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Angela Lee was always among the list of fighters that mixed martial arts (MMA) fans wanted to see in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) one day.

The former ONE Championship 115-pound Atomweight champion made history when she became the youngest fighter in MMA history to hold a major world title. Lee, 28, captured gold at age 19 when she earned a unanimous decision over her veteran counterpart, Mei Yamaguchi, in May 2016. The fight would be the first of several all-time classics Lee had in her epic 14-fight career (11-3).

Unfortunately for fans, Lee retired after the tragic loss of her younger sister, Victoria Lee, in 2023. In reflection, “Unstoppable” admits she always thought about what it would have been like to have any of her fights outside of the ONE cage, specifically in UFC.

“I think if you ask any fighter, any champion, they wanna go out and test themselves,” Lee told Demetrious Johnson. “That’s what it means to be a fighter. You’re always looking for the next challenge. If you ask any of them, yes, 100 percent, they would love to go and fight the best of the best and really find out who was No. 1.

“It’s come across my mind multiple times, of course, seeing the top-level fighters in other organizations,” she continued. “Looking back now, it’s really hard because when you’re in the organization, especially at the top, it’s such a scary thing to go out and jump ship or try.”

Lee successfully defended her Atomweight title five times before she left MMA. In that time, she went through several troubles outside the cage, mentally and physically, along with becoming a mother. The final nail in her career’s coffin was simply admitting her passion was no longer what it once was.

“I told myself, I love it, I love it, I love it, for so long,” Lee said. “After a while, I wasn’t really honest with myself about like, ‘Hey, I think I might be getting burnt out. Hey, this is not really fun anymore. I want a break.’ But I didn’t know how to or … I did voice it up to my team and my family, but there was some disagreement about, ‘Hey, this is not really the time to do that and this and that.’”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Conor McGregor doesn’t believe Canelo Alvarez is a top-notch pay-per-view draw.

McGregor, the UFC’s all-time biggest star and co-owner of BKFC, recently gave his thoughts on Alvarez’s upcoming main event matchup with Edgar Berlanga taking place on the same date — and in the same city — as UFC 306 on Sept. 14, the UFC’s first event at the Sphere, along with Alvarez’s ability to draw money and interest as he prepares to fight down the street at the T-Mobile Arena.

The response from McGregor stems from Alvarez’s recent comments that he wants $ 200 million too face David Benavidez in a future fight.

“Canelo is a cornflake,” McGregor said. “He has about [300,000] buys in him. He does not generate nothing near what he seeks to be paid.

“UFC [306] is going to run them from the strip. Sheik Turki was right moving on. Canelo doesn’t sell.”

McGregor hasn’t competed in the octagon since suffering an brutal broken leg in his first-round stoppage loss against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.

“The Notorious” was booked to return at UFC 303 in June, but a broken toe postponed his bout with Michael Chandler to a later date that still hasn’t been determined.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

LOS ANGELES — The anticipated build towards Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga ratcheted up another notch on Tuesday as the fighters came face-to-face for the second time following a press conference in Los Angeles. This time around, Canelo and Berlanga were engaged in a back-and-forth war of words as they jawed at each other during the customary faceoff.

When they weren’t talking, the fighters were staring daggers through each other as they prepare to meet in a pivotal matchup scheduled for Sept. 14 with the fight taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

You can also watch the highlights from the Canelo vs. Berlanga press conference below:

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Chris Gutierrez is going from one stiff challenge to another.

The UFC has announced a handful of late changes to this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 95 event, including Gutierrez getting a new opponent with the withdrawal of Javid Basharat. Stepping in for Basharat is undefeated octagon newcomer Quang Le.

The reason for Basharat’s withdrawal was not disclosed.

Gutierrez (20-6-2) looks to rebound from a decision loss to Song Yadong in the main event of a Fight Night card this past December. “El Guapo” is 1-2 since seeing an eight-fight unbeaten streak end in 2022, a run that had him on the cusp of a top-10 ranking.

Quang was expected to fight Aaron Tau on the Contender Series this upcoming season, but now heads straight to the UFC on less than a week’s notice. “Bang” is 8-0 since turning pro in 2021, with all but one of his fights taking place under the LFA banner.

Also debuting as a replacement is past Contender Series contestant Nikolay Veretennikov (12-4). He steps in for Uros Medic to fight Danny Barlow (8-0) at 170 pounds.

Two other bouts have also been removed from Saturday’s card.

Allan Nascimento was forced to withdraw from a flyweight fight with Jafel Filho due to an illness, and Jonny Parsons has also been removed from a welterweight bout with Yusaku Kinoshita. Both fights are cancelled.

UFC Vegas 95 is headlined by a heavyweight rematch between Marcin Tybura and Serghei Spivac.

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UFC Vegas 95, which airs on both ESPN and ESPN+, just lost another main card matchup, marking the promotion’s fourth lineup change ahead of this weekend’s (Sat., Aug. 10, 2024) return to the UFC APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

UFC newcomer Quang Le will replace bounced bantamweight Javid Basharat to challenge 135-pound veteran Chris Gutierrez in the UFC Vegas 95 co-main event. In addition, Dana White’s “Contender Series” standout Nikolay Veretennikov steps in for Uros Medic to lock horns with Danny Barlow at 170 pounds.

Jonny Parsons was yanked from his welterweight bout with Yusaku Kinoshita, but no replacement could be secured in time and their contest was scrapped altogether. Joining them on the list of canceled fights is the flyweight showdown pitting Allan Nascimento against Jafel Filho, thanks to a late illness suffered by Nascimento.

We still have four days to go and everyone has to make weight, so this latest iteration of the “Tybura vs. Spivac 2” lineup is hardly a guarantee. For the current UFC Vegas 95 fight card and ESPN/ESPN+ bout order click here.

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