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A low of eyebrows raised when the pre-fight press conference planned for Dublin, Ireland was postponed at the very last-second. Immediately, speculation and concern about Conor McGregor and his expected comeback performance rose, and a vague public statement from the Irish superstar did little to assuage concerns.

Theories from drug use to issues with the law rose quickly, but the current rumor and speculation inside the industry is that McGregor suffered a minor injury. There’s only a few weeks until the UFC 303 card, so what happens if McGregor isn’t able to recover and perform?

According to Chael Sonnen, McGregor will be there, because it’s part of his fighter’s code to show up no matter what. However, if McGregor is unable to attend, Sonnen expects UFC to turn to Max Holloway to save the day and put his BMF title on the line against Michael Chandler.

“A man will live his life by a code, and that code might not be in line with standard societal policies or even laws, but he will adhere to that code at all costs. One of Conor’s codes is the show must go on! When he was broken in half his last fight, and Joe said, ‘I don’t interview injured guys, we got to get you on a stretcher,’ Conor called him over and pulled him down to the mat. Joe sat down to do that interview, why? Because we’ve yet to fade to black and roll the credits, and the show must go on.

I happened to be with Conor McGregor when Jose Aldo pulled out and Chad Mendes got stuck in. We’re on the campus of ESPN doing some media. I was there when Conor took the call and couldn’t have possibly cared any less of the opponent change because the show must go on! I just don’t believe that a month in advance — whether it’s illness or injury or any other excuse — that Conor is gonna be the one to pull. It would change the code that he must, as a human being, fiercely adhere to.

But I will tell you this: there will be no postponement of this fight. They either fight on the 29th or we move on. Oh, and by the way, the show is still gonna happen. I believe Conor is gonna be opposite Michael Chandler, I’m very confident in telling you that. However, if he’s not, Michael Chandler vs. Max Holloway for the BMF is the fight to book.”

There’s still a lot of unknowns regarding McGregor’s situation and why he canceled the media obligations. His preparation for UFC 303 could be going perfectly! If something is up, however, it would be hard to ask for a better replacement for a marquee fight than Max Holloway.

Stay tuned for further updates to UFC 303 and the Conor McGregor situation.

Insomnia

Maybe I’m reading into this a bit, but it feels like Islam Makhachev would be more willing to cross paths with Belal Muhammad than the opposite.

Elite kickboxers working their close distance offense in a controlled fashion:

Guram Kutateladze finally has an opponent and return date booked.

A demonstration on why the top rule in wrestling is not to wrestle from your knees! Knees can touch for a second, but then it’s time to build back up to good posture.

Jailton Almeida vs. Ciryl Gane is so clearly the fight to book.

Here’s wishing Marlon Moraes the best in his next chapter!

Chris Curtis would certainly test whether or not Paulo Costa still has that dog in him — book it!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

If you need a regional Heavyweight fight to end via knockout (one way or another), ex-UFC Middleweight Alex Nicholson is the guy to call.

Stepped hard into the cross and it landed flush:

This is the level of aggression and opportunism it takes to capitalize as a big underdog.

Random Land

If you haven’t seen it, go watch Godzilla Minus One. It’s awesome!

Midnight Music: Soul, 1966

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

MMAmania.com – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Stephen A. Smith believes Conor McGregor has “no business” being inside the Octagon with a grappler. Especially when that grappler’s name is Islam Makhachev.

On Saturday (June 1) the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ successfully retained his lightweight world title, dispatching division fan favorite Dustin Poirier in the fifth round via submission, extending his unbeaten streak to 14 straight and further establishing himself as the No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the world — even if Dana White doesn’t agree.

Being the protege of Octagon icon Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev has a natural enemy in Conor McGregor. In the weeks leading up to UFC 302, both men have taken jabs at one another on social media and in interviews, with McGregor being especially nasty toward his former foe’s successor.

Their continued back-and-forth has only further fueled rumors that the two could end up going toe-to-toe inside the Octagon one day.

While that fight seems rather unlikely with both men on very different career trajectories, money talks, and the UFC is in the business of making money. And nobody makes more money than ‘Mystic Mac.’

