All posts by Chris Blain

Robbie Lawler vs. Donald Cerrone Could Headline UFC 205

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It all started out with the all too familiar Donald Cerrone tweet. Now the fight everybody’s wanting to see is said to be close to fruition.

I know A Guy

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is the UFC’s busiest fighter, having fought at least four times each year since 2013. As such, Cerrone is no stranger to calling out people in the spur of the moment. Like when the news of Georges St. Pierre’s rumored comeback was first heard, Cerrone quickly tweeted “I know a guy”, in obvious reference. Then when Tony Fergusson got hurt for his UFC on Fox bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov last April, Cerrone once again offered his services to face Khabib by saying again “I know a guy.”

Most recently, when Conor McGregor was pulled out from UFC 200, Cowboy once again threw his hat in the arena, offering to face Nate Diaz. Cerrone has been known to save events from being cancelled but during those three instances, he didn’t get the call. Undeterred, Cerrone once again came up with another offer:

This time though, Cerrone may get his wish. As reported by ESPN, the UFC is close to booking a fight between Cerrone and former UFC Welterweight champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler, who is dying to return to the octagon after being dethroned by Tyron Woodley at UFC 201 last July:

Return of The Ruthless Reign

Robbie Lawler was on a ruthless reign as UFC Welterweight champion when he got knocked out in the first round by Tyron Woodley at UFC 201. With the UFC targeting Woodley versus #1 contender Stephen Thompson, Lawler has decided to go for a quick turnaround fight to remain relevant in the title picture. But with nobody seemingly eager to face one of the most brutal and hardest hitting punchers in the sport, Lawler is still left without a next bout. When Cowboy heard of that however, he immediately sent feelers about wanting to take on Ruthless.

At 34, Lawler doesn’t have the luxury of time to wait if he is to return to the ruthless reign. He knows that there are plenty of worthy challengers in the mix, waiting for their chance to fight for that 170-pound title. With that in mind, Lawler is asking for a slot in the UFC’s debut in New York this November.

Cerrone meanwhile, just broke into the Top 10 of the UFC welterweight division with a dominant win over Rick Story at UFC 202. That victory was his third straight since moving up to welterweight. Cerrone has won all three fights by stoppage and a win over a highly ranked welterweight like Lawler could easily merit a title shot.

Expecting A Barnburner

A Lawler vs. Cerrone matchup should be a blockbuster MMA fight, considering both fighters possess some of the UFC’s best offensive games. Lawler is known as an explosive brawler while Cerrone owns some of the best striking combinations in the game. With both men eager to take on challenger, fans are expecting a barn burner if this one is officially booked.

There are no fights yet booked for UFC 205 which takes place at the legendary Madison Square Garden in New  York on November 12th. The event will mark the first time the UFC holds an event in the state of New York since UFC 7 in Buffalo. Virtually every fighter in the UFC roster has begged for a slot at the historic event. However, only a few will be privileged to fight there. Robbie Lawler and Donald Cerrone are likely going to be two of them.

Nonito Donaire vs. Jessie Magdaleno Added to Pacman-Vargas Card

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Nonito “Filipino Flash” Donaire will defend his WBO Super Bantamweight title against the unbeaten Jessie Magdaleno in the co-main event of Pacquiao-Vargas on November 5th.

Return Of The Flash

Once one of the best pound for pound fighters in the sport and the 2012 BWAA Fighter of The Year, Donaire’s career spiraled after getting dominated by Cuban master boxer Guilleromo Rigondeaux in 2013. Prior to that defeat, Donair had won 30 fights in a row, beating the likes of Vic Darchinyan, Fernando Montiel, Jeffrey Mathebula, Toshiaki Nishioka, Wilfredo Vasquez Jr and Jorge Arce. Along the way, Donaire annexed a total of six major world titles in four different weight classes.

