Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Nick Diaz to Fight Again, Kay Hansen Defends Only Fans Gig

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Nick Diaz UFC
Nick Diaz, UFC 266 early weigh-in Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press

MMA is a heck of a drug, with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Unfortunately, a few of this week’s quick hits feature the latter, though at least Aljamain Sterling is having some fun with his recent title win over Petr Yan.

Kay Hansen No Fan of Fans Criticizing Only Fans

Say that three times fast, will ya? Kay Hansen had another tough night at the office on Saturday at UFC 273. The 22-year old, who was a teenage sensation for Invicta FC a few years ago, lost her third straight fight inside the octagon, dropping a decision to newcomer Piera Rodriguez.

The loss dropped Hansen to 1-3 in the UFC, with all three of those defeats coming to fighters making their promotional debut. She was subsequently released from the organization, with the news breaking on Wednesday.

The loss also brought about renewed criticism of Hansen’s endeavors on Only Fans, which has become a popular side hustle among female fighters (and occasionally male fighters as well, including Kevin Holland). Shortly after her loss, Hansen had a response ready for those who were questioning her work ethic when it comes to fighting.

“Posting a photo on a site has ZERO impact on my fighting performance. Take your pathetic hate somewhere else,” she wrote as part of a brief statement on social media.

There’s a ring of truth to Hansen’s statement, in the sense that, plenty of fighters have part-time jobs, sadly. And maybe, even if the UFC paid new recruits adequately, she’d go the Only Fans route regardless. It’s not just about the money for everyone, right? There’s little doubt the content of Hansen’s posts being borderline pornographic (she’s currently advertising topless shots for $15) is what brings about a lot of these complaints, most likely from closet porn addicts anyway. Heck, if Hansen’s posts bother you, don’t look up Bellator fighter Orion Starr’s film catalog.

The good news is, at 22, Hansen is young enough to bounce back. With or without her side hustle, which is up to her. We just hope she keeps in mind this cautionary Only Fans tale.

Aljo Gets the Last Laugh

Aljamain Sterling now gets to take a victory lap, after being vilified following his DQ win of the UFC’s bantamweight title last year. Being frank, Petr Yan landed a boneheaded illegal knee, and cost himself the title. Sterling taking it may not have sat right with the fans, but it was the correct call as far as the rules go.

Now, after over a year of trash talking between the pair, Sterling sits as the undisputed UFC 135lb champion. Yes, it was a close win at UFC 273, a split decision, but a win none the less.

Sterling posting an “apology form” for fans to fill out following the win was priceless. He’s had to endure a year of trolling, and he’s still got his sense of humor intact. That’s great to see.

Jake Paul Comes Through with Charitable Donation to Alpha Male Coach

Jake Paul and Boxing Bullies have come through with a $10,000 donation to Team Alpha Male coach Joey Rodriguez Jr., whose daughter Angie is battling cancer, specifically stage 3 lymphoma.

Paul vowed to make a $10,000 donation following UFC 273, where Team Alpha Male fighter and debuting UFC athlete Mike Malott put the focus on the teenager’s battle with the disease. Malott pledged the entirety of his show money ($10,000) himself; Dana White later said the UFC would cover the donation, and double it, adding his win money as well.

Paul gets a lot of grief from the media, specifically in the MMA sphere, and we’re no exception. No snide marks on this one, Paul is being a class act here. The Go Fund Me to assist Joey and Angie is here.

Brian Stann Predicted Khamzat’s Arrival, Suggests He Hold Off on Title Fight

Earlier this month, a clip made the rounds highlighting Brian Stann from a few years back, talking about an unnamed welterweight turning heads at All Stars Training Center in Sweden (twitter user @rivalant gets credit for asking the question). So who was that mysterious welterweight?

You guessed it, it turns out that was Khamzat Chimaev, who was getting noticed literally years before making it to the UFC.

This past week, Stann went on The MMA Hour to discuss the clip, and his “Mystic Mac” like prediction regarding Khamzat.

“I’d get on the mats with some of those guys [All Stars] and they’d just keep telling me about this guy who had a background from Chechnya who was awesome, who was just fantastic and has all the skills and all the makings, and had the mental — they were like, ‘Look, this guy, when they rotate and it’s your turn to go with him for a round, he’s the one that nobody wants to go with,'” Stann recalled (h/t MMA Fighting), after admitting that he’d forgotten he’d even made the prediction.

That said, Stann’s advice for Chimaev is to slow his roll. “[Chimaev]’s ready, and it will be a fight, [but] do I think that it’s time for him, it’s his best opportunity to beat a guy like Kamaru Usman? I mean, Usman’s an animal, and he’s just so good and he’s still getting better,” Stann noted. “If I’m managing him — and you’re never gonna convince a fighter to slow down, that’s just the way we have to think — I do everything I can to get him more time, more experience.”

