CombatSports.org

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

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Michael “Venom” Page wants an all-Europe battle for his next fight in the UFC.

Earlier this month, Page made his highly anticipated UFC debut, winning a unanimous decision over Kevin Holland at UFC 299. The longtime Bellator standout entered the promotion already one of the more popular fighters in the sport and with a UFC win now under his belt, Page hopes his next outing can take place at the promotion’s rumored return to England in July, perhaps with the added layer of a good, old fashioned England vs. Ireland rivalry.

“Just looking at the rankings, I think one that makes the most sense would be Ian [Machado] Garry,” Page told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “Considering he thought I wasn’t going to get past Kevin. … There was an interview he did, I’m not sure on what, they asked him his views on me, he was like, ‘Who is he fighting? Oh he’s not going to beat Kevin. No way he gets past Kevin.’ Very dismissive. Which is fine. People ask me about my views, everyone is entitle to their opinion. There’s no need to be angry about it, but now I’ve gotten past and maybe you could stop me?

“In the U.K. as well, it’s perfect. That would be a lot of noise there, and I think it’s a good fight. I think he’s ranked seventh, seven is my lucky number.”

Lately, Garry has engendered a lot of animosity among the MMA community for his actions and comments outside of the cage, as well as his personal relationships. And while some may view that as a bad thing, Page sees it as a bonus for building interest.

“He’s a great fighter,” Page said. “Again, no need to be negative towards anybody. He’s sparked a lot of emotional reactions from a lot of people, from his personality, his performances, he’s doing good. But I definitely believe I can beat him, so why not?”

Garry most recently competed at UFC 298, wining a split decision over Geoff Neal, a performance that Page said “wasn’t his best” but ultimately doesn’t change his interest. Garry’s interest is another thing though. “The Future” already called for a fight with former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington which seems to be building some momentum, which could leave Page out in the cold.

And that’s fine for “MVP” if that’s the case, because he’s not focused on specific fights. Back in Bellator, Page never won a title, and he believes it’s because he wasn’t focused on doing so. But now in the UFC, that’s the goal, and whatever fights get him there, those are the ones he wants.

“I feel like I was very blasé about getting the belt in general,” Page said when asked about never winning the Bellator title. “Every time I got there I was like, ‘I’m just enjoying myself, fighting, duh duh duh.’ I think that attitude means you’re going target because I’m not actually aiming for it. Whereas here I’m like, ‘No, I want the belt.’

“I don’t know. I just feel like being a bit more specific about your intentions is going to help with where you get to. Just understanding now, this makes me change what I voice. So yeah, I want the title over here, whereas in Bellator I was like, ‘Eh, if I get the title I don’t care, I just want exciting fights.’ I delivered exciting fights and never got the title. Now I’m here I’m like, ‘I want exciting fights, I want exciting knockouts, and I want the belt.’ There’s a difference.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Strong Pass
| BJPenn.com

TKO Holdings Group, Inc. reached a settlement with UFC fighters in a class-action antitrust lawsuit earlier this month, bringing an end to a legal battle that has dragged on for nearly a decade. As a result, TKO will shell out $ 335 million and avoid going to trial.

Get all the latest details here.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement to settle all claims asserted in both the [Cung] Le and [Kajan] Johnson class action lawsuits, bringing litigation to a close and benefiting all parties,” the UFC’s statement read. “The final terms of the settlement will be submitted to the court for approval.”

The deal is expected to be finalized within 60 days.

Getting pinched for $ 335 million hardly seems like a victory for UFC but when compared to what fighters were initially seeking, TKO may have gotten off lightly. In addition, it is not yet known how the settlement will impact the original source of the complaint (read it here).

A majority of fighters remain underwhelmed.

And of course PFL head cheese Donn Davis couldn’t help but turn this into a pitch:

Expect more details on the UFC antitrust settlement in the coming weeks.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

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

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The biggest potential MMA story of 2024 is already over.

