Fight Pass appeared first on MMATorch.

Another top UFC contender has defected to Bellator.

Chamatkar Sandhu reported on Monday that Gegard Mousasi has signed on with Bellator. Mousasi later appeared on “The MMA Hour” to confirm the reports, adding that he signed a six-fight deal. He said that his motivation to jump ship had more to it than just a dollar figure.

“It’s not just basically the money,” Mousasi said. “Like I said, I’ve worked with Scott [Coker]. When Scott promises something, he delivers. He’s an honest guy. He’s a mixed martial artist himself. He treats fighters with respect.”

Mousasi made clear that his first goal in Bellator will be to claim the Bellator Middleweight Championship currently held by Rafael Carvalho. Mousasi also discussed the possibility of moving up to light heavyweight and trying his hand there.

“I’m looking forward to be [middleweight] champion there,” he said. “If I achieve that, I look forward to going a division up and getting the 205 belt. But first the middleweight belt. That’s my goal.”

At the time of his departure, Mousasi was the #4 ranked middleweight in UFC’s official rankings. Our staff MMATorch Rankings also had him at #4. He is just the latest in what appears to be a consistent departure of tenured UFC fighters when their contracts run up. Mousasi joins recent Bellator signees Ryan Bader, Roy Nelson, Matt Mitrione, Lorenz Larkin, and Rory McDonald, among others.

While no fight announcement has been made for Mousasi as of yet, looking at recent trends, fans can be safe to expect Mousasi to challenge for the championship in his first one or two fights – something that didn’t happen at all during his 12-fight UFC run where he went 9-3, winning his last five fights.

Hiscoe’s Analysis: This is another strong signing for Bellator and another indictment of the internal culture at UFC. Despite being by far the biggest promotion in the world with the best fighters, many are choosing Bellator over UFC when they have the opportunity. The Reebok deal, USADA, and the sale to WME-IMG all have to be considered as contributors to this trend. It appears that Viacom has given Scott Coker a blank cheque to sign any available fighters he can, but if Bellator can’t increase their TV viewership or gain some traction on pay-per-view, the signings may start to dry up. You also have to consider that there is an antitrust lawsuit pending against UFC right now, so it actually benefits UFC to have a competitor signing away key talent.

I would expect Gegard Mousasi to beat Rafael Carvalho if that’s the fight they make, but often fighters underestimate their Bellator competition when they move over from UFC and come up short as we saw with Ben Henderson and recently Lorenz Larkin.

TUESDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…

-Lance Pugmire at the Los Angeles Times is reporting that the Mayweather-McGregor fight will have a price tag of $89.95 or $99.95 for the HD broadcast on pay-per-view. Also, Fox Sports, in a release said that a prefight show will air on Fox at 6:00 p.m. ET and preliminary fights will air on Fox at 7:00 p.m. ET with the pay-per-view beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The @FloydMayweather @TheNotoriousMMA pay per view price will be $89.95 — same as the Pacquiao fight – $10 more for HD.

— Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) July 10, 2017

-Tonight’s Mayweather-McGregor press conference from Los Angeles can be streamed live here.

-Dana White told Fox Sports’ “Speak for Yourself” that McGregor told him he plans to knock out Mayweather “within four rounds.”

-Tonight is the first episode of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Scheduled fights are Matt Bessette vs. Kurt Holobaugh, Greg Rebello vs. Zu Anyanwu, Boston Salmon vs. Ricky Turcios, Charles Byrd vs. Jamie Pickett, and Manny Vazquez vs. Joby Sanchez. Check back with us tonight for a recap of the event.

-Chael Sonnen appeared on “The MMA Hour” yesterday and said that he felt Amanda Nunes should have lost via forfeit after pulling out of her scheduled title defense against Valentina Shevchenko last weekend. “It does happen in boxing meets and in wrestling meets,” Sonnen said. “If anything happens to the athlete whereby they don’t step on the mat after the weigh in, they lose by forfeit. There should be some kind of a clause in there.”

-Fabricio Werdum told MMA Fighting that he plans to appeal his majority decision loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 213 last weekend to the Nevada Athletic Commission.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ROUNDUP

-Valerie Letourneau is injured and out of her Bellator fight this Friday against Emily Ducote. Ducote will now fight Jessica Middleton.

-Brittney Elkin vs. Amanda Bell and Katy Collins vs. Bruna Vargas have also been added to Bellator 181 on Friday from Thackerville, Okla.

-Joseph Morales vs. Roberto Sanchez at UFC Fight Night Mexico City on Aug. 5.

The post TUESDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/11: Gegard Mousasi jumps to Bellator and sets some goals + Mayweather-McGregor, Werdum, Sonnen, Nunes (w/Analysis) appeared first on MMATorch.

Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series – Episode 1
July 11, 2017
Las Vegas, Nevada
Live on UFC Fight Pass (8:00 p.m. ET)

Welcome to our coverage of the debut episode of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Be sure the check out Michael Grocke’s preview of the show to familiarize yourself with the fighters on tonight’s show. Enjoy the fights!

Dan Hellie and Yves Edwards opened the show and ran down the card. They said Dana White will be there to pick one fighter to get a UFC contract. The show took place from the TUF gym and there’s a small audience that seems to be made up primarily of family and friends of the fighters.

I switched to the Snoopcast for the first fight.

(1) Joby Sanchez vs. Manny Vazquez (Middleweight 185 lbs)

Result: Sanchez by unanimous decision.

Vazquez dropped Sanchez in the first round and came close to finishing the fight with a guillotine. Sanchez recovered and took Vazquez down in rounds two and three and looked for submissions, taking the unanimous decision.

Urijah Faber is doing well on commentary but Snoop Dogg isn’t adding a lot. He nicknamed Joby Sanchez, “Joby Won Kenobi.”

Hiscoe’s Analysis: Sanchez recovered well from getting dropped in the first round, as he was almost out there. With only one fighter getting the contract tonight, I think Sanchez is a real longshot based on this fight.

(2) Charles Byrd vs. Jamie Pickett (Flyweight 125 lbs)

Result: Byrd by first round submission

Lots of clinch work through the first round until Byrd got him down and locked in an arm triangle for the submission win.

Hiscoe’s Analysis: Byrd looked good here and is now the front runner for the contract but there are three fights to go. Byrd asked to fight in Japan if he gets the contract.

(3) Boston Salmon vs. Ricky Turcios (Bantamweight 135 lbs)

Result: Salmon by unanimous decision

The first round was all stand up. Salmon opened up a cut on Turcios’ right eye. Salmon had the better of the striking but it was a competitive round. Turcios’ offense was primarily kicking from the outside while Salmon would counter with a left hook that was effective.

I’ve been on the regular broadcast for the past two fights and Dan Hellie is a very professional announcer and seems to understand the sport. He has a very slick and sports like presentation. He’s definitely more Jon Anik than Mike Goldberg.

The second round followed the tone set in the first with Salmon working a strong counter game, and landed some good combinations. Turcios fared better this round but I still gave it to Salmon.

Salmon knocked Turcios down early in the third with a right hand but he got right back up. Turcios clinched with Salmon against the cage for much of the rest of the round. Salmon was getting frustrated thinking Turcios was holding on to the cage. They had a nice back and forth to finish the fight. Dana White was shown on camera applauding the fighters and sitting with Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard.

Hiscoe’s Analysis: This was the best of the three fights thus far and Salmon should be in contention with Byrd for the contract. If I had to guess, I think Dana White will go with Salmon. 

(4) Greg Rebello vs. Zu Anyanwu (Heavyweight 265 lbs)

Result: Anyanwu by second round knockout

These were two big boys fighting here. Very slow first round with little action. This was like the heavyweight fights from the Tim Sylvia era of UFC with two big, soft heavyweights just circling each other hoping for an opening for a knockout. They turned it up a bit for the second round with both guys getting some decent shots in. Anyanwu won the fight with a huge counter right hand that put Rebello on his ass. He followed up with a few hammerfists and Big John stopped it.

One thing I’m enjoying about this show is the idea that one fighter will get the contract so it brings a story that carries over from fight to fight. Fighters should be trying to outdo each other as the night goes on. It’s a new element that you don’t normally get on typical UFC shows.

Hiscoe’s Analysis: It was a big knockout but was also a pretty boring fight until then so it will depend on if Dana White values knockout power over exciting fights or not. Realistically, heavyweight has a greater need for new talent than bantamweight does, but I still expect Dana White to go with Boston Salmon. 

OK, back to Snoopcast for the final fight. I should add that you can see Snoop and Faber in a box in the corner of the screen when on Snoopcast.

(5) Matt Bessette vs. Kurt Holobaugh (Featherweight 145 lbs)

Result: Holobaugh by first round knockout

Both guys came out swinging. Bessette landed a nice high kick early and Holobaugh delivered a big flurry of punches against the cage after hurting him with an uppercut. Holobaugh countered a high kick with a right hand. Holobaugh unloaded on Bessette and finished him with punches to the body and then to the head standing and Bessette dropped, ending the fight. Snoop sang “Rock a bye baby” after the KO.

Hiscoe’s Analysis: Holobaugh probably just won the contract with that performance. 

They previewed next week’s featured bout between Daniel Spohn and Angel DeAnda.

Laura Sanko interviewed Dana White. He said that he was going to give out two contracts. Come on Dana, make a decision. They went to Holobaugh and Salmon.

Final Thoughts: At just over two hours, this was a very palatable show. I love the story weaved throughout the show of which fighter is going to put on the best performance and win the contract. It’s a new, fun concept that hardcore UFC fans should eat up. The Snoop thing is harmless fun for a show like this, and again it makes it feel fresh even if there’s not a lot of substance there. With so many UFC shows, interest in this show is likely to fade, but after one episode, I’m a fan of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.

NOW CHECK OUT MICHAEL GROCKE’S ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVE ON THIS EVENT: 7/11 Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series Report: Grocke’s review of debut episode of new UFC Fight Pass program

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Next month’s Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor contest that crosses sports and crosses over into mainstream entertainment. I just came back from the launch of the promotional tour, the press conference at the Staples Center. It was the first time Money and the Notorious one have crossed paths, and it was a memorable spectacle.

I attended the event with amateur UK MMA fighter OJ Entertainment. Here are some notes and insight from today’s monumental event.

• It was hyped that the Stapes Center would be filled because of the enormity of this event, and it was nearly full. It was incredible seeing nearly 20,000 people in attendance to watch a press conference.
• There were live performances leading into the arrivals of the two superstars, but the crowd didn’t truly come alive until Conor McGregor arrived to a thunderous ovation. He was clearly the fan favorite for this match. McGregor came in looking GQ smooth in a fitted suit, and he was clearly enjoying the moment.
• Mayweather arrived to a chorus of boos, and he played into it with heel facial expressions and mannerisms. Many started an “IRS” and “pay your taxes” chant due to recent headlines.
• There were some ill conceived introduction speeches by organizers of the event that nobody cared to see. A rep for the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas was heavily jeered, and it was obvious that the impatient audience was ready to see the two competitors trade verbal jabs.
• Dana White woke the frustrated crowd up when he took the stage to a huge ovation to introduce the biggest star in MMA. It also reaffirmed that UFC is clearly seen as the cooler sport
• McGregor took the stand first and gave a characteristically brash promo that he was unafraid of Floyd, and that his confidence and ferociousness would assure victory. It was a profanity-laden speech that showcased his gift on the microphone. Pro wrestling can really learn from him, not in terms of letting swear words on air, but from the intensity and attitude that comes across in non-scripted promos. The crowd was solidly behind him, and he was eating up the applause. He got serious about how hard he had worked to achieve his success, but he was also just a young guy having fun.
• The UFC champ proceeded to make fun of Mayweather’s wardrobe, and he gloated that he had the guts to go into the boxing ring, but Floyd couldn’t take the challenge to enter the Octagon. He stated that this was not even a real fight, but it was a “quarter of a fight” because the real fights take place in UFC.  Conor then talked about how it is rare that fighters crossover into the general pop culture consciousness. He even brought up the infamous Muhammad Ali versus Antonio Inoki match from decades ago. It was clear he was a pro wrestling fan as it had obviously influenced his character.  I am not an MMA fan, so this was my first time seeing him live, but he exhibits more style, charisma, and cool factor than anyone in the pro wrestling industry has in years. He also brilliantly framed the match as a no-lose situation for him because he was the one willing to enter Mayweather’s sport for the first time.
• Mayweather then took center stage and he was booed heavily. He looked arrogant in a gaudy red, white and blue TMT hoodie. He had an arrogant expression on his face and he was unfazed by the negative response. The censors were off as he returned an expletive-filled tirade. It seemed like he was the more calm and confident fighter, and that made sense because it was his sport, and he was the older veteran. The merchandise stands were full of Mayweather merchandise, and he was introduced as the greatest attraction in sports and entertainment. This even is definitely a Money Team production.
• Money was brilliant in his portrayal of the cocky heel who could back it up. He laughed that Conor “only” made three million dollars in his last fight. He bragged that he was not a seven-figure fighter and not even an eight-figure fighter. He was the first nine-figure fighter. Watching this, it made it seem even more ridiculous that WWE tried to introduce him as a babyface. It made O.J. and I really question the judgement of the people in charge of their creative.
• The conference ended in predictable fashion with Mayweather and McGregor head to head exchanging pleasantries. Dana White got in between them, but the goofy smile on his face made it seem like the whole confrontation was staged. In reality, they should all be smiling because it could be the biggest payday in their careers.
• The Los Angeles fans were happy with the spectacle and, although I do not watch boxing or MMA, I felt like I was part of history.

Hopefully WWE was watching this because it should influence them to format their television shows in a way where they feature their wrestlers in compelling programs that build to dream matches. Here are some quick lessons wrestling could learn from the build to the Mayweather versus McGregor match.

• Let the wrestlers find their own voice and take the chains off to allow them to cut their own promos and unleash their charisma and their true characters. Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock may have never become the spectacular performers they became if they were so tightly scripted.
• Focus on building to major matches more than comedy and lame skits. The success of the recent Brock Lesnar-Samoa Joe and Lesnar-Goldberg programs showcased that fans crave the spectacle of two larger-than-life figures clashing on a grand stage. This makes more money than cheesy “sports entertainment” goofiness.
• Put the emphasis of the show around the wrestlers and have the promoters and authority figures building them up as world-class athletes. I love the pageantry and the spectacle of wrestling, but I want it in the context of a show that has an internal logic and builds its characters as performers we are lucky to see.

It is fitting that the initial crossing of paths between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor took place in Los Angeles because it had the drama, heroes and villains of a Hollywood movie. I ran into some of Mayweather’s Money Team in the parking lot and talked to his entourage about how brilliantly they had built their brand. Hopefully WWE takes note and realizes that sometimes the biggest stars in sports can be bad guys, and maybe Roman Reigns’s true path to face of the company maybe that of the guy the people love to hate.

Speaking of Money, check out the link to our latest episode of our new show, The Pro Wrestling Top 5. This week, my broadcast partner, former Pro Wrestling Dot Net Editor Rich Twilling and I discuss the Top 5 Money in the Bank Cash-Ins of All Time HERE.

Follow Shawn and send questions, comments, and feedback on Twitter @shawnvalentino and follow his show on Twitter: @WrestlingTop5

The post LIVE REPORT: Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor press conference at Staples Center details appeared first on MMATorch.

Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contenders Series
July 11, 2017
The Ultimate Fighter Gym in Las Vegas, Nevada
Aired on UFC Fight Pass

Pre-Fight Show

Megan Olivi welcomes viewers to the broadcast and immediately introduces Urijah Faber. Olivi and Faber discuss what’s on the line for the fighters. They then throw it to a pre-taped promo from Dana White who calls this the ultimate job interview. He discusses the intimate setting of the Ultimate Fighter Gym and what he expects to see from the fights. He also talks about wanting to see exciting fights and guys going for the finish.

A video package of the fighters in the main event is shown.

Olivi and Yves Edwards run down the card. Edwards is prepared and provides great background commentary on each of the fighters.

Another video package airs of Dana White talking about all the talent that’s out there and this is the opportunity of a lifetime for these fighters. A great video is shown of the fighters competing tonight with each of them narrating what this means to them and what White should expect from them.

DWTNCS 

Dan Hellie and Yves Edwards welcome viewers to the show. They bring in Snoop Dog and Urijah Faber in a split screen and Faber says you just never know what’s going to come out of their mouths.

Main Card 

I really like the stripped down rawness of the show. There’s a small, but lively crowd of family and friends cheering as the fighters enter the gym.

(1) Manny Vazquez (11-2) vs. Joby Sanchez (9-2) – Flyweight 125 lbs.

Result: Sanchez by unanimous decision 

Vazquez took the center as Sanchez circled around him to open the fight. Vazquez tried to take advantage of his reach advantage by staying on the outside. Sanchez was the busier fighter but when he tried to get inside Vazquez caught him with a combination flush that put Sanchez down. Vazquez did a great job taking the back and landing punches with Sanchez in a body lock. Not much happened until towards the end of the round, but clearly Vazquez’s round.

Sanchez came out in the second round and immediately took Vazquez down. Sanchez did an excellent job controlling Vazquez on the ground. He rode Vaquez’s back landing punches to the head for most of the round. The second round was dominated by Sanchez.

Vazquez turned the tables on Sanchez to start the third round by shooting in and getting the early take down. Sanchez was able to reverse position with 3 minutes to go and worked from top position while attempting submissions. Vazquez exploded up and they were back to center cage with 2 minutes to go. Sanchez did a nice job getting Vazquez down after running him to the fence. He did enough damage while riding out the final minute of the round.

Sanchez definitely earned the decision.

After the fight Laura Sanko interviewed Joby Sanchez. Sanchez talked about the fight and his win and thinks he deserves a contract with the UFC.

A video package aired featuring highlights of both fighters voiced over by Dan Hellie. If you have time to read about Jaime Pickett’s life, I encourage you to do so. It’s quite the story.

(2) Charles Byrd (7-4) vs. Jamie Pickett (7-2) – Middleweight 185 lbs.

