MMA

JAKE PAUL had a front-row view for Conor McGregor’s loss to Dustin Poirier last weekend – but nobody noticed the YouTube star in the crowd.The social media sensation was cageside for the Irishman’s UFC 264 trilogy fight with The Diamond, which he lost via first-round TKO.
Jake Paul had a front-row seat for Conor McGregor’s leg break at UFC 264Credit: AP
But the YouTuber went unnoticed by the crowd thanks to his bucket hatCredit: GETTY
But unlike at UFC 261, The Problem Child wasn’t spotted by MMA fans as he was donning a bucket hat that kept him out of sight.
During the latest episode of the IMPAULSIVE podcast, Jake’s brother Logan said: “When I walked in, I said to one of the UFC reps, ‘Hey, is my brother here?’
“And she looks at me and she turned white.
“She goes, ‘You brother’s coming?’ I go, ‘I don’t know.’ She goes, ‘F**k.’ And I go, ‘I don’t think he’s got anything planned.’
“He came in with a bucket hat and we were surely expecting like a ‘f**k Jake Paul’ chant but no one could see him because he wore a bucket hat.
“And because of that, no attention was drawn to him and he didn’t really get to show off the chain at the event and he really get the chance to distract Conor like he wanted to.
“And I think obviously now, Jake’s plans for fighting Conor have been a little watered down because of the whole missing ankle thing.
“You got no leg. No leg, no contract.”
McGregor, 33, suffered a horrific broken leg in his rubber match with fan favourite Poirier.
And he’s been on the receiving end of some vicious trolling from Paul – who has been trying to land a fight with him for the best part of seven months – ever since.
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Paul also slammed the Irishman for his post-fight interview, in which he called Poirier’s wife – Jolie – a ‘h*e’.
On Tuesday, he said of the UFC’s poster boy: “He’s a piece of s**t.
“He’s sitting there on the ground after losing, talking s**t to Dustin Poirier’s wife.
“I don’t feel bad at all. I think he deserves it. I think it’s hilarious. I hope he takes a picture with it and posts it on Instagram.
“I just love to see McGregor plummet. He was a meteoric star that’s now just taking a nosedive.
“Before I wanted to fight him and I offered him $50 million, now my offer is $23.”
Paul is currently gearing up for a showdown with former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, whom he’ll meet in a boxing match next month.
Jake Paul is gearing up for a trilogy fight with ex-UFC champ Tyron WoodleyCredit: Getty
Conor McGregor threatens to get Dustin Poirier in his ‘sleep’ as he lies on cage with broken leg More

ANTHONY JOSHUA showed off his MMA-style flying knee while training with former UFC middleweight Luke Barnatt. The unified heavyweight champion is currently holidaying in Spain before returning to his training camp back home for his defence agains Oleksandr Usyk.
Anthony Joshua showed off his flying knee while enjoying some MMA training
Anthony Joshua training with ex-UFC middleweight Luke Barnatt
But despite the getaway, AJ is still staying active by visiting Barnatt’s gym Marbella.
He uploaded a video hitting the pads with one of his coaches, Angel Fernandez, as they prepare to fight Usyk in September.
However, Joshua, 31, then switched it up by trying his hand at MMA, getting a striking masterclass from Barnatt, who last fought in December 2020.
AJ drilled kicks, one-two’s and most impressively flying knees, one of which Barnatt pretended knocked him out.
Joshua is not the only heavyweight boxer to have had MMA training, with Tyson Fury linking up with UFC middleweight Darren Till in 2019.
Fury once claimed he would entertain a switch to the UFC but only after retiring from boxing.
But more recently, he changed his mind and revealed he would only be up for fighting in smaller gloves, without any grappling involved.
Fury told talkSPORT: “No, I’ve got no real interest in grappling up and down on the floor and all that sort of stuff.

