Tag: UFC 257

Mike Brown breaks down headline matchup for UFC 257

Mike Brown breaks down headline matchup for UFC 257

Mike Brown breaks down headline matchup for UFC 257

Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Max Holloway after UFC on ABC 1 win?

See whom Max Holloway should fight next after his victory over Calvin Kattar in the UFC on ABC 1 headliner.

(ALSO SEE: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Calvin Kattar after UFC on ABC 1 loss?)

The first UFC main event winner of the year set a high bar Saturday when [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] dominated Calvin Kattar at UFC on ABC 1.

Holloway (22-6 MMA, 18-6 UFC) delivered a statement in his first non-title fight since June 2016, putting on a historic and record-setting performance against Kattar (22-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision win at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

“Blessed” is now back on track following a pair of controversial title-fight losses to Alexander Volkanovski. A trilogy fight between the two is the talk of the town, but Volkanovski must first fight Brian Ortega at UFC 260 on March 27.

What does that mean for Holloway? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on his future after UFC on ABC 1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pHsOHybzQk

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Conor McGregor says Khabib Nurmagomedov is avoiding rematch: ‘He’s afraid to fight me’

Conor McGregor says he has “answer to destroy” Khabib Nurmagomedov.

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] thinks there’s a lot more to [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s retirement.

The former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion questions Nurmagomedov’s decision to walk away from the sport and says a lot has to do with avoiding a potential rematch between the two.

Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) hung up his gloves after defending his belt against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October. “The Eagle” cited a promise made to his mother to stop fighting following the death of his father, coach and mentor Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, earlier in 2020, as the reason he was no longer going to continue in MMA.

McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) thinks there’s more to that decision.

“I think he’s afraid to fight me, that’s for damn sure,” McGregor told ESPN. “I don’t blame him. I know exactly what to face. I fought the best of him that night and he fought the worst of me that night. He knows it, I know it, his team knows it.

“I have the answer to destroy that man. He can pull the wool over people’s eyes only for so long, but it is what it is. I know there’s surrounding things regarding the family. If he’s retired then that’s it I wish him well. But I am who I am and I’m at the top and time will show.”

McGregor returns to the octagon Saturday against Dustin Poirier in a lightweight bout. The rematch headlines UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi.

McGregor and Nurmagomedov fought in 2018 at UFC 229. Nurmagomedov submitted the Irishman in the fourth round in a dominant showing. Right after the bout, a brawl erupted between the two teams that resulted in multiple suspensions.

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McGregor doesn’t understand Nurmagomedov’s decision to retire from MMA. Even if it’s not for a rematch against him, McGregor thinks there are many challenges left at 155 pounds.

“I think his hand is showing he’s not a true fighter, in my opinion,” McGregor said. “I mean how could you retire? How could you walk away? There’s so many fights to be had.

“Think of (Nate) Diaz, (Tony) Ferguson, there’s (Charles) Oliveira, the rematch with me. I think it’s just preposterous to walk away. Not only did he (expletive) on the bus, I think he (expletive) on the chips, also. I think he showed his hand, but then at the same time, there’s family issues. So it is what it is. All the best.”

Nurmagomedov told UFC president Dana White he could be interested in coming back to the sport depending on what happens in the lightweight bouts going down at UFC 257. Apart from McGregor vs. Poirier 2, former Bellator champion Michael Chandler makes his UFC debut against Dan Hooker. There’s also top contender Charles Oliveira who’s coming off a dominant win against Tony Ferguson.

McGregor wants the Nurmagomedov rematch, but he’s not losing any sleep over it.

“I’m here for it. I would like it,” McGregor said. “But if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I wonder what he’s going to say. Like I said, he can only pull wool over someone’s eyes for so long.”

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Dan Hooker hopes to avoid Conor McGregor’s wrath at UFC 257 press conference

Dan Hooker looks forward to mingling with fellow lightweights at the UFC 257 press conference, but hopes he doesn’t get embarrassed.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] is looking forward to sharing the dais with his fellow lightweight contenders at the UFC 257 press conference, but hopes he doesn’t get embarrassed in the process.

Ahead of Saturday’s pay-per-view event, Hooker (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) is set to participate in a pre-fight press conference on Thursday with his co-main event opponent Michael Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC), as well as headliners Dustin Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) and Conor McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC).

Press conferences involving McGregor tend to be highly eventful, and history has shown that no one is safe from the verbal onslaught of the brash Irishman. Hooker said he’s looking forward to seeing what unfolds.

“To be honest, I’m a fan of the sport – it’ll be pretty surreal to be sitting up with those guys at such a huge press conference like that,” Hooker told MMA Junkie on Sunday. “I don’t put too much thought into it. I’m not a guy who goes away and practices my lines in the mirror or anything like that. I’m going to take it as it comes. Ninety-nine percent of the focus will be on Conor and what he’s going to do and what he’s going to say.”

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Hooker is never shy to involve himself in some banter and, even though he’s not McGregor’s opponent at UFC 257, he knows he must be ready for anything from “The Notorious.”

“You’ve got to be on your toes,” Hooker said. “You don’t want to get ‘Who the (expletive) is that guy’d?’ or something like that. He could chuck you in the can in one line.”

