UFC light heavyweight champion, and the GOAT in many pundits’ eyes is willing to walk away from the sport for a considerable amount of time. Jon Jones is back in the news today after he appeared on Steve-O’s Wild Ride Podcast. Jones was asked about his feelings on the UFC and Jones stated, “I have no interest in fighting for the UFC.” When asked some follow-up questions, Jones talked about being willing to sit out to benefit fighters down the line.
Jon Jones believes other fighters will benefit from his willingness to sit out. pic.twitter.com/YOQacoQVpj
The short answer is not in a good place. After all of his ups and downs, Jones returned in December of 2018. Jones fought four times in fourteen months leading many to believe Jones was back for good. It was the most active we had ever seen Jones in his career. When the pandemic hit, a lot of things changed with Jones and the UFC. By all accounts, Jones and the UFC were on good terms. That is until Jones started asking for a raise to fight UFC heavyweight contender, Francis Ngannou.
When Jones went to the UFC and asked for more money, he was shut down immediately. Jones claims he never asked for a specific dollar amount while Dana White claims that Jones’ demands were astronomical. Following White’s comments, a very public back and forth began between the two men. Jones went as far as to demand a release from the UFC.
Where do we go from here?
Now, we are in this weird spot. Things have seemingly calmed down, and Dana White has sounded more optimistic lately even saying that they would, “Work it out.” However, Jones’ appearances on Steve-O’s podcast would seemingly indicate otherwise. Jones continues to reiterate that he wants no part of the UFC, and he feels that sitting out now will move the needle more in the direction of the fighters.
I really think they will get this worked out eventually. The UFC has had a long history of making deals with fighters that are difficult. However, Daniel Cormier brought up a good point recently when he talked about the fact that Jones being out for a long time made him realize he’s able to live a life outside the UFC. Jon Jones doesn’t need the UFC. He’s made enough money to retire. If he walks away now, many people would label him the greatest to ever do it. It’ll be facinating to watch this continue to play out. I think it’s going to simmer down for a while, but I think Jones could be approached by the UFC after the August title fight between Cormier and Stipe Miocic. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Jon Jones in the UFC, but I’m not sure when he’ll be back.
The MMA world is wondering what is next for the UFC‘s BMF. Jorge Masvidal has been sitting on the sidelines since last November after winning the BMF title at UFC 244 capping off his incredible 2019. He was originally scheduled to fight for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 251, but contract negotiations saw the fight get scrapped. Earlier this week, I wrote about what could be next for Masvidal. However, I stated in that article that the one question that is still unanswered is whether or not Gamebred will fight this year. He took to his YouTube page to give his answer on the question.
UFC’s BMF is planning on a fight in 2020
Masvidal stated that he is fully planning on fighting at some point this year. In his video, he talks about the fact that his management team has come up with a formula for what he’s worth, and he won’t fight for less. The UFC has been keeping the show rolling with fights almost every week since early May. However, Masvidal has expressed his frustrations with the UFC‘s lack of interest in giving him the money he deserves to fight for the title. The offer that was on the table to fight Kamaru Usman for the title was not enough which is why Gilbert Burns is fighting on July 11th and not Masvidal
Gamebred responds to Dana White
In another video, Masvidal talked about UFC president, Dana White. He talked about how White’s job is to make the most money for the UFC while Masvidal’s job is to make the most money for himself. With that in mind, the two, “Won’t always see eye to eye.” Masvidal sounded more optimistic about fighting in these videos than his tweets over the past few weeks. I think the two sides are still far away from any form of an agreement, but I do think one will come together. The UFC has shown over the years that they can strike a deal with the most difficult fighters. The Diaz brothers and Tito Ortiz are prime examples. I think the two sides will meet in the middle, and we will see Gamebred near the end of 2020 perhaps getting the winner of Usman/Burns.
