MMA: UFC eyes fight card on May 9 - Dana White

The UFC is aiming to stage a fight card at an undisclosed location on May 9 featuring at least two title bouts, the promotion's president Dana White has told its broadcast partner ESPN.

White canceled the proposed UFC 249 event last week, which was due to take place on April 18.

Prompted by fears over the spread of the coronavirus, White came under pressure from politicians and ESPN's owners at Disney to postpone the event.

ESPN are now reporting that Tony Ferguson will face Justin Gaethje in an interim lightweight title fight at an undisclosed location on May 9 instead.

Also on the bill is a bantamweight title fight between Henry Cejudo and Dominick Cruz and a featherweight match-up between champion Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer, although it is unclear if Nunes' belt is on the line.

When asked by Reuters to confirm the title fights, the UFC responded in an email that they had no further comment "aside from what Dana has said to ESPN". (Reporting by Philip O'Connor Editing by Toby Davis)

-reuters-

UFC 196: Diaz steps up to face McGregor

Conor McGregor will face Nate Diaz at the main event of UFC 196 on March 5 after lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos pulled out of his title defense against the Irishman due to a foot injury.

UFC president Dana White told ESPN.com that Diaz agreed to take on the Irish superstar despite the fight being on 12 days’ notice.

It will be a welterweight bout, meaning that McGregor will have to climb two weight classes from featherweight.

"We called Jose Aldo; Jose Aldo turned the fight down," said White. "We called Frankie Edgar; Frankie Edgar turned the fight down. Those are two guys everybody was talking about.

"A lot of guys wanted this fight, but we ended up with Nate Diaz. We felt this was the fight to make and the fight the fans wanted to see."

McGregor, the reigning featherweight champion, was originally slated to challenge Dos Anjos for the lightweight crown. The fight, however, fell through when the Brazilian withdrew with a broken foot on Tuesday.

Dos Anjos is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks.

Diaz has been wanting to fight McGregor for some time now.

Last December, he called out the Irishman with an expletive-laced rant after beating up Michael Johnson at UFC on FOX 17.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Who will be CM Punk's opponent?

UFC president Dana White has identified the fighter who may just wind up facing CM Punk in his first-ever mixed martial arts bout.

Punk, the former WWE superstar whose real name is Phil Brooks, signed with the UFC in 2014 despite not having any professional MMA experience.

According to reports from ESPN and MMA Fighting, White has given young fighter Mickey Gall the opportunity to fight Punk – provided he gets past "a kid named Michael Jackson" in a bout that will appear in the preliminary event of UFC 196.

White "discovered" Gall via the UFC web show "Lookin' for a Fight," wherein the executive watches regional MMA shows in search for talent. White watched as Gall submitted his opponent and then called out Punk.

"I'm bringing in Mickey Gall, and he's going to fight a kid named Michael Jackson," said White. "They're going to fight on the prelims on February 6 on Fight Pass."

"If he wins that fight, Mickey Gall will fight CM Punk," he added.


White said Punk will be on hand to watch the Gall-Jackson showdown.

If Gall winds up losing the bout, Jackson will not get a shot against Punk.

"He (Gall) is holding a lottery ticket, with really good odds of winning the lottery right now," said White. "He's got to get through this fight. It's going to be a life-changer for this kid."

Punk is expected to make his UFC debut later this year.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Frankie Edgar furious about possibly not getting title shot again

Former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar is not optimistic that he will be getting the title shot that was promised to him.

After the Ultimate Fighter 22 finale on December 11, UFC president Dana White guaranteed “The Answer” the next title shot at 145-pounds. It was after Edgar’s sensational first round knockout victory over two-time featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes.

At the time, Edgar was awaiting the winner between Conor McGregor and José Aldo, who were slated to battle it out at UFC 194 the day after his fight. With “The Notorious” emerging victorious, it seemed like a showdown between him and Edgar was the next move to make.

McGregor, however, went towards another direction and chose to face Rafael Dos Anjos for the lightweight title instead. Multiple reports have claimed that the UFC’s top management is leaning towards making this fight instead.

These recent turn of events have rightfully left Edgar in a state of frustration. During his appearance on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour show, Edgar laid out his frustrations in full detail.

"For sure, I’m pissed. I’ve been at it for a while now, I’ve been knocking on the door for this title shot for a while. It started with Cub [Swanson]. If Cub beat me he was promised a title shot. I beat him, I finished him in pretty dominating fashion and no, I’m not even considered for that title shot.”

“I take it in stride,” he added. “I do everything in stride, I really do think I’m a company man, but it’s not really panning out for me being that way."

