Hear everything Kamaru Usman had to say at the post-fight press conference after defeating Gilbert Burns at the UFC 258.
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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/kamaru-usman-admits-it-was-a-difficult-night-taking-out-friend-gilbert-burns-at-ufc-258
Leon Edwards has made it clear he’s ready for anybody now that Khamzat Chimaev is out of their UFC Fight Night headliner on March 13.
That includes Colby Covington, who UFC president Dana White on Friday pegged as the frontrunner to fight Edwards next month at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. However, the matchup is far from finalized.
Edwards (18-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) apparently has no trepidation about taking on Covington (16-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC), though, as he made it clear Saturday that he’s ready (via Twitter):
Colby can get this work too. Then the title next. Its strap season#anybodycangetit
— Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards (@Leon_edwardsmma) February 13, 2021
Colby can get this work too. Then the title next. Its strap season
#anybodycangetit
In the immediate aftermath of Chimaev’s withdrawal due to COVID-19 complications, Edwards made a big callout of Nate Diaz to take the fight. Diaz hit him with the stiff-arm, though, rejecting the Brit with a famous Conor McGregor meme (via Twitter):
And who the fuck is this ? pic.twitter.com/V4SYsZqFWq
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) February 12, 2021
Edwards didn’t think fondly of Diaz’s (20-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC) reply, and he let him know (via Twitter):
nate your photoshop skills are as bad as your fight record. and you used conor’s line wtf 😂
— Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards (@Leon_edwardsmma) February 13, 2021
nate your photoshop skills are as bad as your fight record. and you used conor’s line wtf 😂
And finally, Edwards took aim at his longtime rival, Jorge Masvidal. The pair have a colorful history, with Masvidal infamously punching Edwards backstage after they both earned victories at a March 2019 event in London.
The card Edwards is hopeful to still headline in March is almost exactly two years to the day of the incident with Masvidal (35-14 MMA, 12-7 UFC). However, Edwards doesn’t seem optimistic about a resolution (via Twitter):
We all know that bitch Jorge will be nowhere to be seen when it comes to fighting me. 😂
— Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards (@Leon_edwardsmma) February 13, 2021
We all know that bitch Jorge will be nowhere to be seen when it comes to fighting me. 😂
Although the high profile fights appear to be plentiful for Edwards, it remains to be seen who, if anyone, will agree to get in the octagon with him one month from now.
Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/ufc-news-leon-edwards-rips-colby-covington-jorge-masvidal-nate-diaz-twitter
A new video shows just how real and serious the struggle has been for UFC welterweight Khamzat Chimaev to recover from COVID-19, leaving his manager, Majdi Shammas, flabbergasted.
“Crazy. What can you say?” Shammas said. “I have no words.”
The video, released Friday on Frontkick.online’s YouTube channel, follows Chimaev’s training this week until the day he withdrew from his UFC Fight Night headliner vs. Leon Edwards on March 13. This marked the second time that Chimaev has pulled out of a booking with Edwards because of lingering complications from the coronavirus, which he first contracted in early December.
In the video, Shammas details how Chimaev has been “in and out of the hospital so many times” in recent weeks as he’s experienced chest pains, high fever, headaches, and muscle pain. Chimaev’s withdrawal from the Edwards fight coincided with an abruptly stopped training session that led to Chimaev being hospitalized.
“He was really bad. He didn’t even do two rounds straight. He did one round and then rested,” Shammas said. “He started coughing, started feeling ill again, and we had to cancel the training. He even went in an ambulance to the hospital.”
Shammas said Chimaev felt so bad, “when he called me, he thought he was going to die.”
After that, Shammas made the decision to notify the UFC that Chimaev would not be able to compete March 13. Looking ahead, Shammas wants Chimaev not to worry about training and focus solely on getting healthy.
“He has to rest a little bit, get his body fully functional. Then he can start training again,” Shammas said. “… Some stuff is not up to him. Sometimes you have to step in and firmly say how it is. I can’t let him train. Who knows? This time, he started training, he got lucky (it wasn’t worse). Next time he might not be this lucky. I’m not gonna take that risk. It doesn’t matter.”
Chimaev (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) broke out in a big way last year to earn MMA Junkie’s “Newcomer of the Year” award. The 26-year-old made his UFC debut on July 16 and beat John Phillips by second-round submission. He then won his second fight 10 days later (a UFC non-tournament record) when he TKO’d Rhys McKee in the first round. Chimaev topped off his 2020 with a 17-second knockout of Gerald Meerschaert on Sept. 19.
