Tag: UFC 246

Spinning Back Clique: Does what Stephen A. Smith thinks about Donald Cerrone even matter?

For a man many claim knows nothing about MMA, Stephen A. Smith sure did occupy a massive space in the sport over the past week.

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 take a look at the unexpected biggest story of the past week, with Stephen A. Smith and Joe Rogan publicly expressing their differing positions on the evaluation of UFC 246’s main event between [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag].

SHOW RUNDOWN:

  • Smith is known for his bold opinions and his willingness to argue them at length, but his knowledge in the sport of MMA is admittedly limited. But was there any truth to his claim that “Cowboy” quit in the bout with McGregor? And should anyone really even care what Smith’s thoughts are on big UFC events?
  • [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] made her Bellator debut over the weekend and picked up the company’s women’s featherweight title with a fourth-round TKO of former champ Julia Budd. Cyborg now owns belts in four different major promotions. Is that enough to call her the women’s GOAT of MMA, or does Amanda Nunes have that title locked down?
  • Bellator 238 also featured the continuation of Bellator’s featherweight grand prix, and former bantamweight champ [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] looked stellar with a first-round finish of Adam Borics. Is “The Wolf” now the favorite to win the grand prix title and the accompanying $1 million prize?
  • [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag]’s career has been an absolute rollercoaster of emotions from the start, entering as a man labeled “the greatest prospect in MMA history” but sputtering at times along the way. Pico picked up a much-needed win at Bellator 238, snapping a two-fight losing streak in the process. Is Pico poised to finally deliver on his potential?
  • At UFC Raleigh, [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] picked up a big win over former champ Junior Dos Santos and made it clear he’s gunning for the title. Unfortunately, champ [autotag]Stipe Miocic[/autotag] doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to step back in the cage. What’s going on with the UFC heavyweight division?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 13 of “Spinning Back Clique.”

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Real recognize real: Watch Israel Adesanya react to Conor McGregor’s finish of Donald Cerrone at UFC 246

Watch Israel Adesanya react to Conor McGregor’s 40-second finish of Donald Cerrone at UFC 246.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] had a similar reaction to us all when [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] made his emphatic return.

UFC middleweight champion Adesanya gathered with his friends early Sunday afternoon in New Zealand to watch McGregor take on Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC 246, with the Kiwi, who is managed by the same Paradigm Sport Management company that represents McGregor, rooting for “The Notorious” on the night.

Initially relaxed and reclined as the fight began, it took just 30 seconds before Adesanya was forced to sit up as McGregor starting delivering his shoulder shots en route to finishing the fight. One head kick and a few strikes later, and McGregor had finished the job in just 40 seconds.

“Let’s go, my G,” Adesanya said when McGregor’s name was announced as the winner. The rest of his friends, who included his teammate and UFC lightweight Brad Riddell, were left in silence.

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It appears they might have been on Team Cerrone, or just in shock at the swift finish as McGregor made a spectacular return after more than a year away from the cage. But then again, McGregor did score a 13-second knockout over Jose Aldo to claim the UFC featherweight crown at UFC 194.

But, real recognize real, as the undefeated Adesanya could very well become the promotion’s next superstar. In fact, he’s banking on it.

“(He) brought a lot of attention to our game, at a time when it needed it, and now I’m about to do the same.” Adesanya said after the fight.

Check out Adesanya’s reaction in the latest episode of “EMG Access,” which also features Adesanya’s preparation for his upcoming title defense vs. Yoel Romero at UFC 248.

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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‘I knew I had to fight through it’: Maycee Barber opens up on torn ACL suffered at UFC 246

Maycee Barber is looking at a nine-month absence after she has surgery, but she remains confident in her goal of becoming the youngest UFC champion.

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag] will go under the knife next week.

The UFC flyweight prospect is expected to have surgery next Monday to repair a torn left ACL. Barber (8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) sustained the knee injury during her decision loss to Roxanne Modafferi a little over a week ago at UFC 246. The defeat to Modafferi marked the first professional loss for the 21-year-old Barber.

During a Monday appearance on “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show,” Barber opened up about suffering the injury and her first defeat.

“I did it in the first round,” Barber said recalling the moment she injured her knee. “It didn’t hurt really bad until the second round, but I did it in the first movement I did. I, like, stepped on her foot in the first round, and I over shifted and overstepped, and it popped. It was like, ‘Oh, no. That’s not good.’ But it was not also terrible.

“I knew I had to fight through it, so I just kept going. By the second round, I was sitting down, and when I stood up from the stool, I was like, ‘This is not good.’ But I didn’t tell anybody in the first round. I didn’t tell my coaches, because I was trying to hide it. I was trying to keep it from them, because I didn’t think it was that bad. As I stood up from the first to second round, it was like, ‘I can’t. This is really bad.'”

It was clear Barber was impaired during the fight. The Milwaukee native believes the unfortunate injury played a role in her performance.

“I understand there has to be a winner and a loser,” Barber said. “Unfortunately, (UFC 246) was not my night. Regardless of the leg, obviously, I truly feel it plays a factor in my performance.

“I know that, and I’d love to go back and show that to everyone else, show what I know to everyone else. But at the end of the day you can’t control the things that happen, but you can control what you choose to let them do in that situation. I wanted to push through and show that I’m not just ‘I need to have a perfect day to fight.’ It was a very (imperfect) day, and I wanted to fight and did.”

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Days removed from the event, Barber’s father posted on Instagram a similar thought, but maybe with a different tone. Many took the post as Barber’s father discrediting Modafferi and attributing the result solely to the injury.

Barber’s father caught a lot of heat on social media for his comments. Maycee expected nothing different from her father and doesn’t pay attention to the critics.

“It doesn’t bother me, because every dad is going to have a certain reaction, and that’s the way he’s going to react,” Barber said. “I’m his daughter, and I went out there, and I fought. He wants to justify, and he wants to be like, ‘No, she didn’t lose because she had this leg thing.’ Which, true or not, which it is, that’s his view, that’s him trying to protect and prove.

“He’s always going to be on my side. He’s going to fight to the death, and I do appreciate that. You can’t expect to be in this life and not have thick skin, so what people say about or what people think, yeah, it sucks, but I don’t read stuff about it. I don’t read things unless other people send them to me. I try not to pay attention to them because everybody has their own opinion, and everybody is entitled to their own opinion.”

A pivotal moment occurred early in Round 2 when Maycee Barber clutched her knee after falling to the canvas. (USA TODAY Sports)

Barber expects to be out of action for mine months, rehabbing from the surgery she plans on getting next week. She’s made clear many times she wants to be youngest champion in the history of the UFC – a record currently held by Jon Jones, who became champ at age 23.

Despite the major injury setback, Barber still thinks she can make her dream come true.

“By the time I’m done with the surgery and this rehab, I will be 22 still, so I’ll have a little over a year to achieve that,” Barber said. “I’m going to do everything in my power to do that. I truly believe that I’m on the track to do that, and this is just a mountain that I was presented, and I have to climb it.

“It’s going to make me better in the gym, and it’s going to make me stronger and more mentally prepared for when I do reach the title fight. So I’m looking forward to it.”

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Conor McGregor wants Stephen A. Smith to apologize to Joe Rogan, Donald Cerrone

Stephen A. Smith still isn’t backing down, not even from Conor McGregor.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] has jumped into the Joe Rogan vs. Stephen A. Smith beef, and he’s demanded an apology from the ESPN personality.

Following Smith’s post-fight criticism of Donald Cerrone after his loss to McGregor at UFC 246 last week, Rogan took to his podcast and voiced his frustration. He chastised Smith for labeling Cerrone a “quitter” and said he thought that type of coverage doesn’t belong on a UFC broadcast.

Smith took to Twitter on Saturday and refused to back down from anything he said. That caused a firestorm of reaction from the MMA community, but there was no bigger name to weigh in than McGregor himself.

“The Notorious” replied to Smith’s video, demanding an apology for what was said.

