Joe Rogan was worried about Mike Tyson’s health when he fought Jake Paul.
[autotag]Joe Rogan[/autotag] was worried about [autotag]Mike Tyson[/autotag]’s health going up against [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag].
58-year-old Tyson appeared to suffer little to no damage against Paul, but lost a unanimous decision in their Netflix boxing match headliner less than two weeks ago at AT&T Stadium.
“I’m glad he got to that fight and didn’t get hurt,” Rogan said on a recent episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. “I was hoping he would knock Jake Paul out just because that’s the Cinderella story.”
Rogan’s support for Tyson is no knock on Paul. The UFC commentator and popular podcast host praised the YouTuber-turned-boxer for the success and eyes he’s drawn to the sport.
“I don’t have anything against Jake Paul,” Rogan said. “I like Jake Paul. I think what he’s doing is genius. I think what he’s doing is, like – I mean, he’s making insane amounts of money, he’s having a great time, he’s a legit boxer.
“He’s absolutely a legit boxer. If you do (hate), you’re an idiot. But the reality is, Mike is 58 years old, and I was worried. I love that guy, and he was a hero of mine when I was a kid.”
Ahead of UFC 310’s flyweight title main event, MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom lists his top five UFC men’s fights at 125 pounds.
(Editor’s note: This story first was published June 1, 2023. Some information may have been updated.)
Whether we’re talking about mainstream sports, combat sports or sports entertainment, the spectacle of large athletes long has been a promotional tool to help draw in casual crowds and create almost larger-than-life standards that helped set the bar to where it is today.
It’s why “the baddest man on the planet” is determined within the heavyweight division and why title fights on cards are typically prioritized from largest to smallest – unless there’s an outlier like Conor McGregor on the card, of course.
The unfortunate byproduct of this traditional format, however, is that lighter-weight fighters, who typically are more technical and arguably more entertaining, often get under-appreciated and sometimes lost in the shuffle.
In fact, the UFC historically has struggled with whichever division falls on the bottom of its proverbial totem pole. Whether we’re talking about the UFC’s three failed attempts to establish its lightweight division, which now is one of the deepest divisions going on two decades, or its self-induced flyweight purge that started around 2018, the organization has not exactly handled these divisions with care.
At UFC 310, flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja takes on a brand new challenger in promotional newcomer and former Rizin champion Kai Asakura. Pantoja has two title defenses under his belt, and his next challenge will be a new face to the UFC audience, who has never made the flyweight limit before. Asakura has the chance to become an instant global star, but will he be able to handle the pressure?
Until we know, take a look back at this first decade of flyweight affairs under the UFC banner and my top five.
“Well, I’ve always kind of had bad bottom teeth, because I’ve had missing teeth (at the top) for like 10 years plus,” Whittaker said on his “MMArcade Podcast”. “So, they’ve always kind of been shot because they’re not stable. They’re not a full circuit. They’re like half. Over the years, trauma, whatever, it’s something that kind of needed to be addressed.
“But every dentist and their friend were saying always try and keep your real teeth. I should’ve gotten rid of them years ago. The Dricus (Du Plessis) fight, they got pushed in a little bit. I had a cast in there, let them settle, yada yada yada, move on. Then when I fought Ikram (Aliskerov), I had all the infections, had to get four root canals, and I think the teeth had just had it, mate.”
Upon undergoing surgery, Whittaker said doctors discovered something that likely played a big factor in all the dental problems he’s had over the years.
“I haven’t been able to bite down on an apple since I was 19,” Whittaker said. “They (teeth) have always been bad, and I should’ve dealt with them much sooner. They’re just gone, don’t need them. My life is better without them.
“Fun fact, though: When they took them out, they found a massive cyst in my jaw, and they think that might have been where the infections were coming from for the teeth. So, everything happens for a reason.”
Conor McGregor’s fiancée, Dee Devlin, made it very clear that she is standing by her man after a jury found him liable for sexual assault.
[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s longtime fiancée, Dee Devlin, made it very clear in a series of social media posts that she is standing by her man following a high court’s decision against the UFC star in a high-profile sexual assault case.
Last Friday, a 12-day civil trial concluded with a jury ruling that McGregor is liable for a 2018 sexual assault of a woman at a Dublin hotel. As a result, McGregor was ordered to pay approximately $250,000 in damages to the victim, Nikita Hand, who said McGregor and his friend, James Lawrence, had sex with her against her will while she was intoxicated during two days of partying. The jury found only McGregor liable.
On Tuesday, Devlin, who is the mother of McGregor’s four children, attacked Hand’s character in a series of messages on her Instagram Stories.
“Imagine a WOMAN, with her own boyfriend and child, texting provocative pictures of herself to another woman’s man with a family and child on the way,” Devlin wrote. “This woman claims to know me, yet still went ahead and sent messages and pictures of herself over and over to my man? Really? Whilst out on a 3-day bender, texting excuses to her own child at home where mammy is on a Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, Sunday night night into Monday morning. All the while out of her face in a hotel room, dancing around a hotel carpark. What sort of WOMAN are you!!!
