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.
UFC 291 loses main card bout: Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira canceled
A highly anticipated welterweight barnburner between Stephen Thompson and Michel Pereira will no longer take place at UFC 291. The promotion confirmed the news after the Brazilian failed to make weight at the official weigh-ins. While the non-title welterweight bout weight limit is 171 pounds, Pereira weighed in at 174 pounds, three pounds overweight. This is the second time he has failed to make weight. Meanwhile, ‘Wonderboy’ successfully came in at 170.5 pounds. While many speculated that the UFC would attempt to go forward with the fight and try to negotiate a deal between both camps, the cancelation was announced just a few minutes before ceremonial weigh-ins. Soon after, Stephen Thompson confirmed that he refused to fight at catchweight, and the bout was ultimately pulled from the fight card. He issued a statement on Instagram explaining why he chose not to fight Michel Pereira. He wrote: “Unfortunately, my fight with Michel Pereira will no longer be going forward. First off, I’m sorry to all the fans who were looking forward to my fight… Fighters who miss weight face far too few consequences and are often allowed to fight with a significant competitive advantage.” Stephen Thompson was coming off a fourth-round TKO win over Kevin Holland last December. Meanwhile, Michel Pereira was looking to extend his five-fight winning streak. UFC reveals Stephen Thompson vs. Michel Pereira replacement bout After it was confirmed that the Stephen Thompson-Michel Pereira bout stood canceled, the promotion hinted at a replacement fight. It seems that the UFC made the decision to replace the scrapped bout with a heavyweight matchup. MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter recently took to Twitter to point out that the official UFC website has been updated to show the Derrick Lewis vs. Rogerio De Lima fight taking place in the scrapped welterweight bout’s spot. The two heavyweights will reportedly fight just before the co-main event instead of the preliminary card. Replying to a fan comment asking which fight would replace the canceled bout, he quote-tweeted: “UFC.com has it as Lewis vs. De Lima.” ‘The Black Beast’ will be looking to stop a dismal three-fight losing slide. Lewis suffered three consecutive finishes against Tai Tuivasa, Sergei Pavlovich, and Sergey Spivak. Meanwhile, Rogerio De Lima is coming off a two-fight win streak. He last defeated Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC Vegas 72 in April.
Bryce Mitchell set to return to the octagon in September
Bryce Mitchell is set to return to the UFC octagon. The Arkansas native is reportedly booked to face Dan Ige in a featherweight matchup at a Fight Night event on September 23 in Las Vegas. Mitchell has been calling for this fight for a long time, and the promotion has finally granted him his wish. ‘Thug Nasty’ will be looking to redeem his first maiden loss against Ilia Topuria. The Georgian-Spanish fighter secured a second-round submission victory over Mitchell at UFC 282 last December. Prior to that loss, Bryce Mitchell was on an incredible 15-fight win streak. His record now stands at 15-1. Bryce Mitchell was initially slated to fight Movsar Evloev in May but was forced to withdraw due to a back injury. A lightweight barnburner between Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot will headline the September Fight Night card. ‘Ataman’ will aim to rebound from a close decision loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 286. The defeat broke his six-fight winning streak and was his first UFC loss since his debut in April 2019. Meanwhile, Gamrot has won five out of his last six outings. He last beat Jalin Turner at UFC 285 via split decision. When Bryce Mitchell claimed Conor McGregor would cheat to defeat Michael Chandler UFC featherweight Bryce Mitchell is not a fan of Conor McGregor. ‘Thug Nasty’ once claimed that the Irishman would resort to cheating in order to defeat Michael Chandler after their The Ultimate Fighter (TUF 31) season concludes. McGregor was roped in to reprise his role as a coach opposite Chandler in the ongoing season of TUF 31. The two explosive strikers have been placed in charge of two teams of bantamweight and lightweight fighters. While McGregor has a group of MMA prospects under his tutelage, Chandler is coaching a group of UFC veterans. Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler are highly expected to face off in the octagon after the reality show ends. However, there is no official confirmation of that bout yet. In a May edition of MMA Pros Pick, Bryce Mitchell claimed that he believes McGregor could use steroids to gain a competitive edge over Chandler. He said: “I think McGregor is on steroids and I don’t think they are gonna test this properly. I think he’ll win on steroids. But if they test them, I think it’ll be a good fight. But if he’s on steroids… it’s still definitely, I’m going, I’m rooting for the American.” Watch the full video below:
Reason for Dana White’s absence from UFC 291 press conference revealed