The UFC‘s Mike Perry (13-6) is definitely an interesting character. Whether it’s faking out opponents at the weigh in hand shakes or just saying outlandish stuff, Perry is always fascinating to watch. In addition to being a very unique person, Perry is as tough as they come. He doesn’t shy away from any fight, and if you need more proof of his toughness, just take a look at the picture for this article. Perry has been in there with some of the best guys in the world. He’s got great skills overall, and he always puts on a show. However, there is something outside of his fighting that a lot of people are talking about leading into Saturday’s fight against Mickey Gall (6-2). That’s Mike Perry’s corner choice. He went on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show to discuss his choice for UFC on ESPN 12.
Perry’s Girlfriend will corner him for UFC on ESPN 12
That’s right, “Platinum” will only have one corner member for Saturday, and it will be his girlfriend. Now to his credit, he does say that she has boxing and wrestling experience which helps her, but her job is not to give him advice. Perry told Helwani that he doesn’t need any coaching for his UFC fights. Perry claims to have envisioned every scenario, and a coaches input can only throw him off. Perry has trained with some of the best trainers in the world, but he’s out to prove that he doesn’t need coaching to win in the UFC. Perry did clarify his coaching future to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto later in the day:
Just spoke to Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) who told me he does intend to build a team around himself after this fight, but he's doing this one on his own to show he can. He wants anyone who may help or coach him in the future to know he doesn't NEED anyone, he knows how to fight.
As you can see, the plan in the future is to bring coaches back into the fold. Perry is out to prove a point atUFC on ESPN 12. It’s going to be extremely fascinating to watch a main card fighter essentially have no one in his corner. Yes, his girlfriend will be there, but she’s been instructed to only cheer him on when he wins. I’ll give Perry this, he’s always entertaining.
The career of one of the greatest of all time in the UFC is coming to an end. Anderson “The Spider” Silva (34-10, 1 NC) is down to the final two fights of his career. Silva is considered to be on the short list for the greatest. In his prime, Silva’s run was incredible as he went 16-0 in the UFC with 11 successful defenses of the middleweight title. Silva lost the title to Chris Weidman, then in the rematch suffered a horrific broken leg. Silva is on a stretch currently where he’s gone (1-6 with 1 NC) in his last eight fights. Most of those fights besides the Cormier and Connonier fights were competitive while they lasted. With two fights left, who should the Spider fight in his last couple of fights?
Uriah Hall
I’m going to start with a fight that we were supposed to see a few years ago. Anderson Silva and Uriah Hall (15-9) were initially scheduled to fight at UFC 198. Silva had to pull out of the fight due to a medical issue. The fight would be a striking lovers dream. Both men have entertaining styles, and both men would want to trade. Hall came out of the Ultimate Fighter years ago being labeled as the next Anderson Silva. People thought the two were on a collision course for the UFC middleweight title. Of course, Hall’s career never took off the way we thought, and Anderson hit the tough stretch mentioned above.
At this stage, I think it would be the perfect matchup for Silva. Now, Uriah Hall is currently scheduled to fight Yoel Romero in August. If Hall gets through Romero, the fight wouldn’t make sense if you’re Hall because he will likely want someone who will get him closer to a title shot. However, if Romero wins, Hall will need an opponent, and Silva would be the perfect choice. A lot of moving parts, but this is a fight that I would love to see.
Shogun Rua
What more could you ask for if you’re a fan of Brazilian MMA. Two absolute legends in the sport going head-to-head near the end of their careers. If this fight were to come together, it’d have to be done in Brazil. I can just imagine the Brazilian crowd with Silva taking on Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (26-11-1). Both men are former UFC champions, and both men would be enshrined in any MMA Hall of Fame.
Rua, who turns 39-years-old later this year, is scheduled to conclude his trilogy with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in July. If Rua gets through that fight victorious, a fight with Silva would make perfect sense. Neither man is going to be making a run for the title at this stage of their careers. Why not pair the two up for a main event that global MMA fans would love to see? Obviously it wouldn’t be the same as it would have been years ago, but for the die-hards, this would be a fight that you’d turn in for.
