Sherdog – Soriano was one of two competitors to get job offers from the UFC. Regiment Training Center export Yorgan De Castro was the other, as he kept his perfect professional record intact and put away Sanford Alton Meeks with a leg kick and follow-up punches in the first round of their heavyweight showcase. A former linebacker at Iowa State University, Meeks (1-1) bowed out 4:45 into Round 1.
Correction: This blog was updated to correct Yorgan De Castro’s current gym as Regiment Training Center.
“We want to be able to say, ‘I come from New England MMA, we’re some of the baddest motherfuckers in the country’.”
Those were the words of Peter Barrett when I interviewed him before Cage Titans XLIV last week. One might say Yorgan De Castro’s victory last night might be the icing on the cake for that sentiment. We saw what fighters from the local scene could do to each other on Saturday. Last night, De Castro showed what they could to everyone else.
De Castro came into this fight not only highly ranked in MA and New England at Heavyweight, but at Light Heavyweight as well. Although he weighed in at 253lbs for this bout, I wouldn’t be shocked if eventually he cut back down. With that said it is HARD to see him doing that any time soon after a performance like this one.
His opponent, Alton Meeks, is actually a former D1 linebacker at Iowa State, so you know he’s an athlete. He was able to take De Casto down a couple of times but the Regiment Training Center product kept getting back up, frustrating the hell out of Meeks. From there it was only a matter of time before De Castro showed how devastating he could be on the feet, earning his fourth KO/TKO in five fights and keeping his perfect record in tact.
So click clack, I think they hear us coming. The rest of the MMA world is surely aware of NE MMA now. Our little local scene boasts Lauzon, Powell, Kattar, and Font in the big time with De Castro now joining them. Congrats to Yorgan De Castro, a big win for a whole community.
Thanks again to Cage Titans for hooking us up with the front row seats and to all the fighters that gave us a bit of their time leading up to the fights as well as the night of the event. We’ve still got some post fight interviews from Joey B as well as the full stream of consciousness play by play that we’ll probably drop in a podcast too. So keep an eye out for the rest of that sweet sweet fight #content.
Welllll fuck me. Saturday night was everything you’d expect out of the best of the best in New England MMA and then some. We had amateur and professional bouts, from debuts to vets looking to inch their way closer to the big time. In addition to Peter Barrett and Joe Giannetti, who we spoke to earlier this week, “Shameless” Don Shainis and Brandon Fleming, among other, graced the cage to do battle. Here are some notes:
-Those were some HIGH-LEVEL ammy bouts we got to see along with some awesome backstories. The first victor Red and I got to see was actually competing in his first and only MMA fight before leaving to join the Marines. Semper Fi.
-Jake Bagley, fighting out of Nostos MMA (home of Devin Powell) came to do work and knocked his opponent the fuck out. It was revealed after the fight that just one year ago, Bagley was in rehab. Now he’s a guy who looks like he has a legit future in MMA. O and Red got this little quip from him:
Line of the night from Jake Bagley after his W at @CageTitans tonight:
“Nobody hits like I do. I wake up and work 40 hours building houses every week. I kind of felt like he was on vacation and I’m going to work.” pic.twitter.com/62XHNGJ9Ph
-Kristina Katsikis had her pro debut fighting out of South Shore Sportfighting. Although she lost, she really came back after a lopsided first round against Whittany Pyles. One thing that really stood out was that she had ZERO quit against a bigger, stronger opponent. Lots more to see from “the Meat Grinder”.
-Friend Of The Blog “Slippery” Pete Barrett did NOT disappoint. Remember when he told me he’d either knock his opponent out or send him crawling out of the cage due to lead leg damage? Well he kind of attempted to do both. In the end, Barrett was too much coming out of breaks for Zack DiSabatino and won via RD1 TKO after a nasty knee and a few head kicks. HUGE THANKS to Steve Demenico from Domenico101MMA and the #ambassadortofighters for the below video where you can hear your boy asking Pete about his victory. Find Steve on IG and Twitter at @ambassador_to_fighters .
-Tough loss for Joe Joe Giannetti but these things happen sometimes. He already has retracted his statement on taking a break and now wants to fight a couple times this summer. #comebackseason proceeds as scheduled for Skelator.