Result: Byrd by submission (arm-triangle choke)

Both guys started the fight very active with kicks. Pickett scored the early take down but Byrd was able to get to his feet fairly easily. Pickett scored another take down with just under 3 minutes left in the round. Byrd was able to get back to his with 2 minutes left. The fight remained on the feet until Byrd took Pickett down with under a minute left and subbed Pickett with an arm triangle choke with just 5 seconds left. Pickett tried to fight it off but went to sleep and Big John called it off.

That was a fun fight while it lasted. Byrd definitely made an impression with that performance.

Laura Sanko interviewed Byrd after the fight. Byrd came across as very humble and respectful.

A commercial aired for next week’s show. Afterwards a video package was shown featuring Salmon and Turios talking about the opportunity and what winning would mean to them. Interesting note, Boston Salmon grew up with and played baseball as a kid with Max Holloway.

Brad Tavares is in the crowd cheering on Salmon.

(3) Ricky Turcios (8-0) vs. Boston Salmon (5-1) – Bantamweight 135 lbs.

Result: Salmon by unanimous decision 

Turcios came out active with kicks but didn’t land much. Salmon worked in a more relaxed pace while Turcio worked at a very frenetic pace. Salmon’s striking was on point landing some big power shots throughout the round. Turcio started to bleed from punches towards the end of the round. Turcio’s striking isn’t his strong suit, I was surprised he didn’t try for any take downs at any point in the first round. Salmon won the first round easily.

Turcio tried to establish distance with kicks to start the second round but Salmon blocked most if not all of them. Salmon continued to just walk Turcio down landing punches. With 3 minutes left Turcio finally shot for a double but Salmon stuffed it easily. The remainder of the round was fought on the feet where Salmon continued to pick Turcio apart. Turcio landed a few kicks but they did little, if any damage. Round two was another round for Salmon.

Salmon landed a big right hand that dropped Turcio momentarily in the beginning of the round but he recovered quickly. Salmon’s counters were ridiculously effective throughout the fight. He was very calm and calculated in his striking and was comfortable in the pocket. With 30 seconds left both fighters started swinging for the fences and Salmon did his best to finish Turcio but man, he can take a punch. It was all Boston Salmon in the fight.

Laura Sanko interviewed Salmon after the fight. Salmon was emotional as he states is dad is battling stage four cancer. He calls himself a Hawaiian Warrior and says his goal is the UFC title. Salmon seems to be a likable guy.

(4) Azunna Anyanwu (13-4) vs. Greg Rebello (22-7) – Heavyweight 260 lbs.

Result: Antanwu by KO

The fight got off to a slow start with both guys trying to feel each other out. Halfway through the round Rebello started to find his range and started landing some punches. Anyanwu came back with a big shot with a minute left. Rebello went for a kick with under a minute left but Anyanwu caught it and scored a late take down. It was a tough round to score but ultimately I thought Rebello landed the bigger punches.

Both guys came out swinging in the second round. Rebello kept backing into the fence and it was just a matter of time before Anyanwu caught him. Anyanwu landed a gig overhand right that dropped Rebello with three minutes left in the round. Anyanwu pounced and landed a few more punches to a downed Rebello and Big John stopped it.

This was your typical big man fight. They were both loading up for the big shot and fortunately for Anyanwu he landed it first.

Anyanwu calls himself the best heavyweight in the world in his interview with Laura Sanko.

Matt Bessette was diagnosed with leukemia as a kid. He now calls it a gift because it made him so much stronger both mentally and physically. I can relate.

(5) Matt Bessette (22-7) vs. Kurt Holobaugh (17-4) – Featherweight 145 lbs.

Result: Holobaugh by KO

Holobaugh had Bessette rocked a minute into the fight but Bessette recovered well. Holobaugh was able to do a ton of damage from distance. With 2 minutes left Holobaugh caught Bessette with a huge combination that dropped Bessette. It was a big right hook that ended it. Bessette landed some punches but Holobaugh just ate every one of them. This was a fantastic performance from Holobaugh.

A commercial aired for next week’s show while Dana White decided who was getting into the UFC.

Laura Sanko interviewed Dana White where White chose Boston Salmon and Kurt Holobaugh as the newest fighters to join the UFC.

That was a fun night of fights. I was happy to see Dana White choose both Holobaugh and Salmon as the contract winners. They both deserved it. While I enjoyed all of the fights, what I liked even more was hearing the fighter’s stories. Some of them were truly inspirational. The show had a nice flow to it and the commentating was very good. All in all it was I thought it was a fun way to spend two hours on a Tuesday night.

The post 7/11 Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series Report: Grocke’s review of debut episode of new UFC Fight Pass program appeared first on MMATorch.

They Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor World Press Tour kicked off Tuesday, and while it had it’s talking points, the first stop was somewhat underwhelming.

The event at Staples Center in Los Angeles was well attended and, as Dana White had predicted, followed a slightly different format than a typical UFC conference. Rather than having everybody on stage and getting right to questions, a more formal approach was taken.

Showtime presented the press conference as an event on its own with Mauro Ranallo, Paulie Malignaggi, and Brendan Schaub speaking to the at-home audience to set the stage for the fight and the presser. The three spoke for over 15 minutes before a musical performance by Aloe Blac kicked things off on stage. Thirty minutes after the broadcast began, Mayweather and McGregor were then brought out through the crowd for a staredown.

The initial staredown had both men several feet apart. Mayweather was wearing a stars and stripes themed TMT sweat suit and McGregor was decked out in a pinstripe suit with the words “f— you” being used in place of the stripes. Mayweather stood stone-faced while McGregor bounced and bobbed his head while smacking on some gum.

As for quotables from the presser, there were a few, but hopefully both combatants are saving their best material to last through the week.

McGregor echoed what he had previously told Dana White – that he plans to knock Mayweather out within four rounds. He also started to lay the groundwork for an explanation should he come up short on Aug. 26. “This isn’t a true fight,” McGregor said. “If this was a true fight, it wouldn’t take one round.”

McGregor also threw a jab at “Money” Mayweather’s choice of attire for the event. “He’s in a f–king track suit,” he said. “He can’t even afford a suit anymore,” also alluding to Mayweather’s recent issues with the IRS.

Mayweather retorted as only he can, referencing what he sees as a disparity between the two men’s wealth. “He looks good for a seven-figure fighter; he looks good for an eight-figure fighter; but motherf–ker, I’m a nine-figure fighter,” Mayweather said.

A final, extended staredown, this time with the two a little closer together concluded the press conference. Both men jabbered back and forth while surrounded by cameras and their respective entourages.

The press tour continues today at 5:30 p.m. ET from Toronto. (LINK)

Hiscoe’s Analysis: They have three more of these to get through. So while there were no major fireworks at the event, they really need to hold back a bit. Knowing McGregor, he likely has the whole thing mapped out and I would expect something notable to happen on Wednesday or Thursday to lead to the big Wembley Stadium event on Friday.

WEDNESDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…

-Ticket prices have been set for the Mayweather-McGregor fight now that they have secured the T-Mobile Arena for the event from Ice-T’s Big 3 basketball league. Tickets go on sale July 24, and the lowest price to get in is $500. After that, prices will be $1,500, $2,500, $3,500, $5,000, $7,500, and peaking at $10,000 for ringside seats. The Mayweather-Pacquiao fight did a live gate of over $72 million, and with these prices, a sellout looks to garner a live gate north of $80 million.

-Two fighters received UFC contracts on the debut episode of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Boston Salmon and Kurt Holobaugh both impressed White enough with their wins to get a shot in UFC. Check out my recap of the show HERE.

-Saturday’s UFC 213 prelims averaged 657,000 viewers on Fox Sports 1. The Friday night “Ultimate Fighter Finale” averaged 724,000 viewers.

-Speaking to reporters at yesterday’s press conference, Dana White said that he doesn’t know if Conor McGregor will fight in UFC again. “I had a bunch of guys who worked for us in the UFC and made a bunch of money and they’re gone now. You know? You just don’t know, if he’s going to come in and make this kind of money, he might never fight again,” White said. (SOURCE)

-Bellator Middleweight Champion Rafael Carvalho will fight Alessio Sakara on Dec. 9 in Florence, Italy.

NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: TUESDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/11: Gegard Mousasi jumps to Bellator and sets some goals + Mayweather-McGregor, Werdum, Sonnen, Nunes (w/Analysis)

The post WEDNESDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/13: Mayweather-McGregor “World Press Tour” kicks off, but did it make news (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis) appeared first on MMATorch.

Before a recent career change, I was an operations manager for 14 years. I hired people, fired them when necessary, motivated, disciplined, planned, and led staff meetings, explained and implemented all sorts of sweeping changes, set budgets and controlled costs, and so on and so forth. And if I do say so myself, I was pretty good at it. I’ve also watched from afar the UFC’s business practices and fighter relations for most of my adult life. Now of course you didn’t come here to read an executive summary of my resume; it’s all just a bit of background to explain where I’m coming from when I say that Dana White is quite simply a bad boss in the public eye.

Maybe it’s a copout to add the “public eye” qualification, but speaking in absolutes isn’t often a great idea, and even less so when we’re talking about a situation that takes place only partially in front of everyone.

There are enough stories about White and the UFC brass paying for medical bills and generally taking care of fighters and other people inside or outside of the organization without being obligated to do so that it’s not fair to paint with a brush broad enough to cover what we don’t see. All that being said, what we do see doesn’t reflect well on the UFC President when it comes to fighter relations.

