‘You’re scared to fight me:’ YouTuber Jake Paul calls out McGregor

YouTuber-turned-amateur boxer Jake Paul pulled no punches on Tuesday as he called out Ireland’s former UFC champion and king of trash talk Conor McGregor in a foul-mouthed tirade that sent social media into a frenzy.

Paul, fresh off a brutal knockout of former NBA point guard Nate Robinson, offered McGregor $50 million to step into the ring.

“My team sent you a $50 million offer this morning — 50 million cash, proof of funds, the biggest fight offer you’ve ever been offered,” Paul said while performing his best impersonation of McGregor, holding a cigar in one hand and a glass of whiskey in the other.

“But, you’re scared to fight me, Conor! You’re ducking me because you don’t want to lose to a YouTuber. You’re 0-1 as a boxer. I’m 2-0 as a boxer.”

Paul, whose brother Logan — also a social media influencer — will face Floyd Mayweather in February in an equally bizarre exhibition bout, also took aim at Dustin Poirier, McGregor’s next opponent, with a bizarre claim that his dog had more followers on Instagram than the 31-year-old American.

-reuters

UFC star McGregor sorry for 'unacceptable' pub attack

LOS ANGELES – Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor apologized on Thursday (Friday, Manila time) for his attack on an older man in a Dublin bar which was captured on video before going viral last week.

In an interview with ESPN on Thursday, the controversial Irish fighter said he was mortified by his conduct shown on the video, in which he punches the man in an apparently unprovoked attack.

"I was in the wrong," McGregor said. "That man deserved to enjoy his time in the pub without having it end the way it did.

"I must come here before you and take accountability and take responsibility. I owe it to the people that have been supporting me. I owe it to my mother, my father, my family. I owe it to the people who trained me in martial arts. That's not who I am."

The incident is now being investigated by police and McGregor said he is ready to accept any punishment meted out.

"Whatever comes my way, I will face it," McGregor said. "Whatever comes my way, I deserve it. I will face this head on. I will not hide from it. I was in the wrong. It was completely unacceptable behavior for a man in my position."

The 31-year-old, an icon of the UFC, meanwhile said he is keen to return to fighting despite announcing his retirement in March.

"I must get my head screwed on and just get back in the game and fight for redemption, retribution, respect — the things that made me the man I am," McGregor said. "And that's what I will do."


McGregor has not fought since being battered into submission by archrival Khabib Nurmagomedov in October last year.

However he insists he is ready to make a comeback despite his lengthy layoff.

"Mine is gonna be the greatest (comeback) of all," McGregor said.

source: philstar.com

Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor suspended

LAS VEGAS – UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was fined $500,000 and suspended for nine months for a brawl inside and outside the octagon after his fight with Conor McGregor at UFC 229. McGregor was fined $50,000 and suspended for six months.

Nurmagomedov climbed over the cage and scuffled with a fighter in McGregor’s corner after McGregor (21-4) tapped out during a chokehold by Nurmagomedov (27-0) in the fourth round of UFC 229.         

source: philstar.com

Conor is back: UFC says McGregor will fight in Vegas this October

LOS ANGELES — Conor McGregor will return to mixed martial arts on Oct. 6 (Sunday, Oct. 7 in Manila) in Las Vegas for a title bout against UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The UFC dramatically announced the matchup Friday with a promotional video to close a news conference promoting its slate of fight cards for the rest of 2018.

“The fight is done,” UFC President Dana White said.

McGregor (21-3) simultaneously held the featherweight and lightweight championship belts during his meteoric UFC career, but he hasn’t fought in MMA since taking the 155-pound lightweight belt from Eddie Alvarez in November 2016. The loquacious Irishman hasn’t competed at all since losing his lucrative boxing match against Floyd Mayweather in August 2017, and his UFC lightweight title was stripped and subsequently claimed by Nurmagomedov in April.

McGregor and Nurmagomedov will meet in the main event of the UFC 229 pay-per-view show at T-Mobile Arena, the same spot where Mayweather stopped McGregor in the 10th round of their one-sided prizefight.

McGregor also has resolved his legal troubles after throwing a hand truck at a bus containing UFC fighters during a one-man rampage last April at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. Nurmagomedov was the intended target of McGregor’s wrath after a previous spat between the fighters’ camps.