Stephen A. Smith is confident makhachev would finish McGregor ‘inside of two rounds’

Joining host Molly Qerim on ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith was adamantly opposed to the idea of McGregor squaring off with Makhachev, claiming that it would be “the worst possible fight” for the Irish megastar.

“Conor McGregor has no business being in the Octagon against a grappler, which is what Makhachev… This brother right here is something special and he’s not going to try and strike against McGregor,” Smith said. “Just like he tried on numerous occasions to get [Dustin] Poirier to the ground [at UFC 302] before successfully doing so with that ankle wrap and ultimately getting him.

“That’s exactly what he’s going to do with McGregor. His whole objective is going to be about getting him to the ground. I think it’s the worst possible fight we could possibly want to see in the UFC. There’s is no purpose whatsoever.

“We should literally protest if they try to put [Islam] Makhachev in the Octagon against Conor McGregor because I believe that fight would be over inside of two rounds. He’ll get Conor to submit, it’s that simple. That’s not the fight we want to see. We want to see someone that’s going to try and knock Conor out and Conor try to knock them out. We don’t want to see a grappler inside the Octagon against Conor McGregor because chances are, it’s going to end soon.”

LowKickMMA.com

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

KSI isn’t here to be a Mike Tyson replacement.

Following the news that Tyson’s July 20 boxing match with Jake Paul had been postponed due to the heavyweight legend having health issues, Paul suggested on social media that his fellow influencer and longtime rival KSI step in for Tyson.

“KSI’s coach saying he is over 200 pounds right now?” Paul wrote. “So no weight excuses… Let’s run it for July 20 and then Paul vs. Tyson in October/November.”

According to KSI, he is unavailable to fight in July as he has a fight scheduled for August.

“I’ve already got a fight lined up in August,” KSI replied on social media. “Instead of fighting an [old-age pensioner] at the end of the year (no one wants to see this), fight me in December instead.”

The two continued to go back and forth via tweets, with Paul mocking KSI for not agreeing to the July 20 date and suggesting that they meet in a boxing match at 200 pounds in February instead.

KSI countered that they instead compete at 185 pounds and insisted on a December date.

Paul then wrote that his bout with KSI could be a double bill in February, with Paul’s brother Logan Paul taking on KSI’s brother Deji.

Logan, currently working as a professional wrestler with WWE, has a long history with KSI. Formerly rivals, but now friends and business partners, Logan and KSI were pioneers of the now-widespread influencer boxing trend, having previously fought each other in 2018 and 2019. The first bout, an amateur contest, ended in a majority draw, while their second meeting sanctioned as a pro bout was won by KSI via split decision.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

On Sunday, the UFC abruptly canceled a planned UFC 303 press conference that was scheduled to take place tonight at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.  At the time of the cancellation, no reason was given.  

On Monday, Dublin’s own Conor McGregor, who headlines the fight card against Michael Chandler, released a statement about the press conference postponement.  

“In consultation with the UFC, todays press conference was cancelled due to a series of obstacles outside of our control. I apologize to my Irish fans, and fans around the world, for the inconvenience and appreciate all your passion and support. I can’t wait to put on the greatest all-time show in the Octagon,” McGregor wrote on social media. 

In consultation with the UFC, todays press conference was cancelled due to a series of obstacles outside of our control. I apologize to my Irish fans, and fans around the world, for the inconvenience and appreciate all your passion and support. I can’t wait to put on the greatest…

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 3, 2024

 UFC 303 takes place on June 29 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.  McGregor has been out of action since suffering a broken leg in his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.  The event set a new UFC live-gate record with over $ 20 million in ticket sales. The Dublin press conference was a free event but tickets were issued. As expected the tickets were claimed within minutes.

McGregor and the fight promotion apologized to the fans that planned to attend the press conference.  UFC CEO Dana White left the UFC 302 Post-Fight Press conference on Saturday to travel to Dublin to meet with McGregor.  Chandler found out about the cancelation before traveling to Ireland.      

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