dana white

UFC BREAKING: Zabit Magomedsharipov – Yair Rodriguez off due to an ankle injury

by
Yair Rodriguez

One of the more anticipated UFC featherweight contests of 2020 will not happen. Dana White confirmed this evening that Yair Rodriguez (13-2) has injured his ankle and will not headline the August 29th fight night against Zabit Magomedsharipov (18-1).

What does the UFC do?

The UFC has tried to make this fight multiple times over the last couple of years. Injuries have continued to get in the way of this fight being a reality.

Zabit and Rodriguez are two of the brighter stars in the UFC‘s lower weight classes. The fight between the two of them was likely to determine who would face Alexander Volkanovksi next for the featherweight title.

As ESPN’s Ariel Helwani suggested, Calvin Kattar has offered to step in to face Zabit in the main event of the August 29th card. Kattar and Zabit do have history.

The two men just fought and headlined a fight night back in November. Zabit won the three round main event, but Kattar was really coming on strong at the end. Many believe that Kattar could have won if it had been a traditional five round main event.

Kattar would make sense from a rankings perspective, but there’s no word on if Zabit would want to fight Kattar back-to-back. There are a couple of additional options for Zabit at 145 pounds.

Other Options

The UFC has been trying to book Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega for some time now. White has said that the UFC is close to booking that fight. However, maybe the promotion looks to see if one of them would be interested in stepping in to face Zabit.

Another outside the box option could be giving Max Holloway a call to see if he’d take the fight. The former champion could really establish that he should get another shot at Volkanovski if he can beat Zabit.

White said the Rodriguez has a high ankle sprain and a fracture. It’s unlikely, but if he recovers quickly, the UFC could shift gears to move up a main event and move back the Zabit – Rodriguez fight. Many options are on the table and we should expect the UFC to move quickly on this one.

 

UFC: Per Dana White, Jon Jones isn’t being stripped of his title anytime soon

by
UFC, Jon Jones

One of the biggest stars in the UFC has been very vocal about his thoughts on fighter pay since the promotion kicked things off back in May.

The light heavyweight champion and current pound-for-pound number one fighter, Jon Jones, has been in a public spat with the promotion. Jones has said that he would sit out as long as it took to get paid what he wants.

With that line of thinking, many have wondered if this would prompt the UFC to strip Jon Jones of his title. However, Dana White said in an interview with Barstool that the promotion is not planning on that.

“The last time he said ‘I’m not fighting,’ he’s not fighting, so we’re feeling this thing out. When it’s time for him to fight, we’ll see,” White told Barstool. When asked about stripping him, White replied, “Not as of yet, no.”

The UFC & Jones current position

It is a very delicate situation between Jones and the UFC. Jones was very active staring in December of 2019. After all of the suspensions and issues, Jones fought and won four times over the course of 14 months.

After Francis Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds at UFC 249, Jones and Ngannou started angling for a fight. Generalities were spoken in terms of financial figures, and the UFC had no interest in bumping Jones’ pay.

White came out and said that Jones was requesting Deontay Wilder money to fight Ngannou. This is a claim that Jones quickly refuted.

All of this drama between Jones and White came back in late May/early June. Since then, it’s been very quiet on this front. White did say he believes that they will resolve the issue.

The UFC has been cranking out cards, and I believe that they have the rest of the year figured out. The rest of 2020 may not included Jones or Conor McGregor. White guaranteed McGregor wouldn’t fight and it doesn’t appear as if Jones will fight either.

Time will tell what’s going to happen in this situation. I still believe that they will get this resolved in the end. Not sure if Jones will return to the light heavyweight division or if he’ll move up, but rest assured, Jon Jones will fight again in the UFC someday.

 

UFC: Ben Rothwell – Marcin Tybura targeted for October 10th

by
Ben Rothwell

The UFC has been working hard over the last couple of weeks to set their schedule for the rest of 2020. Dana White said that once he returned from Fight Island it would be time to work.

We’ve seen a bunch of fights get announced recently and there’s another contest in the works. According to multiple reports, Ben Rothwell (38-12) will be taking on Marcin Tybura (19-6). Both men come into the contest off back-to-back wins.

Big Ben’s UFC Journey

Nearly 11 years ago, Big Ben Rothwell made his UFC debut. He had a ton of hype behind him as he entered the contest 14-1 in his last 15 fights. However, the UFC gave him Cain Velasquez in his debut who proceeded to maul Rothwell.