Known as the Filipino Flash for fast hands and exceptional punching power, Donaire returned to the title picture by beating Cesar Juarez of Mexico in December of 2015. Donaire’s current reign as Super Bantamweight champion is his second as he won the same belt against Wilfredo Vasquez Jr. in 2012. Donaire moved up to featherweight and won the WBA (Super) Featherweight title but was knocked out by Nicholas Walters in 2014. Following the defeat, Donaire moved down in weight class and since won four in a row, three by stoppage.

First Title Shot

Las Vegas’ own Magdaleno is unbeaten in 23 fights with 17 knockouts. The 24-year old southpaw will be making his first title fight appearance against the veteran Donaire and will be making a huge step up in level of opposition. Despite his impressive record, Magdaleno has never faced a fighter in Donaire’s caliber. However, given that Donaire may no longer be the precise surgeon who was named the 2012 Fighter of the Year, this could be Magdaleno’s coming out party.

Jessie Magdaleno is the WBO’s mandatory challenger for Donaire. The #1 ranked WBO Super Featherweight contender been calling out the Flash for quite some time now. A victory over Donaire will be an early birthday present for Magdaleno who will be turning 25 on November 8th.

The Donaire vs. Magdaleno bout is expected to be officially announced by Top Rank on September 8th via a press conference from Los Angeles. Pacquiao-Vargas will be held at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will mark Vargas’ first defense of the WBO Welterweight title he won by knocking out Sadam Ali last March.

Bellator MMA

UFC Loses Another Star Fighter With Rory MacDonald Going to Bellator

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Bellator MMA has added another marquee name to its roster. This time, it’s former UFC top welterweight contender Rory “Red King” MacDonald who’s decided to jump ship.

Free Agent Find

The 27-year old Canadian became a free agent after completing his six-fight UFC contract with a loss to now top welterweight contender Stephen Thompson last June.

After the defeat, MacDonald had negotiations with Bellator and the One Fighting Championships. Earlier in the year, MacDonald and the UFC could not come terms to a new contract, forcing the Red King to test the free agency waters.

This Tuesday, the UFC informed MacDonald’s management team that it will not be matching the offer made by Bellator. The following day, MacDonald was officially removed from the UFC’s welterweight rankings, fueling speculations that he had already parted ways with the UFC and had signed with Bellator MMA.

During Friday’s Bellator 160 broadcast, the signing was officially announced and Bellator President Scott Coker had the photo to confirm it:

MacDonald becomes the second high profile UFC fighter to leave in free agency in as many years.

Last year, former UFC Lightweight champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson also signed with Bellator after failed contract negotiations with the UFC. Henderson has since fought for the Bellator Welterweight title and will fight for the promotion’s Lightweight title next following a win on Friday’s event.

The Next Big Thing

Once described as the next big thing in the UFC, MacDonald was a protege of former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. Fighting out of Tristar MMA in Montreal, Canada, MacDonald has an 18-4 record. He holds notable wins over the likes of B.J. Penn, Nate Diaz, Demian Maia and current UFC 170-pound king, Tyron Woodley.

MacDonald lost in his bid for the UFC title when he was stopped in the fifth round by Robbie Lawler during the consensus 2015 Fight of the Year winner at UFC 189. Following that defeat, MacDonald took time off before losing again to Thompson last June.

The Red King joins a solid Bellator Welterweight division which includes champion Andrey Koreshkov, Paul Daley, Douglas Lima, Benson Henderson and hot prospect Michael “Venom” Page, among others.

Said MacDonald of the signing via official statement:

“There are multiple reasons why I choose to fight for Bellator MMA and Scott Coker,” One, they have given me the opportunity to develop and grow a business together. Two, because I already feel respected by the promotion as a professional athlete. And last but not least, because Bellator is offering a setup that no-one in the world can offer me.”

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Back to Chase Money and 50th Win?

