After his shocking knockout at UFC Vegas 18, Frankie Edgar discusses losing long stretches of memory, all that and all the hype in advance of UFC 258 on Saturdary are included in your Fightful Fix for Friday.
Frankie Edgar Admits To Memory Loss Following Knockout Loss
In the wake of his shocking knockout loss to Cory Sandhagen at UFC Vegas 18, Frankie Edgar has admitted to suffering from memory loss in the aftermath
Edgar detailed the scary situation in an interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto, noting just how few details he could actually remember, including not even remembering training for the bout.
“I didn’t really come through until I was in the back,” Edgar recalled (h/t Bloody Elbow). “That’s the first thing I remember, sitting around the doctors, going through that whole process with them. Mark (Henry), Ricardo (Almeida) next to me. I’m like, ‘Mark, what happened?’ He’s like, ‘You fought.’ And I kind of figured that, and I’m like, ‘But I just couldn’t remember who the f—k I fought.’ I’m like, ‘Who did I fight?’ And he said, ‘Sandhagen.’"
“And I’m trying to remember training for the guy, and I just could not remember training for him. I’m like, ‘Since when was I supposed to fight him?’ I thought maybe I just took this fight on short notice or something. He’s like, ‘Bro, two months. You’ve been training for two months.’"
“I just couldn’t wrap (my head around it). The doctor asked me what day it was. And for the life of me, I could not remember, I’m like, ‘September? December?’ And that’s when they said I would need to get a CAT scan, go to the hospital.”
Edgar went on to detail the process of things starting to come back to him but did not that he is still missing the period of time between the knockout and getting to the back.
“On the way to the hospital, the nurse in the ambulance said, ‘What day of February is it?’ I’m like, ‘Boom, the 6th,’” he said. “And right away, that’s when things started snowballing, I started remembering. Then I remembered the warm-up, I remembered even the first 20 seconds before getting hit with the knee.
“So everything came back to me. But I don’t remember walking out of the cage.”
Frankie Edgar Not Considering Retirement Despite Knockout
In the same interview with Brett Okamoto, Frankie Edgar has stated that despite calls for him to call it a career, he is still determined to fight on. Edgar specifically noted that he relies on his inner circle of his trainers and family to be the ones who will let him know when its time.
“I know if (my wife was) worried, like 100 percent worried about me, she would say it,” Edgar commented (h/t MMA Junkie). “But (coach) Mark (Henry) knows. I don’t care if it was my first loss or my last loss, I’m always thinking, ‘Losing sucks.’ I hate it. Everybody hates it. You don’t want to do anything after. You have thoughts like, ‘Man, I don’t want to do this.’ And Mark’s like, ‘Dude, what are you talking about? One fight back. One fight you win, and that erases that loss.’ So, I’m not thinking of stopping anytime – at least now. Not after this one.”
Edger went on to insist he won't be someone who hangs on too long, but its just now that now just isn't the time to quit.
“I won’t be this guy that’s just constantly getting KO’d,” Edgar said. “I’m going to have to look myself in the mirror and figure something out if this keeps happening. I just don’t think the time is now. … I don’t know when it’ll happen. It’s just going to have to happen one day. It may be me, it may be my coaches (telling me to do it). I’m hoping it’s me first. I don’t want to be the guy where someone needs to tell me that I need to walk away. But it may take that. I don’t know. The type of person I am, it may take my coach or my wife to be like, ‘Yo, it’s time to walk away.’ I just know that time’s not now. And they know that time’s not now as well.”
Kamaru Usman Has No Problem Fighting Teammate; "There's No Friends In There"
Unlike the high drama previous matchups against the likes of Colby Covington, and Jorge Masvidal, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is relishing a relatively drama-free pre-fight against teammate Gilbert Burns, while insisting they aren't friends once the cage door closes.
Usman insisted that while he enjoyed the paycheque associated with the higher-profile beefs from the previous fights, he is enjoying the different aspects of this fight.
