Coach: Fabregas not right for AC Milan
Coach Montella says Fabregas is not the right type of player to replace Montolivo, who is expected to be out of action for the next six months after suffering knee ligament damage. Montella has ruled out making an approach for the player when the transfer market reopens in January.
We are looking for a player who has the characteristics of Montolivo, who can also play in a midfield two…Fabregas? He doesn’t have those particular attributes.
‘People are f–king sleeping on Alvarez’
Rogan and Schaub say that Alvarez is being underrated. Rogan:
I think people are f-cking sleeping on Eddie Alvarez. I think he’s a dangerous, dangerous 155 lber. That motherf—er can punch. He punches hard, he’s fast as f–k and there’s not a human alive that’s more game than that kid. Conor is a God damn phenom. He’s got as Firas Zahabi likes to call it, ‘The touch of death,’ in his hands.”
Schaub:
It’s a scary fight man. Anyone who thinks it’s an easy fight or not a big fight for Conor, they just don’t know the sport. I’m talking about the underground king. I think at 55, and everyone knows I’m the biggest Conor nut-rider in the world, at 55, I just don’t see a ton of success there. I think Eddie Alvarez, If you look at the top five, it’s his easiest match-up and that’s a f-cking nightmare for him. Because Eddie can grapple his ass off, he’s been in so many big fights, he doesn’t get tired, he doesn’t mind winning by the decision either…Well think about it. How does Conor win this fight? He has to knock him out. He has five rounds to knock him out. You’re not winning a decision against Eddie. The grappling, the takedowns, the endurance, with the striking. As the rounds go on the knockout power goes down.
Danis: ‘McGregor is going to knock Alvarez out cold’
Danis. McGregor’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu trainer, talks about his relationship with McGregor.
I’m here for him. We help each other. I wouldn’t say I’m just helping him because he also helps me a lot. My mind – everything. We’re a good tag-team, I think. He’s my brother from Ireland. I have my brothers back home in New York and now I have my brothers here too. Coming in obviously I had watched Conor and I knew his mind-set and mine was similar so I figured we could click because we have a lot of the same ideas and the same thoughts. I really knew it would be a good connection, but it ended up being super-cool.
On their ‘there is no opponent’ strategy:
My coach always emphasises not worrying about the other person. I think sometimes when you worry about the other person, you forget to do your game. I’m always going forward and being aggressive. Fuck whatever they’re doing.
On Alvarez:
Conor is going to knock him out cold. As John Kavanagh would say, Conor could knock someone out in a phone booth so if Eddie tries to get close he’s going to get lit up. We’re ready for everything.
Denies McGregor sparring knockout
Kavanagh denies that McGregor was knocked out n sparring, and posts an Instagram as proof.
Free tip – Just because its on the Internet doesn't mean its true 😂
— Coach JK (@John_Kavanagh) October 10, 2016
https://www.instagram.com/p/BLbNVZFg8aH/
Russia to open Syrian naval base
Russia says it will create a permanent naval base in Syria to help their ally. Russia already has an active air base in Syria which was effectively being used in the current conflict. Spokesperson:
By doing this Russia is not only increasing its military potential in Syria but in the entire Middle East. The necessary papers are ready and are in the process of being approved by different agencies. We hope we can ask you to ratify these documents soon.
Russia rebuffs UK
Following a statement from UK Defence Minister Fallon, Russia defends its action in Syria.
Before launching into incoherent conjecture about Russia’s supposed responsibility for the situation in Aleppo in particular, and Syria in general, it is necessary to think – what has the UK contributed to this poor country? Where was the UK when ISIS nearly reached the Mediterranean coast, almost turning Syria into a terrorist caliphate, like Libya. After all, it was you who controlled the skies at the time. We delivered over 1000 liberated settlements, thousands of tons of humanitarian aid, and thousands of square kilometers freed from ISIS’ hold, to which peaceful life has returned. How many settlements have been liberated, how much humanitarian aid delivered, and how many square feet have been cleared of ISIS by the UK?
British forces may join coalition
Conservative MP Mitchell, who will lead an emergency Commons debate on the situation in Syria, says British forces may join an international coalition that will defend Aleppo against alleged war crimes by Russian air strikes.
What we are saying is very clear. No one wants to see a firefight with Russia, no one wants to shoot down a Russian plane. But what we do say is that the international community has an avowed responsibility to protect and that protection must be exerted. If that means confronting Russian airpower defensively, on behalf of the innocent people on the ground who we are trying to protect, then we should do that…It’s not a declaration of war against Russia but it is an absolute declaration that we will seek to protect the innocent victims of these war crimes. I think that Britain should explore with its allies how it would enforce a no-fly zone. It is clearly not something we can do on our own but as part of a coalition of the willing to confront this appalling catastrophe we should certainly be willing to explore that and implement it if we are able to do so.