Chimaev and Edwards originally were supposed to close out the year as the final UFC headliner of 2020 on Dec. 19, but the fight was canceled after Edwards tested positive for COVID-19.
Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/ufc-khamzat-chimaev-thought-he-would-die-covid-19-hospitalized
Tonight’s UFC 258 lineup is down to 10 fights.
The women’s flyweight matchup between Gillian Robertson and Miranda Maverick has been scratched from the card, according to UFC officials.
Per a release from the promotion, Robertson’s (9-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC) removal from the bout with Maverick (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) was due to “non-COVID related issue.” Shortly thereafter, the Canadian released a statement on her Instagram detailing exactly what happened and how she fell ill (via Instagram):
Heartbroken is the only way to describe it . After a great camp and an easy weight cut I unfortunately woke up this morning at 4 am vomiting and my condition has yet to improve. So for the first time in my career my team has decided it would be best to pull myself from this fight. My greatest apologies to Miranda, I know how much you put into this and it would be an honor to share the octagon with you in the future. Im sorry to everyone im letting down, My team, my fans and the UFC I wish I could have preformed for you tonight.
Following Robertson’s statement, Maverick followed with some comments of her own and said she hopes to return soon (via Instagram):
A post shared by Miranda “Fear The” MAVERICK 🦅 (@fearthemaverick_homt)
I wish a full recovery to Gillian, who reportedly woke up at 4am with chills and vomiting this morning. I am disappointed as I have prepared fully, had an amazing cut, and was about to walk to the lobby to go the Apex when I found out the news. I hope to book a fight against @savage_ufc in the near future or another opportunity soon.
To my sponsors, coaches, team, family, and fans, I’m sorry I’m not getting to put on the show you were waiting for.
But… every fight camp I improve and this just adds fuel to my fire🔥 I’ll be back soon!
Robertson, who was set to become the first to make 10 women’s flyweight appearances under the banner, was supposed to face Maverick in the opening bout on the UFC 258 card.
Due to the removal of the matchup, the lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
Article source: https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2021/02/ufc-258-news-gillian-robertson-vs-miranda-maverick-scratched-off
Kamaru Usman will be defending his welterweight title Saturday night in the main event of UFC 258 against Gilbert Burns.
Ever since his UFC debut winning TUF 21 in 2015, “The Nigerian Nightmare” has been on an incomparable tear through the welterweight division, snatching the division’s crown in March of 2019 over then-champion (and all-time great welterweight) Tyron Woodley.
Burns, on the other hand, moved up to welterweight in August of 2019, defeating Alexey Kunchenko and Gunnar Nelson before year’s end.
In 2020, he defeated Demian Maia and Tyron Woodley to rise to top contender status within the division. Now Burns has primed himself for an opportunity at gold against his former teammate.
The catch? Usman and Burns were training partners under the tutelage of Henri Hooft for seven years. Obviously, these two are rather familiar with one another.
“I know him a lot; he knows me a lot,” Burns said at UFC 258 virtual media day. “There’s a little intrigue right? Because I do believe I’m gonna win, he does believe he’s gonna win, and then we’ll find out Saturday night.”
Burns also spoke about the edge he has over Usman pertaining to his coaching.
Usman left Sanford MMA in Summer of 2020 to learn under Trevor Wittman. As a result, Burns has heard plenty of advice from former teammates and coaches of Usman regarding his tendencies and weaknesses.
“I think the little advantage that I have, my teammates know him a lot too, my coaches know him a lot too,” Burns said. “His coach doesn’t know me that much. And the thing with me is I believe I’m a different animal at that [welterweight] division.”
Despite the massive amount of familiarity between the former friends and training partners, Usman is all about business, regardless of who it is that he’s facing.
Yet, he completely recognizes that Burns deserves this title shot.
“Gilbert Burns is the toughest test to date, which is why he’s fighting me right now,” Usman said. “If he wasn’t the toughest guy, he wouldn’t be in there with me. I take him very seriously, and I’m worried and focused on just him.”
It’s always really interesting when former teammates square off. While there have been some slight barbs at one another, the lead-up to UFC 258’s main event has been non-confrontational and respectful.
That ambiguity of emotional standing between Usman and Burns only adds to the anticipation of this fight.
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Article source: https://www.mmaweekly.com/ufc-258-who-wins-battle-between-teammates-kamaru-usman-and-gilbert-burns
