Mixed Martial Arts

[Guiness]

Georges St-Pierre's UFC 196 attendance fuels comeback rumors, Dana White and 'GSP' clear things up

 

Georges St-Pierre caused quite a stir last night (Sat., March 5,2016) as the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight champion of the world was in attendance for the UFC 196 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Of course, the rare site sparked comeback rumors, as "GSP" isn't known for attending fights, especially since he walked away from mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2013.

But, as UFC president Dana White declared during the post-fight press conference, there are no immediate plans for "GSP's" return, despite the fact that the two have kept an open line of communication.

"It was a coincidence. There was no plan to have Conor call out Georges. That was never a plan. It's still a rumor (if St-Pierre returns). Georges Just wanted to come to the fights tonight; have we been talking to Georges? Yes we have. But, who knows. I honestly right here, right now don't know if Georges still wants to fight. I don't know."

Bummer.

To further confirm White's statement, Georges told UFC's Megan Olivi that his attendance was nothing more than him wanting to personally attend the event, as many of his training partners were also in town. Plus, his plans were already in motion to be in "Sin City," as he didn't want to miss the chance to see Conor McGregor make history

[Hari ng Spakol]

Congrats Nate for defeating McGregor by submission in round 2! #UFC196

 

[Roman Rapido]

 

"It was a coincidence. There was no plan to have Conor call out Georges. That was never a plan. It's still a rumor (if St-Pierre returns). Georges Just wanted to come to the fights tonight; have we been talking to Georges? Yes we have. But, who knows. I honestly right here, right now don't know if Georges still wants to fight. I don't know."

 

 

 

 

So imagine if Conor (1) won that fight over Nate, and (2) during the octagon interview, called out GSP!

Mind. Blown.

Edited March 7, 2016 by Roman Rapido

[Guiness]

According to Dana White who seems intent on getting the belt back for Ronda. He announced that Miesha Tate will face Rousey for the Bantamweight crown no date set yet but it will be the fight that will happen next. It seems that Tate has no control on who she fights as she was asked that question on who she's fighting next on the post UFC 196 press conference. Obviously the loss to Tate hurt Holly Holm's chances on getting a bigger payday if she had waited for the rematch with Rousey rather than get into it and fight again this soon which totally cost her that rematch which White admits should have happened.

 

Mcgregor mentioned that he will go back down to featherweight and defend his crown, which i think he will win. That division is all washed up Mcgregor really cleaned it. He would have gone on to fight Dos Anjos if he won over Nate in their fight. The loss obviously is a setback for him and he miscalculated on how Nate would take his Left punching power. He has power on that left hand seeing as it opened up a gash above Diaz's right eye but Nate is a scrapper he just kept on coming until he clocked Mcgregor.

 

One thing that i also saw was this was the 2nd time he had to fight a bigger fighter. Other than the Max Holloway fight. who was the other fighter that was bigger than him, Diaz being the 2nd. All his other fights in the FW division were all smaller than him so he had the advantage with his punching power. That power was good enough to hit Diaz but not enough to hurt him to get him in trouble.

 

He also admitted that he did learn from those mistakes he made in the fight and he will learn from them. For now, he will have to defend his belt. Win and then move up to Lightweight to fight the champion if its still Dos Anjos which i think is the more ideal weight class for his size.

[bughaw1]

Dana is treating ufc like boxing. Pera pera na lang. Holly holm deserves a rematch with tate. She fought valiantly.unlike conor,she did not tap. Yan ang tunay na warrior. Mas concerned si dana sa casual fans kaya todo ang push kay rousey.

[deathscythe0402]

i am looking forward to see a heated Holm against Rousey. The only way to get back at Tate is to defeat Rousey. I can see someone hitting the floor, grasping for breath and almost lifeless, but the question, is it Rousey or Holm? can't wait for that rematch.

 

the way mcgregor accepted defeat and chewed his failure after the fight. i can see a blazing mcgregor in his next fight. so who's the sacrificial lamb?

[Roman Rapido]

According to Dana White who seems intent on getting the belt back for Ronda. He announced that Miesha Tate will face Rousey for the Bantamweight crown no date set yet but it will be the fight that will happen next. It seems that Tate has no control on who she fights as she was asked that question on who she's fighting next on the post UFC 196 press conference. Obviously the loss to Tate hurt Holly Holm's chances on getting a bigger payday if she had waited for the rematch with Rousey rather than get into it and fight again this soon which totally cost her that rematch which White admits should have happened.

