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8 Jan, 2017

Kavanagh: McGregor fears he will sustain brain injury

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After a special event at the Royal College of Surgeons, in Dublin, where Professor Healy addressed more than 50 high-level MMA fighters on the dangers of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive degenerative disease found in athletes with a history of repetitive brain trauma. Kavanagh says that McGregor has concerns about the long-term implications of repeated blows to the head.

It’s a concern of every fighter. At that level of fighting the risk is very real. But I think you can add on two hands the number of clean head shots Conor has taken in 10 years of pro-fighting. His style of fighting answers that, because his style is not brawling. He doesn’t step in the pocket and exchange punches. His style is in and out – he’s very defensive. That style was born through not wanting to lose and not wanting to take head shots, and not wanting to damage the software. [The key is education] We can reach that lofty goal of this being the first generation with no incidents of CTE.

7 Jan, 2017

Nunes: ‘I’m going to have two belts like McGregor’

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Nunes says she wants to be a two-belt champion, like McGregor.

Honestly, I want to take a little time, enjoy it a little bit but I really look forward to this 145-pound belt. Maybe I’ll go up to fight for the 145-pound belt. We’ll see. Maybe I’m going to have two belts like Conor McGregor.

5 Jan, 2017

Rogan: McGregor, UFC missed out on a huge payday

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Rogan says both McGregor and the UFC have missed out on a huge payday by not selecting Nate Diaz’s brother Nick as McGregor’s next opponent.

I think they missed the boat if they want to make the f-cking biiiiig money. I think it’s Nick Diaz versus Conor McGregor. They fight at 170 [pounds]. It’s a great story. I love a great story. Big brother steps in. Come on, son.

Nurmagomedov: McGregor ‘just a good boxer’

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Nurmagomedov says he doesn’t rate McGregor as a good overall fighter and he wins by taking fights that suit his style.

About athlete, about like phenomenal fighter, I don’t think [McGregor] is. He’s just a good boxer and he all the time takes fights, you know, like a good style (for him). Like Eddie Alvarez and Jose Aldo – like this.

Mayorga: I’ll ‘disintegrate’ McGregor in boxing

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Mayorga, a former welterweight and light-middleweight world champion, challenges McGregor to fight.

I admit that he’s has been very good at mixed martial arts, but in boxing he is making mistakes. As soon as I grab him, I’m going to break him down, I’m going to disintegrate him. If you are looking for me, you will find me. I have not fought, as they say, with [scrubs and journeymen], with a ghost record like [McGregor] has. But if he wants to fight and he’s looking for me – he’s going to find me. Let him tell me when he wants us to fight and where he wants to do it. In boxing, when we step in the ring – he’s going to know that I’m a man and he’s a woman.

Nunes: Rousey ‘has always been overrated’

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Nunes says Rousey is overrated.

I don’t know how Ronda Rousey went too far in this division. Honest. I don’t know how those girls lost to Ronda Rousey. I knew since my first fight in UFC, that I can beat Ronda Rousey. That day was the day to prove to everybody that I could do it…She is [overrated] for sure.

AMANDA NUNES BLASTS RONDA ROUSEY... She's Always Been Overrated | TMZ Sports

4 Jan, 2017

Tarverdyan: ‘It doesn’t matter what people say’

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When a reporter asks about people saying he was not the right coach, Tarverdyan replies:

It’s all good man. [Ronda has] no plans yet. It doesn’t matter what people say.

Ronda Rousey's Coach Breaks Silence on Ronda & His Haters | TMZ Sports

Rogan: ‘There’s Conor McGregor and there’s everyone else’

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Rogan says only McGregor can draw big numbers of fans to the sport.

The next pay-per-view is Holly Holm vs Germaine De Randamie, which is a tough sell. I would buy it, as a hardcore fan [but] it ain’t going to be Conor McGregor numbers…Honestly, there’s Conor McGregor and there’s everyone else. There was a thing the other day that showed that Conor, in three fights, drew more pay-per-view than the entire UFC roster in 2014.

Malignaggi: McGregor will fail in boxing

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Malignaggi says McGregor would need to make $100million out of any boxing match because he will have his reputation destroyed.

