Tag: Khabib Nurmagomedov

Edson Barboza gives advantage to Tony Ferguson over Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 249

Edson Barboza explains why he gives a slight edge to Tony Ferguson over Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 249.

[autotag]Edson Barboza[/autotag] is familiar with both men in the UFC 249 main event.

UFC 249 is headlined by lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag], who defends his title against [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]. Barboza has fought both of them.

Barboza, who suffered losses in tough battles against both fighters, told Helen Yee he gives the edge to Ferguson.

“I think Ferguson has a little advantage because he’s a little bit better striker,” Barboza said. “He’s a little bit more creative. Everybody knows what Khabib is doing, but he’s doing it very well. Everybody knows, but nobody can stop it. But I feel Ferguson has a little bit (of an edge) because he’s more creative – you never know what’s coming.

“Both guys are super powerful, but I think Khabib is more powerful, especially on the ground. He’s a little bit stronger. But some things, Khabib is better, some things Tony Ferguson is better. That’s what makes the match very exciting.”

Barboza went five rounds with Nurmagomedov at UFC 219 and survived a one-sided, 15-minute beating. He had his moments on the feet, but it was all Nurmagomedov on the ground.

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Against Ferguson at the TUF 22 Finale in 2015, Barboza went through a thrilling and bloody battle in which both men stood toe-to-toe and traded. Ferguson was able to cut Barboza badly with an elbow, and ultimately capitalize on a scramble on the ground to lock in a D’Arce choke submission.

Having experienced both men at their best, Barboza said the main factor is Ferguson’s unpredictability.

“It’s going to be a great fight,” he said. “I’m very excited for this one. It’s funny, because sometimes I think about this fight and say, ‘Man, it’s a good fight for Khabib.’ But at the same time, Ferguson is hard to fight because of his style. He’s a little bit different with everybody.”

Barboza, who’s lost four out of his past five, recently announced that he will move down to 145 pounds. He has yet to have a fight booked.

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Kamaru Usman not interested in facing fellow UFC champs Khabib Nurmagomedov, Israel Adesanya

Don’t expect to see UFC welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman in any champion-vs.-champion fights for the time being.

Don’t expect UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] to participate in a superfight against another current titleholder unless a belt changes hands.

In a time where being a dual-champion is all the rage, Usman (16-1 MMA, 11-0 UFC) is ruling it out as something of interest for the time being. He has a major conflict with the idea of competing against lightweight king [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag], and an even bigger one with middleweight champ [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag].

Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) and Usman share a management team at Dominance MMA, and under that umbrella they’ve created a bond. It runs even deeper with Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who, along with Usman, is part of the pair of the only African-born champions in UFC history.

Neither of those relationships are worth tainting with a fight, even with the history at stake, Usman said.

“I would never fight Khabib – that’s my brother,” Usman said on the “JRE MMA Show” podcast with UFC commentator Joe Rogan. “It’s just a mutual respect. I don’t see myself ever fighting Khabib. I don’t see myself ever fighting Israel, even though a lot of people have hinted toward it. I don’t see myself fighting him. Having two belts in Nigeria is better than just having one guy hold two belts. There’s no desire there. That’s my guy. He’s special.”

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Should the 185- or 155-pound belts change hands in the future, Usman’s stance might change. For now, though, he said he is focused on the 170-pound class, which is ripe with potential contenders.

The frontrunner to challenge Usman next is Jorge Masvidal, but Conor McGregor and Georges St-Pierre are also names who have been mentioned by the champion. Usman said he’s ultimately leaving it up to the UFC, though, and so long as a proper deal is in place, he will fight anyone.

Usman said he has a few more weeks of recovery for a ligament strain on his wrist, at which point he’ll be prepared to put pen to paper.

“We’ve talked,” Usman said. “I’ll be ready. Give me a month and let this thing heal up. I can make a fist now. I’m cracking. They put out the guys, and let’s be honest, if you look at the division, I’ve beaten almost everybody there in the top 10. It’s a matter of who they really want, what’s next. Dana (White) said they really want Jorge. Jorge is the next guy.”

