UFC Lightweight

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.

UFC: Matt Frevola – Roosevelt Roberts targeted for September 12th

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UFC, Matt Frevola

The UFC is close to finalizing a fight that was supposed to take place earlier this year. Per MMA Junkie, lightweights Matt Frevola (8-1-1) and Roosevelt Roberts (10-2) are scheduled to fight on September 12th.

These two men were originally supposed to fight back in April, but of course, the UFC schedule got screwed up with the pandemic. Finally these two men are ready to square off. While Roberts, says there’s nothing personal, he see’s red when it comes to Frevola.

UFC Lightweights looking to break through

After Roberts beat Brok Weaver at UFC on ESPN 9, he said that he just wants to go up and start fighting Frevola whenever he sets his sights on him. The cancellation of their April fight was frustrating for Roberts.

While it was frustrating for Roberts, 2020 has been very frustrating for the UFC‘s Frevola. The Steamrolla was set to fight Roberts in April, but that got pushed. Then he was supposed to fight in June, but a cornerman’s positive COVID test cancelled that fight.

Because of these cancellations, it’s been almost a year since Frevola has made the walk in the UFC. After fighting to a draw with Lando Vannata at the end of 2018, Frevola had a solid 2019 with two wins over Luis Pena and Jalin Turner.

Roberts made a big statement with his win over Brok Weaver in May. He turned around three weeks later to fight Jim Miller and that fight didn’t go well. Miller locked up an arm bar early to submit Roberts.

This is a big fight for both of these lightweight contenders. A win for either man should get them closer to getting a top fifteen opponent inside the UFC‘s lightweight division.

 

Will it be the UFC or Bellator for Michael Chandler?

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Michael Chandler

Last Friday evening, Iron Michael Chandler (21-5) put on the perfect performance in the final fight of his Bellator contract. At Bellator 243, Chandler starched former UFC lightweight champion, Benson Henderson, in the first round.

Chandler was set to test free agency for the first time in his career. It was a dangerous fight for Chandler to take, but it says a lot about him as a fighter. He took the most dangerous opponent he could in his final fight on his contract.

It was dangerous, but Chandler had arguably the most impressive win of his career. Now, the 34 year old lightweight walks into free agency with a ton of momentum.

Will it be the UFC or Bellator?

When the fight was over, Chandler sounded like a fighter that might have a foot out the door with his current promotion. While he did say to Scott Coker, “Let’s get something done,” he also made it very clear that it could be his final fight in Bellator.

In the post-fight press conference, you could see the UFC wheels turning for Chandler. The media was asking him about potential matchups with guys like Conor McGregor and more.

As a competitor, there is a clear choice for Chandler. If he wants to prove that he is truly at the highest level, he needs to make the jump to the UFC. No disrespect to Bellator, but the competition is just not there.

Sure, there is Patricio Pitbull. Pitbull is definitely one of the best in the world, but the UFC‘s lightweight division is shark infested waters. The division is the most stacked division in the world, and I think that’s very appealing to Chandler.

I’ve wanted to see Chandler make the UFC jump for years now. I’ve always felt that he’s been one of the best lightweights in the world, but he never got the respect he deserved because he fought in Bellator.

This is his chance to prove himself. There is not a single easy fight in the UFC‘s top ten of the lightweight division. If Chandler makes the jump, I could see the promotion giving him someone like Dan Hooker out of the gate.

Unless they want to build him up a little inside the octagon. However, given Chandler’s background and history, I think he’d jump right into the deep end. My prediction is that by the November or December, we are going to be seeing Michael Chandler make the walk in the UFC.

UFC: Tony Ferguson – Dustin Poirier is the fight to make

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Tony Ferguson, UFC

There is no division in the UFC that is as talent heavy at the top as the lightweight division. The top five guys in the division all rank within the top fifteen in the promotions pound-for-pound rankings.

Two of the guys at the very top are former interim UFC champions, Tony Ferguson (25-4) and Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC).

Ferguson is coming off of a loss to Justin Gaethje for the interim title back at UFC 249 in May. Prior to that loss, Ferguson had a 12 fight winning streak that dated back to 2013.

Since the loss where Ferguson took a lot of damage, many were wondering what would be next for Ferguson. Ferguson laid out what he thinks the plan should be moving forward to ESPN.

Battle of two of the UFC’s best

I love what Ferguson is thinking, but realistically, I only see one of these being an option for his next UFC fight. I think the only fight that Conor McGregor will take next is a fight for the title.