Robbie Lawler
This one is coming out of left field, but just think about it. How much fun would it be for Silva to take on former UFC welterweight champion, “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (28-14, 1 NC)? The former welterweight king is entering the twilight of his career. After reining over the 170 pound division, Lawler has gone 1-4 in his last five fights. At 38-years-old, you have to wonder what’s next for Lawler. Lawler was completely dominated by Colby Covington in his last fight.
It’s hard to imagine Lawler climbing up the mountain again at this stage. However, we all know that Lawler is not done with his UFC career. Why not have him move back up to 185 pounds to fight Anderson Silva? Both men are former champions, and both men don’t have a clear next step in their careers. This would be another fun one for fight fans everywhere. Anderson does the best when a guy goes right after him, and we know that Lawler will do just that.
Chris Weidman
This would probably be the fight that Anderson Silva would want if you asked him who he’d like to fight (Outside of Conor McGregor). For years, Silva has maintained that he believes that he was better than Chris Weidman (14-5). Weidman knocked Silva out at UFC 162 after Silva was showboating. Silva was controlling the striking and having fun, but he got a little too careless. The two immediately ran the fight back, and Silva was losing this contest. In the second round, Silva looked to be getting into his rhythm before Weidman checked a leg kick that snapped Silva’s leg.
In the eyes of the MMA world, the two fights have a “What if?” about them. What if Anderson took Weidman seriously and didn’t put his hands down in the first fight? What if Silva didn’t break his leg in the second fight? No matter what Weidman says, there are always going to be questions around those two fights. Many won’t give Weidman his proper due for those fights. Obviously Silva is not the same guy anymore, but neither is Weidman who has gone 1-5 in his last six fights getting knocked out in every loss. Weidman has a fight coming up, but regardless of the outcome, why not run it back one final time? Give Weidman the chance to shut the doubters up for good or give Anderson the chance to prove that both fights were flukes.
What does the UFC do?
I really don’t know what Dana White and the UFC are going to do with these last couple of fights. All we know for sure is that they are not going to give Silva a pure wrestler outside of Weidman. They are going to give him someone who will stand and trade. Anderson Silva is one of the reasons I became a massive MMA fan, and it’s going to be bitter-sweet seeing these last couple of fights. No, he’s not the same guy he used to be, but in the hearts of fans everywhere, we will still get goosebumps hearing “Ain’t No Sunshine” by DMX play as Silva makes his walk for the couple of times.
One of the most exciting fights in the UFC’s welterweight division has returned to his second job due to a lack of fights. Geoff “Handz of Steel” Neal (13-2) is currently sitting on the sidelines waiting for a fight. The 11th ranked welterweight in the world has been an absolute monster since making his UFC debut, but unfortunately, the promotion cannot get him a fight. With a lack of income coming in, Neal has had to take up a job as a server at a steakhouse in Texas.
“I tell people I’m in purgatory in my career. I’m ranked number 11, not in the top 10 yet. I don’t have a big following behind me, so everybody that I want to fight doesn’t want to fight me because I’m a big risk. I’m somebody who knocks people out so I’m dangerous for their stock. So I see why they don’t want to accept the fight with me. But it’s still bullshit, I need to get paid, but I’m just sitting out here waiting,” Neal told The Score.
What should the UFC do?
Even more frustrating for Neal is the fact that many of the men he’s defeated have been active including Belal Muhammad and Mike Perry. For now, Neal continues to wait for the UFC to call him with an opponent that would appeal to him. In looking at the rankings, there are a couple of fights that might make sense that the UFC could pull together. Maybe they could pair Neal with Raphael Dos Anjos (29-13). Dos Anjos is coming off of back-to-back losses, but it would be a fight that would give Neal a guy with some name recognition. Another possibility could be Anthony Pettis (23-10). This wouldn’t be a step up in rankings for Neal, but it would give him someone to fight with some name recognition.
The one that makes the most sense to me is a fight with Michael Chiesa (17-4). Chiesa has won three in a row on his way to the eighth ranking in the division. Neal suggested that Chiesa is a guy he wants to fight, but he believes that Chiesa is scared to fight him. I’m not sure what the UFC is going to do, but they need to get Neal a fight soon. He’s too good and on too much of a roll to just sit on the sidelines. You can catch Neal’s full interview below.