“The paycheck is always nice when you have a circus like the last one and the one before that, but you know, this one, a lot of people are writing us up like friends and teammates fighting each other,” Usman said. "At the end of the day I don’t see this anybody, there’s no friends in there.”
Usman went on to insist that while this doesn't have your traditional rivalry, a matchup between former training partners is just as personal for him than the others.
“What could be more personal than someone you train with every day saying ‘I see what you have, I want that, I’m going to take that from you?’,” he added. “What could be more personal than that? So each and every one of these I approach the same.”
Usman concluded by stating the two prospective opponents has stopped training together so much over recent years, but that they still know each other inside and out.
“We hadn’t really trained a lot in the last couple years,” Usman said. “I think it does go away a little bit because he’s going to try hard, and I’m going to go in and get what I always do. … I like the fact he’s got all this confidence going into this. I like it. He’s put the work in the last year and a half. He’s done some good work and I see this and I recognize that. We both know.”
Jon Anik Defends Joe Rogan "He Still Adds Tremendous Value"
UFC commentator and podcasting superstar Joe Rogan has come under criticism lately due to his perceived lack of engagement and disinterest, but his longtime partner Jon Anik has come to his defense.
Anik defended what Rogan brings to the table, and elaborated about the differences between the two and three-man booth he needs to navigate.
“I have seen some of that,” Anik commented (h/t Bloody Elbow). “Again, the social media space after these live events can be a tough space to sort of engage and habitate. But I think for Joe, there’s a lot of different factors. I think that he has never been happier in that broadcast booth. I hate to put words in his mouth, but I do think he enjoys the dynamic. He was in a two-man booth forever where he was just working with a play-by-play guy and he couldn’t bounce off of a fighter. I feel like it’s been an adjustment for all of us."
Anik followed up by insisting that Rogan isn't going anywhere any time soon and stated he hopes Rogan lasts longer with the company than he does.
“I can assure you that he ain’t going nowhere,” Anik stated. “Again, I hate to put words in his mouth, but he absolutely loves this job and I think we had a little international flare with the pay-per-views at the end of the year—UFC 251, 253, 254—that he wasn’t a part of because they were happening in Abu Dhabi. But hopefully domestic pay-per-views return more so in 2021 and he gets a chance to get back out there more often."
“It’s not that easy stepping up every eight weeks trying to do one of these things, and constantly having a revolving door with the broadcast team, but I love the guy. I’ve never been closer with the guy and hopefully he’s here well past me.”
Anik is expected to back in his familiar play-by-play role for UFC 258, along side the familiar PPV broadcast team of Rogan and former UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
Dana White Discusses Discretionary Bonuses
Dana White has revealed that the company's procedure of discretionary bonuses have continued, despite them going largely unpublicized.
White, made the comments in an interview to the New York Post and revealed he sometimes gives out up to $25,000 quietly to fighters who don't receive one of the traditional $50,000 performance of the night bonuses.
“I’ll give you an example,” White said. “There will be a night where some crazy s–t happens throughout the whole card, and then we have to pick what we thought [were] the $50,000 [bonus recipients], but somebody else was right in the running. They could have got it too. And it depends, I’ll write them anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000.”
White went on to state that its nobodies business what his fighters make, and insisted that is why these bonuses aren't publicized.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of money involved and, believe me, many people, including people who work for me, said, ‘If you would just say publicly what you do,’ and I say, ‘but I don’t care.’ ” White said. “It’s nobody’s business what these guys make.”
Scott Coker Says Kyoji Horiguchi Owes Him a Fight; Hints At Title Fight
While on his promotional tour hyping Bellator's return bouts Bellator president Scott Coker teased at a return to the promotion for Japanese star Kyoji Horiguchi.
“We love Horiguchi,” Coker commented (h/t MMA Junkie) “I personally like him. I think he owes us a fight, and he beat our guy twice. So he’s a great fighter."