Red has a bigger breakdown with a ton of media coming up later today but there’s just a taste. A LOT more MMA content coming from yours truly and The 300s.
Let’s GOOOOOO! As you probably saw Red worked some magic and your boy gets to live his MMA blogger dream Saturday when we get to sit cageside at Cage Titans, a premier New England MMA promotion.
This week I’ll be speaking with a few of the fighters competing this Saturday to get their thoughts on everything from the their upcoming bouts to the fight game in general.
Yesterday afternoon I got to chop it up with one of the baddest men at 155lbs in the commonwealth and The Ultimate Fighter 27 finalist Joe Giannetti. Looking to send the crowd home happy Saturday as the hometown headliner against D’Juan Owens, “Skeletor” gave us a peak into his training, goals, and how he sees this fight playing out.
The 300s: So it’s been awhile since we’ve seen you in there, what have you been up to, what have you been working on, what have you been doing during the layoff?
Gianetti: Well actually I’ve fought a couple times. November and in January. I actually wanted to fight in April but it didn’t work out.
The 300s: O ok I got ya, bad internet information (Note: Fucking Sherdog). In terms of your opponent D’Juan, he has a ton of experience. And unlike a lot of these guys with long records on the regional scene he has a winning record and clearly has some game. Does that change the way you prepare?
Giannetti: No, not really. I’ve been to the show, I know what I can do. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and just want to get this win and get back there.
The 300s: Absolutely, and I noticed he also goes after submissions, I think he has six to his credit. Going up against another grappler, do you see this as a big way to prove yourself.
Giannetti: No, not really man. I don’t need to prove myself. If his necks there I’ll take it, but I know what I can do on the mat. I’ve gone up against some really good guys on the ground. I’ve got up against brown belts and done well. I think my grappling for MMA stacks up with just about anyone. But I can do it on the ground and striking.
The 300s: Ya I was going to mention I was rewatching some of your fights and in particular your fight again Allan Zuniga. He like D’Juan is a shorter guy compared to you and you were doing this cool little thing where you were setting up a head kick to right hand or right hand to head kick upstairs. Really showing off your striking especially up top since you’re a taller guy. Is your striking something you are going to really try and show off?
Giannetti: Ya man absolutely. You know D’Juan does not stop coming forward. There have been guys who thought they could get him out of there and he just keeps coming. But he’s the kind of guy to take two to give one. And I’m not sure you want to take two from me. I don’t know if you’ll still be there.
The 300s: And how’s training been in general? How’s it been and how ready are you? Are you rested and ready for battle?
Giannetti: It’s been been awesome man. Trainings been great, weight cut has been really easy this time around. I was out at AKA (in San Jose, CA) and got some awesome training out there and just got home and I just feel great. I have so much more energy than I normally do and am not really worried about weight or anything. I feel great.
The 300s: Nice, you mentioned weight cut being easier this time. If you don’t mind me asking is it something you changed nutritionally or is just growing as a fighter and sort of things just getting easier?
Giannetti: You know it’s a combination of things. Nutritional, timing, how I work my camp out timing-wise. I’m just really at peace this time around. It’s weird. I never had a problem with the weight but I was always worried about it. This time I’m at peace. Again I’m where I’m supposed to be and everything is going right.
The 300s: Switching gears, I’m sure everyone you talk to this week is going to be saying “UFC, UFC, UFC” since you’re coming off the show, but you’re obviously still a younger guy, one year, two years, a few fights down the road where do you see yourself? A few more with Cage Titans? Do you see maybe testing out one of these other promotions like ONE? Where do you see yourself going?
Giannetti: The UFC man, I’m going back to the show. That’s my only goal. Like I said it’s where I belong and it’s my time. I’m getting back and I’m not going anywhere.
The 300s: One last fun one before I let you go. I saw a couple fights into your career you fought a guy with 63 wins at the time? I think he now has 88? How did that come together?
Giannetti:Ya ya, Jay Ellis. Basically I just had an opponent drop out and Jay took the fight to fill in. Honestly? I think I got the best Jay Ellis there’s been, at least recently. He gave me a really hard fight. Jay came to fight that night and really brought it. You know those fights are tricky man. We planned for a different opponent and then get a different one we’re just expected to beat. It can come back to bite you.
