MMA

UFC fighter Conor McGregor announces retirement

Published

4 hours ago

September 20, 2024

UFC fighter Conor McGregor announces retirement

He busted the nose of Cerrone in the fight’s first skirmish before finishing him in a first-round TKO.

McGregor had not won since November 2016 when he stopped Eddie Alvarez, the lightweight, to become the first fighter in UFC history to hold two championship belts at the same time.

McGregor then fought his only boxing match with Floyd Mayweather in 2017 before losing a one-sided UFC bout to lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018.

UFC President Dana White has already said McGregor is next in line for a title shot at the winner of lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s bout with Justin Gaethje this summer.

The UFC’s schedule is in upheaval due to the coronavirus pandemic, but McGregor was expected to get his title shot later this year, and he recently had been talking to White about taking another fight even earlier. Earlier this week, McGregor posted photos and videos of himself training for fights.

White was still willing to take McGregor’s retirement announcement at face value – at least publicly – when he learned about it at his news conference following UFC 250 in Las Vegas.

“If Conor McGregor feels he wants to retire, you know my feelings about retirement,” White said.

“You should absolutely do it. And I love Conor.

“There’s a handful of people that have made this really fun for me, and he’s one of them.”

Retirements are a time-honoured device for gathering attention and increased bargaining power in combat sports. From Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather to Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, countless champions of boxing and MMA have gone back on their solemn announcements whenever need or ego brought them back to the sport.

The 31-year-old retires with a 22-4 record.

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MMA

The best 20 UFC knockouts

Published

16 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

Mixed Martial Arts is not for the faint-hearted, irrespective of whether you are fighting or watching.

Any UFC fighter worth their salt has been on the receiving end of a hefty blow or two – even Conor McGregor.

But what are the best-known knockouts? And who delivered them?

Here’s the top 20 in UFC history – decided by UFC itself.

Warning: the following video contains scenes viewers may find disturbing:

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MMA

What is UFC, what is MMA and what are the rules?

Published

36 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

What is UFC, what is MMA and what are the rules?

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, also known as UFC, has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the US and in the last few years increasingly caught the attention of fight fans in the UK, too.

But what is it, how was it formed and what are the rules?

Here’s our guide on what you need to know.

What is UFC?

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is a mixed-martial arts promotion in which a series of fights take place around the world, also known as fight nights. It calls itself the “premier organisation in MMA”.

Mixed martial arts, of course, is nothing new dating back more than 5,000 years.

But UFC brings together some of the world’s best mixed martial artists, fighting each other at different weights with a main event taking place once a month. There are more than 40 events each year.

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Football

'Schillaci was a man who lived for goals'

Published

37 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

'Schillaci was a man who lived for goals'

Italian football expert Mina Rzouki remembers Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci, who has died aged 59.

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MMA

Conor McGregor ‘to address US Congress in rights campaign for MMA fighters’

Published

58 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

Conor McGregor 'to address US Congress in rights campaign for MMA fighters'

There have also been complaints about lower-ranked UFC fighters being awarded title bouts simply based on their ability to sell television pay-per-view subscriptions, which is a core element of the UFC’s income in the United States.

Despite losing in the 10th round against Mayweather, McGregor has indicated that he may box again, and a handful of other UFC fighters have expressed an interest in lucrative one-off boxing bouts.

Legal experts have been discussing in the media whether McGregor is now a boxer in the eyes of the law, and thus entitled to the protection of the Act, or if he will lose that protection when he returns to the UFC.

FIGHTER SAFETY

Epstein told Reuters that the UFC does extensive work on fighter safety and welfare and is as transparent as possible when it comes to contracts.

He rejected the notion that match-making based on independent rankings could improve the sport.

“We have been successful for one reason and one reason only – we put on the fights the fans want to see,” Epstein explained.

“That’s where we have a problem with what Congressman Mullin wants to do.”

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MMA

Michael Bisping ridicules Georges St-Pierre's prospects of UFC victory in New York

Published

1 hour ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

Michael Bisping ridicules Georges St-Pierre's prospects of UFC victory in New York

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Michael Bisping has ridiculed Georges St-Pierre’s ability to make the step up in weight ahead of their UFC middleweight championship bout next month.

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Football

Martin Odegaard: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says captain’s ankle injury ‘quite significant’

Published

2 hours ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

Martin Odegaard: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says captain's ankle injury 'quite significant'

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says captain Martin Odegaard has suffered a “quite significant” ankle ligament injury.

The midfielder limped off during Norway’s Nations League win over Austria on Monday, 9 September.

Odegaard had gone down in pain after hurting his left ankle following a foul by Christoph Baumgartner midway through the second half.

He returned to Arsenal for an MRI scan and missed his side’s 1-0 win at Tottenham in the north London derby on Sunday.

“The scan showed some damage around the ligaments in the ankle so we are going to miss him,” said Gunners boss Arteta before his side play Atalanta in the Champions League on Thursday.

“It’s something quite significant so we are going to lose him for a while. Hopefully not months.”

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