Week in MMA & Boxing - 2/24/17
Mayweather vs McGregor
The Sun in the U.K. reported that Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor have agreed to terms for a boxing match and that McGregor flew to Las Vegas to finalize the deal. The story cited a source close to McGregor as saying both sides have agreed to money terms and all the details but a third-party hold-up has prevented a contract from being signed. That could be UFC, since McGregor is under an exclusive contract with the organization.
Those within the industry believe the report is premature at best. It’s not a secret talks are going on, and there’s far too much money involved to say that it won’t happen. The belief is that it’s not as close as the story that was picked up in a lot of places would indicate. It’s also noted that McGregor is always looking for something to keep his name in the news between fights, and teasing this fight accomplishes that.
Those within the industry believe the report is premature at best. It’s not a secret talks are going on, and there’s far too much money involved to say that it won’t happen. The belief is that it’s not as close as the story that was picked up in a lot of places would indicate. It’s also noted that McGregor is always looking for something to keep his name in the news between fights, and teasing this fight accomplishes that.
Mayweather told Stephen A. Smith that things were very, very close, but then posted on social media that there was no deal, he’s retired and happily enjoying life. McGregor has noted that it would be simpler to get UFC involved in this promotion. There is also the matter of the commission, as it is clearly a ridiculous mismatch to have the greatest boxer of the generation, and among the greatest of all-time, face someone who has never had a boxing match. But the amount of money at stake for all involved is ridiculous.
The story of trying to get the fight done will likely be more interesting than the fight itself, which would be far more about the hype than the delivery. If such a fight happens, it will almost surely be among the biggest PPV events of all-time. That fact that there is so much money involved, from a McGregor standpoint, the money would be so far beyond what he’s ever earned.
New UFC women’s featherweight champion
Germaine de Randamie became UFC’s first women’s featherweight champion at UFC 208, held on 2/11 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Most of the talk regarded bad judging of the top two matches and a non-call by the referee in the title fight. De Randamie, who was not even a major contender at 135 pounds, was put in a 145 pound title fight with Holly Holm largely because they had a PPV and none of the “real” champions were going to be ready.
The idea, at first, was that they hoped Ronda Rousey would beat Amanda Nunes for the welterweight title and Holm would beat de Randamie, and they could put together a champion vs. champion fight which would probably be the biggest UFC PPV match in history. Then Rousey lost. So the next idea was for Holm to win and face Cris Cyborg, forgetting that it’s a stupid match for Holm to take, giving up 20 to 30 pounds. Then Holm lost.
The idea, at first, was that they hoped Ronda Rousey would beat Amanda Nunes for the welterweight title and Holm would beat de Randamie, and they could put together a champion vs. champion fight which would probably be the biggest UFC PPV match in history. Then Rousey lost. So the next idea was for Holm to win and face Cris Cyborg, forgetting that it’s a stupid match for Holm to take, giving up 20 to 30 pounds. Then Holm lost.
Most felt, as I did, that de Randamie won the first two rounds and Holm the last three. But the rounds were close. The second controversy is that the most significant and damaging punch of the fight was a late hit, after the horn, in the second round. Ref Todd Anderson shockingly didn’t call a penalty point there. Then, when de Randamie hit Holm after the horn ending the third round, Anderson warned her but again didn’t take away a point.
Judges Sal D’Amato, Chris Lee and Jeff Mullen all scored it 48-47 for de Randamie. One penalty point would have made it a draw, and two would have given Holm the win. The non-call after the second round was very bad. After it happened again in the third round, it was pretty much impossible to understand. The judging wasn’t bad given the nature of the close rounds, just unlucky for Holm. The referee was a different issue. A positive is that the title win got de Randamie a lot of mainstream attention in her native Holland, with newspaper coverage and mainstream talk show appearances in the days after the show.
Judges Sal D’Amato, Chris Lee and Jeff Mullen all scored it 48-47 for de Randamie. One penalty point would have made it a draw, and two would have given Holm the win. The non-call after the second round was very bad. After it happened again in the third round, it was pretty much impossible to understand. The judging wasn’t bad given the nature of the close rounds, just unlucky for Holm. The referee was a different issue. A positive is that the title win got de Randamie a lot of mainstream attention in her native Holland, with newspaper coverage and mainstream talk show appearances in the days after the show.
