Michael Bisping involved in altercation, being sued

UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping was involved in an altercation at a 24-Hour Fitness on July 31, and is now being sued. According to the suit filed by attorney Gavril T. Gabriel, Bisping choked Antonio Georgakopoulos, 19 after calling him names such as, little punk and idiot. Bisping also told Georgakopoulos, you don’t know who I am. The altercation apparently started due to Bisping yelling at Georgakopoulos for taking weights.

Thanks to MMA Junkie, the full lawsuit can be seen here:

https://usatmmajunkie.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/michael-bisping-antonio-georgakopoulos-lawsuit.pdf

Dana White says the UFC could get into boxing

White spoke to the Wall Street Journal on The Unnamed Podvideocast and said there’s a possibility of the UFC promoting boxing.

“I could see bringing boxing under our umbrella and trying to see what we could do with that. I could see doing that.”

On his love for MMA: “This is what I love to do,” White said. “I’m 48 years old. This is what I jump out of bed every day and I love doing. I love working with [WME-IMG co-CEO] Ari [Emanuel]. Ari and I actually get along really, really well. And then his other partner Patrick [Whitesell] is the nicest guy in the world. I couldn’t be in a better position. I couldn’t be doing it with better people. I’m good.”

On his future plans: “What people don’t understand is first of all, I’m still an owner. I still have an ownership position in the UFC. And yeah, I signed a contract, but no contract can keep you anywhere. I could leave tomorrow if I wanted to. I obviously couldn’t go work for somebody else, but I could leave when I want to leave. I don’t want to leave.

“If I stopped doing this, one of the things that I would focus on is making education better in Las Vegas. I would like to work on the schools and break down the system that’s in place now, because it’s a mess.”

Bob Arum calls the UFC desperate

Top Rank CEO and Founder Bob Arum responded to Dana White’s accusations that boxing is killing itself by not caring about the future and “trying to get every dime they can out of you” at every event.

“You have to understand, UFC is a monopoly. The money they earn on a fight because they pay their athletes 20 percent of the gross, we pay around 80 percent, what they say they’re investing back in the business, they’re investing in themselves. They put money in their pockets! That’s not investing in anything. In boxing, there are a large number of promoters, and when a promoter has a successful event and there’s a profit he earns, he puts it back in the company. What the fu*k is White talking about? White is speaking from desperation now, he’s the spokesperson for what could be a failing business!

“My thoughts are that UFC is desperate. Their numbers are way off, they have no marquee star. Look at their PPV numbers. They barely break 100,000 homes on their shows. They’re having trouble getting renewal on their contract with FOX. They have to do something. One of things they may try and fall back on and try and acquire a boxing presence. About a year ago, I was approached by someone repping UFC, they wanted to buy Top Rank.”

According to Arum, Ari Emanuel tried to buy Top Rank’s fight library.

CM Punk is ready to get back in the cage

Phil “CM Punk” Brooks is ready to get back into the cage. The former WWE wrestler has been training with Duke Roufus at Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the past fourteen months and his coach says he learned what a real beating feels like. Roufus spoke with Jim Norton and Matt Serra on the UFC Unfiltered podcast about Punk’s next move.

“(UFC President Dana White) and the matchmakers had their weekly matchmaking meeting yesterday, and we’ll get some news soon. “I just think the first time you step in the octagon, there’s something special you’ve got to deal with getting in there. For Punk, this sounds really weird, but now he knows what a beating feels like – a real beating.

“I think (a loss like Punk’s at UFC 203) will help a lot of fighters to the point of haunting them, like, ‘No, I don’t want to feel this way ever again. It’s not the physical. These guys are tough. It’s the mental anguish. You don’t want to feel that depressing, embarrassing feeling of getting beat up in front of God and everyone. It’s no fun. It’s been great motivation for him.”

MMA News Notebook

Bellator 185 featuring the debut of Gegard Mousasi drew 476,000 viewers.

Paige VanZant is back training after a slew of setbacks.

Fight Announcements

Frankie Saenz vs. Merab Dvalishvili is set for UFC Fight Night 123

Jennifer Maia vs. Agnieszka Niedzwiedz is set for Invicta FC 26

NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS NEWS: UFC open to digital platform, Lampley thinks Mayweather threw rounds against McGregor, Bellator considering five round main events, White says Mayweather-McGregor did 6.7MM buys

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If Dana White had a time machine, he may be using it right now to travel back through history and not let Conor McGregor fight Floyd Mayweather. Why? Because it appears the floodgates are beginning to open for McGregor in the boxing world and White needs to protect his most valuable asset. Late last week rumors swirled regarding a McGregor vs. Manny Pacquiao boxing match after Pacquiao said that negotiations between the two sides had started. In a press conference after UFC Fresno, White shot those rumors down by saying, “That would be weird because he’s under contract with us.” “If that’s true, I will be suing Manny Pacquiao and whoever’s representing him, so I’m assuming that’s not true. Yes, [Conor’s next fight is in the UFC].”

White and McGregor have maintained since the Mayweather/McGregor super fight this summer that McGregor’s next fight would be inside the UFC octagon. Rumored opponents include a trilogy fight with Nate Diaz and a lightweight title unification bout against the interim champion, Tony Ferguson.

Heydorn’s Analysis: I don’t buy into these rumors whatsoever and I don’t believe there is demand for McGregor vs. Pacquiao like there was for Mayweather vs. McGregor. The stars aligned perfectly for that mega-fight which is why the fight happened and why it was successful. Much of that was due to the personalities of the fighters. That formula doesn’t translate outright. The dynamic would not be the same between Manny and Conor like it was with Conor and Mayweather. That dynamic is what sold the fight. With it or something like it totally missing from the equation, the success of the fight would hang in the balance. McGregor’s return to the octagon is bigger news at this point and that should be the push.

MONDAY NEWS NOTEBOOK

–Dana White wants Cub Swanson back with the UFC. Cub Swanson lost to Brian Ortega on Saturday night at UFC Fresno in what was his last contracted fight for the UFC. Heading into that fight, he was on a four-fight winning streak. On Saturday White made it clear that he wanted the veteran back with the company and said, “I yelled up to him, too (from cageside), ‘Let’s get a deal done.’” “Cub’s been around forever, he’s a great kid, and I like him and hopefully we can get something done with him. And I can keep him happy. I want him to be happy, so we’ll see.” Swanson addressed his contract situation as well while speaking to the media and said, “I don’t know.” “It stings, it’s like, it just gets thrown back in your face, ‘Oh, you just don’t win the big ones,’ so it’s like what am I gonna say? I’m sure we’ll negotiate.” “Dana said, ‘Let’s make a deal right now,’ he was outside the cage. But it’s like, do I gotta crawl back and say, ‘OK, I’ll take that deal you offered me that I said ‘no’ to’? So we’ll see. I’m going to enjoy family over Christmas, all that, and try not to be in low spirits because I thought I fought great, I just didn’t get the ending I wanted.”

Heydorn’s Take: Swanson was winning the Ortega fight prior to the choke being locked in. Pretty handily as well. He still has a future in the sport and I hope he does sign a new contract with UFC so that future is realized on the biggest stage possible.

–Brian Ortega respects Frankie Edgar’s earned title shot. Ortega won his featherweight fight on Saturday night in grand fashion with a highlight reel guillotine choke. After the victory, talk immediately turned to what’s next for Ortega. He cooled the hype surrounding a potential title fight by saying, “I’m still trying to figure it out.” “I know Frankie got injured. I’m not sure how long it’ll take to patch him up again. I’m respectful for the shot he’s earned. Hopefully he recovers, he’ll have a speedy recovery and fights Holloway. Hopefully, maybe I’ll get the winner of that. If not, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing.”

Heydorn’s Analysis: Ortega can slow play this all he wants, but with that victory, he firmly placed himself into the title picture within his division. I respect Ortega’s respect for Edgar, but you have to jump at opportunities when they are in front of you. If he can finagle a title shot before Edgar, he absolutely should go for it without remorse.

–Brian Ortega earns an extra $100,000 at UFC Fresno. After submitting Cub Swanson in the main event, Brian Ortega took home Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses to the tune of $100,000. Swanson banked an extra $50,000 for his involvement in the main event Fight of the Night.

–Volkan Oezdemir predicts a first-round knockout for Daniel Cormier at UFC 220. On The MMA Hour, Volkan Oezdemir said that he believes it will take him one round to knockout UFC light heavyweight champion, Daniel Cormier. “It’s gonna be a first-round knockout,” Oezdemir said.

Heydorn’s Analysis: This is going to be a great fight. I’m not picking against Daniel Cormier though. He’s a fighting champion and a champion with a solid history of defending the title. Oezdemir is a different beast and brings intangibles to the contest that Cormier hasn’t faced before, but I’m still siding with history and believe that Cormier will get back in the win column when UFC 220 is in the rearview mirror.

Contact Zack at heydornzack@gmail.com and follow Zack on Twitter at https://twitter.com/zheydorn

NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS NEWS: SATURDAY NEWS DIGEST 12/9: Nate Diaz rejects “title fight at any weight class” and teases a move to boxing (w/ Heydorn’s analysis)

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A month after defeating Michael Bisping for the UFC middleweight title; Georges St-Pierre(GSP) was forced to vacate the championship due to health issues. Who looks worse in this situation: the UFC or GSP?

FRANK HYDEN, MMATorch Columnist

I think the UFC looks worse. Just because someone asks for something doesn’t mean you have to give it to them. Kids ask for ice cream for dinner, that doesn’t mean you have to give it to them. I can only blame somebody so much when it comes to trying to boost themselves and make money. How many guys ask for title shots when they clearly don’t deserve them? Yeah, sometimes they’re granted (sadly) but usually the UFC ignores them. You can blame GSP for being greedy or spotlight-seeking, but it’s not his job to look after the well-being of the UFC.

There’s only two possibilities here with regards to the way the UFC looks. One, they knew that if GSP won he wouldn’t fight at middleweight again and didn’t care. That makes them look like complete frauds who took a big dump all over the sport. Or two, they didn’t know that GSP wouldn’t fight at middleweight again if he won. That makes them look like complete idiots who didn’t think to include it in the fight contract that GSP would be required to defend the belt if he won. Both of those make the UFC look really bad, and worse than GSP, who still had to go in there and fight.

RAFFAEL IGLESIAS, MMATorch Contributor

I think he may be the greatest fighter of all time. I will say this as an openly biased Canadian. However, GSP looks horrible vacating the title. If you believe Dana White; GSP was promised the Michael Bisping title fight with the caveat that he defend the championship. White had always made it very clear that these were the circumstances going into GSP’s championship fight. On the surface, this looks like the Canadian hero said what he needed to say, to get what he wanted.

RICK MONSEY, MMATorch Contributor

I think GSP looks worse.  He seems to have had no interest in defending the middleweight title.  He wanted to fight Michael Bisping and make a big payday, mission accomplished.  UFC made out like bandits at UFC 217 as well.  I’m sure they’d love to have GSP continue to fight and make them money.

ROBERT VALLEJOS, MMATorch Contributor

I find it hard to blame a fighter for taking a lucrative right. The issue really revolves around the UFC’s prolonged commitment to this fight. If this fight had not held up the division for over a year, the sting of these events would be decreased. With that said, this is one example of an interim title working out great for a division. Unlike in other situations, the middleweight division does not need to shoehorn a title fight, in order to keep a division solvent.

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After a year of MMA inactivity, outlandish cageside behavior, and a plethora of unique social media posts; has the MMA community soured on Conor McGregor?

FRANK HYDEN, MMATorch Columnist

Yes, some of them have. Some of the hate McGregor gets is valid, based on having not defended a title he won over fourteen months ago. Some of the hate is based on his brash behavior and antics, the very things that made him popular in the first place. He makes a good villain. People love to hate Goliath and they root for a David to come along and knock him off his perch.

At the same time, some of the hate is crap and is that kind of hipster-hate where it becomes cool to these people to hate on something mainstream. These are the people who say stuff like “Game of Thrones isn’t as good as it used to be!” which is sometimes met with an even more extreme type of jerk who replies “It never was any good.” These are the people who say a band sells out the second they stop playing for 12 people in a small nightclub and get their songs played on the radio. Or that a group or artist sold out when they cut their freaking hair. These are the people who delight in telling you about some obscure indie band but say they changed when that band gets popular.

My point is, it’s become cool among a certain group of people to hate on McGregor. The thing is, he hasn’t changed. He’s the exact same guy he was a few years ago. He always talked about wanting to run his own company and being a brand in and of itself. You shouldn’t hate on a scorpion for being a scorpion.

I think most of this hate is misplaced. Sure, you can (and should) blame McGregor for holding up the lightweight division, but more importantly you should blame the UFC for allowing him to do that. Don’t blame one guy for holding up a division in order to make obscene amounts of cash, blame the company that allows him to do that. No one is bigger than the sport, yet the UFC treats McGregor as if he is.

JOHN HARRIS, MMATorch Contributor

He still has a loyal fan base, but as whole I would say yes.  MMA fans do not like champions who do not defend their belts, and that is where we are at with McGregor. He has yet to defend his 155 pound title due to various circumstances and now it seems like it might never happen. Fans are always a little tired of Dana White constantly defending every move McGregor makes. There has never been a fighter in UFC history more protected and received more benefits than McGregor. I for one I am ready to see the UFC actually acknowledge some of their other champions more often than just the week of their upcoming fight.

DAVE KOULA, MMATorch Contributor

I don’t think the current climate is any different than anything we’ve seen from the MMA community in the last few years.  When Conor has a fight on the books, everyone is locked and loaded for Mystic Mac, and when the clock gets ticking a little longer people start to get fed up.  Once a fight (and I am very confident it will happen this year) is announced for Conor everyone will be right back on board as usual.  As far as some of his outside the Octagon antics go, I think the guy is completely bulletproof – and all any of it does is bring him back up in conversation.

RAFFAEL IGLESIAS, MMATorch Contributor

There’s a section of the MMA community that has no doubt turned on him. There is a segment of society that needs to see their heroes die on their swords and not leisure comfortably forever, on a bed of pillows. Conner never needs to fight again in the Octagon. He can make far more money boxing. He has generational money under his mattress and does not need to diet, cut weight, or endure a grueling training camp again in his life. The man doesn’t owe anybody anything.  As a fan, however, I really hope he does fight for the UFC, for the same reason people turned on him, I just want to see him fight in an octagon.

DYLAN BOWKER, MMATorch Contributor

This sort of stigma tends to follow highly covered fighters. Stars like Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey have also had fans turn on them to a degree. Hardcore MMA fans seem to have generally an unsavory viewpoint of “casual fans”. A mixed-martial artist like Conor does attract that certain group of fans. There’s also resentment for McGregor’s recent outburst in the Bellator cage, his lengthy hiatus from UFC competition, and I’m sure there are a few other reasons. Though the bottom line is, the more prominent a talent is, the more likely they are to attract a group of resentful people.

MICHAEL HISCOE, MMATorch Contributor

It seems that fans are catching on to McGregor’s act and it might be wearing a little thin. But how can you blame them? Conor McGregor is a popular fighter and fight fans want to see him fight. Once the Diddy money dries up, hopefully McGregor gets back to what brought him to the dance.

SEAN COVINGTON, MMATorch Contributor

Hard to say, most want to emulate his “marketing” to maximize their purse and booking potential. The rest want a shot at him because he has been thoroughly protected and he is dodging the top ten of his weight class(es). McGregor got props for the Mayweather fight from the MMA community, but now it’s time for him to DEFEND his MMA championship(s). If he does that, everyone gets off his back.

NOW READ THE PREVIOUS ROUNDTABLE:  Who Should Cris Cyborg face next?

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And the battle between Dana White and Conor McGregor wages on. On the UFC St. Louis post-fight show, White discussed McGregor’s return timetable and what that means for the UFC lightweight championship. On the show, White said, “Conor has said he’s thinking about coming back in September.” “If he comes back in September, that’s almost two years – that can’t happen. It’s not fair to everybody else. Love Conor, respect Conor, love everything that he’s done for this company, everybody knows that, I say it all the time. The belt would have to move on.“You do Khabib vs. Tony, we’re working on that fight now. If and when Conor comes back, he would get the first crack at the title.”

McGregor won the lightweight championship in November of 2016 and hasn’t fought in the UFC since. Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson has been a fight that the UFC has booked on three different occasions. All three times it didn’t happened due to injuries and failed weight cuts.

Heydorn’s Analysis: I still believe this is all positioning by Dana White. It seems to me that he needs Conor McGregor as champion and wants to do everything in his power to not strip him of a championship again. That said, White is right. McGregor holding that title and being coy about his future hurts the value of the belt and the other fighters in the lightweight division. Needless to say, Dana is in a tough spot. The best case scenario in this is that McGregor agrees to fight in August and the winner of Khabib/Tony is the man that faces him.

MONDAY NEWS NOTEBOOK

–Paige VanZant confirms broken arm after UFC St. Louis. At UFC St. Louis, Paige VanZant took on Jessica Rose-Clark in her flyweight division debut. In the first round of her eventual unanimous decision loss, it appeared as if VanZant broke her arm. In a Twitter post, VanZant confirmed that news and shared a picture of the break.

Well… I broke my arm in the first! I was able to finish the fight but as you can see, had a hard recovering and throwing my right. I’ll be back better and stronger than ever! it’s all apart of the fight game. God had other plans for me. darn spinning back fist. pic.twitter.com/v5DhSv5YxD

— Paige VanZant (@PaigeVanzantUFC) January 15, 2018

Heydorn’s Analysis: Even before the break in round one, VanZant didn’t look good and didn’t appear to have a shot at winning the fight. I commend her on finishing the fight as it must have been extremely painful to do so. That said, VanZant needs to start winning. She is a popular UFC fighter because the UFC wants her to be, but she needs to back the push up with wins. Right now her record stands at 7-4 and she’s lost three of four fights. This injury may be a blessing in disguise as she’ll be able to recharge the battery and figure out what to do next.

–Jeremy Stephens and Doo Ho Choi win fight of the night bonuses. After their fight at UFC St. Louis on Sunday, both Jeremy Stephens and Doo Ho Choi won $50,000 fight of the night bonuses. Stephens won the fight with a second round TKO. Other performance bonuses went to Darren Elkins and Polo Reyes.

–Vitor Belfort requests UFC St. Louis pay. Vitor Belfort was slated to fight Uriah Hall at UFC St. Louis but due to a scary weight cut, Hall was unable to fight. Belfort has requested that he still be paid his full purse. The UFC has not obliged thus far. On the post-fight show, Dana White said, “This thing went down, we worked quickly and we got Vitor a fight.” “He could have fought tonight, he chose not to. We got him a fight in Boston. He chose not to fight in Boston. He chose not to fight then. I don’t know who the opponents were, but they told him we got him two fights.” This was to be Belfort’s last fight before retiring.

Heydorn’s Analysis: I understand where White is coming from, but I also see Belfort’s point of view as well. Belfort being on the card helped sell this event. The fact that it was his retirement bout certainly made a difference in interest. Even though he didn’t fight, he should be compensated for that. On the flip side, Belfort had options and could have fought. Fighters falling out of fights for various reasons is part of the business. Everyone needs to be flexible in that regard. Belfort wasn’t here and it may end up hurting him.

–Trace Adkins to perform at Bellator 192. Bellator announced today that Trace Adkins will perform the national anthem at Bellator 192 this Saturday.

–Jeremy Stephens calls out Brian Ortega after win at UFC St. Louis. After defeating Doo Ho Choi at UFC St. Louis on Sunday, Jeremy Stephens had some words for Brian Ortega who was cageside for the bout. In his post-fight interview, Stephens said regarding Ortega, “After I said, ‘Hey, let’s go, you know you’re in front of me.” “And he says he would like to sit and wait for a title, which is real typical, guys like to sit and wait on their ass, be lazy… Guys like to just sit there and get money fights and sit around. Like, let’s fight bro, I’m healthy, I could fight him right now.”

Heydorn’s Analysis: Brian Ortega is coming off the biggest win of his career in defeating Cub Swanson. The smart business move is to wait it out and see what happens with the title. Ortega’s star is and may never be hotter than it is today. For that reason, Ortega is making the right move here. That said, Ortega vs. Stephens is an interesting fight to be sure, but it makes no sense for Ortega to risk it all to make it happen. Nice try Jeremy.

Contact Zack at heydornzack@gmail.com and follow Zack on Twitter at https://twitter.com/zheydorn

NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS NEWS: WEDNESDAY NEWS DIGEST 1/10: UFC flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson, undergoes successful shoulder surgery (w/ Heydorn’s analysis)

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Fight promoters by unofficial definition are greedy, money hungry, and ruthless individuals. Their goal is to make money by any means necessary. In the end, personal relationships, friendships, and lasting memories are disposable bi-products of their business success. If they need to be sacrificed, they will be.

It takes someone with a ruthless and driven one track mind to make decisions involving humans as if they are animals. In a strange way it also takes strength and confidence. Here at the start of 2018, Dana White is one of the most powerful and influential promoters in the world. He built his reputation on the old school traits of fight promotion. He’s beyond ruthless. Or so we thought. In the last week, we’ve seen a different side of him. A side in which Conor McGregor is actually more ruthless than he is. Or, more powerful. Either way, White has shown tremendous weakness in his handling of Conor McGregor and its hurt the UFC.

To this point, White has played the Conor McGregor cards he was dealt perfectly. At times, he’d go all in with the strongest hand and win. Other times, he’d be on the draw with one card left to go and hit. Either way, with Conor McGregor, he’s played a flawless game. That’s what makes his decisions over the weekend when discussing McGregor and the UFC lightweight world championship so peculiar. At the UFC 223 press conference, White was dismissive and vague when discussing whether or not Conor McGregor had been stripped of his lightweight world championship. At the same time, he didn’t reveal a McGregor return date or whether or not Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov would be fighting for Ferguson’s interim title or McGregor’s undisputed title at UFC 223. White’s trying to play the Conor McGregor card game without Conor McGregor. He’s representing aces in a game where all involved know that aces weren’t in the deck. That amounts to a very weak hand.

White doesn’t appear to understand that Conor McGregor cannot make the UFC obscene amounts of money if he doesn’t fight. His other fighters can and the biggest prop in them doing so is the undisputed championship title. Guys like Ferguson and Nurmagomedov are on the cusp of becoming huge stars, but are held back due to White’s weakness in dealing with McGregor. In order to make the UFC the most money possible, the stars need an opportunity to become major stars. White has taken that opportunity away for the lightweight division because he’s protecting his invisible champion. It’s a weak move that’s hurting the UFC’s quest for new stars. Imagine him holding the featherweight division up in 2015 because Jose Aldo was undecided on his future. Mind numbing to think about right? Of course it is, because had he done that, a guy like Conor McGregor wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity that he deserved and needed to become the major star that he is. There’s no way to know whether or not White is sitting on a gold mine with Ferguson or Nurmagomedov. The only way he’ll find out for sure is if those guys have the tools and opportunities to take the next step forward. That means being able to fight for the real championship.

Dana White would argue that acting the way he has with McGregor is protecting the investment that the UFC has in him. I don’t buy that, but fine. Own that decision. If Conor McGregor means so much to the UFC that an entire division needs to be sacrificed, be clear about that and proceed forward. That clarity includes realigning the lightweight division so fighters within it understand that McGregor comes first. It includes announcing that the only lightweight championship that will be defended until McGregor returns or retires is the interim title and it also includes the admission that Conor McGregor’s fame and notoriety has surpassed the UFC in every way.

Trying to play both sides of the coin like White has done is ineffective and misguided. From a promoter standpoint, he appears to have lost all control when it comes to dealing with his major star and at the same time, he’s delivered a confusing and inconsistent message regarding a major event for his company. Playing coy about it has weakened himself and the UFC on all levels. Its weakened Conor McGregor as well. McGregor built his reputation and wealth by being the rogue fighter that would stand up to the company. He regularly held out for what he was worth and was rewarded when he did because he backed it up with results both in the octagon and on the balance sheet. Having Dana White and the UFC protect him now goes against that personality. With White’s protective bubble, he’s more of a company guy than ever and as this saga labors on he becomes more unlikable which devalues his stock when he returns. If Dana White continues to move forward in this manner, he risks hurting his current product and his current crop of stars while simultaneously ruining Conor McGregor. All in the name of protecting his favorite asset? Remember, there is no guarantee that Conor McGregor will ever fight again.

White needs to get his ruthless backbone back in place and act like the promoter he is. That means either standing up to McGregor or publicly accepting that McGregor wields the true power within the UFC.  Friendships and loyalty be damned. Both avenues show strength and both benefit the UFC in the short and long term.

Contact Zack at heydornzack@gmail.com and follow Zack on Twitter at https://twitter.com/zheydorn

NOW CHECK OUT HEYDORN’S PREVIOUS TAKE: HEYDORN’S TAKE: UFC 220 is primed to lay the foundation for UFC’s 2018 success

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight champion has had enough. Tyron Woodley, who’s been outspoken over the weekend regarding comments UFC president Dana White made about him, continues to be a vocal about getting his share of a “super fight”.

Woodley spoke on Monday’s “The MMA Hour” readdressing his beef about White saying that Woodley was “full of sh*t” regarding speculation about a possible bout with Nate Diaz, the champ took it even a step further about his inability to get his boss to create a “super fight” for him.

“…What kind of picture are we trying to put out? I thought we were going in the direction to be parallel with the NFL, NHL, MLB and other professional sports,” Woodley said. “It’s a circus until it come to Tyron and now we want to go back to the old-school rubric. I got issues with that.”

A big part of Woodley’s frustrations stem from the last three super bouts lightweight champion Connor McGregor’s participated in. The first two fights against Diaz and then the super, money-making fight against Floyd Mayweather.

Woodley feels, however, that if one champion should be able to parade around and make some money then other champion should,too. He also feels that the UFC and White’s treatment of champions is uneven.

“That’s a little bit harsh, a little bit hardcore for somebody who is wearing the belt of your organization, that people and young fighters aspire to enter the UFC, they aspire to be UFC champion,” Woodley said. “I don’t think many people are going to aspire to be the champion when they see how champions are treated. And they see that the non-champions and the people that are unprofessional—middle-finger flicking, sh*t talking—they’re actually making the money.

MONDAY’S NEWS NOTEBOOK

-John Dodson says Dillashaw can’t beat “Mighty Mouse” in super fight

Speaking of super fights, there is one that UFC bantamweight figure John Dodson said would be a lopsided affair. Current bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw has been advocating for a super fighter against flyweight title Demetrious Johnson and it seemed like a fight Dana White wanted to make.
After a brief flare up between Johnson and White, which include Johnson said that White threatened to shut down the flyweight division if “Mighty Mouse” didn’t accept the fight, talk has settled down. Until Dodson brought it back up on Monday.