 

 

Obviously, Ronda is Dana's poster girl, and with good reason. However, it would be better for the sport if the athletes were given as close to equal a shot at getting that belt. Sometimes medyo illogical na kasi ang ginagawang matchups, not to mention the less than reasonable timing.

 

I'm no expert, but I am a fan. As one, I'd like to see Ronda and Holly scrap it up in a rematch especially because each of them has her own motivation. Ronda would like to kick Holly's ass (with or without a title on the line) because she almost slit her own wrist after that humiliating loss. Holly would also like to show the world (regardless of the loss against Miesha) that her win against Ronda was not a fluke.

 

That heated rematch - which I'm sure would rake in tons of money for Dana anyway - would then set the grand stage for a championship bout with Miesha (who would be able to hold that belt longer). That way, the choice as to who the challenger for the belt would be is practically in Ronda and Holly's hands, NOT in Dana's (who, let's admit it, has his own intentions whatever they may be).

Edited March 8, 2016 by Roman Rapido

[Guiness]

Dana White did say before the Tate and Holm fight, that whoever was the winner will face Ronda so i guess he was expecting Holm to win but with Miesha Tate winning, i thought he would have changed his mind. When he made the announcement I'm guessing he wants Ronda back in the game and if the plan works out by having Ronda win back the belt. He might get Holm the rematch after that in order to get a big title fight with all the hype of and storylines behind it. A title fight is a bigger payday pay per view wise and its what the fans would want to see Holm and Ronda going at it again for the title. When Holm lost it sort of put the brakes on his plans i think. I read that he wanted Ronda to fight in the fall. So he probably expected Holm to have held on to the belt until then. But it sort of messed the plans when she lost to Tate. I have this feeling that he doesn't think too highly of Tate in terms of putting her out there as one of the faces of Women's MMA. I can actually tell which fighters Dana White sort of finds an affinity to in terms of using them to promote the UFC. I could be wrong about that but that's what i think. I would think he prefers guys like Jon Jones being the king the LHW division as opposed to Cormier. I kind of agree with him there because most people like Jones better than Cormier seeing as he was booed in the Unstoppable press conference even if he was the champion.

 

Same with Holly, most fans like Holly and Tate than Rousey. Because Rousey comes off as some arrogant bully. Even that crying bit she did on the Ellen Degeneres show didn't win her any points with the fans. It only made the fans more angry because they said she was faking and making up some sob story of killing herself because she lost to Holm. She does project that fake facade that's why people are put off by her but Dana likes her. I guess he likes that controversy since she does a good job hyping up her fights.

 

With Mcgregor, that lost is a setback because i was thinking, if he won that Diaz fight he would have gone on to UFC 200 to fight Dos Anjos. But its all good. I know he would win his next championship defense, he is just too big for that division and if he doesn't f#&k up his training and doesn't get too overconfident he will win that title defense and move up to lightweight to fight for the title.

[Roman Rapido]

I would think he prefers guys like Jon Jones being the king the LHW division as opposed to Cormier. I kind of agree with him there because most people like Jones better than Cormier seeing as he was booed in the Unstoppable press conference even if he was the champion.

 

Yeah, that was hella funny. You could see how serious and tense Cormier was during that presser, compared to how chill and relaxed Jones was. Cormier tried to put on a dry smile and fake laugh, but he was obviously affected with all the boos going on. Jon was very comfortable the entire time and just laughed at Cormier and his tirades. Jon has the confidence of a champion, regardless of all the crap he's had to deal with in his personal life. Cormier wanted to use that against Jon but the latter nonchalantly joked them off (much to the delight of the fans). Cormier has to learn not to take s@%t too damn seriously.

 

Ronda's head was already getting too big for her shoulders. Good thing Holly pulled her back to earth a notch, derailing Dana's plans, as you said.

 

 

The McGregor vs. RDA fight is still pushing through, isn't it? There's nobody left for Conor to fight in the featherweight division. Maybe Frankie Edgar?

[webdriver-torso]

Dana always win :ninja: no matter what

[Roman Rapido]

Money always wins. For Dana White, it's all about the greenbacks. The UFC is, first and foremost, a business.

 

 

Dana always win :ninja: no matter what

 

I couldn't agree more. The UFC is a corporation, not a charity or a foundation. The first priority will always be making money and avoiding losses. The athletes and the matches are just a means to to accomplish that end.