Despite his sentiments, Edgar did concede to the fact that he is left with no other choice but to give in to the bosses’ decision, who at the end of the day, still have the final say on the matter.

"What can I do? Dana and Lorenzo, they know what I want, man,” Edgar lamented. “People are like, 'you need to call them.' They f**king know what I want.”

“What, am I going to bother them? For what? For them to say no? So they can promise me something one day and say no the next? Come on,” he added.

This story was originally published on the ABS-CBN Sports website.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

What's next for Conor McGregor?

How can Conor McGregor top his spectacular achievement at UFC 194, when he ended Jose Aldo's decade of dominance in just 13 seconds?

How about holding two UFC championship belts at once? For the brash, outspoken, and talented Irishman, the goal of holding two titles at the same time is very much in the cards.

McGregor on Saturday crushed Aldo with a perfectly placed left hand punch that sent the Brazilian icon falling to the canvas. He followed it up with a couple of hammer fists, and the referee quickly stopped the fight, ending Aldo's long reign as featherweight champion.


In the post-fight press conference, it was revealed that UFC president Dana White "saw two potential paths" for McGregor, as reported by MMA Fighting. "The Notorious" can either vacate his featherweight belt and move up to lightweight, where he can immediately challenge for the title, or defend his belt against Frankie Edgar.

"I think that was always his plan," White said, as quoted by MMA Fighting in a separate report. "He wanted to fight Jose Aldo, and then move to 55 (lightweight) and then fight for that title."

McGregor is open to both scenarios but said he has no intention of vacating his featherweight belt.


"I'll tell you one thing that won't be happening. If I go up to that lightweight division, there's no way in hell that I'm vacating my belt," he declared. "That's not happening."

"There will be a belt on one shoulder and a belt on the other," he said.

In the history of the UFC, only two fighters have held belts in multiple weight divisions – Randy Couture and BJ Penn. Neither fighter held the championships concurrently, however, and that is the goal that McGregor hopes to reach.

"Look how many fights I've had in the last year. I stay busy. I stay fresh. So when I go to lightweight and take that lightweight belt, I will stay the featherweight champion also," he said.

"I will be a dual weight champion. There is no going up and vacating. The belt will still be active, because I am active," he said.

White has yet to comment on McGregor's plans.

The lightweight belt is currently held by Rafael Dos Anjos, who is set to make a title defense next week against Donald Cerrone.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

UFC's White denies plans for Rousey-Cyborg fight

UFC president Dana White has debunked rumors that the company will hold the highly anticipated showdown between bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and Cris "Cyborg" Justino at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

Former UFC champion Tito Ortiz, who trains "Cyborg," claimed that White offered Justino the chance to fight Rousey at Cowboys Stadium.

"I've heard from Cris, actually, that the fight that's supposed to be happening at the Cowboy's Arena. They offered the fight to Cris. I know her management said yes, and I've told her, 'Let's do it.' So I guess the ball's all in Ronda's corner, and Ronda wants to do it," Ortiz said, as quoted by MMA Fighting.

In an interview with Yahoo! Sports, White flatly shot down Ortiz's claims.

"That was a complete lie," White told Kevin Iole. "It's 100 percent a lie."

"First of all, the UFC doesn't even talk to Tito Ortiz, so let's start there," added White. "But we haven't offered any fight to (Justino). Tito Ortiz is just making this (expletive) up."

"In no way, shape or form did we offer her a fight against Ronda at Cowboys Stadium Completely untrue," he stressed.

Rousey is coming off a stunning 34-second knockout of Bethe Correia at UFC 190 in Brazil, and is expected to face Miesha Tate in a trilogy fight for her next title defense.

The Rousey-Tate showdown will likely be part of a massive doubleheader along with the featherweight title bout between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor for December 5 at the Cowboys Stadium.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Rousey looks forward to trilogy fight vs. Tate

Undisputed UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is already thinking of her upcoming trilogy fight against top contender Miesha Tate, even as she was still relishing another stunning knockout victory.

Rousey underscored her dominance of the division with a brutal 34-second knockout of Brazilian challenger Bethe Correia in the main event of UFC 190, and immediately looked forward to another showdown against Tate.

Tate remains the only fighter who has lasted more than a round against Rousey: When they fought at UFC 168 in 2013, Tate made it to the third round before submitting to an armbar. In their first fight, in 2012, Rousey submitted her in the first round – also via armbar – to win the women's Strikeforce belt.