Since then, Rothwell has gone 8-5 in 13 fights in the UFC. He went on a four fight winning streak which included wins over Alistair Overeem, Matt Mitrione, and Josh Barnett. Rothwell looked to be a win or two away from a title shot.

The UFC paired him against former champion, Junior Dos Santos. Rothwell would drop that fight by unanimous decision before sitting out for nearly three years due to suspension issues.

Big Ben returned last year and dropped two straight. However, Rothwell finished Stefan Struve back in December and took a split decision against Ovince St. Pruex to get back on track this year. He hopes to make it three in a row in October.

Marcin Tybura lost two and a row in 2019 just like Rothwell. Also like Rothwell, Tybura has bounced back with two consecutive wins this year. The Polish heavyweight has been in there with top guys like former champion, Fabricio Werdum.

Tybura will make the walk on October 10th at 6-5 in his UFC career. Both of these men are looking to break back into the top 15 of the heavyweight division. A win for either would mean three straight which could do the trick.

UFC: No 2020 Fight For Conor McGregor, Says Dana White

by
Conor McGregor, UFC

It looks like one of the biggest stars in the UFC is done fighting for 2020.

Conor McGregor retired earlier this year, but it’s not an unusual occurrence for McGregor to walk away and come back. The former featherweight and lightweight champion gave a hint on Twitter that he may come back and answer some of the challenges from other fighters, but not long afterwards, Dana White pumped the brakes on the talk of a return.

What did Dana White have to say?

White spoke to Barstool Sports and gave what sounds like a final decision on the matter.

“This year he is retired. He doesn’t have a fight this year and he won’t have a fight this year. Conor McGregor will not fight in 2020. I am not saying he won’t fight in 2021, but I am telling you we don’t have a fight planned for him in 2021. But I guarantee you he will not fight in 2020. Conor McGregor is retired,” White said.

This comes after Khamzat Chimaev, one of the rising fighters in the UFC, called out McGregor and prompted a fast reply. Chimaev is currently 8-0 and 2-0 in the UFC. He called McGregor out specifically after his first round TKO victory at UFC on ESPN 14.

Then again, Dana White is somewhat known for changing stances just as much as McGregor is. Fans have even compiled entire lists of all the times White has changed his positions, and the UFC would benefit financially from having another hyped up McGregor fight.

So it’s not all that unlikely that before end end of the year, White will change his mind and go with the more lucrative option of letting McGregor fight again in 2020. Even if his current status is ‘retired.’ With that being said, it might be a bit too early in Khamzat Chimaev’s career to match him up with as dangerous a fighter as McGregor.

The UFC might have a good rising talent on their hands, but let’s not forget an important fact: Chimaev has a lot of hype, but he’s still only 2-0 in the UFC and 8-0 overall.

Kevin Holland draws Joaquin Buckley at UFC Vegas 6

by
Kevin Holland

The UFC‘s loud mouth according to Dana White has found himself a fight. Kevin Holland (17-5) was all set to fight last week at UFC Vegas 5. He was scheduled to take on Trevin Giles.

However, just before the fighters made the walk for their fight, Giles fainted in the back. Giles had to be taken to the hospital for further evaluation.

Holland had a good attitude about the whole thing, but was incredibly frustrated that he wasn’t able to fight at UFC Vegas 5. Dana White said the in post-fight press conference that they would find him a quick fight. Looks like they’ve found that fight.

Holland gets UFC newcomer

It was reported today that Holland would be taking on Joaquin Buckley (10-2) this weekend at UFC Vegas 6. Buckley is a veteran of LFA and Bellator.

Buckley enters his UFC debut coming off back-to-back TKO victories in LFA. He just fought back on July 31st against Jackie Gosh.

Buckley’s fight against Gosh was actually a rematch. Gosh was one of the men to hold a victory over Buckley so it was big for Buckley to get that fight back. Buckley is in shape and he’s ready for a fight.

Buckley is naturally a welterweight, but he will be fighting Holland at 185 pounds. It’s a huge opportunity for Buckley getting his UFC debut against a personality like Kevin Holland.

 

UFC: Three biggest stars to come out of the contender series

by

Tomorrow night marks the return of UFC president Dana White’s Contender Series. The contender series made it’s debut back in 2017.

The show has produced incredible fights and the show has introduced us to many fighters who are now prominent in the UFC.

With the return of the series starting tomorrow, I decided to take a look at the three biggest stars, in my opinion, to come out of Dana White’s contender series.

