Conor McGregor

UFC: Nate Diaz issues a warning to Jake Paul

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Jake Paul is not making any friends inside the UFC. After knocking out former NBA player Nate Robinson in a boxing match, Paul said that he wanted to beat up any MMA fighter in the boxing ring.

His primary targets were Dillon Danis and Conor McGregor. However, Paul has been very active on social media calling out a number of UFC fighters. He’s got the attention of one fighter who doesn’t really play around with this kind of stuff.

That fighter would be Stockton’s own, Nate Diaz. Diaz is not one who really jokes around with trolls and you can ask Renato Laranja. Diaz took to Twitter last night to issue a very firm warning to the youngest Paul brother.

As you can see, the UFC veteran is not a fan of Jake Paul or his attitude. Without joking, Nate Diaz is the kind of guy who would slap Jake Paul in person if he saw him. This tweet came in response to Paul’s profanity laced callout of Conor McGregor yesterday. 

UFC vs Jake Paul

Here’s the thing, Jake Paul doesn’t have bad boxing technique. He’s clearly taken his training seriously and he’s dedicated his life to getting better. However, he’s fought another YouTuber and a former NBA player half his size.

Paul has no experience against anyone with combat sports experience. If he boxed anyone in the UFC with good hands, he’d get demolished in my eyes. Jake Paul would not beat Nate Diaz or Conor McGregor in a boxing match.

If Jake Paul is going to be taking a boxing match against someone from MMA or in the UFC, he needs to box a grappler. A guy like Dillon Danis. Danis is fighting for Bellator and he’s jiu jitsu expert.

That’s the kind of opponent that Jake Paul could take on right now. Guys like Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz are on a completely different level. Diaz has been boxing for about the amount of time Paul’s been alive. It would be a very bad beating.

UFC: Michael Chandler is in camp, but who is he fighting?

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Michael Chandler

Earlier this year, the UFC made headlines when they signed top lightweight, Michael Chandler (21-5). Chandler had been a Bellator champion on a number of occasions. He was always considered to be one of the best in the world.

However, with him fighting outside the UFC, there have always been questions on just how good he is. Chandler wanted to prove himself and see for himself just how good he is which is why he took a deal with the UFC.

He recently stated the the UFC was not offering him the most money. However, they provided the best competition which is what meant the most to Chandler. Originally, Chandler was supposed to make his debut at UFC 254 against either Tony Ferguson or Dustin Poirier.

The UFC tried to make a fight between Ferguson and Poirier, but after that fell through, they tried booking either against Chandler. A fight never materialized between Chandler and either of those top contenders.

Instead, Chandler still flew out to Fight Island, but as the backup for the UFC 254 main event. Chandler said it was his way of showing the UFC and the world that he is willing to take anything that they throw at him.

Recently, Chandler posted on Instagram that he was starting up his fight camp. He has aspirations to fight on the UFC 257 card which features the rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. So, who is Chandler training for?

Chandler at UFC 257?

Based on Michael Chandler being in camp, the safe assumption is that the plan is for Chandler to fight in January. With that in mind, there are a couple of potential opponents for Chandler to face at UFC 257.

The front-runner in my opinion is Justin Gaethje (22-3). Gaethje is the top ranked lightweight in the UFC and the former interim champion. Gaethje said he needs to get a win before fighting for the title again, and Chandler needs an opponent.

Chandler has openly expressed his desire to fight Justin Gaethje. Another opportunity would be Dan Hooker (20-9). Hooker is currently ranked fifth in the division and he said that he wanted to send Chandler back to the B-Leagues.

The UFC could also turnaround either Tony Ferguson or Charles Oliveira if one of them wins without taking too much damage this weekend. No matter what, Chandler’s first opponent will be a top five lightweight. We should know sooner than later who that opponent is.

UFC: Justin Gaethje says he needs a win before another title shot

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There might not be many in the business more likeable than Justin Gaethje (22-3). The former interim UFC lightweight champion just tells it like it is and he’s never afraid to be brutally honest even at his own expense.

