Fightful Fix is your one-stop-shop for all of today's biggest combat sports stories — from Dan Henderson beating up his son's boyfriend to a potential fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre — conveniently compiled in one place. Take a look below.
MMA Legend Dan Henderson gifts daughter's boyfriend leg kicks over Holidays
Former Strikeforce and Pride FC champion Dan Henderson served out a vicious leg kick over New Year's Eve. Henderson's daughter's boyfriend apparently wanted a leg kick from the MMA legend and Henderson had no issue fulfilling that request.
Dan Henderson was giving out leg kicks on New Years Eve pic.twitter.com/cR1XYz3O1F
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) January 1, 2021
Khabib would "get up" for St-Pierre fight says manager
MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz is never one to shy away from making headlines and he made another one recently. Speaking with TMZ Sports Abdelaziz said that undisputed UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov would likely come out of retirement for a fight with former UFC middleweight and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre if the opportunity presented itself, but has no interest in rematching his former rival and UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor.
“Honestly, I think if Georges St-Pierre is serious about coming back to fight, I could see it happening,” Abdelaziz said (h/t MMAMania). “That would get Khabib up. But, he beat the s—t out of Conor, he did everything he wanted to do. He beat him in the striking department, he beat him in the wrestling department, the grappling department. He broke his soul, he took his will."
Team Costa wants an interim middleweight title fight against Whittaker
With the recent news that UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will move up to challenge UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259 on March 6, former middleweight title challenger and rival Paulo Costa's team wants an interim belt introduced at 185 pounds. Speaking with MMAFighting's Guilherme Cruz, Costa's manager Wallid Ismail doesn't believe the promotion should leave the division on hold and should matchup Costa with former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker for an interim title to keep the division flowing.
“This is the best fight for 185, the No. 1 against the No. 2,” Ismail said. “The winner… Borrachinha will win, and with that win, imagine how many pay-per-views a rematch with Adesanya would do. It’s a business. It’s the best pay-per-view possible because Borrachinha and Adesanya really hate each other, but we can’t leave the division on hold. That’s why we have to make this for the interim belt. It’s a win-win for the UFC, and that’s what Dana White wants. He knows that Borrachinha vs. Whittaker will sell well, and he knows how much the title unification bout will sell, too.”
Henry Cejudo calls out Deiveson Figueiredo in tweet
Former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo has always been someone who is not afraid to voice his opinions or get into some back and forth with other fighters. In a recent tweet, Cejudo took aim at current UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, saying he'd knock out the Brazilian in 1 minute and claiming he's a rent-a-champ.
I see you are an expert on blowing because your last fight sucked. And this is your fighter of the year @danawhite ? I’d knock is ass out in 1 and that is 1 minute! #rentachamp @Daico_Deiveson pic.twitter.com/N6li9OfPV6
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) January 2, 2021
Jon Jones takes shot at Daniel Cormier
Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier share arguably the greatest rivalry in MMA history and over the weekend, the MMA world celebrated the six-year anniversary of the pair's first meeting at UFC 182. Jones sent out the following tweet sending a not so subtle shot at his former rival, Cormier has yet to respond.
Stipe is your rival I’m your superior.
— BONY (@JonnyBones) January 3, 2021
Scott Coker looking at February for Bellator's 2021 debut
Bellator President Scott Coker discussed a variety of topics with MMAJunkie's Mike Bohn recently, amongst them being when we might see the promotion return in the new year. Coker said he is looking at getting things going again for Bellator sometime next month.
“As far as starting, we’re probably thinking sometime in February,” Coker said. “We haven’t locked a date down yet, but that’s probably what we’re thinking in February to launch with our first fight of 2021.”
MMA veteran Din Thomas raising money and awareness for depression
Former UFC veteran and current MMA coach Din Thomas is starting 2021 off helping raise money and awareness for mental health. Thomas who holds UFC wins over the likes of Matt Serra, Jeremy Stephens, Clay Guida, and Jens Pulver teamed up with a foundation called HeadsUpGuys that is helping with management, prevention, and raising awareness for depression in men. Now an avid cycler, Thomas decided to bike 210 miles from Titusville, Florida all the way to Clearwater as a way to help raise money for the foundation. Thomas spoke to MMAJunkie's Dave Doyle about the experience and hopes that he can help other fighters reach out for help if they're currently struggling with mental health.