Suga Sean O’Malley

To me, the biggest star is not questionable. The biggest star to come out of the contender series is Suga Sean O’Malley (12-0). O’Malley burst onto the scene when he knocked out Alfred Khashakyan on the show.

Since his appearance on the show, O’Mally has gone 4-0 in the UFC. He had some USADA issues that kept him out of action for a couple of years, but he’s returned in full force in 2020.

O’Malley has scored back-to-back first round knockouts looking better than he ever has. At just 25 years old, the Suga Show is becoming must see TV. He has all the makings to be the next superstar. O’Malley fights Chito Vera at UFC 252 in a couple of weeks.

Geoff Neal

Handz of Steel Geoff Neal (13-2) appeared on the contender series back in 2017. That night, Neal knocked out Chase Waldon in the first round earning himself a shot in the UFC.

Since joining the promotion, Neal has looked incredible. Neal has gone 5-0 with only one fight going the distance. Neal has the makeup to be a big star in the UFC. He’s got incredible talent and a killer instinct.

Because he is so dangerous, the promotion was having a difficult timing finding Neal a fight in 2020. It became so bad that Neal had to pick up a job serving tables just to make some extra money.

However, Neal was recently booked to take on fellow top 15 welterweight Neil Magny on August 29th. If Neal looks impressive in that contest, he might only be a couple of wins away from getting a shot at the title.

Edmen Shahbazyan

Edmen Shahbazyan (11-1) was making headlines last week because everyone believes he’s going to be a star. The 22 year old went into UFC Vegas 5 at 11-0 with 10 first round finishes. One of those finishes came in the contender series.

Shahbazyan was humbled over the weekend by Derek Brunson and he suffered the first loss of his career. Again, at just 22, the future is very bright for Shahbazyan. The man could still become world champion one day.

He’s still going to be ranked in the top ten of the UFC‘s middleweight division despite the loss. With the talent and following he has already, you can’t deny that he’s one of the biggest stars we’ve seen come out of the show.

Other UFC notables

In addition to the three that I mentioned, there have been several other big time fighters to come out of the show. Fighters like Dan Ige, Ian Heinisch, Maycee Barber, Greg Hardy, Ricky Simon, and Ryan Spann amongst others.

White’s show has been incredibly successful about finding some premier talent. I’m pumped that the show is coming back, and I’m looking forward to seeing some of the future stars of the UFC.

Herb Dean draws unfair criticism at UFC Vegas 5

by

I said this in my article last week, but I believe that Herb Dean is one of if not the best referee in the UFC. There is a reason the man has been the official for so many massive events.

Dan Hardy criticized Dean for a late stoppage back at UFC Fight Island 3. The two men had some verbal back and forth. Dana White came out last week and said that situations like that could never happen again.

Herb Dean found himself at the center of more controversy after UFC Vegas 5. In the main event, Derek Brunson almost finished Edmen Shahbazyan at the end of the second round.

Shahbazyan took some massive shots and Dean came close to stopping the fight. His decision to proceed drew criticism.

How I saw UFC Vegas 5

There was a lot of criticism thrown Dean’s way, but I truly believe that he made the right call last night. I fall more in line with what Michael Bisping had to say after UFC.

There were a lot of people that said Shahbazyan was out near the end of the second round. I’ve watched the tape multiple times and he was not out. He was exhausted and taking some big shots, but he wasn’t out.

Immediately after the round ended Shahbazyan got up and went to his corner. You could tell he was hurt, but he had a full minute to recover. We’ve seen fighters in the past go from being nearly finished at the end of the round to winning the fight.

Shahbazyan did look a little out of it so Dean called in the doctor just to get a second opinion on his ability to continue. The doctor approved it and the fight continued.

Of course, Brunson stormed forward and took Shahbazyan straight to the ground. After landing just two shots, Dean called a stop to the action. The stoppage was great in my opinion. Shahbazyan was not ready to continue, but I think it was okay to send him out for the third.

I understand it’s the flavor of the month to bash Herb Dean. Yes, he made a bad call at UFC Fight Island 3. However, are we just going to ignore his history as one of the best refs in MMA history?

Dean unfortunately is going to find himself under the microscope every time he refs a UFC contest for the foreseeable future. It shouldn’t be that way, but unfortunately it’s the world we live in.

 

Robert Whittaker – Jared Cannonier added to UFC 254

by

Earlier this week, UFC President Dana White was interviewed by ESPN and he stated that a fight between Robert Whittaker (21-5) and Jared Cannonier (13-4) would make sense.

