“Nerdy, goofy, soft punk dude” – Jamahal Hill calls out Ariel Helwani for his recent comments
Jamahal Hill has had enough of Ariel Helwani. The former UFC light heavyweight champion recently sounded off on the veteran MMA journalist for some disparaging comments he made during an interview with Jiri Prochazka. A few days ago, Helwani spoke to Hill’s predecessor on The MMA Hour. During their conversation, Helwani appeared to take shots at ‘Sweet Dreams’ for disrespecting ‘Denisa’ and insinuated that Hill tried to rush Prochazka back from a nasty shoulder injury. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Jamahal Hill fired back at Ariel Helwani. Clearly upset at the journalist’s comments, Hill clarified that he never disrespected Jiri Prochazka and demanded proof if he did. He said: “Last time I came on your show, after my championship fight, you tried your tactics on me. And it didn’t work… You’re now upset and every chance you get you’re taking shots at me. These are blatant shots… We all know Ariel, the nerdy, goofy, soft punk dude who’s admitted multiple times, “I wouldn’t fight.” But has the nerve to disrespect fighters.” Addressing Helwani’s allegations that he disrespected Prochazka, Jamahal Hill continued: “Where did I say it at? And where was I disrespectful? Where did I do anything ill towards him other than wish him well?… Ask Jiri what I said to him when I talked to him. I’m not fake, I don’t have no reason to play fake or nice in nobody’s face.” Catch Hill’s comments below (1:05): Ariel Helwani responds to Jamahal Hill; invites ‘Sweet Dreams’ for an interview Ariel Helwani wants to clear the air with Jamahal Hill and recently invited ‘Sweet Dreams’ to have a conversation. After Hill put Helwani on blast for things he said during his interview with Jiri Prochazka, the veteran journalist responded by inviting ‘Sweet Dreams’ to his studio for a “man-to-man” chat on his popular The MMA Hour show. Helwani also offered to talk to the former light heavyweight champion via a Zoom call if in-person wasn’t possible. During the latest episode of The MMA Hour, Helwani stated that he wished to hash out their differences and said: “I would like to extend an invitation to you, Jamahal Hill, whom I have nothing but respect for and I think that your thoughts on the way that I think about you are very wrong. I’d like to extend an invitation to you to come in the studio on my program and we can hash it out, Mano-a-Mano, man to man.” He continued: “We can talk about the issues, and hopefully we can squash the beef… I know you just got injured. If you’d like to come on via Zoom, I would love to have you on… I would love to have you on to figure this out, to settle this, because I think there’s a lot of misinterpretation.”
Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje seemingly agree to fight following Twitter back and forth
Conor McGregor could make his long-awaited UFC return against Justin Gaethje. McGregor and Gaethje recently engaged in a heated back-and-forth on Twitter that resulted in the two seemingly agreeing to fight each other in the octagon. ‘The Highlight’ recently won the BMF title win against Dustin Poirier at UFC 291, and the Irishman wasn’t happy. Soon after Gaethje’s win, McGregor posted a series of nasty tweets calling the new BMF champion out. However, in his post-fight presser, Justin Gaethje made it clear that he wasn’t interested in facing ‘The Notorious.’ Despite the refusal, Conor McGregor persisted in his efforts to engage Gaethje, and it seems to have paid off. During a recent back-and-forth on Twitter, the two apparently agreed to a fight. During their exchange, McGregor brashly promised: “I KO him one shot. Guarantee it.” To which Gaethje surprisingly replied: “Sign the contract big boy.” While fans weren’t expecting any further development on the matter, Conor McGregor sent shockwaves across the MMA community by quote-tweeting his iconic cage-top image, stating: “Signed.” While it’s unclear if the McGregor-Gaethje fight will materialize, fans are undeniably hyped by the idea of the two explosive strikers going head-to-head in the cage. It remains to be seen if the UFC sanctions the potential showdown or sticks to the original plan of pitching Conor McGregor against Michael Chandler. Henry Cejudo on Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje Henry Cejudo recently weighed in on a potential matchup between Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje. The former two-division champion urged ‘The Highlight’ to take the fight against the Irishman and predicted an early finish for Gaethje in case the fight materialized. ‘The Notorious’ is undoubtedly MMA’s biggest superstar and has headlined five of the UFC’s highest-selling pay-per-view events. Given McGregor’s massive stardom, it’s unsurprising that fighters often yearn for a life-changing payday by going up against him. However, Justin Gaethje recently iterated that he wasn’t interested considering McGregor turned him down multiple times in the past. In a recent video uploaded to Twitter, Henry Cejudo urged the new BMF champion to put his ego aside and secure the bag by fighting Conor McGregor. Stating that the undisputed lightweight title wasn’t going anywhere, he said: “Justin Gaethje has two options. We all want the world title, we’re all chasing for that. In this situation, I think Conor McGregor is a great matchup for Justin Gaethje. You got millions and millions of dollars on the line if you fight Conor McGregor.” He continued: “Justin, if I had to choose something, whether I want a UFC title or about $10 million, guess what? I’m going for the $10 million… Either way, you’ll beat him… At 155 pounds, I can see you stopping Conor McGregor within the first two minutes.”
Nate Diaz abruptly walks out of face to face interview with Jake Paul ahead of boxing bout
Nate Diaz clearly isn’t keen on helping Jake Paul promote their highly-anticipated boxing match. The former UFC star is booked to face the YouTuber-turned-boxer at the American Airlines Center on August 5 in Dallas, Texas. ‘The Problem Child’ has made a name for himself in the combat sports realm over recent years. Known for his over-the-top style of promoting fights, Paul was expecting similar fireworks to erupt in the build-up to his fight against Diaz. However, the Stockton slugger has been least interested in engaging with Paul and has avoided any confrontation. This led to Jake Paul expressing his frustration over Diaz’s lack of contribution in promoting their fight. With their fight just days away, the two recently sat for a face-to-face interview, moderated by MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, designed to draw last-minute trash-talking. Once again, Diaz threw water over Paul’s expectations and abruptly left the interview, leaving Paul frustrated. Helwani recently tweeted a clip of the incident which shows Nate Diaz hilariously walking away while Jake Paul praised his achievements over the years. While Diaz stated that he’d be right back, the video showed him getting into an SUV and driving away. Nate Diaz claims Justin Gaethje isn’t worthy of being the ‘BMF’ champion Nate Diaz recently weighed in on Justin Gaethje’s recent BMF title win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291. The Stockton slugger stated that ‘The Highlight’ didn’t fit the description of ‘Baddest Motherf**ker’ and dismissed Gaethje’s claim to the revered title. The BMF title came out of Diaz calling out Jorge Masvidal to decide who the UFC’s ‘Baddest Motherf**ker’ was. This resulted in the promotion sanctioning a one-off black-and-grey belt that would be given to the winner. After an entertaining fight at UFC 244, Masvidal managed to secure a third-round TKO to become the first BMF champion. In a recent interview with All Out Fighting, Nate Diaz shared his thoughts on Justin Gaethje succeeding Jorge Masvidal as the BMF titleholder. Blasting Gaethje and Dustin Poirier for their lack of superstardom, he said: “Him [Gaethje] and Poirier are dorks, they don’t fit the description anyway, Masvidal, too. The champions are all kind of lame right now. There is Adesanya and Jon Jones, besides that everybody is kind of, there is nobody that entertaining to watch. So, what happens? I make something to entertain people and I’m not even in there?” Watch the full video below:
BREAKING: Kelvin Gastelum pulls out of bout with Shavkat Rakhmonov due to injury
