List of All Articles with Tag 'ufc'

This weekend, Amanda Nunes makes the first defence of her second reign as UFC women’s bantamweight champion, taking on Irene Aldana at UFC 289. Nunes, who also holds featherweight gold and is widely deemed the greatest women’s fighter in MMA history, lost the bantamweight belt to Julianna Pena in a shock defeat in 2021, before regaining the title in a rematch last year. Now the Brazilian, 35, puts the gold on the line against Aldana, who is bidding to become the fourth Mexican champion in UFC history – with the other three still reigning at the time of writing. Aldana, 35, steps in for the injured Pena, who was due for a trilogy bout against Nunes. The Mexican is chasing a third straight win, having stopped Macy Chiasson and Yana Santos in her last two fights. In the co-main event, former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira faces Beneil Dariush, who is seeking his first shot at the division’s title. Here’s all you need to know. When is it? UFC 289 will take place on Saturday 10 June, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada. The early prelims are set to begin at 11pm BST (3pm PT, 5pm CT, 6pm ET), with the prelims following at 1am BST on Sunday 11 June (5pm PT, 7pm CT, 8pm ET). The main card is then due to begin at 3am BST (7pm PT, 9pm CT, 10pm ET). How can I watch it? In the US, the event will air live on ESPN+. In the UK, BT Sport will broadcast the fights. BT Sport subscribers can watch the event live on TV, as well as on the broadcaster’s website and app. Odds Nunes – 2/7 Aldana – 13/5 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Main card Amanda Nunes (C) vs Irene Aldana (women’s bantamweight title) Charles Oliveira vs Beneil Dariush (lightweight) Nassourdine Imavov vs Chris Curtis (middleweight) Dan Ige vs Nate Landwehr (featherweight) Khalil Rountree Jr vs Chris Daukaus (light-heavyweight) Prelims Mike Malott vs Adam Fugitt (welterweight) Marc-Andre Barriault vs Eryk Anders (middleweight) Matt Schnell vs David Dvorak (flyweight) Hakeem Dawodu vs Lucas Almeida (featherweight) Early prelims Aiemann Zahabi vs Aoriqileng (bantamweight) Kyle Nelson vs Blake Bilder (featherweight) Diane Belbita vs Maria Oliveira (women’s strawweight) Miranda Maverick vs Jasmine Jasudavicius (women’s flyweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year How to watch The Ultimate Fighter 31 in the UK How to watch The Ultimate Fighter in the UK Full UFC 289 card featuring Amanda Nunes vs Irene Aldana What time does UFC 289 start in UK and US this weekend?

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira took to social media on Monday to reveal a humorous encounter between the UFC rivals at an airport, less than two months after their last fight. Adesanya knocked out Pereira in early April to regain the UFC middleweight title from the Brazilian, who took the belt from the “Last Stylebender” in November. Pereira’s knockout of Adesanya six months ago followed his two kickboxing wins over the Nigerian-New Zealander, but Adesanya finally went some way to avenging those losses in April. The pair appear to be on more cordial terms than in the past, too, with each man filming an encounter between them at the airport in Australia on Monday. “Guess who I met at the airport,” wrote Pereira while sharing footage of an interaction between the pair, while Adesanya did the same and wrote: “My life is a video game.” “Well, guys, look at this. Last day in Australia. Now we are going to Los Angeles,” Pereira said in his clip, before panning to Adesanya. “And look at who I found at the airport. Can you guess? One chance. Wrong. Israel Adesanya.” Adesanya is expected to return to the ring later this year with a title defence against the winner of Robert Whittaker vs Dricus Du Plessis. Adesanya knocked out Whittaker in 2019 to begin his first reign as UFC middleweight champion, before outpointing the Australian in 2022 to retain the title. Meanwhile, Pereira is moving up to light-heavyweight in July for a bout with ex-champion Jan Blachowicz. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC star Dustin Poirier makes surprising Paul vs Diaz prediction McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary UFC schedule 2023: Every major fight happening this year

Manchester United is officially headed back to the Champions League

Dustin Poirier has backed Conor McGregor to stop Michael Chandler inside two rounds, provided that the Irishman is ‘100 percent dedicated and focused’. McGregor and Chandler, both of whom have fought Poirier before, are set to square off later this year, though no date, location or weight class has been confirmed for the UFC bout. Poirier suffered a TKO loss to McGregor in 2014, but the American exacted his revenge in January 2021 with a knockout win, before their trilogy fight six months later ended with McGregor suffering a broken leg. That contest went down as a TKO victory for Poirier, who submitted Chandler in each man’s most recent fight, in November 2022. Poirier discussed McGregor vs Chandler on The MMA Hour this week, saying: “I think that if Conor comes back anything like he was, with his timing and rhythm, with the injury that he had and