If you spend any time on websites directed at professionals (LinkedIn or the like,) or if you work for a large company with all their initiatives designed to reduce turnover, increase employee satisfaction, or anything else to which large companies enjoy paying lip service, you’ve likely seen lists of things that bosses can do to keep their people and keep them happy. I’ve read many of these lists and read several books on the topic as well. All the advice and bulletpoints essentially boil down to two things: pay people fairly and treat them well. And somehow, at least as it’s perceived by a majority of the public and several vocal fighters, the UFC fails miserably at both.

The subject of fighter pay has been done to death, and we’re not going to revisit that here, but essentially when you look at the percentage of the UFC’s profits that go to the fighters, it’s lower than any other professional sport, and it’s lower by a huge margin. And on a side note, for those who have read or heard several times, as I have, that employees don’t stay or leave their jobs because of money, don’t believe it.

That only begins to become true when the employees perceive that they’re being compensated fairly. For example, if an employee is making $30,000/year, loves his or her job, and perceives that to be fair pay (i.e. they don’t have friends or contacts who are making appreciably more in a similar role and/or they don’t perceive their employers as being cheap), they’re less likely to leave because of money (at least to a similar position). But if you have an employee who’s making $80,000/year and believes that he or she is underpaid, then you have a problem.

Those same articles telling managers that employees don’t leave because of money will all reveal the real issue as if it’s some sort of secret: The most common reason that people leave a job is because of their boss. This is the obvious issue in the UFC. Dana White’s burial of Amanda Nunes on the day she pulled out of a fight due to illness was only the latest in a long line of burials.

Look no further than arguably the three greatest fighters ever to step into the Octagon: Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, and Jon Jones. They’ve all fallen victim to White’s tomato-faced tirades, whether by not accepting a short-notice fight, having a dull fight in a new market, or having the gall to announce they’re taking a break from active competition without consulting him.

That’s not to mention a more recent example in Demetrious Johnson, who sits atop the UFC’s own current pound-for-pound rankings and wanted to be, in his estimation, properly compensated before agreeing to a fight against T.J. Dillashaw, who has never fought at flyweight. In this case there are differing opinions on whether Johnson is within his rights to ask for more money, but even if Johnson is wrong, White handling it in a way that diminishes Johnson’s value in the eyes of the people who ostensibly pay to watch him fight is hardly justifiable.

Dana White will tell you that fighters are a different breed, that you can’t handle them the way you would handle other people. And to a certain extent, he’s right. There’s always the Rich Franklins of the world, who seem to be pretty well-adjusted people. But then you’ve got guys like Mike Perry, who… does and says the things that Mike Perry does and says. But at the end of the day, everyone wants to be treated fairly. And when you’re dealing with elite-level athletes who train for endless hours to reach the pinnacle of their sport only to have their heart called into question, that can’t sit well. And the reaction of any normal person if another viable option presents itself is to head for the door.

So where does the UFC go from here? Do they even think they have a problem in White? The evidence thus far is that they do not. Dana White has been the public face of the UFC for over a decade now, and the growth of the business during that span speaks volumes. But at what point does it become a detriment to the UFC’s relationship with its fighters, and thus to its future as the leading MMA promoter in the world?

The obvious answer is that it becomes an issue when fighters have another option. And right now, for fighters who want to show that they’re the best, there’s one promotion, and in large part one man, who can help them get there.

Shawn Ennis is a charter columnist with MMATorch.com. Listen to him this Monday night with host Mike Hiscoe (7/17) at 7 ET on the debut episode of the “MMA Talk for Pro Wrestling Fans” podcast in the new PWTorch Livecast line-up. Details at www.PWTorchLivecast.com.

NOW CHECK OUT PRIOR MMATORCH COLUMNS HERE.

The post ENNIS’S TAKE: Dana White is quite simply a bad boss in the public eye calling out fights the way he does appeared first on MMATorch.

Mercifully, Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather are done touring the world to promote their upcoming boxing bout. Unfortunately, the talking points from the tour are focused on the racist, misogynistic, and homophobic comments made by both fighters during the final days of the tour.

From a societal perspective, these comments are troubling, (and deserving of extended scrutiny in a wider scope), but from an MMA-centric perspective, the lowest common denominator trash talk is a reinforcement of the negative connotations ascribed to the MMA world.

Sure, McGregor and other notable fighters have engaged in questionable banter in the past; but none of them have ever had the reach that McGregor has during his foray into boxing.

Fair or not, the UFC and all of MMA are under an extra level of scrutiny in the summer of 2017.

Theoretically, the fight is a moment for the UFC to seize. McGregor is the UFC’s undisputed master of the microphone, with a unique opportunity to verbally and physically take on an enigma from another universe. While the public is mostly in the dark regarding the UFC’s official role in the spectacle, they are undoubtedly involved in the proceedings to boost their profile in the mainstream.

Indirectly, McGregor has become the unofficial UFC ambassador, a role he may be better suited for than UFC president Dana White.

Speaking of White, he has an even bigger stake in the image of the UFC as result of the Mayweather-McGregor hype. No matter the outcome of the fight, White will still have to promote his sport to the mainstream masses on August 27.

Yes, it is true that White has no control over the words that McGregor spews, but when he declares that the fighters have not gone too far in their verbiage, he is essentially co-signing on McGregor telling Mayweather to “Dance for me, boy!”

White himself has a proclivity to act impulsively in the public eye, and in certain moments White will engage in his own putrid verbal attacks. Recall that before White’s recent about-face regarding Cris “Cyborg” Justino, he happily compared her appearance to that of Wanderlei Silva.

White is a great promoter, but not exactly the ideal poster boy for any company.

Given these parameters, it seems that McGregor did very little to boost the viability of the UFC.

The promotion for the fight is far from finished, but this was the stage that McGregor was supposed to dominate. The likely lopsided in-ring action between Mayweather and McGregor was to be theoretically neutralized by the barbs thrown out by McGregor during the buildup.

However, after that week-long spectacle McGregor has done himself no favors. It is understandable that the verbal jousting degenerated; after all, most prolonged arguments often deteriorate into low-hanging fruit.

This is unfortunate. Despite McGregor’s occasional dabbling lowbrow trash talk, he is generally artistic and creative in his vocal takedowns. The Mayweather-McGregor world tour was clearly not McGregor’s best stuff.

Now, before a column like this is dismissed as being another politically correct evaluation of a harmless situation, it should be pointed out how this could negatively impact the UFC’s bottom line.

The merging of boxing and the UFC has revealed that, despite the progress that MMA has made over the last 15 years, the sport is still a sideshow in the eyes of many in the boxing world.

After spending 15 years legitimizing the sport, the UFC is now looking to penetrate the entertainment space that a sport like boxing has occupied for several years, despite being declared “dead” for nearly two decades.

Long-ago boxing made the decision to embrace a seedy underbelly of promoting underwhelming pay-per-view cards, carefully constructing undefeated fighters, dubious fight outcomes, and unsavory characters. In its rise, the UFC noticed the shortcomings of boxing, and patterned the sport in a seemingly different direction.

The strategy has worked for the UFC, but public perception has not fully legitimized the sport. A maligned uniform policy and an invasive drug testing program may have made the UFC an attractive commodity to WME-IMG, but those ancillary changes do nothing to enhance the public perception of the company.

Those who dismiss MMA as unrefined brawling between fringe personalities are validated in their beliefs when McGregor justifies his words by proclaiming that he is, “half-black from the bellybutton down.”

McGregor is better than this, but he is giving critics of himself and the sport ammunition.

The UFC’s goal in this endeavor should be to convert the “old-school” boxing audience into regular UFC customers. But after one press tour, it is the UFC that comes across as the organization that embraces the negative ethos of being “old-school.”

The post MEDIA & BUSINESS: McGregor letting down the UFC under the bright lights, but is the setback for MMA’s image the big story appeared first on MMATorch.

With both Bellator and UFC running low-key events last weekend without many big names, it was Bellator that was able to draw the most viewers.

The Friday night Bellator event from Thackerville, Oklahoma was headlined by a rubber match between Derek Campos and Brandon Girtz. That show averaged 514,000 viewers on Spike, peaking for the main event at 628,000 viewers.

UFC was at a disadvantage in that they were running a Sunday afternoon show rather than a typical Saturday night. The event from Glasgow headlined by Santiago Ponzinibbio knocking out Gunnar Nelson averaged 402,000 viewers on Fox Sports 1. Due to the early knockout in the main event, the broadcast actually ended at about 10 minutes to the top of the hour and peaked at 496,000 viewers, which may have contributed to the low viewership.

UFC will look to rebound in the ratings this weekend with a primetime event on Fox headlined by Chris Weidman taking on Kelvin Gastelum. UFC’s most recent event on Fox headlined by Demetrious Johnson vs. Wilson Reis in a flyweight title fight also disappointed in the ratings.

While UFC is far and away the industry leader when it comes to pay-per-view and big events, it appears the gap has narrowed when it comes to run of the mill shows.

