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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Conor McGregor might not have to wait too much longer to book his next fight.

UFC CEO Dana White said in an Instagram Live chat on Wednesday that he and McGregor have spoken about what’s next for the former two-division champion. McGregor, who hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021, recently expressed his frustration about not being scheduled for a fight and blamed the UFC for his inactivity.

Though nothing specific has been announced for McGregor, White expects to have his biggest star back in the octagon soon.

“I talked to Conor today,” White said. “I’m in Abu Dhabi right now, Conor’s in Dubai. We talked tonight. He and I will get something figured out soon. We’re talking.”

Even during his time on the sidelines, McGregor has been in discussion for several matchups, most notably a grudge match with Michael Chandler spawning from their time as opposing coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 31. Nothing has been made official for McGregor as of yet.

There is also no clear indication that McGregor will be part of UFC 300, though White could neither confirm nor deny the possibility. As it is, he let everyone know that more fights will soon be announced for the landmark event, though the biggest spots are still to be filled.

“What fights?” White said when asked for UFC 300 updates. “I did announce the fights. UFC 300, I told you, there’s more coming this week. You guys are so aggressive. There will be more fights for 300 announces this week. Not just — yeah, just 300. I’ll have a bunch more this week for 300 to let you guys in on.”

“Not the main event. I won’t have the main event yet. Waiting on the main event.”

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To many, ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson is one of, if not the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. To legendary trainer Teddy Atlas, he’s neither.

Scoring knockouts against his first 19 opponents, Tyson went on to become the youngest heavyweight champion in the history of the sport, a record that still stands to this very day. He is also the first heavyweight to hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF world championships simultaneously.

Tyson’s legacy and skills in the sweet science are undeniable, but speaking on the Lex Fridman Podcast, Atlas has one major gripe about the iconic pugilist’s career.

“I don’t know if he was ever great,” Atlas said. “I know he was sensational. I know he was the greatest mix of maybe speed and power ever. I know he was one of the greatest punchers from either side of the plate, left or right. There’s been great punchers with just the right hand like Earnie Shavers and Deontay Wilder and Max Baer. I don’t know if there’s ever been anyone who could punch as good as (Tyson) did on either side with either hand other than Joe Louis and a few others.

“I don’t know if there’s ever been such a combination of speed and power to that pure level that he had, and it was a pure level. I don’t know if there was ever as good a fighter as Tyson was for maybe one night he was great. He wasn’t tested, but he might have been ready to be tested that one night against Michael Spinks when he took him apart in 90 seconds. I think I saw a great fighter that night. I don’t think you can be great unless you have all the requirements of being great” (h/t MMA Junkie).

Disputing Tyson’s status as one of the greatest, Atlas offered his take on what he feels is required for a fighter to truly separate himself from the pack.

“To not rely on someone else’s weakness to be strong, to be strong on your own,” Atlas said. “Too often, (Tyson) relied on other people’s weakness, whether it’s by being intimidated or whether it was because his talent was so much greater than theirs that it was like putting a monster truck in there with a Volkswagen.

“The Volkswagen was going to get crushed. No matter how much horsepower the Volkswagen might’ve had under the hood, it was going to get crushed. The monster truck was not going to allow it to be a contest. To be able to find a way when your talent wasn’t enough – he didn’t find a way when his talent wasn’t enough.”

Atlas looks at Mike Tyson’s biggest career losses

As expected, Atlas pointed directly to the biggest blemish on Mike Tyson’s career; his 10th-round TKO loss to Buster Douglas in 1990. He also referenced Tyson’s back-to-back losses against Evander Holyfield, a fighter he believes was not on the same level as Tyson when they fought.

“A fight is not a fight until there’s something to overcome,” Atlas said. “Until then, it’s just an athletic exhibition contest. Yeah, who’s a better athlete? Who’s got more quick twitch fibers? Who’s more developed in those physical areas?

“But a fight is not a fight until there’s something to overcome. So, if you go by my definition, not Webster’s, pretend it means something, Mike Tyson was only in five (six) fights in his life. The fights where there was something to overcome, he didn’t overcome it.”

Tyson walked away from the sport in 2005 after losing three of his last four. He retired with a record of 50-6 with 44 of his wins coming by way of knockout. In November 2020, he returned to the ring for an exhibition bout with former four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr. After eight rounds, the bout was ruled a split draw.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

With just a couple of days left in the year, it’s almost time to say goodbye to 2023 and hello to 2024. In the sport of MMA, there was certainly a lot to like this past year — and a lot that needs to be improved upon, from the UFC, to PFL, and beyond.