We haven’t seen or heard much from Gaethje since his failed attempt to capture undisputed gold at UFC 254. That night, Gaethje took on Khabib Nurmagomedov. Gaethje was looked at as the most dangerous challenger to Khabib’s reign.

However, Khabib continued to show just how special he is dominating the fight and submitting Gaethje in the second round. Now, the former interim champion is ready to get back on the horse to try to capture UFC gold.

In an interview with The Schmo, Gaethje talked about what he wants to do next. “McGregor and Poirier are fighting soon, I would love to fight the winner of that. I wholeheartedly believe that you should be coming off a win to fight for a belt. So my job now is to get a win,” Gaethje said.

The Schmo followed up asking if Gaethje wants to wait for the winner of that fight. Gaethje replied, “I want to fight for the belt. If it’s the winner of that fight (who will be fighting for a belt), then in turn, I would have to beat somebody first.”

What’s the UFC’s plan for Gaethje?

You have to love the honesty from Justin Gaethje. He’s not sitting there demanding a UFC title shot despite the fact that he’s the top ranked lightweight in the division. He truly believes he has to win again before fighting for the belt.

So what should the UFC do with Gaethje? I think there are two very clear options for the promotion and Gaethje. I think the top option is for Gaethje to face Michael Chandler in January at UFC 257 as the co-main event.

Chandler has said he’s already in training camp and wants to fight on the McGregor – Poirier card. If the UFC pairs Gaethje with Chandler that night, you can see a little lightweight tournament forming for the championship.

The other option for Gaethje would be Dan Hooker. Hooker has expressed interest in fighting Gaethje and Hooker is also a top ranked lightweight. I think this should be the secondary option, but it’s another good one.

What we do know is that Gaethje wants to fight and win again before getting his next UFC title shot. I think we will get some clarity on the Justin Gaethje front sooner than later. I expect him to have a fight in January or February.

Boxing: Floyd Mayweather returning to face Logan Paul

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Floyd Mayweather Jr.

One of the greatest boxers of all time is returning to the ring. Well, he’s sort of returning to the boxing ring. Today, Floyd Mayweather Jr announced on his official Instagram page that he would be returning to the ring.

He will be returning for a boxing exhibition against YouTube celebrity Logan Paul. The two men will have their exhibition boxing match on February 20th. The fight has a PPV tiered system based on when you buy the PPV.

For the first one million buyers, the PPV will be $24.99. After that threshold, the PPV will cost fans $39.99 up until December 29th. After the 29th, the boxing PPV will cost fans $59.99 until February 11th. During the final ten days the PPV price goes up to $69.99.

It’s a very interesting model for a PPV and I’ll be curious to see how well this does. Given the way our society and culture is, I would expect a boxing exhibition between Mayweather and Paul to do extremely well on PPV.

This will be the first time that Floyd Mayweather Jr has stepped into the boxing ring since his match with Conor McGregor back in 2017. That night, Mayweather moved to 50-0 with a 10th round TKO over the two-division UFC champion.

Boxing Exhibition: Mayweather Jr – Paul

The Paul brothers have been making people pay attention to boxing all of a sudden. They are definitely bringing new eyes to the sport. Jake Paul, Logan’s younger brother, made headlines when he knocked out Nate Robinson last week.

After the fight was over, Jake Paul said he wanted to knockout Conor McGregor in a boxing ring. Jake Paul is 2-0 currently in his boxing career. Logan Paul on the other hand has one professional boxing match against fellow YouTuber, KSI.

Those two had a match last November that KSI won by split decision. It should be worth noting that Logan Paul will be about twice the size of Floyd Mayweather Jr when the two have their boxing exhibition on February 20th.

This whole thing seems like a little bit of a freak show. However, I guarantee you there will be a lot of eyeballs on this one.

