By MukBreaking News: This fight is still on, none of this ever became official ------
Well in a somewhat strange, and shocking move, Pearl Gonzalez has been pulled from her UFC debut at tomorrow night's UFC 210, for a reason we don't hear everyday. The New York State Athletic Commission told Gonzalez today that she could not fight in New York state because of her breast implants, which are banned for all combat sport athletes in New York. Pearl Gonzalez was set to make her UFC debut against fellow Strawweight Cynthia Calvillo, who made her UFC debut a few weeks ago and made quick work of her opponent, winning via first round submission at UFC 209. This fight was a big one for the Strawweight division, as both of these young women are potentially the future of the division - and possibly the present as well. We will have to wait and see how this plays out, and so far I have not seen Gonzalez comment on the issue yet, so we will watch for that, and maybe any attempts to salvage the fight.
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By MukWell, after some drama at today's weigh-ins, we luckily will still have our two big fights on tomorrow night's UFC 210 card. It came down to the wire, with Daniel Cormier weighing in with less than 10 minutes on the clock for the weigh-ins, and he almost didn't make it. He first weighed 206.2 pounds, missing weight, but after leaving and returning a minute later, he somehow weighed 205 pounds. Then entered Rumble who weighed in smoothly at 203 pounds with no issues. Weidman and Mousasi both made weight easily and had no issues leading up to their big fight tomorrow night.
Tomorrow night's card should be a good one, featuring some potentially real good fights on the main card. First, Will Brooks and Charles Oliveira will square off in a Lightweight fight, followed by Thiago Alves and Patrick Cote facing off in a Welterweight matchup. Then the action gets real good. Prediction: Charles Oliveira Wins Via 3rd Round TKO ; Patrick Cote Wins Via Unanimous Decision Chris Weidman vs. Gegard Mousasi is a huge fight for the Middleweight division, with both men needing a win to push their title shot hopes forward. Weidman absolutely needs a win in this fight, more than ever before. He's been knocked out in two straight fights, and has had a serious neck injury, so a 3rd straight loss would be awful for his chances at ever getting back to the title in a division that is already stagnant and stacked. Mousasi on the other hand, has much less to lose, but I think a ton to gain. I think Mousasi is going to beat Weidman, and potentially anyone in the division. I think if things go as planned for Gegard Mousasi, he should have a title shot in his near future. He brings it all to his fights, and has a ton of career experience and is still young. Prediction: Gegard Mousasi Wins Via 2nd Round TKO First I wanna say, DC, I pray we get to see Anthony "Rumble" Johnson knock your fat head to the canvas tomorrow night. He basically cheated, somehow or another in today's weigh-ins, because losing 1.2 pounds in 60 seconds is virtually impossible, but that's neither here nor there because I would have been even more devastated if the fight was off. This fight is a big one, for a few reasons. First, DC has been running his mouth all month long, and has been taking shot after shot at Rumble, and Jon Jones as well, and I would love nothing more than seeing him get knocked unconscious by a Rumble uppercut. The fight is going to go one of two ways. DC claims he will stand and trade with Rumble because he's not afraid and "trusts" his striking game, but there is no way that he sticks to that. Rumble has basically two rounds to knockout DC, otherwise Cormier is going to land enough takedowns to begin to exhaust Rumble, and will get the win somehow or another, either by late round submission, or a decision victory. This rematch will hopefully be a good one, because their first fight was good, although Rumble basically died out within the opening moments of the second round. Go get that belt Rumble. Prediction: Anthony Johnson Wins Via 2nd Round TKO The next big storyline in this fight is that it is in Buffalo New York, which is very close to where Jon Jones' is from, so Jon Jones will in fact be in attendance tomorrow night. DC, being the "tough guy" that he is, has issued a "warning" that if Jon Jones tries to enter the Octagon after the fight, "there will be problems", but that is something I would love to see because in a street fight, Jones would destroy DC even worse than he would in the Octagon. Jon Jones will face the winner of this fight, barring any craziness, when he returns to the UFC in July, and the fight will likely be soon after his official return. Daniel Cormier loves to harp on the fact that Jon Jones was caught juicing, and while we truly may never know the truth, we will find out in the future just how good Jon Jones is, because he will certainly be caught juicing from here on out if he has been doing it his whole career (which I absolutely doubt 100%, but that's just me). By MukOn April 6th, 2013, "The Notorious" Conor McGregor made his UFC debut, and the rest, as we know, is history. It's amazing to think that everything that Conor McGregor has accomplished as the face of the UFC, has all been done in just four short years. It took McGregor all of a minute and seven seconds to knockout Marcus Brimage in his UFC debut, and he never looked back. McGregor joined the UFC right after he had completed his promise of becoming a two-weight class champion in the Cage Warriors promotion. He won the promotions Lightweight belt in December of 2012, after already winning the Featherweight belt in June of the same year, and after that, he set his sights on the ultimate stage, with the ultimate goal - to become a two-weight class world champion in the UFC. The Notorious' took the UFC by storm, and not just inside the cage, but out as well. In his second UFC fight, that came in August of 2013, McGregor faced a young Max Holloway, and for the first time in his professional career, the fight went to decision, but it was a lopsided unanimous decision where Conor McGregor was able to showcase his whole range of skills, against a great young opponent (Max is the current Interim Featherweight Champ). However, this fight proved to be more a step backwards for Conor McGregor's surging career, as he tore his ACL in the fight, and would sidelined for the next 10 months with the injury. However, his comeback was nothing short of incredible. McGregor returned to the Octagon in July of 2014, where he dominated Diego Brandao in a first round TKO. His next fight was the biggest of his career thus far, as he faced Dustin Poirier in September of 2014 at UFC 178, and this fight was the coming out party for Conor McGregor's full on trash-talking game. He and Poirier traded verbal jabs for weeks, but when it came time to get into the cage, Poirier proved to be no match for The Notorious, as McGregor put him away after a shot to the temple just a minute and 46 seconds into the fight. That Dustin Poirier fight was the first time I had seen a Conor McGregor fight, and I instantly became a fan. His next fight, against Dennis Siver came in January of 2015, and this is where Conor McGregor truly transformed into the icon that he is. Watching that fight live, I truly felt bad for Dennis Siver, as McGregor absolutely dominated every single second of the fight, and while Siver somehow miraculously survived the first round of the fight, he couldn't make it out of the first two minutes in round two. McGregor then set the arena into a frenzy when he jumped the fence on the Octagon and ran straight up to Jose Aldo in the front row (who was the current Featherweight champ) and began screaming and yelling like a madman. The moment Conor McGregor jumped that fence, he became the King. He would then be scheduled for a title fight with Aldo for July of 2015, but when Aldo pulled out just a few weeks before the fight, Chad Mendes stepped in and the fight became an Interim title fight. Mendes proved to be the biggest threat to Conor McGregor yet, because Mendes was an elite wrestler of a caliber that McGregor had never faced. Chad Mendes did all he could to execute his game plan of taking Conor McGregor down and wearing him out with ground and pound, looking for a TKO or submission from the ground. When the first round ended and the bell rang, McGregor sat up from the canvas where Mendes had been dropping elbow after elbow, and smiled as big of a smile as possible right in Mendes' face, and this is where you could see that McGregor had no doubts he would still win this fight. After a similar second round, of McGregor dominating the standup and Mendes taking McGregor down and attempting to finish the fight there, Conor McGregor stood up with under 20 seconds in the 2nd round, and promptly demolished Mendes with a flurry of strikes. He finally had his first taste of UFC gold. His fight with Jose Aldo would then be rescheduled, and as we all know, that fight lasted all of 13 seconds, and Conor McGregor was officially a UFC World Champion. He then took the long, winding detour in 2016, after trying to fight for the Lightweight belt, but when RDA pulled out, and Nate Diaz stepped in, possibly the most important moment in Conor McGregor's UFC career occurred - he lost. He then avenged his loss, looking deep inside himself and into the mirror, and then, finally going after the Lightweight belt in November against Eddie Alvarez, whom he embarrassed and toyed with, en route to becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold two Championship belts simultaneously. Love him or hate him, it truly doesn't matter. Conor McGregor picked up where Ronda Rousey left off as far as carrying the UFC brand, and took the sport to its highest point. Although he has ruffled the feathers of fighters, coaches, and fans, he has stayed true to himself and to his ways. Cocky in prediction, confident in preparation, and humble in victory or defeat, The Notorious is one of a kind. By MukPaige VanZant has had an incredibly successful career for someone who is only 23 years old, however, the majority of her success has come outside of the Octagon, not in. Tuesday night Paige VanZant beat the competition on her episode of Celebrity "Chopped", advancing to the tournament finals, where the grand prize is $50,000 for the charity she is representing, which is Cancer Train (a charity whose proceeds go directly to helping cancer patients with their medical bills).
