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Dana White Aiming For Jon Jones vs Israel Adesanya, More News | Fightful Fix Round Up

MMA UFC Paige Jon Jones Canelo Alvarez
Aaron Malone Dec 17, 2020 6:00PM

Fightful Fix is your one-stop-shop for all of today's biggest combat sports stories — from Dana White dreaming of Jon Jones vs. Israel Adesanya and more — conveniently compiled in one place. Take a look below!

Dana White hoping to book Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya in 2021

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White has revealed that his dream fight to make for next year is the much-anticpated clash of Jones and Adesanya. White spoke with BT Sport in a sit-down interview on a wide range of topics. One interesting note was his deep interest in booking a fight between the reigning middleweight champion Adesanya and the former light-heavyweight champion Jones.

“That’s the fight I would love to see,” White said (h/t MMA Fighting). “Somebody asked me yesterday if you could make one fight in 2021 – that’s the fight that I picked.”

Diego Sanchez looking forward to recovering after he retires officially

Sanchez has revealed that he is looking to let his body heal after a career made on absorbing damage. Sanchez, who was the first-ever Ultimate Fighter back in 2005, is aiming to retire after his next fight. The veteran is hoping to make the walk to the Octagon one more time in March or April and is bewildered and grateful he is walking away on his own terms.

“I need to recover and heal because this fighting is a real traumatizing lifestyle, it really is, and that’s just being real and honest with the world, because I’ve gone through it, and I’ve got the scars to prove it,” Sanchez said (h/t MMA Fighting). “Somehow, man, god allowed me to come out of the tunnel. And I’m making it out, and that’s why it’s like, fight this last fight, get out, do other things, and be the guy that got out.”

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson reveals why he chose Bellator

Johnson has revealed that his decision to switch to rival promotion Bellator had nothing to do with his relationship with the UFC. Johnson was announced as signing with Bellator having been released by the UFC with fights still on his deal. But "Rumble" has refuted that his relationship with president Dana White was the reason, and said that the split was amicable and he remains on good terms with White.

“I’ve just got so much going on and my life is taking me in a different direction. I’ve been out for a while anyway and I was pretty much up with my [UFC] contract. It was just best if I go another route right now, especially with the business I’ve got going on. But whenever UFC and I went our ways, it was never a drop of bad blood or negativity or any kind of dispute or ‘oh we’re just going to cut you.’ No, it was nothing like that." Johnson said (h/t MMA Fighting). "Everything was all good. Mutual and respectful. I have a ton of respect for the organization, Dana [White], and even the Fertittas for taking it as far as they did already. Now, I’m on a new journey. I’m excited to be doing what I do now and with who I’m with Bellator.”

Anthony "Showtime" Pettis was drunk when he accepted short-notice Tony Ferguson fight

"Showtime" has sensationally revealed to ESPN that he was drinking when he received the call to fight Ferguson at UFC 229. Pettis was speaking to Ariel Helwani and revealed that he was in a bad place mentally and decisions like that, wouldn't be made today.

Pettis is facing Alex Morono at UFC Vegas 17, and Morono has claimed he plans to make a name for himself by stopping Pettis. Moron is hoping this fight can take him to the next level and propel him to face the top welterweight contenders.

“My goal is to go out there and win this fight by stoppage. If I achieve that, it sets me up for a fight against guys like Nate Diaz or Cowboy Cerrone,” Morono said (h/t BJPenn.com). “The fact I’m fighting Pettis will allow me to fight these other dudes. This just cements future big fights so I need to win this one.”

Mackenzie Dern warns that opponents shouldn't want to stand and strike with her

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt has warned her fellow strawweights that her striking is only getting better and they should not want to trade blows with her. Dern was speaking to UFC Brasil and is adamant that her ground game is so strong that she can focus on getting her striking even better. Dern has had an impressive run since giving birth and is 3-0 in her last three fights.

“I think that the girls in the top 10 will watch this Jandiroba fight and think that striking is the key to beat because Jandiroba is a grappler and striking is her weakness. It was a close fight. The only thing I’ll keep working on is my striking, so if they think my striking is bad, it’s getting better pretty soon. They’ll have a surprise. Dern said (h/t BloodyElbow). "I wanted to be respected on the feet. I’m very happy with my performance, I showed it’s dangerous to stand with me. I have heart. It’s hard to take me down, but I have no problem staying on the feet if I need to. I don’t think anyone will want to fight me on the ground.”

Yoel Romero teases dream fight with Anthony Johnson

Romero has hinted that there is a "huge possibility" that he and Johnson could make their Bellator debuts against each other. Romero, who was speaking to ESPN, signed with Bellator just after "Rumble" was announced too and fans instantly started thinking of a potential clash. According to Romero, we may not have to wait long.

“To throw a name out there,” Romero said through his translator during a recent appearance on ESPN. “Right now [this] is pure speculation, but there’s a huge possibility, 90% chance, that [Anthony Johnson] will be the first one to face Yoel Romero [in Bellator].”

Amanda Ribas excited to fight on a Conor McGregor card

Breakout start Ribas has revealed the opportunity to showcase herself under the exposure of a Conor McGregor card at UFC 257. Ribas has had a phenomenal start to her UFC career, going 4-0 and most recently defeating Paige Van Zant by submission. The Brazillian was meant to face Michelle Waterson but after "The Karate Hottie" had to pull out, Marina Rodriguez stepped in, and so Ribas still has her time to shine.

“It will be amazing for me as a fighter and a fan,” Ribas said (h/t MMA Junkie). “As a fighter, it will be great for me because everybody is watching the card, and they will watch my fight too, and it will be amazing for me, for my sponsors, for the UFC, and for everything.”

Dan Hooker claims that Charles Oliveira defeated Tony Ferguson due to their being no fans

Hooker has claimed that Oliveira's impressive win over Ferguson was due to their being no fans allowed in the arena. Hooker was speaking to Submission Radio and feels that if the fight were to take place in a packed arena, the outcome may be different.

“It’s pretty obvious to me what’s happened... (Tony)’s a crowd fighter, he draws energy from the crowd,” Hooker said. “Under those big moments, under the pressure, 10, 20, 30-thousand people there, you can’t tell me that doesn’t change the environment of the situation. And Charles Oliveira, to me, he’s a fighter that traditionally doesn’t do very well under the pressure of those big fights," Hooker claimed (h/t MMA Fighting) "You look at any big fight he’s had in his past, and he freezes, or he’ll crumble under the pressure of those big fights. So, to me, that’s what it was. Tony wasn’t awake. Tony didn’t look like he’d been riled up. And Charles Oliveira was in the zone, in his element, and freely doing his thing.”

UFC Rankings released show big jumps for Kevin Holland and Charles Oliveira

Holland and Oliveira were the big winners from UFC 256 and the new rankings released have moved both fighters up substantially. Holland won by a vicious knock-out against Jacare Souza and Charles Oliveira dominated Tony Ferguson with a decisive unanimous decision. Holland has moved up 5 places to no.10 at middleweight, whereas Oliveira has jumped up 4 places to be no.3 in the lightweight division.

UFC Vegas 17 - Marlon Vera and Geoff Neal eyeing up big wins

Marlon Vera is eager to showcase that he means business and hoping that a win over veteran Aldo will propel him to a title fight. Vera is coming off a win over Sean O'Malley and is warning the former featherweight champion that he is in for a tough fight when the Octagon gate closes.

“This is probably the worst matchup for him,” Vera explained. “It’s just another day at the office for me. It’s a name, it’s Dec. 19, and it’s a f*ckin’ fight. When they lock the cage and after Bruce Buffer is out of the cage, I’m gonna go f*ckin’ fight my ass off." Vera said (h/t MMA Fighting). "I’m willing to hurt this guy and I’m willing to take it to win. I’m not gonna shy away and, like the samurais say, I’m accepting death in order to achieve victory. I’m not f*cking around with that."

Another man hoping to earn a title fight with a win is Geoff Neal. Neal is fighting Stephen Thompson in the main event of UFC Vegas 17. Neal and Thompson have stepped up following Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev being postponed till next year and will now main-event the last card of the year. With all eyes on the pair, Neal is hoping that he can get his name into contention for a welterweight championship fight.

“That is what I see. I get this win and maybe I have one more fight before the belt, maybe not. I am really hoping to gain a lot of fans after this fight.” said Neal (h/t BJPenn.com).

Gavin Tucker eyeing up an Alex Caceres fight

Tucker may be just off a win over Billy Quarantillo, but that hasn't stopped him from targeting his next fight. Tucker is looking to get a few months between his next fight and already has Alex Caceres in his sights, even if that is just from people suggesting him to him.

“I’m good for (a fight) every four months. There’s going to be a rest period. I have to quarantine for two weeks, and I’m hoping I can lock some of (my corners) up with me so we can keep training and just continue to grow," said Tucker (h/t MMA Junkie). "I’m down for whatever comes… A lot of people brought up Alex Caceres to the point I started bringing him up in interviews. I think that would be a fun fight."

DAZN has announced a PPV option for Canelo Alvarez fight

DAZN has announced that they are charging $70 for the Canelo Alvarez vs. Callum Smith, despite DAZN initially promising PPV quality cards as part of their ongoing subscription. It appears they are trying to get the best of both worlds by getting a regular subscription fee and then also those who just want to watch Alvarez vs. Smith. Boxing Scene have all the details below:

BoxingScene.com has confirmed that the card headlined by the Canelo Alvarez-Callum Smith super middleweight title fight Saturday night at Alamodome in San Antonio will be made available via pay-per-view, as well as through DAZN. If consumers purchase the Alvarez-Smith show through traditional cable operators, they can watch five fights on the Alvarez-Smith card on their televisions and will receive a four-month subscription to DAZN for a suggested retail price of $69.99.

Those that purchase Alvarez-Smith via pay-per-view would receive a redeemable code to watch DAZN from January through April. Even though it defies DAZN’s message for the past 2½ years, its deal with cable operators will make the Alvarez-Smith event available to approximately 55 million cable subscribers in the U.S. and creates another revenue stream to help pay Alvarez and Smith.

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