After the fight, de Randamie, when asked about fighting Cyborg, said she needed surgery on her hand for torn ligaments suffered in a fight in 2015. De Randamie came in at 143 pounds, meaning she probably didn’t even cut weight, since she usually fights at 135. She’s completely too small for Cyborg, who is suspended right now, but there is the feeling USADA is going to drop the suspension.
But then, a few days later, frustrated with all the negativity about her win, she said she wanted to fight Holm in a rematch to decide it. The problem with that is the first fight wasn’t very exciting, and while there was no great interest in a first match, there would likely be less for a rematch.
Holm, who is seeking a rematch, has also filed an appeal to the New York State Athletic Commission on the grounds that de Randamie should have been docked at least one point due to the late hits.
But then, a few days later, frustrated with all the negativity about her win, she said she wanted to fight Holm in a rematch to decide it. The problem with that is the first fight wasn’t very exciting, and while there was no great interest in a first match, there would likely be less for a rematch.
Holm, who is seeking a rematch, has also filed an appeal to the New York State Athletic Commission on the grounds that de Randamie should have been docked at least one point due to the late hits.
Cyborg Suspension Lifted
Cris Cyborg was given a retroactive TUE for her use of Spironolactone, a diuretic, and as was rumored, was taken off suspension. This is a very controversial ruling. While Spironolactone is viable medical treatment for Cyborg’s kidney issues because of how messed up she was in her last weight cut, but it also can be used as a masking agent.
If she had applied for a TUE and it had been approved, or she had at least declared the usage of the drug prior to her testing positive, it would be one thing. But retroactive TUE’s are a scary proposition. While I do think USADA should have the power to grant them in the sense of a life threatening emergency, this wasn’t that situation. There is no excuse not to declare usage of it on her form. Instead, she failed a test..
This will likely lead to Cyborg vs. Germaine de Randamie whenever Cyborg agrees to be able to get down to 145. They end up where they want with Cyborg as champion facing a bunch of women 25 pounds lighter than her.
If she had applied for a TUE and it had been approved, or she had at least declared the usage of the drug prior to her testing positive, it would be one thing. But retroactive TUE’s are a scary proposition. While I do think USADA should have the power to grant them in the sense of a life threatening emergency, this wasn’t that situation. There is no excuse not to declare usage of it on her form. Instead, she failed a test..
This will likely lead to Cyborg vs. Germaine de Randamie whenever Cyborg agrees to be able to get down to 145. They end up where they want with Cyborg as champion facing a bunch of women 25 pounds lighter than her.
Anderson Silva's Controversial Win over Derek Brunson
What was a far worse judging issue at UFC 208 was Anderson Silva vs. Derek Brunson fight. Silva took the decision on scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 29-28.
In this case, 84 percent of the media had it for Brunson, with 32 percent of media scores being 30-27 for Brunson and not one mirroring Eric Colon’s 30-27 for Silva. Brunson didn’t win this one going away either, but there was no way he should have lost all three rounds. Actual strikes were close, pretty much even in rounds two and three, while Brunson had a 20-8 edge in the first round (which two judges gave to Silva).
Dana White even said the show didn’t deliver, and UFC only gave out three bonuses, a performance bonus to Ronaldo Jacare Souza, and a best fight bonus to Dustin Poirier and Jim Miller. Nine of the ten fights went to a decision.
In this case, 84 percent of the media had it for Brunson, with 32 percent of media scores being 30-27 for Brunson and not one mirroring Eric Colon’s 30-27 for Silva. Brunson didn’t win this one going away either, but there was no way he should have lost all three rounds. Actual strikes were close, pretty much even in rounds two and three, while Brunson had a 20-8 edge in the first round (which two judges gave to Silva).