"They can watch as much"Every fight is a challenge. This fight was a challenge in its own, and I think one advantage that I do have over my opponents is they don't really know what they're coming into when they get in there," Rousey said, as quoted by MMA Fighting, in the post-fight press conference.
 footage as they like, but they don't know what it's like to be in there with me," she added.

This element of surprise is gone with Tate, as they have already fought twice before.

"She already has an idea of what she's getting in there with," Rousey said, although she quickly added: "I know I've improved a lot since the last time we fought."

Since beating Tate in 2013, Rousey has won four straight fights with a combined time of two minutes and 10 seconds. It took her a minute and six seconds to knock out Sara McMann at UFC 170, and then crushed Alexis Davis in 16 seconds at UFC 175.

Rousey memorably submitted Cat Zingano in only 14 seconds – a UFC record – at UFC 184, then took a little longer to put Correia away.

Like Rousey, Tate has also won four straight fights since their last encounter, most recently out-pointing Jessica Eye to become the number one contender for the title once more.

Tate was quick to comment on Rousey's victory against Correia, posting on Instagram: "Guaranteed she won't do this to me."



"I know she'll bring in something different every single time," Rousey said of Tate. "I'm eager to see what she comes up with this time."

The UFC has not yet set a date and venue for the Rousey-Tate trilogy fight, although there are reports that it can be held later this year on the same card as the featherweight title showdown between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor.

UFC president Dana White said that star-studded fight card may take place at the Cowboys Stadium in Dallas this December.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

McGregor clarifies: KO bet vs Mendes is $3.5M

Conor McGregor confirmed that he indeed offer UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and president Dana White a multi-million dollar side bet that he will knockout Chad Mendes in two rounds.

But he said it wasn’t $3 million as White earlier announced, but $3.5 million.

The outspoken Irishman will be facing Mendes this weekend for the UFC interim featherweight title in UFC 189 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"I'm still hoping it goes ahead," McGregor said in MMA Fighting. "I feel it's a good bet. It could go either way, so I believe he should take it. It's to do with this pay-per-view stipulation, so it's not as black and white as it seems, but I hope he takes it."

McGregor was supposed to challenge Jose Aldo, but a rib injury forced the UFC featherweight champion to pull out despite heavy promotion done for the title bout.

Mendes stepped in as a replacement.

"We were discussing negotiations," McGregor said of his conversation with White. "And one of them negotiations was a little friendly wager. I sent him an e-mail breaking it all down.”

"I just heard that he spoke about it on the radio, so everyone else knows, because I didn't tell anybody. It was behind closed doors. I don't discuss business. He does, so I hope that means he is taking it."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

New champ Cormier lauds 'nice guy' Johnson

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson showed his class when, just minutes after losing to Daniel Cormier in their UFC 187 showdown for the UFC light-heavyweight title, he took the initiative of putting the gold belt around his victorious opponent's waist.

Cormier won their main event fight by submitting Johnson in the third round. It was Johnson's first loss since January 2012, yet he showed no ill will towards the new champion.

Cormier could not help but express his admiration for Johnson in an appearance on The MMA Hour, telling Ariel Helwani that Johnson was "a nice guy."

"I think maybe, he showed exactly how nice he is by behaving in the way that he did," he said. "A lot of times, losing a fight is tough."

"In your darkest hours, I guess your true colors show. And Anthony Johnson is made of gold, if you ask me, for the way that he handled that," he added.

For Cormier, having his beaten opponent wrap the belt around his waist "made my experience different."

It is usually UFC president Dana White who puts the belt on the champion.

"By putting on the belt, he made my experience of being crowned a champion different than anyone else in the UFC's history," said Cormier. "Nobody has done that."

"So thank you, Anthony Johnson, for making my experience different. I appreciate it, and I appreciate you," he added.

After beating Johnson – and with former champion Jon Jones still suspended – Cormier is setting his sights on other contenders for the belt.

"All these guys are in play now. We'll see how long Jon's situation takes, even if he does come back. I win the fight against Jon, I win the rematch, I can still fight all these new guys," he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

WATCH: McGregor nabs title belt form Aldo

The build-up to the UFC 189 main event between Conor McGregor and Jose Aldo has been fraught with fierce stare downs and near skirmishes, and it reached another level during the World Tour's last stop in Dublin, Ireland.

McGregor, cheered on by his raucous hometown fans, was in his element, although Aldo gave as good as he got, even telling the crowd: "I'm the king of Dublin."

McGregor responded by putting his feet up on the table, and, seconds later, reached over Aldo's side of the stage to snatch the UFC featherweight belt, which was placed in front of the Brazilian champion.

