Jorge Masivdal isn’t interested in putting his BMF title on the line against Gilbert Burns. Sean O’Malley isn’t interested in Power Slap. Ciryl Gane is very interested in facing Jon Jones at UFC 285. That and more in your Sunday MMA Quick Hits!
Ciryl Gane releases Mission: Impossible-themed trailer ahead of Jones fight
His mission, should he choose to accept it: defeat the man many consider the greatest fighter of all time.
Ciryl Gane borrowed the Mission: Impossible theme for this little trailer, hyping fans up for his UFC 285 showdown with Jon Jones.
Khamzat Chimaev Gives Chechen Dictator Kadyrov Some Rounds
Khamzat Chimaev, who is of Chechen descent, was recently seen training alongside Chechnya’s dictator Ramzan Kadyrov.
This, on the heels of the U.S. State Department saying they were aware of ties between UFC fighters and the heavily sanctioned despot.
It’s worth noting that Chimaev is likely to have family still in Chechnya, so this training session may not exactly be voluntary. At the very least, rejecting a murderous dictator could have real-world consequences.
Still, the timing is particularly poor, and Chimaev’s connections to the dictator have been fairly well-documented.
Khamzat Chimaev vs Kadyrov (président tchétchène) 🐺
Je suis mort la simulation, il sait un takedown et sa famille est 6 pieds sous terre 😭 pic.twitter.com/7JGE2Hp25B
— ARENA (@MMArena_) January 28, 2023
The video above began making the rounds at the same time of reports of Chimaev bringing members of Kadyrov’s inner circle, including his son, to train in Thailand. Chimaev previously cornered the younger Kadyrov in his MMA debut, which turned out to be, at best, comical. All this at the same time of fresh reports of Kadyrov-backed torture and murder emerging from Chechnya.
“The ‘Kadyrovtsy’ came down to us every morning, and instead of breakfast, we received a bit of electric shock torture. Zap. Zap. Zap. They attached wires to all parts of the body, twisted the wheel and said, ‘Tell me,'” an informant, fleeing the Russian satellite state, told Radio Free Europe recently. “But they didn’t tell me what I was supposed to say.”
Jorge Masvidal says Thanks, but No Thanks, to Burns BMF Challenge
No, Jorge Masvidal won’t be putting the BMF title on the line against Gilbert Burns at UFC 287.
Burns asked for just that recently, taking to social media to plead his case.
Come on @danawhite April 8 has to be 5 rounds! Put that belt on the line! Everybody knows It’s only one guy in the @ufc that fights ANYONE! #ufc287 pic.twitter.com/XRYhB2phLP
— GILBERT BURNS DURINHO (@GilbertDurinho) January 30, 2023
“Gamebred,” however, isn’t game in this case, especially given he’s already signed a contract for a three-round fight. “[If] they pay me BMF money, which the UFC ain’t going to pup it up for more money, so sorry Gilbert. I already got my contract. I already signed my sh*t. I could give a f*ck less,” Masvidal said on The MMA Hour this past week (via Bloody Elbow).
Sean O’Malley Can’t Watch Power Slap
Like many of us, UFC bantamweight star Sean O’Malley cannot stomach Power Slap.
“It’s weird because some people just love it,” O’Malley said on his BrOMalley Show (via MMA Junkie). “I could see maybe watching the TV series part of it like ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ like them at the house, meeting them, seeing their back stories. But the actual ‘sport,’ whatever you wanna call it, itself, I can’t watch.”
Dana White’s Power Slap does indeed use an Ultimate Fighter-style format, but its similarity to MMA ends there. The “sport” (which amounts to spectacle) is basically watching unprotected head shots for laughs. And it’s those unprotected head shots that keep O’Malley from tuning in.
“I cannot watch it. I don’t know if it’s—I can’t watch it, because I understand what concussions are. I understand, I’ve been through them. I know how bad it is to do that to your brain. … I can’t even see it.”
Tyron Woodley Opens Up on Failed KSI Negotiation
Former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley hasn’t exactly had a great go of it as a boxer. In his first meeting with Jake Paul, he managed to have Paul hurt — but the Youtuber still managed to win a decision. In their rematch, Woodley was knocked out badly — and to most, that would be the sign that boxing wasn’t his thing. After all, Woodley, for all his power, entered MMA as a wrestler.
However, “The Chosen One” now says that the Jan. 14 boxing event that was once KSI vs. Dillon Danis, and later wound up being KSI vs. some other Youtuber, was going to be a double-bill, featuring Logan Paul vs. Danis, and KSI vs. Woodley.
Youtube vs. MMA all around, then.
However, things went south during negotiations it seems.
“The negotiation of the contract was very disrespectful, and it made me want to hurt him,” Woodley told The MMA Hour recently (via MMA Fighting). “So I told this to his manager. I was on a call with his manager and I said, ‘Never in my life have I been disrespected like this in a contract.’”
“So every advantage, they wanted,” Woodley said. “And this was terms that were added after we had already agreed. So we agreed, I got a contract, and they went, ‘Oh, I’m sorry to do this, but KSI’s trainer wants to add this hydration thing.’ So when I went out to Dubai, I got in his trainer’s face too, I said, ‘I’m going to weigh f*cking 187. Homicide, that’s what I’m going to weigh. I’m not weighing no 185, and your boy is going to get f*cked up.’”
KSI’s team didn’t acquiesce to that demand, and KSI wound up fighting another social media star. Like rival Jake Paul, he’s yet to box an actual boxer.
Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime Becomes Official Global Sports Drink of UFC
Early last week, Logan Paul teased a big announcement, tagging UFC President Dana White. Could it be a fight inside the octagon?
That was never likely. No, instead, Prime, the sports drink that Paul and fellow Youtuber KSI have loaned their image to, is now the official global sports drink of the UFC.
Monster Energy will remain the official energy drink of the promotion, and we assume P3 remains the official protein snack. We can’t wait until the official water flavoured beverage is revealed.
With the UFC aggressively pursuing the TikTok generation, the move makes sense: Paul and KSI appeal to a younger fanbase. That’s all well and good, but then there’s this press release tidbit:
“The new branding will include ownership of the Octagon’s well-known ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ corners, which will be re-named PRIME Hydration Recovery Zones. PRIME’s corner branding will also be included on the newly launched Octagon-shaped Cornermen Stool, which UFC has developed to coincide with its 30th anniversary celebration campaign this year.”
Don’t call it a corner, kids. It’s a PRIME Hydration Recovery Zone. Just rolls off the tongue. Good luck saying that with a straight face Jon Anik (actually, Anik being the consummate professional, he’ll likely have no problem, but still).
Remember, UFC fighters can’t have sponsors on their gear, but the promotion can plaster PRIME on stools and pocket the proceeds.