“A lot of guys, when their fighting days are over, their problems haven’t gone away and for some guys it gets worse when they don’t have that outlet any more,” Thomas said. “I’ve been there myself. What I want people to know is, if you’re struggling, you can get help. Don’t give up.”
Thomas has set up a GoFundMe page with donations going to HeadsUpGuys that you can contribute to. So far he's raised $1,970 in his efforts, surpassing the initial goal $1,000 in donations.
I want to thank everybody who supported me in this journey. This is just the first of many. Never be satisfied. Stay strong and always strive for greatness.
— Din Thomas (@DinThomas) January 3, 2021
To all the guys going through something, don't be afraid to get help. @headsupguys
Thank you again!!! pic.twitter.com/2YwFz8tlD6
Alex Volkanovski believes he's on a different level than Brian Ortega
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski doesn't lack confidence and displayed that in a recent interview with SCMP MMA, where he discussed his upcoming matchup with top contender Brian Ortega.
“It’s exciting for me but at the same time, I really do believe I’m just on a whole other level and I’m so well-rounded, I can take the fight wherever it is,” Volkanovski explained (h/t The Body Lock). “I’m the guy that never quits. With me, it’s so easy to say I’m well-rounded but it goes so much deeper than that. There are so many little things that I just have down to a tee and I work so hard to make sure that I am such a complete fighter that if someone gives me trouble somewhere, I can always take it somewhere else."
Volkanovski continued.
“Even if I have to go to the ground… I don’t need to worry about him taking me down. We’ll see. Obviously, I can’t give too much away but if I want to take someone down, I can. Am I going to have a BJJ match with him in a middle of a UFC fight? No. But again, I’m a very smart fighter. There’s different rules [compared] to just on the BJJ mats. We can punch you on the face, there’s a cage, there’s a lot of obstacles in an MMA cage especially when you can use your hands and elbows and what not. … If I want to take it to the ground, I’ll be more than comfortable to do so.”
Mike Perry posts disturbing Instagram video, tweet
UFC welterweight Mike Perry continues to be in the news and for not the best reasons. Perry posted a video to his Instagram story showing him lying down, then turning the camera to show a shattered glass door and his left leg covered in blood.
Full video. This is really disturbing pic.twitter.com/JexmgI4S1t
— Amy Kaplan (@PhotoAmy33) January 4, 2021
Not long after posting the video, Perry sent out the following tweet adding more concern for the fighter's mental health and well being.
No matter what I do it’s never enough. So I act out. Happy to spill my own blood.
— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) January 4, 2021
Scott Coker on UFC releases
Bellator President Scott Coker chatted with MMAFighting's Damon Martin about the recent surge or releases from the UFC and why he was surprised to see some of the names that were let go but views it as a great opportunity for his promotion.
“You’re talking about a couple of guys that really made a difference in their division,” Coker said. “I’m surprised they didn’t want to keep them. To me, it’s a great opportunity for us. To be honest, I think we’re a better fit for those guys. They’ll have a great home here. I think they’re going to be extremely happy here. A couple of the guys that I talked to, they wanted to make the move. They wanted to come to Bellator. People see when they get here how we treat the fighters and how it’s a family atmosphere. Yes, it is a business so we run like a business but it’s really run a lot different than other organizations.”
A.J. McKee understands Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement decision
Undefeated Bellator featherweight contender A.J. McKee spoke with MMAJunkie's Mike Bohn and Danny Segura about Khabib Nurmagomedov's decision to retire at UFC 254 following the passing of his father. McKee who is also coached by his father former MFC lightweight champion Antonio McKee talked about his respect for Nurmagomedov for even competing after the loss of his father.
“I respect him for getting that last fight out of the way and I don’t know, man, he told his mother he wouldn’t fight no more,” McKee told MMA Junkie. “Honestly, if I didn’t have my father. I don’t think I could do it honestly. I could fight, but there’s going to be a lot of anger. I don’t think there’s going to be a technical A.J. I’m going to be out there swinging trying to hurt something."
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