UFC 254

UFC: Dan Hooker calls out Michael Chandler

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Newly signed Michael Chandler has already received his first UFC callout from a top five opponent. Dan Hooker (20-9) is focused and wants to be the guy who welcomes Chandler to the promotion.

In an interview with submission radio, Hooker had this to say of Chandler, “The UFC is putting a lot of stock in on this kid. So, I would love to be the guy to welcomes him to the UFC, knee his chin off, sends him back to the B-Leagues.”

Right now, Michael Chandler (21-5) is currently scheduled to be the backup fighter for UFC 254. Should Khabib Nurmagomedov or Justin Gaethje not make the fight, Chandler will step in to challenge for the title in his debut. You have to go back years to find the last time that happened.

Will the UFC make this happen?

Michael Chandler told Ariel Helwani yesterday that the promotion was still looking to possibly book him his own fight at UFC 254. A fight between Hooker and Chandler makes a ton of sense for the promotion.

You have the top two already booked in a title fight, and Tony Ferguson/Dustin Poirier seemed committed to their fight. That leaves Chandler and Hooker, which would be a fantastic matchup for the UFC to make.

Now, it doesn’t sound like Hooker would be ready for UFC 254. Hooker said, “I’m training and I’m ready to jump in a camp and get back in there. So, late November, December, my schedule’s wide open. So, we’re gonna book something.”

Perhaps the fight could come together by UFC 255 or maybe it could headline a Fight Night card in November or December. Either way, I think this is way to go if you’re the UFC. If Chandler doesn’t step in next month, then you should pivot towards making the Hooker fight.

Michael Chandler on UFC 254 backup role: ‘Perfect way to introduce myself’

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Michael Chandler

There’s a new UFC lightweight that is going to quickly become a promotional favorite. That lightweight is Michael Chandler (21-5) who just signed a deal with the promotion last week. Chandler had been a multiple time lightweight champion in Bellator prior to signing with the UFC.

Not only did Chandler sign with the UFC, but he signed on to be the backup for UFC 254. That card is headlined by the lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0) and Justin Gaethje (22-2). Should one fall out, Chandler will step into the title fight.

It’s an interesting decision for Chandler to agree to this for his UFC debut. Most people would want a traditional camp to prepare for a debut. However, Chandler’s thoughts on the matter is, “It’s the perfect way to introduce myself. I’ve never turned down a fight… I’ve never not shown up,” Chandler told ESPN.

A New UFC Company Man

Chandler has to be a favorite of UFC President Dana White already, and he hasn’t even fought. When Chandler came to terms with the UFC, he made it clear to the promotion that he would do anything that needed him to.

“This was the perfect time for me to insert my name into the mix. Dana said, ‘Will you fight on October 24th?’ I told him I’d be ready September 24th. He asked if I would fight one of those guys (Tony Ferguson or Dustin Poirier), I said absolutely. He asked if I’d backup the main event, I said absolutely,” Chandler said.

It’s clear that Chandler was willing to accept anything that the UFC offered. Chandler has been chomping at the bit to prove that he’s the best lightweight in the world for years. He sees this as the perfect time to jump to the UFC to prove that he’s truly the best.

Ferguson and Poirier have stayed loyal to their fight, so for now, Chandler will train to be the backup at UFC 254. He’s ready to go up against the best of the best if he has to. “Either I am who I say I am or I’m not. Sink or swim,” Chandler said.

UFC: What to make of this Dustin Poirier – Tony Ferguson situation

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dustin poirier, ufc

A few weeks ago, UFC President Dana White smiled at a press conference when hinting that Tony Ferguson (25-4) and Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) would be the co-main event at UFC 254 on Fight Island. Everyone assumed the fight would happen.

Then, we started to hear that there were troubles in the negotiations between Poirier and the UFC. Shortly after, we learned that the UFC scrapped the fight and was moving on. White said that the promotion would move on to give Tony Ferguson another fight.

A confident White said that he didn’t believe Ferguson would turn down the fight that they would offer. However, Ferguson appeared to, “go quiet,” on the UFC according to White. Without hearing a confirmation from El Cucuy, the promotion pulled him from the 254 lineup as well.

White said that he’s looking for guys right now who are willing to jump in no matter what. Well, Poirier wants to be compensated more by the UFC for his next fight, and it appears that Ferguson is only interested in a fight with Poirier.

