Nurmagomedov offers to pay $200K of Ferguson’s purse
Nurmagomedov says that if the UFC won’t pay enough, he will boost Ferguson’s purse with $200,000 of his own money.
Hey @TonyFergusonXT if the @ufc don't want to pay you I'll pay you 200k extra on your purse let's make this fight now you have no excuse
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) January 2, 2017
Bisping, Woodley verbally agree to fight
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’
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
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.
Posts New Year message from sister’s wedding
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
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.
Nurmagomedov: UFC hiding McGregor, wants Ferguson fight
After Dana White says Nurmagomedov will not fight Ferguson (due to money issues) and that the Russian fighter’s father had turned down a bout with Jose Aldo, Nurmagomedov says the UFC is hiding McGregor from him, and asks to fight Ferguson.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOnVl_aj2Y1/
White: Nick Diaz turned down every fight offered by UFC
During the UFC 207 Media Scrum, White says Nick Diaz has turned down every welterweight fight offered by UFC, including a fight against McGregor. Diaz reportedly turned down the McGregor fight to keep it for his brother, Nate.
Weight debates aside, Dana White told me he's offered Nick Diaz fights at welterweight. According to White, he's turned them all down.
— Luke Thomas (@lthomasnews) December 28, 2016
I have confirmed that Nick Diaz recently turned down a fight with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
— Chris Taylor (@CTaylor_96) December 28, 2016
Apparently Nick said no to the offer because “That is Nate’s fight” and he wouldn’t take that away from his little brother.
— Chris Taylor (@CTaylor_96) December 28, 2016
White: McGregor not scheduled for any fights
Despite McGregor saying he could fight earlier than May 2017. White says he is not currently looking to book McGregor into any fights.
The last conversation that Conor and I had he was taking 10 months off. I’m not even thinking about Conor. Conor is not in my plans for the next 10 months. We run a business where we make fights. I know who’s available and I know who’s not available. Conor told me ‘I’m not available for 10 months, we’re having a baby, my girl stresses out when I fight and I don’t want to put that on her while she’s pregnant.’ I love it, I respect it, I get it. Do your thing, buddy…That’s it. He’s not in any of our plans for the next 10 months.
White: Rousey ‘as good as I’ve seen her’
White says he is fine with giving Rousey a pass on promotion this time.
If you look at the amount of press that has been done by any fighter in the UFC history, Ronda smokes everybody by a long shot. This is the way she wanted it. The only thing she cares about right now is focusing on winning, She has done a lot of things for us. This is what she wanted and we gave it to her.
And that, to him, she is in excellent shape:
She is great. She is ready to roll, she is ready to fight, and it is all good. Everybody knows that Ronda is psychotically competitive. She is as good as I have ever seen her. She is in amazing shape, she is in great spirits. She is fired up. She is like the old Ronda again. She just had to deal with this thing the way she wanted to deal with it…all the greats throughout history, they’ve all lost. Muhammad Ali lost, Mike Tyson lost, you go through the list of all the greatest fighters who have ever lived, everybody has a loss. It is always interesting and exciting to see if they can overcome and come back from a devastating loss, like her’s was.
Diaz reminds McGregor of trilogy fight promise
Diaz calls out McGregor’s statement before UFC 202 that he would “100%” fight Diaz in a trilogy fight. McGregor:
The way it all panned out I’ve got other business to look after after this but, make no mistake, it will be a trilogy down the line. It won’t be straight away but we will do it three times. 100%.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOirc7AjaCP/
Abdelaziz: McGregor will fight Woodley next
Abdelaziz, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager, says that McGregor’s next fight will be against Woodley at welterweight (170 pounds). He also says Dana White’s comments about McGregor being “too small” to fight at that weight are part of a negotiating strategy.
Let me make a prediction: McGregor’s next fight is going to be Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title. This is the fight that’s going to happen. Every sign is this is going to happen.
May hold boxing bout in Russia next year
Rourke’s agent says he may hold a boxing match in Russia in 2017.
We are currently in work on organizing a bout for Mickey in the Urals,. This may happen in February or March next year. Mickey is now practicing every day, he is looking forward for the bout and keeps asking when he would be fighting in Russia.
Johnston: I should be ahead of McGregor in pound-for-pound rankings
Johnston says he should be ranked above McGregor in UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
You know what, I believe [I should be ahead of McGregor in pound-for-pound rankings], I think I am. I think going out there and showing everything in my last fight. I showed I had a good clinch. TKO’d Henry Cejudo. Joseph Benavidez just went three rounds with him even though it was an improved Henry Cejudo. But, those guys never really took the fight to different places. Those guys didn’t really fight in the clinch, or use the wrestling aspect, or the grappling…I’ve knocked people out from the clinch. I’ve submitted people from armbars, Kimura, last-second armbars. I’ve knocked people out with one-hand punch.