One of the more interesting storylines going into UFC 251 was the fact that champion, Kamaru Usman (16-1), and challenger, Gilbert Burns (19-3), both were training partners. The two men have trained together for a while under Henri Hooft at Hard Knocks 365. Well, just weeks before the two teammates square off, Usman has decided to leave the camp, and the state of Florida.
Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the UFC welterweight champion will be moving his camp to Denver. He’s going to be training under Trevor Wittman who is the lead trainer for Justin Gaethje and Rose Namajunas. Namajunas is also fighting on the July 11th card. Wittman is notorious for only working with a few fighters. He likes to give all of his attention to his select fighters. Justin Gaethje might be in the corner for Usman’s title defense against Burns.
The UFC welterweight champ could get even better
“But I wanted a little more specific attention at this point in my career — someone to be able to say, ‘You’re going to come in at this time and work on this particular skill.’ It’s very tough to do that when there are 40 to 50 guys in the room with you who also need to get attention,” Usman said to Okamoto. Again, Wittman is very focused on his particular fighters, and this move will likely benefit the champion. Plus, it doesn’t hurt having a training partner like the great Justin Gaethje.
I cannot wait for the UFC welterweight title fight on July 11th. I’m very curious to see how Usman looks in his first camp outside of Florida. We know that Usman is already elite, but working with a coach like Trevor Wittman could take him to the next level. It’s going to be a fun month culminating in a big-time fight at UFC 251.
Next month, the UFC will be taking over Abu Dhabi for four events in just 14 days. The UFC kicks off Fight Island with the best card of the year at UFC 251. That card features three title fights including the headliner between Kamaru Usman (16-1) and Gilbert Burns (19-3) for the welterweight title. All of the cards are absolutely stacked on Fight Island. With that in mind, let’s look at an under the radar fight from each of the first four cards in Abu Dhabi.
UFC 251 – July 11th
The card on July 11th is absolutely sick. Three title fights and a rematch between the top two female strawweights in the world all on the main card. However, there is a light heavyweight matchup that I’m extremely interested in. That would be the matchup between former title challenger, Volkan Oezdemir (17-4), and the Rizin light heavyweight champion, Jiri Prochazka (26-3-1).
While a lot of people might not know him, Prochazka is one of the more exciting signings that the UFC has made in a while. He enters the UFC on a ten-fight winning streak including nine knockouts. He’s finished his last eight opponents including seven in the first round. Oezdemir has won back-to-back fights after losing three in a row. He’s looking to get back to a title shot, and a win might get him there. A win for either one of these men will vault them into the title discussion at 205. Jon Jones’ future in the division is in question. If he continues to fight, he’s likely going to be moving to heavyweight soon. The light heavyweight division could be on the verge of becoming wide open.
UFC on ESPN 13 – July 15th
Just a few days after UFC 251, we get a rare Wednesday night card that will be headlined between Calvin Kattar (21-4) and Dan Ige (14-2). There are a number of great fights including a strawweight matchup between Carla Esparza (16-6) and Marina Rodriguez (12-0-2). However, the one fight that somehow is flying under the radar is the co-main event between Frankie Edgar (23-8-1) and Pedro Munhoz (18-4).
“The Answer” is going to be making his bantamweight debut against one of the best guys in the world. The former lightweight champion is still trying to get back to UFC gold after losing his title years ago. Edgar dropped to featherweight, and had three title shots in his run there. He lost all three which has resulted in him dropping one more time to bantamweight. Edgar was very small at lightweight, small at featherweight, but will finally fit in at 135 pounds. Just like with everything in Edgar’s career, he’s jumping right in with the sharks in his debut.
Prior to his loss to Aljamain Sterling a year ago, Pedro Munhoz was on a roll. He had won three fights in a row including a knockout over former champion, Cody Garbrandt. Munhoz is no easy task for anyone in the division. I’m very curious to see this fight play out on July 15th. I’m putting it on the list today because I’m shocked at how little people are talking about this incredible fight. This fight was initially scheduled to be at UFC 251, but it was bumped a few days to beef up the Wednesday card.