this long of a lay-off – and we’re not getting any younger either... if he comes back similar to who he was before he left, I think he stops Michael Chandler. “If Conor is who he was before the injury and stuff, I think two rounds; I think the fight’s over in two rounds. “If anybody can [dial back the clock], I think it would be [McGregor]. If he’s 100 percent dedicated and focused, and [he can] put the blinders on and really go at this with all of himself, I think he can. But we’ll see, man. That’s what makes it so interesting.” McGregor’s 2014 victory over Poirier was a key moment on the Irishman’s journey to winning the UFC featherweight title, which he secured in 2015. A year later, McGregor claimed the lightweight belt to become the first dual-weight champion in UFC history. Meanwhile, Poirier is a former interim lightweight champion who has twice failed to win the undisputed belt. Compatriot Chandler is a former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, who has also unsuccessfully challenged for the UFC lightweight title. McGregor’s back-to-back bouts with Poirier in 2021 feature heavily in McGregor Forever, the second documentary covering the 34-year-old’s career. The four-part series was released on Netflix this month, and you can read The Independent’s review here. Poirier is due to return to the ring in July, taking on Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 291. The vacant ‘Baddest Motherf*****’ title will be on the line in the all-American clash, which is a rematch of a 2018 bout won by Poirier. Poirier stopped Gaethje, a fellow former interim lightweight champion, in the fourth round. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary Eddie Hearn and Conor McGregor had ‘friendly row’ after KO of Irish boxer Gary Cully Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones The night Conor McGregor became ‘Mystic Mac’ Eddie Hearn and Conor McGregor had 'friendly row' after KO of Irish boxer Conor McGregor reveals how he scored Katie Taylor fight from ringside

On 27 September 2014, Conor McGregor dismantled Dustin Poirier. In the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, McGregor – then the ninth-ranked featherweight in the UFC – required just over 90 seconds to drop Poirier, the No 5 featherweight in the world, and pummel his head against the canvas, forcing a stoppage. For many followers of the sport, that bout at UFC 178 represented the Irishman’s first genuine match-up against a top-level opponent, the moment McGregor’s bravado could fall in on itself. Instead, ‘Notorious’ took a giant stride closer to Jose Aldo, the UFC featherweight title and MMA history, and he did so with an ease that startled swathes of fans of the sport. In January 2021, Poirier exacted his revenge. In a lightweight rematch in Abu Dhabi, the “Diamond” knocked out McGregor in the second round after dismantling his opponent’s base by brutalising his calves with low kicks. In the main event of UFC 264, six months later, the rivalry concluded as the pair squared off one more time at lightweight, with McGregor suffering a broken leg at the end of a chaotic first round – losing the bout via TKO in the process. Ahead of that fight, The Independent spoke to four key figures about the Irish icon’s knockout victory over Poirier in 2014, as well as what preceded and followed the night that ‘Mystic Mac’ was born. The build-up In July 2014, McGregor knocks out Diego Brandao in the first round of the pair’s main-event clash in Dublin. Before the night is up, the seeds are already planted for McGregor’s next fight. Ariel Helwani (Canadian MMA journalist): “I remember at the press conference in Dublin, everybody was like ‘Poirier, Poirier, Poirier – it has to be Poirier next,’ because Poirier had been talking a little bit about Conor and they were kind of on a collision course. It seemed like: ‘Okay, the wheels are kind of in motion here.’” The bout is set for September 2014, marking a quick turnaround for McGregor, who is intent on continuing his climb up the rankings at 145lbs. His eyes are already set on Aldo, the UFC’s first – and only ever, at this point – featherweight champion, who has not lost since 2005. Megan Olivi (broadcaster – UFC): “I think that fight with Dustin was one of the first times when people were counting Conor out, like: ‘Oh, well now he’s facing Dustin Poirier and this probably won’t go well.’” AH: “I thought the narrative that Conor was fighting lesser competition and wasn't really that good was hogwash. If you watched him in Cage Warriors or his early UFC fights, it was very clear this was a supremely talented fighter. But still, there were questions to be answered against Poirier, a big step up in competition on a very big stage.” Poirier, typically a calm character, is visibly irked when in the presence of McGregor, who antagonises his opponent at every opportunity. Bruce Buffer (ring announcer – UFC): “Some time before that fight, on the way back from another fight of Dustin’s, I was at the airport and sat down at Dustin’s table and broke bread with his family. I realised what a lovely family they are and what a fine human being Dustin is, and how he stands up for everything he believes in. He’s just a really good guy.” MO: “I’d known Dustin for a very long time and remember seeing a marked difference in his demeanour. I remember being sad that Dustin’s wife [Jolie] was going to be so stressed out by the situation, even though Conor didn’t involve her in any way. Dustin was a bit more emotional than we’d seen him before. “[At the pre-fight press conference] there was a lot of animosity on stage, but Conor seemed to thrive in that, whereas with Dustin you could tell... it was taking everything in him to restrain himself. Being up there, I was worried: ‘Are they gonna get out of their chairs and get physical?’ I was a bit nervous, because the hostility was so real, and thought: ‘Let’s just get out of here with no chairs or hands thrown.’” AH: “Poirier wanted to be the guy to shut Conor up. He was very angry, like he had this chip on his shoulder. Conor, meanwhile... They did the media day in August with the infamous Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones scuffle at the MGM Grand, and in the midst of all that, Conor was taking selfies with fans. This guy was living in his own world, he didn’t care about a brawl between two of the best fighters in the world. All of these journalists were sitting around interviewing him and I thought: ‘He’s not going to be doing this for much longer – he’ll have his own press conferences.’ “I remember vividly the aura he had around him, like when he did the ‘bunny ears’ while I interviewed him. You definitely felt one fighter was happy and comfortable, and the other was very intense and mean-mugging. They had that run-in filmed on UFC: Embedded, and Conor was [later filmed] watching it and laughing at it.” In the original clip, Poirier can be heard saying of McGregor: “I don’t think I’ve ever disliked somebody that much that I’ve fought.” Peter Carroll (Irish MMA journalist): “At the weigh-ins, Poirier starts screaming at the crowd. He couldn’t believe people were cheering on McGregor. I remember thinking: ‘This has really gotten to him.’ And I’d seen Conor doing that for years. After the face-off he had with [Dave] Hill in Cage Warriors, there was talk of Hill being consoled afterwards, like he was completely rattled. I don’t think Poirier was ready for the mental warfare, how Conor actually meant everything he said. Some people were still saying, ‘It’s all a gimmick,’ but I think Poirier was in two minds.” The fight MO: “That was not the main event, but it felt like it was. It was a really good card – Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone was fighting Eddie Alvarez, Demetrious Johnson headlined against Chris Cariaso – but I remember everyone going: ‘Poirier vs McGregor, what is gonna happen with this fight?’” McGregor gets in Poirier’s face as the American skips around the cage before the introductions are made. He taunts Poirier as the pair face off, extending his hand into his opponent’s face. As referee Herb Dean asks the fighters if they wish to touch gloves, Poirier slaps McGregor’s hand away. BB: “Conor’s confidence is as high as anybody could ever dream of walking around with. He’s intimidating, he tries to get into Poirier mentally, but then when the bell rings, the Octagon door closes and I’m done and walk out, shark eyes come over each.” McGregor at once displays his confidence, opening with a hook kick and a spinning back kick. For the best part of 90 seconds, the Irishman pressures his fellow southpaw, finding a home for his left straight with greater success as the first round ticks on – talking to Poirier all the while. Then, suddenly, McGregor glances a left hand off the back of Poirier’s head, dropping the American. Two hammer fists and two punches follow on the downed ‘Diamond’, and Dean waves the fight off. AH: “The way in which he won... it wasn’t just a victory, it wasn’t just a decision win, he smoked Poirier in less than two minutes. He called Dustin ‘pea-head’, said he would bounce Dustin’s head off the canvas, then literally did that.” PC: “The punch he hit Poirier with... I saw this tweet from a mainstream Irish journalist, saying it was a bull**** shot and made him think it was a choreographed fight. I remember thinking: ‘What does this kid [McGregor] have to do to get respect in Ireland?’” MO: “When you’ve known somebody for such a long time, you’re even more heartbroken for them when they lose, which is certainly how I felt for Dustin. I knew how intense the lead-up was, so to have such a ‘final’ end to that fight... your heart just breaks. It wasn’t even like it was the end of the third round, it was so quick in there.” BB: “Did I feel something in that moment, knowing what that fight meant to Dustin? Absolutely I did, when I realise that everything the man has fought for, trained for, everything he’s done for the last number of years in his life has come down to this one defining moment.” MO: “I think it was kind of like a light switch turning on for a lot of people, like: ‘Okay, Conor’s legit, because that’s Dustin Poirier.’” The aftermath As Buffer announces the result – McGregor winning by TKO“at 1:46 of the very first round” – Poirier congratulates his rival, the Irishman in kind calling his vanquished foe“a great guy”. McGregor