Schaub: Alvarez wanted more money to fight McGregor
Schaub says Alvarez would not fight McGregor at UFC 205 because UFC will not pay him enough, and it is likely that McGregor will have to fight Nurmagomedov, and Alvarez will miss UFC 205.
From what I hear, Eddie Alvarez was complaining to the UFC brass that he wanted more money to fight Conor McGregor. He wanted pay-per-view points, he wanted a certain amount of money and the UFC, you know Joe Silva’s going out on his shield, were like, you wanna do what? Looking at the whole picture… if Conor wants that 155 belt, now he’s gotta get through Khabib Nurmagomedov. Who’s gonna beat that guy? Unless he beats himself. Unless he gets injured, no one’s beating that guy. I don’t see it happening, not even close. And for Conor, it’s the worst match up at 155. I think for Conor, it’s a tough fight, but I can see him beating Eddie Alvarez. Khabib? I mean that guy’s gonna be the champ. It’s very short sighted by the UFC. Pay Eddie more money. What do you guys fu*king care? Madison Square Garden, how much money do you need? Pay the guy more money. Unless he’s asking for like 10 million or some ridiculous number… It’s very short sighted.
https://soundcloud.com/fighterandthekid/episode-188-jonathan-kite
Confirmed as the biggest ticket in UFC history
UFC numbers confirm McGregor is the biggest draw in the sport. McGregor has headlined three of five pay-per-view events that gained more than a million buys in the past ten months. Including his strong performance as the headliner of UFC 189, McGregor has sold a total of 5,275,000 pay-per-views in four outings at the top of the card. For comparison, Georges St-Pierre’s last six efforts after UFC 100 sold 4,635,000. The four cards Brock Lesnar headlined between 2009 and 2011 had 4,095,000 total buys. Also, each of the four events McGregor has headlined in Las Vegas produced more gate revenue than any prior show held in the city.
Conflicting reports about leg injury
Coming after Dana White’s announcement that McGregor will not fight Alvarez at UFC 205, and reports that Alvarez has not yet signed the contract, Megan Olivi claims that McGregor will miss UFC 205 completely as his leg injury will keep him out of action beyond the event. However, other reports say that McGregor’s leg is fine. If McGregor does not fight Alvarez he would most likely have to defend his featherweight title against Jose Aldo, or take on the potentially returning Georges St-Pierre. The official UFC 205 announcement is set for Tuesday 27th September.
According to sources close to McGregor, Conor is "fine" and the leg would not prevent him from fighting at UFC 205.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 22, 2016
Bayless: Mayweather worried about McGregror boxing skills
Bayliss says that McGregor is very strong in boxing and, in his opinion, Mayweather declined to fight him to protect his legacy.
I never trust what Floyd says, only what Floyd ends up doing. This could be a ploy to hype what could become a Floyd vs Conor McGregor boxing match…I think [Floyd] studied McGregor as a boxer, because McGregor can box…I liked his footwork and I really like his chin. He’s got an iron jaw, not a glass jaw. I’m guessing that Floyd has studied him and started to think, ‘Maybe I couldn’t school him the way I thought I could. I couldn’t just run rings around him. Maybe he’s just crazy enough to hang in there with me’…That would diminish Floyd’s legacy, if Conor McGregor even hung in with him and made it a battle. I’m thinking that Floyd finally decided, ‘He wants a lot of money, I don’t know if need this aggravation right now. I think I’m going to steer clear.’
Mayweather won't fight McGregor. "He studied him & started to think, 'Maybe I couldn't school him the way I thought I could.'" -Skip Bayless pic.twitter.com/3vzcTEu0A2
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) September 21, 2016
‘Beg me’
McGregor leaves a cryptic message after White denies that his next fight will be with Alvarez.
Beg me
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 21, 2016
White: McGregor not fighting at UFC 205
In response to a fan question on Twitter, White says UFC 205 will feature Alvarez vs Nurmagomedov, not McGregor. No official statement has been released by White or the UFC regarding McGregor or Aldo’s next fight as of yet.
not true it's @TeamKhabib
— danawhite (@danawhite) September 21, 2016
Alvarez taunts McGregor
Alvarez taunts McGregor on Twitter.
Let's do this @TheNotoriousMMA I'm ready !! Your futures not bright enjoy this one while it last . #ItsAllOver
— Eddie Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) September 21, 2016
The illusion of Greatness will soon be Over. It's time for Truth ! GN guys I have an early morning #ufc205 #eafight #thnq #phillyfighter
— Eddie Alvarez (@Ealvarezfight) September 21, 2016
Tyson ‘more interested in talking about McGregor than boxing’
The journalist who interviewed Tyson for Sports illustrated says that Tyson is no longer interested in talking about boxing.
He has two children and he’s basically, exactly, the suburban daddy, wears his Dad jeans, takes his kids from tutoring to their tennis lessons. And he still works. He does these one-man shows but clearly being a Dad and being there to help his kids is really a big part of his life…I don’t think he’s proud of Mike Tyson the fighter. With the interview, we spent a few hours at his house and he was very gracious with his time. And if you wanted to talk about current events or the Olympics or Donald Trump, you name your topic and he would be great – except he wanted nothing to do with boxing. He doesn’t follow the sport anymore. He wasn’t particularly interested in reliving fights. His professional fighting career is of no interest to him. One thing I took away was that all of his bad memories somehow or other were related to boxing whether it was the end when he was losing fights that he never should have taken or whether it was the physical pain he inflicted on someone else or whether it was some of the criminal activity… basically every bad memory he has, came by way of boxing. [He’s] more interested in talking about Conor McGregor than he is with anything to do with boxing today.
Calls McGregor a ‘keyboard warrior’
Goldberg criticizes McGregor’s comments about WWE.
