The MMA general news, events and thoughts thread

[wandshogun09]

37 minutes ago, Egg Shen said:

There's no way they throw Strickland in, surely?

I was mostly joking when I said that. Mostly. But the way things are going it wouldn’t shock me that much. Hopefully DDP’s injury isn’t too serious and they can just push the Khamzat fight back a bit to a slightly later date. If he’s gonna be out a while, it should be Borralho or Imavov against Khamzat, no doubt. But when you look at some of the decisions they make, it wouldn’t be a massive shock if they give Strickland or Izzy another undeserved title shot. It’d be bollocks but a lot of what they do is bollocks now. 

[wandshogun09]

Sounds like the penny’s finally dropped and Ariel’s realised Jones actually just doesn’t want the Aspinall fight…

Up until now he’d been spinning the narrative that Jones was playing a masterstroke and ‘working’ us all to make us wanna see the fight more. Very different tone from him now here. Seems like he’s finally realised this isn’t a pro wrestling ‘angle’. Jones beat Stipe in November, nearly six months ago, and despite the hopeful cryptic teases from Aspinall about something big being in the works, we don’t seem to be any closer on the fight happening. Chael’s come out and said he’s heard the fight is done but it’s Chael’s thing isn’t it? You can’t put any stock into what that bullshitter says. If that’s the only source saying the fight’s on then we’ve got nothing to go on.

Fuck knows what’s going on behind the scenes but I don’t think it’s happening myself. I’ll be over the moon if I’m proven wrong but it doesn’t sound promising to me. You know it’s bad when Helwani’s publicly saying “if this fight doesn’t happen, we can’t blame the UFC”. Usually he’d be falling over himself to blast them so for him to say that, you know what the hold up is. The same thing it’s always been. Jones doesn’t want it. Sounds like they’ve tried to meet his demands and he’s been moving the goalposts and/or upping the number he wants. Oldest form of ducking going, pricing himself out. I’ll be amazed if the fight actually gets made and even more amazed if it gets made and Jones makes it to the cage without failing a drug test or tearing a hamstring or pec because he’s a fat mess. Absolute clown. 

[Kfogg1991]

Yeah apparently it was a done deal and ready to announce but yesterday Jones pulled and we're now getting Tom Vs gane for the interim instead which if it turns out to be true and Jones isn't stripped of the belt and it be for the undisputed I fully give up and fully believe Jon Jones has something on Dana that gives him a pass and preferable treatment compared to everyone else.

 

[wandshogun09]

18 hours ago, Kfogg1991 said:

Yeah apparently it was a done deal and ready to announce but yesterday Jones pulled and we're now getting Tom Vs gane for the interim instead which if it turns out to be true and Jones isn't stripped of the belt and it be for the undisputed I fully give up and fully believe Jon Jones has something on Dana that gives him a pass and preferable treatment compared to everyone else.

If that’s also coming from Chael though I’d take it all with a pinch of salt. The man’s a pathological liar. He made a career off it! I do fully expect that Aspinall vs Gane will end up being the fight we get once it’s 100% confirmed Jones has bottled it. But I doubt anything was a done deal or close to being announced. Seems like they’re still negotiating the money and apparently they can’t find common ground on that so it’s a non starter. 

I really think the UFC need to set a deadline now and if a deal isn’t done by the deadline, strip Jones and book Aspinall a fight for the proper belt. Jones has taken the piss long enough. If they don’t grow a pair and call his bluff he’ll hold onto that belt until he’s in the grave. 

[wandshogun09]

Anyone seen this stuff going around about Francis Ngannou? There’s reports that he was involved in a motorcycle accident and a 17 year old girl died as a result. Fucking awful. 

https://www.cameroononline.org/tragedy-in-yaounde-francis-ngannou-reportedly-involved-in-fatal-accident/

Don’t know what the circumstances are surrounding this but, of course, MMA fans being the dregs of society have been their usual level headed selves over this. Jon Jones fans (why do they still exist in 2025?) are jumping all over the opportunity to brand Ngannou a “murderer”. 

[NeverYield]

I saw this last night, absolutely mental stuff.

[wandshogun09]

Great. What’s this now? The UFC just gets shitter by the week…

[sirdobbo89]

Alex Pereira was never my friend.

You know it's coming.

[wandshogun09]

Pereira’s saying he was hacked now ?

[wandshogun09]

There’s a clip of Jon Jones going around saying “I’m done”. Who the fuck knows what he’s up to, if this is genuine or some warped ‘mind game’ or negotiation tactic? But I genuinely hope he is done. It’s crystal clear he’s got zero intention of fighting Aspinall and he can’t contractually fight Ngannou. There’s nothing else I wanna see from him. Good riddance.

Helwani’s reaction made me laugh though.

“This is what I’ve been saying the whole time” 

Erm, no. All the way through this whole ordeal Helwani’s been giving it the old ‘Jones is working us all’ shtick. Saying he was ‘building the fight’ and stuff. Now he’s acting like he knew all along the fight wasn’t gonna happen? Piss off ?

[Egg Shen]

Cant help but feel everyone's misreading that, the guy on the phone hints at Jones having ten years left, to which Jones replies "i'm done". I don't think he means he's retired now.

Still, he'd pissing about.

[Egg Shen]

No longer thread worthy, but a heads up that the new season of TUF starts on Wednesday (our time). Airs on Fight Pass, not sure if TNT has it.

Probably would have skipped it, but the coaches may make it entertaining.

 

[Egg Shen]

This isn't good...

 

[Egg Shen]

Johnny Hendricks sighting...

 

[Egg Shen]

Worth a shot: