TUF coach Conor McGregor hilariously instructs referee from cageside in latest episode; referee complies
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor is undoubtedly among the most influential personalities in mixed martial arts. To top it off, the Irishman recently proved that he can even influence an in-cage referee during a fight. McGregor reprised his role as a coach on the ongoing season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) opposite Michael Chandler. ‘The Notorious’ is in charge of a team of bantamweight and lightweight MMA prospects, whereas ‘Iron’ has a team of UFC veterans under his tutelage. While McGregor’s run this season has been notably dismal, the Irishman has avoided a clean sweep. His team went 1-7 against Chandler’s team. In the latest episode of TUF 31, UFC veterans Austin Hubbard and Roosevelt Roberts faced off in a largely uneventful semifinal contest. However, fans witnessed a hilarious moment between Conor McGregor and the referee during the fight. After the first minute of the third round, both fighters found themselves in a clinch deadlock against the cage. As the fight stalled while the clock ticked on, ‘The Notorious’ promptly addressed the referee, saying: “Keep them busy, ref.” Almost immediately, the referee responded: “Come on guys, do something, or I’m going to break it up.” Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler: TUF 31 Episode 9 results In the ninth episode of TUF 31, team Michael Chandler’s Austin Hubbard and Roosevelt Roberts faced off in a semifinal matchup. After three uneventful rounds, Hubbard edged out a split-decision win to advance to the lightweight finals. Hubbard will now face the winner of the other lightweight semifinal bout between fellow veterans Jason Knight and Kurt Holobaugh. Interestingly, Chandler and his coaching staff decided not to corner either contender to avoid favoritism. However, Conor McGregor still showed up energetic as always and sprinkled some much-needed commentary during the fight. However, even the Irishman acknowledged that Hubbard and Roberts were engaged in a glorified spar. Due to Michael Chandler having most fighters competing against each other going forward, the producers suggested that some veterans switch to team McGregor. While most refused, Brad Katona agreed to make the switch. Given that Katona has trained at Conor McGregor’s stable at SBG Ireland under coach Kavanagh, it was an easy decision for the TUF 27 winner. Next week, Brad Katona and Timur Valiev face off in the first bantamweight semifinal bout.
Colby Covington believes he will face Conor McGregor “before next winter” after defeating Leon Edwards
Colby Covington is already looking beyond his potential welterweight title fight against Leon Edwards. The 35-year-old Californian recently revealed that he has a blockbuster fight against Conor Mcgregor on his mind after he secures the 170-pound strap and also shared a possible timeline for the super fight. While the Covington vs. Edwards fight hasn’t officially been announced yet, UFC president Dana White has made it abundantly clear that ‘Chaos’ has the next shot at the welterweight title. Despite the decision proving to be widely unpopular among the other welterweights, especially Belal Muhammad, White’s mind seems made up. At the recent Turning Points USA Chapter Leadership Summit, special guest speaker Colby Covington discussed his future career moves. Over the course of his 27-minute Q&A session, he called for a fight with Conor McGregor repeatedly. When a fan asked Covington when he thinks he’d face ‘The Notorious,’ he replied: “That’s the big fight, that’s what people want to see… That fight sells, I think that’s the biggest fight the UFC could ever do. And I think it lines up perfectly after I beat Leon Edwards Scissorhands this fall… I think before next winter Conor and I square up, and we see who the baddest man on the planet is.” Catch Covington’s comments below (2:39): Colby Covington blasts Jake Paul and Logan Paul; calls the brothers the “most pathetic human beings on the planet” It’s safe to say that Colby Covington is not a big fan of the Paul brothers. Jake and Logan Paul are arguably two of the most popular social media stars today and have made quite a splash in the world of influencer boxing. While Jake Paul has beaten former MMA fighters like Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley, Logan Paul lost his sole professional outing against KSI. ‘The Maverick’ has now turned his attention to professional wrestling in the WWE. Meanwhile, ‘The Problem Child’ is booked to face former UFC star Nate Diaz in the boxing ring on August 5. At the same Turning Point USA conference, Colby Covington was asked if he thought the Paul brothers were real fighters. ‘Chaos’ replied: “They’re not real fighters, no… Those guys are the most pathetic human beings on the planet… I’ve seen them in person before. ‘Oh, hey, Colby. Can I get a picture? Can I shake your hand?’ Jake Paul’s in my DMs, ‘Bro, you’re the best fighter. I want to be just like you,’ and this and that. So, those guys are fake. They are not real. They’re not real fighters. They’re YouTube stars and they’re little Lizzie McGuire stars. Who cares about them?”