Kelvin Gastelum will not be competing against Shavkat Rakhmonov at the UFC Fight Night event on September 16. The former middleweight interim title challenger recently announced that he suffered a facial fracture during training. Gastelum was slated to face Rakhmonov in a welterweight contest at UFC’s Mexican Independence Day event. He would have been making his first outing at welterweight since July 2016, when he beat Johny Hendricks at UFC 200. In a recent video posted to his socials, Kelvin Gastelum announced the unfortunate news and revealed that he is trying to move his welterweight return to November 11. He said: “Unfortunate news, my fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov is off. I received an elbow that resulted in an open fracture, and a few bones came out fractured… I apologize to Shavkat Rakhmonov and his team… And I asked to move it up to November. Hopefully, they will grant me this wish. That will be Nov. 11 in Madison Square Garden.” While Shavkat Rakhmonov is unlikely to stay on the September 16 card, the promotion will attempt rebooking the matchup for UFC 294 on October 21 in Abu Dhabi. However, it’s unclear if Gastelum will be ready by then. Shavkat Rakhmonov reacts to Kelvin Gastelum pulling out of their scheduled bout Shavkat Rakhmonov isn’t happy about Kelvin Gastelum pulling out of their fight. The undefeated phenom recently blasted the Mexican-American and called him out for a fight on October 21 instead. Rakhmonov is undoubtedly among the most exciting fighters to watch in the UFC today and the Uzbekistan native has an impressive record of 17-0. He last beat Geoff Neal at UFC 285 via third-round submission. His fight against Gastelum was to be his toughest test to date and would give him a chance to prove himself against a veteran of the sport. In a recent tweet, Rakhmonov blasted Kelvin Gastelum for pulling out and labeled him a “Pinata” while attempting to rebook their bout for UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. He wrote: “Pinata, I agreed to fight you on your territory on Mexican Independence Day in an arena full of your supporters and it’s not my problem you can’t do it now. It’s your turn to accept to fight me on my territory in Abu Dhabi at UFC 294! Or did you realize it was a bad idea just now?” He followed up with another tweet, stating: “You forgot to mention you are struggling with diet too.” Kelvin Gastelum is coming off a decision win against Chris Curtis at UFC 287, which stopped a two-fight losing slide against Robert Whittaker and Jared Cannonier.
Chael Sonnen urges Dana White to re-sign Derrick Lewis to the UFC after stunning TKO win
Chael Sonnen doesn’t want to see Derrick Lewis leave the UFC. Claiming that he wanted to see more of ‘The Black Beast,’ Sonnen recently urged Dana White to re-sign the perennial heavyweight contender. Lewis recently fought the last fight of his current contract and dispatched Rogerio De Lima via first-round KO. The hard-hitting heavyweight contender barraged his opponent with punches and forced the referee to intervene just 33 seconds after the opening bell. Lewis reclaimed his top spot for most knockouts in UFC history with the win. After the fight, Derrick Lewis iterated that he’d love to re-sign with the promotion and fight for the title. Given his status as a fan-favorite fighter and his entertaining fighting style, many called for Dana White to bring him back. Speaking at the post-fight ESPN MMA show, Chael Sonnen urged the UFC supremo to strongly consider keeping Derrick Lewis on the roster. He said: “Look, Dana, I’ve asked you for things before, but not in a while. I feel like I’m owed one. Please re-sign this guy. I’m not done with Derrick. I want to see more of Derrick Lewis. I’ll leave it at that.” Watch the full video below: Dana White shares update on Conor McGregor’s return Earlier this month, Dana White shared an update on Conor McGregor’s highly-anticipated return to action. The UFC frontman revealed that while the Irishman hasn’t entered the USADA testing pool yet, he’s confident about McGregor fighting before the year ends. After suffering a nasty leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021, McGregor went through a long process of recovery and physical therapy. The Irishman made his UFC return by taking on a coaching role on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) opposite Michael Chandler earlier this year. The two men were highly touted to face off in the octagon after their season concluded. However, McGregor’s absence from the USADA testing pool has proven to be a significant hurdle to his return. While he’s hinted at submitting his samples several times in the past, he is still not registered by the drug-testing agency. In an interview with Aaron Bronsteter for TSN, Dana White shared an update on Conor McGregor’s future plans and said: “He’s not [back in the USADA testing pool]. 100 percent [there’s a chance Conor McGregor fights this year]. We’ll see how that plays out. They’re saying that now, but who knows… Who cares what USADA says, we’ll see what happens when it happens so I don’t know.”
