Tag: Conor McGregor

Khabib Nurmagomedov: I never enjoy inflicting pain on opponents – except for Conor McGregor

Khabib Nurmagomedov said he doesn’t get a joy out of hurting his opponents, except when he beat Conor McGregor.

[autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] typically mauls people in the cage, but he says he doesn’t necessarily get a joy out of it.

Well, there’s one exception, and the answer is pretty obvious: It’s none other than [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].

“In the last couple of years, I’ve gone out there and won, and it doesn’t bring me any real joy to be honest, well, with the exception of one fight, let’s say,” Nurmagomedov told RT Sport. “In that fight, I beat that guy with pleasure, I’ll tell you.”

Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) submitted McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) via fourth-round submission at UFC 229 to retain his UFC lightweight title in a battle that got very ugly in the lead-up. The usually calm and tame Nurmagomedov let his emotions get the best of him after the fight, and he jumped over the cage and attacked McGregor’s corner.

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It wasn’t typical for behavior for Nurmagomedov, who is typically more composed, even while pounding on his opponents while talking to their corner, and even UFC president Dana White. We’ve seen the UFC champ in fights such as his legendary clash with Michael Johnson, where Nurmagomedov was demanding that his opponent tap out and end the one-sided beating.

“I had fights in my career where I understood that I could hurt my opponent more, but I’d talk to him, tell him to give up so that I don’t beat him too hard,” Nurmagomedov said. “For example, if I had a painful hold where I could break something, I wouldn’t tighten it all the way. I’d just fix it so that the opponent would tap out because I have no aim to hurt anyone in this sport. Yes, we compete in a very brutal contact sport, but it’s never my goal to inflict a lot of pain on my opponent.”

“If I understand that I’m winning, I don’t aim to hurt someone bad. Well, except for one fight.”

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Owen Roddy confirms he’ll be in Conor McGregor’s corner, discusses potential ‘Cowboy’ matchup

Owen Roddy discusses Conor McGregor’s return, a potential Donald Cerrone fight and gives his thoughts on “BMF” title winner Jorge Masvidal.

BAHRAIN – The band will indeed be back together for [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s return.

Amidst rumors of a potential rift between McGregor and his longtime coaches, Owen Roddy confirmed that he and John Kavanagh will certainly be in McGregor’s corner for his next fight.

“Yup, yup, yup – yeah definitely, yeah,” Roddy told MMA Junkie.

McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) recently announced that he will be making his return on Jan. 18, but no official date or opponent have been confirmed by the promotion. UFC president Dana White did, however, say that the targeted opponent for McGregor’s return fight would be [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag], and that’s a matchup that Roddy would very much like to see.

“If it is ‘Cowboy,’ it would be an exciting fight, yeah,” Roddy said. “I said this a couple of months ago: ‘Cowboy’ and Conor is a great fight for the fans. Two guys that are exciting strikers – although ‘Cowboy’ is phenomenal on the ground, as well, but I think if it was a fight between them, it would be a striking battle, and I think it would be one for the fans, so if it is that, it’ll be an exciting one.”

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And with McGregor’s recent mapped out plan of a Jan. 18 fight, followed by the winner of the “BMF” title fight and then a rematch with Nurmagomedov, Roddy says McGregor is in good spirits, ready to make his return.

“I know he’s working very hard,” Roddy said. “There’s no official date set yet, but Conor’s been training very hard, as you can see. He’s in good nick. If you’re looking at any of the pictures, he’s in phenomenal shape, he’s ready to go. I’m sure everybody’s excited to see him back.”

In his last outing, McGregor failed to recapture his lightweight title and was submitted by Nurmagomedov in the fourth round of their October 2018 matchup at UFC 229. Numragomedov was able to impose his will, as he has done with all his past opponents, nullifying McGregor’s striking. The bad blood continued to boil over after the fight as a brawl ensued, suggesting that the chapter on that rivalry may not be completely closed.

McGregor chalked it up due to being too defensive minded, and while Roddy agrees to a certain extent, he believes that McGregor just wasn’t himself in the fight.