“It’s funny that (TJ) wants to fight Demetrious Johnson because I didn’t beat Demetrious Johnson and (Dillashaw) could beat me, that means he can’t beat him,” Dodson said on a Facebook Q&A. “That’s the way I look at it.”

Dodson should know. He’s fought Johnson twice (UFC on Fox 6 and UFC 191) and has lost both times. But he beat Dillashaw to earn a contract with the UFC at the Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale. Right now, Dodson is looking at getting another win over Dillashaw.

“I’m trying to work that way,” he said. “I’m gonna try to work up that little ladder so I can know (Dillashaw) down off that pedestal. Everyone is on this ‘Killashaw’ pedestal and they think that he’s the greatest thing ever but they keep on forgetting this fist knocked him out and knocked him silly. He did the stinky leg, all wobbly. And he’s like, ’That was luck!’ No, that wasn’t luck. That’s called skill. That’s what people do.”

-Bisping:I think (Rockhold) is going to go away for a little while

Luke Rockhold’s journey to reclaim the UFC middleweight title hit a big snag at UFC 221 Saturday at Perth Arena in Australia. The former champion suffered a third round knockout against Yoel Romero, making it the second time he’s been knocked out in his last three fights. Now, former middleweight champion Michael Bisping, the other man to put Rockhold on the canvas, is weighing-in on the aftermath.

“You’ve got to remember, when I beat Rockhold, he kind of disappeared for a while and he looked very, very upset. Of course, Luke is an amazing fighter and feels like he should be champion. He lost that tonight,” Bisping said after Saturday’s fight. “I think he’s going to go away from the sport for a little while. I don’t mean retire but disappear from the public eye. Take six months off and reset.”

The post MONDAY’S NEWS DIGEST 2/12: Tyron Woodley tired of UFC ‘circus’ appeared first on MMATorch.

CM Punk fighting Floyd Mayweather in the UFC may sound absurd, but it might just be the perfect fight for the UFC in 2018.

The prospect of a Floyd Mayweather-CM Punk mixed martial arts fight, as unlikely as it is, has all the makings of a classic Ultimate Fighting Championship matchup, and as the UFC celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2018, the timing couldn’t be better.

Of course, the timing is never wrong to get combat sports’ biggest drawing card in your promotion, but with UFC taking some time to acknowledge its past this year, the bout makes some sense.

The early UFC tournaments were largely sold on style versus style, “what if” propositions. What if a karate fighter fought a taekwondo practitioner? What if a sumo wrestler fought a jiu jitsu ace? This curiosity had fueled barroom arguments for ages, and played out in those early UFCs where we saw that jiu jitsu and eventually wrestling were the dominant disciplines for no holds barred fighting.

But what if an all-time great boxer fought a professional wrestler?

We saw this when Muhammad Ali fought Antonio Inoki back in 1976 in a bizarre and infamous mixed-rules matchup that may have shortened Ali’s boxing career but Floyd Mayweather taking on CM Punk would likely play out much differently if for no other reason than the ruleset alone wouldn’t make Punk laying on his back, kicking Mayweather’s legs a practical strategy.

The intrigue and “what if” factor is there for Mayweather-Punk where it wouldn’t be if Mayweather were to have an MMA contest with Conor McGregor or, really, any other UFC fighter. Punk’s lack of MMA acumen is what makes this fight truly compelling and potentially competitive. The “what if” here lies in the question of does CM Punk’s head start in MMA training over Mayweather outweigh the clear physical and skill advantages Mayweather brings to the fight. Does 3-4 years of MMA training at a professional camp beat out a lifetime of elite boxing training and performance coupled with only a few weeks or months of MMA preparation?

Early oddsmakers seem to think so. BetDSI has Punk as a -300 favorite to win a potential matchup with Mayweather. How, you say? The betting site told Bloody Elbow that Punk’s size advantage and ground training gives him the edge.

Such a matchup would also solve the CM Punk problem UFC has on their hands. Punk made half-a-million dollars plus pay-per-view points for his debut against Mickey Gall at UFC 203. His performance was dreadful to say the least but Punk has the desire to continue fighting, whether it be in UFC or elsewhere. This leaves UFC with the option to find a low enough level fighter that Punk can be competitive with, feed him to another prospect as they did with Gall, or release him and risk him signing with a competitor, either Bellator or even Rizin.

Punk fighting an equally inexperienced fighter does little for anyone involved past some one-night curiosity, Punk against a legitimate rising star won’t have the same effect as it did with Gall as the genie is out of the bottle now where Punk is concerned, and letting Punk go leaves money on the table, something the current UFC is unwilling to do.

Booking Punk against Mayweather would maximize the value UFC can get out of CM Punk. It allows Mayweather to compete in MMA (assuming that is something he actually wants to do) but in a way where he can fight an opponent with name value, but still have a shot at winning.

It also creates a fight for Punk that will generate enough revenue that UFC can overlook any long-term damage it may cause. This is seemingly UFC’s modus operandi in 2018.

Economically, Floyd Mayweather fighting in UFC is a longshot at best. Mayweather commands the kind of money UFC isn’t used to paying out. But if there is some smoke to the rumor that Mayweather is considering MMA, “Money” vs. Punk is the fight to make.

NOW READ THIS: HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC 221

The post HISCOE’S TAKE: Floyd Mayweather can solve UFC’s CM Punk problem appeared first on MMATorch.

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is done fighting—at least with his boss Dana White.

After being caught up in a public dispute with the brash-talking UFC president about, one in which Woodley was said to be “full of shi*t” about a potential fight with lightweight contender Nate Diaz, Woodley has decided to move on and focus his energy on himself.

“I’ve had a deep breath, had a weekend,” he said on The Hollywood Beatdown. “I didn’t have much sleep because I’m always working and I’m squashing everything. I’m focusing on getting the shoulder together. One-by-one, everybody will get these hands. I don’t know the order, I don’t know who’s next, but I never wanted to bounce around and not continue to defend my belt. I’ve been here for a while and I plan on knocking everybody out.”

Woodley’s statements also reference being called out by contenders Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington, who chided the champ for looking for a super fight with Diaz instead of staying in his division.

“People have a short-term memory on what I’ve been able to do: 11 finishes, nine in the first round, some of the most vicious KOs in UFC history,” Woodley continued. “Those stats are never talked about, so therefore, I’m going to take a woosa. So, if you people want to know about the Dana beef, about the Frankenstein beef, about the ‘Qeefington’ beef, I don’t want to talk about it. I’m focusing on being successful.”

MONDAY’S NEWS NOTEBOOK

Liam McGeary headlines medical suspensions after Belabor 194

Liam McGeary is wanting for a doctor’s clearance before he can train again after taking a beating by Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 194.

The former light heavyweight champion took a number of leg kicks to his left knee, and received an automatic 90-day suspension as reported by MMAjunkie.com.