Hiscoe’s Analysis: It’s not apples to apples because Bellator was in prime time and UFC was on a Sunday afternoon but it is interesting, and maybe even encouraging to see that Bellator can outdraw UFC when it comes to the lower level shows. What these numbers might tell us is that people would rather watch MMA in prime time rather than during the day, regardless of the promotion. It also shows that having a UFC branded show is not as valuable as it may have been in the past if it doesn’t have any name fighters on the show.

WEDNESDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…

-Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier have been going back and forth on social media this week. Cormier made an Instagram post that read “I know I’m gonna dump him on his doped up head this time.” Jones then took to the comment section of the post and wrote, among other things, “Just make sure you don’t get yourself chocked [sic] out in the process of showing off these rejuvenated [sic] takedowns of yours.” Cormier then responded saying that Jones was “insecure” and “stalking me.”

-Fans can now register through Ticketmaster to purchase tickets for Mayweather vs. McGregor. You can register HERE until Thursday at 10 p.m. ET and you will receive an offer code to use when tickets go on sale on July 24.

-Last night’s Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series was another fun show with three finishes in five fights. One contract was awarded Sean O’Malley who knocked out Alfred Khaskhakyan in the first round. Check out Michael Grocke’s review of the show HERE.

-Former UFC fighter Cody Pfister was arrested over the weekend for assault according to the Amarillo Globe. Pfister allegedly was in an argument with a woman at a restaurant and she locked him out of the house when they returned home. Pfister then allegedly forced his way into the house and pinned the woman against the wall, shaking her. (SOURCE)

NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: TUESDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/18: Conor McGregor’s father defends son against racism accusations, Anderson Silva challenge, more (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis)

The post WEDNESDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/19: Bellator outdraws UFC in viewership last weekend (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis) appeared first on MMATorch.

Brock Lesnar hasn’t commented publicly regarding rumors he has entered negotiations for a return to UFC, but when presented with a hypothetical fight option, Lesnar did have something to say.

One speculated opponent for Lesnar has been Jon Jones, who is challenging Daniel Cormier for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship this weekend at UFC 214. It would mean jumping up a weight class for Jones, but Lesnar seemed keen when presented with the idea of the fight.

“Would I fight Jon Jones? Anytime, anywhere,” Lesnar told the Associated Press. “Right now he should be worried about D.C. on Saturday night.”

Both Lesnar and Jones failed tests for the “specified substance” Clomiphene in conjunction with UFC 200 last year. Jones’s failure was flagged just days before he was to fight Cormier at the event, but Lesnar’s results did not come in until after. Lesnar’s decision win over Mark Hunt was overturned to a no-contest. Both Lesnar and Jones were suspended. Jones’s suspension expired earlier this month while Lesnar retired in February, effectively freezing his suspension and taking him out of the USADA testing pool.

For Lesnar to fight again for UFC, he will be required to officially state his intent to return and complete the remaining months of his suspension while subjecting himself to random USADA testing.

A fight between Lesnar and Jones would be a dream fight of one of UFC’s most popular heavyweights and one of its most accomplished fighters. With several hurdles to overcome, including Daniel Cormier, this fight will have to remain a dream for the time being.

Hiscoe’s Analysis: We talked about the prospect of this fight Monday night on the “MMA Talk for Pro-Wrestling Fans” Livecast and I have a hard time seeing this fight coming together. First, it would be ideal for Jones to beat Cormier this weekend before moving up to fight Brock at heavyweight. The dilemma is if Jones wins, he’ll be the UFC Light Heavyweight Champ, and Jones fighting at heavyweight would put the division on hold, and we’ve seen the damage that’s been done to featherweight, lightweight, and middleweight in the past two years by having champions look for “money” fights or just leaving altogether. There is also the hurdle of Lesnar being tested for 5-6 months before a fight can happen, but that might be the easiest of them all. Regardless, the idea of a Jones-Lesnar fight sounds great; I’m just not optimistic that it’s the best idea in the big picture.

WEDNESDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…

-If you don’t want to shell out $100 to watch Mayweather vs. McGregor at home, Fathom Events will be bringing the fight to select movie theaters in the U.S. Tickets will be $40.

-Dana White told ESPN on Monday that he hasn’t spoken to Jon Jones since his drug test failure in the days leading up to UFC 200 last summer. “I feel like we’ve been there for the guy every time he’s had a problem, and for him to do that at UFC 200, I was just… I was not happy,” White said (via MMA Fighting). “But we don’t have to talk for him to come back and do what he’s going to try to do on Saturday night. We don’t have to talk. I’m not mad at him anymore like I was before, but we’ll see how this thing plays out.”

-Georges St-Pierre and Michael Bisping spoke to each other on Bisping’s podcast recently and both expressed interest in fighting each other later this year. St-Pierre said: “I texted Dana and he knows that I want to fight you and hopefully if the boss wants, the fight will happen.”

-Saturday’s UFC on Fox show headlined by Chris Weidman vs. Kelvin Gastelum saw final average viewership come in at just over 2 million viewers. Last July’s Fox show averaged just shy of 3 million viewers for an event headlined by Holly Holm vs. Valentina Shevchenko.

-UFC 214 Embedded: Episode 2 is now available for viewing HERE.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ROUND-UP

-Rafael dos Anjos vs. Neil Magny and Mitch Clarke vs. Alex White have been added to UFC 215 on Sept. 9 from Edmonton.

NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: TUESDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/25: Jones wins the day as he shares Anderson Silva’s thoughts on Cormier (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis)

The post WEDNESDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/26: Brock Lesnar says he’d fight Jon Jones “anytime, anywhere” (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis) appeared first on MMATorch.

UFC 214 hype continued on Wednesday with a press conference featuring both Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones.

There was certainly no love lost between the two and, while both men seemed to be focused on the task at hand, they still took opportunities to take shots at each other. Cormier didn’t hold back at all and raised intense allegations about Jones and “steroid” use. Cormier feels that it’s been quite some time since Jones hasn’t been on some form of performance-enhancing drug.

“I do believe he’s done (steroids) for a long time,” Cormier told the audience. “What’s the guy’s name that he beat? Stephan Bonnar. Stephan Bonnar – that is when you didn’t do steroids, but everything else in the middle (you did).” Jones defeated Bonnar by unanimous decision at UFC 94 in January of 2009, his second UFC fight.

The crowd in attendance for the press conference were supportive of Jones, but that didn’t keep him from retaliating to Cormier. “You look like a junkie here tonight,” Jones said, referencing Cormier’s scraggly beard and worn-out appearance, presumably from a difficult weight cut. “You look like a crackhead with a suit on.”

“I may look like a crackhead with a suit on, but I’ve never been one,” Cormier responded.

Talk soon turned to Jones and a potential fight with Brock Lesnar, who has been rumored to be considering an MMA comeback.

Regarding Lesnar, Jones was open to the prospect of a fight with the retired former UFC Heavyweight Champion. “I will deal with Daniel, and then I’ll deal with Brock Lesnar,” Jones said.

Dana White, though, was quick to shut down any rumors of a Jones-Lesnar fight or any Lesnar fight for that matter. “I don’t even know where that thing came from or how it started,” White said. “First of all, believe me, I haven’t talked to Brock Lesnar and I don’t know.”

Hiscoe’s Analysis: It wasn’t the most heated press conference, but there was a pretty good back-and-forth between Jones and Cormier here. Two days out from the fight, I’m not feeling the buzz that I would expect from a fight that’s going to do big numbers on pay-per-view. The first Jones-Cormier fight did about 800,000 buys and I don’t expect this card to do better, even though big rematches often surpass their predecessors. “Buzz” is not measurable, though, so “a feeling” isn’t always a good indicator of how well a show will do. Using YouTube views, this event might be tracking to do as well as UFC 182. The first UFC 182 Embedded episode has had 465,000 views in the two years since it’s been posted. Contrarily, the first episode of UFC 214 Embedded has done over 855,000 views on YouTube since Tuesday, so this could indicate that interest is there for the fight.

THURSDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…

-Dana White said at the press conference that the winner of the Tyron Woodley vs. Demian Maia fight will fight Georges St-Pierre next. He also said that GSP’s people were in town to talk and that the “Bisping ship has sailed.”

-The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) has officially instated four new weight classes for Mixed Martial Arts. The new weights will be 165 (super lightweight), 175 (super welterweight), 195 (super middleweight), and 225 (cruiserweight). No weight classes are being eliminated and there is no obligation for promotions to utilize these new divisions.

-Episode 3 of UFC 214 Embedded is available for viewing HERE.

THROWBACK THURSDAY…

What else but Jones-Cormier I from January 2015: WATCH

NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: WEDNESDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/26: Brock Lesnar says he’d fight Jon Jones “anytime, anywhere” (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis)

The post THURSDAY NEWS DIGEST 7/27: Cormier and Jones verbally spar at UFC 214 press conference, Dana responds to Lesnar-Jones talk (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis) appeared first on MMATorch.

Week 4 of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series airs on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 7 p.m. CT. Below is a week-by-week listing of the fighters White has chosen up until now.

Week 1: Kurt Holobaugh and Boston Salmon

Week 2: Sean O’Malley

Week 3: Karl Roberson and Geoff Neal

Who will Dana White choose this week? Let’s take a look at the fighters and the match-ups.

Main Card

Phillip Hawes (4-1) vs. Julian Marquez (5-1) – Middleweight 185 lbs.

