Not shutting down the UFC for any longer than was required by government officials was company president Dana White’s proudest achievement of 2020.

While many businesses and other sports entities were ravaged by coronavirus pandemic restrictions, White battled his way around the globe to keep fights flowing not only in the United States, but also on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi for international based athletes.

As the pandemic plagued 2020 comes to a close, White sat down with BT Sport for a lengthy conversation with Caroline Pearce about his greatest achievements of 2020, but more so his plans for 2021, including the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Jon Jones.

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(Video courtesy of UFC)

Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/dana-white-says-if-ufc-packed-it-in-for-covid-fighters-would-have-lost-nearly-200-million

Looks like Yoel Romero believes he’ll have exactly Bellator debut fans want to see.

The multiple-time UFC middleweight title challenger said there’s a good chance he’ll take on Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in what would be both fighters’ Bellator debut sometime in early 2021.

Romero (13-5 MMA) signed with Bellator earlier this week after getting released by the UFC in a move announced Dec. 4. The news came in the heels of Bellator announcing the signing of Johnson, who’s a multiple-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger.

The fighter nicknamed “Soldier of God” said all options are still open, but the potential bout with “Rumble” is a strong possibility.

“Citing a name here is just a speculation, because there are still things that I can’t speak on right now, but it’s a great possibility,” Romero said in Spanish speaking with ESPN regarding a fight with Johnson. “There’s a 90 percent chance that he (Johnson) will be my first opponent. It’s a fight that a lot of people would be pleased (if it happens).”

Romero expects to compete at 205 pounds, a weight class above where he become a perennial UFC contender. Romero likes Bellator’s light heavyweight division and feels it’s a top quality weight class.

“I think there are many athletes at 205 with great quality,” Romero said. “We were looking at it with (his management team), the quality that exists in Bellator at 205.

“Taking out the champion the Russian guy (Vadim Nemkov), they currently have five or four athletes, Lyoto Machida who was champion of the UFC is in this division, plus three athletes that fought for world titles in the division and that they were ranked in the top five when Jon Jones was there, who in my opinion is the best pound for pound.”

Romero said he was training for a fight in January prior to the UFC release. The former Olympic silver medal-winning wrestler representing Cuba said he’s still training hard and could be ready to make his Bellator debut in the first quarter of 2021.

“I was training before they released me from the UFC to fight in January, so it was soon,” Romero said. “I’m still with the same training, so I’m ready to fight in February. I’m ready, I’m prepared and I’m happy waiting for big things to come. And for big things to come you need to be hungry and happy. All those top fighters at 205, that’s who we’re aiming for so we can get to the top.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/bellator-yoel-romero-anthony-johnson-90-percent-chance-fight-debut

It’s possible Anthony Pettis could step into the UFC octagon for the final time on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 183.

Pettis (23-10 MMA, 10-9 UFC), a former UFC and WEC lightweight champion, will fight the final bout of his contract when he meets Alex Morono (18-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in a welterweight matchup at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

“Showtime” isn’t tying himself to a specific scenario going forward. However, he confirmed his contract is set to expire, and said there’s nothing firm in place as far as a new deal.

“It is my last fight on the UFC contract,” Pettis told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “Under my current contract. So we’re in negotiations. Not sure where we’re going from here. My team keeps asking me questions and trying to figure out what’s next, but I’m like, ‘Yo, I’m in such a good spot mentally that I don’t want to fog that vision with what’s next.’ Because if I think about what’s next I’m not in the present moment.”

UFC Fight Night 183 will represent Pettis’ 20th UFC appearance dating back to his promotional debut in June 2011. He spent the two-and-a-half previous years fighting for the Zuffa-owned WEC, so his ties to the promotion go back well over a decade.

The possibility of Saturday being his final octagon walk exists. However, Pettis said he’s not letting any of that consume him. He’s got a fight to win, and that’s the priority.

“I’m not worried about that,” he said. “I feel like whatever’s supposed to happen as far as where I’m going next or if I’m fighting in the UFC again or if I can make another title run, my performance on Saturday will dictate that,” Pettis said. “It’s not something I can control. I can’t go in there and meet with guys and say, ‘I’m going to do this.’ My performances are going to dictate what happens next.”