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The rumors of a Floyd Mayweather comeback are catching fire. That’s because the former number one pound for pound fighter in boxing has returned to gym to train. In a video posted by Mayweather himself via Instagram, the undefeated Mayweather is shown doing jump rope and a light workout:

Staying on Top

Mayweather ruled the sport of boxing during a legendary career which began with a bronze medal during the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta. 49 professional fights later, Mayweather retired unbeaten and on top of the boxing world, tying the record of the great Rocky Marciano.

But even after Mayweather announced his retirement immediately after beating Andre Berto last September, many were not convinced he would stay retired for too long. For someone who has an unquenchable thirst for money and an unending quest for greatness, returning for fight number 50 seemed inevitable.

Win Number 50

Win number 50 would not only create separation between him and Rocky Marciano, it will also put him on a pedestal no mortal has ever been before. Mayweather may be turning 40 come February but when he fought Berto last September, he showed no signs of aging nor slowing down.

Earlier this year, Mayweather created a lot of buzz when he was rumored to be fighting MMA superstar Conor McGregor in a crossover boxing bout that would’ve reportedly earned each of them $100M. Money has always been in Mayweather’s mind and he’s always declared that he won’t return for a fight where he won’t earn at least $100M.

McGregor went on to fight Nate Diaz earlier this month but after a McGregor victory, the talks of a Mayweather vs. McGregor bout resurfaced when McGregor admitted that his future plans could involve doing business outside the UFC. Of course that cryptic statement could have meant doing movies, but it could also have meant a fight with Mayweather.

Mayweather’s rival Manny Pacquiao also ended his retirement by announcing a November bout with WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas. Mayweather and Pacquiao fought to the highest grossing PPV boxing event of All-time in May of 2015. Pacquiao has maintained that a shoulder injury led to his defeat. The Filipino Senator is now training to fight once again. A rematch between the two may not be likely. But if Mayweather returns and Pacman wins in November, it could be well talked about once again.

Other options like Danny Garcia, Keith Thurman, Shawn Porter and even Kell Brook. Mayweather was even once linked to a catchweight bout with Gennady Golovkin.

Donnie Nietes To Face Edgar Sosa On September 24th

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It’s being dubbed as the latest installment of the Philippines vs. Mexico boxing rivalry.

Philippines vs. Mexico

The rivalry between the Philippines and Mexico in boxing rose to new heights with Manny Pacquiao’s four bouts with Mexican boxing legend Juan Manuel Marquez. But with both fighters now past their primes, two current boxing  world champions from both countries will square off at the StubHub Center in Carson, California to renew that fierce rivalry.

Donnie Nietes, the Philippines’ longest reigning boxing world champion of All-Time, will be moving up in weight to challenge Mexican former WBC Flyweight champion Edgar Sosa:

Moving Up In Weight

On Thursday, Nietes formally relinquished the WBO Jr. Flyweight title to be able to fight Sosa. Nietes had been champion since 2011 when he defeated another Mexican in Ramon Garcia Hirales. Since then, Nietes has successfully defended the belt 9 times, stopping his opponent on five of those title bouts.

The only blot to his rule was a 12-round majority draw against Moises Fuentes in 2013. Nietes avenged that by knocking out Fuentes one year later.

In 2015, Nietes surpassed the legendary Gabriel “Flash” Elorde as his country’s longest reigning boxing champion. Nietes is also the Ring Magazine’s Jr. lineal Junior Flyweight champion. But the dearth of big fights in his weight class has forced Nietes to make a move to the next higher class where the likes of Sosa, fellow Mexican Juan Francisco Estrada and current Pound for Pound best fighter Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez reside.

A Solid Test

Sosa himself was a long reigning champion. He held the WBC Flyweight title from 2007-2009, making 11 successful title defenses during that period. The 36-year old Sosa has notable wins over Giovanni Segura and Ulises Solis in recent years but suffered a 2nd round KO loss to Roman Gonzalez last year.

Sosa is 3-2 in his last three bouts and is coming off a victory over unknown Orlando Garcia Guerrero last February. Despite his recent skid, Sosa should provide Nietes with a solid test at 112 pounds.

