Category: UFC

Six months after losing UFC title, Rose Namajunas gives update on fighting future

Former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas says her head is back in the right place for her fighting career.

[autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag] isn’t done yet.

A former UFC strawweight champion, Namajunas (8-4 MMA, 6-3 UFC) said she has regained her passion for fighting and won’t retire, according to a recent interview with ESPN.

An emotional Namajunas detailed her motivational struggles before, during, and after her championship loss to Jessica Andrade seven months ago at UFC 237. The turning point came when she visited former coach Greg Nelson in Minnesota.

“I’ll fight again,” Namajunas said. “And you know it’s kind of one of those things where you get a little emotional. But it’s like I lost the passion for martial arts and fighting – mainly for fighting. I found my passion again.

“I went back to Minnesota to see one of my former coaches from earlier on in my amateur career, Greg Nelson. He’s just like a huge inspiration for me.”

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As champion, Namajunas said, her career became everything she had hoped it wouldn’t. The pressure of being a champion weighed heavily and the enjoyment dwindled. Over the past few months, Namajunas has realized she doesn’t need a belt to feel comfortable.

“I made it into everything I didn’t want it to be,” Namajunas said. “I didn’t want the belt to define me and all I did was make it define me. That was all that was on my mind every day. Even though it was not even in my own house. It just consumed my every thought. It turned into a shackle and chain rather than just loving fighting.

“Do I want to be the best? Of course. But I don’t need a belt to tell me that I’m the best. I already know. It was like, weird. It was all of my fears and all of the things I didn’t want to happen ended up happening by just fearing it so much.”

Namajunas said she currently has a UFC bout offer on the table, but did not to give any details. Uncertain if she’s going to accept it, Namajunas said she’s aiming for a February or March return to the cage.

In Namajunas’ absence, a new 115-pound champion was crowned. In August, Weili Zhang dethroned Andrade with a swift first-round knockout. Namajunas is indifferent about facing the UFC’s first Chinese champion next.

“Weili looked great and I always want to fight the best,” Namajunas said. “Clearly, she is (the best) right now. But you know? I want to test myself against her. But at the same time, whether that be this next fight or get a win under my belt and go after that? I really have no preference at the moment. It doesn’t matter who I fight, but you should always have your eye on being the best.”

Namajunas also commented on how much fighting time she believes she has left. “Thug Rose” said she didn’t want to be held to a timetable, but predicted she has approximately three years left in her competitive MMA career.

“I definitely have always said I don’t really want to fight in my 30’s, so I have three more years on my clock, ” Namajunas said. “But at the same time, I’m not going to say that for sure. But I’d say I’ll have three more years where I’m interested in this.”

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UFC on ESPN+ 21 reactions: Winning and losing fighters on social media

UFC on ESPN+ 21 winners and losers react on social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Since the early days when the sport was anything but a mainstream endeavor, the MMA industry has thrived and survived through various websites, forums, and – perhaps most importantly – social-media platforms.

Fighters interact with fans, each other and many more through the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, which helps outsiders get a deeper look into the minds of the athletes.

Following Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 21 in Moscow, several of the winning and losing fighters, along with their coaches, training partners or family members, took to social media to react to the event or share a message with supporters.

Check out some of those reactions.

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The defeated

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Всем Здравствуйте друзья,подписчики👋🏼Вот и прогремел ЮФС-МОСКВА! Все всё видели,как прошёл бой и результат вам известен…Большое всем Спасибо🙏🏽кто приезжал и поддержал и поддерживает🙏🏽Кто прилетел поддержать с Родины🙏🏽Многие спрашивают кто был в углу у меня?!! В углу у меня были мои братья,они мне братья по спорту,духу и в жизни,всегда рядом со мной и в моём сердце❤️🙏🏽. С ними прошёл огонь,воду и медные трубы как говорится…Все тягости и трудности знают лишь они близко,через что мне прошлось пройти с 2014 года, знаю каждого из них как родного @alexkrylat Алексей Генадьевич 🇷🇺 Курильский тигр @olenichevmma Олег Сергеевич Уральский тигр🇷🇺и Сергей Владимирович Украинский тигр🇺🇦 Каждый из них является моим учеником,которого я готовил к боям…Их тренировал Тайскому Боксу. Вместе с ними,становился Чемпионом Мира на их глазах…Конечно всё это благодаря моему Тренеру Ивану Владимировичу Спасибо. Сейчас речь идёт о тех кто у меня был в углу🙏🏽БРАТЬЯ СПАСИБО ВАМ🙏🏽Что всё бросили,все свои важные дела и приехали ко мне на бой и были рядом со мной🙏🏽когда я вам сказал надо быть у меня в углу. Всем добра и мира друзья🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽Чистого мирного неба над головой🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