receives his jiu-jitsu brown belt from his coaching team and sports it during his in-ring interview. “I don’t just knock them out, I pick the round,” McGregor tells commentator Joe Rogan. “You can call me ‘Mystic Mac’, because I predict these things.” Rogan informs McGregor that 10 per cent of ticket sales for the event at the 15,000-seater came from the Irish. “I wanted to come over here and show the American public the new era of the fighting Irish... If one of us goes to war, we all go to war.” PC: “After McGregor beats Poirier, the place just clears out. Four fights into his UFC career, Conor’s already a bigger commodity than Johnson, the reigning flyweight champion of the world.” AH: “The post-fight interview in the cage was legendary. Then there was the ivory suit he wore after, the sunglasses, the man-bun and shaved sides... There’s that scene of him in the hallway, doing the billionaire strut. It just felt like: ‘Okay, Conor McGregor's a superstar.’” PC: “The Notorious RTE documentary series was out and it made his dad Tony, mum Mags and sister Erin almost celebrities. They were mobbed [in Vegas]. I remember stopping to talk to Tony and people were pouring past, shouting his name. He was being bombarded.” MO: “About a month ago, Conor sent me a picture of our interview from after the fight. For Conor fights in general I was a bit nervous, because sometimes when somebody is in that very competitive mind-frame, they can’t change gears when they come to see me. But he was just himself, and I remember thinking: ‘Wow, he already knows how to turn it on and off and conserve the energies he has for when he needs them.’ He’s so tactful with how he handles the before, during and after.” PC: “He nearly became a mythological creature. The Poirier fight, to me, symbolises McGregor going from being an Irish commodity to an international commodity. To be clear: He had belonged to this generation – not the Irish in general. At this stage he hadn’t put a foot wrong, he was becoming our national ambassador. When people found out you were Irish, it used to be: ‘Oh, Guinness! Roy Keane!’ It became: ‘Oh, Conor McGregor!’ “The thing about my generation is we were kids who came out of college into a recession. Conor was this kind of shining light for us, this story of triumph amid this societal chaos in Ireland. We had so much skin in the game. People used the [Chad] Mendes fight as their summer holiday. I was walking around, seeing guys I hadn’t seen since I left school. I must’ve met 200 people I knew from home, I’m not even being overdramatic. “That’s what the Poirier fight did: It laid the foundation for what would become the Irish invasion of Vegas, it planted the seeds for Conor fights to be the big sporting events of our generation.” AH: “If Conor had lost [against Poirier], it would have been a major setback. This was a really big fight for him on a pay-per-view with a lot of big names. It felt like the true unveiling of him as this great prize-fighter and one of the faces of the UFC. If he doesn’t win, the Aldo dream fight is done; he has to claw his way back up. You can’t say he loses one fight and he’ll never amount to anything, but that would have been a serious impediment in his meteoric rise.” Read More Eddie Hearn and Conor McGregor had 'friendly row' after KO of Irish boxer Conor McGregor reveals how he scored Katie Taylor fight from ringside Conor McGregor makes guarantee for Michael Chandler fight UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary, McGregor Forever Katie Taylor chases rematch after decision loss to Chantelle Cameron

On 27 September 2014, Conor McGregor dismantled Dustin Poirier. In the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, McGregor – then the ninth-ranked featherweight in the UFC – required just over 90 seconds to drop Poirier, the No 5 featherweight in the world, and pummel his head against the canvas, forcing a stoppage. For many followers of the sport, that bout at UFC 178 represented the Irishman’s first genuine match-up against a top-level opponent, the moment McGregor’s bravado could fall in on itself. Instead, ‘Notorious’ took a giant stride closer to Jose Aldo, the UFC featherweight title and MMA history, and he did so with an ease that startled swathes of fans of the sport. In January 2021, Poirier exacted his revenge. In a lightweight rematch in Abu Dhabi, the ‘Diamond’ knocked out McGregor in the second round after dismantling his opponent’s base by brutalising his calves with low kicks. In the main event of UFC 264, six months later, the rivalry concluded as the pair squared off one more time at lightweight, with McGregor suffering a broken leg at the end of a chaotic first round – losing the bout via TKO in the process. Ahead of that fight, The Independent spoke to four key figures about the Irish icon’s knockout victory over Poirier in 2014, as well as what preceded and followed the night that ‘Mystic Mac’ was born. The build-up In July 2014, McGregor knocks out Diego Brandao in the first round of the pair’s main-event clash in Dublin. Before the night is up, the seeds are already planted for McGregor’s next fight. Ariel Helwani (MMA journalist – ESPN): “I remember at the press conference in Dublin, everybody was like ‘Poirier, Poirier, Poirier – it has to be Poirier next,’ because Poirier had been talking a little bit about Conor and they were kind of on a collision course. It seemed like: ‘Okay, the wheels are kind of in motion here.’” The bout is set for September 2014, marking a quick turnaround for McGregor, who is intent on continuing his climb up the rankings at 145lbs. His eyes are already set on Aldo, the UFC’s first – and only ever, at this point – featherweight champion, who has not lost since 2005. Megan Olivi (broadcaster – UFC): “I think that fight with Dustin was one of the first times when people were counting Conor out, like: ‘Oh, well now he’s facing Dustin Poirier and this probably won’t go well.’” AH: “I thought the narrative that Conor was fighting lesser competition and wasn't really that good was hogwash. If you watched him in Cage Warriors or his early UFC fights, it was very clear this was a supremely talented fighter. But still, there were questions to be answered against Poirier, a big step up in competition on a very big stage.” Poirier, typically a calm character, is visibly irked when in the presence of McGregor, who antagonises his opponent at every opportunity. Bruce Buffer (ring announcer – UFC): “Some time before that fight, on the way back from another fight of Dustin’s, I was at the airport and sat down at Dustin’s table and broke bread with his family. I realised what a lovely family they are and what a fine human being Dustin is, and how he stands up for everything he believes in. He’s just a really good guy.” MO: “I’d known Dustin for a very long time and remember seeing a marked difference in his demeanour. I remember being sad that Dustin’s wife [Jolie] was going to be so stressed out by the situation, even though Conor didn’t involve her in any way. Dustin was a bit more emotional than we’d seen him before. “[At the pre-fight press conference] there was a lot of animosity on stage, but Conor seemed to thrive in that, whereas with Dustin you could tell... it was taking everything in him to restrain himself. Being up there, I was worried: ‘Are they gonna get out of their chairs and get physical?’ I was a bit nervous, because the hostility was so real, and thought: ‘Let’s just get out of here with no chairs or hands thrown.’” AH: “Poirier wanted to be the guy to shut Conor up. He was very angry, like he had this chip on his shoulder. Conor, meanwhile... They did the media day in August with the infamous Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones scuffle at the MGM Grand, and in the midst of all that, Conor was taking selfies with fans. This guy was living in his own world, he didn’t care about a brawl between two of the best fighters in the world. All of these journalists were sitting around interviewing him and I thought: ‘He’s not going to be doing this for much longer – he’ll have his own press conferences.’ “I remember vividly the aura he had around him, like when he did the ‘bunny ears’ while I interviewed him. You definitely felt one fighter was happy and comfortable, and the other was very intense and mean-mugging. They had that run-in filmed on UFC: Embedded, and Conor was [later filmed] watching it and laughing at it.” In the original clip, Poirier can be heard saying of McGregor:“I don’t think I’ve ever disliked somebody that much that I’ve fought.” Peter Carroll (MMA journalist – The Bash, MMA On Point): “At the weigh-ins, Poirier starts screaming at the crowd. He couldn’t believe people were cheering on McGregor. I remember thinking: ‘This has really gotten to him.’ And I’d seen Conor doing that for years. After the face-off he had with [Dave] Hill in Cage Warriors, there was talk of Hill being consoled afterwards, like he was completely rattled. I don’t think Poirier was ready for the mental warfare, how Conor actually meant everything he said. Some people were still saying, ‘It’s all a gimmick,’ but I think Poirier was in two minds.” The fight MO: “That was not the main event, but it felt like it was. It was a really good card – Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone was fighting Eddie Alvarez, Demetrious Johnson headlined against Chris Cariaso – but I remember everyone going: ‘Poirier vs McGregor, what is gonna happen with this fight?’” McGregor gets in Poirier’s face as the American skips around the cage before the introductions are made. He taunts Poirier as the pair face off, extending his hand into his opponent’s face. As referee Herb Dean asks the fighters if they wish to touch gloves, Poirier slaps McGregor’s hand away. BB: “Conor’s confidence is as high as anybody could ever dream of walking around with. He’s intimidating, he tries to get into Poirier mentally, but then when the bell rings, the Octagon door closes and I’m done and walk out, shark eyes come over each.” McGregor at once displays his confidence, opening with a hook kick and a spinning back kick. For the best part of 90 seconds, the Irishman pressures his fellow southpaw, finding a home for his left straight with greater success as the first round ticks on – talking to Poirier all the while. Then, suddenly, McGregor glances a left hand off the back of Poirier’s