Dana White is playing up a fight between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk that will probably (and should probably) never happen, while AEW owner Tony Khan has debunked a report that had him involved in talks to purchase Bellator MMA. It’s Sunday, here’s your Sunday MMA Quick Hits!
Justin Tafa wants his win bonus
Justin Tafa’s night was cut short at UFC Jacksonville when Austen Lane inadvertently poked him in the eye, rendering him unable to continue.
Following what was ruled a No Contest, Tafa went online to petition for his win bonus. You can’t blame him, really. That eye poke was downright nasty.
I deserve my Win bonus that’s a DQ man pic.twitter.com/CMNdW0ZUtL
— Justin Tafa (@justin_tafa) June 24, 2023
Sadibou Sy wheel kick launches Shane Mitchell into next week
There was a very good one-two punch to close out PFL 6 in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday.
In the co-main event, Sadibou Sy kicked it off with an insanely accurate and devastating wheel kick that KO’d Shane Mitchell in a heartbeat. Thankfully Mitchell was okay, which makes us feel a lot less guilty about watching this highlight on repeat.
This finish followed by OAM stopping Anthony Romero in the main event was a fantastic end to the night.
Rockhold says he’d “f*cking kill” Pereira on the ground
Yes, we already did this story, but what’s a quicker hit than this? Our crew was in the house for Karate Combat 40 this weekend, where Luke Rockhold had a little something to say about how he matches up with Alex Pereira.
Do note that he said “on the ground.”
Jon Anik is one of the best guys in the sport
UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik isn’t just a great guy on the mic but a great guy period. He probably doesn’t get enough credit for things like this: giving some love to Chepe Mariscal, who was overlooked in the bonus department following UFC Jacksonville. So kudos to Jon for doing his thing and being a positive force in the sport.
How about this Chepe Mariscal cat?! That is a hugely memorable UFC debut. He was totally unfazed by all the bright lights that come with a first UFC fight week. I even like the wiffle now, although I think he should get a skin fade. 💈 #CHEPE 🤫
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) June 25, 2023
Dana White still teasing Musk vs. Zuck
We just downright refused to give any airtime (or page space, more accurately) to talk of a fight between Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk this past week. Sure, it would have been some easy clicks, but know what? It’s a stupid idea, which has almost zero chance of happening, and if it were to happen, it would be atrocious. Thought CM Punk vs. Mike Jackson was bad? Zuck vs. Musk is likely to make that look like a Fight of the Year contender.
But it’s Sunday, and you know what that means — we catch up on all the stories we didn’t get to during the week. Rarely is that intentional, but more an issue of time and manpower. Not the case here. But hey, Dana White likes keeping in the news cycle, and this is him doing just that. No faulting him there, it’s his job. But there’s as much chance of White actually promoting this fight as there is of the Fiji Mermaid being legit, and not just a dead money with a fish tail sewn on its posterior.
— danawhite (@danawhite) June 25, 2023
One last (and hopefully it will be the last) comment on this: if Musk and Zuck really want to throw down in the battle of the billionaires, they should do it behind closed doors. Make it a gym challenge. Make sure barely anyone is there. Whatever happens, the rumors of what transpired will become legend, and will wind up more entertaining than anything that could happen in a fight between two spoiled rich kids.
Tony Khan denies Bellator MMA rumors
No, AEW owner Tony Khan, nor his father (who owns the Jacksonville Jaguars) are not in talks to purchase Bellator MMA, nor have they ever been.
After Ariel Helwani made the claim recently, Khan rejected the rumors ahead of a star-studded Canadian tour set to kick off this Sunday with AEW Forbidden Door in Toronto.
“I was surprised to see that report. I haven’t had any conversations with them about that,” Tony Khan said (h/t WrestleZone) during a media scrum for Forbidden Door. “So I don’t know what that was about. My father hasn’t had any conversations with them either. I don’t even know, honestly, who owns the promotion. Is Scott Coker, the owner, the President? I’m not sure.
“I’m familiar with Bellator. I’m familiar with MMA and have never worked professionally in this space other than having some stars from UFC appear at times in AEW. But I saw that report, and yeah, there’s really nothing to that. I’m not sure where that rumor got started. But obviously, it’s an interesting time in the MMA business, just as it’s a very interesting time in the pro wrestling business with a lot of things happening and with the success of AEW and our international expansion.”
Later, Khan threw a little shade at Helwani, who has appeared on-camera for rival WWE in the past.
“But I honestly have never had any talks, and my father has never had any talks about buying Bellator, so I was surprised to see that. I was at the show I was backstage yesterday; somebody sent me that. Was that something Ariel Helwani reported? Well, it would not be the first inaccurate thing Ariel Helwani has reported that is completely inaccurate, but that’s Ariel Helwani for you.”