On Wednesday, news broke that TKO Group Holdings — the parent company of UFC — reached a proposed $ 335 million settlement that will bring an end to a pair of long-running antitrust lawsuits. The settlement ensures that the antitrust cases, the first of which was initially filed in 2014, will not go trial when and if Judge Richard Boulware signs off on the terms of the agreement — a seismic development in a story that threatened to change the landscape of MMA as we know it.

While the terms of the settlement have yet to be fully revealed, Wednesday’s news still elicited plenty of reaction from the MMA community, with some fighters calling the terms a win for the UFC and the legal team for the plaintiffs stating its satisfaction with the outcome.

Check out that reaction below. This story will be updated throughout the day.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

With Francis Ngannou coming up short in his second professional boxing match, PFL founder Donn Davis expects the former UFC champion to make his PFL debut no later than September of this year.

It’s been a year since Ngannou put pen to paper, signing a ground-breaking deal with the Professional Fighters League. During that time, the Cameroonian stepped inside the squared circle with both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, going 0-2 in the process. It now appears as though Ngannou will head back to the world of MMA for a showdown with the 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament winner in just a few short months.

“Will it be as early as July? Maybe. Will it be as late as September? No later, but you’ll see Francis now in 2024 in the PFL against [Renan Ferreira] what I believe is the fight I’m looking forward to the most in the heavyweight division in all of MMA,” Davis said during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.

Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco will also feature alongside francis ngannou’s pFL debut

Offering some additional details about the event itself, Davis revealed that current Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg will make her promotional debut in the co-main event against the two-time PFL champion Larissa Pacheco.

“That will be a pay-per-view fight,” Davis added. “That event will also have Cris Cyborg vs. Larissa Pacheco as the co-main event. That card will also have Cedric Doumbe against somebody we will announce. So that is going to be big just because of Francis, but it will have other compelling matchups on it.”

Davis added that the card will take place in Riyadh. No other details were offered, but the event will likely emanate from Kingdom Arena — the same venue that hosted the PFL vs. Bellator event on February 24.

Ngannou’s expected opponent, Renan Ferreira, earned the opportunity to welcome ‘The Predator’ to the PFL by dispatching Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader in just 21 seconds last month in Saudi Arabia.

LowKickMMA.com

Late last year, former middleweight champion Sean Strickland launched a public feud with undefeated welterweight Ian Machado Garry.  Much of Strickland’s attacks were aimed at Garry’s wife, Layla.  

On Monday, Layla responded to Strickland’s accusations via a social media video.  

“This tsunami of aggression towards the undefeated welterweight all exploded when former middleweight title holder and current multiple world bullshit title holder Sean Strickland read a clickbait headline but didn’t bother to fact check or read the whole article.  Unsurprising gullible behavior, but why would we expect anything else,” she said.

“So let’s begin with lie number one: Ian took his wife’s ex husband’s surname. I can’t believe anyone would accept this to be true but the MMA community picked it up and ran a full marathon with it. In fact, some people are still running with it now, gripping on with sweaty trembling fingers in order to justify blatant trolling.”

“It’s not true.  It never was true,” she proclaimed.  “Machado is my maiden name. We added our names together when we got married. It’s not that big a deal. Now that you know that it was a lie, you can kick yourself for believing it. Preferably in the face.”

“Lie number two: His wife’s ex lives with them. There’s a pattern here. A lot of the lies are about his wife. I’m so glad she’s finally clearing it up. No. No, he doesn’t. He never has. I find that a bit weird.”

“Lie number three: Ian is a cuck,” Machado-Garry continued. “Step back up, Sean Strickland, a man who’s unlikely to be okay with the Shakespearean English he unwittingly used when calling Ian a cuck. First penned in the story of Othello, the word cuckold refers to the fear of a man who’s been betrayed by his wife.”

“Sean Strickland has been talking an awful lot about Ian Gary’s wife.  I’ve been called a sexual predator, a pedophile, an abuser all by the man who alleges he suffered that exact abuse as a child growing up.”

View the original article to see embedded media.

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

UFC

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

MMA: Mixed Martial Arts