On an all-new edition of Between the Links, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Jed Meshew bring you the second annual BTL Promotional Festivus — where they grade the UFC for their 2023 performance, both in and out of the octagon, along with their airing of grievances for things that happened negatively throughout the course of the year. Additionally, the duo do the same for PFL, Bellator’s year prior to the merger, ONE Championship, BKFC, and give their thoughts on things they did better from the year prior, other ideas to bring into 2024, and what could be the breakout promotion in the space for the upcoming year.

You can listen to the audio version of the program, which can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your pods.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

It’s always the quiet ones you need to look out for.

Heading into UFC 285, Alexa Grasso was an afterthought. Valentina Shevchenko was the most dominant fighter in MMA: The only true champion that the women’s flyweight division had ever known, with seven straight title defenses under her belt. Sure, Shevchenko struggled against Taila Santos and Grasso had won four straight since moving up to 125 pounds, but still, what chance did this humble, soft-spoken fighter from Guadalajara, Mexico have against arguably the greatest female fighter of all-time?

Every chance, as it turned out.

From the moment the first bell rung, Shevchenko found herself in a nip-tuck battle, not the perfunctory title defense that most people expected. Grasso repeatedly tagged Shevchenko with combinations, gave ground sparingly, and made the champion work for everything. Had the fight played out like it did for most of the first three rounds, Grasso may have lost a competitive decision that had everyone talking about how much better she is than we thought.

But Grasso didn’t come for a participation trophy. She came for the belt. And in the fourth round, she took it.

With one minute left in the round, Shevchenko threw a lazy spinning back kick, and Grasso pounced — literally and figuratively — jumping on Shevchenko’s back and immediately attacking with a rear-naked choke.

The champion tried to fight Grasso off by tucking her chin, but the quiet woman from Guadalajara would not be denied, locking in the choke over Shevchenko’s chin and squeezing so hard it looked like she might simply pop Shevchenko’s head like a zit. Moments later, Shevchenko tapped, and one of the greatest upsets in MMA history was complete. Against all odds, Alexa Grasso was a UFC champion.

What Grasso accomplished that night is one of the rarest feats in MMA: Dethroning a dominant champion in thrilling and emphatic fashion. Think Chris Weidman upsetting Anderson Silva, Conor McGregor knocking out Jose Aldo, or Julianna Peña submitting Amanda Nunes. Those are the sorts of performances that live on forever, and this one joins their ranks. There’s a reason it was the only unanimous decision by our ranking panel this year, and even I, who has plenty of reason to hate it, still voted it as the Submission of the Year: Because it deserves it.

2. SHAVKAT RAKHMONOV DEF. GEOFF NEAL

Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Alexa Grasso’s submission of Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 285 was so stunning that fans can be forgiven if they don’t recall that about 30 minutes before it happened, Shavkat Rakhmonov staked his own claim to Submission of the Year by throttling Geoff Neal in the featured main card fight.

Heading into their bout, much was made of Rakhmonov’s perfect 16-0 record with eight submissions and eight knockouts to his name. But for 14 minutes, Neal wasn’t having it. Sure, Rakhmonov was winning, but it was a hard-fought battle (one of the best of the year) and it looked for all the world like Rakhmonov was finally going to see the judges’ scorecards.

Nope.

In the last minute of the fight, Rakhmonov simply grabbed Neal by the throat and strangled him, forcing the tap. Officially, the finish is listed as a rear-naked choke, but in reality, this was the sort of thing your older sibling hits you with when you’re getting too rambunctious. Shavkat big-brothered Geoff Neal just so he wouldn’t leave things in the hands of the judges. What a hero.

3. JON JONES DEF. CIRYL GANE

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

So remember that thing about how UFC 285 had back-to-back Submission of the Year candidates? Well, make that back-to-back-to-back.

Though it’s almost an afterthought from that evening, UFC 285 did not end with Alexa Grasso submitting Valentina Shevchenko. That fight was merely the co-main event to the much ballyhooed return of Jon Jones, as he made his long-awaited heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane with the vacant heavyweight title on the line. It was supposed to be a matchup for the ages: “The greatest fighter of all-time” finally moving up in weight but coming in off a three-year layoff vs. the future of the heavyweight division. Instead it was a coronation.

It took the former UFC light heavyweight champion just over two minutes to walk across the cage, take Gane down, and tap him with a guillotine choke. It was arguably Jones’ easiest fight in the UFC, and while the technique itself was not particularly cinematic, what it meant was. Jones finally moved up to heavyweight and claimed a second title, further entrenching himself as the greatest fighter in MMA history, and, for at least a little while, making the MMA world forget about Francis Ngannou.