I can tell you one thing, I was around when Brock [Lesnar] responded to Conor (laughs) and nothing that Brock does is a work. So the words that came out of his mouth, he fully believes and I do also. And I think that if it wasn’t a work, then it’s a sad situation when you have to talk crap about other organizations that you know your paths are never going to cross competitively. So at the end of the day, you’re kind of like a keyboard warrior unless you want to step into the guy’s gym or unless you want to do it on TV, you know, meet in the middle. I always thought that was kind of cheap, but hey, you know, he (McGregor) doesn’t know what he’s talking about if he actually thinks that. I think that the cross-promotion is brilliant, as long as it doesn’t get hokey for the UFC and as long as WWE can capitalize on the realism of what the UFC brings. It sure enhances Brock’s stock when he walks over to do sports entertainment, I mean, let’s be honest.
Calls McGregor-Diaz fight ‘a sparring match’
In a post fight interview after his 95-second win over Dustin Poirier, Johnston calls out McGregor and Diaz:
I’m just coming in here just showing people that I’m serious in this division. Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz getting paid that money and they’re out here scrapping and having a sparring match. I come to finish fights. I come for the kill. Pay me, baby, what’s up?
Schaub: Diaz took knockdowns to dupe McGregor
According to Schaub, Diaz claims that his three knockdowns when fighting McGregor in UFC 202 were premeditated, tactical tumbles.
I saw Nate at the grocery store, randomly, and he was saying that he was falling on purpose to dupe Conor. He goes ‘I knew the first three rounds were going to be tough – he is so fast – so when he hit me, the plan was to fall down and get him to follow me down. I couldn’t take him down, so the plan was to get him to follow me down there.’ That’s a very risky gameplan. But that’s from the horse’s mouth.
Says McGregor fight off
Mayweather says that a rumored fight with McGregor is off the table.
I tried to make the fight happen between me and Conor McGregor…we wasn’t able to make the fight happen, so we must move on…now you got so many other fighters that’s in boxing that want to fight Conor McGregor…but I was the first, once again…I feel honored to be the biggest name in MMA and in boxing and I don’t even compete no more.
Hints at McGregor-Alvarez fight
When asked if McGregor will fight Alvarez, Rogan appears to confirm.
I know a little something that I wish I could tell. It’s an interesting fight. If it happens…allegedly…at Madison Square Garden…allegedly…in a couple of months. Maybe it’s going to happen, I don’t know.
COD interview
McGregor talks about his role in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
My manager rang me and said there’s an opportunity to come in and be part of the game. I’ve played the game for many years. I was addicted to it at one stage, when I wasn’t training so much…I’d be up all night, literally all night. I’d wake up. I’d go training. I’d do two, maybe three hours training. I’d come home nice and early, I’d sit down and I’d play Black Ops II the whole night through…I was just hooked on it, bad hooked on it…To be a part of such a big game like Call of Duty…It’s just another dream come true.
Infinite Warfare Story Campaign Trailer
McGregor and Harrington appear in the Story Campaign Trailer for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
McGregor-Alvarez title fight nearly finalized
According to @TalkMMA, the UFC is close to finalizing a McGregor-Alvarez fight for the 155-pound title at UFC 205 event in New York in November. The main issue in negotiations does not surround money, but McGregor’s desire to hold on to his UFC featherweight title.
Letting go of the belt. Conor wants to be the first to hold 2 belts simultaneously https://t.co/8xbhmwh1Qy
— #Dizz (@TalkMMA) September 15, 2016
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare video
In advance of the release of the official trailer, The Mac Life releases a video of McGregor’s motion capture for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
McGregor has ‘the hardest hands I’ve ever felt’
Poirier says that being beat by McGregor in UFC 178 taught him a valuable lesson that has contributed to his run of success.
I’ve always been an emotional fighter and that emotion fueled a lot of my early performances. I would get angry because I’m about to step in there and go toe-to-toe with someone who is trying to hurt me just like I intend to hurt them, and that energy shifts gears into that kill or be killed mindset. I remember I was backstage getting ready to walk out and I saw him and he threw this smile and pointed at me. I don’t know why but it really got to me, man. It really messed with my head. I mean I’m about to go out and fight this dude and he’s back there smiling at me? After that fight I knew I had to find a different way to use my emotion.
He also talks about McGregor’s punching power:
He hit me with a good shot and then I tried to circle, I planted my feet and he hit me with another good shot and I went down. I have 33 fights and…unless it was just the spot, but the track record speaks for itself – he’s the champ right now. But I think his are the hardest hands I have ever felt.
Prays every night for McGregor rematch
Aldo says he prays every night for a chance at a McGregor rematch, but will settle for a fight with Pettis.
Every night I ask god ‘Please give me another chance. Let me get into the octagon against him. I know it will be different this time’…[However] If [a fight with McGregor] doesn’t end up happening, I do rather a fight against [Anthony] Pettis. I think nowadays…I learned a few things with [the UFC]. There’s more than just the ranking, like there is a ranking order for title-shots. No. I have to tend to the business side too. I think a fight against Pettis will sell a lot more than one against Holloway.
The pair were supposed to meet for Aldo’s featherweight crown at UFC 163 in August of 2013, but Pettis withdrew with a knee injury.
Trolls McGregor
Orton talks about CM Punk’s performance, while trolling McGregor, who he refers to as “Conor McDonald”.
I like making $. Over and over. Not once every 6 months….plus I'd prob fake punch the guy and get choked out. #lol https://t.co/xLXt01bzyf
— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) September 13, 2016
Unless it was the Irish guy little person Connor Mcdonald
— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) September 13, 2016
https://twitter.com/StillDave/status/775602441152712704
— Randy Orton (@RandyOrton) September 13, 2016