Pontarii

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 3 - JANUARY 2020 UFC 246: Conor vs Cowboy - Preview <img src=https://i.imgur.com/R1CQ89s.jpg> Dan Hardy: "Conor is the favorite, but never count 'Cowboy' out" Tomorrow night we will finally get to see one of the most anticipated fights in recent history when former champ-champ "Notorious" Conor McGregor (21-4) squares off against the winningest UFC-fighter in history Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (36-13-1 NC). Following a tough recent spell with losses against Floyd Mayweather in boxing and recently against Khabib Nurmagomedov in the Lightweight Title bout, many consider this fight against "Cowboy" as "do-or-die" for the 31-year old McGregor. "I'm here to prove the doubters wrong. I'm the biggest draw in both MMA and Boxing and I'm the best fighter in the world. "Mystic Mac" predicts this one to end with a clean KO in the first round, just like I put away Aldo", said McGregor during the press conference leading up to the fight. "Cowboy" however has a more laid back approach to the fight. "It's going to be fun as hell being in the octagon against Conor. Our paths have crossed multiple times during the years and I'm thrilled it'll finally happen. But it's not a "win or you're finished"-kind of deal for me. Don't get me wrong, I will do anything to beat Conor and have the best fight in my life but my career and legacy doesn't depend on this fight only", said "Cowboy" during the same press conference. <img src=https://i.imgur.com/9WzpWXE.jpg> During the ever so popular UFC preview show "Inside the Octagon" the prolific fight analyzer Dan Hardy named Conor as the favorite, but he warned the fans about counting the veteran "Cowboy" out. "For me, it's clear that Conor is the favorite heading in to the fight. He has a phenomenal left hand and possess a lot more skills and abilities than he gets the credit for. He has a good takedown defence and great footwork combined with an elite level fighting IQ. But make no mistake about it, "Cowboy" will show up and be ready for a dog fight. He has the advantage with the stamina and the ground game and can finish opponents in many different ways. I know Conor is a huge fan favorite and many expect him to walk through "Cowboy" with ease but never count out Donald. Earlier today, the ceremonial weigh-ins took place and every fighter on the card made weight. The only change in the card is the Drew Dober versus Nasrat Haqparast-fight where Dober pulled out earlier in the week citing injury. No replacement was found and the bout is now scrapped. The fight card looks like this: UFC 246: Conor vs Cowboy Date: January 18, 2020 Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Nevada Main Event Welterweight Bout: (#4 LW) Conor McGregor vs (#5 LW)Donald Cerrone Co-Main Event Women's Bantamweight Bout: (#4) Holly Holm vs (#6) Raquel Pennington Main Card Heavyweight Bout: (#12) Aleksei Oleynik vs Maurice Greene Women's Strawweight Bout: (#6) Claudia Gadelha vs (#10) Alexa Grasso Lightweight Bout: (#10) Anthony Pettis vs (#15) Carlos Diego Ferreira ESPN Preliminary Card Women's Flyweight Bout: (#7) Roxanne Modafferi vs (#8) Maycee Barber Featherweight Bout: Andre Fili vs Sodiq Yusuff Featherweight Bout: Chas Skelly vs Grant Dawson ESPN+ Early Preliminary Card Light Heavyweight Bout: Saparek Safarov vs Justin Ledet Flyweight Bout: (#7) Tim Elliott vs (#12) Askar Askarov Bantamweight Bout: Brian Kelleher vs Ode Osbourne Women's Flyweight Bout: Sabina Mazo vs J.J. Aldrich

