He may not be the most popular champion in the UFC but, make no mistake, Kamaru Usman is one of the most dominant athletes in the promotion right now.

Usman’s finish of Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 saw his stock rise to a new level after he registered his 17th consecutive win and his 13th in the UFC. He also notched his third straight title defense to give him wins over each of the 170-pound division’s top four contenders.

Thanks to Usman’s dominance at the top of the division, there’s a dearth of viable contenders at the top of the 170-pound rankings, with Usman rapidly approaching the territory previously occupied by the likes of Georges St-Pierre and Demetrious Johnson as champions who had virtually cleaned out their division.

But Usman took matters into his own hands during his post-fight interview when he stared down the barrel of the camera and issued his challenge to former foe Jorge Masvidal, who stepped up to face him on just six days’ notice in a losing effort at UFC 251.

Masvidal insists things will be very different in a rematch, and Usman’s response, directly challenging “Gamebred” to a second bout, has done all of the groundwork needed to not just tee up his next title defense, but to produce a matchup that should prove a hit at the box office.

After headlining an event with very little big-name support on the undercard, Usman deserves a big stage, and a big fight card, for his next outing. By calling out Masvidal he’s gone a long way to ensuring his next bout is a big one, too.

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/lists/ufc-kamaru-usman-khabib-nurmagomedov-conor-mcgregor-dustin-poirier-top-power-index-feb-8-14

British MMA pioneer and former UFC fighter Paul Kelly will no longer compete in the cage.

The 36-year-old from Liverpool announced his retirement from MMA in a lengthy Instagram post made Monday. Kelly (15-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) said his passion and drive to compete in MMA is not what it used to be. And with the coronavirus pandemic slowing the sport to a crawl, Kelly can’t afford another lengthy layoff at this stage in his career.

“I had my time! and I would never change my path. MMA give me a life I would never have dreamed of , Met people I would never have met. No drug can compare to the feeling of getting your hand raised after walking out for a straighter with 20k watching.

“At some point we have to let go, I was full committed to trying one more time with the gaffer @teamkaobon to win a British title. Covid has taken another year so am calling it a day.

“My life is on a different path now, one that means I can’t commit my life to fighting anymore like my opponent will be.
Winning is winning and for me now winning is making sure my family have bright future and to play catch up for the last 6 1/2 years spent away. I’ll miss fighting.”

Kelly last fought in March 2020, stopping Simone Bottino in the second round at Probellum 1: Liverpool. It was his comeback fight, as he had been away from the fight game for seven years due to a lengthy prison sentence for drug trafficking.

Kelly competed in the UFC from 2008-11. He entered the Las-Vegas-based promotion undefeated and fought several notable names at 155 pounds such as Donald Cerrone, Dennis Siver and Marcus Davis. Kelly also took home two “Fight of the Night” awards during his run with the UFC.

Kelly was one of the early fighters representing the U.K. under the UFC banner. He retires on a three-fight winning streak.

Below is Kelly’s full post announcing retirement:

A post shared by Paul Kelly (@paulkellymma)

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/former-ufc-fighter-paul-kelly-announces-retirement-from-mma

A pair of rising English contenders will collide in London as undefeated English middleweights Will Currie and Christian Duncan prepare to face off in Cage Warriors’ latest “Trilogy” series.

Cage Warriors officials confirmed to MMA Junkie that the pair will go head to head on the main card of Cage Warriors 120, which takes place Thursday, March 18 at York Hall. The event streams live on UFC Fight Pass, and forms the first leg of the promotion’s three-night “Trilogy” series at the venue.

The matchup will see two of England’s most promising up-and-coming 185-pounders face off in a bid to move one step closer to a shot at reigning Cage Warriors middleweight champion Nathias Frederick.

Currie (5-0) made an instant impact on his promotional debut at Cage Warriors 119 in December 2020 as he handed then-unbeaten Italian prospect Dario Bellandi his first career defeat in a dominant display in London.

Now “Drago” will return to action to face spectacular striker Duncan (2-0) whose transition to the professional ranks in 2020 saw him claim a pair of eye-catching knockout victories.

The IMMAF European silver and world bronze medallist finished Kyle McClurkin via second-round knockout on his professional debut at Cage Warriors 116 in September 2020, then followed up with a spectacular spinning back kick finish of Lucasz Marcinkowski at Cage Warriors 119 in December.

Also confirmed for the card is a featherweight bout between England’s James Hendin (5-0) and Irish prospect Paul Hughes (6-1). That bout was first announced by “The Bash” podcast.

With the additions, the lineup for Cage Warriors 120 includes:

• James Hendin vs. Paul Hughes
• Will Currie vs. Christian Duncan

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/cage-warriors-120-undefeated-middleweights-set-for-action-in-london

Less than a week after Disney fired actress and former mixed martial arts star Gina Carano over social media posts widely viewed as anti-Semitic, a Disney corporate partner has enmeshed the company in a spinoff controversy.