“Potentially, yeah, it was a tricky fight, and take nothing away from Khabib, he came in with a great gameplan,” Roddy said. “He got off, and he executed. but I just don’t think Conor was anywhere near the best of his ability. He wasn’t as good as he can be, and Conor on a night, at 100 percent, can beat anybody in the world.”

Meanwhile, the concept of the “BMF” belt has amassed mixed reviews, but Roddy admits he’s a fan of the idea. And with McGregor saying he’d fight the winner of the “BMF” title fight earlier this month at UFC 244, Roddy believes a potential fight with Jorge Masvidal would be another fan-favorite matchup.

“I thought it was brilliant; great marketing from the UFC,” Roddy said. “Obviously it was Nate (Diaz) that kind of brought it into an existence, but yeah, I love it. I love the idea, it’s a lovely belt, and Masvidal last week, he put on an amazing display and he’s rightfully the ‘BMF’ at the moment, but yeah, that would be a cool one down the line.”

“Yeah, most definitely, who wouldn’t want to see that fight? It would be a cracking fight.”

But for now, Roddy just wants to see McGregor back, shortly after “The Notorious” celebrated the three-year anniversary of his historic double champ feat at UFC 205, one of the many iconic moments in his career.

“I just want to see Conor back in,” Roddy said. “I think everybody just wants to see Conor back in the UFC, bring back that spectacle that is his fights. Nobody does it like Conor, and for me, I just want to see him back in there. Whatever happens after that, who knows?”

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Tyson Fury accepts challenge of UFC’s Stipe Miocic: ‘after I get Wilder out of the way?

Tyson Fury, at least in words, has accepted UFC’s Stipe Miocic’s offer for a crossover fight.

Tyson Fury has a lot on his plate these days.

That apparently includes the possibility of a crossover fight with Stipe Miocic, the UFC heavyweight champion who recently stated his desire to fight the “Gypsy King.” Miocic told ESPN that he would rather face Fury than engage in a third fight with former UFC titleholder Daniel Cormier.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Fury, it seems, has taken up Miocic on his offer.

“Stipe says he wants to box me. That would be a good fight, for sure,” Fury told his management company MTK Global.

Fury, of course, has a pretty packed schedule. He is tentatively scheduled to face Wilder in February if the American titleholder defeats Luis Ortiz in their November 23 rematch.

“After I get Wilder out of the way, I’ll fight Stipe in a boxing match if he wants it,” Fury continued. “It would be a big crossover fight like Mayweather and McGregor.”

Fury (29-0-1, 20 knockouts) is no stranger to the crossover fight, having already stepped into the professional wrestling universe against the WWE’s Braun Strowman in October. Most recently, Fury was shown on a video throwing knees and elbows with UFC middleweight champion Darren Till in the gym. That caught Miocic’s attention on Twitter.

Fury, for his part, relishes the idea of taking on the UFC stars.

“I’m open to (fighting Miocic), so he should come and see me,” Fury said. “It would be the same outcome for any of (the UFC fighters): They’ll all get smashed.”

 

MMA stars know where to find money … against boxing counterparts

In recent days, the UFC’s Jorge Masvidal and Stipe Miocic have expressed interest in facing Canelo Alvarez and Tyson Fury, respectively.

MMA stars may get the earlier start times, but it’s the top boxers who take home the more gratifying paychecks.

Canelo Alvarez, boxing’s biggest attraction, was reduced to playing second fiddle in the combat sports world when DAZN decided to delay his title fight against Sergey Kovalev on Nov. 2 to accommodate the UFC main event between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz that took place that same evening.

Critics ripped the streaming service for making it appear as though boxing was taking a backseat to the UFC. However, in at least one respect, it’s the other way around.

In the days after his technical decision over Diaz, Masvidal has been busy beating the drums for … an Alvarez fight. And Stipe Miocic, the UFC heavyweight champion, has floated the idea of reneging on a third fight with Daniel Cormier to face heavyweight contender Tyson Fury in a boxing match.