The 300s: Sure, happened with T.J vs. Soto, Khabib vs. Darrell Horcher, they didn’t have the easiest nights. Sorry going down my sheet I do have another: I know you’ve been on the big stage under the bright light of the UFC now but you are the headliner of the home town card this weekend, you are definitely “the guy” on this card. Does that give you any extra motivation? Does that feel pretty cool that when people show up Saturday they’re probably there to see you?
Giannetti: You know what, ya man it does. I really do feel like it’s my time. I feel better than I have in a long time and I feel like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. That’s why the top welterweight in North Carolina is coming up here to fight me at 155lbs. I’m just looking forward to fighting and winning this Saturday and getting back to the big time. This is what I’m supposed to be doing.
The 300s: Awesome man, well look we know you can submit people, we know you can strike, any kind of prediction for Saturday?
Giannetti: Ya! I think it’s going to be a quick one. A short one. I like to throw crazy shit, D’Juan like to throw crazy shit. I think someones checking out early.
Joe “Skeletor” Giannetti vs. D’Juan “Dirty South” Owens HEADLINES Cage Titans Titans XLIV. June 15, 2019 at 6:00pm at Plymouth Memorial Hall in Plymouth. MA.
Let’s GOOOOOO! As you probably saw Red worked some magic and your boy gets to live his MMA blogger dream Saturday when we get to sit cageside at Cage Titans, a premier New England MMA promotion.
This week I’ll be speaking with a few of the fighters competing this Saturday to get their thoughts on everything from the their upcoming bouts to the fight game in general.
I led off by speaking with Peter Barrett, an insanely talented vet of the New England MMA scene, which I knew, and a sharp mind when it comes to the fight game and the local scene, which I did not. He fights Zach DiSabatino in a lightweight bout this coming Saturday at Cage Titans XLIV.
A destructive Muay Thai striker that has rounded his game off on the mats of Lauzon MMA. As he rolled up to Lauzon’s on Monday, he gave us a few minutes of his time to discuss his training, the New England MMA scene, and his penchant for rendering the scorecards unnecessary
The 300s: So you took some time off between fights, I think a year, year and a half maybe, was that by design or no? Was this just the right time to take a fight?
Barrett: Well originally, I hurt my arm fighting Connor Barry, so I took some time off for that. But I’ve actually been trying to get a fight since November, actually September.
The 300s: Really?
Barrett: So I was supposed to fight Blair Tugman for Bellator and then he tested positive for steroids, suspended a year and that fight got scrapped. Then November for Cage Titans, I tried to get on there against Keegan (Hornstra), he ended up having a health issue with a new doctor that had been previously cleared by another doctor, but not this one. So that fight got cancelled at weigh-ins. I was aiming for January for Cage Titans and that opponent pulled out. So it’s been about a year since I fought last and I’ve been trying to fight for the last eight months.
The 300s: O wow
Barrett: I mean my trainings been good, everything’s been consistent, I was just talking to Jason Floyd the other day and mentioned that in hindsight maybe not fighting for a year was the best thing that could have happened. For awhile it felt like fighting and training, from my perspective I had built it up to be like a job more than it was to have fun and enjoy myself and be creative and just like, enjoy it, you know? You see guys like Rob and Calvin (Rob Font and Calvin Kattar, two fighters from MA on the UFC roster) and they’re laughing and having a blast every day at training and I wasn’t, that wasn’t what it was for me at the time. Now I’m back to that. Having fun with training, learning, getting better you know? I’m just really enjoying myself. This camp has been incredible. My cardio, my strength, my skill everything is coming full circle and it’s going to put out the best product I’ve had so far.
The 300s: So this fight Cage Titans is promoting as short notice, do you think some of that “fun” is coming back from not having to think about an 8-10 week camp, you just had a few weeks and then “go”?
Barrett:Well actually I was scheduled to fight this kid Darius from Jackson-Wink. And he started dropping hints that he was going to pull out basically two weeks before we announced the fight with Zach. He hadn’t completely pulled out but we, we being Cage Titans, had already started talking to South Shore (South Shore Sport Fighting, DiSabatino’s gym) about this fight. We had it done about a week and a half before it was announced.