UFC: Jake Paul is serious about his desire to fight Conor McGregor

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Conor McGregor, UFC

This past weekend, Jake Paul knocked out Nate Robinson in a boxing match. After the fight was over, Paul made headlines calling for a fight with former two division UFC champion, Conor McGregor.

Not only did Paul call McGregor out, but he said he’d knock him out in the boxing ring. Paul has competed twice in the boxing ring and won both fights by knockout. Granted, one was against a YouTuber and the other was a former NBA player.

Neither one of those men had any combat sports experience. Conor McGregor is a former UFC champion. He’s one of the absolute best in the sport and his only professional boxing experience came against one of the best to ever do it, Floyd Mayweather.

The former UFC champion is currently preparing to fight Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. McGregor last fought back in January of this year when he stopped Donald Cerrone in under a minute.

The Notorious one has teased a return to boxing, but he’s interested in a matchup with Manny Pacquiao. Nevertheless, the YouTube star continues his callouts and told TMZ yesterday that his team is currently talking with McGregor’s manager.

Jake Paul vs The Former UFC champ?

Do I believe that a boxing match with Jake Paul and Conor McGregor will actually happen? No, I do not believe that the former UFC champion will step into the squared circle against a YouTuber who claims to be a rapper.

I will give respect where it’s due, and Paul certainly appears to be taking his boxing seriously. However, there are simply levels to this. You cannot beat two people with no experience then say you’re going to knockout one of the world’s best combat athletes.

Let’s say that somehow it happens. Let’s say that Jake Paul takes on the former UFC champ-champ. What would happen? I’m sorry if you’re a fan of Jake Paul, but it would be completely embarrassing.

There are levels to this and Jake Paul would be shown very quickly that he’s an amateur against real elite level combat athletes. Before I can take the callouts seriously, I’ll have to see Paul compete with someone with more boxing skills than Nate Robinson.

UFC Matchmaker: Justin Gaethje – Michael Chandler

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There is so much movement and so many exciting things happening in the UFC‘s lightweight division. Just this past week, we saw the Conor McGregor – Dustin Poirier rematch made official and Tony Ferguson will be fighting Charles Oliveira. 

Both of those are insane matchups for fight fans. That being said, there are even more exciting matchups on the horizon for the UFC‘s lightweight division. The biggest MMA signing in 2020 had to be Michael Chandler signing with the UFC.

The former three time Bellator lightweight champion will finally get the chance to prove himself amongst the elite. However, the promotion has not been able to find Chandler an opponent quite yet.

Chandler was the backup for UFC 254 when Justin Gaethje took on Khabib Nurmagomedov. That night, Nurmagomedov ran through Gaethje to retain his UFC lightweight championship then announced his retirement. Although, his retirement seems to be up in the air.

Justin Gaethje wanted to get right back into the swing of things after the loss. He didn’t take much damage and he was itching to get back into the cage. Gaethje needs an opponent and Michael Chandler still isn’t booked. You see where I’m going with this?

Will the UFC book it?

I think given the current landscape, it makes all the sense in the world to have Justin Gaethje (22-3) fight Michael Chandler (21-5). It’s an excellent stylistic matchup for fans and both guys need a fight.

Chandler was trying to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 257 when McGregor takes on Poirier. However, Ferguson was adamant about fighting in 2020 which is how he landed on the Charles Oliveira fight.

By all accounts, Chandler wants to make his UFC debut in January. Justin Gaethje is wanting to get back into the cage so it makes sense to pair the two. The other option for either man would be Dan Hooker.

Unfortunately for Hooker, he appears to be the odd man out at the moment. Ariel Helwani said yesterday that it appears that Michael Chandler might have an opponent for UFC 257. Hooker has been calling for a fight with Gaethje while we haven’t heard much from the former interim champion.

My guess is that the promotion is moving to book Gaethje – Chandler. In theory, the winner of that fight would fight the winner of the McGregor – Poirier fight sometime next summer. If Khabib is truly done, the winners would face for the undisputed UFC lightweight championship.

