dana white

UFC: Anderson Silva’s last fight could come against Uriah Hall

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UFC, Anderson Silva

The career of one of the greatest fighters of all time is coming to a close. UFC President Dana White said in the post-fight press conference of the Contender Series that the promotion was working on the “last fight” for Anderson Silva (34-10, 1 NC).

The Spider was once considered universally to be the greatest MMA fighter to have ever lived. However, his 1-6, 1 NC stretch over the last seven years has changed a lot of minds. Without a doubt, the former UFC middleweight champion is still one of the best to ever do it.

White said that the promotion was looking at another striker for his final fight. One opponent that White likes is Uriah Hall (15-9).

UFC 198 Throwback

“We’re working on a fight for him (Silva) coming up soon here…He will fight again. I met with his managers the other day. This will be his last fight…We’re talking about putting him in a very competitive fight that should be fun… Uriah Hall,” White said to the media.

Believe it or not, this would not be the first time that these two men were paired up. These two were initially supposed to fight at UFC 198 a few years back. However, a last minute injury forced Silva off the card in Brazil.

When Uriah Hall was on the Ultimate Fighter, many people remarked that he reminded them of Silva. Silva was the UFC‘s gold standard at that point in time. The way Hall was knocking people out, you couldn’t help but dream about a fight between the two men.

Of course we know that since that time, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for either man. Hall has never really lived up to his hype, while Silva has been sliding as he’s gotten older.

One More Fight

Silva turned 45 this year and really has nothing left to prove. He’s simply fighting because it’s what he loves to do. While he’s not at the top of the sport anymore, he proved at UFC 234 that he can still hang with the best.

Silva put up a very competitive performance against the current UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. Hall was initially scheduled to fight Yoel Romero this week, but that fight fell through with Romero pulling out.

Hall has won two straight fights and a win over a big name like Anderson Silva would really get some momentum behind him. I still would love to see Hall and Romero fight, but for now, I think I could live with seeing one of the all time greats compete in a striking match with Primetime Uriah Hall.

UFC: Dana White wants to meet with free agent Michael Chandler

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Michael Chandler

At the UFC 252 post-fight press conference, the media asked Dana White about the hottest free agent on the MMA market. That free agent is the former Bellator lightweight champion, Michael Chandler (21-5).

The media asked if White wanted to meet with Chandler, and White responded, “I would love to meet with him. That guy has earned it. I would love to meet with him.”

The UFC and Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler is coming off of a massive win in his last contest at Bellator 243. Chandler knocked out former UFC lightweight champion, Benson Henderson, in the first round of their fight.

For years, Chandler has been considered one of the best fighters in the world. However, because he fought in Bellator, a lot of people didn’t give him the respect he deserved. The UFC‘s lightweight division has always been the deepest in the sport, but the same can’t be said about Bellator’s.

Despite not having the deepest talent pool, Chandler continued to show just how talented he was. He holds wins over former UFC champions Eddie Alvarez and Benson Henderson. Chandler is 34 years old, but he looked the best he’s ever looked in his last contest.

There are so many exciting matchups for Chandler inside the UFC. Chandler against anyone in the top five of the division would be a very good fight. Chandler has great wrestling, very good boxing, and top notch power.

I fully expect the UFC to meet with Chandler very soon, and I believe that a deal will come together rather quickly. I’m sure other promotions will make their offers, but I think the desire to compete against the very best will bring Michael Chandler to the UFC.

 

UFC will have a light heavyweight title fight before 2020 is over per Dana White

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UFC, Jon Jones

For the last few months, the UFC‘s light heavyweight division has been in a state of limbo. The current champion and pound-for-pound top fighter in the world, Jon Jones (26-1, 1 NC) has been in a dispute with the UFC.

The dispute had to deal with fighter pay. Jones expressed interesting in moving up in weight to fight Francis Ngannou in a super fight, but he wanted a little more money. The UFC said no, and then the public dispute started.

There was a ton of back and forth where people were being called liars. Jones even called for his UFC release due to the talks. Many were left wondering if the UFC would release Jones or at least strip him of his title.