head, dropping the American. Two hammer fists and two punches follow on the downed ‘Diamond’, and Dean waves the fight off. AH: “The way in which he won... it wasn’t just a victory, it wasn’t just a decision win, he smoked Poirier in less than two minutes. He called Dustin ‘pea-head’, said he would bounce Dustin’s head off the canvas, then literally did that.” PC: “The punch he hit Poirier with... I saw this tweet from a mainstream Irish journalist, saying it was a bull**** shot and made him think it was a choreographed fight. I remember thinking: ‘What does this kid [McGregor] have to do to get respect in Ireland?’” MO: “When you’ve known somebody for such a long time, you’re even more heartbroken for them when they lose, which is certainly how I felt for Dustin. I knew how intense the lead-up was, so to have such a ‘final’ end to that fight... your heart just breaks. It wasn’t even like it was the end of the third round, it was so quick in there.” BB: “Did I feel something in that moment, knowing what that fight meant to Dustin? Absolutely I did, when I realise that everything the man has fought for, trained for, everything he’s done for the last number of years in his life has come down to this one defining moment.” MO: “I think it was kind of like a light switch turning on for a lot of people, like: ‘Okay, Conor’s legit, because that’s Dustin Poirier.’” The aftermath As Buffer announces the result – McGregor winning by TKO“at 1:46 of the very first round” – Poirier congratulates his rival, the Irishman in kind calling his vanquished foe“a great guy”. McGregor receives his jiu-jitsu brown belt from his coaching team and sports it during his in-ring interview. “I don’t just knock them out, I pick the round,”McGregor tells commentator Joe Rogan. “You can call me ‘Mystic Mac’, because I predict these things.” Rogan informs McGregor that 10 per cent of ticket sales for the event at the 15,000-seater came from the Irish. “I wanted to come over here and show the American public the new era of the fighting Irish... If one of us goes to war, we all go to war.” PC: “After McGregor beats Poirier, the place just clears out. Four fights into his UFC career, Conor’s already a bigger commodity than Johnson, the reigning flyweight champion of the world.” AH: “The post-fight interview in the cage was legendary. Then there was the ivory suit he wore after, the sunglasses, the man-bun and shaved sides... There’s that scene of him in the hallway, doing the billionaire strut. It just felt like: ‘Okay, Conor McGregor's a superstar.’” PC: “The Notorious RTE documentary series was out and it made his dad Tony, mum Mags and sister Erin almost celebrities. They were mobbed [in Vegas]. I remember stopping to talk to Tony and people were pouring past, shouting his name. He was being bombarded.” MO: “About a month ago, Conor sent me a picture of our interview from after the fight. For Conor fights in general I was a bit nervous, because sometimes when somebody is in that very competitive mind-frame, they can’t change gears when they come to see me. But he was just himself, and I remember thinking: ‘Wow, he already knows how to turn it on and off and conserve the energies he has for when he needs them.’ He’s so tactful with how he handles the before, during and after.” PC: “He nearly became a mythological creature. The Poirier fight, to me, symbolises McGregor going from being an Irish commodity to an international commodity. To be clear: He had belonged to this generation – not the Irish in general. At this stage he hadn’t put a foot wrong, he was becoming our national ambassador. When people found out you were Irish, it used to be: ‘Oh, Guinness! Roy Keane!’ It became: ‘Oh, Conor McGregor!’ “The thing about my generation is we were kids who came out of college into a recession. Conor was this kind of shining light for us, this story of triumph amid this societal chaos in Ireland. We had so much skin in the game. People used the [Chad] Mendes fight as their summer holiday. I was walking around, seeing guys I hadn’t seen since I left school. I must’ve met 200 people I knew from home, I’m not even being overdramatic. “That’s what the Poirier fight did: It laid the foundation for what would become the Irish invasion of Vegas, it planted the seeds for Conor fights to be the big sporting events of our generation.” AH: “If Conor had lost [against Poirier], it would have been a major setback. This was a really big fight for him on a pay-per-view with a lot of big names. It felt like the true unveiling of him as this great prize-fighter and one of the faces of the UFC. If he doesn’t win, the Aldo dream fight is done; he has to claw his way back up. You can’t say he loses one fight and he’ll never amount to anything, but that would have been a serious impediment in his meteoric rise.” Read More The night Conor McGregor became ‘Mystic Mac’ The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary, McGregor Forever UFC’s ‘BMF’ title returns as Dustin Poirier fights Justin Gaethje for vacant belt When is the next UFC event? UFC schedule 2023: Every fight happening this year UFC London ticket prices as July fights are announced

Manchester United interested in landing Mason Mount from Chelsea