The call you discuss here is A+. I didn’t show enough. I’m not paid by the hour though. Joe’s comments however, come from you saying the opposition fighter quit. Broken nose/orbital bone say different. Fighting is vicious. Those who make the walk deserve full respect!
Apologise.

It took only seconds for McGregor’s reaction to blow up. Smith took notice and showed respect in his response to the former two-division UFC champion, but he clearly wasn’t budging from his position.

Sir, mich respect to the great @TheNotoriousMMA. My recollection on what I said is “That’s the way it looked.” Cowboy Cerrone is a perennial top-10 fighter. Much respect to him for the lengthy career he has had. Wishing him nothing but the best. But I don’t think it’s unfair to..

say that more than 40-seconds was expected from as tough of an SOB as he is, @TheNotoriousMMA. Nor do I think it’s wrong to assume that there’s no way that’s 40-second fight would take place w/ you vs Nurmegamedov or Masvidal. We expected more than what we got. Props to YOU for..

that. But to know how tough Cowboy is, lots of fans like myself expected more and I don’t think @joerogan is right to question my knowledge about a fight just because I wasn’t satisfied with what I saw. I said what I said and I meant it. It’s possible to do that and still have…

Tremendous respect for you @TheNotoriousMMA, along with @joerogan. Both of you are fantastic for the @UFC. I wouldn’t enjoy it nearly as much without the both of you. I wish you both prosperity in the future. But we clearly disagree about Cowboy’s performance on Jan.18.

Although Smith’s answer was lengthy, it surely won’t be the last on this topic. He has a full week of television coming up on ESPN’s “First Take,” and there’s a good chance this will be a topic of discussion between him and co-host Max Kellerman.

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Stephen A. Smith fires back at Joe Rogan’s UFC analyst criticism: ‘I’m telling you you’re wrong’

Stephen A. Smith also issued a challenge to Joe Rogan.

Stephen A. Smith’s family business got done, and his response video to Joe Rogan was released Saturday.

One day after Rogan criticized Smith’s post-UFC 246 comments on [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag] in which Smith labeled Cerrone a “quitter” for his 40-second TKO loss to Conor McGregor, the ESPN personality fired back at the long-time UFC commentator.

After initially teasing a reply in response to graphic posted by MMA Junkie on Saturday afternoon, Smith fired back in a than three-minute video on Twitter, defending his initial take and challenging Rogan to get into a deeper discussion about sports and MMA.

“You have your right, just like I have my right to respond, as I’m doing right now,” Smith said in the message directed at Rogan. “But any time you want to talk to me about this fight, or you want to talk to me about my credentials to discuss something in the world of sports, name the time and place, Joe Rogan, and I’ll show up. It’s not a problem. It’s not a problem at all.

“You don’t know me, so I’m not going to knock you for speaking out the way you spoke out without calling me. I don’t care about all that. I respect where you’re coming from. You’re just wrong on this particular one, and I’m telling you you’re wrong.”

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Check out the video (and full transcription) of Smith’s response below:

“Mad respect to Joe Rogan. Nothing but respect for the man and everything he’s done and will continue to do throughout the years and for years to come, but you’re wrong on this one, my man. Me, Stephen A. Smith. Me, being at the Conor McGregor fight, saying what I said that he didn’t show us much in 40 seconds. That warrants, ‘It’s not good for the sport. It’s not good for me. It’s not good for ESPN?’ First of all, as it pertains to ESPN, check the numbers, the subscribers to ESPN+, the level of attention that it got, the traffic that it generated in digital and beyond. Check the numbers, No. 1. That’s not because of me, that’s because of you. Because of Ariel (Helwani), because of Chael (Sonnen), because of Michael Bisping, and everybody else associated with it. Check the numbers, No. 1. Not good for the sport? I think that’s good for the sport.