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Ассаламуалейкум,Приветствую всех. Вчера к сожалению был такой бой,который не хочется особо комментировать.Но своё слово сказать надо.Вчера на арене я почувствовал такую поддержку,что не описать словами,как я благодарен вам.Людям,которые рядом,которые всегда поддержат.Я привык радовать всех вас своими победами,но вчерашний вечер был не таким,каким я хотел себя показать в бою,на что был способен..Но и в таком положении не считаю себя проигравшим.Для меня главное признание сердец,а не то,что пишут на бумаге.Спасибо всем за поддержку.Обещаю,что вернусь сильнее! Иногда надо сделать один шаг назад,чтобы сделать два шага вперед.Всем БаркАллагь ✊🏻

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Всем Салам алейкум , второе поражение подряд , снова вышел на замену , поломал нос в первом раунде, дышать было сложно . Готов был лучше чем в прошлый раз , но это не все на что я способен ! К следующему бою пройду полный лагерь и надеюсь на иной исход событий ! Всем спасибо за слова поддержки) У меня все хорошо и совсем скоро намерен возобновить тренировочный процесс . На все воля Всевышнего ! #спорт#мма#бои#юфс#sport#mma#ufc#питер

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The victorious

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This Saturday went by well, had the trip of a life time. And got to spend it with people who been with me from the beginning. We Went to a country I never thought I would have ever been. And beat one of there own in his backyard. So many emotions going into this fight. So many doubts, so many people thinking maybe this guy had to much experience for me. I mean he had over 32 fights to my 10 and had fought some big names in the ufc. But once again we proved them wrong. I had somethings I needed to prove to myself. I had some demons I needed to face and overcome. Well I face them head on and i proved what I needed to prove. So I’m putting everyone on notice I AM HERE TO STAY!!! And you all will feel me.. 💯💯💪🏽 thank you to my coaches @rothweileradam @carlsongracieteam and my manager @elguero13_714 for believing in me and having my back wherever I go. I am a product of the things you guys teach me. And every fight we will only get better. #Ateam #CarlsonGracieTeam #ThePredator #TopMountApparel #CameFromNothing #itsonlythebeginning

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❗11.Listopad 2019, 101 Lat Niepodlegosci❗ ❗ 🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱🇵🇱 ❗ At First, I am really happy to announce to you all that this was a wonderful weekend of great success. I won in the first round, after 2.50min, by Submission Triangle Choke at @ufc Fight Night 163 in Moscow, Russia. Thanks to my opponent @abubakar_nurmagomedov for the fight and i wish you all the best for your Future in the UFC. #RESPECT In Addition, all my Teammates from @ufd_gym did very well in Zagreb, Crotia. We stay and fall together! #WeMakeChampions I would like to thank my Team, my Coaches and especialy my family and friends. Very special thanks ,for these, which having made the long journey to Russia to Support me. Thank you very much. Thanks to my polish friends and fans who Support me and wish whole 🇵🇱 a nice holiday #niepodległość #polska Thank you also, to all friends and Fans in Germany and all around the World. Have a great Start into the Week Much Love See you soon Sagat #UFCMOSCOW #ufcfightnight163 #winner

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For the culture… the fight culture #respect 👊🏾🇬🇧

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Ещё один бой позади. Хочу поблагодарить каждого, кто вчера болел и переживал за меня, и в зале и у экранов телевизоров. Я чувствовал вашу поддержку. Я всегда стремлюсь провести бой ярко, и ваша поддержка придавала мне сил сделать этот поединок зрелищнее. Драться у себя дома – это напряжение и дополнительная ответственность перед болельщиками. Пройдя все это, я понял, что оно того стоило, я получил огромный заряд адреналина, впервые выступив у себя в стране. Ещё раз спасибо вам всем, что вы рядом ✊🏽

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Спасибо, Рамзан Ахматович, за поддержку и высокую оценку моих навыков✊🏻 ___ @za_kadyrova_95eng Ассаламу алайкум! Наш БРАТ Забит Магомедшарипов одержал очередную победу в главном бою международного турнира UFC Fight 163, прошедшем на арене ЦСКА. Эта победа стала для него шестой в UFC. Забит показал красивый бой, продемонстрировал свои способности одинаково эффектно наносить удары ногами и руками. Американский боец Келвин Каттар «Бостонский Фиришер» не смог противостоять натиску Забита, который является одним из лучших российских бойцов в своей весовой категории. Мне всегда нравится наблюдать за поединками Забита. У него своеобразный и приятный стиль ведения боя. Важно то, что он при любой победе сохраняет чувство такта, скромность, порядочность. Желаю Забиту новых побед, здоровья и удачи! #Спорт #Кадыров #Забит #Магомедшарипов #UFC

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The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

UFC releases former lightweight title challenger Gilbert Melendez

Gilbert Melendez is no longer a member of the UFC roster.

[autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] is no longer a member of the UFC roster.

Melendez (22-8 MMA, 1-6 UFC) was released from the promotion following five straight losses. The 37-year-old Melendez confirmed his release with ESPN on Monday night after an initial report by MMA Fighting.

A former Strikeforce lightweight champion, Melendez ran through most of his opposition in the well-regarded promotion. Melendez’s key wins in Strikeforce include Jorge Masvidal, Josh Thomson (twice), Shinya Aoki, and Tatsuya Kawajiri.

Upon the UFC’s purchase and subsequent absorbance of Strikeforce, Melendez was added to the roster. Holding the Strikeforce title at the time, Melendez was granted an immediate title shot at then-lightweight champion Benson Henderson.

In the five-round main event of UFC on FOX 7 in April 2013, Melendez lost a split decision to Henderson. The defeat was highly controversial among MMA fans and media alike.

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In his return to the cage at UFC 166 in October 2013, Melendez and Diego Sanchez engaged in an instant classic. A spirited 15 minutes turned in by the two men resulted in a fight many MMA observers believe to be one of the most exciting in the promotion’s history.

After he picked up his first UFC victory, Melendez earned a second crack at the 155-pound title – this time against then-champ Anthony Pettis in December 2014 at UFC 181. Melendez lost the bout by second-round submission due to guillotine choke.

From 2015-19, Melendez competed four times. In that span, Melendez dropped decisions to Eddie Alvarez, Edson Barboza, Jeremy Stephens, and most recently Arnold Allen at UFC 239 in July.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Nov.4-Nov. 10)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Nov. 4-Nov. 10.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels for news to break through, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Nov. 4–Nov. 10:

UFC on ESPN+ 22: Nov. 16, Sao Paulo

Women’s flyweight: With Priscila Cachoeira out, Veronica Macedo (6-3-1 MMA, 1-3 UFC) steps in to fight Ariane Lipski (11-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) (MMA Fighting)

UFC on ESPN 7: Dec. 7, Washington, D.C.

Heavyweight: With Walt Harris out, Jairzinho Rozenstruik (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) steps in to fight Alistair Overeem (45-17 MMA, 11-6 UFC) (ESPN)

Middleweight: With Alonzo Menifield out, Makhmud Muradov (23-6 MMA, 1-0 UFC) steps in to fight Trevor Smith (15-9 MMA, 5-6 UFC)

Bellator Salute: Dec. 20, Honolulu

Heavyweight: Josh Barnett (35-8 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. Ronny Markes (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA)

Bantamweight: Erik Perez (19-6 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) vs. Toby Misech (11-7 MMA, 1-1 BMMA)(KHON2)

More matchups on next page:

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UFC on ESPN+ 22: Make your predictions for Jan Blachowicz vs. Ronaldo Souza

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 22 event in Sao Paulo.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 22 event in Sao Paulo.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN+ 22 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 22 takes place Saturday at Ginasio do Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo. The card streams on ESPN+.

Make your picks for all five main card fights inside:

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Stipe Miocic wants to fight boxer Tyson Fury, not interested in Daniel Cormier trilogy

UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic expressed an interest fighting former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury.

Despite their series being tied at one fight apiece, UFC heavyweight champion [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] isn’t interested in a trilogy against former champ [autotag]Daniel Cormier[/autotag].

Instead of facing Cormier (22-2 MMA, 15-2 UFC) for a third time, Miocic (19-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) wants to taken on a different former champion – one outside of the MMA bubble.

In an interview with ESPN on Monday, Miocic made it clear he wants to fight boxing superstar Tyson Fury upon his return.

“I saw Tyson Fury is coming into the mix now here,” Miocic said. “I like a new challenge… With DC, I didn’t fluke knock him out – I beat him. I decisively beat him. Our first fight, congrats to DC. But he caught me with a punch in the first round.

“There was a lot going on in my mind that night. No excuses, but he beat me. The second fight I won. There’s no taking it away from me. I didn’t get lucky, I just straight outworked him.”

Throughout the interview, Miocic praised’s Fury’s abilities calling him a “good fighter” and a “good dude.” However, Miocic believes he has what it takes to defeated him inside the cage – or the boxing ring.