Phil Hawes started his professional career going 4-0 until he got subbed by Louis Taylor at WSOF 32. Hawes has made two appearances under the World Series of Fighting banner. He has also fought for Legacy Fighting Championship – Texas (LFC) and Global Knockout (GKO). The twenty-eight year old has three knockouts and one submission in four pro wins.

Julian Marquez has only tasted defeat one time in his MMA career. He went 3-0 as an amateur with all three wins by way of submission. As a pro fighter he is 5-1 with four knockouts and one submission. Marquez’s one loss occurred under the Bellator banner where he dropped a unanimous decision to Chris Harris. It was Marquez’s one and only Bellator fight. The thirty-seven year old has also fought for Blackout Fighting Championship (BFC), Kansas City Fighting Alliance, Combate Americas and Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA).

James Gray (4-1) vs. Kyler Phillips (4-0) – Bantamweight 135 lbs. 

After a long career fighting as an amateur where he went 10-0 with one no-contest, James Gray is 4-1 as a professional. He started out 4-0 but suffered his first loss in his last fight at XFCI 10 against Daniel Virginio. Gray has sixteen career fights, of those only one made it past the first round. As a pro all four of his wins are first round submissions. Even in the one loss, he was stopped in the first round. To take it even further, in fourteen career wins, each of them ended by submission and not one fight went longer than two minutes. As a pro Gray fought three times for the Xtreme Fighting Championships promotion, and once for Triple X Cagefighting and Total Warrior Combat (TWC).

Kyler Phillips has yet to taste defeat as a MMA fighter. He went 4-0 as an amateur and is now 4-0 as a pro. Of his eight total fights only one made it to the judge’s scorecards, and only two made it out of the first round. The twenty-two year old’s first three pro fights occurred under the California Xtreme Fighting promotion (CXF). His last fight was under the Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) umbrella where he beat Jonathan Quiroz by unanimous decision.

Ronaldo Candido (6-0) vs. Carlos Candelario (6-0) – Flyweight 125 lbs.

Ronaldo Candido is undefeated as a professional fighter with all six wins coming by way of submission. Candido competed on the Ultimate Fighter Season 24, where he lost to Eric Shelton by unanimous decision in the quarterfinals. All six of the Brazilians pro fights have been in his home country of Brazil. The last five were all under the Shooto Americas umbrella.

Carlos Candelario is also undefeated as a professional. All but one of his six victories ended inside the distance. His last fight was at CES MMA 44 where he finished Timothy Wheeler in the first round. Candelario’s last five fights were all under the Classic Entertainment and Sports umbrella. The twenty-six year old has also fought for Reality Fighting.

Austin Arnett (15-2) vs. Brandon Davis (7-2) – Featherweight 145 lbs.

Austin Arnett started his professional career going 2-2, but since then the twenty-five year old has rattled off thirteen straight wins. His most recent win occurred at ExciteFight – Conquest of the Cage where he submitted Jake Jokela in the second round. Fighting out of Sik-Jitsu Fighting Systems in Spokane, Washington, Arnett boasts twelve finishes in fifteen pro victories. Arnett has fought for a number of promotions including: Thunder and Lightning, CageSport (CS), Conquest of the Cage (COTC), ExciteFight, King of the Cage (KOTC) and Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC).

Brandon Davis got off to a slow start as a professional fighter by going 1-2. Since then he has won his last six fights. His most recent win came at FFI Blood and Sand XXII where he finished Randy Hedderick in the first round. Fighting out of the Alan Belcher MMA Club, Davis has three wins by knockout to go along with two by submission. The twenty-seven year old has fought under the Summit Fighting Championships (SFC) banner seven times and both Square Ring Promotions and Fight Force International (FFI) once.

John Castaneda (13-2) vs. Cheyden Leialoha (6-0) – Bantamweight 135 lbs.

John Castaneda enters his fight against Leialoha on an eight fight winning streak. His most recent fight was at Combate Americas – Combate 14 where he beat Chris Beal by TKO in the second round. Castaneda fights out of The Academy and boats ten finishes in thirteen professional wins. Six of the wins are by KO/TKO to go along with four submissions. The twenty-five year old already has fifteen pro fights under his belt, but has only fought for four different promotions. The first six fights of his career were with Driller Promotions. He has also fought once for Resurrection Fighting Alliance, twice for King of the Cage (KOTC) and his previous six fights were all under the Combate Americas banner.

Cheyden Leialoha is 6-0 in his career as a pro fighter. He has one knockout to go along with three submissions in his six wins. His most recent win came at AFC 132 where he beat Aaron Ulroan by TKO. The twenty-three year old Gracie Technics product has fought for Destiny MMA, Shogun Fights (SF), Victory Fighting Championship (VFC), X-1 World Events – Hawaii and Alaska Fighting Championship (AFC).

Enjoy the fights!

CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S ARTICLE: Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series Week 3 Preview: Grocke breaks down all five fights

The post Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series Week 4 Preview: Grocke breaks down all five fights appeared first on MMATorch.

DANA WHITE’S TUESDAY NIGHT CONTENDER SERIES
AUGUST 1, 2017
TAPED IN LAS VEGAS, NEVADA AT THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER GYM
AIRED ON UFC FIGHT PASS

Brendan Fitzgerald and Paul Felder welcomed us to the show and they quickly ran down the card from top to bottom. They then went to Snoop Dogg and Urijah Faber where they talked about creating new words on each telecast.

Main Card

(1) John Castaneda (13-2) vs. Cheyden Leialoha (6-0) – Bantamweight 135 lbs.

Result: John Castaneda over Cheyden Leialoha by Unanimous Decision 

ROUND ONE: Leialoha landed a big head kick as the fight started. He followed up with a takedown 46 seconds into the fight. Leialoha landed some ground and pound which opened Castaneda up, but Leialoha got sloppy which allowed Castaneda to get back to his feet with under three minutes to go in the round. The fight continued on the feet until Castaneda went for a takedown but was stuffed with 45 seconds left. Leialoha got the better of the exchanges on the feet throughout the round.

ROUND TWO: Castaneda came out and landed some sharp kicks and landed a big knee as the round started. With 3:20 left in the round Castaneda flipped the script and started landing his offense. He landed a takedown with 2:30 left and landed some nice ground and pound. Leialoha scrambled and got back to his feet with 1:20 to go in the round. The fight remained on the feet the remainder of the round with Castaneda getting the better of the exchanges.

ROUND THREE: At 4:18 Castaneda took a poke in the eye and time was called. After a minute break they were back to fighting. Castaneda shot in but Leialoha used the fence to remain on his feet. Leialoha came back with a takedown and landed heavy ground and pound with 2:40 to go in the round. Castaneda got back to his feet with 2:20 left. Leialoha took Castaneda’s back with 1:40 to go but Castaneda reversed it and ended up taking the back with one minute to go. He got both hooks in with 26 seconds left but Leialoha scrambled out and the fight ended with both fighters on their feet.

(2) Austin Arnett (15-2) vs. Brandon Davis (7-2) – Featherweight 145 lbs.

Result: Brandon Davis over Austin Arnett by Unanimous Decision

ROUND ONE: Davis landed a big knee 39 seconds in after both fighters came out throwing. Davis mixed up his offense and changed levels well at the start, but Arnett started to find his range as the round progressed. Both fighters were talking trash to each other the entire round. They traded big shots with under a minute to go but Davis got the better of the exchanges.

ROUND TWO: Arnett came out more aggressively to start the second round, but Davis caught him with big right hands. Davis sunk in a standing guillotine with 3:11 to go, but Davis slipped out with 2:45 left and stated landing heavy ground and pound that opened Arnett up. Davis let Arnett up with just under two minutes to go. The fight stayed on the feet and both guys threw massive punches at each other. Davis took one square below the belt and time was called. I mean that was square in the cup, and hard. They went back at it with 56 seconds to go in the round. They traded more big punches with Davis doing a ton of damage as the round ended.

ROUND THREE: Davis continued with steady pressure while landing punches and kicks a minute into the final round. Both guys were exhausted with 3:30 to go because the fight was non-stop action. Davis started to really out-volume Arnett with under two minutes left. They stood in front of each other and threw everything but the kitchen sink at each other for the final two minutes. The fight was bonkers.

Ronaldo Candido (6-0) vs. Carlos Candelario (6-0) – Flyweight 125 lbs.

Result: Carlos Candelario over Ronaldo Candido by Unanimous Decision 

ROUND ONE: After an early flurry from Candelario, Candido shot and landed a takedown 20 seconds into the fight. He had a body triangle locked on in the first minute of the fight. Candelario was able turn into Candido and he turned the tide by landing some decent ground and pound. At the 2:21 mark both fighters were back to their feet. Candido shot with two minutes to go but Candelario was able to fight it off. Candelario hurt Candido with a little over a minute left but he allowed Candido up. It proved to be a mistake because Candido came back and landed a takedown and rode the rest of the round out in top position.

ROUND TWO: Candido had Candelario pinned up against the fence and finished a takedown with 3:40 to go in the round. He took the back and got one hook in with three minutes to go. Candelario turned into Candido and ended up in top position and started landing ground and pound with under two minutes left in the round. Candido went for a calf slicer but Candelario escaped with 40 seconds left and landed more ground and pound. Candelario ended the round on top.

ROUND THREE: The fight was fought on the feet until Candido had Candelario pinned against the cage with 3:30 left in the round. With under three minutes to go Candido was working from top position. Candidio remained working from top position and landed heavy ground and pound. He went for an arm-triangle with 45 seconds left, but Candelario slipped out with 20 seconds left. The fight ended with Candido on top landing punches.

James Gray (4-1) vs. Kyler Phillips (4-0) – Bantamweight 135 lbs. 

Result: Kyler Phillips over James Gray by TKO (0:46 of Round 1)

ROUND ONE: Gray went for a single leg but Phillips landed big elbows with his back against the cage that hurt Gray. Gray went to the ground and Phillips was content with letting him back up until he realized how hurt Gray was. Phillips pounced and landed a few more punches to a grounded Gray who was not fighting back and the fight was stopped.

Phillip Hawes (4-1) vs. Julian Marquez (5-1) – Middleweight 185 lbs.

Result: Julian Marquez over Phillip Hawes by Knockout (2:20 of Round 2)

ROUND ONE: Hawes went for a single leg early but Marquez defended it. Hawes tried for it again and was able to land it with 3:50 to go. He landed heavy ground and pound from top position until he took the back with 2:20 left in the round. Marquez was able to work out and they fought from center octagon. Marquez landed a takedown and tried for a rear-naked choke but Hawes was able to get out. Once back to their feet Hawes landed another takedown with 1:05 left in the round and he rode the remainder of the round out working from top position.

ROUND TWO: Marquez landed a huge combination that put Hawes on the canvass as soon as the round started. Marquez followed Hawes to the ground and landed big shots. Hawes got back to his feet with 3:50 to go but he was hurt. Marquez landed a takedown with a little over three minutes to go and he landed heavy ground and pound. Marquez let Hawes back to his feet and as Hawes was getting up Marquez landed one of the most devastating head kicks you’ll ever see. Hawes was knocked out cold. Wow!

Dana White chose Brandon Davis and Julian Marquez as the newest members of the UFC. This might have been the easiest decisions of the season so far for White. Marquez was a shoe-in with that devastating finish of Hawes, and Davis’s style is exactly what the UFC is looking for.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: GROCKE’S DANA WHITE’S TUESDAY NIGHT CONTENDER SERIES WEEK 3 REPORT

The post GROCKE’S DANA WHITE’S TUESDAY NIGHT CONTENDER SERIES REPORT 8/1 (WEEK 4): Hawes vs. Marquez, Davis vs. Arnett appeared first on MMATorch.

Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor are both expressing maximum confidence heading into their Aug. 26 boxing match. While the rules are set and the contracts signed, Mayweather proposed an amendment on Tuesday.

In an Instagram post, Mayweather proposed boxing McGregor with 8-ounce gloves rather than the agreed upon 10-ounce gloves. The image Mayweather posted was clear, and to the point, reading: “McGregor… let’s fight in 8 oz gloves.”

Mayweather went into more detail in the photo’s caption where he wrote: “Don’t believe what you hear in the media. Don’t believe what you hear on blog sites. If it’s not coming directly from me, then it’s not true. I’m telling McGregor, ‘Let’s fight in 8 oz gloves.’ McGregor can fight in any brand he prefers or chooses. I’ll be wearing 8 oz Grant gloves. Whatever advantage McGregor needs to feel more comfortable in the ring, I’m willing to accommodate. Let’s give the boxing and MMA fans what they want to see.”

McGregor responded with an Instagram post of his own on Wednesday morning and, as you might expect, Conor McGregor doesn’t give a f— how much the gloves weigh.

“Pick whatever size glove you want,” he told Mayweather in his post. “I fight with 4 oz. I don’t give a f— about the size of the glove. I am coming sprinting at you with bricks. Know that. Brittle hands.”

The post was accompanied by a picture of McGregor sparring with retired pro-boxer Pauli Malignaggi, who has been working closely with McGregor in recent weeks.

The size of the gloves is unlikely to change, but the hype continues to grow.

Hiscoe’s Analysis: I don’t buy for a second that Mayweather is interested in fighting with smaller gloves as he had all the power to dictate those types of things while the fight was being negotiated. This is just a way to get Mayweather-McGregor back into the news cycle after Jon Jones and other UFC 214 stories took over in the past few days. It appears that it worked.

WEDNESDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…

-Dana White spoke to TMZ yesterday and blew off Tyron Woodley’s demand for a public apology as water under the bridge.  “Woodley and I talked and he said he was just pissed and upset and didn’t mean it,” White said.

-Despite claiming earlier this week that he tore his labrum early in his fight with Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley was only issued the minimum seven-day medical suspension by the California State Athletic Commission.

-Two more UFC contracts were handed out by Dana White as part of his Tuesday Night Contender Series last night. Brandon Davis earned the first contract with an entertaining back and forth brawl with Austin Arnett while Julian Marquez secured the other contract with a nasty head-kick knockout of Phillip Hawes. Be sure to check out Michael Grocke’s MMATorch report for full results.

NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: TUESDAY NEWS DIGEST 8/1: Tyron threatens to leak damaging info against Dana if he doesn’t get an apology (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis)

The post WEDNESDAY NEWS DIGEST 8/2: Mayweather makes a surprising offer to McGregor, McGregor responds, plus White on Tyron threat (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis) appeared first on MMATorch.

Tyron Woodley shoots down potential Robbie Lawler rematch

Rumors have circulated about an injury to the shoulder of UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley, leaving some to speculate about a potential interim title fight. Woodley has come out and said that he is against an interim title. He argues that since he has defended the belt three times since winning it, and will not be out for long, it is unnecessary.

He also commented on a potential fight with Robbie Lawler, saying that he doesn’t feel that Lawler has done anything to earn a shot.

Henry’s Analysis: Woodley has a habit of acting as if he is constantly mistreated, and he always comments that he believes that he is treated unfairly. While he is probably right in some ways, his attitude rarely does him any favors. When Woodley earned his shot he probably didn’t deserve it. He’d only won two straight, was just a year removed from losing to Rory McDonald, and just edged past Kelvin Gastelum in the fight that ultimately earned him his shot, but still he got it and he capitalized. So, for him to now say that others haven’t earned shots seems strange to me, but I also understand that a fighter’s mindset may chance once he or she wins the belt and see’s things from the other side. Still, though, I don’t think Woodley is in a place to be calling the shots and if the UFC wants him to face Lawler next I assume that is who he will face.

THURSDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…

-With Dana White ruling out a Tyron Woodley vs. GSP fight, what’s next for the UFC Welterweight Champion? On FS1’s “UFC Tonight,” panelist Kenny Florian suggested Jorge Masvidal. “He had a close fight against Maia,” he said. “They both agreed they would fight each other if it was for a title. Masvidal is a tough opponent for anyone in the division.”

-Bellator MMA announced another Monster Energy Card. The event will take place Aug. 19 at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Phil Davis and Dan Henderson will appear as special guests.

-Stipe Miocic is still aiming for an Anthony Joshua fight. Miocic made headlines a few weeks back when he suggested a boxing “super fight” between himself and Anthony Joshua. Joshua teased Miocic in return, which only seemed to anger him. News broke today that former heavyweight kingpin Wladimir Klitschko has decided to retire, and Miocic saw another opportunity to insert his name into things and did so by tweeting at Joshua. “Looks like your schedule is wide open. No excuses, let’s dance! #BaddestManOnThePlanet.” Miocic is, of course, under contract with the UFC and would have to have a boxing match cleared with them before he could actually compete. This fight seems like a long shot and is more likely being used as some sort of bargaining tool by Miocic to try to get a bigger UFC contract. Still, though, it’s an interesting thing to follow.

-Snoop Dogg has ideas for a nickname for UFC prodigy Julian Marquez coming off his brutal KO victory on Tuesday’s episode of “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.” His existing nickname is “The Cuban Missile Crisis.” Snoop suggested on commentary: “Can I kick it? Yes I can!” Marquez told TMZ that he also called him “Big Foot.” Marquez rated his kick above Jon Jones’s to Daniel Cormier as the best of the week. He said his kick made a name for himself.

-Boxing champ Paulie Malignaggi tells TMZ it’s time for a reality check on Conor McGregor’s punching power. “Conor doesn’t have bad power. It’s not ‘Oh my god’ power … but it is respectable power. Every time I say this people get offended. It’s like they want you to lie. It’s like they want you to say he has this incredible power like I’ve never felt anything like it before. It is power to where if it hits you, it’s gonna get your attention and it may even put you down if you’re wearing those smaller fight gloves.” Malignaggi says Conor believes himself. He “really believes in his mind he’s gonna win the fight.” Malignaggi says McGregor has been making steady improvements in the ring since the last time they fought 12 days before and that he’s landing real shots.

The post THURSDAY NEWS DIGEST 8/3: Woodley against an interim title, Florian’s idea for Woodley, Boxer evaluates Conor’s power, Snoop Dogg on Marquez KO, Stipe-Boxing appeared first on MMATorch.

Week 5 of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series airs on UFC Fight Pass beginning at 7 p.m. CT. Below is a week by week listing of the fighters White has chosen up until now.