The 300s: You mentioned Zach, he has a lot less experience than you. Some would say that’s an automatic advantage for you but at the same time there’s also a lot less, you know, “game tape” type stuff to go on. Does that effect how you prepare at all?
Barrett:No not so much, he’s also one of Cage Titans guys. I’m familiar with Zach, I’m familiar with his style. But he did just lose to Estell in his last fight. There’s no tape of that fight. Somehow Flo lost it when they were transferring files. It’s not on Flo, Youtube, Facebook. But if you look back at his fight with Keegan Raymond, which Keegan did not answer the bell for the beginning of the third round, maybe he quit after the first round…but Keegan was able to pressure him and pick apart Zach pretty easily you know? And that’s what we saw at the last fight. Darius Estell, his last opponent, just beat the breaks off him. And that’s what I’m taking into this. He doesn’t do well under pressure, he covers up, he shells up, and I’ll be able to, really just stay in control and pressure this fight the way I want it to go.
The 300s: Before we hit “go” (Note: Before I hit record) you mentioned you were spending some time at Lauzon’s, I know you’re at Sityodtong, are you vacillating between those two, those are your home camps?
Barrett: Ya so for this fight I added some time over here at Lauzon’s which has been a great help to my ground game. My home base has always been at Sityodtong and that’s where I got most of my training for this camp. I also went down to Triforce working with Nate (Andrews) a little bit before his PFL fight. I’ve been up with Tom Egan’s guy’s at Trifecta in Quincy wrestling. You know, like you said, I’ve been in the game for a little bit, got a really good relationship across the community, and it’s provided me with the opportunity to cross-train outside of my home camp as much as possible which is a blessing.
The 300s: Ya that’s cool. I didn’t even plan to ask you this but reading between the lines over the years, it seems unlike the big camps in California and Florida that seem to have beef with each other, the Mass MMA community and MMA gyms seem to have pretty good relationships and at least healthy, friendly competition. Any thoughts on that?
Barrett: Ya that’s what makes it work – at least the higher level pro promotions in the area like CES, Cage Titans, they do a good job of bringing guys in for local guys so local guys don’t necessarily have to fight each other, which then lets us cross-train and just get better and really increase the level of competition in the area, which is the end game. We want to be able to say, “I come from New England MMA, we’re some of the baddest motherfuckers in the country,” you know? We got guys like Rob and Calvin, who just destroyed Ricardo Lamas last weekend, they’re the guys putting the name out for Northeast MMA right now. By being able to cross-train and bring that level up behind the scenes it allows us to go out there and perform so much better.
The 300s: That’s Awesome, that’s really cool. Look I only have one more and it’s been burning a hole in me, it’s the one I’ve been waiting to ask: you are hands down the one true, blue knockout artist on this card. Are you giving us one Saturday?
Barrett:Absolutely. 100%. You’re either going to get total fuckin knock out or Zach is going to crawl out of that cage because he can’t stand on his lead leg anymore.
The 300s: I love it. Alright man, I don’t want to hold you up anymore, anything you want to throw out there before I put this to print?
Peter “Slippery Pete” Barrett vs. Zach DiSabatino goes down at Cage Titans Titans XLIV. June 15, 2019 at 6:00pm at Plymouth Memorial Hall in Plymouth. MA.
Thats right, The 300s is getting into the fight game and we’re going to be sitting ringside (cage-side? Octagon-side?) at Cage Titans XLIV next Saturday, June 15th. We’ll be on hand to see local guy and Ultimate Fighter Finalist Joe Joe Giannetti take on D’Juan Owens out of North Carolina and a whole host of other fights.
Now we’re not going to cover this event with a fight by fight recap because to be completely honest with you I’m not going to know a ton about the majority of the fighters (but Joey B might). So we’ll probably do some live video, some recaps, fan and/or fighter interviews, and just bring you the general vibe that only the local MMA circuit can bring.
So I don’t know what the hell to expect, but Joey B and I will out there grinding for content. We’ll see ya out there.
