The prospective fight between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor is rubbernecking at its worst, but history offers precedent for events like theseAt the height of UFC middleweight Anderson Silva’s great career in 2009, he began lobbying to box Roy Jones Jr. It was Silva’s dream, he said, and for a time, other than a one-on-one bout with his clone, boxing Jones became the Brazilian’s biggest goal. UFC president Dana White spoke openly about knowing Jones. Of being friendly with Jones. And, while not quite understanding why anyone would want to see it, of wanting to deliver the bout for both Jones and Silva.Of course, though Jones was willing, it didn’t happen. Silva has chalked up the missed opportunity to the...
Mixed martial arts isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but Streep’s jibe at the Golden Globes was misguided. MMA is plenty diverse: it’s full of foreigners and outsidersIn her heartfelt speech at the Golden Globes on Sunday night, Meryl Streep found time to mention mixed martial arts, also known as MMA. Streep took aim at Donald Trump and defended the diversity that has made Hollywood, and America, great. “Hollywood is crawling with outsiders and foreigners, and if we kick them all out, you’ll have nothing to watch but football and mixed martial arts – which are not the arts,” she said. Related: Dana White attacks 'uppity 80-year-old' Meryl Streep over MMA comments Related: Will Ronda Rousey's downfall kill female UFC? Don't...
The American’s future is uncertain after defeat to Amanda Nunes. But women’s mixed martial arts are in rude health and has other big drawsRonda Rousey was rare enough, and the memory of women’s MMA was shallow enough, that some people believed as she went so would the trajectory of female cage fighting. From the moment Rousey proved she could be a driver of mass attention and revenue for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, questions arose about what would happen when she wasn’t around anymore.Would the UFC, which opened its divisions to women in 2013 because of Rousey, continue to invest in building weight classes without a superstar on which to pin its interest? Could fighters emerge from Rousey’s long shadow to...
The American fighter was once the queen of MMA but after two successive losses she has demonstrated that fame is of little help in the OctagonRonda Rousey’s head was snapped back enough times in the opening moments of her return to the UFC for the crowd to see what was coming. Defeat and despair, yes. Victory and redemption, no.“I knew if I had a chance in the beginning of the fight, if she gives me the opportunity, that I would finish her there,” said Amanda Nunes, who battered Rousey on Friday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to retain the UFC bantamweight title for the first time. Related: Ronda Rousey beaten in 48 seconds as UFC comeback ends in...
The former champion has kept a low profile before her return to the cage against Amanda Nunes. And no one is sure which Ronda Rousey we will see on FridaySpeaking to the press ahead of her first UFC title defense this Friday in Las Vegas, bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes said she’s not sure what to make of her challenger but something seems off.“It’s good for me Ronda Rousey’s not doing anything,” Nunes said. “I can rest and focus on my training and losing weight and that’s it.” Related: Ronda Rousey learned a painful truth: an unblemished career is extremely rare Related: Judo gold medallist Kayla Harrison to follow 'frenemy' Ronda Rousey into MMA Continue reading...