Nietes will only be fighting for the second time on U.S. soil. His first appearance was during the under card of Gonzalez-Viloria where he won a lopsided decision over Juan Alejo. Nietes win was unnoticed because of the brilliance of Chocolatito’s win over Nietes’ countryman Viloria. Chocolatito is slated to defend his flyweight titles against Carlos Cuadras on September 10th. If he is successful and Nietes wins convincingly against Sosa, a fight between them could be targeted for 2017.

B.J. Penn vs. Ricardo Lamas To Headline UFC Fight Night Manila

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The third time is the charm For UFC Legend B.J. Penn.

Third Time’s The Charm

It can be recalled that Penn signified his intention to return to the UFC earlier this year by starting to train at the Jackson Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. However, his first attempt to get a fight was halted after a former employee accused Penn of rape.

The charges never prospered but Penn was frozen by the UFC pending investigation. Once he got cleared of that issue, Penn was then booked to fight at UFC 199. But lightning struck twice as Penn was pulled out of the event following an illegal IV use which he admitted to the USADA. Penn was subsequently handed a six month suspension that ends on September 25th.

After his first two attempts at another UFC return earlier this year were derailed for different reasons, former UFC great B.J. Penn has finally secured a comeback fight:

The UFC officially announced that Penn will be headlining the UFC’s second ever event in the Philippines. The Prodigy will be facing Ricardo “The Bully” Lamas in a five round featherweight bout at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, Philippines on October 15th.

Facing The Bully

Facing Penn will be the 34-year old Ricardo Lamas, who is 16-4 and a former featherweight title challenge.

After losing to Jose Aldo at UFC 169, Lamas has been just 3-2. In his most recent bout, Lamas lost to Max Holloway at UFC 199 last June. Despite his recent struggles, Lamas is ranked 4th in the UFC Featherweight standings and is considered a stiff challenge for B.J. Penn, who has been out of the Octagon since a lopsided loss to Frankie Edgar in 2014.

Retiring a Legend

B.J. Penn is one of the sport’s greatest champions and only one of two fighters in UFC history to win world titles in multiple weight classes. But the Prodigy has not won a bout since defeating rival Matt Hughes in 2010. He’s lost his last three bouts to Nick Diaz, Rory MacDonald and Edgar.

In 2015, Penn was inducted to the UFC’s Hall of Fame. At 37, he’s previously retired twice but came back shortly after each. This is his third comeback and given his advanced age, it could probably be his last. For Lamas, it will not only be an opportunity to retire a legend but it could be a step towards another crack at the Featherweight gold.

UFC 203: Travis Browne vs. Fabricio Werdum Meeting Coming

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Fabricio Werdum’s UFC Heavyweight title run began with a 2014 victory over Travis Browne at UFC on Fox 11. Werdum’s 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46 unanimous decision win led to an interim title bout against Mark Hunt at UFC 180 and then to a unification match against Cain Velasquez at UFC 188.

Travis Browne knows that had he won that bout, it could have very well been his own title run. Now Browne has the chance to get that one back and get back to the title picture as well.

Stepping In On Short Notice

Ben Rothwell, Werdum’s original opponent for UFC 203, pulled out of the bout on Thursday with a knee injury. Insiders are saying Big Ben tore a meniscus and may have suffered an ACL injury. With that development, the UFC scrambled to look for a replacement foe. Multiple sources are confirming that Travis Browne has verbally agreed to step in on short notice and that Werdum himself has given the thumbs up for the rematch to happen.

Given all this, an official announcement is expected shortly.

Browne has gone 2-2 since his loss to Werdum in 2014. Most recently, Hapa suffered a first round KO loss to former champion Cain Velasquez at UFC 200. On the other hand, Werdum is coming off a first round knockout loss himself. Vai Cavalo was knocked out by current UFC Heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 198 in Werdum’s own backyard in Brazil.