Although Pettis is doing this best to keep mentally focused on the task at hand, it’s impossible to ignore the reality. UFC president Dana White has confirmed multiple times in recent weeks that the promotion is trimming down on its roster size, and with the likes of Yoel Romero and Anthony Johnson already splitting from the company, it’s not impossible to say Pettis could fall into that category.

But that doesn’t put additional pressure on Pettis, he insists. Because, ultimately, if the UFC decides it doesn’t want to do business with him any long, that’s not something within his contract.

“I think that the UFC is a great business,” Pettis said. “I’ve been part of this company for 12 years almost now. I’ve seen every stage of this company and I’ve been on the top of the top when I was getting on Wheaties box and was world champion. I’ve been fighting for my job when I had a three-loss losing streak from Rafael dos Anjos to Eddie Alvarez to Edson Barboza. I’ve been on the chopping block for a long time where if I let that mindset play in, there’s no coming back from that because that’s what you focused on. It’s a blessing for me to have this mindset right now with all the news about cuts and going to different promotions. I don’t feel pressure for that right now.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/ufc-fight-night-anthony-pettis-enters-final-fight-contract

The rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier won’t look the same as the first bout, at least according to UFC president Dana White.

Despite what others may have predicted, White believes that, almost seven years later, McGregor vs. Poirier 2 will look much different.

Both McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) and Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) are scheduled to compete in a lightweight contest at UFC 257 on Jan. 23. The first time was in 2014 at UFC 178, with McGregor winning by first-round TKO in a featherweight bout.

“It’s a completely different fight,” White told BT Sport. “Obviously Conor is a much better fighter than he was when he first faced him, and Poirier is a much better fighter too. I don’t know how that plays out now in the fight, but it’s definitely interesting.

“You can’t look at the first fight and go, ‘Oh, this is exactly the way that’s gonna go again.’ Because it won’t.”

Since their last encounter, both fighters went on to pick up UFC gold. McGregor became the first simultaneous two-division champion, capturing the featherweight and lightweight titles, while Poirier won the interim lightweight belt.

Both competitors are coming off wins: McGregor defeated Donald Cerrone in 46 seconds in early 2020, while Poirier outpointed Dan Hooker in a “Fight of the Year” contender back in June. Prior to that, both men had lost to champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired in October.

White wouldn’t give a prediction on the McGregor-Poirier rematch, but he expects a quality bout.

“Conor looks damn good, and Poirier’s always in shape. I expect this to be a good fight,” White said.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2020/12/ufc-257-mcgregor-vs-poirier-rematch-wont-be-same-dana-white-says

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz was elected to the Huntington Beach, Calif. city council in November’s election.

While the majority of the United States was focused on the U.S. Presidential Election, Ortiz quietly won a seat on the Huntington Beach city council. Things weren’t so quiet at his first city council meeting this week.

According to Twitter poster Borrachinha Depot, Ortiz was welcomed by a Huntington Beach resident, who called into the meeting and leveled some pretty intense roasting on Ortiz. (see the videos below)

“I do not think it is appropriate, for example, to claim that COVID is a form of population control or to cite a news article claiming that masks don’t work, which is based on a Danish study which says on its first page, and I quote, that it has ‘inconclusive evidence results, missing data, variable adherence, patient-reported findings on home tests, no blinding, and no assessment on whether masks can decrease the transmission from mask-wearers to others.’ That’s on the first page of a study that an incoming city council member cited on their Instagram page.”

Huntington Beach citizen roasting Tito Ortiz

In addition to being elected to the Huntington Beach city council, Ortiz was sworn in as the Mayor Pro Tem (basically meaning that he would stand in for the mayor when the mayor is not available.)

Tito Ortiz’s last days in mixed martial arts

A UFC Hall of Fame member, Ortiz last fought in mixed martial arts when he defeated Alberto El Patron at Combate Americas 51. Ortiz left the UFC in 2012, but went on to revive his career with Bellator before signing with Combate Americas.

Ortiz’s overall mixed martial arts record stands at 21-12-1.

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