UFC on ESPN 14 – July 18th
On July 18th the UFC will have another fight night that will be headlined by a flyweight title fight. Deiveson Figueiredo (18-1) and Joseph Benavidez (28-6) will have their rematch for the vacant title. They fought back in February, and Figueiredo won the fight by stoppage. However, since he missed weight in the fight, nobody won the title. The UFC decided to run the fight immediately back with the hope that he can make weight this time. Speaking of the flyweight division, there is a fight that most people probably don’t know about that’s really caught my eyes on this card.
I’m very interested in the flyweight contest between top Russian prospect, Askar Askarov (11-0-1) and Alexandre Pantoja (22-4). Russian MMA is on fire right now, and one of the brighter prospects is Askarov. He fought to a draw in his UFC debut against Brandon Moreno, but bounced back with a unanimous decision victory over former title challenger, Tim Elliot. Pantoja is no easy task for the Russian. Pantoja is 6-2 in his UFC career with wins over Brandon Moreno and Wilson Reis. This is a very interesting matchup in the flyweight division. With both guys ranked in the top seven, the winner of this fight could very well be next in line to fight the winner of the main event.
UFC on ESPN 15 – July 25th
The final card of the month is loaded. The main event of the evening is a title eliminator in the middleweight division between former champion, Robert Whittaker (20-5), and Darren Till (18-2-1). While the card is stacked, the one matchup that I’m very curious about is in the heavyweight division. Former heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum (23-9-1), will be taking on Alexander Gustafsson (18-6) in “The Mauler’s” heavyweight debut.
After some trouble with USADA, the former champion made his return back in May. Werdum really didn’t look that great in his return. Maybe you could attribute that to ring-rust after two years off. Werdum will also be getting ready to turn 43-years-old when he fights Gustafsson. Gustafsson surprised many when he retired last June after losing to Anthony Smith at UFC Fight Night 153. Gustafsson was just one fight removed from his loss to Jon Jones. Gustafsson is one of the best fighters to never taste UFC gold. He’s constantly been one of the best guys in the world, but he never has been able to climb the mountain all the way. I’m very curious to see how he looks at heavyweight. If this fight stays on the feet, the speed that Gustafsson has could really showcase well here, if it goes to the ground, I’m not sure how “The Mauler” will hold up.
A July to Remember
As a fight fan, you live for months like July. Four events in just two weeks time. The cards are all stacked from top to bottom. While other major sports in the world are still trying to figure it out, the UFC is churning out one of the more anticipated months in the sports history.
The situation in the UFC women’s flyweight division is one of the more intriguing ones right now. One of the top-ranked names in the division, sitting at number two, is Cynthia Calvillo – and before now, she didn’t have a rank in the division at all. That’s because Calvillo is moving up from strawweight after having trouble making weight, and after picking up the win in the main event of UFC on ESPN 10, she’s been placed at the number two contender spot in the rankings.
Already, though, there are other fighters gunning for her position. That includes Lauren Murphy, who was victorious at UFC on ESPN 11 against Roxanne Modafferi. Murphy is at number seven in the rankings but like much of the division, fell when Calvillo was inserted at number two. That’s despite bouncing back from a 1-1 start in the division by winning her last three fights.
“I have the longest win streak in the flyweight division right now and all of my wins are over ranked opponents. Nobody else in the flyweight division can say that. I knocked out the No. 12 contender. I beat Andrea Lee, and she was ranked No. 7 and I was a 4-1 underdog in that fight,” Murphy pointed out after her victory. “I’m 4-1 in this division and my last three wins are over ranked opponents, my only loss is to someone that’s is now a bantamweight and she was undefeated at flyweight.”
As for who Murphy wants next? She’s not shying away from the challenge of taking on a top tier opponent.