Ben Askren vs. Jordan Burroughs is officially signed, according to sources. First time ever. 79 kg. MSG Theater. May 6. Proceeds go to https://t.co/Lukcr5zbSR. (📷 @geoffriccio) pic.twitter.com/vyXBkNPADp
So I’m not going to waste a shit ton of ink on this but this is a pretty big deal to anyone that follows amateur wrestling or MMA.
Ben Askren, easily top-5 biggest dbag in MMA but vaunted and decorated wrestler all the same will go up against Jordan Burroughs, long considered one of the better mat men our country has to offer, for the first time ever in May. They will be face off as part of a bigger, Madison Square Garden-centered event for Beat The Streets, an org aimed at directing urban youth towards wrestling. The rest of the event will feature various members of Team USA vs. Various NCAA Champions. Pretty cool stuff all around.
As for this match up, which will definitely be the most marquee, it is an interesting one. Askren, known as a downright confounding grappler in MMA, is actually the less decorated of the two. Using his “funk” style of flow and physical momentum-based wrestling, he was indeed a four-time All American and two-time NCAA champion at Missouri. He also qualified but did not medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. After the 08′ games, Askren by and large stopped competing in wrestling, aside from an occasional tournament, to pursue MMA.
Burroughs, as I mentioned, is one of the bigger names in USA Wrestling point blank period. His collegiate accolades are similar to Askren’s as he was a three time All American and two-time, undefeated NCAA Champion at Nebraska. However their paths diverge post-college. Since graduating from Lincoln, Burroughs has earned one Olympic gold medal as well as four World Championships, with three 3rd place finishes in the Worlds to boot. He also has collected four golds across various Pan-American tournaments as well. I guess it’s important to note that he has a few confusing results, such as his 9th place finish in Rio, but shit happens.
The outlying factor in all of this, really what makes this so interesting, is that Askren is bigger. Burroughs wrestles at 74kg, which is roughly 165 lb. Askren wrestled at 84kg, which is roughly 185lb, so ya. That said, Askren fights at 170lb so maybe he’s slimmed down over the years, but he is used to fighting, and moving. much larger men. Their match will be wrestled at a sort of catchweight of 79kg, or ~174lb. I don’t think this really matters except for the fact that Burroughs might be able to pack on some muscle or, at least, not have to cut down so much.
All in all it’s a cool and intriguing match up for what seems to be a growing sport in wrestling. Hopefully some people catch wind of it and gain some interest.
ESPN – The United States Anti-Doping Agency has suspended former UFC champion TJ Dillashaw for two years for testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) before a flyweight title fight against Henry Cejudo on Jan. 19 in New York.
Thus ends T.J Dillashaw’s run of Michael Scott-ing this story. He is no longer in front of it. As a matter of fact, as much as I respect Dillashaw for relinquishing his title ahead of time, this story is still steamrolling him.
It would seem he tested positive for one of the most, for lack of a better word, sinister kinds of PEDs. To paraphrase Jeff Novitsky himself, EPO isn’t something you find in a tainted supplement or something. It’s a red blood cell picker upper you inject into yourself, and sort of have to be aware you’re doing it. That’s that. Novitsky may have recently compromised himself by putting over Jon Jones’ “cleanliness”, but he still knows his stuff.
To my knowledge Dillashaw has not come out and made a statement since this suspension was announced (he got a year, concurrent, from New York). However it has been already stated he won’t fight it, which is a statement in and of itself. It’s fair enough, I suppose to speculate on his career now, both past, present, and of course, future.
After he big brother’d Renan Barao, the longtime Bantamweight king, in two consecutive fights with an immaculate and to be honest surprising displaying of world class kickboxing, I honestly thought Dillashaw had a shot at becoming one of the GOATs. That sounds ridiculous but I’m not kidding. His display of MMA was truly an “art” form, pun intended. Now he’s been knocked out by Cejudo and may have been one of the MOST performance enhancing substances when he beat Cody Garbrandt as well. Soooo what then? How do we look at his accomplishments? Furthermore, let’s say he pisses clean for the next two years and then comes back. He’ll be 35 then. The years aren’t as kind to the smaller guys as they are to the bigger ones. Sure there are fighters like Assuncao that solider on, but you can bet even he wishes he was getting the chances he is now when he was younger. Dillashaw’s own ex-teammate Chad Mendes came back two years after testing positive, a very similar situation, fought once and retired quietly. Given Mendes was on a bit of a slide already, but you can’t help but see the comparison.