I feel like most of the opinions of people that watch these kind of fights are probably ignorant and they don’t know anything, and that’s not even said in a disrespectful manner. You’ll get a lot of stupid people that will buy a lot of fights that aren’t worth the time…I think McGregor has some good striking skills. I think the Diaz brothers have some good striking skills, and there’s probably a few other guys, as well. The striking skills in mixed martial arts are a little bit different than the striking skills you need in boxing. In MMA, you can back yourself up with a Muay Thai clinch, or you can spear the guy and take him down, or a kick or throw. The angles are different when they’re coming from a pure boxing perspective. The fact that anybody that thinks it would be a risk for me to fight Conor McGregor in a boxing ring—I get a good laugh out of it. Ultimately, I think the fighters understand that, and because they understand that, I don’t think I ever see Conor McGregor boxing in my lifetime…The only way he’ll take a risk in boxing is if it’s a $100M risk. You may take a beating, but it’s worth it because of the money you’re doing it for. It’s going to totally destroy him. No matter who he boxes, it’s going to ruin his image…If you put him in boxing, you probably have to treat him as a prospect, just like these 20-year-old-prospects that turn pro and get put through the normal phases. You have to start Conor from the beginning. There’s no other way to put it.

3 Jan, 2017

Kavanagh accepts Coach of Year award, falls off hoverboard

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Kavanagh thanks The MMA Hour and Helwani for awarding him the Coach of the Year in a Twitter video that goes awry at the end, as he falls off a Hoverboard.

Thank you so much for this great honour. I know the competition was tough after such a big year in MMA. I want you to know that winning these awards hasn’t changed anything for us — we’re still just a small humble team from Ireland.

Rousey’s mother wants to kill her coach

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Rousey’s mother says Tarverdyan, her daughter’s coach, is the reason for her losses, and that she is not impressed with the way he uses Rousey to lure people to his gym. She has also told her daughter she will not keep quiet about this anymore.

I think Edmond is a terrible coach and I will say it publicly. I think he’s a terrible coach I think he hit the lottery when Ronda walked in, he knew she was winning before she ever met him. She probably won 99% of the Judo matches she ever fought in, she’d won the Junior worlds when she was 17. I would caution anyone from going there, and I think it’s bad he uses her to lure people in and the reason I tell everybody and I told Ronda I’m not going to be quiet about this anymore…[He’s] a piece of shit…I will tell you this every time I go into his gym he says what he used to say ‘How are you?’ and I say ‘How the f-ck do you think I am, I’m in your f-cking gym, I f-cking hate you’, Yes I hate him, I would run over him with my car if he wasn’t Ronda’s, I hate that guy he’s like the most worthless human being god ever put on this earth.

Nurmagomedov wants to fight McGregor in Moscow

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Nurmagomedov says he wants to fight McGregor in Russia.

I want to beat Tony Ferguson, take interim bullshit belt, and after, fight with Conor for the real belt. I am famous in Russia and, we have to say, Conor is famous in Russia too. If UFC make a promotional tour all over the world, like Rio de Janeiro, Las Vegas, New York, Toronto, London, Moscow, Tokyo, everywhere, you know, make this PR programme…And, after this, UFC give me and Conor three months for preparing and make this 80,000 arena in Moscow – I think 100 per cent we can sell all these tickets. If I fight with Conor, I think the UFC makes this in New York or Vegas. Russia – not good for pay-per-view. Ireland – not good for pay-per-view.

Heyman: It would be ‘great’ if McGregor went to WWE

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Heyman — best known as the mouthpiece for former UFC champion and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar — says the idea of McGregor taking a run at professional wrestling at some point in the future.

It’d be great if he was. He’s a main line box office attraction. He’s a headline news grabber. I think it’d be great for WWE and I think it would be even better for Conor McGregor…[the wrestlers who responded to him on Twitter are] suckers. Hook line and sink…There are people mentioning him by name here using our platforms to promote him. He’s not mentioning anybody by name here. Why? Because he has a platform all of his own. That makes him a huge box office attraction, being promoted by other box office attractions that spend their equity talking about him. Kudos to him. He outsmarted everybody, except for me, except for Brock Lesnar.