Earlier this week, Dana White said that the promotion had no plans on stripping Jones anytime soon. Recently he also said the promotion would work things out with Jones. He shed a little more light on that with an interview with ESPN.

The UFC’s GOAT returning in 2020?

“We’re making moves on that (the light heavyweight division)… We’re actually waiting to hear back from Jon Jones right now,” White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

White was later interviewed by The Schmo where he was asked about Jones’ future at light heavyweight. “If he stays at light heavyweight, he’s got to fight Reyes again. You have to see that fight again,” White told The Schmo.

It’s very clear what the UFC‘s plan is if Jon Jones returns to the division he’s reigned over for so long. It appears that the promotion will try to make the rematch with Dominick Reyes (12-1) happen.

The two men fought at UFC 247 back in February and the fight was razor close. Many people didn’t think Jones won the fight. In fact, 14 of 21 journalists scoring the fight, had the fight for Dominick Reyes.

The big question will be if Jones returns to light heavyweight. Maybe Jones just wants to be done with the division. There are plenty of options for him at heavyweight whether it be a fight with Ngannou or a potential fight with Stipe Miocic.

If Jones were to vacate the light heavyweight title, Reyes would be fighting for the vacant title. Reyes would likely take on Jan Blachowicz (26-8) if there were to be a vacant title fight.

Either way, we should see the light heavyweight title contested in the UFC before the end of the year. My guess is that we will see Jon Jones make his return to light heavyweight. I think it’ll be another year before we see a potential move to heavyweight. There’s always that Israel Adesanya fight that’s potentially just a year away at 205.

UFC: Dana White’s Contender Series Week 2 Contract Winners

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UFC, Dana White

Last night, the UFC president’s Contender Series had it second successful week after it’s return. The Contender Series has been turning out top talent for the last few years for the promotion.

The night was filled with five fights that delivered. Normally, Dana White hands out two or three contracts when there are five fights. However, last night, the UFC president was feeling a little more generous than usual.

Five UFC contracts handed out

White and the UFC signed all five of the fighters who won their fights last night. White joked that he was in a good mood after getting back from his recent vacation. Let’s take a look at the five fighters who are now members of the UFC.

Dustin Stolzfs

Dustin Stoltzfus (13-1) won in the most gruesome fashion last night in his fight. The new UFC middleweight had a solid back and forth battle going on with Joseph Pyfer.

Stoltzfus rolled for a knee bar late in the round, and once that didn’t work, a scramble found him in a position for a takedown. He picked Pyfer up and slammed him to the ground dislocating Pyfer’s elbow in the process.

Stoltzfus looked pretty good everywhere and with his experience, White was willing to give him a UFC contract.

Adrian Yanez

Adrian Yanez (11-3) looked absolutely fantastic last night. He stopped Brady Huang in just 39 seconds with an impressive striking display. The fight earned the bantamweight a UFC contract.

After the fights, White labeled Yanez as a sniper. The 26 year old bantamweight will now enter one of the deepest divisions in the UFC. He will enter his first octagon trip on a four fight winning streak that features three TKO’s.

Cory McKenna

The one fighter that had White the most on the fence about was Cory McKenna (5-1). McKenna came into last night as the underdog facing Crystal Demopoulos. However, the Team Alpha Male fighter was able to prove the odds makers wrong.

White wasn’t sure that she was ready for the UFC. McKenna is just 20 years old and still has a lot to learn and improve on. She does have five wins to her record now, and White decided to give her a shot.

She comes out of one of the better camps, and being just 20, she hasn’t even scratched the surface of what she’s capable of. Her only career loss came via split decision, but other than that, she’s looked very good in her young career.

TJ Laramie

TJ Laramie (12-3) was labeled as a savage by the UFC president. Laramie who is just 22 years old looked incredibly impressive last night. He found himself in some compromising positions at times, but the young fighter showed incredible poise.

His opponent, Daniel Swain, had him locked up a few times, but Laramie kept pushing through. Laramie got into a dominant position and landed massive shots on Swain. Swain struggled even getting back to his corner after the first round.