So we’ll see what happens next. Maybe T.J Dillashaw stays quiet for a couple of years and tries to make a come back. Maybe he asks for his release and goes and fights abroad. Maybe he and Duane Bang open a head shop. Not too sure. Stay tuned.
Hey guys quick announcement, I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as “Mixed Martial Art” today. I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!
So at 1:18am Eastern Standard Time Conor Anthony McGregor “broke the internet” with this tweet, his second of such a message. Remember, almost three years ago he dropped a very similar bombshell.
I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya's later.
So is that it? Is “The Notorious” done fighting? It wouldn’t not make sense. He’s made boatloads of money and turned himself into an international brand in the process. If he is smart in his business ventures, which he seems to be, he can continue to grow his vast fortune without getting punched in the face.
But that’s where people get it a little twisted. You see, not many people enter a career where their source of income is to get punched in the face unless they enjoy the carnage, competition, and blast of adrenaline that comes with it. Sure, there are the Derrick Lewis-types who just have big, heavy hands, and see fighting as a much more lucrative alternative to changing tires. But for a lot of fighters, McGregor included, this is in their blood. Especially when, although he now has financial pursuits outside of the cage, he indeed can still make a hell of lot inside of it too.
Conor McGregor is not done fighting. It just isn’t in the cards, yet.
So what is he on about here? Why is he dropping this and what is he trying to accomplish? Well, I think the first question is simple enough to answer and the second could have a few possible explanations.
The problem with Conor the Fighter now is that the illusion of Conor the Fighter is gone. He was a Goddam world beater. For a time he was unstoppable. Mystic Mac. He knocked out one of the most dominant fighters of his generation in Jose Aldo, and he did it in mere seconds. But then came Chad Mendes, and some holes were exposed in an eventual victory. Then came Nate Diaz, and he got beat. Then came Nate Diaz again, and he slinked by. Then came Khabib Nurmagodmedov and he got steamrolled. So instead of being a Demigod with two belts Conor McGregor is now a very talented, ultra charismatic lightweight with no belts. It is to the point where Dana White did not want McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone, a very popular fighter in his own right, to headline an event. Coming off a loss and without a belt McGregor may just have not been that kind of draw anymore.
So to answer the first question of “why?”, he is quite literally leaving us wanting more. He wants the fans and media to remember the good times and beg for him back. And when he does come back it will be with a heroes welcome and a roar of the crowd. He may have even seen the reaction to Gronk’s recent retirement and said, “hey, look at that.”
But what is his end game? Ultimately what does he seek in his return? Well, there’s a few possibilities.
1.) He wants a share in the UFC Conor said, I’m pretty sure last week, that he really doesn’t care if he fights in the ME or on the pre-lims as long as he is paid what he is worth, which includes a partnership in the company. It makes sense in a way. Even if he is not the ME, a large number of those PPV buys will be for Conor McGregor, so he should get a cut of that. But this scenario is simply not going to happen in my opinion. For Dana White, this would just open way too much of a floodgate.
2.) He is luring out Nate Diaz Even though Diaz vs. McGregor III would be the most financially lucrative fight for both men right now, Diaz has actually sounded like he is not as interested as of late. He tweeted/IG’d out something recently that he beat Conor’s ass twice already and that Dustin Poirier was, in fact, a pussy (Remember Poirier dropped out of a recent Diaz-Poirier match up. Beyond that I am not sure why he was caught in Nate’s cross-hairs. O well). So maybe Conor is walking away to get Nate’s attention? Maybe this sets off a patented Diaz social media attack and gets the fighters, the fans, the media, and the UFC bought into this third match up? It wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world and one that comes with a big pay day.