Donald Trump praises Khabib Nurmagomedov – “I thought he was a fantastic fighter!”
Khabib Nurmagomedov is undoubtedly among the most well-known MMA fighters in the world. Considered the greatest lightweight ever to set foot in the UFC octagon, the grappling savant has no dearth of admirers. Given his incredible achievements in the cage, ’The Eagle’ recently received high praise from former US President Donald Trump. In an exclusive interview with Jim Norton and Matt Serra for UFC Unfiltered, Trump discussed Nurmagomedov’s fighting career. Revealing that he once asked UFC president Dana White if the Dagestani grappling phenom would ever return to competition, Trump said: “I think Khabib was great, and it looks like he probably doesn’t come back, but I asked Dana last night, ‘Where is Khabib? Are you going to get him to come back?’ I thought he was a seriously good fighter.” When Norton pointed out that Khabib Nurmagomedov promised his mother that he would never fight again, Trump added: “Well when his father died, he had something, but I thought he was a fantastic fighter.” Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from MMA after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. ‘The Eagle’ successfully defended his belt for the third time via second-round submission and used the post-fight octagon interview to inform his fans of his decision to call it a career. Despite the consensus that he walked away in his prime, Nurmagomedov’s dominance was recognized via induction into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022. Justin Gaethje outlines plan to avenge his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 254 Justin Gaethje recently revealed how he plans to avenge his loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov by defeating his prodigy. ‘The HIghlight’ faced ‘The Eagle’ at UFC 254 in a lightweight title unification bout. Despite being known as the hardest-hitting lightweight, Gaethje was put to sleep by Nurmagomedov’s triangle choke in the second round of their bout. In the aftermath, Khabib Nurmagomedov laid down his gloves and announced his retirement. Charles Oliveira soon claimed the 155-pound title and defended it once before being stripped due to missing weight against Gaethje at UFC 274. The Brazilian then lost the title to Nurmagomedov’s childhood friend and training partner Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. With an Oliveira-Makhachev title rematch looming, Justin Gaethje is looking forward to facing the Dagestani grappling phenom. Hoping to avenge his loss against Khabib Nurmagomedov by defeating Makhachev, ‘The Highlight’ recently reiterated his intention to go for gold. In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, he said: “Khabib beat me. Islam is kind of his prodigy. So, I can kind of get that fight back a little bit. You know he [Makhachev] beat Oliveira. So, I can certainly get a two-for-one deal on that one.”
Tom Aspinall’s UFC London win draws reactions from Jon Jones, Ciryl Gane
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones may soon have a new challenger to think about. Heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall recently returned to action after spending an injury forced him to the sidelines for a year. The Englishman secured an incredible first-round TKO win over Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 224 in London last weekend and wasted no time mapping out his future career moves. Aspinall used the post-fight octagon interview to state his intentions to face the winner of Ciryl Gane vs. Sergey Spivak, scheduled for UFC Paris in September, before taking on Jon Jones for the heavyweight strap. He said: “I’m gonna go to Paris. I’m gonna be sat front row for Ciryl Gane vs. Sergey Spivak, I’m gonna beat the winner. Then I’m going to beat Jon Jones.” Soon after Tom Aspinall’s bold callout, ‘Bones’ and ‘Bon Gamin’ shared their reaction on social media. Responding to the Englishman’s speech, Jones took to Twitter to post a simple three-word reaction. He wrote: “Sounds good, lol.” Similarly, Gane also seemed keen on the idea of facing Aspinall. Issuing a warning, he wrote: “Great performance Tom, careful what you wish for. See you in Paris.” Jon Jones is set to defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295. The bout will take place at Madison Square Garden on November 11. Tom Aspinall previews Jon Jones fight, claims to present a “different” challenge to ‘Bones’ Jon Jones is widely regarded as the greatest mixed martial artist ever. From his dominant reign as the light heavyweight champion to his mind-numbingly quick heavyweight title capture, Jones has repeatedly proven why he’s not an opponent to trifle with. Nevertheless, Tom Aspinall is confident of his chances against ‘Bones.’ After stopping Marcin Tybura’s two-fight win streak via TKO, Aspinall expressed his intention to face the heavyweight champion eventually. In the post-fight presser, the Englishman was asked how he saw a potential fight against Jon Jones going. He confidently replied: “I think I match up well [against Jones]. It’s a dream fight of mine, and I think I’m young and I’m fresh, and I haven’t got loads of miles on the clock. I’m big; I can do everything well. I’m fast, strong, and I’m heavy. Which is unlike a lot of his opponents who he’s fought in the past. I think I bring something different to him, and I think he knows that as well. Or he should know it moving forward definitely.”
