Michael Bisping involved in altercation, being sued
UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping was involved in an altercation at a 24-Hour Fitness on July 31, and is now being sued. According to the suit filed by attorney Gavril T. Gabriel, Bisping choked Antonio Georgakopoulos, 19 after calling him names such as, little punk and idiot. Bisping also told Georgakopoulos, you don’t know who I am. The altercation apparently started due to Bisping yelling at Georgakopoulos for taking weights.
Thanks to MMA Junkie, the full lawsuit can be seen here:
https://usatmmajunkie.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/michael-bisping-antonio-georgakopoulos-lawsuit.pdf
Dana White says the UFC could get into boxing
White spoke to the Wall Street Journal on The Unnamed Podvideocast and said there’s a possibility of the UFC promoting boxing.
“I could see bringing boxing under our umbrella and trying to see what we could do with that. I could see doing that.”
On his love for MMA: “This is what I love to do,” White said. “I’m 48 years old. This is what I jump out of bed every day and I love doing. I love working with [WME-IMG co-CEO] Ari [Emanuel]. Ari and I actually get along really, really well. And then his other partner Patrick [Whitesell] is the nicest guy in the world. I couldn’t be in a better position. I couldn’t be doing it with better people. I’m good.”
On his future plans: “What people don’t understand is first of all, I’m still an owner. I still have an ownership position in the UFC. And yeah, I signed a contract, but no contract can keep you anywhere. I could leave tomorrow if I wanted to. I obviously couldn’t go work for somebody else, but I could leave when I want to leave. I don’t want to leave.
“If I stopped doing this, one of the things that I would focus on is making education better in Las Vegas. I would like to work on the schools and break down the system that’s in place now, because it’s a mess.”
Bob Arum calls the UFC desperate
Top Rank CEO and Founder Bob Arum responded to Dana White’s accusations that boxing is killing itself by not caring about the future and “trying to get every dime they can out of you” at every event.
“You have to understand, UFC is a monopoly. The money they earn on a fight because they pay their athletes 20 percent of the gross, we pay around 80 percent, what they say they’re investing back in the business, they’re investing in themselves. They put money in their pockets! That’s not investing in anything. In boxing, there are a large number of promoters, and when a promoter has a successful event and there’s a profit he earns, he puts it back in the company. What the fu*k is White talking about? White is speaking from desperation now, he’s the spokesperson for what could be a failing business!
“My thoughts are that UFC is desperate. Their numbers are way off, they have no marquee star. Look at their PPV numbers. They barely break 100,000 homes on their shows. They’re having trouble getting renewal on their contract with FOX. They have to do something. One of things they may try and fall back on and try and acquire a boxing presence. About a year ago, I was approached by someone repping UFC, they wanted to buy Top Rank.”
According to Arum, Ari Emanuel tried to buy Top Rank’s fight library.
CM Punk is ready to get back in the cage
Phil “CM Punk” Brooks is ready to get back into the cage. The former WWE wrestler has been training with Duke Roufus at Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the past fourteen months and his coach says he learned what a real beating feels like. Roufus spoke with Jim Norton and Matt Serra on the UFC Unfiltered podcast about Punk’s next move.
“(UFC President Dana White) and the matchmakers had their weekly matchmaking meeting yesterday, and we’ll get some news soon. “I just think the first time you step in the octagon, there’s something special you’ve got to deal with getting in there. For Punk, this sounds really weird, but now he knows what a beating feels like – a real beating.
“I think (a loss like Punk’s at UFC 203) will help a lot of fighters to the point of haunting them, like, ‘No, I don’t want to feel this way ever again. It’s not the physical. These guys are tough. It’s the mental anguish. You don’t want to feel that depressing, embarrassing feeling of getting beat up in front of God and everyone. It’s no fun. It’s been great motivation for him.”
MMA News Notebook
Bellator 185 featuring the debut of Gegard Mousasi drew 476,000 viewers.
Paige VanZant is back training after a slew of setbacks.
Fight Announcements
Frankie Saenz vs. Merab Dvalishvili is set for UFC Fight Night 123
Jennifer Maia vs. Agnieszka Niedzwiedz is set for Invicta FC 26
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