Fightful Fix is your one-stop-shop for all of today's biggest combat sports stories — From Dana White saying Justin Gaethje will "probably" face Charles Oliveira next and much much more— conveniently compiled in one place. Take a look below.
Dana White looking to book Justin Gaethje vs. Charles Oliveira
Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveria were both looking to take on the winner of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier II at UFC 257. According to Dana White though, they will "probably" face-off against each other next. White was speaking on an ESPN+ live stream and never mentioned when he was looking to book the fight or how far negotiations had got.
On an ESPN+ live stream, Dana White says Justin Gaethje will “probably” fight Charles Oliveira next #UFCFightIsland
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) January 6, 2021
Deiveson Figueiredo will get his PPV points going forward
Deiveson Figueiredo has got his wish according to his manager Wallid Ismail. After his UFC 256 performance against Brandon Moreno, Figueiredo stated that he wanted the lucrative PPV points going forward to reflect his recent rise to the top of the bantamweight division. His manager has now revealed that the UFC have obliged their request.
“The guy was sick (at UFC 256) and still fought so the pay-per-view wouldn’t lose its main event. It was a draw but (the UFC) saw it as a win for us, and now they said he deserves the pay-per-view (points)," said Ismail (h/t BJPenn.com). "The UFC really values a complete athlete, one that sells. You can’t be good but not sell. That’s why selling matters so much. That’s what I always tell my athletes."
Michael Chandler opens up on "unfortunate" reasoning he didn't fight Tony Ferguson
Michael Chandler has revealed why the much-anticipated clash with Tony Ferguson never materialized. Chandler and Ferguson seemed destined to face off against one another but Ferguson accepted a short notice fight vs. Charles Oliveira and Chandler now has a fight booked at UFC 257 against Kiwi Dan Hooker.
“The Tony Ferguson situation was definitely mismanaged,” Chandler told ESPN in a recent interview (h/t Middleeasy). “We had the opportunity for him and I to step inside the cage in January, inside the Octagon, on this card. Tony says no. Then he takes a relatively short notice fight against Oliveira after calling me out. I say no, I needed three weeks, four weeks off after this last nine-month-long training camp I did," admitted Chandler. "So my opinion of him hasn’t changed. It’s just unfortunate. It’s unfortunate that I’m not fighting Tony Ferguson right now, but I went through that through a day or so. Then, it was four other different names — Hooker being one of them.”
"It’s just unfortunate that I’m not fighting Tony Ferguson right now."@MikeChandlerMMA explains why the Ferguson fight fell apart, saying "the situation was definitely mismanaged." (via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/MYjbW8wjkB
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 5, 2021
Dan Hooker looking to break "the new toy" Michael Chandler
One man not looking to be part of Michael Chandler's welcoming party to the Octagon is Dan Hooker. The Kiwi is eager to impress following his fight of the year candidate performance vs. Dustin Poirier which although he lost showed he could compete against the elite of the division. And Hooker is now looking to defeat Chandler and scupper any plans the UFC has for him.
“The danger lies in getting to the top 5. If you were to put him against anyone else who’s come up in the UFC, like top 50, then a top 30, then a top 20, then a top 15-10… then his chances of losing skyrocket exponentially. So the quicker they can get him to a title, the quicker they could market and sell him," stated Hooker (h/t BJPenn.com). "To me, you’re gonna give me the new toy? I’m gonna break the new toy real quick. They invested a whole lot of money to get this guy out of his contract and get him over to the UFC and they’re gonna throw him in with me who’s like a bad stylistic matchup and I’m gonna break the toy in five minutes. It’s like, yeah… I can’t say I feel sorry for them (laughs).”
Gilbert Burns doesn't like Jon Jones odds at heavyweight
Gilbert Burns isn't optimistic about Jon Jones's future prospects when competing in the heavyweight division. Burns was speaking on his YouTube show and revealed that he believes Jones's first loss will come in the heavyweight division and he doesn't think he will react well.
“Jon Jones at heavyweight? Me, I don’t like that so much, When you have a guy like Francis Ngannou in the heavyweight division, I don’t know. I don’t see an easy path for Jon Jones in the heavyweight division. Or he has to fight Stipe. If Stipe beats Ngannou, Stipe is fighting Jon Jones. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think Ngannou is going to defeat Stipe and Ngannou will fight Jon Jones. And I don’t like that fight" said Burns (h/t BJPenn.com). "I don’t like the ‘what if,’ but what if Jon Jones goes against Francis Ngannou and [Ngannou is] going to knock him out badly?” Burns continued. “How about that? What is Jon Jones going to do? First, when you’re undefeated and you lose, it’s very tough. … If you’re champion, undefeated, undisputed and then you lose badly, I don’t know how that’s going to affect you [mentally]. I don’t know about Jon Jones’ future.”
Ryan Garcia looking to fight Gervonta Davis next, Davis responds
Ryan Garcia has revealed he is "on a mission" to box Gervonta Davis. Garcia was speaking after defeating Luke Campbell via TKO in round seven. The fight was not easy for Garcia as Campbell dropped him in round two.
“You know what I’m focused on. He knows, y’all know, it’s going to happen pretty soon. I don’t have time for celebration. I’m on one mission — I’m on a mission to knock out Gervonta Davis in two rounds. Two rounds this man will go down. Two rounds, that’s a promise," predicted Garcia (h/t Middleeasy). "Calling it, two rounds. Gervonta, if you do not take this next fight with me, you will not be remembered. Your legacy will be forever tainted if you do not accept this fight next. The money’s there, everything’s there, there’s no excuses. You’re down in two, you’re down in two rounds.”
Davis heard this loud and clear and responded on his Instagram, seemingly giving the fight the green light.
Anthony Pettis interested in boxing Jake Paul
Anthony Pettis has only recently signed with PFL for their 2021 season but we could also see him in the boxing ring. Pettis revealed that he would "love to" compete. He also singled out YouTuber Jake Paul for praise and was impressed by how he looked in the ring.
“I think he’s definitely getting better. He prepared for a boxing match, so you could tell he was in boxing shape. He was in a stance, at least. But it’s going to be interesting to see how far he can go with it. He’s definitely an athlete," admitted Pettis (h/t BJPenn.com). "You look at both of the brothers, they’re definitely in good shape and they stay in good shape. It’s not like they’re two couch potatoes jumping in there against professional athletes. They definitely train the part."
Cory Sandhagen believes he is next in line for a title shot
Cory Sandhagen is eyering up a bantamweight title fight if he defeats Frankie Edgar at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov. Sandhagen doesn't believe returning TJ Dillashaw should skip the queue following his USADA suspension expiring and a win over a "big name" like Edgar leaves him primed for a title shot
“I think it’s got to be a title shot if it makes sense in my head. That’s why I took the fight more than anything. I think if I beat Frankie and I keep myself busy, and I don’t play this game of ‘Oh I’m the number two guy so I deserve it after that.’ I’m not going to play that game with the UFC. I wanted to stay busy, I wanted a big name, I wanted someone that is good, and Edgar’s it," said Sandhagen (h/t Middleeasy). "I think TJ definitely needs a win over one of these top guys too before he comes back and fights for a belt,” Sandhagen added. “I heard him say he’s playing the financially secure card, and ‘I’ll wait for a title shot,’ this and that. We’ve been putting in work while you’ve been gone. So that would kind of be a bummer if they just gave it to him.”
Khaos Williams believes he defeated Michel Pereira at UFC Vegas 17
Khaos Williams had a breakout year in 2020 but he believes he should of went 3-0 as he still believes he defeated Michel Pereira at UFC Vegas 17 despite all three judges scoring for Pereira. Williams believes he won round one and two comprehensively and that round three is the only one he "might have given him."
“The main reason I felt I won is because I held the middle of the cage. I was bringing the fight to him, and it’s not as easy as it looks being in there. When you have somebody dancing around and staying on the outside, it’s a little harder to dial in and really get off when somebody’s running away from you, when they’re not bringing the fight to you. Now, I became the aggressor, but it was more me counter-punching because I didn’t want to look sloppy when he danced around the cage," said Williams (h/t MMA Fighting). "I won because I’m the one bringing the aggression. I wasn’t as aggressive as I usually am, because I was taking my time and he was moving a lot. It’s a fight and everybody’s got a puncher’s chance in a fight. But I controlled the middle of the cage and I won every exchange. Every time he hit me once, I probably hit him three times. I feel like I won.”
Tito Ortiz banned from attending council meetings
Tito Ortiz hasn't had an ideal start to 2021. Ortiz sits on Huntington Beach, the California city council, and has been told he cannot attend the meetings unless he wears a mask. Ortiz has had a difficult start to life in politics, as he needed police intervention after a heated debate with a Huntington Beach resident.
Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz’s 2021 isn’t off to the best start. pic.twitter.com/vSW3HRWs8j
— Borrachinha Depot (@FullContactMTWF) January 5, 2021
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