What happened in the first fight between BMF title fighters Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje
The UFC will soon crown its new ‘BMF’ champion. Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje are booked to fight for the famed “Baddest Motherf**ker” title at UFC 291 on July 29. This bout will also be the second meeting between the former interim lightweight champions. Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje first met in the octagon at UFC on Fox 29 in April 2018. After a slugfest that lived up to its expectations, ’The Diamond’ secured a fourth-round TKO victory over ‘The Highlight.’ Both fighters started strong, with Gaethje looking to attack with leg kicks and big right hands early. Meanwhile, Poirier focused on putting together boxing combos and peppered his opponent’s face with quick jabs. As the fight progressed, it was clear that neither fighter was interested in backing down and pushed forward relentlessly. Despite two eye-pokes resulting in a point reduction for Justin Gaethje, ‘The Highlight’ significantly damaged Dustin Poirier with his devastating leg kicks in the third round. After ‘The Diamond’ artfully survived the striking onslaught that followed, he put on an exceptional boxing clinic in the fourth round. Poirier countered an early low kick with a clean left that stunned Gaethje. Sensing his opportunity, Poirier rushed forward and landed a barrage of strikes that caused Gaethje to drop to his knees. Thirty-three seconds into the fourth screen, the referee stopped the contest. ‘The Diamond’ got his hand raised via TKO, with both fighters taking home ‘Fight of the Night’ honors. Jorge Masvidal on potentially presenting the BMF title to the victor at UFC 291 Jorge Masvidal recently discussed the possibility of him presenting the BMF title to the winner of Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje at UFC 291. Masvidal was the inaugural BMF champion, defeating Nate Diaz at UFC 244 to win the black-and-grey belt. At the UFC 290 post-fight presser, MMA journalist Mike Bohn asked UFC president Dana White about Masvidal possibly presenting the BMF title belt to the Poirier-Gaethje winner. Interestingly, White seemingly agreed with the idea, and it appears the UFC will proceed with the plan. In a recent interview with MMA reporter Chamatkar Sandhu, Jorge Masvidal thanked Mike Bohn for his suggestion. Implying that future BMF title winners would present the belt to their successors, Masvidal said: “That’s what I heard. It’s happening… It is gonna happen when I go out there, wrap the belt around the winner. And the tradition lives on.” Watch the full interview below:
Top 10 Biggest Fights in UFC History
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has witnessed numerous epic battles that captured the attention of millions of fans worldwide. Here are the top 10 highest pay-per-view (PPV) selling fights in UFC history, featuring some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts.