“I just saw his recent fight in Japan. You know how much we love going to Japan. We still are talking to (Noboyuki) Sakakibara-san about something in the future. Of course, the time right now is COVID, so it’s very difficult for us to travel. It’s very difficult for him to get fighters and staff and all of us over there. So we’re going to just give it a beat."
“But if you ask me, I think Horiguchi will fight in Bellator, representing Rizin, of course. Representing Rizin, Horiguchi will come here and fight our champion, I think, at some point this year.”
Horiguchi was riding high last time he was seen in Bellator, defeating Bellator bantamweight champion in a "home and home series" in both Bellator and his home RIZIN promotion. Since then he has suffered a shock loss to Kai Asakura in a non-title bout, and gone on to suffer a severe knee injury, which has kept him on the shelf for over a year. He returned recently to avenge his loss to Asakura, and set up a potential return to Bellator when the Covid situation clears up. Maycee Barber Looks To Bounce Back From A Tough 2020
Coming off a year that was marred by her first professional loss, a nasty knee injury, and of course the Coronavirus pandemic, Maycee Barber is looking forward to a more positive 2021.
In advance of her co-main event opportunity against Alexa Grasso at UFC 258, Barber made comments about how she's had to make drastic changes to her routine in the craziness that has been 2020.
“There was a lot,” Barber said (h/t MMA Junkie). “I had the injury, then I had surgery, then COVID and the quarantine and a lot of different things, just as a fighter and an athlete. Being taken out of the gym and training, that’s hard because I went from being an athlete since I was 3 years old and training my entire life and being active to, ‘OK, now you’re out.’ You can’t even walk unless you’re on crutches. You have a brace. You can’t do anything physical for a while, and it’s like, what do I do? What am I supposed to do with myself?”
In regards to her opponent Saturday night, Barber noted she's expecting a tough and great fight between the two young rising flyweights.
“She’s tough, you know?” Barber said. “She’s a great fighter. She’s strong, (has) a great following behind her, I’ve got a great following behind me – I think it’s a great fight. There’s going to be a lot of eyes – it’s co-main event. We have a great fight ahead of us. I’m super excited for it and I’m ready to go out and get a finish.”
Barber is set to coheadline UFC 258 against Grasso underneath the main event of the welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns.
Alexa Grasso Calls Moving to Flyweight An Excellent Idea
On the flip side of the UFC 258 co-main event, Alexa Grasso comments about her move to flyweight, and how she thinks its permanent and the correct move for her career.
The rising Mexican prospect commented on the decision to move up from strawweight, and settle into the 125lb flyweight division in an interview with MMA Junkie's Danny Segura in Spanish.
“I loved strawweight, and I was determined to be a strawweight no matter what,” Grasso commented in Spanish to MMA Junkie “But the truth is that, with this change, my body has matured and it’s changed. My muscles have grown, and I think that this change was an excellent decision.
“I feel very happy, I feel great. This is a new path, you know. I’m new to the division, so I’m coming full strength, and just like I did at strawweight, I want to be at the very top.”
Grasso went on to inside that she expects a top 10 ranking when she beats Maycee Barer in the UFC 258 co-main event.
“I hope that’s what happens,” Grasso said. “Sometimes I don’t know how the rankings work, but she’s No. 10 and I want that position. We have a fight in front of us, and I’m here to reach my goal.”
Frank Camacho Begins 24-Hour Charity Run/Walk
UFC action lightweight Frank Camacho is engaging in a 24-hour journey across his home territory of Guam in order to raise awareness and funds for the Guam Homelessness Coalition.
At 8 a.m. local time Friday, Camacho (22-9 MMA, 2-5 UFC) will embark on a 24-hour journey across his native island of Guam – from its southern tip to its northern tip. He won’t be able to sleep indoors or use a car. He can’t drink or eat unless refreshments are given to him for free.