2 Jan, 2017

Garbrandt calls out Aldo, McGregor, wants ‘money fight’

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Despite initially saying he wanted a rematch with Dominick Cruz, Garbrandt now says he wants to go up against Aldo.

I need to sit down with [UFC bosses] and find out the biggest money fight for me. I know I can go up and fight with Jose Aldo. You know, he has wins over my teammates, he’s a legend and I’d like to test his chin. I know I hit hard, I’m just getting started. And I also know the biggest fight’s with Conor [McGregor]. I can easily go up like my homie Nate Diaz, and choke him out and I can’t believe he’s the number 2 [pound for pound] when he got choked out…I’ll fight anybody, but to be honest, I truly believe I’m ready to fight…and I’m a draw. And I want the biggest money fight for me right now. I think I saw that Jose Aldo would like to fight me, I would like to test his chin. Whatever benefits me, I’m the champ.

Nurmagomedov offers to pay $200K of Ferguson’s purse

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Nurmagomedov says that if the UFC won’t pay enough, he will boost Ferguson’s purse with $200,000 of his own money.

1 Jan, 2017

Bisping, Woodley verbally agree to fight

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Bisping shares a video of him debating Woodley over a potential fight, before agreeing on a catchweight fight at 180-pounds perhaps taking place in April or May next year. The verbal agreement isn’t necessarily official, as it’s up to the UFC to book their fighters.

TW: We’re fighting!
MB: Bro, really?
TW: What weight?
MB: Whatever weight you wanna do.
TW: 180. What do you weigh?
MB: More than you little guy.
TW: I weigh 200
MB: How about 210?
TW: You hear that? 180 me and Bisping
MB: 180. But then no belts on the line
TW: No belts f-ck that!
MB: Superfight for the f-ckin’ <inaudible>
TW: What month?
MB: May?
TW: I’m 100% serious

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOvGaFWhRNL/

Jones: Rousey should ‘try again’

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Jones, currently on a one year suspension for a failed drug test, says Rousey should pick herself up and try again.

My advice to Ronda would be to pick yourself up and try again.I think it’s important for Ronda to show her fans how great she truly is by displaying her courage and giving it another try. What she does next will truly determine her legacy. I really hope she chooses to be … unbroken. Her story doesn’t have to be over here. I also still believe she beats 90 (percent) of the division. Lots of ass kicking still to be done, lots of money to be made…Maybe she just needs to complement her coach with an MMA family. Maybe she should join one of the bigger MMA teams. … Being around other bad asses and constantly sharing your spotlight could be good for you (in) so many ways. They can improve on your humility.

Thanks fans, says she’ll take time to decide next move

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Rousey thanks her fans.

I want to say thank you to all of my fans who have been there for me in not only the greatest moments but in the most difficult ones. Words cannot convey how much your love and support means to me. Returning to not just fighting, but winning, was my entire focus this past year. However, sometimes — even when you prepare and give everything you have and want something so badly — it doesn’t work how you planned. I take pride in seeing how far the women’s division has come in the UFC and commend all the other women who have been part of making this possible, including Amanda. I need to take some time to reflect and think about the future. Thank you for believing in me and understanding.

31 Dec, 2016

Posts New Year message from sister’s wedding

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McGregor shares a picture with his father at his sister Aoife’s wedding. He also shares a New Year’s message with his fans.

God bless and happy New Year to all my family, my friends and my fans! We are going to toast tonight!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOsOE4lhO6k/

Mother urges Rousey to retire

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Rousey’s mother, AnnMaria De Mars, says she would like to see her daughter retire, and has not changed her negative opinion on Rousey’s coach.

I think she’s sad and disappointed like anybody would be in the circumstances…I think making snap decisions like [retirement] that is probably not the best idea, so I don’t know, but I would like to see her retire. I would like to have seen her retire a long time ago. Who wants to see their kid get hit? She’s got a lot of talent in a lot of other things. She could do movies, writing, producing. She’s really really smart and beautiful. I told her that at the very beginning when she started this, I said you’re smart and beautiful, let the stupid people get punched in the face…I haven’t changed my opinion on her trainer.