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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Jeremy Stephens has a sordid history with Conor McGregor dating back to their infamous exchange ahead of UFC 205 in 2016, but they may get to settle their beef with no gloves on.

The incident that sparked the rivalry took place during a pre-fight press conference after McGregor was asked about the hardest fight available to him of the many athletes seated on the dais. Stephens immediately piped up and promised he was the toughest challenge as the hardest-hitting featherweight whose punches produced knockouts where “people don’t f*cking move.”

Always quick on the microphone, McGregor answered back, “Who the f*ck is that guy?” which was followed by a loud roar from the New York audience. Now almost eight years later, Stephens is about to make his second appearance as a bare-knuckle fighter at BKFC 65 on Friday, and McGregor is a co-owner after making a significant financial investment in the promotion.

It’s almost as if fate brought them back together again.

“I got a boss now in Conor McGregor, who is writing my checks,” Stephens told MMA Fighting. “I could potentially be fighting my own boss! There’s a lot of people out there who want that Conor fight, but if he was ever to come over to bare-knuckle, I’m on a hot streak, get the ball f*cking rolling. I would love to be that f*cking guy to welcome him to bare-knuckle.

“I don’t get tired. I can take a f*cking shot. I’ve been in the f*cking game. I would love to max out that opportunity and put myself into those opportunities. Day by day, brick by brick, it will come.”

As much as he enjoyed the war of words he shared with McGregor, which eventually escalated into some viral social media posts as well, Stephens actually gives credit to the former two-division UFC champion for believing in bare-knuckle boxing.

Since he became a co-owner in BKFC, McGregor has spread the word with social media posts sent out to his millions of followers and he’s even attended live events, which always brings more eyeballs because of his immeasurable influence and star power.

Rivalry aside, Stephens is happy McGregor got involved with BKFC at that level.

“Honestly, [I’m] grateful,” Stephens said. “Anything Conor touches turns to gold. A lot of eyes on Conor. Conor is the type of guy that would get into bare-knuckle. I believe it. He’s from the streets as well and I’m sure he’s been in some bare-knuckle [fights] before getting there. He believes in it. It takes a lot of psychotic skills. If we can sign up more guys like me, him, and I think bare-knuckle is big, big business.”

Of course, McGregor has often touted his interest in eventually competing in a bare-knuckle fight before his career is over. Right now, McGregor sits with two bout left on his current UFC contract and he’s still planning on an eventual showdown against Michael Chandler when he finally returns to action.

Whether it’s now or later, Stephens would love the chance to throw down with McGregor in the bare-knuckle ring to finally settle their unfinished business from 2016.

“Perfect story, but honestly credit to Conor and all that, but if he ever got in there with me, I’d break his f*cking neck,” Stephens said. “I’d get a big f*cking fat check that would just relieve all my anxiety that I get to go in there and plaster someone like him. In due time.

“My performances speak for themselves. I continue to get better. This is what f*cking 38 looks like. I’m not on f*cking drugs. I’m not out here breaking my bones or this and that. I’ve continued to stay healthy. I’ve continued to put myself into position. If that ever came, I’d break his f*cking neck and I’d put him out. Bare-knuckle would be the spot to do it.”

For his part, McGregor definitely seems open to the idea after touting the upcoming BKFC 65 card on Instagram, along with a friendly reminder about that press conference he shared with Stephens back in the day.

“In our co-main event also we have ‘who the f*ck is that guy’ facing off again against Bobby Taylor,” McGregor wrote. “Me and “who the f*ck” is an exciting bare knuckle fight down the line 100 percent.”

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Dricus Du Plessis became the first fighter to submit Israel Adesanya at UFC 305. Soon after, former kingpin Alex Pereira teased his return to the middleweight division. For any of this to become reality, “Poatan” naturally needs to beat Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 first. Fans and Dana White have acknowledged Pereira’s plans to move […]

Continue Reading Chael Sonnen Exposes Alex Pereira’s ‘Condescending Big Brother Play’ Against Israel Adesanya By Calling Out Dricus Du Plessis at MMA News.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Yuneisy Duben was the breakout star at Tuesday’s Contender Series event, and according to her new boss, she needed a win as much as anyone.

That win came in the form of a spectacular one-punch knockout as Duben (6-0, 1 NC) defeated the massively favored Shannon Clark (5-1) in just 73 seconds. UFC CEO Dana White told reporters after the show that Duben faced incredible financial struggles ahead of her Contender Series fight, to the point that the 28-year-old prospect needed an assist from UFC staff during the week just to make it to fight night.

“The biggest upset in the history of the Contender Series,” White said. “[UFC matchmaker] Mick [Maynard] was telling us that he was going through his text chain with her and her people, she almost didn’t come. She has no money.

“She doesn’t have a dollar to her name right now. … Her per diem got messed up and all this stuff, so the staff had to go grocery shopping for her, and then she comes in and does that. Let me tell you what, she ain’t broke now.”

White confirmed that in addition to receiving a UFC contract, he also gave Duben a bonus check for her performance. The bonus amount was not disclosed.

A native of Venezuela currently fighting out of Peru, Duben described herself as coming from humble beginnings in her own media scrum following Tuesday’s event. She has been working since the age of 12 to provide for herself and her family as well as to fund her MMA training, and mentioned that she has had equipment donated to her in the past.

Duben was grateful to UFC staff and to her faith for helping her get to this point in her career.