“Jon Jones is unreliable!” – Colby Covington explains why the UFC would want him on the UFC 295 MSG card
Colby Covington is not a fan of Jon Jones. ‘Chaos’ recently weighed in on the highly-anticipated UFC 295 card and explained why the promotion wants him as their insurance policy in New York on November 11. It was recently reported that Covington could face Leon Edwards in a welterweight title fight at UFC 295. A blockbuster heavyweight bout between Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic will headline the highly-anticipated card. The UFC intends to celebrate its 30th anniversary with a massively stacked card that promises to put on a spectacle at Madison Square Garden. In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Colby Covington explained why he’s being roped in for a championship fight at UFC 295 despite being inactive for over a year. Recalling Jones’ reputation for finding trouble and promising to ask ‘Bones’ hard-hitting questions during the pre-fight presser, Covington said: “Guys, who doesn’t want to see me on stage with Jon Jones? You know the questions I’m going to ask? I’m going to ask him questions that all the people want answers to. What is a picogram Jonny? Who were the two girls in the back of your Bentley when you wrecked it in Vegas?… Guys, it’s going to be a freaking electric factory if you put me and him on the same stage… Plus, we know he’s unreliable. That’s two reasons why.” Catch Covington’s comments below (5:50): Colby Covington claims he’d love to train Elon Musk for Mark Zuckerberg fight Colby Covington is on team Elon Musk all the way. ‘Chaos’ recently weighed in on the highly-anticipated Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg cage fight. The ever-outspoken UFC welterweight backed the Tesla CEO to beat the Meta Platforms CEO and even offered to train him for their potential fight. The two tech billionaires recently took their rivalry to a whole new level. After some light social media banter escalated, Musk and Zuckerberg seemingly agreed to fight each other in a cage match. Their intentions were confirmed by UFC president Dana White, who also claimed he could make the fight happen. While many have debated the outcome of a potential Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg fight, Colby Covington firmly backs the Tesla CEO to come out on top. In the same interview mentioned above, he said: “My line is always open to Elon… I’d love to train Elon. He has so much alpha qualities. The guy is just a straight alpha. He’s fighting for freedom of speech, he doesn’t want people suppressing our free speech, like Mark Zuckerberg, ironically… I’d love to train Elon to put him in six feet deep.”
“We were supposed to fight in London!” – Colby Covington on why a fight with Leon Edwards hasn’t been announced yet
Colby Covington recently sounded off on Leon Edwards for fumbling a blockbuster pay-per-view event in London this weekend. Covington is set to get the next welterweight title shot against Edwards, much to the chagrin of many top-ranked welterweights. ‘Chaos’ was initially scheduled to fight Leon Edwards as the headliner for the upcoming UFC London event this weekend. However, stalled negotiations caused that plan to fall through. According to reports, Dana White is targeting Covington vs. Edwards for UFC 295 on November 11 at the Madison Square Garden in New York. A heavyweight showdown between Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic will headline the event. In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Colby Covington blasted Leon Edwards for refusing to fight less than four months after his last title defense against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286. “The original plan, we’re supposed to be fighting this weekend in London. We’re supposed to be giving the London fans a spectacle, a pay-per-view main event… Leon robbed the UK fans… After that fell apart, it only made sense that this was going to go down somewhere in America.” Covington continued: “He [Edwards] knows he has to prepare for ‘Chaos.’ He knows he needs a full year of training camp… He’s not going to stop the Colby train, and deep down, he knows that. That’s why he’s delaying this, that’s why he’s pushing this as far back as he can possibly get. Now he’s at the point where he’s going to get stripped.” Catch Covington’s comments below (2:06): Geoff Neil claims Colby Covington doesn’t deserve a title shot UFC welterweight contender Geoff Neil recently weighed in on a potential Colby Covington vs. Leon Edwards title fight. The No.8-ranked welterweight opined that ‘Chaos’ doesn’t deserve a shot at UFC gold and named Belal Muhammad the more deserving candidate. It’s no secret that Dana White’s decision to hand Covington a title shot was unpopular among fans and fighters alike. ‘Chaos’ last fought Jorge Masvidal in March 2022 and has been away from competition for over a year. Given Covington’s inactivity, many believe Muhammad’s last unanimous decision victory over Gilbert Burns should’ve made him the title challenger instead. In a recent interview with MiddleEasy, Geoff Neil weighed in on the welterweight title picture and said: “It’s so annoying. I just wish he would fu**ing fight, it’s our job to fight… Belal [Muhammad] should be fighting for a title, I think. I think he’s deserved it; I think he’s earned it… I feel like the fight should make sense; Colby hasn’t done anything to deserve another damn title shot. If I’m being honest, he hasn’t done sh*t. He hasn’t fought anybody, let him fight somebody else.” Watch the full interview below:
UFC Fight Night event this weekend: Here are all the details
The UFC is back with another thrilling fight card this weekend. UFC Fight Night 224 goes down tomorrow at the O2 Arena in London, England, and will mark the promotion’s 15th visit to the British capital. As expected, the fight card features some of the most prominent English stars in the promotion. An explosive heavyweight matchup between Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura will headline the power-packed main card. Aspinall will be making his long-awaited return to action after an injury sidelined him in July 2022. Before that, the Englishman had a perfect 5-0 UFC record and was touted to be among the most exciting prospects in the heavyweight division. Meanwhile, Tybura is on a two-fight win streak and has gone 4-1 in his last five outings. In the co-main event, fan-favorite women’s flyweight fighter Molly McCann will face Lithuanian grappling maestro Julija Stoliarenko. McCann is coming off a tough first-round submission loss against Erin Blanchfield, which stopped her three-fight win streak. Meanwhile, Stoliarenko will look to redeem her tough loss against Chelsea Chandler at UFC Vegas 61. Elsewhere on the card, Scottish middleweight Paul Craig will take on Andre Muniz, and Jai Herbert will face Fares Ziam in a lightweight bout. UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall on Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury Tom Aspinall recently weighed in on the Francis Ngannou vs. Tyson Fury boxing match and shared some intriguing news. The mercurial UFC heavyweight claimed he has been in touch with the WBC heavyweight champion and could help him train for his fight against Ngannou. Fury will go ten rounds against the former UFC heavyweight champion on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While the WBC champion’s title won’t be on the line, the fight will be governed by standard professional boxing rules. Ngannou has long campaigned for this match and is expected to make the biggest payday of his career. In a recent UFC Fight Night 224 media day interview, Tom Aspinall discussed the heavyweight boxing match and said: “Yeah, I spoke to him [Tyson Fury]. He called me the other day and asked if I would help him to train and stuff. We’ll see how it goes… I have a busy schedule myself. We’ll be in touch again after my fight is over with.” While Aspinall doesn’t count Francis Ngannou out completely, he doesn’t see the Cameroonian beating Tyson Fury. He said: “I think Ngannou has a puncher’s chance, but it’s a very, very, very small puncher’s chance. It’s a very slim chance… Obviously, he punches like an absolute truck… But Tyson Fury is a master at what he does, and it’s going to be a tough night for Ngannou.”
Umar Nurmagomedov out of Cory Sandhagen fight after reportedly suffering a shoulder injury a
Umar Nurmagomedov has reportedly pulled out of his scheduled bout against Cory Sandhagen at UFC Nashville on August 5. The No.11-ranked bantamweight is the older brother of Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov and a cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov was forced out of the fight after suffering a nasty shoulder injury during his training camp. According to his manager Ali Abdelaziz, the Dagestani fighter is scheduled for surgery next week. The news was first reported by ‘The Schmo,’ who took to Twitter to break the development. He wrote: “Breaking: Per sources, UFC is looking for a replacement opponent for Cory Sandhagen on August 5.” Umar Nurmagomedov was slated to compete in his first main event after three finishes in four outings. The five-round contest was meant to be his fifth promotional outing. The 27-year-old last fought Raoni Barcelos at UFC Vegas 67. He beat the Brazilian via first-round KO. Meanwhile, Cory Sandhagen has won two consecutive fights following back-to-back losses to T.J. Dillashaw and Petr Yan. Sandhagen last defeated Marlon Vera via split decision at UFC on ESPN 43 in March. Aljamain Sterling reacts to Umar Nurmagomedov pulling out of Cory Sandhagen fight due to freak injury UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling recently weighed in on Umar Nurmagomedov pulling out of his bout against Cory Sandhagen. The fight was set to take place on August 5 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The Dagestani suffered a freak injury while training for the fight and will reportedly require surgery. Nurmagomedov uploaded a video of the incident to his social media handles which shows the nasty shoulder slip. Reacting to the same, Aljamain Sterling recently tweeted out his observation, stating: “Wow. That’s freaky. Not sure if that’s chronic, but seeing a shoulder slip out right there just seems like a real freak accident.” Interestingly, the ‘Funk Master’ also suffered a similar injury during the build-up to his fight against Henry Cejudo. The bantamweight king later revealed that he had a partially torn bicep for almost a year before his fight against ‘Triple C’ but chose to compete anyway. Sterling is set to defend his title against Sean O’Malley next at UFC 292 on August 19.