“I definitely deserve a spot in the top five. I think I deserve a spot on the women’s pound-for-pound list and I want to fight Cynthia Calvillo next. She’s the girl to beat right now. She’s a really, really excellent fighter,” Murphy said.
Calvillo has a streak of her own going right now, however. She has a 9-1-1 record and her only loss is against Carla Esparza. She’s beaten well-known names, most recently Jessica Eye but also others such as Joanne Calderwood and Pearl Gonzalez.
She’s not an easy opponent by any means but that didn’t stop Murphy from speaking positively about her odds.
“She walked right into the division and she took the No. 2 spot and I think that’s a great matchup for me. I think I can beat her and I want to show everybody that I can,” Murphy continued.
She may have to wait her turn, however. With Calvillo coming in and unsettling the division right away, there’s a decent chance the rest of the top contenders will be gunning for her soon enough.
UFC on ESPN 12 is being headlined by a lightweight matchup with huge implications. The former interim champion, Dustin Poirier (25-6), is looking to get back to a title shot after losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov last September. In the other corner, you have Dan Hooker (20-8) who is looking to prove that he belongs with the absolute best in the world.
Early Struggles
Hooker will be making the walk for the fifteenth time in his UFC career on Saturday night. His fifteenth UFC fight comes almost six years to the day after his debut back in June of 2014. Hooker started his career in the UFC‘s featherweight division. Hooker was massive for the division, and he always seemed depleted due to the harsh weight cut. At 145 pounds, Hooker went just 3-3 in six fights. After the struggles, Hooker decided to make the move to lightweight, and that has turned his entire career around.
Journey to the top of the UFC’s Lightweight Division
Since Hooker made the jump to 155, he’s been one of the best guys in the division. Since that jump back in 2017, Hooker has gone 7-1 with five finishes. Hooker looks completely refreshed at lightweight. He had one bad performance against Edson Barboza, but outside of that, he’s looked incredible. The fight against Poirier on Saturday night is the biggest fight of Hooker’s career. Hooker has stated over and over again that he truly believes he’s one of the best in the world. Saturday night is his chance to prove it.
If he can go out and beat Dustin Poirier, he’s on the short list to face the winner of Khabib/Gaethje. If he doesn’t want to wait, maybe Dana White would be enticed to pair up Hooker and Conor McGregor. McGregor retired due to the lack of options from the UFC. Hooker would be just the kind of guy you would want to pair up against the Notorious one. A win on Saturday night changes everything for Dan Hooker. Check out “The Hangman’s” last performance against Paul Felder below.
The winner of last Saturday’s co-headlining fight at UFC on ESPN 11 received some really tough news today. Per multiple reports, Josh Emmett suffered a complete tear of his ACL and a number of different injuries caused in the first round of his fight against Shane Burgos.
UFC featherweight Josh Emmett (@JoshEmmettUFC) suffered a "complete ACL tear" in his Fight of Night victory over Shane Burgos on Saturday.
Per Emmett, other injuries include: Partial MCL tear, focal impact fracture of femur, damaged cartilage, swelling.
This is absolutely devastating for Emmett. I wrote earlier today that Emmett was ready for a top five opponent after the performance he put on Saturday night. Now, you would have to think that he’s going to be out for at least the next year. Emmett really came into his own on Saturday which makes this news even tougher to hear. Emmett expressed his frustrations with his lack of push from the UFC. He feels that he’s one of the best featherweights in the world, but he hasn’t felt respected by the company or the media to this point. Emmett tore the ACL just seconds into the fight. The fact that he was able to put on the performance of his career with all of those injuries is just remarkable. It makes the performance even more memerable.
UFC Featherweight Outlook
There is a little bit of a log jam right now at featherweight. Most of the top contenders are currently booked for their next fights which would have caused frustrations for Emmett had he been healthy. There was not a clear next step for Emmett given the landscape of the top five. Maybe once he returns from his lengthy layoff due to this injury, there will be a clear path for him. I just hope that the UFC does right by him in giving him a top five opponent when he returns. Emmett has put in the work, and he definitely deserves to be a contender in the UFC‘s featherweight division.