At a UFC 258 media availability Friday, UFC president Dana White, whose promotion airs on Disney-owned ESPN properties, was asked about Carano’s situation.

White used the occasion to take an unprompted shot at an ESPN employee of Jewish heritage with whom he has feuded, Ariel Helwani.

“Leave Gina alone,” White said. “Listen, we make mistakes. We all make mistakes. For everybody to go in on her – I love how Ariel Helwani made it all about him. It was all about him. Such a douche.”

After a weekend in which several of Helwani’s higher-profile colleagues at ESPN tweeted in support of their colleague while the company was silent, ESPN issued its first public comment on the situation Monday.

“Ariel is a valued colleague and an exceptional MMA reporter. His record speaks for itself,” ESPN told the New York Post.

Helwani posted on the issue on social media over the weekend.

“As a Jewish person, and as a human being, it just doesn’t sit well,” Helwani’s post said in part. “And I wish she would have never posted that. And quite frankly I wish someone would have talked to her about her social media posts over the past year. Some of them not even political. Just in general, they felt off to me. I am sorry she has gone down this path.”

White, who has gone silent on his previous vocal support of former President Donald Trump since the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, has considered Helwani an enemy for years.

Their most high-profile dustup came at UFC 199 in Inglewood, Calif., in June 2016. White was upset with Helwani, then employed by Vox Media, for reporting on Brock Lesnar’s planned return to the company before it could reveal the news on its own during the broadcast. The UFC responded by revoking Helwani’s credentials, as well as those of his camera crew members E. Casey Leydon and Esther Lin, mid-event. The trio’s credentials were restored several days later after a public backlash.

The list of current and former ESPN employees who spoke out before the company issued its statement include Sarah Spain, Pablo Torres, Kenny Mayne and Dan LeBatard.

A number of @arielhelwani’s ESPN colleagues are defending him publicly. pic.twitter.com/batoeidLfk

— Ryan Glasspiegel (@sportsrapport) February 14, 2021

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/espn-issues-statement-dana-white-gina-carano-ariel-helwani-disney-controversy

LAS VEGAS – Bruce Buffer is embedded in the UFC’s DNA through his memorable announcing over 25 years with the company.

Referred to by many as “The Voice of the Octagon,” Buffer has been introducing fighters  the UFC since February 1996. For his 25-year anniversary with the company, Buffer was paid a tribute Saturday during the UFC 258 broadcast in Las Vegas.

Buffer didn’t expect the tribute and said he is thankful to be recognized for his work inside the cage.

“You know how passionate I am to be the voice of the octagon, working for Dana (White) and all the powers that be in the UFC – I love it,” Buffer told reporters after UFC 258. “I wish I had another 25 years, who knows, because I’m ready to rock and roll for 25 more.

“I can’t even imagine 25. It’s just gone by so fast. I want to thank the UFC for the beautiful tribute tonight. I did not expect that. It caught me like a side shot to the head. It was so beautiful.”

The UFC started in 1993 and Buffer joined three years after its launch. In the 1990s, the UFC was far from what it is today. MMA was far from being a mainstream commodity, and it didn’t have the magnitude of a fan base it has now.

Although Buffer joined in the early stages of the sport, he said he knew the UFC and MMA were headed for big things.

“Back in 1996 when I got involved with the UFC, I realized this was going to be the biggest thing in fighting sports,” Buffer said. “I realized it was probably going to be the biggest thing in sports. And when you stick with something, when I set a goal, I stick with it to the end. I’m a loyal soldier.

“I’ve wanted to do everything I could, way beyond being the face of the octagon announcer to the UFC, because I love the organization. I love the sport. I love announcing these female and male warriors, the greatest fighters in the world. (They’re) some of the best people I’ve ever met. The friends I’ve made, the relationships with media, fighters, the people I work with – I love this. This is awesome.”

Throughout the course of his 25-year run with the UFC, Buffer has been able to see the company and sport blossom. He’s also traveled the world and witnessed MMA history from the front row. Buffer does have several announcing goals left, even after 25 years, and some outside the sport.

“I’ve had a lot of bucket lists that I’ve crossed out, and there’s more to come,” Buffer said. “As far as the UFC, I want to continue to announce these great warriors.

“I’ve had the Super Bowl commercial, but I want to be on the field for the Super Bowl announcing everybody coming out of the tunnel and start up the game. I’ve done it for the NFL, NBA, hockey, baseball – I’ve done it for all the sports. There’s always mountains to climb and I’m always open for another challenge. Let me parachute out of a plane, land on a stadium, and announce it. I’ll do it. I’m always game for something.”

Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/bruce-buffer-thankful-ufc-tribute-25-years-octagon-announcer-video