[Guiness]

UFC's Dana White: 'I don't know if Holly really knows what she lost'

 

UFC president Dana White never liked the idea of Holly Holm taking a fight before a potential rematch against Ronda Rousey.

White's concern played out last weekend, when Holm (10-1) suffered her first professional loss via fifth-round submission to Miesha Tate at UFC 196 in Las Vegas. The loss cost Holm the UFC's bantamweight championship, which she won in November by knocking out Rousey.

 

According to White, the UFC is now eyeing a third fight between Tate (18-5) and Rousey (12-1) later this year, and he blames Holm's longtime manager, Lenny Fresquez, for the divisional shakeup.

 

"The sad part about that is, listen, he's an old boxing guy who thinks he's smart, and he's not," White said during an appearance on ESPN's Russillo & Kanell. "It's one of those things. I feel bad about it. I feel bad for Holly. I don't know if Holly really knows what she lost. I think she has so much faith in the people that surround her, she feels like, 'Well, they got me this far.'

 

"We had this meeting, and Holly wasn't even in it. Holly, that's your life. You should be in that meeting. Don't leave it to these people. Anyway, Holly made a lot of money. She accomplished great things, she beat Ronda Rousey. But it could have been so much bigger for her, and the sad part is, I don't think she even knows it."

 

When contacted by ESPN.com, Fresquez said Holm was well aware of the risk she took.

 

"Of course, she knows," Fresquez said. "It was a team decision, and Holly is the boss. She wanted to fight, and she got her wish. I think she'll fight Miesha or Ronda next. That's my personal feeling, but who knows what the UFC has cooking? Holly was dominant in that fight against Miesha except for the second and fifth round. She paid for it. Hat's off to Miesha for capitalizing.

"What happens next is the UFC's decision. All I can speak to are Holly's wishes. Holly wants to fight Miesha right away. She wants to fight Ronda Rousey. Even with the title, a fight between Miesha and Rousey doesn't have the glamour a fight with Holly and Ronda does. Yeah, Holly lost. She made a mistake, but she'll learn from it. Everyone saw she's a warrior."

 

Before UFC 196, Holm told ESPN.com she had been willing to accept an immediate rematch against Rousey but was worried the earliest it would happen would be fall. Holm, 34, wasn't willing to wait that long.

 

Regarding the overall health of the UFC following the losses by two of its stars, Holm and featherweight champion Conor McGregor, White didn't seem too worried.

 

"Do you know how long I've listened to people talk, 'What are you guys gonna do when Chuck Liddell leaves? What are you gonna do when [Georges St-Pierre] goes?'" White said. "This is a fight promotion. There's always somebody super talented coming down the pipeline, man. It's always been that way, and it will always be that way."

Edited March 9, 2016 by hahnz

[Guiness]

St-Pierre: Comeback depends on 'a lot of things'

 

LAS VEGAS -- Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre's mere presence at UFC 196 on Saturday drew a lot of attention, but the 34-year-old said there is no update in terms of his long-awaited return to competition.

St-Pierre (25-2), who vacated the 170-pound championship in late 2013, told ESPN.com his comeback still depends on "a lot of things." Both he and UFC president Dana White did confirm, however, the two sides have been in discussion.

 

"The discussion is between myself and the UFC," St-Pierre said. "They know the issues I had in the past and, yeah, we're talking. I can't say anything right now. There's nothing I can say about [uFC 200]. I don't have a name. I don't have anything."

 

Rodolphe Beaulieu, St-Pierre's manager, added: "There's no status. It's the same as it was two years ago. It's a big step to decide to come back. You have all that legacy, all those wins, sponsors and the good image. It's not an easy thing. I think athletes struggle to know when to stop. The UFC has not offered any fights, but they ask how he is, if he wants to come back. It's an ongoing discussion."

 

One of St-Pierre's reasons for walking away from the sport when he did was the poor state of drug testing at that time. During his absence, the UFC launched a multi-million dollar partnership with United States Anti-Doping Agency to randomly test UFC-rostered athletes year-round. In 2016 alone, USADA has administered 335 total tests on 240 athletes, according to the organization's website.

When asked if he is completely satisfied with the program, the Canadian star's response was somewhat open-ended.

 

"It's better than it was before, but that discussion is also between the UFC and me right now," St-Pierre said.