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Finished in three divisions: Khabib Nurmagomedov mocks Conor McGregor with alternative stat

Khabib Nurmagomedov has taken to social media to remind fans that Conor McGregor has also been finished in three different weight classes.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] made history at UFC 246 when he became the first fighter in UFC history to score finishes at featherweight, lightweight and welterweight thanks to his 40-second finish of Donald Cerrone at T-Mobile Arena on Jan. 18.

McGregor hailed his accomplishment in his octagon interview immediately after his win, but one man who wasn’t impressed was the last man to defeat him, UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]. This week “The Eagle” decided he wanted to remind McGregor of another stat, and took to social media to highlight the Irishman’s rear-naked choke losses against himself, Nate Diaz and Joseph Duffy.

Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz retweeted his client’s post with the comment: “Wow this is not nice.”

It’s also not entirely correct.

The image posted via Nurmagomedov’s Twitter account showed, correctly, that McGregor had submitted to Diaz at 170 pounds at UFC 196, and to Nurmagomedov at 155 pounds at UFC 229. But it also suggested that the Dubliner’s loss to Duffy at Cage Warriors 39 came at 145 pounds when, in fact, it happened in a lightweight bout.

However, the crux of Nurmagomedov’s social media dig still stands, with the Irishman’s first career loss coming via kneebar submission to Artemij Sitenkov at 145 pounds in his third professional fight back in June 2008. So yes, as well as holding stoppage victories in three different weight classes, McGregor has indeed been finished at 145, 155 and 170 pounds.

All four of McGregor’s professional losses have come by the way of submission and, despite Nurmagomedov and his team’s apparent disinterest in a return matchup, the pair continue to throw jabs at each other.

Nurmagomedov is scheduled to face Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 on Apr. 18, and, after McGregor emerged victorious at UFC 246, UFC president Dana White said the rematch with Nurmagomedov is the right fight to make next and would represent the biggest fight in UFC history.

But first Nurmagomedov has to get through Ferguson, who intends to throw those plans into disarray by handing the Russian his first defeat on Apr. 18.

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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Khabib vs. Conor 2? Tony Ferguson reminds everyone who they’re sleeping on

Amid talk of a potential Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor rematch, Tony Ferguson took to Instagram to issue a reminder that he is ready to spoil those plans.

[autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] says people should pump the brakes on all the [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] rematch talk.

UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov has arguably the stiffest test of his career ahead of him at UFC 249 in Brooklyn, N.Y., yet people are already looking past his bout with Ferguson and talking about “The Eagle’s” next title defense.

“El Cucuy” isn’t cool with that and, based on his latest Instagram post, he wants those people to know that they all must have forgot who Nurmagomedov is facing on April 18.

Former UFC interim lightweight champ Ferguson has won his last 12 fights, leaving the majority of his opponents in a pool of blood. The undefeated Nurmagomedov will also pose Ferguson’s toughest challenge to date, which is why this matchup is considered one of the most eagerly-anticipated in UFC history.

The pair’s booking at UFC 249 represents the fifth time the UFC has tried to make the fight happen, but this time the stakes have never been higher and, given the recent talk of Khabib-Conor 2, Ferguson would like to thank everyone, including Dana White, for the added motivation ahead of his return.

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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Alexander Volkanovski too small to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov? ‘Whatever, mate’

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski thinks a matchup with UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov would be intriguing.

Undefeated UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] may be one of the most dominant forces in MMA, but one man fancies his chances of grounding “The Eagle”.

Newly-crowned UFC featherweight champion [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] (21-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) may be one of the smaller featherweights on the roster, but he nonetheless thinks he’d fare well against Nurmagomedov if they ever met inside the octagon.

The former rugby player has competed all the way up at 170 pounds before, and thinks he’d have no issues at lightweight. With his strong grappling and striking ability, Volkanovski thinks he’d be an interesting matchup for Nurmagomedov, who no one has been able to stop.