“I don’t claim to be the aficionado you are or anybody else covering the sport. But excuse me? I have been a reporter for 25 years; I have covered sports on a variety of competitive levels regardless of what the sport is. That includes boxing and the UFC. I don’t give a damn if I did it; it don’t take much to look at three shoulder shots to the nose that Conor McGregor gave ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, watching him fold inside of 20 seconds, knowing that he only got one strike off, and oh, by the way, that was blocked by Conor. It doesn’t take much to look at the fight and say, ‘Excuse me? I didn’t see enough’ to convince me that Conor, in a rematch against (Khabib) Nurmagomedov, that wouldn’t cut it. Or against (Jorge) Masvidal, that wouldn’t cut it. Because that’s what you judge greatness by. It’s not just the fight that they’re in; it’s about who they’re about to go against. What are we talking about here? We’re talking about Conor McGregor against one of those two guys potentially next. So, you look at him and you say, ‘Excuse me, did I see enough after such a long layoff?’ Losing to Nurmagomedov and before that an exhibition boxing match against Floyd Mayweather, did you see enough? Hell no, we didn’t see enough. Nothing wrong with that. I stated that that night. I’ll state it again. I’ll state it next week, next month, next year. I stand by that. And I don’t think disagreeing with that position warrants the kind of criticism that came in my direction.

“Having said that, you’re entitled. You have your right, just like I have my right to respond, as I’m doing right now. But any time you want to talk to me about this fight, or you want to talk to me about my credentials to discuss something in the world of sports, name the time and place, Joe Rogan, and I’ll show up. It’s not a problem. It’s not a problem at all. You don’t know me, so I’m not going to knock you for speaking out the way you spoke out without calling me. I don’t care about all that. I respect where you’re coming from. You’re just wrong on this particular one, and I’m telling you you’re wrong. Conor McGregor did not get the opportunity to show us enough. For us to believe Nurmagomedov or Masvidal, that’s something that could potentially happen to them. I didn’t see it, because ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone, in his first pay-per-view match, folded. I respect him, but he folded like a cheap tent. Period. Bad night for him. Bad night. That’s all. And I stand by that. And I’m going to still stand by that. I’ll holler at you later. Joe Rogan, if you need me, you know where to find me.”

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Din Thomas mimics Stephen A. Smith in sparring response video

UFC veteran Din Thomas mocks and mimics Stephen A. Smith following the ESPN A-lister’s UFC 246 rant about Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone.

After Stephen A. Smith’s post-fight analysis streamed following the conclusion of the UFC 246 pay-per-view broadcast, dozens of MMA fighters and personalities weighed in on his comments.

“I’m quite disgusted,” Smith said a week ago after the fight. “Let me be very, very clear. I’m honored to be up here with you guys. I’m a spectator watching the sport. I expected to see more than 40 seconds. I predicted McGregor was going to win this fight inside of two rounds. I thought he would take him out.”

Smith went on to say he thought Cerrone didn’t show up to fight and that the bright lights of a UFC pay-per-view main event had gotten to him. Cerrone is the UFC’s all-time leader in fights, wins, finishes and post-fight bonuses. The bout was his 10th UFC main event, but first on a pay-per-view card.

Days after the event, a video of Smith hitting pads made the rounds on social media. The clip went viral throughout MMA Twitter.

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On Friday, former UFC fighter [autotag]Din Thomas[/autotag] took it upon himself to clap back at the ESPN A-list commentator. Thomas, who works as an MMA coach as well as a standup comic, parodied Smith’s commentary and striking.

While former Bellator and Strikeforce fighter Muhammed Lawal held pads, Thomas put on his worst, most robotic striking display possible. Check it out in the video below:

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.

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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Joe Rogan sounds off on ESPN using Stephen A. Smith as a UFC analyst

“This guy should not be allowed to talk about fighting.”

Stephen A. Smith is ESPN’s biggest star and highest-paid talent, so it wasn’t particularly surprising when he made a guest appearance during the broadcast of UFC 246 on ESPN+ last weekend. Smith fired off a signature hot take after Conor McGregor demolished Donald Cerrone, saying he was “disgusted” by the main event, which lasted just 40 seconds.

During his appearance, Smith said that he felt Cerrone gave up after taking a few hits from McGregor.

“Here’s the deal: 15 seconds in, ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone was done. He got hit with those shoulders in the clinch, and he was done. It look like he gave up. It was just an atrocious performance on his part,” Smith said.