Jorge Masvidal claims he lost $100k betting on Dustin Poirier at UFC 291
Jorge Masvidal recently opened up about last weekend’s Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje BMF title fight. ‘Gamebred’ revealed that while he recognizes Gaethje’s impressive performance, he was salty about losing $100,000 in wager money. It’s no secret that Masvidal and Poirier are close friends and train together at the famed American Top Team gym (ATT) in Florida. Unsurprisingly, the former BMF champion chose to bet a significant amount of money on his teammate to win. While Poirier succeeding Masvidal as the BMF titleholder would be an exceptional honor for both men and the ATT gym, Justin Gaethje’s devastating head kick splashed water all over that possibility. ‘The Highlight’ ended the blockbuster fight by unexpectedly knocking Poirier out early on in the second round. In the aftermath, Jorge Masvidal graciously handed over the coveted black-and-grey belt to Gaethje. In an interview with TNT Sports after the event, Masvidal revealed that he suffered a personal loss after Dustin Poirier lost and said: “I’m making wagers that I probably shouldn’t. I put $100,000 on D.P, on Dustin Poirier. Kids I’m sorry, you’ve got to go to public school now…I’m just hurt. I wanted my boy to get that belt.” Watch the full interview below: Jorge Masvidal dares Conor McGregor to call him out Jorge Masvidal has had enough of Conor McGregor’s empty callouts. ‘Gamebred’ recently sounded off on the Irishman and dared McGregor to try calling him out for a fight. McGregor hasn’t stepped inside the octagon since suffering a nasty leg fracture against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. Since then, ‘The Notorious’ has gone through extensive physical therapy and medical rehabilitation. He made his return to the UFC by reprising his role as a coach on the ongoing season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler. The two explosive strikers are expected to face off after their season concludes. Despite the hype, there seems to be no official movement regarding the McGregor-Chandler fight. Masvidal could be prepared to change that. Almost immediately after Justin Gaethje’s BMF title win, Conor McGregor called him out via a series of explicit tweets. However, ‘The Highlight’ was neither impressed nor interested in the Irishman’s rants. It seems Jorge Masvidal wasn’t too pleased either. In a recent tweet, the Miami native wrote: “Conor McGregor shut ur mouth you pissing hot midget ur not cleared to fight. Talking about fighters going thru the grind and process. I bet you never say my name you scared.”
Stephen Thompson reveals he still hasn’t been given his show money for UFC 291
Stephen Thompson is still waiting to be compensated for making weight and showing up to the UFC 291 weigh-ins. Thompson was booked to face Michel Pereira at last weekend’s UFC 291 event. However, the fight was scrapped after the Brazilian failed to make the welterweight limit by three pounds. He weighed in at 174 pounds, while the non-title limit is 171 pounds. ‘Wonderboy,’ who weighed in successfully at 170.5 pounds, chose not to go ahead with the fight at catchweight. Despite Stephen Thompson completing an entire training camp, he isn’t sure if he’ll get paid for all the blood, sweat, and tears he put into making weight. However, the welterweight mainstay remains optimistic about the UFC doing right by him. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Thompson shared an update about the status of his payment and said: “At this point, my management is talking to the UFC, nothing yet. I know Dana White is on vacation. The guy is a workaholic, so well deserved, but I feel like the UFC is going to do right by me. I’ve done everything that I’m supposed to do… I’ve done what they wanted of me, and I feel like they’re going to do right by me. Things are still in talks. I think they’re waiting for Dana White to come back from his vacation, and we’ll go from there.” Watch the full video below: Chael Sonnen calls for the UFC to pay Stephen Thompson his dues Former UFC middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen recently weighed in on the Stephen Thompson pay issue and called for the promotion to make the welterweight striking maestro whole. As mentioned above, ‘Wonderboy’ hasn’t received payment for going through a whole training camp and successfully making weight. While fighter pay is typically segregated into ‘show’ money and ‘win’ money, the UFC reserves the right to decide if a fighter who makes weight and is ready to fight gets the show money if the bout falls through. While it’s unclear if Stephen Thompson will get paid, Chael Sonnen recently voiced his support for the welterweight striker. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, he said: “I stand with Stephen. I stand with Thompson on this one… This was about an honor and a respect that goes deeper than just this organization, you and I both know the deal and you and I both know you can’t [miss weight]… Why should Thompson be punished?” Watch the full video below:
Tony Ferguson addresses eye-poke from Bobby Green loss
Tony Ferguson recently weighed in on his loss against Bobby Green at UFC 291. He stated that an eye-poke during the contest hindered his vision and ultimately affected the outcome of the fight. ‘El Cucuy’ was handed his sixth consecutive loss last weekend after Green managed to secure a third-round submission. While Ferguson had some promising moments early on, an unfortunate eye poke from ‘King’ forced the referee to call a temporary halt to the action. After the fight resumed, albeit sooner than expected, Green built momentum and finished his opponent in the final seconds of the last round. In the aftermath, many called for Tony Ferguson to call it a career. Given his dismal run since his last win in June 2019, it’s unsurprising that fans are concerned about the 39-year-old damaging his legacy beyond repair. However, it seems Ferguson doesn’t intend on giving up just yet. Taking to Instagram, Tony Ferguson addressed his eye poke incident and iterated his intentions to continue competing. He stated: “As the fight began, I was in the Xone, flowing & feeling confident. Bobby knew the direction of the fight & I believe he knew what he was doing when he poked my eye. He has a big history of moves like this. It significantly impaired my vision, making it difficult to see clearly out of my eye. Despite this eye poke I never considered stopping the fight Although the doc wanted too.” He continued: “While I won’t use the eye poke as an excuse for the outcome, I know for a fact I have more to give… Eye appointment tomorrow, some recovery & back after it.” Bobby Green on Tony Ferguson’s retirement calls Bobby Green recently weighed in on Tony Ferguson’s future plans and addressed those calling for him to retire. At the UFC 291 post-fight press conference, Green claimed that while he couldn’t say if Ferguson should retire or not, ‘El Cucuy’ still has a lot to give. He stated: “What I should say for another man? I can’t speak for another man. It depends on what’s in his heart and his goals…He took hella shots, and he was still fighting. He was still game. I felt like maybe if it was someone else, they would slow down and stop. I think he’s still got it in him. I would say so. He’s got a lot of fight in him.” Before the Bobby Green loss, Tony Ferguson lost against Nate Diaz, Michael Chandler, Beneil Dariush, Charles Oliveira, and Justin Gaethje. Meanwhile, Green is back in the win column with his UFC 291 win. He previously scored a No-Contest against Jared Gordon due to an accidental head clash. He was on a two-fight losing streak prior to that.