Notice a pattern yet?

It’s always the mixed martial artist clamoring to fight the boxer and seldom vice versa. For good reason. As has been well documented, the top boxers earn far more than their UFC counterparts. And there’s something about the crossover appeal that gets people to take out their wallets, as the 2017 pay-per-view bonanza – all 4.3 million buys – between UFC’s Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather demonstrated.

If you’re Masvidal, why not push for an Alvarez fight? Crazier things have happened. A Canelo fight would represent by far the most lucrative opportunity in his career. Masvidal discussed a potential Canelo fight on the Dan Le Batard show on Tuesday.

“If he was to come to the MMA, it wouldn’t be a challenge,” Masvidal said. “I would throw 10,000 left high kicks and he hasn’t thrown one. It’s kind of the same thing in boxing, where if I’ve thrown a million jabs, he’s thrown 10 million because that’s all his focus is on, boxing.

“That being said, there’s still an element where I could put his ass to sleep. I’m actually bigger even though I may not hit harder, but definitely bigger, and I consider myself 10 times the athlete he is, just because of MMA in general, all the strength, speed that we have to generate. … I feel I could hurt this dude.”

Of course, Masvidal is dreaming … of the money.

 

Jorge Masvidal: Conor McGregor ‘hasn’t said a peep’ to me since I beat Nate Diaz

Jorge Masvidal says it’s been crickets from Conor McGregor since UFC 244.

[autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] isn’t going to beg anyone to fight him – he’s made that abundantly clear.

However, during a Tuesday appearance on the “Dan Le Batard Show,” Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 14-7 UFC) once again was asked about the possibility of fighting former UFC double champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag].

In Masvidal’s opinion, McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) might not want the fight. Masvidal pointed out that before his UFC 244 victory against Nate Diaz, the Irishman was hyping up Diaz as if the Stockton, Calif., native was a sure thing to win the “BMF” title.

But Masvidal won the Nov. 2 showdown at Madison Square Garden. And since he defeated Diaz that night, Masvidal said he hasn’t heard a word from McGregor.

“To be quite frank, he was flirting with fighting the winner when the possibility of the winner was Nate,” Masvidal said. “And he kept throwing it out there. He even made his prediction he thought Nate would win. Since I’ve won, he hasn’t said a peep to address me or nothing.”

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If McGregor never mentions Masvidal’s name again, “Gamebred” indicated he’d be OK with that. If McGregor does actually want the fight, though, Masvidal will oblige his request. Either way, Masvidal said the ball is fully in McGregor’s court.

“I’m not a bully, either,” Masvidal said. “I’m not going to be one of these cyber bullies. If you don’t want to fight, I don’t want to fight. If you want to fight, I’m licking my chops. Man, we’re going shopping. We’re going to do it big. You know what I’m saying? That dude don’t want it.”

Whether it’s McGregor or someone else, Masvidal voiced his desire for the biggest money fights available. Since his UFC 244 victory, he’s been called out by various prospective foes. Masvidal said he has plenty of options.

“We don’t know who’s next, but everyone is looking at cash symbols (and) cash money to us,” Masvidal said. “… But the next person is going to be the one who puts the most viewers in the bank account, whoever that is. A lot of people are saying my name now. They didn’t want to fight before, though.

“They didn’t want to fight me a year or two ago. … Everybody wants to call me out now, you know? It’s funny to me. These same guys didn’t want to fight me two or three years ago. I just want the one with the most money.”

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3 years ago, Conor McGregor reached the pinnacle. Can he rise from the depths?

Conor McGregor reflects on the anniversary of his most iconic moment, but can he return to glory?

Three years ago today, [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] became the first fighter in UFC history to capture two belts simultaneously, but he hasn’t won a fight since.

On Nov. 12, 2016, then-featherweight champion McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) defeated then-lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez via second-round TKO in a flawless performance at UFC 205. McGregor then went on to box undefeated Floyd Mayweather in August 2017, putting on a valiant effort in a 10th-round TKO loss. McGregor reportedly made over $100 million and was later stripped of his 155-pound title because of inactivity.