Accuses Russia of war crimes
President Hollande accuses Russia of war crimes in Syria, and says he wants to sue the country in International Criminal Court for their role in alleged war crimes over the Syrian city of Aleppo. Hollande also says he may not receive the Russian president who is scheduled to visit Paris, late this month, for a church opening ceremony.
I have asked myself that question: Is it useful? Is it necessary? Could we do something that pushes him as well and stop what they’re doing with the Syrian regime — that is to say the help they are providing to the Syrian regime, which sends bombs to the population of Aleppo? If I receive him, I would tell him that it is unacceptable, that it is bad even for the image of Russia. What I tell them, is that these populations are populations that are today victims of war crimes and those who commit those acts will have to pay for their responsibility in front of the International Criminal Court.
‘I get fined more than these bums get paid’
McGregor tweets about his fine.
I get fined more than these bums get paid
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 10, 2016
Mayweather: White not a fighter, underpays fighters
After White says that he never thought that there would be a McGregor-Mayweather fight:
They seem to want the money, probably! But I don’t know how bad they actually want to make that a reality…I never thought it was gonna happen. Two totally different sports… Conor’s under contract with me. We can start with kicks, punches and elbows…[Mayweather] doesn’t have to learn to do anything, but he’s going to get kicked and elbowed.
Mayweather responds:
It’s easy for another guy to speak when he’s not in there, in a contact sport. It’s easy to get a tonne of money off these UFC guys while they’re not really getting paid and he’s living better than them. There’s a difference. They can say, ‘ah Floyd, he’s living better than all his fighters.’ Well, guess what, I was a fighter myself so I’ve put in the work on both sides.’
‘I’ll beat McGregor’
After adding to his undefeated run, with a submission over Russell Doane in UFC 204, Bektic says he’s ready to take on McGregor.
Post-fight I went over to Dana White and told him, ‘Give me some chicken. It’s my mom’s 50th birthday, and I just told him. Back in July last year, when [Chad] Mendes fought McGregor, before that fight I went up to Dana and shook hands with him and told him, ‘Hey Dana, I’m the one. I’m going to be your champ.’ He didn’t remember, but I reminded him of that today..I’m building a big foundation. Skyscrapers take time, so I’m going with the flow…I think [Alvarez vs. McGregor] is a great fight. I like McGregor. He’s doing his thing right now, and Alvarez, he’s a gangster. He’s a former Bellator champ, and he’s a UFC champ now…[I’ll fight McGregor] if he’s there. I’m not sure what his plans are. He won the featherweight belt, and it’s been a long time, and he hasn’t defended it. I don’t even know how long it’s been since he fought at featherweight. I would beat him now. I’d beat anybody.
Cruz: McGregor not most hated in UFC
Cruz refutes Cerrone’s statement that McGregor is the most hated man amongst the UFC fighters.
I don’t base things on opinion – I base them on fact. And I don’t have a factual basis that everyone in the UFC hates the guy. I think what they’re upset at is the fact of how much money he’s made, how quickly and on his own, and also how the UFC favours him. But that doesn’t make me hate him. That makes me try to understand the situation and make a better situation for myself. I choose not to dislike or hate the people that are making that money because they’re doing something different – it’s a choice.
Says McGregor all about money
After his UFC 2014 win, Mousasi talks about McGregor.
McGregor’s good for the sport but what is it. You had Muhammad Ali, he was a hero, he was besides a great boxer, he did a lot, he did big things. Now you have (Floyd) Mayweather and Conor McGregor — ‘I have money, I have money’ — and everybody loves it. That sells. People are stupid. What can I say? They don’t know who’s a real fighter or not. They just like to see expensive stuff on Instagram probably.
Reaffirms support for Trump
Mercer and his daughter Rebekah say they will continue to support the candidate.
If Mr. Trump had told Billy Bush, whoever that is, earlier this year that he was for open borders, open trade, and executive actions in pursuit of gun control, we would certainly be rethinking our support for him. If he had admitted to Mr. Bush that he had profited privately by allowing the sale to Russia of 20% of US uranium deposits or that he had amassed his personal fortune not by hard work in the private sector but by selling favors to foreigners on the American taxpayers’ dime, we would certainly be rethinking our support for him. If he had argued that he needed both a public and a private position on issues facing the American public, we would certainly be rethinking our support for him. And finally if Trump had serially terrorized and silenced the victims of violent sexual assault whom he feared could damage his political career, we would most definitely be rethinking our support for him…Can anyone really be surprised that Mr. Trump could have said to Mr. Bush such things as he has already admitted saying? No. We are completely indifferent to Mr. Trump’s locker room braggadocio…We have a country to save and there is only one person who can save it. We, and Americans across the country and around the world, stand steadfastly behind Donald J. Trump
Defends McGregor going after two belts
Pettis says McGregor should be able to go after two belts, considering he was trying the same.