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Francis Ngannou has corrected Dana White’s false claim that the heavyweight was released by the UFC, after White criticised Ngannou for signing with the PFL. Ngannou left the UFC at the end of his contract in January, relinquishing the heavyweight title before announcing last week that he had signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). As part of Ngannou’s PFL deal, the Cameroonian will be able to box on the side, and his opponents will receive a guaranteed pay of $2million. Furthermore, Ngannou, 36, will serve as chairman of PFL Africa and have equity in the promotion. The “Predator” is expected to box this year and make his PFL debut in 2024. UFC president White said on Saturday that the deal “makes no sense to me” and that Ngannou “wants to take zero risks”. The American also referenced “the day that we released him”. Ngannou took exception to the 53-year-old’s comments, however. “What is your problem with me?” Ngannou tweeted on Sunday (21 May). “I completed my contract, was a free agent, and chose to walk away. You didn’t release me. “I hate taking risks? That’s why I defended my title to [fulfil] my contract with no acl or mcl? “I’m finally getting paid and respected, and have a deal that’s fair and equal for all parties. Why are you so against me being free and happy?” Ngannou also hit back at White’s claim that the Cameroonian had turned down fights in the UFC prior to his exit. “The reason I fought three times in three years is because you wanted to control my deal and [sign] a new one. And freeze me out,” Ngannou wrote. “‘I owe these guys three fights a year.’ Isn’t that what you say? What happened? I always asked for & never said no to any fight in the 3 years.” Ngannou most recently fought in January 2022, outpointing former teammate Ciryl Gane to retain the UFC heavyweight title with an injured knee. He later underwent treatment for the injury, before leaving the UFC this January. In March, UFC light-heavyweight icon Jon Jones won the vacant heavyweight title by submitting Gane in Round 1. Jones and Ngannou have long gone back and forth on Twitter and in the media, with White previously accusing Jones of avoiding a fight with Ngannou. On Saturday, however, the UFC president claimed the opposite, leading Ngannou to write: “If you ever really want that Jon Jones fight to happen, reach out to @PeteMurrayPFL. Whenever, wherever.” Ngannou also shared footage of White suggesting, after Ngannou had beaten Gane, that Jones had no desire to fight the Cameroonian. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Francis Ngannou: Who will the heavyweight fight next after signing with PFL? Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary Who will Francis Ngannou fight next after signing with PFL? Francis Ngannou explains unprecedented PFL deal and how it will help his opponents Conor McGregor makes guarantee for Michael Chandler fight

Conor McGregor has insisted that he will fight Michael Chandler before the end of the year, amid fan concerns that the UFC clash will not take place at all. It was announced in early February that McGregor and Chandler would serve as opposing coaches on the new season of The Ultimate Fighter, which airs between 30 May and 15 August, before fighting each other. However, no date, location or weight class has been confirmed for the bout. McGregor is also absent from the United States Anti-Doping Agency’s testing pool. Fighters must be in the pool for six months and return two negative tests (and zero positives) in order to compete in the UFC. As a result, McGregor must enter the pool imminently if he is to fight before the end of 2022. “That’s done, man,” Conor McGregor claimed in an interview with the Daily Mirror at the weekend. “That’s done. I’m ready. “By year-end, I’m back in that cage, having competed. I’m gearing up now, ready to go. “The fight’s signed now. It’ll be announced during The Ultimate Fighter. So, The Ultimate Fighter is airing in a few days on ESPN; by the time that show finishes, we’ll have a date and everything set for the fans.” Irishman McGregor, 34, has not fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier. Meanwhile, Chandler also lost to Poirier in his most recent bout, having been submitted by his fellow American in November. Last week, the second documentary covering McGregor’s career was released on Netflix. McGregor Forever covers the former dual-weight champion’s fights with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Donald Cerrone, his back-to-back losses to Poirier in 2021, and his recovery from his broken leg. Read The Independent’s review of the four-part series here. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More McGregor Forever: The problem with the new Conor McGregor documentary Conor McGregor cheers on Katie Taylor from ringside during Chantelle Cameron fight Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones

The video looks like a gun advertisement -- on steroids. Shot in the style of a music video, with quick edits and a pulsating beat, three athletic looking men test fire a variety of machine guns, rocket launchers, assault rifles and handguns.