Cerrone suffered a broken nose and an orbital bone fracture in the fight. Veteran UFC commentator Joe Rogan was visibly bemused by Smith’s take on air, and many fans and fighters have since called out Smith for his comments.

In the latest episode of his podcast, Rogan argued that it’s a “bad look” for ESPN to be relying on Smith during UFC events, and said that the First Take host “should not be allowed to talk about fighting.”

(Warning: Video contains profanity.)

 

“I don’t know him as a human being. I’ve only met him a couple of times. He’s a nice guy, nice guy to me. We had a nice conversation. On air, we had a little weirdness because he was just saying ‘we didn’t learn anything about Conor!’ I’m like ‘the [expletive] you didn’t!’ He just destroyed Cowboy in 40 seconds. Like, you learned something. You learned he could perform under the bright lights in a giant pay-per-view after more than a year and a half out of the game. Yeah, you learned something, you just don’t know what you saw.

….. With fighting, you have to know it, or no one’s going to respect you. If you don’t know what you’re talking about and you’re talking about it in front of millions of people, man that’s a bad look for everybody. It’s a bad look for ESPN, it’s a bad look for him, it’s a bad look for the sport. It’s like… there’s other people that can do this.”

Rogan said that he doesn’t believe Smith’s general mode of analysis is appropriate for combat sports, where the stakes are much higher when compared to traditional sports.

“There’s a lot of currency in being a Stephen A. Smith, you know? He’s really entertaining. The [expletive]-talking that he does…. he’s a guy that’s fun to watch. He talks a lot of [expletive] and he gets real loud and everybody disagrees with him. Look, it’s made him a fantastic career. That’s why, and he carries that over to MMA. I think it’s a bad idea.”

Smith went viral again after UFC 246 when he released video of himself throwing punches, and was immediately roasted by the internet.

UFC legend Daniel Cormier defended Smith in an Instagram comment.

“I think it’s fine, he’s trying to better understand our sport. I mean hes a massive star who can talk from his perch and no one can touch him. Yet he chooses to try and learn the game so there is some weight to his opinion.”

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Joe Rogan takes issue with Stephen A. Smith’s Donald Cerrone rant after loss to Conor McGregor

“This sport demands a different perspective. It’s not the same thing as a ball going into a hoop.”

Joe Rogan was standing just inches away when Stephen A. Smith provided some harsh criticism of Donald Cerrone following his loss to Conor McGregor at UFC 246.

The rant from the polarizing personality came on ESPN’s post-event coverage, and he tore down “Cowboy” for suffering a 40-second TKO defeat to McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) and once again coming up short when the spotlight was brightest. Smith repeated much of his criticism on ESPN+’s post-fight show, as well.

It was clear at the time Rogan, who was positioned on-camera with Smith and “SportsCenter” anchor Michael Eaves, was somewhat put off by the take. He attempted to provide his own insight and put the outcome in perspective as a big moment for McGregor, but the scorn of MMA fans as well as many fighters watching had already set in.

Rogan has had a few days to reflect on what unfolded, and during a conversation with Bellator analyst and former UFC fighter Josh Thomson on Thursday’s episode of his “JRE MMA Show” podcast, the longtime UFC analyst condemned the choice to give Smith the platform he was offered.

“(Daniel Cormier) and I would’ve had a completely different conversation and it would’ve been better for the sport,” Rogan said. “There’s no positive in downplaying the career of Donald Cerrone and what he can do as a fighter. What that showed to me is how phenomenal Conor performed. That’s what it showed to me. If either you or I was talking about cricket, and we were on TV doing commentary on cricket, we would look out of place. It would be (expletive) up and real cricket fans would be upset at us. That’s nothing. You are naked in the most literal sense of the word (in MMA). Physically, you are naked. Emotionally, when fighters lose, it’s (expletive) devastating.

“For Conor to smash ‘Cowboy’ like that in front of his wife, his kid, his grandma and the whole world. You’ve got to have some respect for that man, and this sport demands a different perspective. It’s not the same thing as a ball going into a hoop. It’s not the same thing as crossing a line with a football. It’s different. It’s very intense and very personal, and it’s also very (expletive) dangerous and to play it off like it’s just a game, I don’t agree with it.”