I wanted to do it so I can’t say he shouldn’t be able to do it…I was trying to do that when I was champ. I called out Jose Aldo right after I won the belt at lightweight, it was supposed to happen, it didn’t happen for reasons. I think right now, Conor he’s doing his thing. He’s a guy that’s winning fights, he’s knocking guys out, he’s fighting guys like Nate Diaz but he’s winning fights, what can you say…When I won the belt, the first thing I said was ‘Jose Aldo we have unfinished business.’ That was my plan way back when I was the champ. He’s selling the tickets, he’s selling the fights, he’s winning the fights and people want to watch him fight.
He is hoping for a fight with Aldo:
If Jose Aldo wants it, I’m ready to go. I think he’s more frustrated than actually trying to retire. I don’t think he’s going to retire where he’s at right now. He obviously wants that (Conor) fight back, Conor’s busy, I’m there. I think that’s the fight that makes sense for him. If Jose Aldo’s retired, give me Max Holloway. If Max Holloway don’t want to fight, give me Nate Diaz. I don’t care. I’m here to fight.
Cerrone: McGregor ‘disliked by all other fighters’
Cerrone says he is no fan of McGregor.
It’s all an act, a big show [from McGregor]. We couldn’t hear what he was saying [at the press conference], he was just rambling and we were behind the speaker. I just tune him out, because behind the scenes he is like a scared little kid. He hides from us. When they line us all up they take Conor and put him in another room because he can’t be around other fighters because we don’t play that shit. [He is disliked] by all. By all. He’s not one of the fellas, he’s not a good dude. But it is what it is, he’s done a good job promoting the sport. He’s done a good job at making money, so I can’t hate the guy for that. But just as a person, I ain’t a fan of his.
Alvarez: McGregor has ‘WWE fans’ who ‘don’t know shit about MMA’
Alvarez says he was taken aback when the crowd at the UFC 205 press conference greeted him with jeers.
I mean, given the reaction of that crowd, it kind of was weird, I definitely didn’t expect that. It just sort of reiterated to me what his fan base is. His fan base is him. They’re people who, it’s all perception. It seems like he has a lot of WWE fans, guys who don’t know much about fighting at all, they are just like him. You can have them fans, they’re not the fans I want anyway. You can boo all day long. I don’t want fans who don’t know shit about MMA. I’d rather have a fan who knows the sport, enjoys the sport, and can see value.
Payday is ‘millions’
After McGregor claims that Alvarez he didn’t negotiate a big payday, Alvarez says that he is being paid ‘millions’ for the fight.
I’m happy with the money I’m ready to make. I think you have to be able to earn the right to draw a line in the sand and be able to say ‘this is what I want,’ and I think fighters need to be prepared to walk if that’s the case. … It wasn’t one I was willing to walk away from at this time. I wasn’t going to sit there and nickel and dime the UFC about negotiating the deal. The deal was good. [A ballpark figure is] millions.
‘Not threatened’ by McGregor
Alvarez says that he is not threatened by McGregor.
Usually when I square off with a man, my heart rate goes up, I feel something. I never felt so unthreatened by a human being as when I was up on a stage with him. That’s the God’s honest truth. I’ve never felt so unthreatened. [Other fighters] have a well-rounded skill set and even if the fight goes to another realm of MMA, from standing up, to ground, to jiu-jitsu, everyone is tough in each one. They’re well versed, to the point where they can hang with some of the toughest guys in the world in any aspect of the sport. And I don’t think [McGregor] can, from what I’ve seen…The conditioning aspect is just not a good level of conditioning. The last Nate Diaz fight was a very big eye opener for me.
Aldo: McGregor fight could not stop retirement
When asked if a fight with McGregor would stop his retirement from UFC, Aldo says:
No. Not even that. “If anything, that should have been what happened. This fight is the fight that should have been made as the next fight at 145[lbs]. I earned this. I earned this since I first arrived at UFC. Because I’ve seen other champions losing and getting immediate rematches. But, in my case, they made me fight for the interim belt instead. I did it, and I won. And even now, I don’t have any perspective for my future. So for me, not even a fight against McGregor. I don’t care if he is fighting someone else. I couldn’t care less how he manages his career. I want to follow my own path. So the only way for them to make things right with me, is by releasing me.