THURSDAY NEWS DIGEST 2/1: New weight cutting rules could move Max Holloway to the lightweight division (w/ Mojgani’s analysis)

BY ALI MOJGANI, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Max
Max Holloway (Tom Szczerbowski © USA Today Sports)

The current featherweight champion is a very large 145 lb’er. Max “Blessed” Holloway has talked about the potential move up to lightweight before. However, with the new weight-cut restrictions being enforced, that time might come sooner rather than later. On The MMA Hour Holloway said “If they change a few things around, I’m probably not going to be able to make 145. If it happens, it happens. If UFC keeps making new rules, I most definitely might have to step up. There ain’t no denying it”. “Blessed” has never missed weight in his career. Still, Holloway admitted the new procedure that requires fighters to weigh in on arrival of fight week has made things much more difficult. Holloway deemed the potential move to lightweight as “inevitable”.

Mojgani’s Analysis: The new weight cutting restrictions will be brutal for a lot of fighters and I’m sure we’ll see more guys than just Holloway move up. While “Blessed” has been able to use his size to his advantage in his fights thus far, the weight cut restrictions could be detrimental to his cardio. Holloway’s striking is crisp, but the output he can maintain throughout the fight has been his bread and butter. His high volume and pressure striking is what overwhelmed former featherweight king Jose Aldo twice and former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.

THURSDAY NEWS NOTEBOOK

John Dodson predicts the outcome of potential super-fight at flyweight.

As the possibility of a super-fight between bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw and flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson seems likely, other fighters are chiming in on the outcome.  “The Magician” John Dodson took part in a Facebook Fan Q & A recently and told fans, “It’s funny that he (TJ Dillashaw) wants to fight Demetrious Johnson because if I didn’t beat Demetrious Johnson and he couldn’t beat me, that means he can’t beat him. That’s the way I look at that.” Dodson knocked TJ out in the finale of The Ultimate Fighter 14 to win the bantamweight bracket. “The Magician” isn’t a fan of all the “Dillashaw” hype either. Dodson is looking to win his next bout versus Pedro Munhoz at UFC Belem to climb back up the rankings. Dodson would love to challenge the current bantamweight champion again to knock him off his pedestal and prove that his last victory over him wasn’t just luck.

Mojgani’s Analysis: Unfortunately for John Dodson the fight with TJ Dillashaw that he’s referencing was more than six years ago. At the time TJ Dillashaw was a very green fighter having just made the transition from college wrestling. While he could very well defeat the bantamweight champion with his well-known speed, I would definitely expect a different fight this time around.  

Glover Teixeira discusses upcoming heavyweight super-fight and Jimi Manuwa

Glover Teixeira turned down a fight with Jimi Manuwa at UFC London much to Manuwa’s displeasure. Glover’s hopes were that he would have a chance to fight light-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier due to the fact that the number one contender, Alex Gustafson, was still recovering from surgery. Unfortunately, Cormier is moving up to challenge heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Teixera isn’t upset about it and called it “a good move for him” when talking with MMAFighting. He also said, “I would’ve done the same thing if I was him.” In the interview, Glover said he believes Cormier definitely has a chance to win and will give Miocic a tough fight. Teixeira also sees a fight with Manuwa down the line, saying he will “save him one”.

Mojgani’s Analysis: Glover Teixeira was too optimistic in hoping he would get a fight with Daniel Cormier. Teixera is currently riding a one fight win streak, though it was an impressive finish of Misha Cirkunov. Prior to that fight, Glover was knocked out by number one contender Alex Gustafson last year. The fight between himself and Jimi Manuwa seems like a logical move later in the year should Manuwa get past Jan Blachowicz in London.

Advertising or first look?  Floyd Mayweather steps inside an MMA cage, again

Floyd Mayweather recently caused a storm of rumors yesterday when he posted a short video of himself walking into an MMA cage. He was at it again today. This time Mayweather,  standing inside the cage, asks “2018. Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather. MMA. What are the odds?” The video could have been a well-planned advertisement for a betting bookmaker. On the other hand, the forty-year-old boxing legend could be hinting at a possible MMA fight.

Mojgani’s Analysis: It’s no secret Floyd loves money and flaunting his wealth. So, it isn’t out of the realm of possibility to speculate he might be entertaining gigantic offers to fight inside the octagon. Especially, after a year that saw MMA’s biggest star take on the biggest boxing draw in a highly anticipated boxing match. However, I find it unlikely Floyd would accept any offer that involves him stepping inside a cage to fight. 

Injury postpones Brandon Moreno vs Ray Borg until UFC 223

The bout has been scratched from UFC Austin due to an injury suffered by Moreno. In the fight, both men were looking to get a win streak going. Borg’s last fight was against flyweight king Demetrious Johnson where he lost by submission. Moreno’s last defeat came at the hands of Sergio Pettis at UFC Fight Night Mexico City. The two flyweights will now clash at UFC 223 in Brooklyn on April 7th.

NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS NEWS: WEDNESDAY NEWS DIGEST 1/31: Daniel Cormier and Alexander Gustafson engage in hostile Twitter exchange (w/ Mojgani’s analysis)

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