“He’s a talented fighter, so he’s definitely going to have good striking,” Miocic said. “But anyone can make a (30-second) highlight reel. It’s still good, but I can do that too.”

“… Definitely if he wants to step into the Octagon, I’ll love it. I’ll step in the ring. I’d love to box him. I would love to box him. He’s a great fighter. He’s a good dude and we’d put on a good show.”

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In fact, Miocic said the prospect of fighting Fury inside the ring was more intriguing to him than inside the cage. A new challenge, Miocic said, is what he’s striving for.

“It’s something new – something different,” Miocic said. “In mixed martial arts, there’s a lot more to go with. You’ve got a bunch of martial arts to work with. In boxing, we’d just go toe-to-toe and slug it out.”

Since he defeated Cormier at UFC 241 in August, Miocic underwent eye surgery. Miocic said he procedure was done to repair a retinal tear as a result of eye pokes sustained in the first two matchups against DC. He’s not sure exactly when, but he’s planning on a 2020 return.

“Probably multiple eye pokes from my last two fights,” Miocic said of why his eye was damaged. “Yeah, I mean it didn’t help my cause, but getting punched doesn’t help either.

“I got done with the fight seeing spots in my eye. I (saw things) I’ve never saw before. It just didn’t feel right. We actually went to the retinal doctor. He’s like, ‘Yeah, you have a tear in your retina.’ A little procedure will fix it up, so hopefully it’ll heal up and stay that way.”

Monday’s interview wasn’t the first we heard of Miocic wanting Fury in MMA. After Fury posted a video training elbows, knees, and takedown defense alongside former UFC title challenger Darren Till, Miocic issued a statement on Twitter.

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Jorge Masvidal’s team channels ‘Scarface’ in official response to Nick Diaz

Jorge Masvidal’s team issued a prompt response to Nick Diaz’s apparent callout for a fight.

[autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]’s team issued a prompt response to [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag]’s apparent fight callout.

Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) surfaced for a rare interview Monday which seemingly served as the building block for his return to the octagon after an abcense of four years. He had some words for Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) throughout the conversation, indicating that he would like to fight the man who won the “BMF” title with a third-round TKO of his brother Nate Diaz at UFC 244.

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Not long after the interview aired, Masvidal’s manager Malki Kawa issued a direct response on social media (via Instagram):

@gamebredfighter official response to nick diaz. #supernecessary #baptized #bmf

This isn’t the first time a matchup between Diaz and Masvidal has been broached.

The UFC announced a fight between the two for UFC 235 in March, but it was never made official. Diaz insisted from the beginning that he never committed or signed a contract to end his hiatus from the sport.

In the aftermath of Masvidal’s UFC 244 victory over his brother, though, it appears Diaz may have rediscovered his motivation to fight.

Masvidal has never shied away from a fight, and while he seems to have a bevy of options that could include a welterweight title shot or Conor McGregor, it appears “Gamebred” is willing to beat his second Diaz brother, too.

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Quintet’s Vegas card features Gilbert Melendez, ‘Rumble’ Johnson, Chad Mendes, more

A whole host of familiar faces will take to the mats when Quintet hits Las Vegas on UFC 245 fight week.

The UFC’s final pay-per-view card of 2019 is a suitably festive event, as UFC 245 on Dec. 14 features a stacked card with three title fights.

It will be a big enough week leading up to the show at T-Mobile Arena that other events of note are being planned for fight week in Las Vegas.

One of those is Quintet Ultra, a grappling show which will be held at Red Rock Casino on Dec. 12.

The 5-on-5 team grappling event, founded by UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Kazushi Sakuraba[/autotag], often features big-name mixed martial artists, and this card is no exception.

The company has announced the captains and a member of each of the four teams participating in the card. Team UFC will be lead by [autotag]Anthony Johnson[/autotag] and include [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]. Team PRIDE is anchored by Sakuraba and will include former champion [autotag]Takanori Gomi[/autotag]. Team Strikeforce features a pair of former champions in [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] and [autotag]Jake Shields[/autotag]. And captaining Team WEC is [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag], and includes [autotag]Glover Teixeira[/autotag].

Additionally, a super fight will be held between Gordon Ryan and one of the UFC’s finest heavyweight grapplers, the master of the Ezekiel choke, [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag].

More details on participating grapplers and team rosters will be revealed in the weeks to come. The card will stream live at 10 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass.

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Nick Diaz: Jorge Masvidal ‘in a (expletive) position’ if we fight, ‘BMF’ title is ‘my belt’

If Nick Diaz ever fights again, it appears a matchup with Jorge Masvidal could be among his top interests.