“Lets be honest, I’m not an easy man to hold down,” Volkanovski told TMZ. “Me being short sometimes works in my favor. These little limbs get me up pretty easily. I’m very strong, I’ve got very good base and then obviously you’s know I can strike so it definitely is intriguing. A lot of people are going to be like: ‘Oh he’s way bigger than you.’ Whatever, mate! I’ve been versus people way bigger than me my whole life and it’s never held me down, so me being shorter ain’t a problem.”

“I believe pound-for-pound I’m one of the strongest in the UFC, and even for the lightweights, they feel my power.”

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Volkanovski captured the 145-pound title by dethroning Max Holloway, pressuring him, and out-striking him over the course of five rounds. While he has no intentions of moving up to lightweight anytime soon, he does see himself being able to compete there, with the division’s best.

“It’s definitely my division,” Volkanovski said on featherweight. “I make weight pretty easily, I’m very strong in this division. I’m the champ of this division so it’s obviously working well for me. I’m strong in the lightweight division, to be quite honest. But obviously those boys are bigger, but again (with) my strength I wouldn’t be afraid to go up either.”

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Spinning Back Clique: Buy or sell a new Conor McGregor moving forward after UFC 246?

Conor McGregor’s victory leaves a lot of questions to be answered. And what about Maycee Barber’s stuning loss and Kanye West moment?

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. In this week’s episode, “Gorgeous” George, “Goze” and John Morgan unpack the ramifications of [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s quick TKO win over Donald Cerrone in his return fight at UFC 246, as well as an odd post-fight situation that played out.

SHOW RUNDOWN:

  • We got through an entire McGregor fight week with zero antics, zero drama, nothing crazy from “The Notorious” one. Is this a new, reinvented McGregor moving forward? And if so, what do we think of that?
  • All right, so now that McGregor got the victory – and in dominant fashion, no less – he has a plethora of options in front of him: [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] rematch? [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag]? [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag]? [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] trilogy? A boxing match? It’s clear what UFC president Dana White wants. But what will actually happen?
  • Speaking of which, [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] is in the UFC’s plans for 2020 and vice versa, according to White. What could this possibly mean for McGregor and others, and is this something we want?
  • The odd man out in all of the talk about McGregor and the UFC lightweight title picture is [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag], who is probably the rightful No. 1 contender after champion Nurmagomedov and Ferguson fight in April. White admitted that he and Gaethje are not on the same page. What’s the right move here with Gaethje?
  • Outside of McGregor-Cerrone, perhaps the biggest story coming out of UFC 246 was [autotag]Roxanne Modafferi[/autotag]’s huge upset of star prospect [autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag], who was dominated in her first loss. To boot, the 21-year-old Barber suffered a torn ACL during the fight. And afterward, she gave us a Kanye West moment by stealing the mic to address the crowd before Joe Rogan could interview Modafferi – which was weird, even if she meant well. What do we make of all this?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 12 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

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Why Conor McGregor vs. Jorge Masvidal isn’t the fight Dana White wants to make

UFC president Dana White has plans for Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal that don’t involve them fighting each other.

UFC president Dana White has other ideas for [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag].

Masvidal was in attendance Saturday at UFC 246 to watch McGregor fight Donald Cerrone in the headliner, hoping for one particular outcome: a McGregor victory, so he can get his big-money fight.

Masvidal was wearing the same Versace robe that McGregor wore during the lead-up to his Floyd Mayweather boxing bout, trying to send a message to McGregor that he is here and waiting.

Despite McGregor getting the job done in spectacular fashion by finishing Cerrone in under a minute, White said at the post-fight news conference that McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) vs. “BMF” champion Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC) is not the top fight he wants to make.

White has other matchups in mind for both guys.

“If Conor and Masvidal fight, neither one of them even have a title, although Conor does want his ‘BMF’ title,” White said. “But he doesn’t have a world championship, so Khabib’s the fight to make. It’s huge for Khabib’s legacy, too. I mean, if he beats Conor McGregor, then he beats Tony Ferguson, then he beats Conor McGregor again, this is how this kid, when he retires, he’s 30-something and 0, and he’s beat all the best. Me, you and everybody else knows that’s the fight to make. That’s the fight. The (other) fight is Masvidal and Usman.”