VanZant was thrust into the spotlight in 2014 when she made her UFC debut, and while she has been impressive, winning 5 of her 7 career UFC fights, she has shown major holes in her game. But again - she's 23. Paige VanZant has a very high ceiling as far as where she can go and how far she can go in the UFC, but it's what she has done outside the UFC that is more impressive. Yes, there are some people who find it to be problematic that VanZant is becoming a mega-star, while still not really being a star inside the cage. They claim her good looks, smile and blonde hair have helped her into the limelight, and not her skills. To that I say, so what? Yes, Paige VanZant has absolutely benefited from her good looks and charm, but why is that an issue? She's making a name for herself, and having a blast while she's doing it. She killed it on Dancing With The Stars, advancing all the way to the finals where she and her partner finished in second-place, and now is making TV headlines once again with "Chopped". Maybe she needs to focus some more time on her training, and maybe until she does that she won't completely blossom into a superstar, but she is more than blossoming into one outside of the Octagon, so you can't knock her hustle regardless. By MukBREAKING NEWS Per Dana White: Lawler vs. Cerrone booked for UFC 213 on July 8th in Vegas
Robbie Lawler was set to make his return to the Octagon against Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone last November at UFC 205, but the fight was scratched a month prior to the card. Lawler pulled himself from the fight after deciding he needed more time off after losing his belt via Knockout to Tyron Woodley. Robbie Lawler has been at the top of the welterweight division since his return to the UFC in early 2013, and was an awesome champion, producing one of the greatest fights in UFC history when he defended his belt against Rory MacDonald. Lawler has gone 8-2 since his return, having two successful title defenses before being knocked out last summer, but is absolutely still a huge threat to the division. Cowboy has been at the top of the lightweight division for years now, and in 2016 he made the jump up to welterweight, where he has gone 4-1, losing his last fight to Jorge Masvidal, where he seemed to meet his match, being defeated by TKO in the 2nd round after barely escaping the 1st round. But if we know anything about Cowboy, it's that he will never shy away from a fight, and we know that this fight against Robbie Lawler was one that he was very interested and hopeful for. This fight is as big of a fan-favorite type fight we could ever ask for, as both of these guys are absolute warriors and bring every single bit of that mentality to every single fight. If this fight is teased to me once again, and pulled away for some reason, I might lose it. I can't handle many more heartbreaks this early in 2017 Dana!!! By MukI am in no way still a WWE fan or follower, so I won't be able to necessarily comment on WrestleMania itself, but once upon a time I was a die-hard fan, and two of the biggest storylines from last night's WrestleMania 33 really hit home. Last night, one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, and one of the biggest name's in the sport's history, may have wrestled his last match. As The Undertaker lost last night to Roman Reigns, he removed his patented Black Hat and Jacket, and laid them in the ring, before walking up the ramp for what most believe to be the last time. The Undertaker made his wrestling debut in 1984, and has had one of the longest and most profound careers imaginable, while becoming one of the most popular wrestlers of all-time. Yet, at 52 years old, and 30+ years in the sport, "The Deadman" has officially called it quits, and his next stop will be the Hall of Fame. You've gotta tip your cap to one of the most entertaining wrestlers ever, and I truly loved every bit of being an Undertaker fan and follower, and will especially look back on his days of battling with and against Kane fondly. I am however, upset with the WWE for scripting a loss for The Undertaker in his final match, because after all that he has done in his career and for the "sport" and company, you would think they could at least send him off on a high-note. The whole show is pre-determined so it shouldn't even have been a question to give him a story-book ending, but that's just me so, whatever. The next storyline that shocked the wrestling world, was the return of the Hardy Boyz, who made their WWE return after almost a 6 year hiatus from the company. The Hardy brothers have spent the last 6 years or so bouncing around between TNA and the Independent circuit, but their return last night seems to be likely they will stay with the WWE until retirement at this point. The brothers made a surprise appearance as the 4th team in the 4-way Ladder Match for the WWE tag-team championship, and they won the match in pure-Hardy fashion. There are no two wrestlers who are more exciting in a ladder match than Matt and Jeff Hardy, as the two have made a career off of giving the fans absolutely electric performances and putting their bodies through pain and madness that most people would call insane. I may be checking in on the WWE more often if the Hardy's keep doing what they do best. Long live the Swanton Bomb baby #HardyBoyz PS - I always wanted those arm sleeves that the Hardy's wore so badly, I thought they would help me land Swanton's on the trampoline 3/31/2017 Does Jon Jones Deserve An Immediate Light Heavyweight Title Shot When He Returns?Read NowBy MukTo put this simply, 100000% yes. Jon "Bones" Jones is perhaps the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time, let alone the greatest Light Heavyweight ever. We all know the last two years of Jones' career have been rocky, to say the least, but in my opinion he has more than paid his dues. Being sidelined from the sport, having his every move scrutinized, while embarrassing his family and himself, he has since done all he can to clean up his image in the sport and community. I understand the steroid speculation is a different story, but I believe in my heart Jon Jones has never juiced, and that could be because I am a huge fan (or was, I don't know how to feel anymore). Part of why people do not believe the reasoning behind Jon Jones positive drug test, is because for the most part, as the UFC's steroid drug-testing has amped up in the last two years, Jones was sidelined with the Hit-and-Run incident, so they speculate he could've flown under the radar for the beginning of his career. I disagree, but again, that's just me. I do believe however, we will find out the truth soon, because when he returns, if he can continue to be the Jon Jones we have been so accustomed to seeing in the Octagon, and do it with no shadow of a doubt that he is clean, then I think that will put the issue to rest. Jones is set to return from his 1-year suspension in July, and I expect the winner of DC vs. Rumble next weekend to hold out until July to face "Bones". DC has wanted a rematch with Jones since the moment Jon handed DC his first career loss in September of 2014 at UFC 178, and while the two have clearly struggled to get the rematch to actually happen, there is nothing DC wants more than to get his hands on Jon. As for Rumble, he was the man who Jones was supposed to fight before all of his legal trouble began, way back in May of 2015, and I know that if he beats DC, Jon Jones is the only man he wants to face. I saw an article earlier today where all the big names in the Light Heavyweight Division were asked if Jones deserved an immediate title shot this summer, and I was nervous to read what they said, expecting a bit of bitterness and ignorance, but I found it to be the opposite. It seems as if the whole 205-pound division agrees that Jon Jones deserves the title shot, because after all, he is still Jon Jones. His return will be one of the most highly anticipated fights ever, because both DC and Rumble would be as entertaining of a fight as possible. Rumble may be Jones' biggest threat ever, because his KO power knows no bounds, and Bones can't afford to take too many bombs from Rumble. Meanwhile DC and Jon genuinely hate each other and would like nothing more than to take each other's head off. I just hope when July rolls around, Jones is ready to go ASAP and we can see him regain the belt that he held for so long, and once again watch him climb the All-Time great ranks. These two provide some of the greatest trash-talking I have ever witnessed, and I love when Jon Jones turns on his nice-guy act, and while I don't think he's even remotely as bad of a person as Daniel Cormier claims he is, it is truly hilarious and entertaining. This next part is the best part, when the camera is no longer live, they really go at it. 3/31/2017 Only 8 Days Away From UFC 210, Daniel Cormier Better Be Ready To Back Up His TalkRead NowBy MukDuring Thursday's UFC 210 conference call, Daniel Cormier was up to his usual nonsense, trying to belittle Anthony "Rumble" Johnson for his lack of overall skill in the octagon, stating that Rumble only has "one way to beat him" and that's by knockout. Now don't get me wrong, DC is far and away a better wrestler than Rumble - or anyone in the division who isn't Jon Jones for that matter - and there is no one who is going to try and say that a sane Rumble would ever take the fight to the ground, but we all know that DC wants NOTHING to do with Rumble's hands.