What does the UFC do?

It’s obvious now that we won’t see Ferguson and Poirier square off inside the UFC until at least November when the promotion returns from Fight Island. Now that we know that Ferguson is also off the 254 card, I expect the UFC to try to make this fight again for a later date.

We don’t really know how far Poirier and the promotion were apart on the negotiations. I believe that there is a middle ground somewhere in order to make the fight happen. It’s clear that both guys want the fight, the money just has to be right.

This is such an interesting situation. Here you have Tony Ferguson essentially standing up for his future opponent. Normally the UFC could just make another fight for Ferguson, but that’s not the case here.

Since Ferguson is also taking a stand, I think the likelihood of the fight eventually coming together goes up. These are two of the best that the promotion has to offer, and I can’t imagine they will just let both sit. A deal will eventually get worked out, and I think we will see this fight by the end of 2020.

BREAKING: Michael Chandler signs with the UFC

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Michael Chandler

The hottest name in MMA free agency is officially off the board. Michael Chandler (21-5) is heading to the UFC. Dana White took to SportsCenter this morning to announce that the promotion has inked a deal with the talented lightweight.

The UFC has been seen as the favorite from the very beginning to sign Chandler. After spending the majority of his career with Bellator, it appeared that Chandler was ready to test himself inside the UFC who has the deepest lightweight talent pool in the world.

It was reported yesterday that the promotion and Chandler were in advanced talks on a deal. Again, this wasn’t surprising given Chandler’s desire to compete against the best in the sport. The UFC president just made the news official.

Chandler’s first UFC Fight

Dana White went on to say that Chandler would be traveling to Abu Dhabi for the UFC‘s upcoming trip to Fight Island. While there have been rumors surrounding a possible fight with Tony Ferguson, that’s not the current plan. Chandler will be serving as the UFC 254 backup.

Should Khabib Nurmagomedov or Justin Gaethje not be able to make the main event, Chandler will step in. If that were to happen, Chandler’s debut would be fighting for either the interim or the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.

The promotion’s lightweight division just got even deeper. For years, people have wanted to see Chandler compete in the octagon, and now he’s going to get his chance. There are so many exciting matchups for Chandler inside the UFC.

I really don’t think the promotion can go wrong with booking Chandler. Matchups with anyone in the top five would make for great fights.

Could the UFC book Conor McGregor – Tony Ferguson?

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The biggest star the UFC has ever seen, is going through more troubles. Just a few days ago, it was reported that Conor McGregor (22-4) was arrested and questioned for alleged indecent exposure. Additional details came out yesterday.

The UFC star finds himself in another round of negative headlines outside of the cage. 2020 was supposed to be the biggest year of Conor McGregor’s UFC career as he attempted his comeback season with the promotion.

It couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. Back in January at UFC 246, McGregor blitzed through Donald Cerrone in under a minute. McGregor looked focused, and it was the best mentally we had seem him in a very long time. It appeared he was back.

However, the pandemic really through a wrench in everything. The UFC couldn’t put together a fight for him, and Dana White wanted him to wait for the winner of Gaethje – Khabib. A frustrated McGregor retired because he simply wanted to fight.

Despite saying he’s retired from the UFC, McGregor is still being tested by USADA. To me, the best thing for McGregor would be to get a fight booked in the UFC. With that, could the promotion book him against Tony Ferguson (25-4)?

Can the UFC pull it off?

Tony Ferguson is in a bit of a weird spot. It appeared that he was going to fight Dustin Poirier in October at UFC 254, but the fight fell apart due to financial negotiations with Poirier. Ferguson came out yesterday asking the UFC to pay Poirier to make the fight happen.

Dana White said that the promotion is moving on to another fight for Ferguson. One of the options out there is free agent Michael Chandler who could jump right to the top with a fight against Ferguson. However, a McGregor – Ferguson fight could be just what the doctor ordered.

The UFC is fully capable of running and succeeding without Conor McGregor, but there’s no questioning what the Notorious one brings to the table. Love him or hate him, I believe most would want to see him stay active inside the UFC.

A fight against Ferguson would allow McGregor to rededicate his mind to MMA, and get away from the noise. It would also give Ferguson the fight he’s been asking for, for years. Not sure it’s possible, but if I’m the UFC, it’s something I pursue.