Taoiseach supports McGregor
Kenny, the Taoiseach (leader of) the Irish parliament, gives his backing to McGregor being awarded the title of Irish Sports Personality of the Year.
Conor McGregor is a fabulous athlete, he’s a no-nonsense man obviously and he’s a worthy winner of the Sports Personality of the Year. Sometimes when you see the fights in the cage, you might say it’s brought boxing, or fighting, to a new dimension here, but McGregor is a world superstar and he’s top of that particular category, or two categories, at the moment.
Coach: Aldo not lying about McGregor fight
Pederneiras, Aldo’s coach says the UFC should confirm that Aldo is going to fight McGregor.
I think it’s time for the UFC to say something and back up everything we’re saying. It sounds like we’re just saying stuff, but throughout all of this I’ve received messages, e-mails with proposals, everything. On our end, Aldo is in no way a liar. I think it’s time for people to know the truth, and that’s the truth. You can ask [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby if there’s a single lie in everything I’m saying. Our intention was always to defend the belt. Because a champion who doesn’t defend at least once doesn’t really stamp his championship belt. [Aldo] himself said it: I won my belt, I’ll defend it now – this in a conversation between us – and we’ll go after Conor. When Sean Shelby told me the fight wasn’t happening on Feb. 11, I said, ‘Sean, we’re now in a complicated situation. Our plans for this year would be this fight, challenging the No. 1 [lightweight] challenger, which would be Khabib – we want to get the toughest guy in the division, who everyone, say, runs from – and then, after that, Conor, who’s pregnant and will only fight after that. Both Sean Shelby and Dana White thought it was a brilliant idea, sensational. So that Aldo could be at a situation in which there was no way Conor could sit and say, ‘I won’t fight him’. The only request that I have is that, humbly, either Khabib or Ferguson take the fight.“In case both have injury issues that I don’t know of, which I understand, that the fight is directly with Conor
Ferguson: ‘We’re going to wreck McGregor’s ass’
Ferguson says McGregor is no match for him.
Honestly, people are going to do what they’re going to do. This is the fight game. I’m not worried or scared about absolutely anybody who’s not talking about me. That dude (McGregor) does not want any part of me. That dude got beat by a No. 5 in the world, Nate Diaz. Everybody’s talking about him being the best, the best, the best. I’m like, dude, you got beat by No. 5. I’m No. 2. I’m the only name that he hasn’t thrown out there in the wind. He doesn’t want any part of this. So it’s like I said, go ahead. You got a little pass from me. Go enjoy your family time. Do you thing and enjoy your life. You have some money, go ahead and go spend it. Do your thing, relax, enjoy your time, so I don’t fight you. And while you’re doing that, I’m going to keep over here wrecking this shit, me and my crew. And we’re going to go onto the next stage, which is when you come back, we’re going to wreck your ass.
White: Diaz trilogy fight could ‘ruin’ McGregor
White says he doesn’t want McGregor to fight a “trilogy” fight with Diaz.
The problem with the rubber match is Diaz is a 170-pounder. He’s a massive guy. Conor is a very talented guy, he’s very, very good. Every time he goes out there he looks better… [But] we should have never done it in the first place. That’s what weight classes are for. They wanted to do it, we did it. They wanted to do it again, we did it again. They’re 1-1. There’s only so many of those wars you can be in in your career. It takes a lot out of you. Some guys go into wars like that and they’re never the same after it. Look at Meldrick Taylor when he fought Julio Cesar Chavez. He was never the same after that fight. We’ve had those type of fights too. I believe that Rory MacDonald was never the same after the Robbie Lawler fight. That fight ruined him. I don’t want to do that to someone special like Conor McGregor. It’s just not right.
Will not take part in UFC 207 media activities
The UFC says neither Rousey nor current titleholder Nunes will take part in the week’s lone media session, Wednesday’s Ultimate Media Day, which is closed to the public. Ultimate Media Day will instead feature the remaining UFC 207 main-card fighters. Both fighters will, however, appear at the official weigh-in.
Balotelli: McGregor should fight Petrosyan
Balotelli tells McGregor to fight his friend, Petrosyan, who is rated eighth in the lightweight division of the Glory kickboxing championship.
GOOD LUCK FOR THIS ONE PLEASE DONT BE SCARED
https://www.instagram.com/p/BOYJlLSjaN7/