Khabib Nurmagomedov has revealed that he believes Conor McGregor "will never" bounce back from his previous defeats — hear about this and much more on your Fightful Fix Roundup.
Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Conor McGregor will "never" bounce back
It is no secret to anyone that the UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has nothing but bad feelings towards Conor McGregor, Khabib has shown that yet again by pretty much writing off Conor McGregor's career.
In a sit-down interview with ACA light heavyweight Magomed Ismailov, Nurmagomedov revealed that he does not believe that Conor McGregor will ever be back to the best version of himself inside the UFC's Octagon.
When asked by Ismailov if McGregor can ever bounce back the same again, Nurmagomedov responded by saying "Never. There is no way that a man can be at the peak for two times."
That is a fairly valid opinion by Nurmagomedov as McGregor did not look himself at all in his most recent fight against Dustin Poirier where he lost via a second-round KO finish.
Nurmagomedov then clarified his point as he went on to say that it counts for every MMA fighter and not just McGregor.
"I’m not talking about him. What I mean is, a man cannot have two primes.". He said. “A team could do it. For example, Real Madrid did this a few times in a row. Teams may have this. But we’re talking about us, and one man on his own cannot have this.”
Do you agree with Nurmagomedov's statement?
Henry Cejudo issues a challenge to Dana White
Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo has issued a challenge to the UFC president Dana White.
Cejudo is currently retired after he called quits on his MMA career after a huge win over one of the best bantamweights ever, Dominick Cruz. However, Cejudo has recently been flirting with the idea of returning to the Octagon.
Cejudo revealed just a few months ago that the only way he would return to the Octagon would be if he was granted a title shot against Alex Volkonovski who is the current UFC featherweight champion.
In Cejudo's most recent Twitter video, Cejudo targeted the UFC's 125, 135, and 145-pound title belts.
Yo @danawhite why don’t you line up all your Rent A Chumps at 125, 135 and 145. I bet the house that neither one of them would make it past two rounds with Triple C! #justsaying ------ pic.twitter.com/lksilc8NFa
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) February 22, 2021
How do you think Cejudo would get on against these three champions?
Markus Perez details recent sparring session with Jake Paul
Former UFC fighter Markus Perez has detailed a recent sparring session which he had with YouTuber Jake Paul.
Perez was among a lot of UFC releases last month due to his unsuccessful 2-5 record in the UFC.
Speaking to AG Fight, Perez gave some information on how the sparring session went.
Perez said "(Paul) is new, he has two boxing matches, so he’s starting, you can’t see much and he hasn’t caught a tough guy yet. I am not a boxer, I am kung fu, I like to kick and I trained boxing for a short time with Gabriel de Oliveira, at American Top Team. He will fight with (Askren) who is a grappler, he’s not even a striker, but he has to see what the guy will take, his head as it will be."
Perez also went on to say "From what I saw from our sparring, he will want to make a game of scoring. I did it slowly, his coaches asked me not to accelerate and I didn’t even wear a helmet, he was wearing a ten-ounce glove and I was wearing a 16. I played with it, took the wave. It was very quiet. If it was a fight I would have gone for a walk. Actually, I was the one who provoked Paul. I laughed, took the wave, played. He got mad at me and came to take my head off. I looked to the side because I was punching a lot. His corners got mad at me. If you put two provocateurs, we see who the leader is. He’s a YouTuber and I’m a fighter. He’s coming now.”
Chris Weidman reveals that his father-in-law has passed away
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman has revealed that his father-in-law has tragically passed away.
According to his obituary, Vincent John Pecora passed away on February 17 at the age of 70 years old. His daughter, Marivi, is married to Weidman.
In a lengthy statement on his Instagram, Weidman revealed that his father-in-law tragically died after he was hit by a truck in an intersection while crossing the street.
The family has also asked for fans to help out with the GoFundMe for the Vincent J. Pecora Jr. Wrestling Scholarship. The fund is set up to help young wrestlers with their education.
Below is the full post from Weidman.
Thiago Santos congratulate his fiancee Yana Kunitskaya after her win over Ketlen Vieira
UFC light heavyweight Thiago Santos has congratulated his fiancee, UFC bantamweight Yana Kunitskaya, after her controversial win over Ketlen Vieira.
Santos was in the corner of Kunitskaya as she defeated Vieira via unanimous decision in a fight that had somewhat controversial scorecards.