The beating was so bad that Swain couldn’t get off the stool and Laramie won via TKO. Laramie will now head into the UFC‘s featherweight division riding a four fight winning streak.

Impa Kasanganay

Impa Kasanganay (7-0) fought on The Contender Series for the second time last night. Both times, he’s walked away with a unanimous decision victory, but White didn’t seem extremely impressed.

However, with Kasanganay winning twice now, White was willing to give him a shot. One of the reasons why White was willing to do so is Kasanganay’s willingness to fight.

Kasanganay will be getting a very quick turnaround for his first official fight in the UFC. According to White in the post-fight press conference, Kasanganay will be taking on Maki “Coconut Bombz” Pitolo on August 22nd.

UFC and Mayweather Promotions co-promotion could be in the works

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Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The UFC and this generation’s greatest boxer could be close to working together once again. According to Dana White, there have been active talks with Floyd Mayweather about a co-promotion and a fight is, “Very Possible.”

The UFC and Mayweather Promotions most famously co-promoted the fight between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. A boxing match that produced over four million PPV buys.

What does it mean for the UFC?

There are so many questions around what it could mean for the UFC. The first thing that I thought about was the potential rematch between McGregor and Mayweather. However, White halted those talks right away.

“Conor McGregor is retired,” White said to TMZ. “When I’m doing things right now and running business, I don’t even think about Conor. Conor is retired.”

With that being said, we really don’t have a great idea of what a co-promotion could mean for the UFC. I have always believed that Mayweather wasn’t completely done with the UFC.

Both sides really enjoyed doing business with each other when they were promoting The Money Fight. This came after years of Mayweather and White going back and forth through the media.

After the fight ended, the two have never said a bad word about the other. In fact, White has said many times that he’s wanted the UFC to work with Mayweather once again. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

What do you think the co-promotion could consist of? Will another UFC fighter take on Floyd Mayweather in a boxing ring or is Money Mayweather going to try out the four ounce gloves inside the octagon? Time will tell.

 

BREAKING: UFC 255 headlined by Figuiredo – Garbrandt and Shevchenko – Maia flyweight title fights

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The UFC news is coming fast and furious today. Dana White told ESPN today that the promotion is going to have two flyweight title fights at UFC 255. Deiveson Figuiredo (19-1) will be taking on Cody Garbrandt (12-3) and for the women, Valentina Shevchenko (19-3) will be taking on Jennifer Maia (18-6-1).

Two UFC Flyweight Title Fights

This is massive news for the promotion. The UFC has said that they were working on Figuiredo’s first title defense, and he has a tall order. The former bantamweight champion, Garbrandt has teased moving down to flyweight.

He said recently in an interview that he wanted to go down and claim a second title. Figuiredo is coming off of a dominant victory over Garbrandt’s former teammate, Joseph Benavidez at UFC Fight Island 2.

This is a massive matchup and a very interesting one. TJ Dillashaw tried doing what Garbrand’s doing and showed a diminished chin in a first round TKO loss to Henry Cejudo. Will Garbrandt fair better?

Figuiredo looks like he can become a dominant champion in the UFC that can reign for a long time. However, Garbrandt is by far the biggest challenge that he could face at flyweight. This will be a fantastic matchup.

One of the most dominant fighters in the UFC is flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko. She has walked through who has stood in her way outside of Amanda Nunes.

She was scheduled to fight JoJo Calderwood back in June, but an injury forced the UFC champion to withdraw. Jennifer Maia defeated Calderwood last week to earn her title shot. The victory prompted a callout from the champion.

Two massive flyweight title fights headline a very impressive card from the UFC. The promotion is going to really be kicked into high gear for the rest of 2020. Who do you think will walk away from UFC 255 with flyweight gold?

 

UFC: Marlon Moraes – Cory Sandhagen to headline October 10th Fight Night

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The UFC is planning on having a big time bantamweight fight headline their fight night on October 10th. According to multiple reports, Magic Marlon Moraes (23-6-1) will be taking on Cory Sandhagen (12-2).

What does the mean for UFC’s title pictures?