Dana White even said the show didn’t deliver, and UFC only gave out three bonuses, a performance bonus to Ronaldo Jacare Souza, and a best fight bonus to Dustin Poirier and Jim Miller. Nine of the ten fights went to a decision.
Brock Lesnar Retires from UFC
Brock Lesnar quietly retired from MMA over this past week. Lesnar’s name was quietly removed from the UFC’s active roster, and MMAFighting.com confirmed through USADA that he asked to be removed from the drug testing program.
Lesnar, 39, who is scheduled to be in one of the headline matches at WrestleMania with Bill Goldberg, was clearly thinking about fighting again, as he remained part of the UFC’s drug testing program, which served him no purpose whatsoever if he wasn’t going to fight. Lesnar was suspended for testing positive for Clomiphene, both before and the day of his UFC 200 fight with Mark Hunt in July. Had he not felt there was a good shot he’d fight again, there was no reason to keep himself open for the inconvenience of having to keep USADA officials appraised of his whereabouts at all times, and being subject to testing at any time.
Lesnar’s retirement also freezes his suspension with just over five months left.
Lesnar, 39, who is scheduled to be in one of the headline matches at WrestleMania with Bill Goldberg, was clearly thinking about fighting again, as he remained part of the UFC’s drug testing program, which served him no purpose whatsoever if he wasn’t going to fight. Lesnar was suspended for testing positive for Clomiphene, both before and the day of his UFC 200 fight with Mark Hunt in July. Had he not felt there was a good shot he’d fight again, there was no reason to keep himself open for the inconvenience of having to keep USADA officials appraised of his whereabouts at all times, and being subject to testing at any time.
Lesnar’s retirement also freezes his suspension with just over five months left.
If Lesnar was to change his mind and return, he would have to declare himself unretired, and serve out the five remaining months of his suspension while being back in the testing pool. He would have to test clean for that five month period, before he could fight. He was suspended for one year by both USADA and the Nevada Athletic Commission. He was also fined $250,000, which many were surprised at how low it was since it only represented 10 percent of his announced $2.5 million purse, and Lesnar also earned millions more.
The retirement alleviates him from any drug testing, since his WWE deal does not include his being part of the company’s drug testing program based on not being listed as a full-time wrestler. Lesnar would have been eligible to fight in July. Lesnar, along with Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, was one of the three biggest drawing cards in UFC history during his run with the promotion from 2008 to 2011, where he captured the heavyweight title.
The retirement alleviates him from any drug testing, since his WWE deal does not include his being part of the company’s drug testing program based on not being listed as a full-time wrestler. Lesnar would have been eligible to fight in July. Lesnar, along with Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey, was one of the three biggest drawing cards in UFC history during his run with the promotion from 2008 to 2011, where he captured the heavyweight title.
GSP Re-signs with UFC
Dana White and UFC confirmed the signing of Georges St-Pierre this week. Right now the working idea is a summer fight with Michael Bisping for the middleweight title, but that’s just the leading idea. It would be a lot better to give GSP a tune-ups fight first, but if Bisping fights Yoel Romero, and Romero wins, the Bisping fight loses meaning with no belt at stake, and GSP vs. Romero is not a good fight for GSP.
St-Pierre had wanted to return for the 12/10 show in Toronto, but the sides were far apart on money. St-Pierre and Lorenzo Fertitta had been talking about a comeback but when WME IMG took over, the talks stalled and White continued to insist that he knows fighters and St-Pierre didn’t want to fight. The feeling is that the company realized that the first six months of this year were not going to be strong on the revenue side with no blockbuster PPVs.
St-Pierre had wanted to return for the 12/10 show in Toronto, but the sides were far apart on money. St-Pierre and Lorenzo Fertitta had been talking about a comeback but when WME IMG took over, the talks stalled and White continued to insist that he knows fighters and St-Pierre didn’t want to fight. The feeling is that the company realized that the first six months of this year were not going to be strong on the revenue side with no blockbuster PPVs.