4. LOUIS GLISMANN DEF. MELVIN VAN SUIJDAM II

Submission of the Year is always my favorite year-end category because it’s where you can get some really cool stuff. Yes, the category is usually won by an immensely significant outcome (like the three above) or a UFC first (think Korean Zombie’s Twister in 2011), but there are simply so many fights that happen each year that the regional scene is always going to deliver one or two things you’ve never seen before.

Case in point: Louis Glismann hitting an inverted omoplata on Melvin van Suijdam II at OKTAGON 43.

In case you haven’t seen it, check out the video below. I’ve been watching MMA for 20 years and I’ve never seen something like that. Glismann just sort of ties up the arm and yeets himself across the cage, nearly yanking van Suijdam’s arm out of socket as he rolls, and he does all of this with just seconds left in the round. I can confidently say that there was no cooler maneuver in an MMA cage or ring this year.

5. DAVEY GRANT DEF. RAPHAEL ASSUNCAO

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Speaking of cool things that are rarely seen in MMA, inverted triangles don’t exactly grow on trees, particularly not under the circumstances that Davey Grant managed to land one in his fight with Raphael Assuncao at UFC Las Vegas.

After a competitive first two rounds, Grant looked to be in need of a finish against Assuncao as referee Keith Peterson docked a point from Grant in final round for grabbing the fence. With time running out and the fight restarted on the feet, Grant went for broke, bombing on Assuncao with punches and dropping the Brazilian fighter with a spinning backfist. As Assuncao tried to survive to the bell by shooting a takedown, Grant jumped on an inverted triangle and squeezed for the finish. It was a risky move, but one that paid off as Grant put Assuncao to sleep and scored one of the best submissions of the year.

Here is how the voting for MMA Fighting’s 2023 Submission of the Year played out.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

• Da’Mon Blackshear def. Jose Johnson (UFC Vegas 78, Aug. 12)
• Aktore Batyrbek def. Shakhzod Dzhurakulov (Octagon 46, June 24)
• Karine Silva def. Ketlen Souza (UFC Vegas 74, June 3)
• Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Holly Holm (UFC Vegas 77, July 15)
• Diego Lopes def. Gavin Tucker (UFC Nashville, Aug. 5)
• Yair Rodriguez def. Josh Emmett (UFC 284, Feb. 12)
• Tatiana Suarez def. Jessica Andrade (UFC Nashville, Aug. 5)
• Joji Goto def. Trent Girdham (RIZIN 43, June 23)

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Is he right?
| BJPenn.com

After an angry rant from McGregor suggested frayed relations with the UFC, Dana White said he’d work things out while the two are in the Middle East.

There was no big announcement from UFC CEO Dana White on Wednesday night, unless you consider Power Slap news to be worthwhile information.

White had hyped up a big reveal, and who knows? Maybe there was going to be something real that was actually about UFC 300, or UFC in general. If there was, it didn’t come together soon enough. Instead he did an Instagram live video where he repeatedly pushed people to Rumble to watch the latest Road To Power Slap series promoting the sport’s end of season championship event.

He did do a bit of a Q&A, though, and mentioned the future of Conor McGregor during it.

“We talked tonight,” White said. “I’m in Abu Dhabi, he’s in Dubai. We’re gonna figure something out. We’re talking.”

McGregor had recently ripped into the UFC over refusing to book his return fight in a prompt fashion.

“No one in the history of the fight game’s ever been treated the way I’m getting treated at this minute, yeah?” he said angrily during the December 23rd Day of Reckoning boxing event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “Through what I came through to what I bring, they f—ing should open floodgates for me, yeah? And I’m waiting. I’m waiting and I’m waiting. My patience is wearing thin on me waiting.”

McGregor went so far as to suggest if the UFC didn’t line him up a fight pronto, he’d sort out a deal with the Saudis to box.

That doesn’t sound like the words of someone who’s been told they’re headlining UFC 300 against Michael Chandler. It kinda sounds like the UFC hasn’t been telling Conor McGregor much of anything, which is pretty insane. It lines up with the promotion’s communication towards other fighters just fine. But you’d think they’d handle their top superstar a little better.

Fortunately, it now sounds like White is in touch with “The Notorious” and working things out. Perhaps we’ll get an update after New Years Eve when USADA is truly and properly out of the UFC business.

Hopefully we’ll get some more UFC 300 news as well. White promised more announcements from that card soon, although he said the main event would remain secret for now. Secret or TBD? We’re starting to wonder if there’s even a main event to reveal.

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