Here is the Fightful MMA News & Notes For 6/9/23…
- Amanda Ribas believes she will fight Alexa Grasso for the UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship:
“I think Valentina against Alexa Grasso maybe if they have one more fight and we will have it, I think Alexa will win again because she is with a good brain, a good mentality,” Ribas told MMA Junkie Radio. “I will fight for the belt. I don’t know when, but I will. I think it will be against Alexa.”
- Jorge Masvidal speaks on fighter pay in the UFC:
“It’s an interesting situation with the UFC,” Masvidal said on BS w/ Jake Paul (transcript via Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie). “The pay’s gone up in some areas. In some areas, not – I mean, I got nothing but good stuff to say about Dana (White). The relationship wasn’t always the best in the beginning, but I got nothing but good stuff to say because he’s allowed me to create so much money, so much publicity, marketing, all this stuff, and he’s helped me out tremendously. Me personally, I’m biased. I’m not the right person to ask because I’m like a Dana candidate.
“But, I’m also ‘pay fighters more.’ I know Dana’s running a business, and he’s a great businessman. So can he give out the checks we want as fighters? That’s like a business decision. I have always advocated throughout my career and now that I’m retired, even more. More money for the fighters because it’s a f*cking tough job. You shouldn’t be in the top 10 having to f*cking work at Walmart or something. If you’re in the top 15, you should be set that you’re making enough money per fight, whether you have sponsors or not, that all your bills are covered.”
- Deontay Wilder would like a boxing match and MMA fight against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou:
“I thought about this many times,” Wilder said during the 2023 PFL 4 broadcast (transcript via Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie). “Even with Ngannou, we were talking about getting together. You always see the MMA guys crossing over, but you never see the boxers crossing over. So I said I’m willing to make it more interesting for the fans and just the whole combat family as in a whole.
“I said why don’t you come to my backyard, and after we handle business, I can come to yours and crossover, and I really meant it. So things are still up in the air, but I have seen myself on this side of the field. People will be very impressed on what I can do in my abilities to be here.”
- MMA Fighting is reporting that Casey O’Neil will fight Viviane Araujo at UFC 293.
- Marc-Andre Barriault explains why he has called out Eryk Anders for 4+ years:
“I’ve been calling Eryk out for four years now,” Barriault told reporters at the UFC 289 media day (transcript via Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie). “Back when he fought Lyoto Machida I saw his fight. I was like, ‘OK.’ I saw his style. He was more raw. A big dude, strong. Not the most technical, but a big heart. He always goes forward. That’s the way that I fight. So since then I couple times I call him out in the media, and he said, ‘OK. Just do your thing, win some fights and we’ll see maybe one day.’ And here we are.”
- MMA Fighting is reporting that Karine Silva will fight Maryna Moroz at UFC 292.
- Marlon Moraes says he gave it his all after retiring from MMA competition:
“I put my heart into this, and I knew before [the fight] that this time, it’s me,” Moraes said after the event (transcript via Mike Heck of MMA Fighting). “In my heart, I was talking to myself that I was going to give everything I had, prepare, train hard, and go in there and finish. If I [didn’t] finish, [I knew] I gave all I had to the sport.
“I just thank God for everything that I have. Of course I made mistakes, I paid for them, but those were my mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes, but one thing I never did is I never feared a challenge.”
- Jorge Masvidal comments on his rivalries with Leon Edwards and Colby Covington:
“With me and Leon, it was never personal,” Masvidal said on BS w/Jake Paul (transcript via Damon Martin of MMA Fighting). “He just crossed a line, like, bro, I’m doing an interview, you’re trying to punk me again. That’s not going to happen. He’s already talking wild and s*** on Twitter, but I don’t have nothing personal. Colby’s just a different situation. That motherf*****, I just don’t like his ass.”
- Rey Sefo says that USADA testing will be used during the 2023 PFL Playoffs:
“Obviously, my stance is that sports should be competed at the highest level, but at a safe level and everybody being clean,” Sefo told reporters after PFL 4 (transcript via Alexander K. Lee of MMA Fighting). “That’s the message right through. The message with that also moving forward, USADA will be part of this program from now on. The USADA [testing] will be in the playoffs as well as in the championship and moving forward.”