While it would seem to be impossible to match last year, the goal was to have a huge second half of the year which meant fights with Conor McGregor, GSP and Jon Jones. GSP, along with Anderson Silva, Fedor Emelianenko and Jon Jones, would have to be considered one of the top four MMA fighters of all-time. He left the sport after the 2013 fight with Johny Hendricks. He won a decision but took a beating, and the majority felt he lost the fight. His big issue was that he didn’t feel the company was strong enough on PEDs. In particular, he wanted both he and Hendricks to undergo stringent drug testing before the fight. When UFC implemented USADA drug testing in 2015, he considered returning.
St-Pierre was doing a consistent 600,000 to 800,000 buys for his PPV matches, peaking at about 950,000 for the Diaz fight. Part of it was that he was given a steady stream of good talkers, and his quiet old school babyface demeanor played off of people. On the one hand, his return after what would likely be nearly four years should be big. If it was a title match against Bisping, it would be bigger because he’d be going for a third world title in a second weight class.
St-Pierre was doing a consistent 600,000 to 800,000 buys for his PPV matches, peaking at about 950,000 for the Diaz fight. Part of it was that he was given a steady stream of good talkers, and his quiet old school babyface demeanor played off of people. On the one hand, his return after what would likely be nearly four years should be big. If it was a title match against Bisping, it would be bigger because he’d be going for a third world title in a second weight class.
New Fights Announced
A ton of new fights were announced over the weekend by UFC.
- For the 4/8 PPV show in Buffalo, they announced Will Brooks vs. Charles Oliveira, who moves up to 155 pounds after missing weight at 145 four different times.
- For the 4/15 FOX show in Kansas City, they announced Rose Namajunas vs. Michelle Waterson. Also announced were Louis Smolka vs. Tim Elliott, Devin Clark vs. Jake Collier and Anthony Smith vs. Andrew Sanchez.
- For the 4/22 show in Nashville, they announced a weird main event of Cub Swanson vs. Artem Lobov. Swanson is coming off the win over Choi in one of the best fights in recent years, while Lobov has a 13-12-1, 1 no contest record. Lobov is a good stand-up fighter who usually loses to guys who take him down, but you’d think after such a big win, Swanson would face someone more at the level of Chan Sung Jung.
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For the next show, which is the 3/4 UFC 209 show in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena, at press time there were still third row cageside tickets available.
From a marquee standpoint, given the other three T-Mobile Arena shows were UFC 200 with Lesnar vs. Hunt, Cormier vs. Jones (which didn’t happen), and Tate vs. Nunes, UFC 202 (the second McGregor vs. Diaz fight) and UFC 207 (Rousey vs. Nunes), this show is nowhere close with the top fights being Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson for the welterweight title, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title and Mark Hunt vs. Alistair Overeem
From a marquee standpoint, given the other three T-Mobile Arena shows were UFC 200 with Lesnar vs. Hunt, Cormier vs. Jones (which didn’t happen), and Tate vs. Nunes, UFC 202 (the second McGregor vs. Diaz fight) and UFC 207 (Rousey vs. Nunes), this show is nowhere close with the top fights being Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson for the welterweight title, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title and Mark Hunt vs. Alistair Overeem
Ultimate Fighter Redemption
The cast of the new season of Ultimate Fighter, which debuts on 4/19 on FS 1, will consist of all former UFC fighters and one current fighter, who is James Krause.
The idea is that everyone on the show will have been on the show in a prior season, including former champions Eddie Gordon and Joe Stevenson. Others include Seth Baczynski, Julian Lane, Mehdi Baghdad, Dhiego Lima, Justin Edwards, Ramsey Nijem, Tom Gallicchio, Gilbert Smith, Hayder Hassan, Jesse Taylor and Hector Urbina.
The winner of the tournament will win $250,000 and get a new UFC contract
The idea is that everyone on the show will have been on the show in a prior season, including former champions Eddie Gordon and Joe Stevenson. Others include Seth Baczynski, Julian Lane, Mehdi Baghdad, Dhiego Lima, Justin Edwards, Ramsey Nijem, Tom Gallicchio, Gilbert Smith, Hayder Hassan, Jesse Taylor and Hector Urbina.
The winner of the tournament will win $250,000 and get a new UFC contract