3.) He is taking a page out of Nate Diaz’s book and simply shelving himself until they desperately need him to save a card This is 100% what Nate Diaz is doing by the way. The nixed Poirier fight aside, Nate Diaz is keeping in shape, talking some occasional shit, and waiting for a main or co-main to fall through on short notice so that the UFC needs a big name to save it and is willing to cut a big check to get them to do so. To that end, Conor is kind of back-dooring his old nemesis here. 9/10 if the 155lb division needs someone to step in the Irishman would be the first choice. Not always, however. If the Fight Gods smile on the upcoming Poirier-Holloway Interim Lightweight Title Fight in April, then the winner ostensibly fights Khabib when he returns in the fall for the real belt. This is a huge if by the way as both fighters have pulled out of past fights. Anyway, should Dagestan’s favorite son’s challenger fall out of the unification bout, I can’t see them giving Conor another crack after the mauling he took. Not before he wins again. So Nate could get that fight, although his dormancy is becoming more and more of an issue.
But that fight itself? Poirier-Holloway? Giving one of those guys a rematch against the phenom who slowed their ascent when they wore a younger man’s clothes? Sure. What about the Iaquinta-Cerrone fight? Imagine Conor saying “fuck it” and fighting on a Fox card to earn his possible, eventual rematch with Khabib?
Whichever way you spin it, I see either reason 2 or 3 as the most plausible for McGregor’s random tweet. Sure, he could have accomplished either end without tweeting out his retirement but this makes it all that much more dramatic.
If Jordan never came back with the 45, would it have been such a come back?
ESPN – TJ Dillashaw is no longer the UFC bantamweight champion.
Dillashaw (16-4) announced Wednesday morning that he has “voluntarily relinquished” the UFC’s 135-pound title after he was informed by the New York State Athletic Commission and the United States Anti-Doping Agency of an “adverse finding in a test taken for my last fight.” ESPN confirmed the validity of the statement via multiple sources.
Ever heard the one about the guy who went to New York to claim two title belts and came away with none? Holyyyy shit. To quote one of my favorite movies – because I have an intimate knowledge of movies despite not being featured in movie-related podcasts – “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” (1997): “A minute ago this was the safest job in the world. Now it’s turning into a bad day in Bosnia.”
The plan for “Killashaw” was to drop into the City That Never Sleeps, woop Henry Cejudo for the Flyweight Championship, and go go back back to Cali with both the 125lb and 135 lb belt around his waist. Not only did he get stopped by Cejudo that night in January, but the NYSAC has suspended him for a year retroactive to his fight in January and (twitter tells me) fined him $10,000.00 for testing positive for something illegal. Not a fantastic look. Taking a page out of the Michael Scott School of Getting Ahead of the Story, Dillashaw has chosen to relinquish his title rather than be stripped. After thinking on it I like that move. I could have seen him forcing the UFC to strip him or watch other 135ers battle for the interim title, belittling them from the interwebs as they do so. He went the high road here.
As for his legacy, well it’s complicated, as it always is nowadays. Cody Garbrandt once claimed Dillashaw was “on everything” and one look at Tyler James’ own posted photos of all the supplements he takes and it suddenly is not a surprise GNC Icarus flew too close to the sun. I mean at what point does whether or not you knew you were taking something quote on quote “illegal” not matter when you are shoving everything possible down your gullet to improve your performance past your natural skills and abilities, born with and learned? And this is not meant to be an argument for or against ‘roids, I’m just saying, as another one of my favorite movie quotes goes – because I really do enjoy movies – from “Four Brothers” (2004), “You keep knocking on the devil’s door long enough and sooner or later someone’s gonna answer you.” Basically Dillashaw burned the candle at both ends.
The division itself is now without its biggest star but is STACKED with talent. You have Marlon Moraes and Aljo Sterling, a rematch between the two of whom should be the next title fight. Behind them you have guys like Pedro Munhoz, fresh off a KO of former champ Garbrandt, and phenom Petr Yan ready to ascend. Hell, with the King out of the way maybe there still is a chance for longtime bridesmaid Rafael Assuncao, just off a wayyyyyyyy too long awaited No. 1 Contender’s fight loss to Moraes, to rise up and get the title shot he’s so sorely waited for.
The long and the short of it is that Dillashaw definitely screwed up here and that is both bad for his career and the UFC, with its perpetually yo-yo’ng number of bankable stars. However in a sport that waits for no one and where timing is everything, the always exciting bantamweight division is ready to pick up the slack.
The 300s 