CombatSports.org

UFC

submitted by /u/rmma
[link] [comments]
MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Colby Covington offered to welcome Charles Oliveira to the welterweight division, and “do Bronx” isn’t ruling out facing “Chaos” in his next UFC appearance.

Covington mentioned the Brazilian recently after indicating he will not be fighting Ian Machado Garry, and went an extra mile by saying he has better grappling than the man who holds the record for most submission wins all-time in the UFC.

Oliveira admitted that he didn’t expect the callout, but liked it.

“I was surprised he said my name,” Oliveira said in an interview with UFC Brasil. “Colby has this style of selling fights, talking a bunch to crap. I don’t know him personally so I can’t say, I only see it on TV and when he talks. He called me out, he said his jiu-jitsu is better, his wrestling is better, that he’s better than me in everything.

“Could it be a big fight? It could be. It’s a fight that would make me money, going up a division and fighting stronger. But do I think about it? I don’t know. I’ll sit down and talk to the UFC and see what they think. I think [my managers] Diego [Lima] and [Jorge Patino] ‘Macaco’ will clash heads with them [to decide]. But it could be. We can’t rule it out.”

Covington last fought in December 2023, losing a one-sided decision to 170-pound champion Leon Edwards. The former interim welterweight champion has been victorious in 12 of his 16 octagon appearances.

Oliveira, a former UFC lightweight champion, most recently came up short against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300 in April, dropping his UFC record to 22-10 with one no-contest.

Oliveira said he had a boil on his calf two days before UFC 300 weigh-ins in April and had to wait a bit longer to be able to return to training. “Do Bronx” hopes to be back in the cage by July or August, before the birth of his son Dominic, but has no names on the table yet.

In his head, however, Oliveira has another potential opponent that interests him for a legacy fight: BMF titleholder Max Holloway.

Oliveira and Holloway fought in a featherweight showdown in 2015 and the Hawaiian star won after Oliveira suffered a neck injury right after the 1:30 mark.

“Absolutely. Why not? It’s about legacy,” Oliveira said. “Max Holloway has the belt and we fought before and everybody knows I had an injury during the fight. So, why not fight now? It would be good too. We talk about legacy, history, so winning this belt would be something gigantic too.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

UFC

submitted by /u/rmma
[link] [comments]
MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Conor McGregor doesn’t have anything good to say about reigning UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.

The former 145-pound king addressed Topuria during a live chat on Monday, with the Irish superstar erupting when asked for an opinion about him. McGregor likened Topuria to former friend and teammate Artem Lobov, who is now involved in a multi-million dollar lawsuit against him over profits from the sale of his Proper 12 Irish whiskey.

“F*ck him, too,” McGregor said of Topuria. “I don’t give a f*ck about him either. He reminds me of a little r*tard Artem Lobov. Topuria, [he] does, two little r*tards.”

So why doesn’t McGregor like Topuria very much?

Well, it apparently comes down to money rather than the spirit of competition.

McGregor took issue with Topuria becoming featherweight champion in February and then immediately talking about his increasing star power. Topuria claimed that by 2025, he will become the highest paid athlete in the world.

McGregor, who actually held that spot in 2021 according to Forbes Magazine, mocked Topuria for that statement and his misapprehension about making a list like that in 2025 when the counting begins a year earlier.

“I’ll tell you why I said what I said about him,” McGregor said. “Because he’s talking about, he’s going to be the highest paid athlete in 2025. It’s 2024. It’s actually now. The 2025 highest paid athlete list begins right now. The list came out only recent and that means he’s going to have to rake in about $ 200, $ 300 million. Don’t be silly, lad.

“It just reminded me of Artem Lobov. Just a stupid, little fool. Talking billions from a f*cking banger of a car. Thinks he knows it all, he’s only a little baldy fool.”

While Topuria has teased a possible move to lightweight, it’s virutally impossible that McGregor would ever entertain a return to his old stomping grounds at 145 pounds.

Regardless of weight class, McGregor doesn’t seem interesting in actually fighting Topuria because the featherweight champ hasn’t done enough yet to earn that opportunity.

In fact, McGregor expects former foe Max Holloway to dispatch Topuria if they meet in a matchup that’s currently being targeted to take place sometime before the end of 2024.