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White initially expressed his concerns about McGregor fighting at welterweight, saying Masvidal would be too big for him, but he admits that after McGregor’s performance on Saturday night, he’s done doubting him.

“I was blown away,” White said. “He looked unbelievable. You won’t hear another peep out of me about fighting at 170. I know that there’s always critics, and there’s always somebody that has an opinion. People are going to say that ‘Cowboy’ was shot, which is total bull(expletive), and Conor McGregor came out, he looked fast, he hit hard, he had a gameplan, and he finished a real tough kid who came to win.”

McGregor has a line of fighters looking to get their hands on McGregor, but if it was up to White only, the [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] rematch is next.

UFC lightweight champ Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor in a pretty dominant performance at UFC 229, but with the bad blood brewing in the lead-up and the brawl that ensued after, it appears there’s unfinished business.

“When you look at what makes sense, we’re at a place where Conor was saying going into the Khabib fight, he had lots of personal stuff, some stuff self-inflicted,” White said. “He had injuries. He had all these things going on, and he has been obsessed with getting that rematch because he knows that he wasn’t 100 percent right.

“When you look at this for Khabib, Khabib is 28-0. He’s undefeated, right? You start talking about this kid’s legacy – first of all, to go 28-0 in this sport, I don’t care who you fought, it’s tough to do, right? This guy is a world champion, and after tonight and with how Khabib won the first time and how famous Khabib has become since that first fight, we’re looking at like Hagler-Hearns. We’re looking at Ali-Foreman, Ali-Frazier. This is a massive fight with global appeal. It’s the fight that you make. It’s the fight that makes sense. It’s for the 155-pound title.”

But first, Nurmagomedov has to get through Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 on April 18, which means a potential rematch between him and McGregor, wouldn’t happen until fall.

With McGregor’s plan for an active year, he could end up competing again before the final quarter of the year.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father puts $100 million price tag on Conor McGregor rematch

As crazy as that number is, one thing is certain: If the UFC wants Khabib vs. McGregor 2, it better be willing to pay up.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] returned in spectacular fashion at UFC 246, which has reignited discussions of a potential rematch with lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) took out Donald Cerrone in just 40 seconds on Saturday. It was his first fight since losing by fourth-round submission to Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) in October 2018 at UFC 229.

Following McGregor’s win, UFC president Dana White said the rematch between McGregor and Nurmagomedov is absolutely the fight to make. For his part, Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, says his son is willing to rematch McGregor after fighting Tony Ferguson in April – under one condition.

“We also need revenge against Conor, but give us $100 million,” Abdulmanap told Russian media outlet RIA Novosti. “The day after the fight against Ferguson, give us that amount, and then why not hold a rematch? I don’t know, maybe Dana White wants to arrange it (for that amount). He needs that fight.”

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$100 million is an unheard-of figure for a fighter’s pay for one fight. In build-up to UFC 246, McGregor claimed that he would make $80 million for the Cerrone fight, which could be the basis for Abdulmanap’s number.

Khabib made a flat $6 million dollars to show in his win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, the highest flat rate a UFC fighter has ever made. While $100 million is a tall ask, a rematch vs. McGregor would almost certainly generate Nurmagomedov’s largest payday.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3019: UFC 246 reaction, talking all things Conor McGregor and more

Hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” dissect the results of UFC 246 from all angles, including what could be next for Conor McGregor.

Monday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On Episode No. 3,019 of the podcast, the fellas look unpack all things UFC 246, starting with [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag]’s triumphant return to the cage with a 40-second TKO win over [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag].