In this scenario the two odd men out would be whoever wins between Ferguson – Oliveira and Dan Hooker. Given the timelines, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the UFC book those two against each other sometime in the spring.

UFC: Dana White says that Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight again

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In January, Conor McGregor (22-4) and Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) are expected to headline UFC 257. The card will take place on January 23rd and it will be a massive fight for the UFC‘s lightweight division.

Many have been speculating on what will be on the line that night. Will the winner earn a shot at the lightweight championship, or will the winner become the UFC‘s lightweight champion.

The reason that there’s questions is due to current champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0). Nurmagomedov stormed through Justin Gaethje last month at UFC 254 to successfully defend his lightweight crown.

After the fight was over, Khabib laid his gloves in the center of the cage and said that he was retiring. However, UFC President, Dana White, has been saying recently that he doesn’t think Nurmagomedov might be retiring.

With Nurmagomedov retired, it would make sense for the UFC to put up the lightweight title for the McGregor – Poirier fight. However, last night, Dana White doubled down and said that there would be no title on the line on January 23rd.

UFC’s Lightweight Situation

When asked about the title and the January PPV, White told the media, “No. Khabib’s gonna fight. I believe he’s gonna fight. It’s (UFC 257) not for the title.” White shut down the notion that McGregor and Poirier would determine the lightweight champion.

If that holds true, there are a lot of questions surrounding what will happen with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov’s father, who passed away this year, wanted him to retire at 30-0. However, his father had one fight in mind for that final fight.

It’s been said that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov wanted Khabib to fight Georges St. Pierre in his final fight. A fight between those two could determine who is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.

The former two-division world champion, GSP, has said that he is interested in fighting Khabib. There is so much respect there, but this would be a legacy matchup for both men.

If I had to guess, I think we are going to see the following situation play out. McGregor and Poirier will fight in January with Michael Chandler facing Tony Ferguson in the co-main event of the evening.

The winner of those two fights will fight each other. While that mini tournament is going on, Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight Georges St. Pierre at lightweight to determine the greatest fighter of all time.

Either Khabib will retire at 30-0 or GSP will become the first fighter in history to have captured titles in three weight classes. A very fluid but fun situation in the UFC‘s lightweight division at the moment.

UFC: Michael Chandler gives a counter offer to Tony Ferguson

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Michael Chandler

It’s a very interesting time in the UFC‘s lightweight division. Khabib Nurmagomedov might or might not be retired. Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are supposed to fight, but the deal still isn’t signed.

On top of that, Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson are calling each other out, but a fight hasn’t been made. The UFC is dealing with several interesting personalities and situations trying to get fights booked.

Just this week, Tony Ferguson called out Michael Chandler for a fight at UFC 256 in December. That card has had some major blows dealt to it and as a result, Ferguson called for a co-main event slot against Michael Chandler.

The UFC previously had offered Chandler to Ferguson back in October. However, Ferguson was not interested in taking the fight against Chandler. A couple of months later and Ferguson has changed his tune about the potential matchup.

However, there’s one problem to all of this. Michael Chandler won’t be ready to fight Ferguson next month. After UFC 254, Chandler took a little break after back-to-back camps, and he would like a full camp to prepare for El Cucuy.

UFC 257 Co-Main?

“There is a zero percent chance I’ll fight Tony Ferguson in December. Tony, you had the opportunity to fight me in October and you said no. You didn’t bring up fighting in December until it was way past the 11th hour. Let’s be realist and sign up for January 23,” Chandler told ESPN.

Right now, UFC 257 is scheduled for January 23rd and the main event is supposed to be McGregor – Poirier. In all likelyhood, that fight is going to get finalized sooner rather than later.

The card currently has no co-main event, but Chandler sees it as the perfect opportunity for the matchup. These two matchups would line up perfectly for the UFC lightweight tournament that Chandler proposed back at UFC 254.