<img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg> WEEK 2 - JANUARY 2020 UFC News <img src=https://i.imgur.com/OXM63ih.jpg> Jon Jones injured - title fight against Dominick Reyes postponed In some breaking news UFC announced on their website today that the Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones has withdrawn from his upcoming title fight against Dominick Reyes at UFC 248. According to Jones' team, he suffered a severe thigh injury during practice and will be out for the next couple of months. ESPN spoke with Dominick Reyes about the news. "It's of course very frustrating but it's nothing we can do about it. Injuries are a part of the sport, like it or not. I wish Jon a speedy recovery and I hope I get my chance for the title when he's ready and healthy". UFC president Dana White confirmed on the same show that the organization is not going to replace Jones with another fighter and keep Reyes on the card. "The Light Heavyweight Title fight is postponed until we know for sure when Jon is back", White said. He also confirmed that the UFC is looking for a replacement main event of worthy caliber. "We're working hard on a new main event for the card. It's a big card so we must have a big fight. We'll announce it soon, I promise you that". ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <img src=https://i.imgur.com/5oJAn2l.jpg> Trio signs with the UFC - including former KSW Champ-Champ It's been a busy day for UFC regarding big news. Three new faces are heading to the biggest MMA organization in the world. Former undefeated KSW Lightweight & Featherweight champion Mateusz "Gamer" Gamrot (15-0-1 NC) has signed a lucrative 5 year contract with the UFC. Gamrot won the KSW Lightweight title against Grzegorz Szulakowski at KSW 42 early 2018 and later that year he topped Kleber Koike Erbst at KSW KSW 46 to cement his place as the polish organizations double champion. With a clear intent on wanting to go to the UFC, Gamrot vacated both is titles and opted not to renew is ending contract at KSW before signing a 5-year deal with UFC. It's not clear whether or not Gamrot will compete at Lightweight or Featherweight at his new home but reports indicate a Lightweight run for the 29-year old Polish fighter. Anatoly Tokov (29-3), a staple in Bellator's Middleweight division for the last years, has also signed a 5-year deal with the UFC. Riding a win streak of 5 in a row, Tokov is looking to cement his place as a top contender in the razor sharp Middleweight division in the UFC. The 29-year old Russian fighter has openly said he wants to dethrone current Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, but Tokov has to go through some very tough obstacles to get his chance to fulfill his wishes. The third and last signing UFC announced is a return of 28-year old Welterweight Albert "Einstein" Tumenov (20-5). The Russian-born fighter is back in the company after a 4 year absences in which he both won and defended the ACA(formerly ACB) Welterweight Championship and he's looking to prove to everyone that he is where he belong. Tumenov has fought 8 times in the UFC with 5 wins and 3 losses against Leon Edwards, Gunnar Nelson and Ildemar Alcantara. Rumor has it that UFC is planning on another event in Russia later this year. It would be no surprise if either Tokov or Tumenov will fight on that card.

I'm using mariochives latest version Modern Warriors, with myself editing a few bits and pieces such as latest events+results, added some fighters and other things you'll see in the future. I'm eager to make this as good as possible and to see what the MMA world has to offer in the near future. Thanks for the comment, it's always appreciated! :-)