UFC: Tony Ferguson – Dustin Poirier fight not happening

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Tony Ferguson, UFC

One of the most highly anticipated lightweight matchups of the fall will not happen. The UFC was planning on having Tony Ferguson (25-4) and Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) co-headline UFC 254. The promotion has been working on this fight for a while.

Things started to get bumpy when Poirier said yesterday that he was a, “Prize fighter and the prize needs to be right.” Seemingly, Poirier was suggesting that the negotiations with the UFC were not going well.

Well, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani is reporting this afternoon that the highly anticipated matchup between Poirier and Ferguson is off. According to Poirier, “UFC and I couldn’t come to terms. I won’t be fighting on October 24th.”

What does the UFC do now?

It’s tough to say what the UFC is planning to do next. We don’t know how far they were apart with Poirier, but for the fight to fall apart publicly, my guess is that the numbers were not close. I think the promotion will still try to keep Ferguson on the card.

In looking at the rankings, it’s possible that the UFC tries to throw Dan Hooker (20-9) in there. Hooker is coming off of a loss back in June to Poirier, but from a rankings perspective, he would be the next in line. I’m not counting Conor McGregor here.

Of course, there is a much sexier option that I would offer the UFC. Why not call up the hottest free agent in the business in Michael Chandler (21-5)? Chandler said that if he comes to the UFC, he wants to go right into the deep end. Doesn’t get much deeper than El Cucuy.

Of course, the UFC could always try to renegotiate the fight with Poirier for a later date. Time will tell what happens, but this is a tough blow for fans that were pumped for this fight.

The UFC has set their next run for Fight Island

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UFC, Dana White

The UFC‘s next run on Fight Island is officially set. The promotion hadn’t announced the location of several big fights coming up because things were not finalized. However, Brett Okamoto confirmed last night that the promotion will be returning to Fight Island on September 26th.

The promotion is going to be doing a five week run on Fight Island with the first fight being UFC 253. The promotion will conclude their run towards the end of October with UFC 254.

UFC cards on Fight Island

There are going to be some incredible fights that are coming to Abu Dhabi. Of course, the first card is headlined by what Dana White is dubbing the fight of the year already. UFC 253 is headlined by Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa for the middleweight title.

The co-main event of the evening is going to be crowning the first UFC light heavyweight champion not named Jon Jones or Daniel Cormier since 2011. Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz will go to war to determine who will be the new king of 205.

So many great fights are sandwiched in between the the PPVs including Brian Ortega – Chan Sung Jung, Marlon Moraes – Cory Sandhagen, Thiago Santos – Glover Teixeira and many more.

This run on Fight Island will conclude with UFC 254 that is headlined by the undisputed lightweight title fight between UFC champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and interim champion, Justin Gaethje. The card isn’t finalized yet, but the rumor mill is saying the card will be unreal.

Robert Whittaker – Jared Cannonier will be on that card as well. A fight with Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier is expected to be the co-main event. The UFC has big things planned for this trip to Fight Island.

 

 

UFC: Georges St. Pierre believes he would be at a disadvantage fighting Khabib at lightweight

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george st pierre

The most dominant champion in the UFC will be making his return in October. Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0) is taking on Justin Gaethje (22-2) on Fight Island to determine who is the best lightweight in the world.

Nurmagomedov has said that if he defeats Gaethje at UFC 254, he would want one more fight before he calls it a career. He believes that finishing 30-0 would be the perfect way to cap off his hall of fame career.

If Khabib defeats Gaethje, he has said that he wants to fight Georges St. Pierre (26-2) in 2021. Khabib’s coach Javier Mendez has said that a fight between the two would settle who is the greatest fighter in MMA History.

A fight with Khabib is one that the former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion would come out of retirement for. However, GSP doesn’t believe it would be to his advantage to fight at lightweight.

Chasing a third UFC title

As you can see from his interview with BT Sport, GSP says that at 39, he would be at disadvantage when it comes to weight and age. Despite those, I think he would still chase this fight if the UFC was willing to make it happen.

GSP would get the opportunity to do something that no one in the history of the UFC has done. Not one fighter has captured a title in three weight classes. If GSP moved down to lightweight to dethrone Khabib, he would accomplish history.