Brendan Allen offers to step in and face Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in Sydney
Israel Adesanya may have an opponent for the highly anticipated UFC 293 event in Sydney. No. 11-ranked middleweight contender Brendan Allen recently called out the middleweight champion and offered to face Adesanya in case he didn’t have an opponent for the September card. Ambiguity surrounds the Nigerian-born Kiwi’s opponent for the Sydney card, where Israel Adesanya is expected to make his next outing. After Dricus Du Plessis’ incredible win over Robert Whittaker at UFC 291, he was touted to be Adesanya’s next challenge. However, an injury forced ‘Stillknocks’ out of that matchup, and the middleweight champion subsequently turned his attention to Sean Strickland. Unfortunately, it seems the UFC isn’t keen on ‘Tarzan’ fighting Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in Sydney. The No.6-ranked middleweight vented his frustration on Twitter and revealed that the promotion may have other plans. In light of the uncertainty surrounding Israel Adesanya’s next opponent, Brendan Allen recently offered to step in and face ‘The Last Stylebender’ in September. He tweeted: “Not sure what the hold-up is but if you need someone to fight @stylebender, I’ll fly to Sydney and take that belt off your hands! Money, training, time, etc no problem. You probably got bigger things but if you just need a fight have your ppl call my ppl.” Israel Adesanya blasts Sean Strickland for making a fuss about fighting on “5-weeks” notice There is no love lost between Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland. It’s no secret that the two middleweights aren’t on cordial terms and have fired nasty verbal shots at each other on several occasions. Their rivalry recently intensified after ‘Tarzan’ asked for a title shot against ‘The Last Stylebender’ and made jokes about Adesanya’s “Chinese” heritage. While Sean Strickland was believed to be the next in line for middleweight gold, he recently hinted that the UFC doesn’t want to make that fight for September. Reminding everyone of his cooperative behavior as an employee of the promotion, he tweeted: “UFC history: Sean fight this good guy on a 2-day notice. “Sure”… Sean fight this guy we want to be the next big name in the top 5 if he beats you. “Sure”… Sean we might have you fly across the world on a 5-week notice to fight the Chinese Champion. “Sure”…. LMAO………” Israel Adesanya wasn’t impressed with Strickland’s complaining and fired back: “Lol “5 weeks”. You been training since your last fight. We both fighting on short notice, you’re not doing nothing special, you dirty c**t.”
Justin Gaethje dismisses Conor McGregor call-out after BMF title win
Justin Gaethje is not interested in a fight against Conor McGregor. The new BMF champion recently weighed in on a potential fight against ‘The Notorious’ and outlined his reservations about him. ‘The Highlight’ went up against Dustin Poirier for the coveted BMF title at UFC 291 last weekend and secured an impressive second-round knockout against the Louisiana native. Soon after his win, McGregor posted a series of brash tweets calling Gaethje out. Seemingly dismissing his anticipated fight against Michael Chandler, the Irishman stated that he wanted to fight the new BMF champion. While Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor have gone back and forth in the past, a bout between the two never came to fruition. In his post-fight press conference, ‘The Highlight’ addressed McGregor’s callouts. Referencing the former two-division champion’s recent steroid-use allegations, he said: “I think he’s turned me down six times. And usually, you have to lose to fight him. So I don’t know what’s going on… I’m not going to fight someone on steroids. I’ve never taken steroids in my life, never will… But I’ve never taken steroids, and I don’t want to fight someone that is cheating. And I probably shouldn’t even say that if I want the fight, but it’s the truth.” What did Conor McGregor say after Justin Gaethje’s BMF title win at UFC 291? Conor McGregor did not take Justin Gaethje’s recent win over Dustin Poirier kindly. As soon as former BMF champion Jorge Masvidal gave his successor the black and grey belt, the Irishman fired several shots at Gaethje and called him out for a fight. While McGregor has long desired to be crowned the ‘Baddest Motherf**ker’ in the UFC, his wishes were never fulfilled. Nevertheless, the Irishman seems to have no intentions of giving up. As soon as Gaethje won the title, ‘The Notorious’ took the opportunity to assert his BMF title aspirations. Taking to Twitter, Conor McGregor reminded everyone of his status within the world of MMA and wrote: “I’m the real BMF, he can fight for pennies if he wants but I want spirits, I call the shots, I’m in it to launch shots. F**k Chandler, you want it? Call for it.” In a follow-up tweet, he threatened Justin Gaethje, stating: “Justin, I’ll slap you around.” Conor McGregor is expected to face Michael Chandler after the ongoing season of The Ultimate Fighter concludes. However, there is no reported progress on the status of that fight happening so far.