Khabib Nurmagomedov has revealed that he has been in touch with Georges St-Pierre about a potential fight, Conor McGregor and Manny Pacquiao's manager Audi Attar believes either of his clients would defeat Floyd Mayweather if there was a rematch and more — Fightful Fix has you covered with all the news in the combat sports world.
Khabib Nurmagomedov "talked with" with GSP about a potential fight
Khabib Nurmagomedov has revealed that he was been in touch with Georges St-Pierre about the pair finally having their much clamoured for bout. Unfortunately, "The Eagle" said that GSP "doesn't want to fight with me". Nurmagomedov interrupted an interview with Matt Serra and Din Thomas, with Serra coincidentally the last man to defeat GSP.
"GSP? He doesn't want to fight with me," Khabib told MMA personality The Schmo (h/t RT Sport). "I just talked with him in Instagram direct. Now you want [me] to talk about him bad? I have to see this guy. GSP, when are you going to come back?"
Khabib made an appearance during the Schmo's interview with Matt Serra and Din Thomas -- pic.twitter.com/rpVgGwwa58
— ------------------ (@Eaglesmesh) January 18, 2021
Conor McGregor and Manny Pacquiao would both defeat Floyd Mayweather
Conor McGregor and Manny Pacquiao share the same manager in Audi Attar and he believes that if either of his clients would defeat Floyd Mayweather if there was a rematch for either fighter. McGregor and Pacquiao themselves have been expressing an interest in boxing one another. And their manager Attar believes that if they ever got the chance to run back the Mayweather fight, the outcome would be different.
"I do believe Conor vs Floyd again, he beats him. I don't think Floyd ever takes it. Floyd's taking YouTubers for a paycheck right now. Floyd could take Manny Pacquiao in a rematch, you don't see him taking that fight. Floyd could take Conor McGregor for a rematch, you don't see him taking that fight," said Attar to Dubai Eye 103.8 Sport (h/t Boxing Scene). "But he'll take a Logan Paul. He'll take the young Japanese fighter he fought previously. I think that's what he's going to do, Floyd knows he would lose if he took on either Manny Pacquiao or Conor McGregor."
Conor McGregor says Khabib Nurmagomedov is not a "true fighter"
Conor McGregor continues to poke fun at Khabib Nurmagomedov and has called into question his intentions in retiring abruptly. McGregor was speaking in preparation for his UFC 257 fight with Dustin Poirier and is bemused as to why "The Eagle" is so keen to retire when there are "so many fights to be had."
“I think his hand is showing he’s not a true fighter, in my opinion. I mean how could you retire? How could you walk away? There’s so many fights to be had. Think of (Nate) Diaz, (Tony) Ferguson, there’s (Charles) Oliveira, the rematch with me," McGregor told ESPN's Ariel Helwani (h/t MMAMania). "I think it’s just preposterous to walk away. Not only did he piss on the bus, I think he pissed on the chips, also. I think he showed his hand, but then at the same time, there’s family issues. So it is what it is. All the best.”
During the same interview, "The Notorious expressed an interest in fighting "Raging" Al Iaquinta. Iaquinta is no.10 in the rankings but despite the difference in their respective careers, McGregor has said a fight would appeal to him.
“I’d like to fight Al Iaquinta at some stage,” McGregor said (h/t Low Kick MMA). “I’d like to fight Al. I don’t know I’d just like to fight him. I’d like to fight Al. He’s said a few things. I actually like Al. I think he’s a funny guy. He’s a real estate agent and all. I think that’s even funny in itself. He has his little team (Ray) Longo and those guys. I’d like to fight Al.”
Gilbert Burns adjusts camp due to training history with Kamaru Usman
Gilbert Burns will be hoping to take advantage of his previous training encounters with Kamaru Usman when they finally clash. The pair were due to fight at UFC 251 on Fight Island but Burns had to withdraw and was eventually replaced by Jorge Masvidal. They will now headline UFC 258 and Burns is hoping their previous training at Blackzilians and then Sanford MMA will help him achieve his dream of becoming UFC welterweight champion.
“I know many of his strong suits and weaknesses, as he knows mine. So I’ve been trying to close those gaps. I’ve been training a lot of wrestling and clinching, which are the things he is good at," Burns admitted to AG Fight (h/t CDN MMA News). "Now the focus is on me. I’ve been working hard on my jiu-jitsu, all kinds of submissions, head, feet, arms, neck, I’ve been trying to get the finish from every possible angle. I think my jiu-jitsu will make the difference.”