 

"The system is good," Beaulieu elaborated. "USADA is a critical agency that does the best thing and they have the capacity to do the best testing in the world, including the carbon-isotope ratio [CIR] -- but it's the discretion of doing the tests that is a concern. They have the discretion of when and whom to test. I have an athlete who wants to be tested 20 times in a year. Just because he wants that doesn't mean it will happen, because they have that discretion."

 

St-Pierre, who won 12 welterweight title fights between 2006 and 2013, said he's in a better place mentally than where he was at the time he walked away. Several of those close to him have hinted at a potential comeback over the years, including head coach Firas Zahabi, boxing coach Freddie Roach and training partner Rory MacDonald. At least for now, St-Pierre maintains there is nothing to announce.

 

"Georges wanted to come to the fights tonight," said White on Saturday. "Have we been talking to Georges? Yes, we have. But who knows. I honestly don't know right here, right now if Georges still wants to fight."

[Guiness]

UFC 196: Conor McGregor, Holly Holm Upsets Will Pay Off For UFC Long-Term

 

UFC 196 did not go according to plan. At least, the plan UFC brass had surely hoped would come together.

Of course, predicting favorable outcomes in an MMA event — especially one featuring underdogs with the heart of Nate Diaz and Miesha Tate — is never a safe bet, something UFC President Dana White made clear immediately after the fights.

 

“In 16 years in this business, the one thing you don’t do is plan anything out,” White said at the post-fight press conference. “Because you don’t know.”

Indeed, White, and most of the viewing public, did not expect Conor McGregor and Holly Holm to fall from their respective mantles atop the sport Saturday night in Las Vegas. Their submission losses “shook up the world” of MMA, to quote color commentator Joe Rogan, effectively costing the UFC some of its biggest potential bouts for 2016.

But while the results of the 196 headliners have obviously hurt the promotion’s bottom line in the immediate future, the excitement and parody of the event should strengthen the UFC’s drawing power for years to come.

 

 

What The UFC Lost

Put simply, the mystique surrounding the once-untouchable McGregor, as well as the woman who dethroned the once-untouchable Ronda Rousey, is gone.

McGregor’s dominance over the featherweight division since coming to the UFC is unquestioned, but all talk of heavier-weight superfights — lightweight and perhaps even welterweight championship bouts were in the mix for UFC 200 — has temporarily been put on hold. First, the 145-pound champ must return to the weight class where he excelled to remind fans what he is capable of.

Two big challenges await him: a rematch with pound-for-pound great Jose Aldo (currently the favorite for UFC 200) and first meeting with top contender Frankie Edgar. Both matchups would surely make a worthy main or co-main event for the company’s July mega-card, but a champion vs. champion clash with Rafael dos Anjos or Robbie Lawler would obviously do bigger numbers.

In Holm’s case, the UFC doesn’t lose a lot with her individual profile taking a hit. The real damage is her much-anticipated rematch with Rousey losing its luster. Because Holm lost to Tate, an opponent Rousey has already dominated on two occasions, the trio has entered into a matchups-makes-fights dynamic where none is clearly a cut above the rest.

Rousey, still easily the biggest name of the three, can regain that status by defeating both of them over time. Still, there is no denying that an immediate rematch with an undefeated Holm would have had a much more compelling buildup.

 

 

What The UFC Gained

While the 196 headliners may not have ended how the UFC wanted, the way in which they unfolded before perhaps its largest audience ever could not have been scripted any better.

Save for an overabundance of immediate championship rematches, the UFC does a good job weighing credentials and entertainment value in booking its main events. Yet too often, for reasons ranging from lack of action in the cage to lack of understanding from the viewers at home, these fights fail to impress the casual MMA audience.

On Saturday, fans tuning in — the majority of whom make up that demographic — were given a product that undoubtedly left them interested in seeing (and learning) more about the sport, particularly if McGregor, Diaz, Holm or Tate is involved.

The final fights brought out all the best parts of MMA: high-level disciplines on display for both men and women (grappling for Tate; kickboxing for Holm and McGregor; boxing and jiu-jitsu for Diaz), shocking finishes after the favorites went ahead on the scorecards, and — brashness from Diaz aside — good sportsmanship shown after the fights.

Yes, the UFC lost some marquee matchups — and, with them, millions of dollars in pay-per-view revenue — for the second-half of 2016, but the work done to build its brand will ultimately reward a gamble that many have been quick to call out.

[Roman Rapido]

Hahaha that video was dope!