Tag: UFC on ESPN+ 36

Donald Trump group photo aside, Colby Covington still has beef with Ali Abdelaziz

Colby Covington is still not cool with Ali Abdelaziz, despite appearing in a picture with him.

Despite the ear-to-ear smiles and close physical proximity, [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] is still not cool with Ali Abdelaziz.

The former UFC interim welterweight title challenger clarified Wednesday why he took a group photo with President Donald Trump alongside Dominance MMA manager Abdelaziz – a man with whom he once scuffled at a buffet line in Las Vegas.

Abdelaziz represents Kamaru Usman – UFC welterweight champion and one of Colby’s many enemies in the sport.

“Yeah, right – I did not call truce with Ali Abdelaziz,” Covinton told MMA Junkie. “That picture was specifically for Dana (White).

“He wanted a picture with the UFC guys and I did it for Dana. I’m thankful with Dana for keeping sports in the world right now and moving the show on with so much going on. He’s giving the opportunity for fighters to keep putting food on the plates for themselves and (Abdelaziz) is a dirt bag still. He’s an informant, that little rat. So I will never be friends with him.”

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The photo with Trump was taken Sunday at a campaign rally in Las Vegas. Trump is a personal friend of UFC president Dana White, who spoke on Trump’s behalf at last month’s Republican National Convention and donated to Trump’s reelection campaign.

Covington returns to the octagon this weekend in the main event of UFC on ESPN+36 against former champion Tyron Woodley.

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Tyron Woodley: Jorge Masvidal ‘a blessing’ in prep for Colby Covington, but no mind game

When Tyron Woodley teamed up with Jorge Masvidal to prep for Colby Covington, many assumed some ulterior motives might be in play.

LAS VEGAS – When [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] teamed up with [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] to prep for Colby Covington, many assumed some ulterior motives might be in play.

After all, while Masvidal is clearly a top-level fighter and a member of the same American Top Team family as Woodley, could “The Chosen One” have been looking to bring Covington’s nemesis into camp to potentially cause, well, a little chaos?

Absolutely not, says Woodley.

“I don’t play games like that,” Woodley told MMA Junkie. “I’m a G. I’ve been in this game for a long time.”

In fact, Woodley said it wasn’t even his idea for Masvidal to come help with training. According to Woodley, Masvidal called up and said he was coming to St. Louis to put in work.

“It was that easy,” Woodley said. “It wasn’t like, ‘Ah, let’s freak him out,’ or rattle his cage, mental warfare. It was to train, and we trained our asses off.”

“T-Wood” and Masvidal’s relationship dates back several years, back to their shared time under the Strikeforce banner, so while seeing Masvidal pop up on Woodley’s social media feed may have been a surprise to some, the former UFC welterweight champ said it shouldn’t have been – and very well may happen again moving forward.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve done it, but we’ll do it again,” Woodley said.

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But first, Woodley has the small matter of a headlining bout against Colby Covington (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 36. The card streams live on ESPN+ from UFC Apex.

It’s a big one for Woodley, who sits at No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings but has suffered through back-to-back losses for the first time in his professional career. Conventional wisdom states that if the 38-year-old can show up in vintage form, he’ll prove victorious. But if he’s actually lost a step and is on the decline, then the No. 2-ranked Covington will walk away with the win.

Woodley isn’t interested in discussing those potential theories.

“I mean if, if, if, if, if,” Woodley said. “You’re going to see on Saturday, and I don’t have to think about that. I know what I’m capable of. I know what I’ve trained to do, and that’s all I’m focused on.

“I’m focused on this fight. Not what happened before. Not what could happen after. It’s Saturday, and Saturday alone.”

And so it seems Masvidal’s presence wasn’t any kind of secret weapon to help get under Covington’s skin or an attempt at gaining any sort of special knowledge from a former training partner. Instead, Woodley said it was simply about getting in the best work possible, and for that, he said Masvidal was definitely the right man for the job.

“It was a blessing for him to do it,” Woodley said. “He didn’t even ask. He just said, ‘I’ll be there Monday,’ and we were in there.

“People see him as ‘three-piece and a soda’ and all that sh-t, but Masvidal is a gym rat. He’s in the gym, he’s in the gym, he’s in the gym. That’s why he was able to take a six-day notice fight against Kamaru Usman. It was a blessing to have him there, and I definitely have to thank him for coming through.”