Although Hooker will find himself on the same stage as Poirier and McGregor, his focus is naturally on the fight at hand. He said he looks forward to seeing what three-time Bellator champ Chandler is all about when they share the octagon, and thinks it’s a fight that will reveal a lot about himself and his opponent.

“It’s going to be pretty obvious because the game is pretty obvious,” Hooker said. “He needs to put me on my back, he needs to back me up and get on the inside. If he can’t do that and he can’t do that early on, he’s going to start getting in trouble. I think by the end of the first round it’s going o be pretty clear how this fight is going to play out.”

UFC 257 takes place on Saturday, Jan. 23 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. The main card airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

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Dana White: Khabib Nurmagomedov open to return after UFC 257, nothing definitive

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to stay retired or return for a 30th fight depends on what transpires at UFC 257.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag]’s decision on coming out of retirement for a return to the UFC? There is no decision.

This according to UFC president Dana White on Saturday, who revealed details of his meeting with the lightweight champion one day earlier. White went on the UFC on ABC 1 broadcast and indicated that Nurmagomedov’s future depends on what happens next week at UFC 257, where Conor McGregor fights Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler meets Dan Hooker at the top of the card – even Charles Oliveira could be in the mix.

“His words to me were, ‘I’m gonna watch this fight.’ He said, ‘I would never tie up the division, hold the belt, and keep the belt away from anybody else. If these guys do something spectacular, show me something spectacular, and make me want to come back and fight,'” White said. “So I have the feeling if somebody delivers, it could be on the co-main event or the main event, and he thought Oliveira looked good (vs. Tony Ferguson). … If these guys can do something special, Khabib will fight them.”

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from MMA in October after he scored a submission win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. After the heartbreaking death of his father and head coach, Abdulmanap, over the summer, Nurmagomedov said he promised his mother that he would no longer compete, despite an original aspiration to go 30-0 in his career.

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White didn’t seem entirely convinced by Nurmagomedov’s choice to end his career. He’s repeatedly said in the months since that he intended to meet with “The Eagle” during the promotion’s stint on “Fight Island,” and felt confident he could get the Russian back for at least one more fight, with a rematch against McGregor being his perfect-world scenario.

McGregor vs. Poirier, which is a rematch of an bout from UFC 178 in September 2014 that “The Notorious” won via first-round knockout, headlines UFC 257, takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

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UFC 257: Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier news conference to be held Thursday

All four fighters in the top two bouts will appear at the news conference, which you can watch right here on MMA Junkie.

The highly anticipated showdown between [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] and [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] goes down on Jan. 23, and to whet your appetite, the UFC will hold a news conference on Thursday, Jan. 21.

McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) and Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) will appear the press conference at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, which is also the venue for the card. Additionally, co-headliners [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) will also appear.

The event goes down at 8 a.m. ET/5 a.m. PT, and will be live streamed right here at MMA Junkie. If you’ve followed this sport any length of time, you know that McGregor press conferences are must-see TV, so make sure to be here Thursday.

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Video: What big surprise could come from UFC run on ‘Fight Island’?

Here are three bold predictions for the UFC’s upcoming three events on “Fight Island.”

The UFC’s 2021 campaign kicks off with a bang Saturday, as the promotion launches the fight schedule with three cards in a week on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.

You already know about the big main events on the way, from the UFC on ABC 1 clash between [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] and [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag], to the UFC on ESPN 20 main event between [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag] and [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag], leading up to the big one, [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] at UFC 257.

But even when the big fights deliver, something often comes out of the blue to steal the show and the headlines. Could that be the potential barnburner between Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker? Or maybe the long-awaited Carlos Condit-Matt Brown fight finally happening? Or maybe someone rises up from an undercard?

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Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Mike Bohn, Nolan King, and Brian “Goze” Garcia weighed in during this week’s episode.

You can watch in the video above.

https://youtu.be/wInzJfahRRM

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Jon Anik says UFC Fight Island stretch will be ‘most challenging week’ of his career

Jon Anik has covered plenty of shows throughout his career, but no stretch will be more hectic than the UFC’s upcoming run on “Fight Island.”

ABU DHABI – Jon Anik has covered plenty of shows throughout his career, but no stretch will be more hectic than the UFC’s upcoming run on “Fight Island.”

Anik, who will serve as the play-by-play guy for all three events, has a packed schedule ahead of him. With UFC on ABC 1, UFC on ESPN 20 and UFC 257 happening in a span of eight days, Anik faces plenty of preparation ahead of a star-studded week.

“It’s not ideal,” Anik told MMA Junkie and other reporters on Thursday. “I have a lot of respect for the NFL guys that do 17 straight weeks. A lot of our play-by-play guys have never even done a back-to-back. I think that’s just the nature of our beast. There’s so much that goes into the preparation and if you just want to play a numbers game – say 26 fighters times three, 75 fighters if you’re giving everybody an hour, that’s 75 hours. That’s two work weeks.