  • McGregor vs. Cerrone played out even better than the UFC could’ve expected, with “The Notorious” putting on a brilliant performance in dismantling “Cowboy” so quickly. The result, of course, sets up a world of opportunities for McGregor, but the two main options seem to be either [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (which UFC president Dana White wants) or Jorge Masvidal (which most fans seem to want). So what’s next?
  • McGregor already had announced 2020 would be his “season,” with the plan for him to fight three or four times this year. Timing would seem to be a big factor, and with Nurmagomedov set to defend his lightweight title vs. Tony Ferguson in April at UFC 249, when do you think McGregor’s next fight will be booked?
  • [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] inserted himself into the UFC 246 post-fight conversation with a pair of Instagram posts. There was also the fact that White revealed he and Mayweather were in communication throughout the event. Something is going to happen between Mayweather and the UFC, but what? And how does that play into everything with McGregor?
  • As for Cerrone, it was a rough outcome, which incurred shaming from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. Smith’s terrible take aside, what’s next for the nearly 37-year-old “Cowboy”? Should he give retirement consideration?
  • The UFC gave out not one, not two, but five “Performance of the Night” bonuses  McGregor, [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag], [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag], [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag], and [autotag]Drew Dober[/autotag]. No $50,000, unfortunately, for Roxanne Modafferi after her huge upset win over Maycee Barber. Did the bonuses go to the right people?

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at AudioBoom, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

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Kinder, gentler Conor McGregor? Don’t expect it in Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch

Conor McGregor was praised for his demeanor ahead of UFC 246, but “The Notorious” won’t promise the same against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] was universally praised for his refreshingly professional demeanor ahead of UFC 246, but “The Notorious” isn’t willing to promise he can do the same against [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag].

“It’s got very personal with that man and his team,” McGregor said. “Look, it is what it is. I make no promises. I am who I am, and it is what is.”

Former two-division UFC champ McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) and current lightweight titleholder Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) have a long and bitter rivalry that fueled a massive UFC 229 event in October 2018. Nurmagomedov proved victorious in the contest, submitting McGregor in the fourth round. Immediately after the win, “The Eagle” flew out of the cage and attacked McGregor’s corner, setting off an infamous melee that drew fines and suspensions for both fighters from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

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While Nurmagomedov has said publicly he’s not interested in facing McGregor again, UFC president Dana White holds a much different stance. Should Nurmagomedov get through former interim champ Tony Ferguson at April’s UFC 249, White wants to book the rematch, calling it “a massive fight with global appeal.”

Since the loss to Nurmagomedov, McGregor has made wholesale changes to both his personal and professional life, and he looked fantastic in a 40-second TKO win over future UFC Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone. McGregor says he would approach a second fight with the undefeated Russian much differently, as well.

“I’ll certainly be focused on the skillsets,” McGregor said. “We have a particular skillset, myself and that man. He holds on to the legs and all. I come for it. I’ll be excited to get that one back, so we’ll see what happens. We’ll see what happens in the Tony fight.”

Of course, Ferguson boasts an incredible winning streak of his own, and he’s not about to just lay down so that McGregor can have his chosen foe. But McGregor says the title is his ultimate ambition right now, and if it turns out that Ferguson is victorious, he’d be happy to take on “El Cucuy.”

“Tony’s another interesting foe for me,” McGregor said. “We’ll see what happens. If something happens, I’ll be here.

“A fight’s a fight. Tony’s hittable, but he’s awkward and he’s rangy, you know what I mean? So, anything can happen. We’ll see what happens.”

That said, there’s simply no denying that Nurmagomedov-McGregor 2 would prove on the biggest fights in the history of the sport. Timing and circumstances will have to line up, of course, but McGregor said he’s ready and willing. And while White has said the fight will not take place in Russia, McGregor said he’s not giving up his vision of beating Nurmagomedov in his backyard.

“There’s a lot of revenue in Russia,” McGregor said. “I love Russia. I love the Russian people. I went to Moscow recently, and they’re such a great nation. They’re so passionate about the sport of mixed martial arts. They’re so passionate about myself, and they support me greatly. They support Proper Twelve Irish whiskey. They know a good liquid. They know a good spirit. They are good-spirited people, and what a place.

“It would be like something out of a ‘Rocky’ movie, you know what I mean, so I’d be very eager to do that. Dana, the hometown Vegas boy and all the Vegas people will be campaigning for it. Let’s see what happens. … I want to create spectacles for the people. That’s one hell of a spectacle. Even me going out there in Moscow that one time, the place shut down. The world took notice. Your man was saying allowed out there. I wasn’t supposed to be out there. They were running the streets, screaming my name. I’m more Russian than that man, so I would love to go to Moscow and compete there.”

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