In October 2018, McGregor returned to action after almost two years away from the octagon and took on undefeated lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. McGregor was submitted in the fourth round, and since then has been involved in an array of legal issues.

Many questioned McGregor’s motivation after making so much money, as his issues outside the octagon began to pile up. From smashing a fan’s phone to sucker-punching a man in a pub to being the subject of two sexual assault investigations in the last year, McGregor has found himself battling many legal issues. But it appears he has diverted his attention back to fighting.

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He recently announced a Jan. 18 return, with all signs pointing to Donald Cerrone, but can McGregor climb back to the dominant and focused force he once was? He took to Instagram to reflect on his special night three years ago at Madison Square Garden, an iconic moment in his career.

3 years ago today I became a multiple time, multiple-weight World champion at Madison Square Garden, New York City.
What a moment in my life.
To capture the double once. Wow!
To do it twice.
Lord have mercy 🙏
I often look at this second picture and imagine how trippy that view must be for my father. Looking up at his son after doing exactly shot for shot what I told him I would do.
I even done it no hands the second time.
I will credit hard work for this moment but it’s not just that.
Hard work alone is not enough.
We can all work hard for a minute. It’s the consistency to do it over and over and over again that will lead you to these iconic moments.
Year after year of focused work!
I worked hard my last two fights. No doubt. But without consistency, I fell short.
All amazing and valuable lessons going forward on this journey that is Martial Life!
Onwards we go…
Happy Tuesday everyone.

View this post on Instagram

3 years ago today I became a multiple time, multiple-weight World champion at Madison Square Garden, New York City. What a moment in my life. To capture the double once. Wow! To do it twice. Lord have mercy 🙏 I often look at this second picture and imagine how trippy that view must be for my father. Looking up at his son after doing exactly shot for shot what I told him I would do. I even done it no hands the second time. I will credit hard work for this moment but it’s not just that. Hard work alone is not enough. We can all work hard for a minute. It’s the consistency to do it over and over and over again that will lead you to these iconic moments. Year after year of focused work! I worked hard my last two fights. No doubt. But without consistency, I fell short. All amazing and valuable lessons going forward on this journey that is Martial Life! Onwards we go… Happy Tuesday everyone.

A post shared by Conor McGregor Official (@thenotoriousmma) on

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.

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Rafael dos Anjos wants to welcome back Conor McGregor: ‘Give him a real contender’

Rafael dos Anjos wants to welcome Conor McGregor back to the UFC.

[autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag] never got his opportunity to fight [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], but would love to welcome him back.

The two were scheduled to fight more than three years ago at UFC 196 for the lightweight title. But then-champ dos Anjos (29-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) was forced to pull out just a couple of weeks before the fight due to a broken foot.

McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who was the featherweight champ at the time, was attempting to move up in weight to hold two titles simultaneously, but that was put on hold when dos Anjos suffered an injury. Nate Diaz stepped in and flipped the MMA world upside down by handing McGregor his first UFC loss.

But dos Anjos lost his title to Eddie Alvarez, and after McGregor handled his business with Diaz in a rematch, he met Alvarez for the 155-pound title and put on a masterclass to win a second UFC belt. So the fight between dos Anjos and McGregor never came to fruition, and dos Anjos thinks it’s time to make that fight happen.

He took to Instagram to call out McGregor, who hasn’t competed since his fourth-round submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 more than a year ago. McGregor is rumored to face Donald Cerrone on Jan. 18, but dos Anjos is asking the UFC to not give McGregor a “tune-up fight,” and instead give him a “real contender” like himself.

“Don’t give this guy a tune up fight, give him real contender at 170 , 165 or 155. I’m in all the way @danawhite @seanshelby”

Both dos Anjos and McGregor have competed at welterweight before. Dos Anjos recently moved up to the division, and McGregor fought Diaz twice at 170-pounds.

But dos Anjos seems happy to move back down to 155 to face McGregor since he thinks they have unfinished business.

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