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UFC CEO Dana White still doesn’t expect Conor McGregor to return in 2024, but he won’t rule it out completely.

A couple days ago, White dropped an unfortunate update on McGregor’s much-anticipated UFC comeback, explaining that he would not be returning this year after his pinky toe derailed a scheduled July clash versus Michael Chandler. Seeing as McGregor’s injury was relatively minor, it was a surprise that the delay would be so long, and there have been some strong reactions.

McGregor himself, for example, was upset! He took to Twitter to argue his case and demand a December booking. His would-be opponent, Michael Chandler, is still unconvinced that the fight is off, though he did offer up one replacement option. McGregor also reached out to White directly, which resulted in at least a mild walk back of his former comments.

White elaborated further on the McGregor negotiations and explained, “You can imagine after I said that, Conor was blowing me up, going ‘I’ll definitely fight this year!’ When we get to a point where we’re setting a fight, and I believe that a Conor McGregor fight is going to happen, I will announce it. As of right now, I believe that Conor will not fight this year.

“Conor saying he wants to fight in December? We’ll see how it plays out.”

White’s quote isn’t confidence-inspiring, but at least it’s slightly more optimistic than the previous update?

Insomnia

Colby Covington is hitting a new low with whatever the f—k this nonsense is.

Dana getting told to his face that Power Slap is monotonous is long overdue.

Heavyweight action coming to an Apex near you!

Dricus Du Plessis puts in a formal request that Israel Adesanya stops being weird, which I don’t think is possible!

On a more classy note: “DDP” showing respect to Israel Adesanya’s coach and talking about those 2014 training sessions.

It’s been a really long time since Stipe Miocic won a fight.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Carlos Prates is here to kick ass and rip cigs.

Surgical destruction of the lead leg makes for a great high kick setup.

Elbow war!

Random Land

This dog’s face is the funniest thing I’ve seen in weeks (don’t get mad at me in the comments, it’s a bit!).

Midnight Music: Alternative, 1995

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

At the UFC 305 press conference, a plethora of fighters from Saturday’s pay-per-view event will take the stage Friday morning.

Dricus du Plessis, Israel Adesanya, Kai Kara-France, Steve Erceg, Mateusz Gamrot, Dan Hooker, Tai Tuivasa, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik are expected to attend the event at the RAC Arena.

The UFC 305 press conference is scheduled to begin at 4 a.m. ET.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Following claims this week from former undisputed UFC middleweight champion, Sean Strickland which accused prominent mixed martial arts manager, Tiki Ghosn of engaging in inappropriate relationships, which included the assault of a woman on numerous occasions, as well as both encouraging and accepting sexual favors, the former claims more victims have come forward.

Strickland, the current number one ranked middleweight challenger, most recently featured on the main card of UFC 302 earlier this year in New Jersey, landing a unanimous decision win over Paulo Costa – which has since earned him a rematch with the victor of this weekend’s UFC 305 title fight between former foes, Dricus du Plessis, and Israel Adesanya.

However, earlier this week, the outspoken Strickland came forward – accusing the previously mentioned, Ghosn of assaulting a female fighter on numerous occasions, having spoken with the alleged victim’s father.

“So, Tiki, what I say to you is, if you want to sue me for slander, defamation – I’m not slandering you, I’m not making this up,” Sean Strickland said in a video released, claiming he had spoken to the alleged victim’s father. “This is what was told to me by the girl’s father. If you want to sue me, I will crowd fund this, and we will go to court, and I will fight you.”

Sean Strickland levels further accusations against Tiki Ghosn

However, while Ghosn has yet to comment on the accusations levelled against him, Strickland has now claimed further victims have spoken to him regarding the manger’s alleged misconduct.

“I have received a couple messages from girls who are very credible,” Sean Strickland posted on his official X account. “Really bad… Worse than I thought. If they want to stay in the shadows, I will respect that. But I am going to ask if I can share their messages with the UFC. Tiki, you don’t deserve the life you have.”

LowKickMMA.com

We’re deep into UFC 305 fight week, meaning it’s time for the top fighters set to be in action on August 17 to take to the stage and answer some questions.

The MMA leader’s latest numbered event takes place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, where the main attraction of the promotion’s trip Down Under will see UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis put his belt on the line in a grudge match against Israel Adesanya.

Setting the stage for the headliners will be Perth’s own Steve Erceg and Adesanya’s fellow City Kickboxing standout Kai Kara-France. The former will look to bounce back from his narrow title defeat to Alexandre Pantoja in Brazil this past May, while his Kiwi opponent returns over a year on from a setback opposite Amir Albazi last time out.

Also of note on the main card is the chance for Dan Hooker to return to the lightweight title picture against top-five contender Mateusz Gamrot, a likely guaranteed knockout when Tai Tuivasa and Jairzinho Rozenstruik collide, and the comeback of “The Leech” Li Jingliang.

As is customary during major fight weeks, the athletes will take to the stage on Friday afternoon local time for the pre-fight press conference. The UFC 305 edition sees the final eight fighters set to be in action with mic in hand.

Check out a live stream of the presser below via the UFC’s official YouTube channel, commencing at 4 AM ET.

UFC 305 Pre-Fight Press Conference Live Stream

Continue Reading UFC 305 Press Conference Live Stream: Featuring Dricus Du Plessis, Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker, Tai Tuivasa, & More (4 AM ET) at MMA News.

MMA News

After months of worrying reports, Khabib Nurmagomedov can go back to enjoying his retirement after settling his debt with the Russian tax service.

The Dagestani has left a flawless legacy in the sport of mixed martial arts and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest to ever do it. Despite being loved by millions, ‘The Eagle’ almost tarnished his name in his home country due to alleged tax evasion.

$ 3.4 million was the reported amount owed to the tax authorities by Khabib Nurmagomedov. Thankfully, that period of uncertainty is over as Khabib was been declared debt free by Telegram outlet SHOT.

Amid the confusion of his large amount of debt, the 35-year-old had almost $ 1 million worth of cars seized — alongside his bank accounts — by the Russian government. 

Though nothing was confirmed, reports claimed that in order to clear his debts, the head of the Nurmagomedov clan would return to the UFC. And when he was spotted back with his former coach Javier Mendez, speculation began to pile up, though that now looks like an improbability.

Related: Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov intense video footage surfaces

Other rumors hinted at Khabib possibly leaving Russia for good. The global star was thought to have fled his home and was contemplating becoming a UAE citizen.

While that no longer needs to be the case, there’s one place that the combat sports icon is always welcome. According to the man himself, Donald Trump is a huge fan of the former UFC champion, announcing him as his favorite fighter earlier this month.

The feeling is mutual between the two, as Khabib Nurmagomedov was snapped sharing words with Donald Trump at a recent UFC event. Khabib made a plea to the former US President and believes he is the only man who is powerful enough to step in and stop the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine.

MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Conor McGregor appears determined to fight in 2024, but Dana White has other plans.

Days after White surprised many by announcing that McGregor won’t fight in 2024 despite calls for a December date with Michael Chandler, the UFC CEO doubled down on his comments, reiterating to Canadian broadcast partner SportsNet that he strongly believes McGregor won’t make his UFC return in 2024 regardless of McGregor stating otherwise.

“I don’t know what Chandler’s planning on doing. I know he’s kind of kicking around right now,” White told SportsNet. “You know, you can imagine after I said that, Conor was blowing me up, going, ‘I’ll definitely fight this year.’ When we get to a point where we’re setting a fight and I believe that a Conor McGregor fight is going to happen, I will announce it.

“As of right now, I believe that Conor will not fight this year. Conor’s saying he wants to fight, he wants to fight in December. We’ll see how it plays out.”

Following White’s comments, McGregor issued a simple all-caps statement on social media Thursday night: “THE UFC LOVE AND WANT ME FOR DECEMBER! I AM READY.”

Chandler quickly agreed to McGregor’s proposed December date: “December it is.”

McGregor, 35, has been tentatively linked to a UFC return bout against Chandler since coaching against the former Bellator champion on The Ultimate Fighter 31 in early 2023. After a long, drawn-out saga, McGregor’s comeback fight against Chandler was initially scheduled for June 29 at UFC 303, however McGregor ultimately withdrew from the bout due to a broken pinky toe. “The Notorious” has not competed since suffering a broken leg in his July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier, but publicly maintains his desire to make a UFC return.

Chandler has also sidelined himself since a November 2022 loss to Poirier, largely to wait for McGregor. He told TMZ on Wednesday that he still hopes to fight McGregor in December but also indicated a willingness to move on to a different matchup if the McGregor bout fails to come together in 2024. He added that he believes White may not have been entirely truthful with his comments nixing the idea of McGregor making a winter return.