Right now, the GOAT debate seems to center around Jon Jones and Georges St. Pierre. If GSP moved down to defeat at 29-0 Khabib, to me he would win the argument. Yes, Jones has never lost yet, but how could you deny the accomplishments of Georges St. Pierre.

I would personally love to see the UFC make this fight if Khabib gets through Gaethje in October. I will say, I wish the fight could have happened when GSP was a few years younger. While still in amazing shape, one has to wonder how GSP would do against the younger champion.

It would be a fascinating fight on a number of levels. The only way the UFC would make this fight happen is if Nurmagomedov says that he will definitely retire afterwards. Both men could walk away win or lose which would allow the UFC to then move on with the lightweight division.

 

Is the UFC finalizing Tony Ferguson – Dustin Poirier?

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Tony Ferguson, UFC

There is no better division in MMA than the lightweight division. It’s the deepest talent pool in the sport. In October, the current two best in the world, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje, will battle for the UFC lightweight championship at UFC 254.

Behind them, former interim lightweight champions, Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) and Tony Ferguson (25-4) have both been on social media teasing their next UFC fight. When asked if these two were going to fight each other, UFC President Dana White smiled and said, “Probably.” We now might know our timeline for the event.

A UFC Card in October

At the end of next month, the UFC will be heading back to Fight Island, likely starting with UFC 253. White has said that the promotion is expecting to stay there for five or six weeks straight. UFC 254 headlined by Khabib – Gaethje will be on Fight Island.

With Poirier coming out and stating that his next fight is two months away, it’s likely that the anticipated matchup with Ferguson will also be on Fight Island in October. It’ll be interesting to see which card the UFC decides to place this matchup.

A lot of fans were jumping at the possibility of this being the co-main event to Khabib – Gaethje. While that would certainly boost the PPV card, I feel like fans would be robbed a little if this was a co-main event.

To me, a fight between the two former UFC champions needs to be it’s own main event. One of the fight nights on Fight Island so we can see these two guys go five full rounds. Both men are capable, and you know it would be an insane fight.

Ferguson is coming off a loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249 while Poirier is coming off of a win against Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN 12. A win for either one of these men would likely make them next for whoever wins between Khabib and Gaethje.

Of course, the one thing that could throw a wrench into the plans is Khabib’s desired fight with Georges St. Pierre. If Nurmagomedov decides he wants to fight GSP then walk away, it’ll leave the winner of Ferguson – Poirier with no one to fight.

Perhaps the UFC would pivot to another title fight with the Notorious Conor McGregor in that case. So Khabib would ride off into the sunset after fighting GSP and McGregor would fight the winner of Poirier – Ferguson for the UFC lightweight title after it’s vacated. A lot of interesting scenarios in the UFC‘s lightweight division.

Cynthia Calvillo – Lauren Murphy targeted for UFC 254

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UFC 254 is getting a fight between two top five women’s flyweight contenders. Cynthia Calvillo (9-1-1) and Lauren Murphy (13-4) are expected to throw down per MMA Fighting.

Fight for the next UFC title shot?

Cynthia Calvillo didn’t mess around when she made the move up to flyweight this year. After struggling with her weight to stay at strawweight, Calvillo moved up to what’s more of her natural weight class.

In her first fight in the division, she took on the number one ranked contender at the time, Jessica Eye. Eye had only lost one fight in the division and that was to the current UFC champion, Valentina Shevchenko.

Calvillo and Eye got a main event slot at UFC on ESPN 10, and Calvillo put on quite the performance. She used her strong grappling base to neutralize Eye and get the unanimous decision victory.

Because she moved right in and took out the number one contender, she made her flyweight rankings debut at number two. Her impressive victory in her first fight proved that she could hang, and some thought she could be ready for a title shot.

We now know that Jennifer Maia is getting the next shot at the champion, Shevchenko at UFC 255. With that, Calvillo will need one more fight to get to a title shot.

That is where the fourth ranked fighter in the UFC‘s flyweight division, Murphy, steps in. Murphy is no joke herself and she’s coming into this contest riding a three fight winning streak.

In her last fight, Murphy put on an excellent performance over the tough Roxanne Modafferi. That win put Murphy squarely in the top five, perhaps just a win away from the title shot.

These two ladies are likely next in line for a shot at the title. We do not know what this means for Katelyn Chookagian. However, these two will face at UFC 254 and the winner will likely have their eyes focused on the UFC 255 co-main event.