Werdum was calling for an immediate rematch. However, the UFC gave the first crack at Miocic to 4th ranked Alistair Overeem. The pair will fight for the UFC Heavyweight title at the main event of UFC 203.

Getting Back To The Title Picture

For Travis Browne, the opportunity to fight Werdum on less than 30 days notice could be a blessing in disguise. As we said, not only will he have the opportunity to get revenge, he will have the chance to shoot right back in the title picture with a victory. Werdum is currently ranked as the Top contender while Browne is at #7. But despite his recent skid, Hapa could vault right back in the Top 5 if he wins.

While Miocic is the champ, the UFC’s Heavyweight division has become a wider field. In the past, it was just dominated by Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos. But because most ( if not all ) of the contenders have punching power, nobody can be counted out. That can be well said about Travis Browne who has 14 KOs in 18 wins. If he can seize this opportunity, he has a shot at finally nailing that elusive title shot.

Marcos Maidana Officially Retires From Boxing

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After a long absence and much speculation, one of boxing’s most beloved action fighters has called it quits.

Marcos “El Chino” Maidana officially announced his retirement from the sport of boxing. The 33-year old Argentine brawler announced the news last Tuesday.

A Lean Mean Punching Machine

Known for his all-action fighting style, Maidana won the boxing world with his bruising wars with some of the sport’s best fighters. A former two division world champion, Marcos Maidana ends his career with a 35-5 record with 31 knockouts. El Chino is the only man to have fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. twice.

Maidana lost both bouts but after Mayweather escaped with a narrow majority decision during their first bout in May of 2014, the duo fought an unprecedented rematch four months later. A punching machine, Maidana earned his crack at Mayweather with a career defining win over Adrien Broner in 2013. Maidana dropped Broner twice en route to dealing Mayweather’s protege his first ever professional boxing loss.

Making Money By Fighting Money

Maidana reportedly earned a hefty bounty for his two bouts with Mayweather and after losing his second bout with Money, El Chino quietly disappeared from the limelight. While Maidana was scare from media, he told reporters that he was taking his time away from the sport to rest and of course enjoy the spoils of a productive 2014 where he fought Mayweather twice.

The following year, he was seen in a video dancing with Broner. Maidana, looking thicker and bigger, did not look like he was in a hurry to return to boxing. That fueled speculations that he was retiring. Several photos emerged months later showing Maidana looking more like of a cruiserweight than a welterweight. Later that year though, there were reports that Maidana was seriously considering a comeback.

This was confirmed by his trainer Robert Garcia. Maidana resurfaced last month to attend the fight of his brother Fabian in San Antonio. El Chino appeared to be in a far better shape than he was in a year. But just as the speculations grew further, Maidana ended it with Tuesday’s announcement:

Letter To Boxing Friends

In a letter addressed to “boxing friends”, Maidana thanked all his family and supporters. He said that he no longer had the fire to compete in the sport that has given him everything he has now in his life. He also said he contemplated about making a comeback but with the motivation gone, the right thing to do was call it a career.

Looking back, Maidana had notable bouts against Victor Ortiz, DeMarcus Corley, Erik Morales, Amir Khan, Devon Alexander, Broner and then Mayweather. He began fighting in 2004 and retired a decade later. Maidana was a former WBA Super Lightweight and WBA Welterweight champion.

Cris Cyborg Gets Main Event Billing For UFC Fight Night 95

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Cris Cyborg didn’t get the big fight she was looking for. She got the main event  billing anyway.

Main Event Status

Cyborg, real name Cristiane Justino, will be making her second UFC appearance on September 24th, 2016. And it’s not just on the main card. The current Invicta FC lightweight champion will be headlining UFC Fight night 95 in Brasilia, Brazil. Cyborg will be facing promotional newcomer Lana Lansberg in yet another 140-pound bout. This was made official by UFC Brazil on Thursday:

Fighting At Catchweight

Cyborg made her first UFC appearance at UFC 198. But because the UFC doesn’t have a lightweight division, she fought Leslie Smith at a catchweight of 140 pounds. That bout ended quickly with Cyborg disposing of a game Smith in the first round.

