MMA
Conor McGregor announces his retirement again and no one believes him
Published
8 months agoon
By
J. HumzaIn the fresh media era, the lines between fact and fiction became increasingly blurred as newspapers closed shop and the news industry suffered layoffs.
The reasons for the trend of shutting down elderly media platforms can be discussed in more detail another time, but we can point to the fact that journalists have wised up over the last 15 years and realized that they can deliver the news themselves.
Why bother with an intermediary if, like Conor McGregor did on Saturday night, you want to announce that you’re leaving the fight?
McGregor, the extremely charismatic Irishman who has received a lot of ink in recent years for his cage-exit antics and mistakes involving law enforcement, told the Twittersphere shortly before 1 a.m. EST that it was over.
“Hey guys, I’ve decided to pull out of the fight. Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride that was!”
Yes, no, I dare say that only a miniature fraction of people who have seen McGregor toil in the world of MMA and dabble in boxing believe that he is leaving the scene and focusing on other endeavors. There is no clamor for him to work full time cleaning the decks of the boats he calls whiskey.
And almost no one believes this call to say goodbye, because in the 15 years since stars and athletes began to create their own publishing platforms, the warning “I’m retiring” has repeatedly turned out to be empty.
Floyd Mayweather, I stopped counting his pensions.
Oh, and by the way, this construct is actually nothing fresh in the broader world of entertainment.
Some of you know the rock group The Who. They achieved enormous popularity in the mid-1960s, being part of the wave of talent that came from Great Britain along with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. “My Generation”, “I Can See for Miles”, “Pinball Wizard” and even my children know “Teenage Wasteland”, which is actually called “Baba O’Riley”. (The band plays this song on their 1982 farewell tour, below.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEmhAgvcsYY
I’m elderly enough to remember that in the summer of 1982, the band told reporters that this tour would be their last. The message was: Look at what shows are coming because we’ll never do this again. The final performances, said vocalist Roger Daltrey, will be “something everyone can be proud of.”
Knock on wood, you can see Daltrey, 76, handle the high notes on “See Me, Feel Me” on March 5, 2021, as the band is booked to perform at an arena in Dublin, Ireland.
Now no one thinks McGregor will fight as an elderly man, but will he fight again? I’d bet my house and yours on it.
The southpaw from Dublin is 31 years elderly and ranked No. 4 in the UFC lightweight division. He is by far the biggest draw in MMA history, having started in the UFC in 2013. He’s a marketing wizard and it showed in 2017 when he started exploiting his draw advantage with incredible effectiveness. He told people he wanted to do other things and actually secured a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. But in 2016, “retirement” art was already in his repertoire. He was 19-3 but suffered a butt injury following his loss to Nate Diaz at UFC 196. Regards, he told the world with this tweet:
In March 2019, he tweeted again: “Hey guys, quick announcement, I have decided today to retire from the sport formally known as ‘Mixed Martial Arts.’ I wish all my elderly colleagues good luck in their further competition. I now join my former partners in this venture, now retired. A good Pina Colada on me, guys!”
This wave of farewells followed his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
I’m not sure how many drinks he bought for strangers, but nine months later he was back fighting in the Octagon.
About this retirement, perhaps he was looking for leverage to gain capital in the company, I’m sure he will tell us in his autobiography. He easily dispatched the shop-wrecked Donald Cerrone in January 2020, and does anyone care to guess when he’ll step into the cage again?
UFC boss Dana White is no stranger to dealing with this feint. “No one is pressuring anyone to fight,” White told reporters after Saturday’s UFC event. “And if Conor McGregor feels like he wants to retire, you know how I feel about retirement, you should definitely do it. And I love Conor…there are a handful of people who made it really fun for me. And he is one of them.”
White also stated that the pandemic shutdown is making people act witty. In other words, he won’t be begging McGregor to come back to the table and talk about fights with Anderson Silva, top lightweight contender Justin Gaethje, Nate Diaz or Nurmagomedov.
But know this if you’re just starting to follow the sport or entertainment as a whole. Conor McGregor will return. They always come back, among my generation and yours.
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MMA
Demetrious Johnson equaled Anderson Silva’s UFC title defense record
Published
7 months agoon
May 19, 2024By
J. HumzaDemetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson defended his flyweight title at UFC “Fight Night Kansas City,” looking to stop challenger Wilson Reis and make UFC history.
After beating Reis from the opening bell and submitting him via armbar at 4:49 of the third round, Johnson did exactly what he wanted. With this victory, Johnson has now won 12 straight fights, but more importantly, it is his 10th defense of the UFC flyweight title, tying Anderson Silva’s record for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history.
The spectacular, historic victory left Johnson more placid and reserved than usual after the fight.
“GSP, Anderson, they are great champions, but I am the best champion that has ever stepped foot in this Octagon,” Johnson said. “I finish off all my opponents. There is no other champion who can mix it all, fight, punch and clinch like me.
Johnson scored the victory by punching and softening Reis while staying out of danger first. The champion then took him to the ground, pounded him some more, and then delivered a neat submission to the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
Going from a full mount to an armbar submission faster than anyone else in the UFC to end the event, “Mighty Mouse” showed why he’s considered the best pound-for-pound MMA fighter in the world today.
“It was a damn good night,” Johnson said in his post-fight Octagon interview. “It’s probably the best training camp I’ve ever had, and my head coach kept telling me, ‘Just be yourself.’ I came back and did a lot of things differently at this camp and it was the best effort I’ve ever felt.
Even if people like UFC president Dana White call him the “GOAT” of the UFC, putting his name first alongside Silva, who ruled the middleweight division and pound-for-pound rankings from 2006-2013. Johnson remains focused on taking his division and legacy to heights never before seen in MMA.
“I’m like any champion, whether it’s a team sport like the Michael Jordan Bulls or something like the UFC, I want to win as many championships as possible,” Johnson said at the post-fight news conference. I’ve got 10 title defenses now and I can take this belt home and hopefully next time I can break through and maybe I can get 13 or 14 titles, so why not set the bar high. Just like Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world, I’m the fastest man in mixed martial arts, so I’m going to continue to prove that and hopefully set the record at 15 years and then I can retire.
Even with 10 consecutive wins inside the Octagon, UFC interim featherweight champion Max “Blessed” Holloway never had the opportunity to fight for the undisputed championship.
That will all change on Saturday when Holloway faces UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in a unification fight at UFC 212 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This will be only the second time in his career that Holloway will headline a pay-per-view card, but he is extremely confident of entering enemy territory in pursuit of his lifelong dream.
“I’ve been in the spotlight in my career, I’ve had a five-round fight outside the UFC and I’m ready for anything,” Holloway said during a recent conference call.
“I’m just ready to show the world what I’m about and why I’m the best fighter in this division.”
“Blessed” has finished seven opponents in his 10-fight winning streak, including a TKO over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis to become interim champion.
Holloway and Aldo are two of the best all-around strikers in MMA today, but there aren’t many other similarities both inside and outside the Octagon. What they have in common, however, is that their last defeat came against UFC’s most recognizable star, “Notorious” Conor McGregor.
For Holloway, losing to McGregor four years ago was a good thing. He regrouped, became a more complete fighter and put together one of the greatest winning streaks in UFC history.
However, despite his incredible success at the championship level over the past few years, the UFC has been reluctant to put its hype machine behind Holloway, much to the surprise of many in the media and fans.
Even with this lack of pressure, Holloway is very excited to reign supreme in a division that has only had two undisputed champions in its compact history.
“I just can’t wait to do the damn thing; get in there and fight one of the best of all time,” Holloway said. “He is one of the greatest in our sport, but it is time for a up-to-date era.”
“I have been an underdog my whole life. I do not care. I shouldn’t be here. Max Holloway shouldn’t be talking to any of you. I shouldn’t be here. It is what it is. “Actions speak louder than words, and I have done many things.”
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MMA
Amanda Nunes withdraws from UFC 213 title fight
Published
7 months agoon
May 18, 2024By
J. HumzaAfter being hospitalized hours earlier, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has been withdrawn from her UFC 213 main event bout against top-ranked Valentina Shevchenko, UFC president Dana White confirmed.
The report of Nunes’ illness and withdrawal was first revealed by mmafighting.com’s Ariel Helwani. White told LA Times writer Lance Pugmire via text message: “I don’t know why Nunes (14-4) withdrew from the card after being examined by a doctor.
“The doctor cleared her to fight. She said she wasn’t feeling well,” White said. “It is what it is. You can’t force anyone to fight.”
Now, the scheduled co-main event fight for the interim middleweight title between Yoel “The Soldier of God” Romero and Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker will be upgraded to main event status at UFC 213. The fresh co-main event will be a heavyweight fight between the former champion Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem, who will fight for the title of number 1 contender to champion Stipe Miocic.
Many commented on how exhausted Nunes looked, as fighters often do, at the official weigh-in on Friday morning around 10 a.m. PST. It must be admitted that in her nine-year MMA career, “The Lioness” has never officially made weight or withdrawn from a fight due to weight loss problems, until today.
The fight will likely be postponed soon. Bob Bennett of the Nevada State Athletic Commission said Nunes had problems beyond the weakness resulting from the weight cut that led to her withdrawal.
Meanwhile, undefeated women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk spent Saturday morning “begging White to fight via text messages and social media.” Jedrzejczyk last fought at UFC 211 in May and plans to fight in November at UFC 217, but she was in town for International Fight Week and told White she would face Shevchencko.
Much to the disappointment of fans and the media, the strawweight champion has no chance of fighting tonight because medical tests and other clearances require a little longer before the NSAC will clear her. So everyone has to hold on tight to see how this story unfolds over the next few days
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