<p></p><div style="text-align:center;"><p><img src=https://i.imgur.com/eYAV0hw.jpg></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>WEEK 1 - JANUARY 2020</strong></span></p><p><strong> </strong><strong><span style="font-size:14px;">UFC Press Conference</span></strong></p><p> </p><p> <img src=https://i.imgur.com/BpCcmcy.jpg></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Dana White: "Poirier vs Gaethje rematch set for UFC 249"</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> During today's UFC press conference to introduce fans and media members to the new year, president Dana White announced several things surrounding the company moving forward. The biggest news is regarding the stacked Lightweight title contention in what most fans regards as the companies elite weight class. With the long awaited title fight between undefeated 28-0 champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and title challenger Tony Ferguson, with 12 straight victories to his name, main eventing at the Barclay Center, the card lacked a proper co-main event, at least until now. Number 2 ranked Dustin Poirier (25-6-1) and Number 3 ranked Justin Gaethje (21-2) will face each other in a rematch. The first bout between the two ended in a TKO-victory for Poirier early in the 4th round.</p><p> </p><p> "It's official. Poirier vs Gaethje will co-main event [uFC] 249 behind Khabib and Tony", Dana White said during the press conference. When asked about what's at stakes between Poirier vs Gaethje, White simply answered "The winner will get the next shot for the title, 100%".</p><p> </p><p> White also confirmed the latest rumors regarding Sean Shelby's retirement and the staff changes UFC is making.</p><p> </p><p> "Sean [shelby] has retired and left the company. It's really sad news for the company and especially for me personally because I've worked with him for almost 20 years now. But I understand his decision and wish him all the best", White said. "Mick Maynard has been promoted to fill the role as Senior Vice President of Talent Relations. He has done a phenomenal job during his time her and I have no doubt in my mind that Mick is ready for this opportunity. I've talked with him regarding the upcoming events and I can honestly say that you guys are in for a treat."</p><p> </p><p> White also spoke about the scheduling for 2020 and how UFC will operate moving forward.</p><p> </p><p> "We will continue putting on great shows every month. I've seen headlines about other companies putting up 50-60 shows a year, but I think that's overkill. We always value quality over quantity. I can't say exactly how many events we'll do this year but expect around 35-40", White said. "And I can promise you that we'll put on shows on new and exciting places all over the world."</p><p> </p><p> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p> <img src=https://i.imgur.com/WQvgho0.jpg></p><p> </p><p> <span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Leon Edwards vs Tyron Woodley official for UFC Fight Night 171</strong></span></p><p> </p><p> UFC Fight Night 171 in London has finally its main event. After a lengthy time of rumors and speculations, UFC announced on Twitter today that Leon ”Rocky” Edwards (18-3) will face former UFC Welterweight champion Tyron ”The Chosen One” Woodley (24-4-1) in a bout many see as the true number #1 contender match.</p><p> </p><p> Leon Edwards, who hails from Birmingham, England is on an impressive 8-fight win streak with wins over notable fighters like former UFC Lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and Donald Cerrone. His last defeat came back in 2015 when he lost to current UFC Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a hard fought decision.</p><p> </p><p> This will be Tyron Woodleys first fight since losing the prestigious Welterweight title to the aforementioned Usman in March of last year. Woodley defended the title three times before losing it to the ”Nigerian Nightmare”. With impressive victories over notable names like Robbie Lawler, Darren Till and Stephen ”Wonderboy” Thompson, Woodley is looking to bounce back and reclaim the title once again.</p><p> </p><p> UFC also announced that middleweight contenders Jack Hermansson (20-5) and Derek Brunson (20-7) will co-main event.</p><p> </p><p> The main card of UFC Fight Night 171 in 02 Arena, London England looks currently like this:</p><p> </p><p> Welterweigh Bout: (#4) Leon Edwards vs (#1) Tyron Woodley</p><p> </p><p> Middleweight Bout: (#7) Jack Hermansson vs (#8) Derek Brunson</p><p> </p><p> Women's Flyweight Bout: (#6) JoJo Calderwood vs (#11) Alexis Davis</p><p> </p><p> Lightweight Bout: Marc Diakiese vs Steven Ray</p><p> </p><p> Welterweight Bout: Danny Roberts vs Nicolas Dalby</p></div><p></p><p></p>

With an ever-growing market of new and exiting talents, UFC is making some changes behind the scenes. Long time employee and now former Senior Vice President of Talent Relations Sean Shelby is retiring from the world of Mixed Martial Arts. ESPN Reporter Ariel Helwani broke the news earlier today on Twitter stating that Shelby had planned to retire for a while and that he informed UFC President Dana White two weeks ago. With a new decade looming, Shelby saw this as perfect timing to step down and hand over the responsibility to someone new, according to Helwani. According to sources to MMAJunkie, Shelby’s predecessor is already working with the company and has done so for the last 3 years. Former Legacy Fighting Championship (LFC) owner and current Vice President of Talent Relations Mick Maynard is the person tasked with replacing Sean Shelby as Senior VP. A role which includes organizing fights as well as both develop athletes on the roster and scout for new exciting potential UFC talents. Maynard has got a lot of praise for his work with young and upcoming fighters especially from the popular show Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series. Being interviewed in November last year, UFC President Dana White commented on Maynard’s work as being ”impressive and invaluable for the company”. UFC is expected to announce the staff changes officially soon. Stay tuned for more on MMAJunkie.com. By: Mike Bohn | January 3, 2020 | 3:30 pm