yup, and mcgregor is expected to be stripped of his title, while aldo gets the real one. what a strange situation
I would rather do Holloway vs. Aldo for the undisputed title instead of making him get one more fight in there, but oh well. I'm just afraid that if Conor is really stripped, the Featherweight division is going to turn into the Light Heavyweight division. No matter how good the champion is, they're going to seem like the "Paper Champ" while the actual kingpen is absent from the division. I always had a hunch that Conor wouldn't fight at 145 again, but I also thought they would let him keep his belt as a safety net until the time when/if he lost his Lightweight belt.
Don't care that the UFC stripped it, even if it comes off as ridiculous (which it does). This whole sport is ridiculous, so this isn't particularly strange at all. Featherweight always was his safety net, that doesn't change now that he doesn't have a belt. I don't think he ever had any intention of going back, so it's not a big deal that the UFC freed the division up (even if it was done in a ham-fisted way).
I mean, if things go south for him and he loses three straight at Lightweight, all he has to do is snap his fingers for a Featherweight title shot if he wanted to cut the weight. Haha.
I re-watched some of McGregor's old fights/interviews/trash talking. Pretty crazy that before he beat Aldo he predicted and laid out his plan well before he had Alvarez's belt. I also just saw that Aldo called McGregor a "coward" and said their last fight was an "accident", as well as said he wants a proper rematch. Would love to see that.
Assuming Mighty Mouse gets by Elliot, what's next for him? I would hope a "super fight" with Cruz, assuming he survives No Love. At this point, the Flyweights are cleared out, there just isn't anyone left to challenge him.
Dude, I have no idea. There is no one left for him down there. Maybe Benavidez or Cejudo look like world beaters and can get some traction, but that'll be a slog to build any interest. Cruz superfight is interesting, but I'd still like a Dillashaw rematch. Interesting to hear what Bjorn and the boys have to say about this union this afternoon.
Which is why I found it weird that they haven't scooped up more of the fighters from this seasons TUF. There were, I thought, some intriguing prospects there. Certainly there was more worthy of addition than just Moreno, Schnell, and the winner. Time will tell, I suppose.
So I read last night that McGregor received his boxing license in California. Pretty much comes down to Floyd saying yes or no.
What, money? The UFC/Dana White wouldn't stop him, and McGregor putting himself in a position where he's kind of at a disadvantage gives Mayweather the choice of whether he's willing to fight or not.
Why would the UFC make any money from this? Right now, the UFC has McGregor under contract for MMA fights. Part of that contract, we are told, prevents him from competing in combat sports outside the UFC. Thus, McGregor would need explicit permission from UFC to box, or he would need to initiate a legal battle to get his contract voided. What you might be suggesting is that McGregor just says "Hey, what if I give you some of my purse in exchange for letting me box?" Well, that's nifty and all, but the UFC would almost certainly say no. The precedent it sets is terrible for other fighters and it also exposes the UFC to a lot of legal headaches. If the UFC is now in the boxing business as a boxing promoter (if they aren't why are they getting a piece of McGregor's purse), they could be subject to the Ali Act under federal law, something they have spent millions of lobbying dollars trying to avoid. UFC has every incentive to make sure it enforces the contracts it has. They are not dumb enough to sell that out for some minimal short term gain.
Exactly, the whole thing is a shitshow for them. Not really much to gain and a thousand complications legally. Fighters already complain about how he gets everything he wants, I can't imagine if he was allowed to box. Funny coincidence that he's following in the footsteps of both BJ Penn and Randy Couture in a way. They both won a second belt and then left the UFC due to contract disputes from wanting to compete in other combat sports outlets...
As a lawyer, I have to say that the legal issue surrounding MMA and the UFC are really fascinating. The MMAAA announcement yesterday was interesting. I am not sure they fully understand what they are doing. For instance, they floated the idea of a strike, but that would be pretty impossible for an Association (as opposed to a Union) to accomplish without opening themselves up to litigation. The whole things seems incredibly toothless. I really hope they have a good labor lawyer on the payroll!
That seems like a strange thing for people to be excited for. Holm hasn't looked so good against the last couple of people, but I'd still watch. Anything is better than watching Cyborg crush a bunch of people you've never heard of.
The main card for 207 looks pretty solid but I've been expecting them to add one more fight. I doubt that's happening now because we're getting close to the event but it just seems like a small number of fights.
Listening to the Joe Rogan podcast with Jon Jones. So weird. The guy talks about how he partied way too much and now he's had to find other hobbies and stuff to keep from partying or smoking or anything... His hobby of choice? "Fitness". The guy who's been a dominant, world-champion Light Heavyweight fighter now does "fitness" in his spare time... How did he get in that good of shape before when he's just now "discovered" lifting weights, running, doing lots of Jiu Jitsu, etc.? lol
That was something else. The fact that he's "falling in love" with bjj now is downright absurd for the rest of the UFC. Especially considering the great submissions he's already had. He's the best talent in MMA and it's not even close. He sure sounded genuine, and I hope he really is. Don't thing he's the scumbag he's made out to be, so hopefully he's matured.