Conor McGregor is sitting in a hospital bed, clad in a surgical gown, his face still drained from a weight-cut. “I thought it was over,” he says of his career, before the setting morphs to an Octagon, where McGregor is sitting on the canvas, sporting his fight-night attire, his face twisted in pain. “This is not over!” he hisses at Dustin Poirier. That is how Netflix’s McGregor Forever begins, the second documentary built around the MMA megastar. While 2017 film Notorious covered the Irishman’s rise to becoming the first dual-weight champion in UFC history and his iconic rivalry with Nate Diaz, this new series documents the journeys around his last four fights – three of them defeats – with an episode dedicated to each, loosely speaking. McGregor Forever, directed by Gotham Chopra and produced by Religion Of Sports, starts at the end: in the aftermath of McGregor breaking his leg against Poirier in July 2021. It then veers back to 2018 and the Irishman's bitter rivalry with Khabib Nurmagedomov, onto his 2020 return against Donald Cerrone, his January 2021 duel with Poirier, and finally their ill-fated rematch six months later. Notorious was released shortly after McGregor’s spectacle of a super-fight with boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, the backstory of which was absent from that film and eludes this series. And so McGregor Forever begins in earnest in the lead-up to the UFC star’s clash with Khabib, a fascinating and until-now-under-explored spell in McGregor’s career. It is a spell made even more bewitching by the stark contrast between scenes of McGregor playing with his first-born son, partaking in a gender reveal for his daughter, and the venom of his exchanges with Nurmagomedov. An eerie soundtrack only serves to enhance the foreboding feeling throughout. McGregor’s coach, John Kavanagh, once spoke of his fighter’s ominous attitude ahead of the fight; how McGregor was beating up sparring partners, rather than trying to learn from them, before celebrating by going out and drinking. Indeed, this particular stint of the series validates those revelations, painting a picture of an insecure McGregor, and each second of never-before-seen footage is welcome – even an excruciating scene in which McGregor’s dislocated toes are wrenched back into place, three weeks before the fight; especially shots of a teary-eyed McGregor coming to terms with the defeat, surrounded by teammates in his locker room yet desperately alone. For all the intriguing elements to this phase of McGregor’s career, the fighter himself sees it simply: “I was beat, and that’s that. I was beat where it mattered, end of.” There is a similarly revealing moment in the third episode, after McGregor suffers his first ever knockout loss. “That was just abysmal,” he says, before questioning his team. “How come you boys have nothing... I was shot, my leg was dead, and there wasn’t a rattle at all [from you].” Both scenes follow satisfyingly cinematic framings of the fights themselves, and the other episodes employ the same impactful sound and visual editing. The opening episode closes with McGregor carrying out community service in the series’ only acknowledgement of his various legal issues in recent years. Yet hearing McGregor express his sincere feelings about the experience highlights perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the documentary: Elsewhere, there is a distinct lack of soundbites from McGregor, with old interviews instead laid over much of the fresh footage and undermining the excitement of seeing new clips. Yet the biggest problem is the timing of the series itself. McGregor Forever is sold as the story of the Irishman’s comebacks from numerous setbacks, and of his impending comeback from his broken leg; however, he is yet to come back in the manner that matters most to his fans and to the sport: in the ring, and more ideally with a win. Furthermore, the series does not exactly convince you that such a win is impending. If you had not seen McGregor’s final encounter with Poirier, the last episode of the series would lead you to believe that the Irishman was approaching a redemptive victory, rather than the concerning performance and devastating injury that followed. That McGregor has conquered his recovery from that injury is more than commendable and should not be overlooked. The 34-year-old speaks in this documentary about his desire to keep fighting, how he is and always will be a fighter first and foremost, but we are yet to even see a date announced for his next fight, against Michael Chandler. When it comes to making fights, the number and nature of moving parts can be dizzying, so McGregor’s ongoing, extended absence is not entirely his fault. But fans want a clarity on the situation that this documentary cannot provide. Between this series, his appearances as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter, and his constant presence on social media, there is plenty of McGregor content to consume in 2023. There are just not enough McGregor contests. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Conor McGregor shoves Michael Chandler in trailer for The Ultimate Fighter Michael Chandler gives disappointing update on Conor McGregor fight Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron are shaming their male counterparts