Nurmagomedov (26-0), who wasn’t actually on the bus, won the vacant lightweight belt by beating Al Iaquinta in Brooklyn two days after McGregor’s attack, which injured uninvolved fighters Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg. McGregor was arrested, but was sentenced last month to perform five days of community service, avoiding jail time in a plea deal.

Nurmagomedov, the Dagestan-born Russian champion, has been one of the pound-for-pound greats of MMA when healthy, racking up 10 consecutive victories since joining the UFC.

McGregor and Nurmagomedov weren’t at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles along with the other headlining fighters of the autumn cards, but the announcement of their bout set off wild cheering among the fans.

Nurmagomedov is a formidable challenger for McGregor in a return from a 23-month break in MMA competition, but McGregor has never backed down from a challenge.

Once McGregor resolved to return to the octagon earlier this year, Nurmagomedov was the obvious choice to be his next opponent — but the biggest obstacle to this bout appeared to be money. Negotiations for this bout dragged on for many weeks while McGregor argued a highly lucrative deal, even demanding an ownership stake in the UFC in exchange for returning to the cage, and Nurmagomedov also asked for a hefty raise.

White didn’t disclose terms of the deal that was reached. McGregor didn’t immediately react to the bout announcement on social media.

Earlier in the news conference, the UFC also promoted the long-awaited return of Nate Diaz, who memorably split two bouts with McGregor in 2016. The popular Diaz (19-11) hasn’t fought since that majority-decision loss to McGregor in August 2016, but he agreed to fight Dustin Poirier in a lightweight bout in New York at UFC 230 on Nov. 3.

“It’s time to go, so it’s time to go,” Diaz said.

Although Diaz alluded to unspecified legal troubles that kept him out of action, the veteran brawler also had waited two years in hopes of getting a highly lucrative third fight with McGregor.

Diaz didn’t seem happy about the surprise announcement of McGregor’s next bout.

“I’m not fighting on that show,” Diaz tweeted moments after stepping off stage, adding an expletive directed toward the UFC.

source: philstar.com

Mayweather stops fading McGregor with 10th round TKO

A ruthless Floyd Mayweather scored a 10th round technical knockout over mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor on Saturday, cementing his legacy as one of boxing’s all-time greats.

McGregor, making his professional boxing debut, had boasted he would knock out the 40-year-old American early but his lack of ring savvy betrayed him as Mayweather improved to 50-0 to surpass heavyweight great Rocky Marciano’s 49-0 record for most wins without a loss or draw.

Whether the megafight will be the richest of all-time, as promoters predicted, is still to be determined but Mayweather left no doubt of his place in the pantheon of boxing greats in what he said was his last fight.

As promised, McGregor came out full of fury and menace but Mayweather, long regarded as the finest defensive fighter to step into the ring, left few openings and used the first three rounds to feel out his opponent.

By the fourth round Mayweather went on the attack and started landing blow after blow against a suddenly desperate McGregor who was bravely hanging on while clutching and grabbing the American.

In the 10th, Mayweather moved in for kill pinning a visibly fatigued McGregor against the ropes and landing a flurry of punches when the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

source: interaksyon.com

UFC 196: Tate dethrones Holm, McGregor stunned by Diaz

Miesha Tate scored a sensational victory over reigning bantamweight champion Holly Holm in Las Vegas, choking her out late in the fifth round to win the title Holm took from Ronda Rousey in November.

After a cagey first round in which few significant blows were landed, the 34-year-old Holm was in trouble in the second round but managed to survive by keeping Tate at bay with her longer reach.

Tate managed to get Holm back on the mat late in the fifth and final round, but despite an acrobatic attempt to escape by the champion, Tate clung on to render her unconscious and claim the title.

“She went out like a champion. I have so much respect for this woman,” the 29-year-old told the octagon announcer as she received the belt.

McGregor stunned

Meanwhile, UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor was choked into submission by Nate Diaz in a stunning reverse at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

McGregor, who was denied a chance to become the first fighter to hold two UFC belts at the same time when lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos pulled out with a foot injury, struggled in the second round after Diaz landed a heavy blow.

McGregor had landed some heavy shots of his own in the first round but couldn’t put the 30-year-old away, and an effort to take the fight to the mat backfired when Diaz got behind him to apply the rear naked choke hold that ended the fight.

source: interaksyon.com