Originally, it was being reported that the UFC was trying to book Moraes with former champion, Cody Garbrandt. However, Garbrandt recently told Ariel Helwani that he was wanting to drop to flyweight to take on the champion, Deiveson Figueiredo.

With the UFC moving to book Moraes/Sandhagen, it looks like the writing is on the wall with a couple of title fights. One being the title fight between Garbrandt and Firgueiredo while the other title fight will be Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling.

Dana White has been hesitant to say that Sterling was next for Yan after Yan won the title at UFC 251. However, with all other top contenders booked, it appears that the UFC will be making Yan – Sterling after all.

Moraes – Sandhagen

Now back to this fight. This is a fantastic matchup in the bantamweight division. I’m a little surprised that the UFC is having Sandhagen fight a guy like Moraes after he was steamrolled by Sterling in the first round.

I was thinking maybe a guy like Jimmie Rivera could have been next for Sandhagen. Either way, it’s a big time fight for the division. A win for either of these guys might put them in line for a title shot next.

Moraes was in a weird spot after his last fight. He beat Jose Aldo, but the court of public opinion gave Aldo the win. Even the UFC gave Aldo a title shot over Moraes. The former title challenger will look to cement his top contender status with a win over Sandhagen.

The UFC‘s bantamweight division is on fire right now. The weight class is filled with tremendous talent and they have budding superstars. This will be a division to keep your eyes on moving forward.

UFC: Dana White says that Abu Dhabi will be the new fight capital; will return in Sept. or Oct.

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UFC, Dana White

When UFC President Dana White started talking about Fight Island earlier this year, the fans imaginations ran wild. There were mockups of fights on the beach and fighters making the walk in the sand.

When the UFC announced Fight Island, it was incredible to see what they had put in place. The protocols and the infrastructure was just incredible. Not to mention, the fights were pretty good which kicked off with UFC 251.

White appeared on TMZ today and discussed when the promotion would be making their return to Abu Dhai.

UFC’s New Fight Capital

“Everyone wants to go there. We’re working on fights right now for the next run. Obviously the big international stars will fight over there. This next trip over there, I’ll probably be there for five weeks,” White told TMZ.

It is unclear when the UFC will be returning, but it will probably hinge on the travel status for some of the international fighters. We know for sure that the UFC is planning on UFC 254 being on Fight Island which is headlined by the Khabib – Gaethje title fight.

Again, depending on travel, the first event that could be back on Fight Island is UFC 253. That card is headlined by the Paulo Costa – Israel Adesanya title fight. That fight is tentatively booked for the APEX, but I could see that one switching venues.

White is expecting Abu Dhabi to remain a staple for big fights in the future. “Abu Dhabi is going to be the fight capital of the world. The infrastructure that’s already built and the stuff were talking about, this is going to become a destination if you’re a fight fan.”

No question that the UFC is planning on continuing their partnership with Abu Dhabi for a long time. The pandemic has increased their partnership and I believe we are going to see Abu Dhabi be a main location for big fights for a very long time.

 

 

UFC: Who won contracts on Dana White’s Contender Series Last Night?

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UFC, Dana White

Last night, UFC president Dana White’s Contender Series made it’s return on ESPN+. The show featured eight fighters who were all vying for a contract with the world’s premier MMA organization.

Fighters tend to go all out looking for finishes or excitement in these fights which is why so many love the Contender Series. With that, let’s take a look at the three fighters that walked away with UFC contracts last night.

Jordan Leavitt

Lightweight Jordan Leavitt (7-0) took on Jose Flores (9-2) in the first fight of the evening last night. Both guys were known for their ground skills both coming into the fight with several submission wins. Instead of seeing the ground fighters stand, Leavitt had other plans.

Leavitt immediately shot in for a takedown. Once he got the fight to the ground, Leavitt controlled Flores. A few minutes in, Leavitt was able to lock in an arm-triangle choke to secure the first round finish.

Afterwards, Leavitt showed his personality with his signature splits and worm celebration. The quick first round win was enough to earn him a UFC contract from Dana White.