Cain Speaks For First Time Since Attempted Murder Charge

Well, not literally, but he has released his first public statement. Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez remains incarcerated, held without bail on an attempted murder charge after engaging in a high speed chase and shooting into a fleeing vehicle on a San Jose area highway, in which one of the passengers was accused of “a lewd and lascivious act” with a relative of the fighter.

Ultimately, Velasquez hit the wrong man, instead wounding his elderly father, while another, female family member was in the vehicle.

In the weeks since the original incident, not a word has been heard from Cain, but this past Tuesday, a statement was released on his verified social media, thanking his supporters.

“To everyone that has expressed your support, my family and I will never be able to thank you enough. From the bottom of our hearts and the depths of our souls, we are grateful for your love. Your selfless gestures and kind words have given me strength in my darkest times. This story is complex and slowly unraveling as we speak. To the true victims of this case, may God give you the strength to come forward. Though it is most difficult to relive the pain that has happened to you, in speaking the truth, justice will be served and your own true healing can start. I will never stop helping or loving my community and all of you. Thank you for loving me.”

Velasquez is facing between 20 years up to life in prison stemming from multiple charges related to the incident. A judge ruled his actions “reckless,” and deemed the fighter too high risk to grant bail.

Nick Diaz to Fight Again by Year’s End?

Cesar Gracie says Nick Diaz will fight again by the end of the year.

Whether that’s a fight we want to see relies heavily on the circumstances and opponent. After years away from the sport, Diaz returned to action in September, but was stopped due to retirement in the third round against old foe Robbie Lawler.

Ahead of the fight, Diaz shockingly claimed that he wasn’t sure why or how the fight had been booked in the first place. He made similar statements after the fact.

Now, his coach says he’ll be competing again. Let’s hope he’s fully on board if it happens.

Kingdom’s Jonathan Tucker in L.A. Supporting Juan Archuleta

Jonathan Tucker was one of the stars of Kingdom, an MMA-centered drama that ran for three seasons on Audience Network, from 2014 to 2017. He was on hand in Los Angeles on Monday at the Bellator 277/279 press conference, in support of Juan Archuleta, who both appeared on the show, and helped train fighters. Check out our chat with Tucker below.

Volkanovski, Zombie Get Identical Medical Suspensions Following One-Sided Beatdown

Maybe that’s a little harsh, but also, Florida. Is there anything they can’t get wrong?

Among the medical suspensions stemming from UFC 273, both Alexander Volkanovski and The Korean Zombie were slapped with… 14 day medical suspensions.

Suspensions from the event were handed out by the Florida State Boxing Commission. According to the UFC 273 broadcast, Zombie absorbed over 100 significant strikes in the fight.

Khamzat Chimaev got a 30 day suspension following his war with Gilbert Burns.

Mick Foley Stops by Jackson-Wink MMA

Cactus Jack. Mankind. Dude Love. For kids in the 90s, Mick Foley was pretty damn amazing regardless of what character he was portraying in WCW and later WWF wrestling. Say what you will about the wrasslin’ biz, but there was no faking what he did at Hell in a Cell, which made Foley a legend in a heartbeat.

Foley, a noted MMA fan, stopped by Jackson-Wink MMA recently, and was apparently used as a sack of potatoes.

And just because, Hell in a Cell highlights:

Mounir Lazzez’s Kinahan shout-out flops, fans then attack journalist who questions UFC fighter’s ties to wanted drug lord

UFC Vegas 51 was not a great event, and you’ll probably read a lot about why over the next few days. Two technical decisions, based on fouls that many fighters felt should have led to DQs, led the way. Then there was Mounir Lazzez, who spoiled his own win by shouting out a wanted fugitive — Daniel Kinahan.

Just days ago, the U.S. DEA and OFAC put a five million dollar bounty on Kinahan’s head, for information leading to his arrest or conviction. The Irish gangster is accused of heading an international drug cartel; he and other figures in the Kinahan cartel are banned from entering the U.S. He also founded MTK Global back in 2012, a company that has represented Lazzez, and has promoted boxing and MMA events. Kinahan supposedly cut ties with the organization in 2017, but he still remains tied to combat sports. Fighters including Darren Till and Tyson Fury have been associated with him

Still, Lazzez’s timing couldn’t have been worse, with Kinahan’s crimes in the public eye like never before: his organization has been linked to several murders.

He also looked very uncomfortable when his links to Kinahan were questioned following the event.

Lazzez may or not been aware of Kinahan’s exploits. His team complaining about the line of questioning was a bit silly, since the fighter himself broached the subject on live T.V. Truly pathetic, however, were the number of MMA “fans” who threatened the reporter in question, in the comments section of the video above, with one suggesting that the murder of Daniel Pearl was justified, and that a similar response here was warranted. If that’s you, do us all a favor — stay under your rock, and don’t breed.

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