Dana White was a notable absentee from the recent UFC 291 pre-fight press conference. Considering the significance of the event and the massive hype behind the fight card, many wondered why the UFC supremo gave it a miss. Due to White’s absence, perennial UFC commentator Jon Anik took over his duties as the press conference host. Anik not only hosted the event but also answered questions from the attending journalists. Shedding light on why Dana White missed the presser, MMA journalist Mike Bohn revealed that the UFC president is currently on vacation in Italy. Confirming the same on Twitter, he wrote: “With Dana White vacationing in Italy, I’m told @Jon_Anik will host today’s #UFC291 pre-fight press conference.” UFC 291 is set to go down this weekend at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. A rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje will headline the exciting pay-per-view card. The two explosive lightweights will be fighting for the coveted ‘BMF’ title. The co-main event will feature former middleweight champion Alex Pereira’s light heavyweight debut against former 205-pound champion Jan Blachowicz. Elsewhere on the card, former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson will face Bobby Green. Welterweight contender Stephen Thompson will face Michel Pereira and Kevin Holland will fight Michael Chiesa. A heavyweight matchup between Derrick Lewis and Rogerio De Lima will also take place on the UFC 291 card. Dana White confirms main event for the Fight Night event on September 23 UFC president Dana White recently confirmed that the promotion is close to finalizing an exciting lightweight matchup between Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot for a Fight Night event in September. The two mercurial fighters will headline the main card on September 23 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. ‘Ataman’ will look to redeem his unanimous decision loss against Justin Gaethje at UFC 286. Before that loss, Fiziev was on a six-fight winning streak. Meanwhile, Gamrot is coming off a split-decision victory over Jalin Turner at UFC 285. The card will also feature a featherweight barnburner between Bryce Mitchell and Dan Ige. This will mark Mitchell’s first 2023 octagon outing. The news was confirmed by MMA journalist Brett Okamoto of ESPN, who tweeted: “UFC Fight Night, Sept. 23 … per Dana White. No. 6 Rafael Fiziev vs. No. 6 Mateusz Gamrot. No. 12 Bryce Mitchell vs. No. 13 Dan Ige.”
Jan Blachowicz on fighting former middleweight champions moving up to light heavyweight – “Maybe this is my job… to send them back”
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz is happy to play the gatekeeper of the division. Blachowicz is all set to welcome former middleweight champion Alex Pereira to the light heavyweight division at UFC 291 this weekend. This bout will mark the third time the 40-year-old fights someone who moved up from the middleweight division. Prior to this, Jan Blachowicz handed middleweight king Israel Adesanya his first MMA loss during his bid to become a two-division champion at UFC 259. He also defeated Luke Rockhold in his light heavyweight debut at UFC 239. Having faced multiple middleweights attempting to move up to the light heavyweight division, Jan Blachowicz has earned a reputation for gatekeeping the 205-pound division from the middleweight hopefuls. At the UFC 291 media day, Blachowicz was asked why the UFC always seems to book him to welcome middleweights. He replied: “I don’t know. Maybe this is my job, you know, in UFC to send them back to the lower division. I don’t know. I’m okay with that.” Catch Blachowicz’s comments here (2:55): Jan Blachowicz last fought Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 282 in December 2022. The fight for the vacant title ended in a highly controversial split draw. Jan Blachowicz eyeing a title shot against Jiri Prochazka after Alex Pereira fight at UFC 291 Jan Blachowicz is already looking beyond his fight against Alex Pereira this weekend. The Polish fighter recently opened up about a potential title shot in the future and revealed that the UFC refused to make his fight against ‘Poatan’ a championship fight. The light heavyweight division is a rollercoaster. Last year, after former champion Jiri Prochazka was forced to vacate the title due to a nasty shoulder injury, a series of events led to Jamahal Hill capturing the 205-pound strap against Glover Teixeira at UFC 283. Unfortunately, ‘Sweet Dreams’ was also recently forced to vacate his title due to suffering a long-term injury. While many expected the UFC to turn the Blachowicz vs. Pereira matchup into a title fight, the organization had other plans. Jan Blachowicz recently claimed he expects to challenge for the title with a win this weekend. At the UFC 291 media day, he said: “UFC told me that after this fight, next fight is for the title so nothing’s changed. Jamahal Hill left the belt. I wish him very fast recovery, but my next opponent will be, I don’t know, maybe Prochazka and we’re going to fight for a title so we will see, but now, I focus on the opponent Saturday. We’ll think about that after the fight we can talk about the next step.”
Israel Adesanya reveals his pick for the Alex Pereira vs. Jan Blachowicz matchup at UFC 291
Israel Adesanya recently weighed in on the upcoming light heavyweight matchup between Alex Pereira and Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291. The Nigerian-born Kiwi believes that Pereira will secure a knockout victory. Pereira will make his light heavyweight debut against Blachowicz this weekend in Salt Lake City. The former middleweight champion moved up a weight class after suffering a second-round knockout against his longtime combat sports rival Israel Adesanya, who reclaimed his 205-pound throne at UFC 281. Before Alex Pereira’s arrival in the UFC, Adesanya’s lone MMA loss came against Blachowicz in his attempt to become a two-division champion. The Polish fighter secured a unanimous decision victory in what would be his first and only title defense as the light heavyweight champion. Given his familiarity with both men in the octagon, Israel Adesanya recently analyzed their matchup. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, he claimed that the fight result could be determined by whoever lands first and said: “If Jan does what I think he’s gonna do, he’s gonna get caught with a left hook. I don’t think this goes the distance. If it does, Jan wins. I felt [Blachowicz’s power]. I think Alex hits harder… Jan could definitely learn how to hit harder but if Jan gets him down, I think he’s just going to control him there for three rounds. I’m going Alex by knockout.” Israel Adesanya on Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje for the BMF title Israel Adesanya recently discussed the rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje at UFC 291. Poirier and Gaethje will face off in a lightweight matchup for the BMF title this weekend. This is the second time the two striking savants meet in the octagon. They first met at UFC on Fox 29 in April 2018, with ‘The Diamond’ ultimately securing a TKO win after four brutal rounds. Given the riveting nature of their first meeting, many eagerly look forward to their second outing. In the video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Israel Adesanya picked Dustin Poirier to emerge victorious. Predicting the fight not going the distance, ‘The Last Stylebender’ said: “I don’t think this goes the distance. I’m going to go with Dustin. ’DP.’ I think he’s disciplined… ‘DP’ keeps it disciplined as much as he can… Unless he has to brawl his way out of something, he might either catch him again or win the decision… I don’t know who’s going to win, but if I had to put my money on it, I’d go with DP.” Watch the full video below (10:40):
Dustin Poirier didn’t expect to face Justin Gaethje once more after their first meeting – “I don’t want to do that again”
Dustin Poirier recently claimed he did not expect to face Justin Gaethje in the octagon for the second time. This weekend, Poirier will face Gaethje at UFC 291 in the Delta Center located in Salt Lake City. The pair will go head-to-head for the coveted ‘BMF’ title. Poirier first fought Gaethje at UFC on Fox 29 in April 2018. While Gathje found success early with his devastating leg kicks, ‘The Diamond’ applied his exceptional boxing skills to pepper ‘The Highlight’ with brutal combos. The two explosive lightweights put on a striking clinic over four action-packed rounds, at the end of which Poirier secured a TKO victory. Given the brutality of their first meeting, Dustin Poirier wasn’t looking forward to a rematch. At the UFC 291 media day, Poirier was asked if he ever considered fighting Gaethje again after their first fight. He replied: “No… I actually sat next to Justin at one of the pay-per-views in Vegas. We were talking, chopping it up, and I told him, ‘Dude, I don’t want to do that again.’ I told him that… And here we are, about to throw hands. Honestly, throughout the five years since the first fight, I didn’t see it coming.” Catch Poirier’s comments below (3:35): Dustin Poirier claims to have an “unwritten agreement” with Justin Gaethje about selling their UFC 291 fight Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje aren’t keen on trash-talking each other to sell their upcoming BMF title fight. The two mercurial lightweight contenders, who are set to throw down this weekend, see no need to market their bout any more than necessary. As mentioned above, Poirier and Gaethje fought one of the most entertaining fights of 2018. After a slugfest that matched up to every expectation, ‘The Diamond’ stunningly defeated the Arizona native via fourth-round TKO. The fight also won the two fighters a $50,000 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus. Fans are already hyped to see them run it back, considering how entertaining their first bout was. While fighters exchanging barbs in the build-ups to fights is common, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje have notably steered away from engaging each other that way. In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Poirier discussed the same. Claiming that they have an “unwritten agreement” between them, he said: “It’s cool because we have an understanding. We have an unwritten agreement. We know what we’re going to try to do to each other on Saturday night. I think the hardcore fans, maybe even the casual fans, understand that too. We don’t have to push each other off the stage and curse at each other at a press conference or be crazy to sell the fight. Cause’ you know what you’re getting with this.” Watch the full interview below:
UFC star reportedly suffered a brain hemorrhage in fight back in 2022
UFC welterweight contender Vincente Luque has reportedly received his Nevada license to resume fighting after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage after his loss to Geoff Neal at UFC Vegas 59. Neal knocked out the 31-year-old Brazilian in the third round of their fight. Following the loss, Luque was handed a minimum one-year suspension due to brain bleeds. He recently applied for a new fighting license during a Nevada Athletic Commission meeting in Las Vegas. According to a report by MMA Junkie, Vincente Luque was required to submit clearance from a neurologist and a neurosurgeon as well as a new MRI of his brain to fight. An NSAC medical consultant then approved the clearance. NSAC executive director Jeff Mullen stated: “He suffered a brain bleed [a year ago]. He had a suspension of one year. Luque had to bring before the commission clearance from a neurosurgeon and a neurologist independently who recommended he be licensed. We have that material. … I have faith in our doctors.” Vincente Luque is booked to face Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 51 on August 12. He is on a two-fight losing slide. Vincente Luque on Rafael Dos Anjos fight getting moved from July to August UFC welterweight mainstay Vincente Luque recently addressed his July bout against Rafael Dos Anjos getting postponed to August. ‘The Silent Assassin’ was initially booked to face Dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN 49 on July 12. However, the fight was later rescheduled for August 12 for reasons unknown at the time. While Luque doesn’t know the exact reasons behind the postponement, he recently speculated that compulsory additional medical testing could explain why he’s fighting a month later instead. In a recent interview with MiddleEasy, Vincente Luque stated: “I’m not 100 percent sure why it moved. But I believe part of it was kind of the commission wanting me to get some more exams and get cleared since my last fight because I got suspended for six months. I was cleared to fight in February but still they wanted some more exams. Just making sure I’m 100 percent. I do feel 100 percent, so I’m sure that everything is going to be good. They wanted to wait maybe a year after my last fight.” Watch the full interview below: As of now, Vincente Luque’s fighting license is valid for a year. If he fights in Nevada again, he’ll be required to submit additional testing to confirm he’s healthy to compete.