Uros Medic

To me, the most impressive performance came in the third fight of the evening when lightweights Uros Medic (6-0) and Mikey Gonzalez (7-2) went head-to-head. Medic looked absolutely sensational in this one.

At 6’1, Medic looked massive in there as a lightweight. Medic immediately pressed forward in the first round with powerful kicks hurting Gonzalez to the legs and the body.

Just a couple of minutes into the contest, Medic landed a powerful combination against the cage that floored Gonzalez. Strong follow up shots caused the ref to stop the action. Dominance from Medic who’s going to be dangerous in the UFC.

Dustin Jacoby

The final fight of the evening featured light heavyweight’s Dustin Jacoby (12-5) and Ty Flores (7-3). Jacoby came into the contest as a veteran of Bellator so he had some big promotional experience.

Jacoby went after Flores hard for the first two rounds of their fight. In total, he landed 131 shots last night in their contest. The fight came close to getting stopped a couple of times, but Flores’ toughness was on full display.

After pushing an incredible pace for two rounds, Jacoby completely hit a wall and gassed in the third. You could tell he was going all out for the finish to impress the UFC. He was still dominant in winning a unanimous decision.

Despite not getting the finish, White decided to reward Jacoby with a contract for his performance. He did try to go all out, but just couldn’t quite get the finish he wanted.

Brightest UFC Future?

The Contender Series is fantastic for adding new talent in the UFC. The series has already produced some big time guys for the promotion. The guy I’m the most excited for has to be Uros Medic.

The UFC‘s lightweight division is absolutely filled with killers. Medic will fit right in with his long and lethal striking style. I think the promotion will build him slowly, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him as a contender one day in that division.

UFC Head Dana White Urges The Rock To Get XFL Moving Again

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Sports this year has been heavily disrupted by COVID-19, and we’re in the middle of some interesting results from that.

The future of the XFL isn’t entirely certain after the league was forced to suspend its season due to the virus, but there’s some light at the end of the tunnel for it as it’s supposedly getting bought out of bankruptcy by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.

Johnson is part of a team buying the league for only 15 million. It’s a relatively cheap price considering the value of more established leagues. But it remains to be seen how The Rock will actually handle his newfound position.

Dana White’s idea for the league

UFC executive Dana White is outspoken on a lot of things, and apparently, the XFL is one of them. While talking to TMZ Sports, he offered some advice to Johnson for running the league. His main idea? Get things moving again soon, and take advantage of the lull in other sports.

“If I was The Rock, I would try to get that rolling as fast as I could. I’d try to get that on television ASAP. I guarantee you there’s a ton of networks that would do it,” White said enthusiastically.

He continued by saying that the XFL could take attention away from leagues whose athletes don’t want to play. That’s increasingly a concern in the NFL, which is on shaky ground as far as its handling of the current pandemic. Multiple players have already opted out of the season on the Giants, and other players around the league have joined in opting out.

“Don’t be surprised if The Rock slides right into that slot with some great programming. ‘Cause let me tell you what, people are dying to watch live sports right now,” White stated. His own league, the UFC, has continued to operate through the pandemic. It’s gone relatively well so far, even with some matchups needing changes because of it, and the loss of ticket sales from fans attending the events.

White is willing to use his own experience on the subject to help out Johnson with the XFL.

“I’m actually gonna call him today and walk him through what I think he needs to do on the COVID side of this thing. And, I have some ideas for him.”

A plus for New York sports

Sports fans in the New York area should be happy about Johnson’s acquisition of the league. It means that the New York team in the XFL, the Guardians, has a chance to survive into the future. The Guardians had a winning record at the time of the season’s suspension, but obviously the continued existence of the team depends on having a league to play in.

It’s not clear what form the XFL will take in the future, and what new changes will happen, but it doesn’t look like the league is going to go away entirely.

The team has some Giants DNA with Kevin Gilbride serving as the first and current head coach, so there’s some reason for fans of the New York Giants to care about the fate of the Guardians. Also, the team shares a stadium with both the Jets and the Giants.

And with new ownership for the league, the Guardians might just be able to take the field again in a renewed XFL.