If [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag] ever fights again, it appears a matchup with [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] is among his top interests.

ESPN released a long interview with Diaz (26-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) on Monday in which he touched on many subjects revolving around his absence from the octagon since January 2015.

One of the leading narratives, though, is that Diaz was irked by some of the comments Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) made in the buildup to and aftermath of UFC 244, where “Gamebred” beat Diaz’s younger brother, Nate.

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According to a follow-up report from ESPN.com, Diaz is interested in making his comeback in 2020, and Masvidal is the desired opponent.

“You want to talk about baptizing my younger brother? That’s on you,” Diaz told “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.” “I never had nothing disrespectful to say. But you don’t talk about baptizing my younger brother. So you’re already in a (expletive) position if you fight with me. You don’t talk about (expletive) baptizing someone’s brother. That’s my baby brother. You don’t talk like that to nobody.

“So who is riding on whose side? You want to say that, you want to do that, you want to walk, that’s on you. I can relate to you, that’s why I ain’t mad at you. But if you want to walk that’s on you.”

The UFC announced a fight between Diaz and Masvidal for UFC 235 in March, but it was never made official. Diaz insisted from the beginning that he never committed or signed a contract, and as a result felt slighted by the UFC brass.

“I’m on the poster with this guy I’m like, ‘What the (expletive)? Nobody talked to me. What are you talking about?'” Diaz said. “I’m on a poster. What the? C’mon. That’s cool if I’m going to be fighting this guy, but like, why are you doing this to me? You’re just giving this advantage and giving more power to the opposite team. No offense to the opposite team. Let’s just play fair a little bit.”

Diaz indicated his younger brother gave him the green light to do a rare interview and seemingly push the agenda for a Masvidal matchup.

Getting Diaz back in the cage seemingly won’t be easy. He said he needs to be paid and it must be something “big” like a AT&T Stadium in Dallas.

Ultimately, Diaz said the choice will be hi. He’s only fought three times in the past eight years and is nearing the four-year anniversary of his most recent bout, an infamous UFC 183 meeting with Anderson Silva after which both fighters were suspended. Nothing has forced Diaz to operate outside of his chosen path, and he said that won’t change now.

“The BMF, the 170, that’s my belt,” Diaz said. “But I’m not going to get in my brothers way of taking it. As far as I’m concerned that’s my belt. … This ain’t up to no UFC. We’ve seen that in the past already. I don’t need to do anything more than what I’ve already done here. I don’t know what to tell you people. All I know is I’ve got a whole lot of people who feel the same way.”

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Artem Lobov says there’s still some unfinished business with Khabib Nurmagomedov

Artem Lobov says there’s definitely some unsettled business with lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The SBG Ireland vs. Dagestan war may be far from over.

It all started with [autotag]Artem Lobov[/autotag], good friend and training partner of former UFC dual champion Conor McGregor, who was confronted by lightweight champ [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] and his crew backstage at UFC 223.

McGregor came to Lobov’s defense soon after and flew to New York, where he threw a hand truck through the window of a bus that carried Nurmagomedov and his team. Eventually, McGregor and Nurmagomedov fought at UFC 229, where Nurmagomedov retained the lightweight title with a fourth-round submission.

Following his win, Nurmagomedov jumped the cage and attacked McGregor’s corner, and a brawl ensued. But after a few altercations, a brawl, suspensions, and a fight, the bad blood has not boiled over.

Ever since then, McGregor has been campaigning for a rematch, and the man who was initially in the center of it all, Lobov, said things are certainly not cordial between him and Nurmagomdov.

“Definitely, things are not fine,” Lobov told Chael Sonnen. “There’s some unsettled business there, and I think in due course it will all be settled. But as of now, it’s definitely not. Not even close.”

But Lobov admits he doesn’t mind that the beef is not settled, after all, it keeps his name relevant, and his bank account pretty.

“It’s Khabib’s fans obviously, I have a lot of Russian fans, myself, that support me – and obviously he has a lot of guys that support him,” Lobov said. “So obviously his guys that support him, they always have a lot to say about me, but I don’t mind. It keeps my name in the headlines, it keeps my name in the Internet searches, and as a result, it keeps my salary nice and high.”

Since being released by the UFC, Lobov has signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, where he picked up unanimous decision wins over fellow UFC veteran Jason Knight and former boxing world champion Paulie Malignaggi, who infamously had a falling out with McGregor when helping him prepare for his boxing match against Floyd Mayweather.

Lobov is set to rematch Knight at BKFC 9 on Nov. 16 in the night’s headliner.

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