“There’s no reason why Conor can’t fight this year,” Chandler said. “Obviously, you know I can fight this year. I think it comes down to scheduling. December makes a lot of sense. November, you’ve got MSG, it’s already kind of booked up. Before that, you’ve got Abu Dhabi, so December is that big pay-per-view card. You know, cap off the year with a huge pay-per-view, Chandler vs. McGregor. Makes a lot of sense.

“Dana, as much as we love him, he has also said some things that were just absolutely false in press conferences and whatnot — which, that’s his job. Sometimes it’s his job to give you the exact information; his job is, sometimes, to give you misinformation. So sometimes, saying the fight isn’t happening this year might mean that this fight is happening this year, just like he did when I already knew I was fighting June 29.

“So you can read between the lines, but as far as I know, this fight has some very huge prospects to fight by the end of the year. Conor’s ready, I’m ready, let’s sign on the dotted line.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Josh Silveira is looking for revenge, a belt, and a $ 1 million check in the 2024 PFL light heavyweight playoffs.

The son of American Top Team head coach Conan Silveira goes toe-to-toe with the man who beat him for the light heavyweight title in the 2023 season, Impa Kasanganay, at Friday’s PFL 8 card in Hollywood, Fla. Silveira vows to be “a whole new Joshua” in the semifinal match.

“I’m going to beat that guy, that’s for sure,” Silveira told MMA Fighting. “I’ve learned a lot from that fight. Unfortunately I lost in a crucial moment, a million [dollars on the line], the belt, but that’s part of fighting. Impa has experienced a bad loss in the UFC, he was cut, so he felt that pain before. He didn’t want to feel that pain again that night, you know? It was my time to feel that pain and I’ve learned a lot. And now I’m fighting as a fighter who has felt that pain and won’t let it happen again.”

The unanimous decision setback against Kasanganay in the 2023 finale wasn’t Silveira’s first MMA loss, but he says his 2022 defeat to teammate Omari Akhmedov felt “quite weird,” so it didn’t hurt like the one to Kasanganay.

“I didn’t have much chance to hit [Kasanganay] in the fight,” Silveira said. “I think I felt the pressure of the moment and that got me tired, and he did a good job. But thank God we’re here again, and I’ll be able to fight someone that has defeated me, which doesn’t happen very often in MMA. And it will be very different this time around.

“[Losing] is part of the sport. No champion, except Khabib [Nurmagomedov], ends a career like that [undefeated]. Losing is part of the game. We have to learn from it and train to make sure it’s a different result in the next fight.”

Kasanganay remains undefeated in the PFL season and playoff matches, losing only a split decision when he fought Johnny Eblen in a champion vs. champion match between PFL and Bellator titleholders. The UFC veteran stopped Alex Polizzi and Jakob Nedoh in the 2024 regular season, and Silveira promises an aggressive game plan Friday.

“You’re going to see a man with attitude, a man who doesn’t accept what happened last time,” Silveira said. “I’d rather get the KO or get knocked out, but I’ll have to try. That’s how I’ll fight. Last time we fought there was too much pressure, and it didn’t work out. This time, I’ll embrace everything I’m feeling and go in there to beat that guy.”

Silveira won the first fight of the 2024 season after Sadibou Sy suffered an injury 74 seconds into the match in April, then lost a split decision to Rob Wilkinson two months later. Silveira had enough points to advance to the playoffs, and saw Wilkinson advance to the other side of the brackets against fellow ATT fighter Dovlet Yagshimuradov.

Silveira hopes his teammate Yagshimuradov makes it to the final as well, but admits it would be sweeter to claim the PFL title by avenging two defeats.

“I feel like I won that fight, but that’s something we can’t control,” Silveira said of the Wilkinson loss. “I feel like I was the aggressor. He’s a boxer who knocks everybody out, but he became a grappler that night, and I wasn’t expecting that. I was the one trying to finish the fight. When I lost that fight, I didn’t feel that pain. I was thankful for making it to the playoffs so I didn’t think too much about the loss. I know I fought well against a tough guy, and to rematch him and Impa would make it a nice story, beating two guys that have defeated me. I would like to beat Wilkinson again just to show the world that I won that fight.”

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