Aldo immediately got to his feet and tried to grab his belt back as McGregor held it aloft, though the two men were kept apart by UFC president Dana White.

"You're looking at the King!" McGregor crowed as the Dublin fans went wild.

Aldo, for his part, brushed off the incident.

"I didn't feel anything," said the Brazilian star in an interview with UFC Brasil. "That's the best he can do, because the next time he's in front of me, I will be the (expletive) out of his face."

Nabbing Aldo's belt was the latest of McGregor's stunts during the press tour. In Los Angeles, he taunted the champion, then grabbed the back of Aldo's neck during their stop in Toronto.

UFC 189 is set for July 11 in Las Vegas.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Sonnen reveals $5M offer from WWE

MANILA, Philippines – Former UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen revealed that he was once offered a $5 million contract by the WWE while he was still active in the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion.

“Here's the nuts and bolts of it: I was offered $5 million by [WWE promoter] Vince McMahon. Now, I was still under contract with the UFC and I never took this to Dana (White). I handled it on my own. I told [WWE], ‘No’ and that was the end of that,” he said in BJ Penn.com.



Sonnen was known for resorting to trash talks and has become largely successful in hyping his fights. This asset seemed to have gotten McMahon’s attention, hence the WWE offer.

The former fighter, however, said he did not bother to open the subject to UFC president Dana White as he might be seen as someone disloyal to UFC.

“I knew if I called Dana and said, ‘I’ve got a $5 million offer from Vince McMahon,’ Dana would have matched it,” said Sonnen. “Dana would have come close and now all of a sudden I’m not a loyal employee.”

Ironically, Sonnen was forced to retire from MMA competition after he was found positive for the use of human growth hormone (HGH), recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), anastrozole, and human chorionic gonadotropin.

That was the third time he failed a drug test in his MMA career.

Later, UFC and FOX Sports announced they had terminated Sonnen's contract as a UFC analyst due to his multiple failed drug tests.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Jones-Velasquez superfight can wait, says White

MANILA, Philippines – Ultimate fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White is not in a hurry to arrange a superfight between light heavyweight champion Jon "Bones" Jones and heavyweight title holder Cain Velasquez.

White stressed that Jones, who easily handled Glover Teixeira in UFC 172, will have lots of more appealing fights in the light heavyweight division.

“Jon Jones has [Alexander] Gustafsson, possibly [Chris] Cormier if he wins that fight [against Dan Henderson]. He’s got a lot of guys lined up still,” said the UFC executive in BJ Penn.com.

White added that "Bones" is getting heavier that he expects the light heavyweight king to invade the heavyweight class in a few years’ time.

This could set up a possible collision between Velasquez and Jones.

"Jon Jones is 26 years old. As he continues to get older, he will have a harder and harder time making 205, which would eventually probably force him up to heavyweight. It's not the time for a Cain versus Jon Jones superfight,” said White.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

UFC plans to hold MMA card in PH next year

MANILA, Philippines – Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the world, is reportedly eyeing to stage a fight card in the Philippines next year.

MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani tweeted that UFC president Dana White is currently laying out plans for a fight in the Philippines.

“Dana says they will hold a fight card in the Philippines next year,” said Helwani.


One of those who were pleased to hear the news was Mark “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Muñoz ,who has long hoped to fight in front of his countrymen.

“I love it!” said Muñoz through his Twitter account.

During the Filipino-American’s Manila visit early this year, the UFC said there is a big chance they are considering holding an MMA card in the Philippines.

Mark Fischer, managing director of UFC Asia, noted that the Philippines is the third biggest MMA market in Asia after Japan and Korea.

“I would like to predict -- and no commitments here -- that we're going to do a fight in the Philippines, most probably in Manila in 2014,” the UFC executive said at the time.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Wanderlei won't fight Sonnen without PPV share'

MANILA – UFC President Dana White said “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva has turned down the offer to fight Chael Sonnen at UFC 167 in November.

White said in MMA Fighting that the former PRIDE middleweight champion won’t fight Sonnen unless he’s given a share of pay-per-view earnings.

"[Silva] said he won't fight him unless he gets PPV [points],” said White. “So I guess he's gonna retire."

When asked what UFC plans for Sonnen, White said: "we will figure it out."

Shortly after submitting Silva’s fellow PRIDE fighter, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua last weekend, Sonnen called out Silva.

"Right here, on the UFC's new home, FOX Sports 1," Sonnen was quoted as saying in Fight Line.

"Wanderlei Silva, 6-feet tall, 205 pounds; boy, until I met you, I didn't know they could stack crap that high," said UFC's self-styled bad boy.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com