Others on medical suspensions include:

-Roy Nelson (45 days due to laceration)

-Derek Campos (indefinite until cleared by doctor; needs clearance by maxillofacial doctor for possible orbital fracture)

-Vadim Nemkov (45 days due contusion)

Lawsuit against UFC picks up steam

A lawsuit against the Ultimate Fighting Championship is seeing a bit of life after going cold. A group of plaintiffs accusing MMA’s top promotion of creating a monopoly in North America through coercion and abusing contracts to keep fighters in the promotion, have filed for Class Certification late Friday.

Experts have submitted testimonies as well as supporting documents to back up their claims. The UFC is being for up to $1.6 billion.

The post MONDAY NEWS DIGEST 2/19: After spat with Dana White, Woodley turns focus on himself appeared first on MMATorch.

4/4/18 Nightly MMA News Tap: Dana White talks lightweight title, Conor McGregor’s status and Brock Lesnar’s return. Dillashaw-Garbrandt reportedly targeted for UFC 227(W/video analysis)

Dana White clarifies the lightweight title situation, Conor McGregor’s status and Brock Lesnar’s return.

During the UFC 223 press conference, UFC president Dana White made several newsworthy statements. Here are some of the highlights.

On the status of the lightweight title after UFC 223:  

White finally clarified that only the winner of the lightweight bout between Max Holloway and Khabib Nurmagomedov would be the sole owner of the title.

“There’s no stripping. We’re not stripping Tony Ferguson. Tony Ferguson isn’t being stripped. The only person here who is losing a belt is Conor. Conor’s losing the belt, these two are fighting for the belt.” White said in reference to the title situation.

White had previously been ambiguous on the state of the belt. White never publicly proclaimed that current champion Conor McGregor would be stripped of the title that he won at UFC 205 in November of 2017.

McGregor has not competed in the UFC since UFC 205, when he simultaneously held the UFC lightweight and featherweight titles respectively.

On McGregor’s UFC status:

White proclaimed that, “Conor’s coming back this year. 100 percent, he will fight this year. We’ll see how this thing plays out and we’ll go from there.”

However, White does not believe that McGregor will be in attendance at UFC 223, despite the main event being billed at a path to face McGregor, and McGregor’s training partner Artem Lobov fighting on the undercard.

On UFC Tonight on FS1 White commented on the potential return of Brock Lesnar

“Yeah Brock Lesnar’s coming back. I don’t know when but yes he is,” White told Daniel Cormier.

Lesnar is current contract with the WWE is expected to expire on April 4, after he defends his WWE Universal Championship against Roman Reigns at WWE’s WrestleMania.

Despite White’s optimism, Lesnar must still serve several months of suspension once he enters into the USADA testing pool, due to two failed in-competition drug tests at UFC 200 in July of 2016.

Dana White dropping news that Brock Lesnar is coming back to the octagon. pic.twitter.com/FUGHO21i8O

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) April 5, 2018

According to multiple sources, this isn’t promoter talk from White. UFC is confident Lesnar will be back after his WWE duties are wrapped up on Sunday. A deal is in place. Key now is to finalize it. https://t.co/ttaxduf15J

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 5, 2018

T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt targeted for UFC 227   

According to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, the UFC is expected to announce a men’s bantamweight title rematch between champion T.J. Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt ay UFC 227 on Aug. 4 in Los Angeles.

Dillashaw took the title from Garbrandt at UFC 217 in November of 2017.

An announcement of this fight would give credence, to Dana White’s previous claim that the discussed superfight between Dillashaw and flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson is indeed off.

Video analysis of the news of the day

In this video Robert Vallejos gives his quick thoughts on the news of the day.

NOW READ THIS: Nightly MMA News Tap 4/3/2016: Covington-RDA, Ferguson Responds, More. (W/video analysis)

The post Nightly MMA News Tap 4/4/2018: White clarifies the lightweight title situation, Conor McGregor’s status and Brock Lesnar’s return. Dillashaw-Garbrandt targeted for UFC 227(W/video analysis) appeared first on MMATorch.

The MMA world has gone through an unbelievable 48 hours. Robert Vallejos recaps and reacts to Conor McGregor’s wild day and the merry-go-round that has become UFC 223.

The UFC has had its most newsworthy 48 hours in the history of the sport.

The biggest star in MMA history got arrested, and the UFC 223 main event has changed multiple times.

With so much to process, Robert Vallejos gives his take on all of the insanity.

NOW READ THIS: ROB M V’s VLOG: Why Rousey brought this on herself

The post Rob M V’s Vlog: REACTING TO MMA MADNESS appeared first on MMATorch.

An announcement for Conor McGregor’s return to UFC was reportedly scheduled to occur during the UFC 25th anniversary press conference. However, McGregor’s Brooklyn rampage has derailed all future plans.

According to a report by Ariel Helwani of mmafighting.com Conor McGregor and the UFC were close to an agreement for a McGregor UFC return before McGregor’s attack at the UFC 223 press conference.

The report states that despite several hurdles, both sides planned to meet throughout the weekend, with the possibility of an announcement coming at the UFC’s 25th anniversary press conference on Friday.

Khabib Nurmagomedov  and Rafael dos Anjos were both discussed as possible future opponents.

A fight with Nurmagomedov in late 2018 became a possibility when Tony Ferguson, Nurmagomedov’s scheduled opponent for UFC 223 withdrew from the event. A McGregor-dos Anjos fight would have taken place in the spring  for an interim welterweight title.

As it stands, UFC president Dana White has been noncommittal on McGregor’s future following McGregor’s arrest on Friday morning.

NOW READ THIS: Rob M V’s Vlog: REACTING TO MMA MADNESS  

The post REPORT: McGregor’s return announcement originally planned for UFC 25th anniversary press conference appeared first on MMATorch.

Should Dana White take harsh action against Conor McGregor? Aaron Crider makes the case that White needs to retake control of the UFC.

It’s almost like the ending of Mary Shelly’s classic Frankenstein, all that’s left if for the good doctor to put an end to his creation.

Conor McGregor’s actions on Thursday have provided major setbacks in what was to be one of the best UFC cards this year. “The Notorious” attacked a bus full of UFC fighters on their way to media day ahead of Saturday’s card at the Barclays Center.

Reports say that McGregor attacked the bus after finding out UFC lightweight title challenger Khabib Nurmagomedov was on the bus. Nurmagomedov had a confrontation with McGregor teammate Artem Lobov, which forced the latter off of UFC 223.

What was going to be a loaded card full of fantastic fights changed significantly, with Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg off the card as a direct effect of McGregor’s attack.

Chiesa had multiple lacerations to his face and Borg’s cornea was damaged after McGregor threw a hand dolly through the bus window.

None of this should come as a surprise, as UFC president Dana White has let his favorite star do as he pleases for the last several years.

McGregor is responsible for his own actions, he’s an adult fully capable of making his own decisions. But White is to blame for how out of control “The Notorious” has gotten in recent years.

