Helwani Present: Poirier eyes McGregor in wake of Khabib loss
The emotion Dustin Poirier felt within the moments after he misplaced to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 was palpable. Regardless of the UFC light-weight championship being inside attain, and having moments throughout the battle wherein he appeared to have probably the greatest pound-for-pound fighters on the planet in peril, Poirier could not get over the past hump.
Within the fast aftermath, within the disappointment he felt, Poirier even hinted that he won’t wish to battle once more.
“My complete profession after which, clearly, a 10-week coaching camp was making ready me for that evening, and I felt like I did every thing I may to be prepared for that battle,” Poirier stated Monday on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Present. “I obtained beat. I used to be in my emotions man, and it harm. Sitting in my lodge room I stated that, however that was simply emotional.”
Now, 10 days faraway from the battle, Poirier feels somewhat bit otherwise.
Within the fast aftermath of dropping to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier thought-about calling it quits. However that feeling light shortly. Per Haljestam-USA TODAY Sports activities
“After all I’ll battle once more — these guys aren’t going to punch themselves within the face,” he stated.
So what’s subsequent? Conor McGregor, after all, not less than if Poirier has his manner.
“If we’re respecting the rankings right here, he is No. three and everybody else is fairly booked up,” Poirier stated. “It is sensible. We each misplaced to the identical man in a world title battle.”
Poirier misplaced to McGregor at UFC 178 in September 2014, however he is 9-2 with one no-contest since then.
“Financially, it makes plenty of sense,” Poirier continued. “[But] if the man’s not going to battle, they’ve gotta take him out of the rankings, as a result of he is simply going to maintain log-jamming an already top-heavy division.”
When Poirier floated the concept of a McGregor rematch on Sept. 10, McGregor was fast to reply and level out that he knocked Poirier out in lower than two minutes. Poirier appears like he is a a lot totally different fighter on this stage, and all of the circumstances add as much as make this potential battle a no brainer.
“If it is that simple, do it once more,” Poirier stated.
Poirier struggled with the frustration of dropping to Nurmagomedov, however he was pleased with how the champion embraced his charity. Nurmagomedov and Poirier exchanged t-shirts contained in the Octagon after the battle. Nurmagomedov stated he supposed to make use of his huge on-line presence to public sale off the shirt and donate all proceeds to Poirier’s charity, The Good Combat Basis.
As of this week, Nurmagomedov has already made good on his promise. In accordance with Poirier, the Dagestani champion not too long ago donated $100,000 to the muse. Poirier referred to as it the largest donation he has ever acquired.
“He raised some huge cash,” Poirier stated. “It is the largest donation we have ever had with the Basis and we’ll do nice issues with it. He will assist lots of people along with his contribution. It is unbelievable to see the fighters begin to donate issues and the expansion the Basis has had within the final year-and-a-half.”
Poirier has already introduced a partnership between his basis and fellow MMA veteran Justin Wren’s Combat For the Forgotten, which builds and repairs water wells in Africa. UFC president Dana White has additionally said he intends to match Nurmagomedov’s contribution.
As soon as Michel Pereira’s theatrics subsided, the preventing commenced, and Tristan Connelly didn’t appear almost as drained as his opponent within the Octagon. Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC
After an embarrassing loss Saturday evening, when his backflips and break-dancing overshadowed his preventing throughout UFC Combat Evening in Vancouver, Michel Pereira acquired some recommendation from a very unlikely supply.
Tristan Connelly was imagined to be one other steppingstone for Pereira, who’s an athletic and entertaining prospect. Connelly wasn’t even on the UFC roster till final week, when he acquired a name to be a last-minute fill-in to face Pereira. However as a substitute of being one other sufferer, Connelly scored a unanimous resolution over his fatigued opponent, after which reached out to supply some knowledge.
“I stated, ‘Man, I knew you have been going to do this. I knew you have been going to come back out like that. I am not saying do not go loopy, I really like your loopy, it is superb, I’ll be a fan endlessly, however begin somewhat extra basically,'” Connelly stated Monday on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Present. “‘Take somewhat extra time after which throw your loopy stuff in there and return to being basic.
The final time Yair Rodriguez competed within the Octagon, he flattened “The Korean Zombie” with one second remaining of their battle. On Saturday, Rodriguez may very well be concerned in one other memorable conflict, with hard-hitting veteran Jeremy Stephens opposing him within the UFC Combat Evening principal occasion in Mexico Metropolis.
UFC Combat Evening: Rodriguez vs. Stephens
• Saturday, Mexico Metropolis
• Prelims: ESPN+, 5 p.m. ET
• Fundamental card: ESPN+, eight p.m. ET
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“One, you are going to save far more vitality and you are going to recuperate, and two, I am not going to have the ability to predict as a lot, or your opponent is not going to have the ability to predict as a lot. It will have a manner, manner larger likelihood of working.’ I actually hope he takes that and runs with it, as a result of I am a fan. I am out of the (welterweight) division now (Connelly is a light-weight who moved as much as take the battle), so I wish to see him go on a tear and mess everybody up.”
If Connelly was the feel-good story of the evening, that could be enhanced by the actual fact he tried to assist Pereira after the bout. And Connelly isn’t any stranger to teaching. In actual fact he was educating his class in Vancouver when he acquired the decision that he could be on the cardboard.
“I get the cellphone name and ran across the gymnasium screaming, celebrating, could not have been happier,” Connelly stated. “And principally did not sleep for the remainder of the week. I slept final evening, which was the primary evening I slept.”
Connelly’s debut could not have gone a lot better. He gained the complete $100,000 Combat of the Evening bonus, which included Pereira’s reduce as a result of he missed weight. He additionally took 20 % of Pereira’s purse because of the missed weight. That is on high of the cash Connelly gained for preventing and profitable.
“I truthfully really feel like I should be right here,” Connelly stated. “I truthfully really feel like I have been prepared for a very long time. I am not stunned I did in addition to I did.
“I knew that is precisely how that battle was going to go. There was not a doubt in my thoughts. I knew how Michel was going to come back out. I knew he had all this hype behind him. However I knew he wasn’t going to place me away within the first three minutes, after which after that it is what subsequent, what are you going to do when it is my battle? If he had simply taken somewhat extra time, it could have been a special battle. However I knew watching his previous fights, he had such success with leaping and knocking guys out spectacularly that I knew he had much more purpose with me, 5 days’ discover, light-weight, 30 kilos greater than me, perhaps extra, misses weight. I wasn’t apprehensive for a second.”
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Ben Askren provides his tackle the welterweights, with Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington not booked and Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz being an thrilling battle.
Ben Askren is making ready to compete in opposition to one of many best grapplers in MMA historical past. Grappling is consuming his thoughts to the purpose the place he may simply have arrange a post-MMA profession transfer.
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Askren faces multiple-time world grappling champion Demian Maia in the primary occasion of UFC Combat Evening on Oct. 26 in Kallang, Singapore. However he has no beef with the Brazilian jiu-jitsu whiz, so “Funky” Ben needed to stir issues up with somebody. Throughout his look on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Present, he turned his consideration to irksome Bellator welterweight Dillon Danis, a jiu-jitsu ace himself who up to now has challenged Askren to a grappling match.?>
“At this level, it is my combined martial arts profession [that’s my focus],” Askren stated. “However once I’m achieved with that, if I selected to partake in a grappling contest, I feel it could in all probability be in opposition to Dillon Danis.”
Danis apparently was watching the present, as a result of whereas Askren was nonetheless on, he tweeted out, “Greatest grappling match within the historical past of the game. Dillon Danis vs. @benaskren. Let’s f—ing do it!”
Askren’s response: “He has a big quantity to achieve from this, as a result of though he needs to behave like he is the largest deal in Bellator, he is in all probability getting paid 5 and 5 [$5,000 to show, $5,000 to win] or one thing to that impact. So if I selected to grapple in opposition to Dillon Danis, I’d make him considerably more cash than he does in any of his Bellator fights.”
Danis is 2-Zero in his nascent MMA profession.
For now, although, Askren is targeted on the 41-year-old Maia (27-9), who has twice competed for UFC championships (losses to middleweight champ Anderson Silva in 2010 and welterweight champ Tyron Woodley in 2017) however has struggled in opposition to high-level wrestlers. In 2017-18, Maia misplaced three in a row to wrestlers Woodley, Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman.
Askren (19-1, 1 NC) is a two-time NCAA Division I nationwide champion wrestler (2006-2007), 2008 Olympian and 2009 world champion. The 35-year-old is a former champion within the Bellator and ONE promotions. He’s coming off his first profession loss, a UFC-record five-second knockout by Jorge Masvidal in July.
Jeremy Stephens has spent greater than a month coaching at altitude forward of Saturday’s UFC Combat Evening principal occasion in opposition to Yair Rodriguez in Mexico Metropolis, however the work he put into coaching in Large Bear Lake, California, earlier than he left may play a significant factor, as properly.
That is as a result of Tony Ferguson opened up his doorways to Stephens as a coaching accomplice as a part of his notoriously grueling routine. Stephens related with Ferguson by means of his new administration crew, after which dove in head-first as soon as the chance offered itself.
“I noticed Tony Ferguson, [and] I knew he skilled at excessive altitude,” Stephens informed Helwani. “I used to be speaking to him, speaking about going to Large Bear. I went up there, skilled with him somewhat bit, obtained some expertise and obtained some nice information from him.”
Stephens was in unique firm with Ferguson, who has a fame for having a tight-knit internal circle.
“Coaching with a man like Tony Ferguson, who’s one of many high [fighters] on the planet, who’s greater than deserving of a title shot, has a lot information and expertise of beating guys asses, it was unbelievable,” Stephens stated. “We skilled in all probability 6½ hours straight, after which we would take somewhat break. We might watch ‘Rocky four,’ after which we went on midnight runs, [or] 1 a.m.
“It was an unbelievable expertise,” Stephens continued. “I truly cannot wait to return and assist him practice for his upcoming battle, go on them runs, and try this 6½, seven hours, Floyd Mayweather-type coaching. It is champ s—. The man’s unbelievable, [but] he is sensible. It is not simply barbaric work. The man trains with excessive intelligence.”
Cat Zingano has made UFC historical past. She was the primary lady to win a Combat of the Evening bonus, the primary lady to attain a TKO victory and the primary mom to compete contained in the Octagon.
However final month, her UFC run ended when the promotion launched Zingano after she couldn’t take a battle due to “a mission that was very, crucial to me.”
The mission? Zingano is the Season 2 host of “Why We Combat,” a documentary collection on ESPN+ that explores private tales about what drives athletes to pursue fight sports activities.
“It felt very pricey to me, particularly having gone by means of rather a lot and having preventing be so cathartic for me,” stated Zingano, who within the midst of her MMA profession needed to persevere following the suicide of her husband and jiu-jitsu coach, Mauricio Zingano. “It meant rather a lot to finish that mission in a manner that I may very well be pleased with, in a manner that serves folks, in a manner that I really feel dignified by.”
Zingano, 37, misplaced 4 of her previous 5 UFC outings, most not too long ago a TKO loss to Megan Anderson final December. The featherweight battle lasted barely over a minute as a result of Zingano suffered a watch harm when an Anderson head kick grazed her eyeball. Zingano appealed the loss to the California State Athletic Fee, claiming the strike was an unlawful eye gouge, however the CSAC upheld Anderson’s win.
Zingano’s tough run adopted an unbeaten begin to her profession. She pushed her file to 9-Zero with a 2014 TKO of Amanda Nunes, the final defeat on the file of the two-division champion. That win earned Zingano a title shot, however she misplaced to Ronda Rousey in 14 seconds.
Now Zingano and Rousey are reunited, as “Rowdy Ronda” is government producer of “Why We Combat.”