It's still staggering to me the difference in fighter pay between MMA and boxing.
Jon Jones' purse was $500,000 at UFC 247.
Canelo Alvarez's purse was $35 million against Sergey Kovalev.
Interesting: Yoel Romero says he trained wrestling for 3 months in Dagestan years ago.
Who watched him? A 14-year-old Khabib Nurmagomedov.
At Romero's first UFC fight in the U.S., in San Jose in 2013, he ran up to him.
"Yoel, do remember me? ... I'm now fighting for the UFC."
Bob Arum incredibly critical of
@kate_abdo
. Says she was biased towards Deontay Wilder and knew they weren’t having a face off.
“F*** her.”
#FuryWilder3
Every time I watch Francis Ngannou finish opponents in seconds, I give more credit to Stipe Miocic.
Looking back, that was an incredible performance at UFC 220.
#UFCMinneapolis
Nate Diaz says he does not want another fight with Conor McGregor.
"I’m interested in winners. He lost his last fight and I won my last fight. You think I’m trying to fight someone who just got his a-- beat all over the place?"
@arielhelwani
#HelwaniShow
Yair Rodriguez says he learned that elbow (which knocked out Korean Zombie) from Donald Cerrone.
"It's something that I saw Cowboy doing in the back and I started practicing."
#HelwaniShow
@arielhelwani
UFC strawweight champ Jessica Andrade is willing to rematch Rose Namajunas in America.
"I would be happy to go to Denver and do it in her hometown, just the same that she did it for me."
More from
@arielhelwani
's MMA Show:
15,816 is the paid attendance for
#WilderFury2
. A sell-out at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
$16.9 million live gate. Highest grossing gate ever for a heavyweight title fight in Nevada.
Yoel Romero says his fight with Paulo Costa isn't happening because Costa failed a USADA drug test.
Romero now facing Jacare Souza in April.
#HelwaniShow
@arielhelwani
If you're scoring at home...
@arielhelwani
has not seen The Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Star Wars or Fight Club.
Just last week he called Magic Mike "phenomenal."
#HelwaniShow
No joke, I'm watching
#UFC252
with a foot doctor. Here's what he just told me:
"I guarantee it. He broke his styloid process of his fifth metatarsal on his right foot."
Colby Covington says the UFC wanted to cut him after his fight with Demian Maia last year.
Says he is open to leaving the UFC to fight elsewhere.
#HelwaniShow
@arielhelwani
"I could barely walk. It was the hardest pain I ever felt as a fighter after a fight."
I spoke with four MMA fighters who faced Edson Barboza or Justin Gaethje. They describe, in their own words, what it feels like to take a leg kick.
James Krause, who took his
#UFC247
fight with Trevin Giles on one day notice, tells
@arielhelwani
he got a new contract with the UFC before stepping in.
He's probably the biggest winner after this weekend.
Chael Sonnen says before his second fight with Anderson Silva, someone from WWE called him with an offer and said to not weigh in and not fight.
Later, a second offer was show, beat Anderson and be on RAW that week with the belt. $5 million.
#HelwaniShow
@arielhelwani
Jacare Souza says if he beats Yoel Romero and does not get a UFC title shot after, he would consider walking away from the sport.
#HelwaniShow
@arielhelwani
Colby Covington was asked by
@arielhelwani
why he is not getting a shot for the welterweight belt against Tyron Woodley.
"I didn’t get the title shot because of politics. Dana White has lied to me. The UFC has lied to me."
#HelwaniShow
Francis Ngannou says his doctor did not recommend fighting at
#UFC270
because of "irreversible damage."
Had a torn MCL and damaged ACL going into the title bout with Ciryl Gane.
C'MON. A reporter just asked this to Dana White.
"You seem to be saving the first amendment in the United States. Is it too much to say the UFC is leading the way in restoring the Constitution here in our own country?"
Not sure the ESPN/UFC execs are going to love what was just said on SportsCenter.
Scott Van Pelt after showing crazy Joaquin Buckley KO:
"I get that people love it...I don't. I don't love that. The guy is out! Mashes his head on the ground! Yay! (sarcasm)"
Joanna Jedrzejczyk didn't hold back yesterday with
@arielhelwani
.
On Jessica Andrade: "I'm not impressed."
On Claudia Gadelha: "I beat her badly. Of course [I have no interest in the fight].
On strawweight division: "They all need me."
Maybe I’m in the minority, but I kind of agree with Conor here. Why should he NOT be the main event ever? Biggest draw in history of the sport. Whether it’s a title fight or not shouldn’t affect that.
Robert Whittaker on Israel Adesanya:
"He can't stand the fact that people like me more than him. He wants all of the spotlight, all of the attention. I find it funny it gets to him so much."
#HelwaniShow
@arielhelwani
"When you're not worried about selling a f---ing pay-per-view and just competing, that's what it's all about."
Demetrious Johnson spoke with
@bokamotoESPN
about last week's UFC flyweight title fight and what's next at ONE.
Daniel Cormier: "It's only big fights for me -- Stipe Miocic and if I fight again, it'll be Jon Jones. It won't be anybody else."
@arielhelwani
#HelwaniShow
Jon Jones: I've been done with (Daniel Cormier). Daniel Cormier is not my toughest opponent...he's not this rival the world wants him to be to me. He's a guy I beat twice.
@arielhelwani
#HelwaniShow
Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs (
@alliseeisgold
) says he wants to "fight one time" in MMA.
"I just want one fight. I want to throw my hands and see what I'm made of."
#HelwaniShow
@arielhelwani
Artem Lobov says he will donate his entire purse for a fight with Zubaira Tukhugov to charity.
"I'm willing to fight Zubaira on whatever notice in any place in the world. This fight to me is not about money...it's about respect and making it right."
#HelwaniShow
@arielhelwani
Chris Weidman says fight against Jacare Souza at UFC 230 next month is a No. 1 contender bout.
"I win this fight, I'm fighting for the title."
#HelwaniShow
@arielhelwani
WOW.
Deontay Wilder's trainer, Jay Deas, says he would not have thrown in the towel in the seventh round. Mark Breland was the one who did it and he disagreed with the decision.
"I don't think he should have."
#WilderFury2
Marlon Moraes has been hit by a total of five significant strikes in his last three fights (2 vs. Raphael Assuncao, 0 vs. Jimmie Rivera, 3 by Aljamain Sterling).
@ESPNStatsInfo
@espnmma