“My sons will be warned women like you exist in the world.”
Devlin, who accompanied McGregor on the final day in court, pointed to one specific aspect of the trial as she questioned Hand’s version of events. Surveillance footage showed McGregor and Hand in the hotel and elevator appearing to be affectionate with each other. Hand claimed she was intoxicated while that went on and was taken advantage of, but Devlin went in on her.
“CCTV DOES NOT LIE,” Devlin wrote. “I look forward to the day the world will see the footage of you on that night and the carry on of you. Not a bother on you having the time of your life. This is the real evidence, video footage no one knew was being taken in the moment which you miraculously don’t remember? To me, it looks like you’re the one sexually assaulting in the lift. To me, it looks like everyone is trying to get away from you.”
In her final message, Devlin addressed McGregor’s unfaithfulness to her after he admitted to having sex with Hand during the trial, although he maintained it was consensual.
“Conor and I dealt with these issues privately many years ago, as should be done in a relationship, and we have come out stronger than ever,” Devlin wrote. “We have four beautiful children now whose smiling faces and happy hearts are a testament to who he is and who we are!”
In a statement, McGregor, 36, expressed regret for cheating on Devlin and reaffirmed his intention to appeal the jury’s decision. McGregor has faced consequences outside of the damages he’s been ordered to pay.
As of this writing, the UFC hasn’t commented publicly.
McGregor hasn’t competed in the UFC since a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier in which he suffered a gruesome broken leg. McGregor was scheduled to return against Michael Chandler this past June at UFC 303, but he was forced to withdraw after breaking his toe in training a month before the fight.
Proper Twelve whiskey will no longer be associated with Conor McGregor following the UFC star’s sexual assault ruling.
[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and Proper Twelve have been linked since the whiskey brand’s inception in 2018 – but not any longer.
On Tuesday, Proper Twelve-parent company Proximo Spirits announced it will no longer feature McGregor in association with the brand, according to a report from the Irish Indepedent.
“Since 2021, Proximo Spirits has been the 100pc owner of Proper No. 12 Irish Whiskey,” Proximo Spirits said. “Going forward, we do not plan to use Mr. McGregor’s name and likeness in the marketing of the brand.”
The decision comes in the wake of last Friday’s jury ruling that McGregor is liable for a 2018 sexual assault of a woman at a Dublin hotel. The jury ordered McGregor pay approximately $260,000 in damages to the victim, Nikita Hand.
Hand said McGregor and his friend, James Lawrence, had sex with her against her will while she was intoxicated, which resulted in physical and emotional trauma. The jury found Lawrence not liable.
McGregor has maintained his innocence and Tuesday confirmed he plans to appeal the ruling.
Proximo Spirits is the second company to cut ties with McGregor in as many days. IO Interactive, the parent company for the popular video game series “Hitman,” announced McGregor will no longer be a purchasable character in its game.
The UFC has continued to stay silent on the the sexual assault ruling.
UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik is going off “informed speculation” with his prediction of when and where to expect Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall.
Heading into UFC 309, heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] was hesitant to commit to competing beyond his title fight with Stipe Miocic. Coming out of UFC 309, Jones has sung a different tune, and that has UFC play-by-play commentator [autotag]Jon Anik[/autotag] feeling quite optimistic about the matchup the masses are clamoring for.
And which matchup would that be? A title unification bout with interim champ [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag], of course.
“I have no inside information. I truly don’t. You can call it informed speculation. … But I do believe that fight is going to happen, and I think what was most telling was just the way Jon Jones handled his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan,” Anik said in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio. “And then I talked to him after the fact in the back for ESPN, and I was like, ‘Are we getting three or four more of these things, or what?’ He was going into the Stipe fight with a fight-by-fight mentality, and he sounded like the furthest thing from retirement with Rogan after the fact. So that’s very encouraging.”
“This is the fight,” Anik said. “Even though Jon Jones isn’t the natural heavyweight in body that Tom Aspinall is, he’s not going to fight Alex Pereira right now. He’s going to fight Tom Aspinall.”
As far as Anik is concerned, Jones vs. Aspinall is all but a lock to happen – provided Jones gets his wish in terms of compensation. What Jones wants exactly isn’t clear, although he described it as “f*ck you money” after UFC 309.
If negotiations between Jones and the UFC go well, then Anik expects the fight to take place during the biggest week on the calendar next year.
“It just comes down to what Jon Jones’ number is,” Anik said. “What is Jon Jones’ net worth? What number is he looking for? Is it 25 million (dollars) to show? You know, what is Michael Jordan worth? What is the greatest of all time worth? I feel like the company is in a great position to make this fight, and I think you’ve got to do Las Vegas. You’ve got to do International Fight Week 2025.”
Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” on Conor McGregor losing his sexual assault civil trial and much more.
The time for overreacting is here!
Check out the latest episode of “Overreaction Time” at noon ET/9 a.m. PT as host Simon Samano and MMA Junkie Radio host Brian “Goze” Garcia debate these “overreactions” on the following topics in mixed martial arts:
[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] is a disgrace to MMA.
There’s no way [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] should be No. 1 pound-for-pound.
[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] vs.[autotag] Petr Yan next?[/autotag] It’s not crazy!
[autotag]Jamahal Hill[/autotag] better make a statement at UFC 311.
[autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag]? Get the f*** out of here!
Firas Zahabi had very high praise for UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
[autotag]Firas Zahabi[/autotag] had very high praise for UFC interim heavyweight champion [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag].
Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) is campaigning for a title-unification bout with heavyweight champ Jon Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC), but Tristar Gym head coach Zahabi doubts it happens.
“I don’t think Jon Jones is going to fight Aspinall,” Zahabi said on his YouTube channel. “There was a once upon a time I thought he would and he could win. But now I went over Aspinall’s fights, and I’m thinking this is the man who can beat Jon Jones.
“At heavyweight, this is going to be a dangerous fight. Jon is not crazy. Jon is going to go down to fight Pereira, but I don’t think the UFC gives him Periera – I don’t think so. He has to fight Aspinall or nothing. I don’t think the UFC wants Jon Jones to beat Alex Pereira – which I think he would. He would crush Pereira.”
Zahabi thinks Aspinall is a bad matchup for Jones and everyone else in the division. He went as far as calling Aspinall the greatest heavyweight to ever do it.
“I think he could be the man who beats Jon Jones and finishes Jon Jones,” Zahabi said of Aspinall. “I don’t think anybody can last more than two rounds with Aspinall – nobody in the world. Now, pound-for-pound? That would be a different story. But the fact that he’s the biggest, strongest guy in the world at heavyweight, I don’t know if anybody can beat him.
“A lot of people are saying Miocic is the greatest heavyweight of all time. No, he’s not. He was the greatest heavyweight of all time. Then Ngannou dethroned him and Ngannou proved to be the greatest heavyweight of all time. Now in my mind, unofficially of course, it’s Tom Aspinall, the greatest heavyweight of all time.”
Jon Jones’ career is as decorated as they come, with wins over various legends, UFC Hall of Famers and top contenders.
[autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag]’ UFC career has been marred by long layoffs caused by suspensions due to a number of legal run-ins and positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs, but that hasn’t stopped many from calling him the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
Since making his professional debut in 2008, Jones is 28-1 with one no contest and his lone defeat a December 2009 disqualification due to illegal elbows in a fight he was dominating. He’s perhaps the most naturally gifted fighter to ever grace the cage, and his resume is as decorated as they come, with victories against various legends, UFC Hall of Famers and top contenders across two generations of light heavyweights. He’s also won the UFC heavyweight championship.
You can check out one highlight and one photo from each of his 23 UFC bouts below.
Conor McGregor maintained his innocence while acknowledging he “mad mistakes” following a jury’s ruling that he raped a woman in Dublin.
[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] on Monday expressed remorse in the wake of a jury determining that he raped a woman, although the UFC star didn’t direct that sentiment at his alleged victim while maintaining his innoncence.
McGregor’s comments, which he shared in a written post on X, came just three days after he lost a sexual assault civil case in Dublin. This past Friday, a 12-day trial concluded with a jury finding McGregor liable for sexually assaulting Nikita Hand after a night of partying in December 2018. The jury’s verdict included damages of approximately $250,000 awarded to Hand.
In the immediate aftermath, McGregor vowed to appeal the jury’s decision and on Monday, he reiterated that intention while saying he regrets cheating on his longtime fiancee, Dee Devlin, who is also the mother of his four children.
“People want to hear from me, I needed time,” McGregor wrote. “I know I made mistakes. Six years ago, I should have never responded to (Hand’s) outreaches. I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me.
“As much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual and all the witnesses present swore to that under oath. I have instructed my legal team to appeal the decision.
“I can’t go back and I will move forward. I am beyond grateful to my family, friends and supporters all over the world who have stayed by my side.
That’s it. No more. Getting back to the gym- the fight game awaits!”
People want to hear from me, I needed time. I know I made mistakes. Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches. I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me.
As of this writing, the UFC and Dana White have remained silent on the jury’s ruling since Friday. No other brands associated with McGregor, outside of IO Interactive, have dropped McGregor.
McGregor, 36, hasn’t competed in the UFC since a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier in which he suffered a gruesome broken leg. McGregor was scheduled to return to the cage against Michael Chandler this past June at UFC 303, but he was forced to withdraw after breaking his toe in training a month before the fight.