“Holloway, too light, too fast,” McGregor said. “I think Holloway picks him apart. If they fight. Holloway has done it, he has that featherweight title. He’s had it for a long time. He’s now the ‘BMF.’ Topuria, for me, is a non-champion in my opinion. He might have a strap but it’s a meaningless strap, in my opinion, as he holds it. I don’t see any attraction to it. What’s he Georgian? Spanish? What is he? I don’t even know where he is.”

More than anything, McGregor just doesn’t understand the attraction to Topuria in recent months since becoming champion with a second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski.

“I don’t get the buzz with him,” McGregor said. “There is no buzz with him. He needs to keep fighting. Topuria needs to keep fighting.”

Even though he mostly focused his opinion on the current UFC champ at 145 pounds, McGregor didn’t have much kind to say about the previous person to hold the title either.

“Thoughts on Volkanovski?” McGregor said. “No thoughts. F*ck him too. I’d have kicked his head clean off his shoulders and that’s a fact.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will return to the boxing ring on June 15 in São Paulo, Brazil against a fellow UFC Hall of Famer.  

Silva and Chael Sonnen announced their boxing match via social media on Sunday.  

Anderson, I’ll see you June 15th…#Advertisement @spiderandersonsilva @spaten_br #BebaComModeração #SpatenFightNight #UltimaLutaSpider #EstiloForteSpaten pic.twitter.com/PUZ1AGAm3Z

— Chael Sonnen (@ChaelSonnen) May 20, 2024

View the original article to see embedded media.

The bout will be a professional boxing match and will consist of five, two-minute rounds.  The match will take place at 216 pounds.  

Silva retired from mixed martial arts in 2020 to pursue other interests, including boxing.  In March 2021, Silva fought former WBC middleweight champion César Chávez Jr. and won via split decision.  In September of 2021, Silva knocked out former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Tito Ortiz in 82 seconds.  In October 2022, Silva last stepped into the boxing rind, losing to Jake Paul via unanimous decision.  It was the last time Silva competed in combat sports.    

The bout will Sonnen’s professional boxing debut.  He and Silva fought twice while in the UFC.  Silva won both matches.  Their first fight at UFC 117 in August 2010 will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame fight wing this July.  Sonnen last fought MMA in June 2019 under the Bellator banner.    

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

Odds
| BJPenn.com

Chael Sonnen is going to end his combat sports retirement.

To the surprise of everyone, it was announced yesterday that three-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title challenger, Sonnen, is set to box against his biggest rival, Anderson Silva. The match will officially be an exhibition and take place in Sao Paulo, Brazil next month (Sat., June 15, 2024).

Sonnen, 47, retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) after a second round technical knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222 in January 2019. The Silva trilogy will be his debut as a boxer and won’t be his last time in action.

“He offered to do MMA rules,” Sonnen said on Good Guy / Bad Guy. “According to them, Anderson said for Chael to pick the ruleset and it was just a situation where I’ve always wanted to box.

“I’ve got this thing coming up with Jorge Masvidal in October,” he continued. “That thing’s been coming up ever since ESPN sequestered me in Miami at [UFC] 299 to try to protect me from Jorge Masvidal. There was nothing that hurt my ego more than me being the one that’s being locked down. I’ve known this Masvidal thing was coming and then when do you let the cat out of the bag? Masvidal vs. [Nate] Diaz, I don’t want to step on Diaz’s toes, he’s got that fight, but allegedly they moved that fight closer to the [Jake] Paul [vs. Mike] Tyson fight.

“I got Jorge in my sights,” Sonnen concluded. “Anderson, as badly as I want to beat him and as much as I am going to go out there and beat him, it’s all a step in the process. When I get in there with Masvidal, it’s going to be eight rounds and they are going to have the 10 or the 12-ounce gloves, a little bit different situation.”

Sonnen and Masvidal have recently thrown verbal jabs at each other, catching the fight community somewhat off guard. Before they can have a boxing match as Sonnen alludes to, Masvidal will battle Diaz on July 7, 2024. Masvidal, 39, will also be ending his retirement when he takes on Diaz.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

submitted by /u/AbrahamRinkin [link] [comments]

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts