MMA news

• Conor McGregor Reacts to Tony Ferguson Pulling out of UFC 223 Main Event

  02-04-2018 23:47 via sherdog.com
  Eventually, you knew Conor McGregor was going to respond to the circumstances that led to a new UFC 223 main event — it was just a matter of how.
  
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• Conor McGregor has crude response to Tony Ferguson pulling out of UFC 223

  02-04-2018 23:30
  Once interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson withdrew from his upcoming fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, it was only a matter of time until “The Notorious” shared his thoughts.
  It took less than 24 hours for Conor McGregor —still officially the UFC’s undisputed lightweight titleholder — to take to social media and address the news of Ferguson bowing out of Saturday’s main event due to an injury, and he did so in direct and insulting fashion.
  Thes
  
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• Volkan Oezdemir: ‘Shogun’ Rua is Still a Dangerous Fighter

  02-04-2018 23:23
  Volkan Oezdemir still views Mauricio “Shogun” Rua as a threat. On May 19, Oezdemir will do battle with Rua inside the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile. The bout will be part of the UFC Chile card. It’ll be “No Time’s” first bout since coming up short in his bid to capture light heavyweight gold. The Oezdemir vs. Rua booking […]
  The post Volkan Oezdemir: ‘Shogun’ Rua is Still a Dangerous Fighter appeared first on MMA News
  
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• If he were in Max Holloway’s spot, Khabib Nurmagomedov said he wouldn’t have accepted UFC 223 fight

  02-04-2018 23:19
  Khabib Nurmagomedov is very glad Max Holloway stepped up to face him at UFC 223 on Saturday in Brooklyn. If Nurmagomedov were in Holloway’s spot, though, he would not have done the same thing.
  The undefeated lightweight star told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour that he would not have taken the short-notice fight, with Tony Ferguson dropping out, if he were Holloway. Especially since Holloway pulled out of a featherweight title defense against Frankie Edgar a month
  
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• If he were in Holloway’s spot, Nurmagomedov wouldn’t have accepted UFC 223 fight

  02-04-2018 23:19
  Khabib Nurmagomedov is very glad Max Holloway stepped up to face him at UFC 223 on Saturday in Brooklyn. If Nurmagomedov were in Holloway’s spot, though, he would not have done the same thing.
  The undefeated lightweight star told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour that he would not have taken the short-notice fight, with Tony Ferguson dropping out, if he were Holloway. Especially since Holloway pulled out of a featherweight title defense against Frankie Edgar a month
  
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• Brian Ortega Says He Was Ready To Step In And Face Khabib Nurmagomedov At UFC 223

  02-04-2018 23:09
  Yesterday evening, on April Fools of all days, the MMA world was thrown into turmoil as Tony Ferguson pulled out of his championship bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223. This caused huge confusion, with many people believing that this news was another April Fools joke, but this was no joke. This is now the 4th […]
  The post Brian Ortega Says He Was Ready To Step In And Face Khabib Nurmagomedov At UFC 223 appeared first on MMA News.
  
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• Featherweight No. 1 Contender Brian Ortega Says He Was Offered UFC 223 Bout vs. Nurmagomedov

  02-04-2018 21:51 via sherdog.com
  The new UFC 223 headliner nearly could have featured the featherweight division’s No. 1 contender instead of its champion.
  
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• UFC Fight Pass to Stream Kazushi Sakuraba’s 5-on-5 Team Grappling Event on April 11

  02-04-2018 21:35 via sherdog.com
  Quintet 1, the brainchild of UFC Hall of Famer and Pride Fighting Championships legend Kazushi Sakuraba, will stream live via UFC Fight Pass on April 11.
  
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• Ortega says he agreed to face Khabib at UFC 233, but Holloway got the fight instead

  02-04-2018 21:30
  Khabib Nurmagomedov is fighting Max Holloway at UFC 223 after Tony Ferguson was forced out due to a knee injury, but another top featherweight was willing to step up.
  Undefeated 145-pound contender Brian Ortega, who was expected to face Holloway for the featherweight championship later this year, revealed on Monday that UFC president Dana White offered him Ferguson’s spot versus “The Eagle.”
  ”For the record, Dana called me yesterday to see if I would step in against Khab
  
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• Max Holloway’s reaction to UFC offering Khabib on six days’ notice: ‘This is how legends are made’

  02-04-2018 21:00
  Max Holloway’s Easter Sunday descended into chaos around 3:30 p.m. ET.
  That’s around the time Holloway’s manager, Brian Butler-Au, received the phone call that could fast become a turning point in Holloway’s career. The UFC’s nightmare scenario had happened: A freak injury to Tony Ferguson derailed UFC 223’s marquee matchup against Khabib Nurmagomedov for the fourth time in as many tries, and UFC matchmakers wanted to know if Holloway — the promotion&rs
  
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• How Endeavor’s Purchase of NeuLion Could Affect The UFC

  02-04-2018 20:18
  Last week, the UFC’s parent company Endeavor (formerly known as WME-IMG) announced that it had reached an agreement to purchase stream technology company NeuLion for $250 million U.S. dollars. While most MMA fans likely haven’t heard of NeuLion before, they will soon. With the UFC’s seven-year deal with FOX set to expire at year’s end, […]
  The post How Endeavor’s Purchase of NeuLion Could Affect The UFC appeared first on MMA News.
  
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• Missed Fists: EFC heavyweights slug it out, Roman Kopylov reigns, more

  02-04-2018 20:00
  Welcome to the latest edition of Missed Fists where Jed Meshew and Alexander K. Lee shine a light on fights from across the globe that may have been overlooked in these hectic times where it seems like there’s an MMA show every other day.
  Before we welcome back the big boys and girls of the UFC and Bellator this coming weekend, let’s take a moment to appreciate the smaller promotions that have been delivering killer action in their absence. This week, we’re visiting some famil
  
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• Max Holloway Ready to Make History Against Khabib Nurmagomedov

  02-04-2018 19:44
  Max Holloway isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. When Tony Ferguson went down with an injury and was forced to pull out of the UFC 223 main event, Holloway was called. “Blessed” is the reigning UFC featherweight champion. Despite recovering from an ankle injury that put him out of action last month, Holloway […]
  The post Max Holloway Ready to Make History Against Khabib Nurmagomedov appeared first on MMA News.
  
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• UFC 223: Cursed Or Blessed?

  02-04-2018 19:41
  It’s no April Fools Day joke. In the blink of an eye, UFC 223: Ferguson vs. Khabib became UFC 223: Khabib vs. Holloway. “It happened! It happened!” – Jim Lampley, HBO Boxing (George Foreman KOs Michael Moorer to reclaim heavyweight title at 45) The above quote represents my reaction to the news that Tony Ferguson […]
  The post UFC 223: Cursed Or Blessed? appeared first on MMA News.
  
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• Dana White: Conor McGregor Was Never an Option to Replace Tony Ferguson at UFC 223

  02-04-2018 19:33
  Conor McGregor has stepped up plenty of times in the past when the UFC has needed him but it turns out his phone never rang when the promotion was searching for a replacement to face Khabib Nurmagomedov on six days notice. It was a crazy 24-hour stretch after Tony Ferguson suffered a knee injury that […]
  The post Dana White: Conor McGregor Was Never an Option to Replace Tony Ferguson at UFC 223 appeared first on MMA News.
  
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• Yves Edwards on how MMA fans ‘could fall in love’ with kickboxing

  02-04-2018 18:00
  LONG BEACH, Calif. — After Glory 52, former UFC fighter and current Fox Sports analyst Yves Edwards discusses the differences between and MMA and kickboxing, transitioning between the two, why kickboxing is not huge with American fans and more.
  
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• Max Holloway Couldn't Turn Down 'Once in a Lifetime' Opportunity to Fight at UFC 223

  02-04-2018 17:33 via sherdog.com
  There was no way Max Holloway was going to turn down a chance to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 — even on short notice.
  
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• Bellator MMA, Strikeforce Vet Virgil Zwicker: Matt Mitrione is a ‘Quitter’ with No Heart

  02-04-2018 17:32 via sherdog.com
  Virgil Zwicker began his career with Team Quest and his upbringing on a Native American reservation could have took him down a different road, but mixed martial arts steered him away from his troubled past as young man and gave him a new focus to drive him away from any statistics he could have fallen into growing up on “the rez.”
  
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• Volkan Oezdemir Not Underestimating ‘Idol’ Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua

  02-04-2018 16:49 via sherdog.com
  Knockout artist Volkan Oezdemir returns to the Octagon on May 12 at UFC Fight Night 129 when he takes on Mauricio Rua.
  
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• Why the UFC Shut Down Robert Whittaker’s Plans to Compete at Commonwealth Games

  02-04-2018 16:47 via sherdog.com
  In late February, Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight king Robert Whittaker announced that he would be representing Australia in wrestling as part of the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, pending approval from the UFC.
  
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• The things you think upon hearing Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov is canceled ... again

  02-04-2018 16:00
  1. F**k.
  2. F**k, f**k, f**kity f**k.
  3. Wait, it’s April Fool’s Day! This is a joke! How did I fall for this? I’m so stupid. I hate April Fool’s Day, and I’m logging off Twitter!
  4. But it is Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Could it possibly be true again? They’ll still be competing at UFC 223, right? I better open up Twitter again.
  5. Wait, Ariel Helwani is reporting it. Oh, no. Oh, please no.6. F**k.
  7. Again? Really? Again? How does this happen fou
  
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• Early Betting Odds for Max Holloway vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

  02-04-2018 15:43
  The early betting odds for the new main event of UFC 223 have been released. Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov has been canceled due to Ferguson suffering an injury. Current UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is set to take on Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title in the main event of the upcoming UFC 223 pay-per-view […]
  The post Early Betting Odds for Max Holloway vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov appeared first on MMA News.
  
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• Max Holloway couldn’t turn down opportunity to face ‘animal’ Khabib Nurmagomedov 

  02-04-2018 15:00
  Max Holloway didn’t hesitate when the UFC called him on six days’ notice to step in for the injured Tony Ferguson.The UFC featherweight champion will be taking Ferguson’s main event slot at UFC 223 against Khabib Nurmagomedov to decide the UFC’s lightweight championship.Speaking at Honolulu International Airport after the news had broken, “Blessed” insisted that an opportunity to face the undefeated Russian was too good to turn down.Holloway tells KHON2 he is
  
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• Morning Report: Dana White on if the UFC will ever book Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov again: ‘Hell no’

  02-04-2018 14:00
  Late yesterday afternoon, the news broke that Saturday’s UFC 223 main event, Tony Fergsuon vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov, was cancelled due to an injury to Ferguson. It wasn’t an April Fool’s joke, just the latest let down in the sordid saga of the most snake-bitten fight in MMA history.That saga may be at its end though. Speaking with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto shortly after the cancellation was announced, UFC President Dana White addressed the seemingly impossible-to-make-happen f
  
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• Watch: Holloway offered his UFC 223 services months ago

  02-04-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  Featherweight king @BlessedMMA told the world he'd step up and take on Khabib Nurmagomedov back in January. We got a title fight at #UFC223 #KhabibHolloway pic.twitter.com/oBNYYv6Pn2— UFC News (@UFCNews) April 2, 2018When the original UFC 223 headlining bout between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov was first announced back in January, it was the fourth time the fight had been scheduled, having been previously scrapped three other times for a variety of reasons on both sides. As such,
  
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• On the Rise: UFC 223 Edition

  02-04-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  The second quarter of the UFC’s 2018 campaign kicks off in impressive fashion as a loaded card topped by twin title fights arrives at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York this weekend.Boasting two highly anticipated championship bouts and a host of familiar, established names up and down the bill, Saturday’s 13-fight bill should be an electric affair from start to finish.Scattered throughout the lineup are a collection of up-and-coming talents who will be looking to use their time i
  
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• Khabib has message for Holloway on UFC 223 Embedded

  02-04-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  The UFC Embedded series has become the unofficial kickoff to fight week on Pay Per View event weeks and the first episode of UFC 223 Embedded had an extra layer of anticipation.Interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson suffered a freak leg injury last week and was forced to pull out of his scheduled undisputed lightweight title bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov on Saturday night in Brooklyn.Featherweight champion Max Holloway quickly swooped in to rescue the event, signing on to fight Nurmagomedov
  
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• Kattar keeps cool ahead of high-pressure bout at UFC 223

  02-04-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  The heat was on Calvin Kattar. He knew it, but he wasn’t rattled. Even though he was the last of his Boston brethren competing at UFC 220 in their hometown arena, TD Garden, and the only one not to win yet, he was determined that Shane Burgos wasn’t going to spoil the Garden party.“He (Burgos) had a good second round and I’m like, ‘Man, I gotta go and take this in the third.’”Kattar did, breaking open a close fight by stopping Burgos in the final round.
  
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• Iaquinta reminded of how much he loves MMA

  02-04-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  Al Iaquinta celebrates after defeating Joe Lauzon in their lightweight bout during UFC 183 on January 31, 2015 in Las Vegas, NV. Iaquinta won with a second-round TKO. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)" align="center" /> Al Iaquinta remembers UFC 53 like it was yesterday. “I went to Atlantic City, I watched these guys fight and I looked up the guys that fought hard,” said the Long Islander, who recalled being 18 and watching his future coach Matt Serra escape a Karo Parisyan arm
  
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• Nate Diaz offers mocking message in response to Tony Ferguson pulling out of UFC 223

  02-04-2018 04:56
  Some people might have sympathy for Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov missing out on the biggest fight of their lives, but Nate Diaz doesn’t appear to be one of them.
  Diaz — who himself has not competed since losing a majority decision in a rematch with Conor McGregor at UFC 202 in August 2016 — fired off a tweet Sunday night, seemingly in response to the news of interim lightweight champion Ferguson suffering an injury that forced him out of his title bout vs. Nurmagomedo
  
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• Tony Ferguson Issues Statement After Suffering Injury Forcing Him Out of UFC 223

  02-04-2018 03:29
  After suffering an injury that forced him out of the UFC 223 main event, Tony Ferguson has broken his silence regarding what exactly happened that cancelled his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov for the fourth time. It was heartbreaking news revealed on Sunday that Ferguson was forced out of his fight against  Nurmagomedov on April 7 […]
  The post Tony Ferguson Issues Statement After Suffering Injury Forcing Him Out of UFC 223 appeared first on MMA News.
  
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• Tony Ferguson ‘Hurt, Frustrated, Angry’ After Freak Accident Forces UFC 223 Exit

  02-04-2018 03:11 via sherdog.com
  Tony Ferguson is understandably devastated after aknee injury forced his withdrawal from the UFC 223 headliner against Khabib Nurmagomedov less than one week before their fight.
  
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• Tony Ferguson explains ‘accident’ that led to his UFC 223 withdrawal

  02-04-2018 02:58
  The fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson isn’t going down to an absolute freak injury.
  Ferguson wrote in an Instagram post Sunday, just hours after news broke that he was out of UFC 223, that he tore a ligament in his knee while on a studio set fulfilling media obligations for the fight. Sources told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani that the accident happened when Ferguson was on the Fox lot in Los Angeles on Friday.
  “Words Can’t Express How Hurt, Frustrated,
  
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• Dana White: Conor McGregor Wasn’t An Option to Replace Tony Ferguson at UFC 223

  02-04-2018 02:52 via sherdog.com
  While it might have seemed like a logical move, Conor McGregor was not offered a short-notice fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 after Tony Ferguson withdrew from the contest due to a knee injury.
  
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• Nurmagomedov to Ferguson: ‘Hope This Lesson Will Teach You to Watch Your Mouth’

  02-04-2018 02:32 via sherdog.com
  Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov were just a few days removed from a UFC 223 conference call that was more of a trash talking session than a Q&A between fighters and reporters.
  
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• Tony Ferguson Out; Max Holloway Meets Khabib Nurmagomedov in New UFC 223 Headliner

  02-04-2018 02:18 via sherdog.com
  It looks like the Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov booking just isn’t meant to be.
  
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• Nurmagomedov issues statement on Ferguson withdrawal: ‘Don’t talk too much anymore’

  02-04-2018 02:00
  In the wake of rival Tony Ferguson being injured and his fourth scheduled meeting with Khabib Nurmagomedov being canceled, Nurmagomedov is keeping things classy.
  But that doesn’t mean he’s letting Ferguson completely off the hook.
  Shortly after news broke that Ferguson will be forced to withdraw from the lightweight championship main event of UFC 223 on April 7 in Brooklyn, “The Eagle” took to Instagram to wish Ferguson a speedy recovery and offer some stern advice. Tony
  
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• Pros react to Tony Ferguson’s UFC 223 withdrawal, Nurmagomedov vs. Holloway

  02-04-2018 01:56
  If only this was an April Fool’s joke...
  Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov is off. Again. For the fourth and maybe most devastating time.Less than a week out from fight night, a freak accident Ferguson knee injury has led us to where we are now: UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway is about to move up to 155 pounds and challenge Nurmagomedov for some kind of impromptu lightweight title on April 7 at UFC 223. Chaos remains undefeated in MMA.
  Check out reaction to the massive news be
  
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• Tony Ferguson Out; Max Holloway Now Faces Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC 223 Main Event

  02-04-2018 01:36
  It may be April Fool’s day but this is no joke. Interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson has suffered a knee injury that has forced him out of the UFC 223 main event. Featherweight king Max Holloway will now step up on just six days notice to face Khabib Nurmagomedov to determine a new lightweight champion […]
  The post Tony Ferguson Out; Max Holloway Now Faces Khabib Nurmagomedov in UFC 223 Main Event appeared first on MMA News.
  
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• Tony Ferguson Out; Max Holloway Now Faces Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223

  02-04-2018 01:36
  It may be April Fool’s day but this is no joke. Interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson has suffered a knee injury that has forced him out of the UFC 223 main event. Featherweight king Max Holloway will now step up on just six days notice to face Khabib Nurmagomedov to determine a new lightweight champion […]
  The post Tony Ferguson Out; Max Holloway Now Faces Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 appeared first on MMA News.
  
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• Tony Ferguson out of UFC 223, Max Holloway to step in and face Khabib Nurmagomedov for lightweight title

  02-04-2018 01:09
  The Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson fight really might be cursed.
  Ferguson is out of the lightweight title fight with Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 on April 7 in Brooklyn, MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani reported Sunday afternoon. Max Holloway is the frontrunner to replace Ferguson in what would be a lightweight title fight against Nurmagomedov, but that is not yet finalized, Helwani reported.
  
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• Paul Craig was a second away from retirement before miraculous victory at UFC London

  02-04-2018 01:00
  Paul Craig won himself a new four-fight deal with the UFC after he submitted newcomer Magomed Ankalaev in the final second of their light heavyweight showdown in London.After the fight, Craig told U.K. outlet Metro that he would have retired after the fight if he wasn’t offered a new UFC contract.During an appearance on the latest episode of The MMA Hour, “Bearjew” insisted that he would have no interest in competing outside the UFC, and for that reason he was willing to hang
  
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