Week 1: Kurt Holobaugh and Boston Salmon

Week 2: Sean O’Malley

Week 3: Karl Roberson and Geoff Neal

Week 4: Brandon Davis and Julian Marquez

Who will Dana White choose this week? Let’s take a look at the fighters and the match-ups.

Main Card

Michael Rodriguez (8-2) vs. Jamelle Jones (7-4) – Light Heavyweight 205 lbs.

After losing to Kevin Haley at CES MMA 39, Michael Rodriguez is on a three fight win streak. His most recent victory was a first round finish of Alec Hooben at CES MMA 44. All eight of the Lauzon MMA products professional wins ended inside the distance. He has six wins by KO/TKO to go along with two by submission. The twenty-eight year old’s first two professional fights were under the Cage Titans Fighting Championship (Cage Titans FC), and his last eight were for Classic Entertainment and Sports (CES).

Jamelle Jones is 1-2 in his last three fights. He suffered a second round knockout at the hands of Anton Berzin in his most recent outing. In his seven career pro wins, five are knockouts with one submission. The twenty-nine year old has been stopped twice in his four losses. Jones has fought for Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC), Bellator MMA, Fight Club OC (FCOC), Conquest of the Cage (COTC) and King of the Cage (KOTC).

Peter Petties (5-2) vs. Julio Arce (12-2) – Featherweight 145 lbs.

Julio Arce enters his fight against Peter Petties on Tuesday night riding a four fight win streak. His last fight was at ROC 59 where he beat Tim Dooling by Unanimous Decision. At twenty-seven years of age, Arce already has twenty fights under his belt. Six as an amateur where he went 6-0 and fourteen as a professional where he has a record of 12-2. Half of his pro wins went to the judge’s scorecards. Eleven of his pro fights were under the Ring of Combat (ROC) banner. Arce has also fought for Matrix Fights (MF), Xtreme Caged Combat and Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC).

Peter Petties is 2-2 over his last four fights, alternating between wins and losses. His most recent fight occurred at SF 16 where he beat Jonathan Pearce by Unanimous Decision. Fighting out of Crazy 88 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Petties has three finishes in his five career wins. The twenty-six year old has fought for the following promotions, Global Proving Ground, Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC), Shogun Fights (SF) and Victory Fighting Championship (VFC).

Alex Perez (17-4) vs. Kevin Gray (9-3) – Flyweight 125 lbs.

Alex Perez comes into Tuesday’s fights with the most experience as a professional fighter. The twenty-five year old already has twenty-one fights under his belt. Ten of his seventeen wins are by decision. Perez is on a four fight win streak. His last fight was at CFFC 64 where he beat Tyler Bialecki by Unanimous Decision. He has fought for many different promotions including, Tachi Palace Fights (TPF), UPC Unlimited, West Coast Fighting Championship (WFC), CA Fight Syndicate, MEZ Sports, Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA), King of the Cage (KOTC) and Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC).

Kevin Gray is 2-0 in his last two fights. His most recent fight occurred at VFC 57 where he subbed Nick Mamalis in the second round. In nine career wins the thirty-two year old has five via submission. In Gray’s three losses, he was finished in all three. The Premier Combat Center product has fought for Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA), Centurion Fights (CF), Disorderly Conduct, Dynasty Combat Sports (DCS), Caged Aggression – Iowa, AXS TV Fights, Shamrock Fighting Championships (Shamrock FC) and Victory Fighting Championship (VFC).

Ricky Simon (9-1) vs. Donavon Frelow (6-2) – Bantamweight 135 lbs.

Ricky Simon started his pro fighting career winning his first seven fights. He suffered his first loss at Titan FC 37 where he got subbed by Anderson dos Santos. After that loss, Simon has now won his last two fights. The twenty-four year old got his first submission win in his last fight against Charon Spain at KOTC – Headstrong. Fighting out of Gracie Barra in Portland, Simon has fought for Main Event Sports, Full Contact Fighting Federation (FCFF), King of the Cage (KOTC), Tachi Palace Fights (TPF) and Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC).

Donavon Frelow is 1-2 in his last three, and coming off of a decision loss to Bekbulat Magomedov at WSOF 35. The Wand Fight Team product has four submissions in his six pro wins. The thirty-two year old has fought under the World Series of Fighting banner four times, Gladiator Challenge three times and King of the Cage (KOTC) once.

Everett Sims (4-0) vs. Shelton Graves (6-3) – Heavyweight 265 lbs.

Everett Sims is the only undefeated fighter in Tuesday’s competition. The American Top Team product has won all four of his pro fights by first round finish. He has three knockouts to go along with one submission. His most recent victory came at Fight Time 36 where he knocked out Frank Tate. The twenty-eight year old has fought for Atlas Fights, Odyssey Fights and Fight Time Promotions.

Shelton Graves comes into his fight against Sims riding a four fight winning streak. Most recently Graves beat Brendan Barrett at ROC 56, then again at ROC 58. Both wins came inside the distance. Fighting out of Top Flight MMA, Graves has two wins by KO/TKO, two by submission and two via decision. The thirty-one year old has fought for the following promotions, Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC), Ring of Combat ROC, Xtreme Fight Events (XFE) and Global Proving Ground (GPG).

Enjoy the fights!

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S ARTICLE: Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series Week 4 Preview: Grocke breaks down all five fights

The post Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series Week 5 Preview: Grocke breaks down all five fights appeared first on MMATorch.

What a glorious time we live in. The best pound-for-pound UFC fighter is challenging the WWE Universal Champion, while the greatest boxer of this era is coming out of retirement to face the biggest draw in UFC history. While the lines between major combat sports entities are constantly merging, the UFC may be exploring the idea of promoting boxing on a fulltime basis. According to an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the UFC promoting boxing is being seriously considered by WME-IMG.

From the perspective of a major conglomeration like WME-IMG, adding boxing to their portfolio would surely be a positive indicator. However, a Dana White led boxing promotion could be disastrous for both the UFC and the theoretical boxing promotion.

Here are five reasons that a UFC-run boxing promotion would be a mistake for all involved.

•The eyes are off the prize

Like him or not, Dana White is the most successful promoter in the brief history of MMA. From an outside perspective, White pours his heart and soul into promoting the UFC. Is it worth it to have that passion diverted? The UFC promotes a fight card nearly every weekend. Adding boxing promotion to the UFC’s calendar would further dillute of the central UFC product.

Dana White and the UFC have taken fair criticism regarding their inability to reach beyond their core demographics. Boxing reaches many of those demographics. If the UFC were to completely abandon their base, they run the risk of eroding the reliable audience that they have built over the past 15 years.

Ironically, if White and the UFC are no longer focused primarily on MMA, the sport could become as diluted as boxing.

•Pay

There is a reason that the UFC’s biggest star must compete in a boxing ring to earn the largest payday of his career. Unfortunately, it is rare that a UFC fighter can gain enough financial autonomy to gain power over management. UFC fighters are paid relatively low compared to their boxing counterparts. While boxers are rarely treated fairly by their promoters, they do have a much higher earning celling than UFC fighters.

If the UFC’s foray into boxing mirrors their MMA business model, their talent pool would be limited. Currently, it is understood that the best MMA fighters reside within the UFC. A UFC boxing promotion would likely feature low profile boxers.

•Too much Dana White

Conor McGregor might be the UFC’s biggest star, but Dana White is the face of the organization. White has a unique position among major sports executives. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is largely loathed, NBA commission Adam Silver is a fan-favorite, but neither of these men are as polarizing as White.

A large contingent of MMA fans appreciate White’s honesty, while many in the MMA media are critical but tolerant of White’s public outbursts. Those within the MMA bubble know what White brings to the table. But what happens when White interacts with a new public apparatus?

White’s style is not for everyone. If he approaches boxing with the same overbearing nature that he promotes MMA with, the boxing audience may sour on him.

•Market confusion

MMATorch readers are aware of the distinctions between boxing and MMA. The general public may not be as astute. To their credit, the UFC has done a decent job of differentiating their brand from other combat sports. A further blending of the lines between MMA and boxing could devalue the appeal of the UFC.

Surely, Dana White and WME-IMG would do everything to promote boxing with vigor. While this is admiral, it could lessen the importance of purchasing a UFC event. By its very nature promoting is hyperbolic. It would be foolish for WME-IMG to undermine either sport in order to prop up another.

Unless the UFC significantly scales back its event schedule, their boxing and MMA events would inevitably compete.

•The UFC has conditioned fans to be wary of boxing

The UFC has spent nearly two decades convincing their fans, that boxing is an inferior product. To be fair, many of these criticisms are valid. The UFC has consistently presented quality undercards, relevant main events, and suitable scorecards. They have expertly presented themselves as the alternative that boxing fans have always wanted.

A boxing organization with UFC influence could remedy some of boxings ills. Or the UFC powerbrokers could come across as hypocrites. MMA fancies itself as the highest level of fighting.

If they were to promote boxing, traditional UFC fans might feel like they have been sold a lie over the years.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: MEDIA & BUSINESS: The Pros and Cons of Jon Jones being the Face of the UFC

The post MEDIA & BUSINESS: Why the UFC promoting boxing would be a terrible idea appeared first on MMATorch.