“It was really impactful when it happened,” Duben said of the staff’s kind gesture. “But at the same time, I basically said, ‘I’m going to do it. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to fight, I’m going to make it, I’m going to go out there, I’m going to shine. This night is mine and I’m going to make it happen.’ I think that who I have to thank is God. Whatever needed to happen for me to be here happened and that’s how I believe it happened.”

That single-mindedness is what drove Duben to power through her fight with Clark, who was as high as a 13-to-1 favorite according to White.

As Duben tells it, she didn’t even go through the usual pre-fight routine of sparring or warming up before walking out to the UFC APEX cage. Instead, she focused on the vision of her landing a knockout punch, an idea that proved to be prophetic.

“That’s exactly what was happening,” Duben said. “I was saying, ‘I’m going to do it.’ Not just here, when we were here, but all throughout. I was dreaming, I was visualizing, I was envisioning this happening, that I was going to do it, that I was going to do it that way. Back when we were warming up, the same thing, I would raise my hand. This is what’s going to happen, I’m going to come out victorious, this red corner is going to win, and it happened.”

Watch Duben’s post-fight media scrum below, courtesy of Amy Kaplan MMA.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

With a $ 20 million investment, UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas promises to look different from every other card the promotion has produced.

The ambitious endeavor serves as the first live sporting event at the massive $ 2.3 billion arena that boasts wraparound LED screens throughout the entire arena, with 16K resolution along with immersive sound for those in attendance. UFC CEO Dana White made it his mission to take a card to the Sphere after attending a U2 concert at the arena alongside NFL legend Tom Brady.

The timing worked out for the event in September largely due to a dispute between UFC and MGM, who have an overall deal for shows in Las Vegas, with all other major cards taking place at the T-Mobile Arena. After MGM signed a deal with boxer Canelo Alvarez for his fight on Sept. 14 at T-Mobile Arena, UFC was able to strike with the show at the Sphere, which is owned by the same company behind Madison Square Garden in New York.

After securing the venue, UFC began planning an elaborate production centered around Mexican Independence Day and working with director Glenn Weiss, who produces live events like the Oscars and the Emmys.

One of the biggest differences for UFC 306 are a set of six short films that are set to air between fights that celebrate Mexico’s contribution to combat sports. Producer and director Carlos Lopez Estrada helped produce the short films, which run approximately 90 seconds each, and the vignettes will air between each fight on the main card.

“At the highest level, we were trying to think about, how do we put on a live MMA fight — 10 fights throughout the night — and not take away from the fight action, not take too much time in between fights where we slow things down, but also tell this other story about the Mexican people and their heritage and their culture, because it’s rich and it’s deep,” UFC chief content officer Craig Borsari told The Hollywood Reporter.

In addition to the six short films airing during UFC 306, Borsari also revealed that each fight takes place in a different “world,” with images projected onto the massive curved LED screen on the inside of the arena.

“Those would be our main drivers for storytelling, everything that Dana wanted to get across … those films then transition into what we’re calling these worlds, which is like these environments that take up the entire LED screen, that then the fights sit within,” Borsari explained.

“So there’s what we call a film and a world and an act. So there’s these acts that take you through the entire night, and we tell the story within those acts.”

The immense cost along with UFC’s existing relationship with MGM likely make the event at the Sphere a one-time only project. White revealed that UFC typically spends around $ 2 million for the average pay-per-view and the budget for the card at the Sphere was originally $ 8 million.

Now, with the fights just days away, UFC has invested more than $ 20 million to realize White’s dream to bring an event to the Sphere.

“I said, ‘I’m doing this.’ I didn’t give a shit what the budget was, I’m doing this,” White said. “I truly believe that this is going to be a game-changer, where sports and entertainment truly come together for the first time ever. And I think a lot of other people are going to see this, and I think they’re going to start to changing the way they build these arenas.

“Right now, this is a one and done. We have a deal with MGM, so I have to go back to T-Mobile and do that. But who knows. This was never supposed to happen this year. This wasn’t on our books. This was never planned. But I guarantee you this, if some new technology pops up, I guarantee you I will be first.”

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Umar responds
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UFC

Conor McGregor might be more likely to get into Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship’s (BKFC) than Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Octagon at this point.

The part-owner of the company took to social media this week to help promote the event, BKFC 65, tomorrow night (Fri., Sept. 6, 2024). In the main event, Flyweight champion, Christine Ferea, returns to defend her title against Jade Masson-Wong. However, it’s the co-main event that has McGregor intrigued.

“In our co-main event also we have ‘who the f*ck is that guy’ (Jeremy Stephens) facing off again against Bobby Taylor,” McGregor said on Instagram. “Me and ‘who the f*ck’ is an exciting bare knuckle fight down the line 100%!”

Longtime UFC veteran, Stephens, 38, recently turned to bare-knuckle boxing (BKB) when he made a successful debut against Jimmie Rivera in December 2023. When it comes to McGregor, the pair infamously had their interaction at a UFC pre-fight press conference when Stephens made a comment towards McGregor and received the “who the f*ck is that guy” response.

Although they have their — albeit minor — history, Stephens isn’t bothered to see “The Notorious” in a position of power over him.

“I got a boss now in Conor McGregor, who is writing my checks,” Stephens told MMA Fighting. “I could potentially be fighting my own boss! There’s a lot of people out there who want that Conor fight, but if he was ever to come over to bare-knuckle, I’m on a hot streak, get the ball f*cking rolling. I would love to be that f*cking guy to welcome him to bare-knuckle.

“I don’t get tired. I can take a f*cking shot. I’ve been in the f*cking game. I would love to max out that opportunity and put myself into those opportunities. Day by day, brick by brick, it will come.”

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