“It was a homeless veteran and he was answering a lot of misconceptions I had,” Camacho commented (h/t MMA Junkie). “There were the basic misconceptions of, ‘Oh, homeless people are lazy,’ or ‘Oh, homeless people just need a job.’ Really, it’s that, especially during COVID, people are just one paycheck, hospital bill or injury away from being homeless. That’s the truth of it. It’s wild.
“You probably know someone or someone’s family member that’s homeless. There are a lot of factors. There’s addiction. There are mental health issues and traumatic events, like houses burning or deaths in families. It’s such a complex situation. Diving into it after actually trying to do this walk, it’s mind-blowing.”
Frank Camacho charitable Run/Walk across Guam. pic.twitter.com/ySr2exrc5T
— Ewan Ross (@Mentoch) February 12, 2021
His journey is underway as this article is being published, and you can follow along his progress on his various social media platforms.
The 24 hr walk has started! Sounding of the kulu! @thefokaieffect
— Frank Camacho (@frankthecrank55) February 11, 2021
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For ways to help please visit https://t.co/GGWVwRZ3qH ---- @ Malesso Pier https://t.co/p2ZiTjucdO
Paige VanZant Comments On Bare Knuckle Boxing Debut
After her bare-knuckle boxing debut didn't go as she'd hoped, Paige VanZant has insisted she's excited to get back between the ropes.
Despite being on the wrong side of a one-sided decision loss in her debut against Britain Hart, VanZant insisted she's looking to get back in the ring in the spring sometime.
“I would like to fight in April. I really want to capitalize on my momentum from that fifth round,” VanZant said (h/t MMA Junkie) “Im ready to rock. I need to get back in there again. I will say, overall experience, it will be one to remember. I did enjoy the moment, (but) I didn’t enjoy the outcome. I enjoyed the moment with Britain in that fight. It was awesome.”
VanZant went on to walk through most of the process she's gone through in preparing for the fight, and recovering from her loss, while being interviewed with Knuckle Up Radio.
--️@paigevanzant candidly walks @THEBrianSoscia through the emotional moments after her #Knucklemania main-event battle over the weekend--
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) February 11, 2021
Episode 4 of Knuckle Up Radio in full: https://t.co/CYUZjaxC73@bareknucklefc @FrontRowAgents
pic.twitter.com/XU6xJ7ya7q
Yoel Romero Insists Fans Follow Fighters, Not Promotions
Newly minted Bellator signing, Yoel Romero believes that the reaction to his signing with Bellator shows that fans are more committed to individual fighters, rather than strictly only being UFC fans.
Romero made these comments while on his media tour hyping his upcoming matchup against fellow new Bellator signing Anthony "Rumble" Johnson, currently scheduled for early april.
“The reaction of the fans is always going to be the same, it doesn’t depend on what company the fighter is in or where the fighter is fighting at, but more on what the athlete has done,” Romero explained (h/t MMA Junkie).
“The fans will follow you not because of the company or league that you’re competing in, but what the athlete has done. I think the reaction from the fans it’s a reflection of the work that Anthony and I have had outside of Bellator and even outside of the UFC."
“I’ve humbly been competing since 1997, I fought in Strikeforce, then UFC, and now I’m in another big company which is Bellator. I think that’s the reaction of a fan base that’s been following you for many years. It’s obvious that the fan base is aware of the legacy that Anthony Johnson has, as well as myself.”
The upcoming Bellator light heavyweight Grand Prix begins April 9th, featuring a high profile matchup between Romero & "Rumble", as well as the likes of Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov, and heavyweight champion Ryan Bader.
The Light-Heavyweight Grand Prix kicks off April 9th! -- #BellatorOnShowtime is bringing you some -- light heavyweight action in 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣1️⃣ with the #Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix. Who do you think will walk away with that $1️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣? #BellatorLHWGP pic.twitter.com/BjMxe5MmAC
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) February 9, 2021
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