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UFC 246 did not represent the first time Smith has appeared on a UFC broadcast. Certainly, though, he’d never garnered as many eyeballs than the aftermath of a thrilling McGregor victory. Rogan said he understands Smith’s reputation and why he’s viewed as a major asset to ESPN in the sports world, but when it comes to MMA specifically, he said that type of character is a disservice.

“That’s a bad look for everybody,” Rogan said. “It’s a bad look for ESPN, it’s a bad look for him, it’s a bad look for the sport. There’s other people that can do this. … We have plenty of people out there who understand the sport. There’s plenty of them. But the thing about him is he’s really popular. (He just got a contract extension) because his personality is so fun. He’s a fun guy to watch and people love (expletive)-talking and they love people arguing about (expletive) and one person is better at arguing. Stephen A. Smith is really good at that stuff. But it’s not the place for MMA. It’s just not the place. It’s not the same thing.”

Rogan made it clear numerous times he thinks Smith is a “nice guy” and each of the handful of face-to-face interactions they’e shared have been positive. He said he understands the brand Smith has built for himself, and the image he portrays, but was insistent that’s not the type of persona that belongs in a prominent MMA analysis role.

“There’s a lot of currency in being Stephen A. Smith,” Rogan said. “He’s really entertaining. That (expletive)-talking that he does, he’s a guy that’s fun to watch. He talks a lot of (expletive) and he gets real loud and everyone disagrees with him. Look, it’s made him a fantastic career. He carries that over to MMA – I think it’s a bad idea.

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“There’s a culture in sports broadcasting, whether it’s radio or television – just this diminishing of people. This (expletive)-talking that goes with sports. ‘He always falls apart. That mother(expletive) should give us his money back. He sucks.’ Then the other guy is like, ‘Oh, I can’t believe he’s saying that.’ They do that in sports radio. People love it. Because if you’re on the job site (expletive) hammering nails, you’re like, ‘You’re right, he does suck.’ There’s a mentality that goes along with hat kind of sports guy mentality, sports radio talk. I hate that (expletive). I’ve resisted that from the beginning and I’ve (expletive) on those guys from the beginning because it’s not the same thing. You’re not talking about the same thing. You’re talking about fighting. You’re talking about unbelievable physical consequences, including – knock on wood; in our sport, it’s very rare, but – death.

Given the controversy stemming from his post-UFC 246 airtime, it remains to be seen how ESPN and the UFC utilize Smith on event broadcasts moving forward. For his part, though, Rogan appears to think that he doesn’t want to be in the same position he experienced this past weekend again.

“I would’ve preferred to talk to ‘DC’ or Felder or you (Josh Thomson) or anybody who understands the sport,” Rogan said. “I don’t think it’s the right way to do it. … I have no problem with (Smith) as a human being. Look, I don’t know jack (expletive) about baseball, I don’t know jack (expletive) about basketball. I literally don’t even know the rules. When people foul people, I’m not sure why. I’m not sure what’s happening. I know MMA. I understand. So, if you want to talk about MMA, I’d like to talk about it with someone else who knows about MMA.”

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UFC 246 ‘Thrill and Agony’: What Conor McGregor and Grandma Cerrone said to each other

Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone’s grandma had a warm embrace and shared some words inside the octagon.

Once again, the UFC takes us behind the scenes of its latest pay-per-view – this time at UFC 246 in Las Vegas.

UFC 246 took place this past Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.

In the UFC 246 “Thrill and Agony” preview, we get an all-access look at the immediate aftermath surrounding [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Donald Cerrone[/autotag].

In the main event, McGregor had a spectacular return to the octagon by finishing Cerrone in just 40 seconds of their welterweight headliner.

Check out the full clip above to see the outpouring of emotions on all sides following the night’s main attraction, including what McGregor said to Cerrone, what McGregor and Grandma Cerrone said to each other, UFC president Dana White’s instant reaction to the outcome, and more.

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The video is a preview of “Thrill and Agony.” The full episode is available on UFC Fight Pass for subscribers.

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