“I try to give every fighter an hour and in a back-to-back situation like this, with another show sandwiched in between, it’s impossible. So I’ll do the best I can to turn the page to Chiesa-Magny on Monday, but I gotta start my UFC 257 card on Tuesday. So I’ll be sort of double dipping a little bit, and this will be the most challenging fight week that I have ever gone through. To have other things on my plate during a pay-per-view week is something that I’ve never experienced.”

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The UFC on ABC 1 main card, headlined by Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar, airs on ABC and streams on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN+.

UFC on ESPN 20, headlined by Michael Chiesa vs. Neil Magny, takes place Jan. 20 and airs entirely on ESPN.

UFC 257, headlined by the return of Conor McGregor in a rematch with Dustin Poirier, will stream on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

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Conor McGregor hints at 2021 boxing clash with Manny Pacquiao: ‘I am ready for it all’

“I know the talks are intensifying for this year.”

[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] plans to be a busy man in 2021 as he plots his fighting future in both MMA and boxing.

McGregor is all set to return to the octagon in the main event of UFC 257 on Jan. 23 in Abu Dhabi, where he’ll rematch former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier. But the Irishman revealed that his fighting aspirations don’t lie exclusively within the eight walls of the octagon.

McGregor has been repeatedly linked with a boxing match with eight-division world champion [autotag]Manny Pacquiao[/autotag], with the Filipino’s recent signing to Paradigm Sports Management, who also represents McGregor, only adding more intrigue to the rumors.

Speaking to The Mac Life from his training camp in Dubai, McGregor revealed that a matchup with Pacquiao remains a solid possibility, with a potential matchup between the pair a possibility for 2021 – despite UFC president Dana White recently mentioning it doesn’t interest him at this point.

“I know the talks are intensifying for this year,” he said.

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“So I am excited for a Manny Pacquiao bout, and it’s looking like it will take place this year. What time this year, I’m not sure. We’re going to have to have some good discussions with Dana and with the guys and the UFC after (UFC 257) and see where it goes, what’s there, what do we want. I am open to it all. I am ready for it all.”

McGregor’s desire to box again may have been further encouraged by recent comments from WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, who suggested the former two-division UFC champion could find himself in a position to challenge for a WBC world boxing title if he defeats a top-15 contender upon his return to the ring.

But with Pacquiao currently a holding rival organization’s title – he is the WBA super champion at welterweight (147 pounds) – McGregor may potentially be able to negotiate his way into an instant title fight with the Filipino and give himself a chance to achieve a career goal by becoming a two-sport champion.

“I appreciate the comments from Sulaiman and, you know, I’ll certainly attain a boxing world title before I call it a day,” McGregor said.

“And I would be very excited to do it against Emmanuel Pacquiao.”

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Paul Felder laughs off Conor McGregor’s nickname jabs ahead of UFC 257 commentary gig

Paul Felder says he hopes the subject of his fighting nickname doesn’t take over his pre-fight meeting with Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 257.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] is looking forward to getting behind the mic for the first UFC pay-per-view event of 2021, even though one of the main event combatants has taken pot-shots at him in the past.

Felder’s role as fight analyst at UFC 257 will see him cross paths with [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], who has taken issue with the Philadelphia native’s fighting moniker, “The Irish Dragon,” on social media in the past.

Chatting to reporters, including MMA Junkie, during a media session on “UFC Fight Island,” Felder said he hoped the jibes won’t return when he and McGregor cross paths during their respective fight week obligations.

“I was talking to my producer,” he said. “We’re going to have to do fighter meetings, and hopefully we can get through that without any German comments.”

When quizzed about how it all started, Felder shrugged, grinned, and recounted a story he admitted he takes no enjoyment from telling.

“My last name is German, right? My dad’s side … I hate talking about this!” he laughed. “I know I’m not Irish. I’m not German. I’m not Italian. I’m not Swedish. I’m American. I get that.

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“I also did not give myself ‘The Irish Dragon’ nickname. As a matter of fact, I fought against it for the first few fights of my pro career, because I freaking hated it. I thought it was stupid. It got put together because I did karate (and) Lyoto Machida was one of my favorite fighters – ‘The Dragon’ – and then this guy was like, ‘You’re Irish – The Irish Dragon,’ and he started saying it on a YouTube video. CFFC got a hold of it when I was fighting for them. They just called me that for one fight, and it stuck. So I’m not trying to claim any heritage and this and that. Obviously, I’m of Irish descent. You can take one look at me.”

Felder’s been happy to just go with the flow and accept his given nickname, but when McGregor took aim at him on social media for his fighting moniker, Felder said he actually understood why, though he insisted he’s not changing his label anytime soon.

“He’s poked fun at me on social media and then deletes them,” Felder said. “I think he’s just (expletive) with me, to be honest, you know? He’s like that. He’s not an idiot. He’ll poke at anybody in case … you climb the ranks, and you’re next. He’s like that.

“I know why (McGregor called me out) because I’m calling myself ‘The Irish Dragon’ and he’s like, ‘Well, your last name is German, so what the hell are you talking about?’ So if I ever had to fight him, maybe I’d come out as ‘The German Dragon’ for that one. But it’s all good, and I don’t think that’s going to come up in fighter meetings, but we shall see.”

https://youtu.be/5bwM7395SRQ

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