Although Vieira controlled a large majority of the fight with takedowns and top control, Kunitskaya was given a unanimous decision victory by the judges.
Santos took to Twitter to congratulate Kunitskaya.
Winning isn't everything but wanting to win is.
— Thiago Marreta (@TMarretaMMA) February 21, 2021
You did both things, I know how hard you have been working for this, you deserve, I'm so proud of you my love @YanaKunitskaya1 congratulations ---- pic.twitter.com/6WGu6uA8hb
Aiemann Zahabi received a new UFC contract after Drako Rodriguez missed weight
UFC bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi says he received a new UFC contract after his opponent Drako Rodriguez missed weight before UFC Fight Night Blaydes vs Lewis.
After Rodriguez missed weight by over five pounds, there were rumors that Zahabi was going to decline the fight, however, the UFC made him an offer he could not refuse.
In the UFC Fight Night Blaydes vs Lewis post-fight press conference, Zahabi said "There was a moment (I considered declining the fight) because listen, I don’t want to sound disrespectful or anything, but if you miss weight by 1 or 2 pounds it’s somewhat understandable. But 4.5 pounds? I found it kind of disrespectful towards me and my team and the UFC and everyone involved. Stuff happens, I’m sure he’ll get a pass on this one time. But it’s not professional. I try to come in here and do my work as a professional. And Sean Shelby made it worth my while to take the fight,” Zahabi said, confirming the new four-fight deal with the promotion.
Gilbert Burns continues to call out Colby Covington
After suffering a defeat to his former teammate Kamaru Usman at UFC 258, Gilbert Burns has quickly shifted his attention towards fellow top contender Colby Covington.
With Usman likely fighting Jorge Masvidal next and Covington turning down a fight against Leon Edwards, Burns has seen an opportunity.
Burns sent some cryptic messages to Covington on Twitter.
Colby? --
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) February 21, 2021
---- @ColbyCovMMA ??
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) February 21, 2021
How do you think a fight between Burns and Covington would go?
Chris Daukaus wants only top 10 opponents next
Chris Daukus is among one of the fastest rising heavyweight contenders currently in the UFC.
He gave himself some more hype after he knocked out MMA veteran Aleksei Oleinik on the main card of UFC Fight Night Blaydes vs Lewis.
Daukus does not want to take any steps back and he wants to keep his momentum going.
Speaking in the press conference after his win over Oleinik, Daukus said "Realistically, I don’t care (who I fight) as long as they’re ranked higher than me. I just want to fight guys who are making the most sense. I don’t want to take any steps back. This was a step forward. This was a step on this journey and I’m not going back from here. It’s simply we’re going forward to the top and today was the first step.”
This quote from Daukus essentially shuts down Tom Aspinall's suggestion of a fight after Aspinall scored an impressive submission win over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.
Aljamain Sterling predicts one takedown to beat Petr Yan
Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling will meet for the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 259 on a stacked card.
Yan took a shot at Sterling on Twitter saying that their fight is not going the full five rounds as Yan believes he will finish the fight much earlier.
Our fight not going to round 5 https://t.co/v2H9dHOtSf
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) February 21, 2021
Sterling then responded to Yan by giving his prediction of how the fight will go.
I just need one takedown. Fathers plan. Trust me, I’ve taken down bigger men then you with strong wrestling. I hope you’ve been eating your Wheaties my брат -- https://t.co/yGleX1odPu
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) February 21, 2021
Sterling believes that he will only need one takedown to finish Yan.
How do you think the fight will go down between Yan and Sterling?
Mortal Kombat actor Lewis Tan says he based part of his character on Jorge Masvidal
Actor Lewis Tan, who plays the role of Cole Young, plays an MMA fighter who was a former champion that saw his hopes, dreams, confidence, and accomplishments fade away over time in the new Mortal Kombat movie.
There is a scene in the movie where the character of Young is in a fight and he leans up against the cage, tapping into the iconic image of Masvidal before delivering one of the most memorable moments in the history of the sport.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Tan said "That’s what Jorge Masvidal did before he knocked out Ben Askren in [five] seconds and set the whole MMA community on fire."
Also, Tan told Entertainment Weekly that he sees a similar “salt of the earth grit” between his character and Masvidal, who was certainly humbled by the comparisons.
Actors using me as inspiration is a honor and after watching the trailer I’m hyped for the movie! #andnew #1of1 https://t.co/4F3m2zZU8D
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) February 19, 2021
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