Anthony Rumble Johnson has hands down the most devastating knockout power in all of combat sports since Mike Tyson, finishing 16 of his 22 career wins via knockout, and his last three fights in absolutely BRTUAL fashion, even knocking Glover Teixeira's tooth right out of his mouth just 13 seconds into their fight last August. And make no mistake about it, DC knows this, and while DC loves to talk all this talk and act like he has no problem standing and trading with Rumble, we all know that will only last until he gets reminded just how powerful a right hand from Rumble is. There is no doubt in my mind that DC will attempt to take this fight to the ground, whether he waits until the second round to prove a point that he "can" stand with Rumble is something I wouldn't be surprised of, but his game plan is to take it to the ground. We know - barring any other setbacks to Jon Jones' comeback, the winner of this fight will face Jones in July - so I think all the fans want to see something electric and exciting, because this division has been at a stand still since DC defeated Alexander Gustafson in 2015 by the narrowest of Split Decisions. I have no problem admitting I am biased to this all, because I do not like Daniel Cormier in any way, shape or form, and I am quite the Rumble fan, but I do respect Cormier's ability to win fights, just not the way he does it, or how he loves to talk about it. For someone who thinks he's the greatest fighter on the planet, he has only defended his belt once, and while I know that is largely due to the fact that Jon Jones was pulled from their rematch , I don't see how DC beats Jones in the eventual rematch (if we ever get it). Please don't try and out-hump Rumble for all 5 rounds Daniel... please.. 3/30/2017 Tony Ferguson vs. Nate Diaz For The Interim Lightweight Belt? I Don't Like It, I LOVE ItRead NowBy MukIf there are truly MMA-Gods, they will make this fight happen. After Khabib Nurmagomedov missed weight and ruined the potential fight of the year between him and Tony Ferguson at UFC 209, the UFC must make a decision on what to do about the Lightweight Interim Belt. We all know by now that McGregor vs. Mayweather is basically a done deal as far as IF it will happen, it's now just a matter of when and where, so with McGregor being sidelined for a few more months, possibly event the rest of 2017, a move must be made.
Tony Ferguson and Nate Diaz are stylistically as close as two fighters in the Lightweight division can get, both having great reach, stand-up, and excellent submission skills, so this fight truly would be an incredibly entertaining one. On top of that, it will provide the UFC and Conor McGregor with a win-win when he returns to defend his Lightweight Championship, because as I have been saying for months and months, the absolute best way for the McGregor-Diaz Trilogy fight to go down would be with the Lightweight Championship on the line. I mean, c'mon, you can't write a better script even if this were the WWE. And even if Nate loses, Tony Ferguson is a killer that has called out Conor McGregor's legitimacy as a champion and would be a true test for "The Notorious", and would prove just how real of a deal he is at 155-pounds. I know Nate Diaz and Dana White have not been seeing eye-to-eye in the last few months, and while Tony Ferguson would fight Khabib, he has said it will only be if he is promised every penny he's supposed to earn, whether Khabib shows up or not. In a fight that would be, as Ferguson put it, "a battle of California", and I think fans everywhere would rejoice in the opportunity to watch these two warriors go head-to-head, especially with a chance at Conor McGregor on the line. Please make it happen Dana!!!!!!!! By MukThe beef between Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal is as real as MMA-beef gets; these two genuinely do not like one another. Their rivalry dates all the way back to 2014, where the two faced off at Bellator 120 on May 17th in a 3 round fight that Rampage won via unanimous decision, and the two have not stopped the verbal warfare since.
This fight will be at Heavyweight, somewhat of unfamiliar territory for King Mo, and it showed on the scale, as Rampage weighed in at 253 pounds, while King Mo only tipping the scales at 212 pounds, a 41-pound advantage for Rampage. King Mo has stayed very active since these two last met in 2014, recording 8 wins and 2 losses over that stretch of time, while Rampage has been quite the opposite, only fighting twice since then, both wins. However, the true beef between these two fighters doesn't necessarily mean that the fight will be all that exciting, as King Mo doesn't care how he does it, he just wants to beat Rampage, and will likely do so by "humping his leg for 25-minutes" (meaning he's going to just try and out wrestle and out point Rampage). If there is one thing Rampage Jackson hates in this world, it's wrestlers. He has been outspoken about it his entire career, noting that he would much rather stand and trade in a brawl of a fight, rather than, as King Mo so eloquently put it, be "humped". I hope that we get to see some punches fly from these two, as they both possess the ability to knock the other out, but I fear for the worst. Rampage is currently on his longest winning-streak (5 fights) since 2004-2007, and another win Friday night would keep him on pace to continue to chase his win-streak record of 8 from 2000-2001. While Rampage made headlines this past week for stating that his biggest MMA regret is starting the sport to begin with, he did clarify his comments at the Bellator 175 press conference this week, saying that he was more referring to the regrets surrounding his family, as since his career began over 15 years ago, he has been too distant from them for his own liking. I completely understand where he is coming from, as a sport that requires so much time and dedication, and so much traveling - especially as you begin your rise to fame - can be grueling on anyone. |
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February 2018
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