Matt Brown fumes at "ridiculous" judges scores
Matt Brown was visibly frustrated with the judges' scoring of his loss to Carlos Condit at UFC Fight Island 7. Brown lost by unanimous decision with all three judges' scoring every round for Condit in a 30-27 defeat. And although Brown admits the fight was remarkably close, he found the 30-27 score as "ridiculous"
30-27 is ridiculous. I won the first round 100% he won the second for sure and the third is really close but I ended on top. Should have got the decision imo but if he got it based on just the third round I wouldn’t be mad. Fucking judges
— Matt Brown (@IamTheImmortal) January 17, 2021
Joe Rogan hails "superhuman" Max Holloway
Joe Rogan was missing from the Fight Island commentary booth but the veteran commentator was quick to weigh in on Max Holloway's incredible performance. Holloway has earned praise from the entire MMA community and Rogan quickly gave his view, and also praised "complete savage" Calvin Kattar for his role in the fight given he had to withstand the barrage of offense "Blessed" was throwing at him.
Kattar was praised for his toughness as he took many shots that would put most fighters away. MMA Junkie reports that Kattar’s manager and head coach, Tyson Chartier of the New England Cartel, advised Kattar sustained a broken nose in the fight and also required eight staples in his scalp to close the wounds Holloway opened up with his relentless offense.
Diego Sanchez pleads for caution when it comes to brain trauma
Diego Sanchez has warned of the consequences of CTE and brain trauma from fighting. Sanchez was speaking after a fan alluded that Sanchez would know all bout brain damage and the TUF season one winner said his "soul has been raped many times". Sanchez has made a career of fighting in wars where he has taken surreal damage from his opponents.
I do! the trauma all differ in size and numbers. The body not the mind changes to protect its self, hence the hestation of the bubble that comes with these traumatizing experiences in that space. Yes I do know actually. My soul has been raped many times in this business --
— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC) January 17, 2021
Dustin Poirier's conditioning will be crucial to Conor McGregor victory
Dustin Poirier's coach Mike Brown believes that Poirier's cardio and conditioning will be pivotal to him defeating Conor McGregor. Brown has alluded to the comment that has followed "The Notorious" around that he isn't effective the longer the fight goes on. Brown believes that the latter rounds will suit Poirier but also praised McGregor for "some of the best natural conditioning I've ever seen."
“Anybody that knows this sport will realize quickly that the longer it goes, the better it is for Dustin. Conor’s obviously struggled with conditioning. This is not his strong suit. Obviously, he’s got great timing, good power and good precision, a very good striker, but we’ve seen him more than once struggle with conditioning, and this is also Dustin’s strong suit," claimed Brown (h/t MMA Junkie). "He’s got some of the best natural conditioning I’ve ever seen. He could be drinking beers and eating cheeseburgers and he can come off the couch and be sparring with world-class fighters that are peaking and he’s in better shape than them. He’s definitely got some gifts and a talent there, and it’s one of his gifts.”
Mike Perry issues a "thank you" to his supporters
Mike Perry has thanked the fans "who helped me run miles" in a recent tweet. Perry has always been colorful towards his fans and critics on social media. Following a recent loss to Tim Means, he tweeted the following about fans approaching him.
"I’m not free, I don’t have time, I don’t wanna talk, don’t care what you have to say, I’m not taking a picture, don’t ask how I’m doing, please leave me alone unless you want to give me money then just give it to me and then you can ask your question.”
But he seems to be more grateful in his recent tweet to those who have supported him.
Thank you to all the fans who helped me run miles, and spar gladiators daily in practice. To the fans who helped me knockout 11 pros and helped me make weight 20 out of 21 times, idk how I could’ve done any of this without you effing scumbags
— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) January 18, 2021
Alessio Di Chirico explains bizarre post UFC on ABC 1 press conference
Alessio Di Chirico was a big winner after he defeated Joaquin Buckley by knockout in a stunning performance. But Di Chirico was bullish in the post-fight interview and refused to conduct the interview with the media. This caused Dana White to even be caught off guard as when he approached the Italian and his team to congratulate them, he wasn't expecting the reaction he got.
“I saw him in the back, and I walked by him and his team and was like, ‘Hey, congratulations.’ And they looked at me like, ‘What the fuck you want," White said (h/t CDN MMA News). “I said man that’s an unhappy crew huh? What the hell is wrong with them?”
The Italian has taken to Instagram though to explain his reaction and why he was so apprehensive after the fight.
Buckley was on a massive hype following his sensational KO in his last fight. But after being on the receiving end of a viral KO, Buckley will now be looking to bounce back to prove he wasn't just hype. Buckley took to Instagram and released the following statement.
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