Since that victory, Justino has been campaigning for a big fight against the UFC’s top female bantamweights. Specifically, she’s been targeting former UFC women’s bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey but every call out by the Brazilian has failed to lure Rowdy out of hiatus. Cyborg was also previously linked to catchweight bouts with former immediate champions Miesha Tate and Holly Holm but those two never materialized.

Cyborg has longed to pit herself against the best women in the UFC, but because of weight difference, she’s been shunned like a plague. Aside from the weight difference, Cyborg is one of the most feared fighters in the sport and the most avoided fighters in the history of MMA.  She has compiled a career record of 16-1 with 1 no-contest. However, she hasn’t lost since 2005 and has won every bout since 2008 by knockout. Her victories from 2013 to present have been by first round stoppages.

New Girl On The Block

The woman brave enough to agree to fight Cyborg is promotional newcomer Lana Lansing who has a 6-1 MMA record. After losing her pro debut against current Invicta FC fighter Pannie Kianzad in 2012, Lansing has won six bouts in succession. Four of those victories were by knockout, including a significant one over another Invicta FC veteran in Laura Howarth.  

Also fighting on the UFC Fight Night 95 card are heavyweights Roy Nelson and Antonio Silva. Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao will also be fighting in the undercard. Barao will be facing Philippe Nover.

Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas Slated For November 5th

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It’s official. Manny Pacquiao is coming out of retirement. And according to his business manager, boxing’s only 8 division world champion will be facing WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas on November 5th.

Michael Koncz told reporters on Thursday that Pacquiao and his team will meet in the Philippines on August 10th to discuss the details of the Filipino Politician’s comeback fight. However, when asked if they would meet to discuss on who Pacman would be fighting, Koncz told reporters “that’s already been done.” Koncz countered by saying they will be discussing whether to hold the fight in Las Vegas or in Dubai.

Not Comfortable

Koncz then went on to mention the name of Vargas as Pacquiao’s choice of opponent.  He said that he and Pacquiao arrived at that decision because they felt “uncomfortable” with  the style of unified light welterweight champion Terence Crawford. Crawford won a convincing unanimous decision fight against Viktor Postol last July.

Whatever Koncz meant by “uncomfortable”, he didn’t elaborate. However, pundits are pointing to Crawford’s slick boxing style which frustrated the hard hitting Postol throughout their 12-round title unification contest.

Pacman Sweepstakes

Crawford was supposed to be the winner of the “Pacman Sweepstakes” following his win over Postol. It was made to appear by Top Rank’s Bob Arum that the winner between Crawford-Postol would have the inside track on getting the call to fight the Filipino ring legend.

However, after Crawford’s magnificent boxing job against the slugger Postol, experts believe he’s going to cause a lot of problems for Pacquiao who is known to prefer a slugfest. It can be recalled that Pacquiao lost via clear and wide unanimous decision against Floyd Mayweather in May of 2015. Pacquiao bounced back with an impressive points win over Timothy Bradley last April. Pacquiao then announced his retirement to pursue his political ambitions in the Philippines.

Political Duties

After winning as Senator in the May of 2016 Philippine elections, Pacquiao vowed not to fight again and promised to fulfill his duties as legislator. But as the months passed, Pacquiao had a change of heart. Now, he’s making sure his boxing schedules are aligned with his political duties. The Philippine senate will be at break during November 5th and the weeks leading to it, giving Pacquiao ample time to prepare for his comeback bout.

Pacquiao was first linked to fight Adrien Broner but sources say Broner priced himself out of the bout. Crawford was the next logical choice but with his PPV bout with Postol rumored to have just 50K buys, Bud is an unproven PPV dance partner. Vargas has never been a PPV draw himself, but his Mexican affiliation will help bring in additional numbers.