This is a very interesting situation and I’m very curious to see how it plays out. Chandler and Ferguson is the fight to make, I just hope that egos and contracts don’t get in the way of this matchup.

What’s next for Rafael Dos Anjos after UFC Vegas 14?

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A lot of praise is being thrown at Paul Felder (17-6) after UFC Vegas 14. The Irish Dragon stepped up on short notice to take on Rafael Dos Anjos (30-13) to save the main event from being scrapped.

While Felder should get a ton of praise, the former UFC lightweight champion should also get some praise. It’s a dangerous thing to take a fight on five days’ notice against an opponent who’s completely different from the opponent you were fighting.

Islam Makhachev is known for his great wrestling. Dos Anjos was prepping for a UFC main event where he’d have to be grappling the majority of the time. Instead, he had to switch to prepare for an elite striker like Paul Felder.

It was a gamble, but it paid off. The former UFC champion used his wrestling and grappling to get the better of Felder over the course of five rounds. In doing so, Dos Anjos made a successful return to the lightweight division.

After struggling with weight cuts a few years ago, RDA decided to move up to welterweight. After initial success, Dos Anjos struggled with the bigger guys at the top of the division. Dos Anjos went 1-4 in his last five which prompted the move back down to lightweight.

What’s next after UFC Vegas 14?

Saturday night was a big first step for the former UFC champion. It wasn’t just about getting the win, but it was about making the weight and not having it impact his cardio. RDA looked great over the course of a grueling five round war.

After the win, Dos Anjos called for a fight with Conor McGregor since they were the only two previous undisputed lightweight champions in the division. McGregor responded saying he was in after he defeats Dustin Poirier.

However, I don’t think RDA is going to go right to the top just yet. I think the UFC will try to give him another matchup against a top contender before getting someone like Conor McGregor.

If I was playing match maker, I think a great fight would be RDA and Charles Oliveira (29-8, 1 NC). Oliveira is currently ranked sixth in the UFC‘s lightweight division and he’s won seven in a row. The winner of that fight would vault right to the top of the lightweight division.

Conor McGregor – Dustin Poirier official for UFC 257

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The wait and the negotiations are finally over. The UFC has finally come to terms with both fighters and the rematch that the world is waiting on is booked. Per MMA Fighting, Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) has agreed to terms and the rematch with Conor McGregor (22-4) is on.

The two men will headline UFC 257 that will take place on January 23rd. The date was created specifically for the McGregor – Poirier rematch, but there’s been doubts around the fight over the past week. In fact, there’s been talk the UFC might pivot from Poirier.

Yesterday, it was reported that the UFC was considering moving on from Poirier to book McGregor against Justin Gaethje. This was looked at as a tactic to put a little pressure on The Diamond who had been at odds with UFC brass.

Poirier was originally supposed to face Tony Ferguson back in October. However, that fight fell apart due to financial negotiations. Then, the McGregor – Poirier rematch started picking up steam, but it wasn’t smooth sailing in getting the fight booked.

McGregor had agreed to terms with the promotion, but the UFC was still having trouble with Poirier. This promoted the promotion to start working on alternative plans with Justin Gaethje. We don’t know which side ultimately caved, but the fight is now official.

UFC 257

Conor McGregor last fought at UFC 246 in January of this year. After the victory, McGregor openly talked about his desire to remain active in his MMA career. He wanted a 2020 season that would culminate with him winning the lightweight championship again.

However, the pandemic through everything off. McGregor ended up retiring and having a public spat with UFC President Dana White. McGregor challenged Dustin Poirier to a fight for charity that had nothing to do with the UFC following Poirier’s struggles with the promotion.

Both men agreed, but that prompted the UFC to get to work on booking the fight. It wasn’t easy, but now it is official. These two men fought at featherweight when McGregor was on the rise in his career. Poirier is far better now, but you could make the same argument for McGregor.

The rematch should be a lot of fun and it will be a massive event for the UFC‘s lightweight division.