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Spinning Back Clique: Is Dustin Poirier vs. Tony Ferguson really unsalvageable?

Check out “Spinning Back Clique,” which digs into Colby Covington vs. Tyron Woodley, the Dustin Poirier vs. Tony Ferguson drama and more.

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week, Simon Head hosts and is joined by MMA Junkie Radio’s “Gorgeous” George, MMA Junkie lead staff reporter John Morgan and MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn. Let’s get to it!

SHOW TOPICS

  • The long awaited grudge match between [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] headlines UFC on ESPN+ 35 on Saturday. Who would be hurt more with a loss?
  • A highly anticipated lightweight matchup between former interim champions [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] and [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] is fizzled, but is it really unsalvageable, as UFC President Dana White said?
  • Should the controversial finish between Ed Herman and Mike Rodriguez at UFC on ESPN+ 35 be a turning point for change when it comes to the use of instant replay in MMA?
  • Bellator has crowned two new champions in Vadim Nemkov and Juan Archuleta during its recent string of events. Which title will be the next to change hands for the promotion?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 46 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.

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Donald Trump shows his support to Colby Covington ahead of UFC on ESPN+ 36

Colby Covington was lauded by Donald Trump during the U.S. President’s reception Sunday in Nevada.

[autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag] was lauded by Donald Trump during the U.S. President’s reception in Nevada on Sunday.

Covington, alongside UFC president Dana White, UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, former UFC dual-champ Henry Cejudo, manager Ali Abdelaziz and boxer Roy Jones Jr., were all special guests of Trump at the event.

Covington has shown regular support for Trump and frequently wears the familiar red MAGA hat. Trump’s sons, Eric and Donald Jr., attended his main event against Robbie Lawler at UFC on ESPN 5 in August 2019 when Covington earned a dominant decision win against the former welterweight champion.

Ahead of his UFC on ESPN+ 36 headliner against Tyron Woodley this Saturday, Covington was showered by praise from Trump, who vowed he will be watching the former interim welterweight champion in action Saturday night.

“The #POTUS @realdonaldtrump will be tuned into @ESPN to watch me at #UFCVegas11 this Saturday night, how about you snowflakes? 👔- @sartoriagherardi”

Trump also name-checked Covington, plus UFC president Dana White, manager Ali Abdelaziz and fighters Gaethje and Cejudo during his address.

The event took place inside a facility at Xtreme Manufacturing in Henderson, Nev., just outside Las Vegas. The campaign rally reportedly was in violation of the state’s restrictions against indoor events with more than 50 people during the coronavirus pandemic.

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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Injury forces Mickey Gall out of UFC on ESPN+ 36 bout against Miguel Baeza

Mickey Gall out of UFC on ESPN+ 36 after suferring an injury in training.

[autotag]Mickey Gall[/autotag] won’t fight next Saturday night.

The welterweight has been forced out his UFC on ESPN+ 36 bout against [autotag]Miguel Baeza[/autotag], which was set to go down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Gall (6-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) announced on Instagram on Friday night that an injury sustained in training camp caused his withdrawal.

The UFC is currently seeking a replacement opponent for Baeza.

Gall last fought in June where he suffered a loss to Mike Perry at UFC on ESPN 12. The 28-year-old, who got much early career fame by beating former professional wrestler Phil “CM Punk” Brooks, has alternated wins and losses over his past six fights.

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Meanwhile, Baeza (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is undefeated in his professional MMA career. In his last bout, the MMA Masters product picked up a second-round TKO of Matt Brown at UFC on ESPN 8 in May.

UFC on ESPN+ 36 is set to be headlined by a grudge match between former champion Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington.

View this post on Instagram

I want to let everyone know I will no longer be fighting on the 19th. I suffered an injury while training my ass off for this fight. I tried pushing through but had to make the tough decision after mri results. Apologies to my opponent Miguel Baeza I promise to honor the agreement at a later date. Big thanks to my team @ljreboli @david_adiv @therealdorianprice @defrancosgym @gracienjacademy @acw_coach @badger_gracienj @ogbillydee @jamiegall22 and many more we put in a lot of hard work this camp I’m very grateful for you all and can’t wait to do it again. I’m very optimistic, taking it in stride. This is part of the game. I’m meeting w top specialists to make sure we handle the injury properly and return to the octagon ASAP. Hopefully before the end of the year. Much love as always

A post shared by Mickey Gall (@mickeygall) on

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