Speaking to Cageside Press at Wednesday’s media day promoting Eagle FC 44, the promotion’s U.S. debut, Spencer admitted that “it’s definitely been a whirlwind. I was on Ariel [Helwani]’s show on the Monday to explain my retirement, and the next day they got in touch with, I guess they reached out to Ariel because I wasn’t seeing the messages in my Instagram. I’m horrible.”

It was actually Helwani who provided the Eagle FC side with Spencer’s number, and who reached out to her to bridge the communication gap. From there, “they reached out, and they wanted to give me a shot, to give me an opportunity to call fights, be the color commentator, show the fans what I see.”

Spencer joining the promotion’s broadcast team comes as a bit of a surprise, given Khabib Nurmagomedov’s past remarks about women in fighting. “The Eagle” purchased the company last year, renaming the former Gorilla Fighting Championship to Eagle FC, then set his sights on bringing the show to the U.S.

“It was an honor. Some of the things that we know about Khabib, I fully respect his viewpoints. I think just me being true to myself throughout my career and kind of just presenting myself the way that I have, I think was playing to my favor in that decision, and hopefully I can make Khabib happy that I’m on the team,” Spencer told us in regards to Khabib’s conservative stance on women in fighting. “The production team, there’s a lot of people behind the scenes that really believe in me and wanted me to have the opportunity and wanted to show— just have something different in Eagle FC. I’m really excited to be a part of it.”

For Spencer, this will be her first time working the broadcast booth, and she got her first taste of the action this past Friday. “I actually had an opportunity to work Friday for Eagle FC, calling the event in Russia. Part of the live stream, for the English commentary. So that was my very first time. Obviously a lot of room for improvement, but I’m tackling this like anything else that I have in my life. I’m going to put my all, do my homework, and I’m going to come out in January really excited and ready to call the fights and tell the story.”

Spencer also gave her thoughts on Amanda Nunes, who she challenged for the UFC’s featherweight title back in 2019, finally being toppled. Nunes lost her bantamweight title to Julianna Pena over the weekend.

“There’s definitely been the game plan for a lot of fighters, kind of looking at the old Amanda, when she’s uncomfortable, sometimes there’s a breaking point. That’s something that obviously we were trying to do in my fight. Hat’s off to Julianna, she’s the one who got it done. Amanda made a mistake, and then she made bad decisions after that mistake, and Julianna was able to capitalize on it.”

Watch our full interview with Eagle FC color commentator Felicia Spencer above.

The post Felicia Spencer Nearly Missed Eagle FC Commentary Opportunity, Didn’t See Dms appeared first on Cageside Press.

Lee, a former title challenger under his old promotion, is arguably the most relevant fighter to join Khabib’s brand to date.  The organization will make its U.S. debut early next year, with Eagle FC 44 on January 28.  While Sergei Kharitonov vs. Tyrone Spong headlines that show, Lee will make his debut later in 2022.

Speaking with Cageside Press during a media day in Miami on Wednesday, Lee shed light into his decision to sign with a lesser known promotion, when it’s likely some of the other major players were interested in his services.

“They offered me a lot more freedom than other places. And respect on top of it,” Lee said in regards to Eagle FC.  “Obviously Khabib’s been a great champion, he knows what it’s like to be a fighter.  So they offered me the respect, and the freedom to stand out and not just be an Eagle FC fighter.  It’s time to bring MMA into the future, and that’s as establishing ourselves as brands.”

There were other factors as well, such as taking a boxing match down the line.

“It’s possible for co-promotion, and that’s something that excites me with this.  I just feel like that’s the future of the sport.  Boxing has done it, and they’ve got big money and they bring in big money, and it’s a winner for everybody.  So I feel like it’s time for real fighting to join that.”

It’s worth noting that Kevin Lee is now fighting under the employ of a former rival and fighter he was chasing back in the UFC in Khabib.  The pair, on the surface, make for interesting bedfellows.  Of course, it’s all business, though the two haven’t actually discussed their shared history so far.

“We haven’t had those words, but we’ve had the looks already,” revealed Lee.  “There’s certain things amongst competitors.  We know, he knows.  He knows it’s all respect.  My actions will speak louder than any words.”

Watch our full interview with Eagle FC’s newest fighter, Kevin Lee, above.

The post Kevin Lee Says Freedom to Build Brand, Co-Promotion Key to Eagle FC Deal appeared first on Cageside Press.

On Wednesday, MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani was first to report that Lee (18-7) had signed a multi-fight deal with Khabib Nuramgomedov’s Eagle FC. The move comes roughly two weeks after news broke that Lee had been released by the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Eagle FC, formerly known as Gorilla Fighting Championship, was purchased by Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020, and immediately re-branded. The promotion announced Lee’s signing in a press conference in Miami, FL on Wednesday, with Lee on hand.

During Wednesday’s press appearance, a March 11 debut date was set for Lee. His opponent has yet to be named, but the fight is expected to take place at 165lbs. Eagle FC featuring fights at 165lbs was “a big part” of Lee’s decision to sign with the company, he stated.

Eagle FC makes its U.S. debut this January, with Eagle FC 44 headlined by heavyweights Tyrone Spong and Sergei Kharitonov. The organization has plans to hold up to 10 events in the U.S. in 2022, starting with the Miami card on January 28.

Lee last competed against Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 35 in August, losing a unanimous decision. Following the fight, it was revealed that the “Motown Phenom” had tested positive for ADHD drug adderall. That resulted in a six month suspension from USADA, with his return to competition date being February 28, 2022.

The post Former UFC Fighter Kevin Lee Signs On with Khabib’s Eagle FC appeared first on Cageside Press.

Atop the Eagle FC 44 card will be none other than former UFC heavyweight Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, taking on decorated kickboxer Tyrone Spong. ESPN’s Marc Raimondi was first to report news of the main event.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans is also expected to compete at the show, as first revealed by Yahoo’s Kevin Iole.

Spong (2-0 MMA) has not competed in mixed martial arts since picking up a pair of wins under the World Series of Fighting banner back in 2012/2013. Since then, Spong has competed mainly in boxing, going 14-0 between 2015 and 2019, and winning the WBC and WBO Latino Light Heavyweight titles.

Of course, Spong is best known for his kickboxing career where he captured multiple titles, and was a GLORY tournament winner (2013 SLAM Tournament Champion).

Bigfoot Silva, on the other hand, has struggled over the past eight years. And that’s putting it mildly. Since 2013, the Brazilian has just a single win, against Soa Palelei at UFC 190 in 2015. He’s 1-9, 1NC in MMA, and also found himself knocked out by Gabriel Gonzalez in a bare knuckle boxing match in 2019. Even more concerning, of his nine losses in MMA since 2013, he’s been stopped in eight of them.

Most recently, Bigfoot was finished via TKO against Quentin Domingos in June, a fight that took place in Serbia.

On paper, the pairing is the sort that makes you wonder how any athletic commission could sanction it, even if Spong is technically just 2-0 in MMA.

As for Evans, the retired former UFC light heavyweight champ will be back at 205lbs after dabbling at middleweight late in his career. No opponent has been named as of yet for “Suga,” who finished his UFC tenure on an 0-5 run and was later inducted into their Hall of Fame.

The post Eagle FC To Debut Stateside on Jan. 28, Tyrone Spong vs. Bigfoot Silva Headlines appeared first on Cageside Press.