Since winning the UFC featherweight belt McGregor has:

• Not defended his belt but jumped up weight to fight Rafel dos Anjos at welterweight.
• When that fight fell through, McGregor fought Nate Diaz and lost instead of defending his belt.
• Rematched Diaz at welterweight, won by decision and again, did not defend his belt.
• In between the two Diaz fights, McGregor was fined $130,000 for throwing water bottles and a can of Monster Energy at Diaz’s crew. The fine was reduced to $25,000 with 25 hours of community service attached to it. Really a slap on the wrist and no repercussions from the UFC or White.
• Challenged and successful defeated Eddie Alvarez at lightweight for the UFC lightweight belt, did not defend his featherweight title
• Took an extended break while holding two belts to await the birth of his son.
• When he came back into action he chose not to fight either at featherweight or lightweight in the UFC, but talked White into a mega boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
• Has been stripped off both belts without ever once stepping into the cage to defend either weigh class.

White prides himself on been a tough, brash promoter. A president that runs his company with a no-nonsense attitude, but when it comes to star fighters that facade goes the wayside.

He’s done it with Jon Jones until it became too painful and too risky to stay on Bones’ side and not look stupid.

Ronda Rousey got special treatment as long as the she continued to obliterate the competition and make money for the promotion.

We are still no closer to knowing whether “Rowdy” is going to retire or not, and, compared to recent events, that seems like something very low on the list, no matter how evasive Rousey, White and her entourage are on the subject.

Now is the time for White to lay down the law and remind McGregor and other fighters who is in charge. This is a business and every fighter represents that business. But just because you are one of the top fighters in the promotion you should not be granted special treatment.

The relationship between McGregor and White is more of a bromance than an employee-employer.

Right now, White is letting his friend/employee sweat it out and take care of the charges himself without any help from the promotion. Yet, White is staying tight lipped on what he plans to do with the Irishman.

On Friday White told ESPN “It’s out of character for Conor McGregor and any of my fighters. Listen, crazy things happen in sports…In the history of the UFC, this is definitely the worst thing ever that’s happened…This is Conor McGregor. This is not the Conor McGregor that I know.”

“Obviously, the big question everybody’s been asking me is, ‘Are you firing Conor McGregor?'” White told ESPN. “This is bigger than Conor McGregor getting fired. There are so many more moving pieces to this thing.”

White is right that crazy things happen in sports. There are a number of NFL players getting into trouble with domestic disputes, drugs and other nasty out of competition things. Sometimes the League deals with those problematic individuals the right way, sometimes they try to sweep it away, but that doesn’t mean that the UFC has to look the other way on this one.

It needs to take it on directly and do right by the fighters who got hurt when they shouldn’t have.

This is exactly who Conor McGregor is and has been allowed to be, and this isn’t bigger than McGregor getting fired — it is about McGregor getting fired.

If White can have a meltdown about Roy Nelson “kicking” John McCarthy on the butt because of a supposed late call, then he should downright explode over the mess that McGregor has caused.

However, I don’t think White has the same conviction good Dr. Frankenstein had when it comes to confronting his monster.

The post CRIDER’S TAKE: White created the problem that is McGregor, time for him to fix it appeared first on MMATorch.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has re-signed with the WWE, but his return to UFC is still a likely possibility.

The perplexing creative decision of having former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar retain the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania, may now seem more logical.

The day after WrestleMania, WWE announced that Lesnar had re-signed with the company. While this may provide some clarity to Lesnar’s role at WrestleMania, it does muddy the waters of his return the UFC.

During media interviews for UFC 223, UFC president Dana White stated that Lesnar would return to UFC.

Lenar’s new deal with the WWE will reportedly allow Lesnar to fight in the UFC.

According to a report by Steven Muehlhausen of  the Sporting News, Lesnar signed a multi-year deal with the WWE. Lesnar’s new deal would allow Lesnar to compete in the UFC.

EXCLUSIVE: Well, Vince McMahon broke part of the news I had. Indeed, Brock Lesnar has resigned with WWE. But, from what I have been told by multiple sources, Lesnar signed a new multi-year deal AND will also be allowed to fight in the UFC as hes still under UFC contract.

— Steven Muehlhausen (@SMuehlhausenMMA) April 9, 2018

Contd: The plan is for Lesnar to fight one time this year vs the winner between Stipe Miocic-Daniel Cormier fight at UFC 226. Lesnar still has to formally reenter the USADA drug testing pool and finish his suspension which is around 6 months.

— Steven Muehlhausen (@SMuehlhausenMMA) April 9, 2018

However, Dave Meltzer of MMAFighting.com has since reported that Lesnar’s deal with the WWE is believed to be “short-term.” According to Meltzer, Lesnar’s new deal allows for at least one UFC fight, but Meltzer was unable to confirm if multiple fights were an option.

Regardless, of Lesnar’s contract length with the WWE, before competing in the UFC, Lesnar must still reenter the USADA drug testing pool and serve a six month suspension stemming from two failed drug tests during Lesnar’s UFC return in 2016.

If Lesnar were to fail a USADA drug test his WWE status would be unaffected due to Lenar’s status as a part time designation within the WWE.

Vallejos’ analysis: This is obviously great news for the WWE, it can also be a positive development for the UFC. Even if Lesnar was exclusively signed to the UFC, he would likely only fight once or twice per year. Lesnar is a major star within the UFC largely due to his visibility in the WWE. In a dual-contracted Lesnar, the UFC has a star that is regularly promoted weekly on national cable television. Of course, injuries in either venture could have a negative impact on either companies bottom line.     

The post Brock Lesnar re-signs with WWE, but UFC future still an option (W/Vallejos’ analysis) appeared first on MMATorch.

All the speculation about when Brock Lesnar can officially return to the UFC- can now end.

As first reported by Marc Raimondi of mmafighting.com, Lesnar officially re-entered the USADA drug testing pool as of July 3.

In a statement issued to mmafighting USADA stated, “Lesnar will be able to compete on or after January 8, 2019, should he remain in compliance with the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.”

Lesnar was previously classified a retired athlete after serving the first half of a 12-month suspension, that resulted from a pair of failed drug tests around his most recent fight against Mark Hunt at UFC 200 in July 2016.

While Lesnar’s UFC return has been rumored for over a year, Lesnar finally made an appearance in a UFC cage at UFC 226 when he confronted newly crowned heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.

During the UFC 226 post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said that a title fight between Cormier and Lesnar would be booked in the near future.

Lesnar is presumably still under contract with the WWE where he currently holds their Universal Championship. However, Lesnar has not appeared on WWE television since April, and is not advertised for any future dates with the company.

Newly crowned heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has some lucrative fights in his future, but a rematch with former champion Stipe Miocic does not neem be in the cards.

Cormier told mmaweekly.com that due to his retirement plans, he does not think that another fight with Miocic will happen.

“I don’t think it will happen again because of the timing.” said Cormier. However, Cormier did say that he believed that Miocic would be fighting for the title very soon.

In the aftermath of UFC 226, Miocic sent out a congratulatory tweet to Cormier, where Miococ indicated that he would like face Cormier again.

Congrats to DC. Didn’t get the chance to say it in the cage, but lets dance again and get a rematch before you call it a career.

Thx to my coaches and team.

Being the greatest heavyweight in UFC history is a career-long journey and doesnt end here. I’m more motivated than ever!

— Stipe Miocic (@stipemiocic) July 9, 2018

At the conclusion of their heavyweight title bout at UFC 226, former champion Brock Lesnar entered the cage to confront Cormier. At the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White indicated that the Cormier-Lesnar fight would be booked in the coming months.

A Cormier-Lesnar fight could not happen until early January 2019 , when Lesnar has completed his USASA suspension.

Previously, Cormier stateted that he we wanted to retire from MMA in March 2019. Cormier will turn 40 on March 20, 2019.

UFC 228 comes your way tonight  from the American Airlines Center, in Dallas Texas.

The card is headlined by welterweight title fight between champion Tyron Woodley and challenger Darren Till.

Initially the card was to be co-headlined by a women’s flyweight title fight between champion  Nicco Montaño and  Valentina Shevchenko. However, Montaño was transported to a hospital due to a health concern, just prior to the official weigh-inns.

UFC president Dan White has subsequently stated that Montaño will be stripped of the title. White indicated that the UFC is looking for an opponent for Shevchenko to face in the near future, in a bout for the vacant title.

Here is the complete card:   

Early Prelims: UFC Fight Pass, 6:15 pm ET

Jarred Brooks vs. Roberto Sanchez  (flyweigh)

Irene Aldana vs. Lucie Pudilová  (women’s bantamweight)

Jim Miller vs. Alex White (lightweight)

Diego Sanchez vs. Craig White (welterweight)

Prelims: FX, 8 pm ET

Charles Byrd vs. Darren Stewart (middleweight)

Geoff Neal vs. Frank Camacho (welterweight)

Aljamain Sterling vs. Cody Stamann (bantamweight)

Carla Esparza vs. Tatiana Suarez (women’s strawweight)

Main Card: pay-per-view, 10 pm ET

Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Niko Price (welterweight)

Jimmie Rivera vs. John Dodson (bantamweight)

Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Brandon Davis (featherweight)

Jéssica Andrade vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz (women’s strawweight)

(c) Tyron Woodley vs. Darren Till (welterweight championship)

The post Updated UFC 228 Card appeared first on MMATorch.

The UFC is about to get back into the Jon Jones business.

After over a year of ambiguity, Jon Jones will be eligible to fight on October 28, 2018.

The United States Anti-Doping Policy (USADA) released a statement on Wednesday night announcing Jones’ reinstatement.

According to the statement, “This decision comes after the facts of the case were presented and fully argued at an evidentiary hearing on September 15, 2018.”

Jones was flagged for a USADA violation shortly after defeating Daniel Cormier for the light heavyweight title at UFC 214, in June of 2017. UFC 217 was Jones’ return from a yearlong USADA suspension, stemming from a failed drug test prior to UFC 200.

Jones’ suspension retroactively began on July 28, 2017. Due to the most recent violation being a second offence, Jones 31 faced the possibility of a 4-year suspension.

USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart stated, “The independent arbitrator found that Jon Jones was not intentionally cheating in this case, and while we thought 18-months was the appropriate sanction given the other circumstances of the case, we respect the arbitrator’s decision and believe that justice was served.”

Officially, Jones received a 30-month suspension reduction, in exchange for providing “assistance” to USADA. The arbitration statement also reveals that Jones used recreational drugs such as cocaine through 2017; Jones entered a rehab faculty to seek treatment.

In his absence, Daniel Cormier has defended the light heavyweight title, while also capturing the heavyweight title.

In the wake of the news, Cormier stated that he has moved past his rivalry with Jones, and is focused on his announced but unscheduled fight with Brock Lesnar. On UFC tonight Cormier stated, “Why would I look back? Why would I look back to Jones now when I’ve got a fight?

Following USADA's official ruling on Jon Jones, @dc_mma speaks on the possibility of DC vs Jones 3. pic.twitter.com/MVQSOY83dg

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) September 20, 2018

Despite speculation that Jones will fight at UFC’s upcoming card at Madison Square Garden in November, UFC president Dana White indicated that Jones would not be on the card.

I told Dana White the obvious assumption everyone is making is Jon Jones will headline MSG on 11/3. He replied, “not true.”

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 20, 2018

Jones released a statement via Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

It’s difficult to express myself at this moment but I can definitely say my heart is filled with gratitude and appreciation. I want to thank all of you who have stood by me during the toughest stretch of my life. It has meant the world to me and always will. But now is the time to shift the focus front and center to the road ahead. Greatness is what I’m chasing and the path to reclaiming my throne is now officially open. Comeback Season begins now

A post shared by Jon Bones Jones (@jonnybones) on Sep 19, 2018 at 5:35pm PDT

Read USADA’s official statement and arbitration ruling.

The post Jon Jones ruled eligible to fight on October 28, given 15-month suspension appeared first on MMATorch.

SHOW SUMMARY: On this week’s edition of MMA Talk for Pro Wrestling Fans, MMATorch.com’s Robert Vallejos and Zack Heydorn examine several angles of Jon Jones’ upcoming reinstatement. They review the Conor McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov press conference. The guys discuss the implications of Conor McGregor’s new UFC contract. They give their take on the best eras of the UFC, and then close by examining the saturation debate in both the UFC and the WWE.

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The post PWTorch Livecast Presents “MMA Talk for Pro Wrestling Fans with Robert Vallejos & Co.” (09-24-18) appeared first on MMATorch.

UFC 229 has to be considered one of the wildest, most surreal nights in MMA history. A very good night of fights was capped off with an in and outside of the cage brawl instigated by Khabib Nurmagomedov and his corner.

UFC president Dana White was unequivocal in his “disgust” for what happened after Saturday’s main event.

“I’m disgusted and sick over it,” White told the FS1 post fight show.

At the post fight press conference, White provided more details, stating that Nurmagomedov’s was being withheld by the Nevada Athletic Commission pending an investigation. McGregor’s purse will not be withheld based on early findings that he was not at fault for the melee.

Nurmagomedov also attended the presser and apologized to the commission but also feel short of taking full responsibility.

“(McGregor) talked about my religion, he talk about my country, he talk about my father, he come to Brooklyn and he broke bus, he almost killed a couple people,” Nurmagomedov said (transcribed by MMA Fighting). Worry about this. Worry about this sh*t. Why people talk about ‘I jump over the cage?’ Why people still talk about this? I don’t understand.”

People will be talking about this for a while. Perhaps soon, Khabib will understand.

Watch the full press conference video above.

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