He talked about how it’s hard to distinguish a number one contender between the two men. They both are deserving of the next title shot. Well, it’s been announced that the two men are going to fight to determine who is the number one contender.

UFC 254 will determine number one contender

It’s a quick fight announcement for the former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Whittaker is coming off of a close decision win over Darren Till last Saturday at UFC Fight Island 3.

Since dropping down to middleweight back in 2014, Whittaker has been at the very top. He’s gone 10-1 and captured the UFC‘s middleweight title. The only slip up came when he lost the title by knockout to Israel Adesanya at UFC 243.

Whittaker desperately wants to get that fight back. Adesanya has a tall mountain to climb in front of him at UFC 252 in Paulo Costa, but if Izzy and Whittaker both win expect the rematch in 2021.

Much like Whittaker, Cannonier has also seen a career resurgence once he changed weight classes. Cannonier suffered back-to-back losses against top light heavyweight contenders forcing him to move down to middleweight.

Once he moved down, Cannonier has looked sensational. He’s fought three times against and finished every opponent. His hit list includes David Branch, Anderson Silva, and Jack Hermansson.

I’m pumped for this fight. Both men are extremely talented and have elite striking skills. I love this fight because it will determine a true number one contender in the UFC‘s middleweight division.

UFC: Dana White on the Herb Dean – Dan Hardy situation: “That can never happen here again”

by
UFC, Dana White

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard about the referee drama from UFC Fight Island 3. Veteran official, Herb Dean, had words with former fighter and current UFC commentator, Dan Hardy.

The verbal confrontation came after Dean was slow to stop a fight. On the broadcast you could hear Hardy yell out, “Stop the fight! That’s twice now…” referring to another stoppage from earlier in the evening.

Today at the UFC Vegas 5 pre-fight media scrum, Dana White was asked about his opinion on the matter.

“We love Dan. Dan got emotional. The problem is with this setup, it’s a lot easier to do. It’s a lot easier to interact with everybody, from the fighters to the refs to the media and everybody. If you work for me in any capacity and you approach a referee or judge or an official, I will fire you that night on the spot. That can never happen here again,” White said.

UFC’s Firm Warning

Dana White and the UFC are not playing games when it comes to this. White has been very vocal in the past about fighters’ interactions with the referees.

If you need an example of how the UFC handles these kind of situations, just ask Jason High who was cut after he shoved an official after a fight. Of course, that situation was much different, but you get how serious the promotion takes these matters.

Dan Hardy has received a ton of support from the MMA community for standing up in that situation. However, White is coming from the perspective that you have to be professional no matter how strongly you feel.

The UFC does not play games when it comes to this kind of thing. I think this was a good reminder, but it’s also something that would have never taken place had we been in a normal non-COVID world.

Everyone will move on from this in the end. Dean will continue to officiate and Hardy will continue to commentate. They are both great at what they do, and this doesn’t change that. Just a heat of the moment thing that we will all move on from. You can view White’s full pre-fight press conference below.

Paige VanZant close to deal with Bare Knuckle FC?

by
Paige VanZant

Bare Knuckle FC is reportedly close to landing a deal which would secure their most main stream star yet. According to MMA reporter, Mike Russell, Paige VanZant is nearing a deal with Bare Knuckle FC.

Shortly after that news came out, Eric Kowal, who works for Bare Knuckle FC said on Twitter that he could confirm talks, but nothing was close at this time.

Bare Knuckle FC and PVZ is an odd marriage

If the deal comes together between VanZant and Bare Knuckle, I would be incredible surprised. PVZ is coming off of a loss to Amanda Ribas back at UFC 251 in the last fight of her contract.

UFC president Dana White said that it would be wise for VanZant to test the free agent market. PVZ had been vocal about getting paid more for Instagram posts versus her UFC fights.

Bare Knuckle FC was founded back in 2018. Since the promotion has opened it’s doors, it has welcomed many UFC veterans from Chris Leben to Hector Lombard to Artem Lobov. They even featured former boxing champion, Paulie Malignaggi.

Signing VanZant would be a smart move by Bare Knuckle as they attempt to become a little more mainstream. While PVZ is not one of the best in the world, she would bring additional eyes to Bare Knuckle.

When VanZan’s contract ran up, I made the assumption that she would sign with Bellator given the interest from Scott Coker and the fact that her husband, Austin Vanderford, also fights for Bellator.

We don’t know any of the details at this time, but if Bare Knuckle is getting close to a deal, my guess is they are offering a very high number for PVZ.