With that being said, it leaves The Diamond. Poirier is coming off of an insane victory in a war with Dan Hooker back in June. Poirier is 6-1, 1 NC in his last eight fights. He holds a victory over current interim champion, Justin Gaethje.

These top UFC lightweights would make for a perfect matchup. If they were to fight, the winner would make a very clear number one contender for the winner of Khabib – Gaethje.

Of course, there are a few hurdles in the way of that. The hurdles being Conor McGregor and Georges St. Pierre. The UFC lightweight champion, Nurmagomedov, wants to supposedly retire 30-0 meaning he’d only fight two more times.

If Khabib defeats Gaethje, he said that he wants to fight GSP next year in his final fight. This is a fight the UFC is open to. The promotion will also likely try to push for a McGregor rematch given the magnitude of that fight.

Those hurdles will create a massive headache and problem for Ferguson and Poirier. These two men would be the most deserving of a shot at the title, but will likely be in limbo if Nurmagomedov wins in October.

Regardless, this is the fight that the UFC needs to put together. It makes sense from a rankings perspective, and I mean who wouldn’t want to see these two throw down?

UFC: Justin Gaethje turns down Conor McGregor fight

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Right now, the UFC‘s lightweight division is in a bit of a holding pattern. In September, lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (28-0) was supposed to fight interim champion, Justin Gaethje (22-2).

However, after the recent passing of Nurmagomedov’s father, there have been question marks around the eagle’s future. As a result, the division has come to a halt.

With the uncertainty around his future, Khabib suggested that Gaethje fight Conor McGregor (22-4) while he figures his situation out. According to Gaethje’s manager, that was not an offer he was interested in.

“Khabib told me to tell Justin to go fight Conor. Justin said no,” Ali Abdelaziz said to TMZ Sports.

What’s next in the UFC’s lightweight division

A fight between McGregor and Gaethje for the interim UFC lightweight title would be massive. It’s a fight that has a ton of heat because the two men do not like each other.

Of course, McGregor has seemed to be enjoying retirement life as of now. Dana White and pretty much everyone in the world does not believe that McGregor is actually retired.

I’m a little surprised Gaethje was so quick to dismiss the opportunity to fight McGregor. However, at the same time it does make since if you’re Gaethje.

The interim UFC lightweight champion would have a tougher time dealing with McGregor due to the style. A McGregor-Gaethje matchup would happen completely on the feet.

If both men were at their peak, I don’t think many would favor Gaethje over McGregor in a stand up fight. Whereas Khabib will try to take Gaethje down over and over. If Gaethje could keep that fight standing, he’d have a massive advantage.

Despite the tougher matchup, I don’t think Gaethje is dodging McGregor. I think he just envisions becoming the undisputed UFC lightweight champion. A dangerous fight with McGregor could take that opportunity away in the blink of an eye.

 

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father Abdulmanap dies after battle with COVID-19

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Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, father of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, has died, according to multiple reports coming out of Russia Friday morning. Abdulmanap was 57 years old.

Back in April, Abdulmanap was admitted to the hospital due to complications with the COVID-19. Abdulmanap was taken to military hospital for observation and treatment. Abdulmanap was induced into a medical coma a couple of times while he battled.

While in the hospital, Abdulmanap also suffered a heart attack which led to a bypass surgery. Recently it was reported that the Abdulmanap was in stable but serious condition. Khabib Nurmagomedov was said to be training twice a day and was using this as more motivation for his UFC title defense later this year.

Friday morning, it was announced by Ramzan Kadyrov via his telegram channel that Abdulmanap had died after his long battle with COVID-19. The UFC is currently scheduled to have Khabib defend his title against Justin Gaethje in September, but you have to think this will be a very difficult camp for Khabib.

UFC 242 just became even more special

For the first time in his UFC career, Khabib had his father Abdulmanap in his corner last September when he fought Dustin Poirier at UFC 242. Abdulmanap had always been Khabib’s head trainer. UFC 242 was the first time he was actually able to travel for the fights because of visa issues in the US. Khabib put on an incredible performance that night. He mentioned how much it meant to him that his father was there to see him defend his UFC title.

Khabib has mentioned that he could not be where he’s at if it had not been for his father. He gives all the credit to his father for developing him into the UFC‘s undisputed lightweight king. This is a devastating time for the Nurmagomedov family and our thoughts and prayers are with them.