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“I’m a stand-up fighting man, I don’t wrestle up and down and grab each other’s arms and sit on each other and all that.
“I’ve no interest in all that stuff – I like to stand up and fight so would I ever compete as an MMA fighter? Hell no!
“Would I compete with small gloves on in a cage in a fight? Yes. But no gripping and grappling.
“The noble art of standing up and what men have been doing for centuries. I don’t see any noble science in wrestling up and down the floor.”
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, 34, has called out both Joshua and Fury before, having eyed a boxing career before his MMA debut.
He was even linked with a two-fight deal against ex-kickboxer Dillian Whyte who won his only MMA fight, in 2018.
Tyson Fury MMA training with UFC middleweight Darren Till More

JAKE PAUL said ‘evil man’ Conor McGregor ‘had what was coming for him’ after his horror leg break against Dustin Poirier. Paul was cageside at UFC 264 as McGregor suffered a broken tibia just before the end of round one, with the doctor stopping the fight.
Conor McGregor was carried out of the arena after breaking his tibia against Dustin PoirierCredit: AP
Jake Paul said ‘evil man’ Conor McGregor ‘had what was coming for him’Credit: Getty Images – Getty
But even as the Irishman laid down afterwards in a heated interview with Joe Rogan, he goaded Poirier and his wife Jolie.
Footage has also emerged of McGregor – who has been handed a six month medical suspension – making sick threats to the pair while still in the octagon.
It left Paul having little sympathy for the former two-weight UFC champion, who left the T-Mobile Arena on a stretcher before being hospitalised.
He told TMZ Sports: “He’s a piece of s***. He’s sitting there on the ground after losing, talking s*** to Dustin Poirier’s wife. I don’t feel bad at all.
“I think he’s an evil man, and he had what was coming for him.”
McGregor, 33, initially beat Poirier, 32, in 2014 but was knocked out in the rematch in January.
And after their trilogy decider ended in unprecedented fashion, the rivals, and UFC president Dana White, opened the door to a FOURTH fight.
Paul recently sent his $100,000 ‘sleepy’ McGregor chain to Poirier, who will now auction it off for charity.
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The YouTuber made the reveal at the press conference for his fight with ex-UFC champion Tyron Woodley, 39, on Sunday, August 29.
Paul was later asked about facing McGregor, and he taunted his previous $50million offer has now changed to just $23.
He said: “I think it could happen, right? I think the funny thing about this journey is I’ve predicted everything that’s happened thus far.
“Eighteen months ago when I said I wanted to fight Conor, people laughed at me.
“Now, I’m laughing at Conor with a broken ankle, sitting there in the octagon. He needs Jake Paul more than I need him.
“So my offer to Conor is $23 and if we ever fought, I would knock those fake ass teeth right out of his f***ing mouth.”
Michael Bisping says Conor McGregor should sack coach John Kavanagh following Dustin Poirier defeat More

JAKE PAUL has sent his ‘sleepy’ Conor McGregor chain to Dustin Poirier, who is set to auction it off for charity. Poirier in January knocked out McGregor, avenging his 2014 defeat, and Paul spent $100,000 on a diamond necklace of the beaten Irishman.
Jake Paul’s $100,000 ‘sleepy’ Conor McGregor chain
Jake Paul has sent his ‘sleepy’ Conor McGregor chain to Dustin PoirierCredit: Reuters

The lightweight rivals then looked to settle their trilogy at UFC 264, which YouTuber Paul attended.
But it ended in disaster for McGregor, who broke his tibia before the end of round one, leaving the doctor no choice but to stop the fight.
Afterwards, Paul offered to send his custom chain to Poirier, who is now going to sell it and donate the proceeds to charity.
“So the Conor chain is back at home right now, but Dustin Poirier sent me over his address, so we’re getting that over to him,” Paul said.
“And I think he’s going to auction it off for charity. So, somebody’s going to be able to get the Notorious Conor McGregor, sleepy McGregor chain.”
Paul, who is 3-0 as a boxer all by knockout, made the reveal in the press conference for his fight against ex-UFC champion Tyron Woodley.
The social media star, 24, faces Woodley, 39, on Sunday, August 29 in his hometown of Cleveland.
Paul has continued to chase a mega-money boxing match with McGregor, who lost his ring debut to Floyd Mayweather, 44, in 2017.
How Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley compare ahead of their boxing match
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But the $50million offer he claimed to have had at the start of the year has now changed to just $23, he taunted.
And Paul followed up his goading by calling out McGregor, 32, once more when asked about a potential fight between the two.
He said: “I think it could happen, right? I think the funny thing about this journey is I’ve predicted everything that’s happened thus far.
“Eighteen months ago when I said I wanted to fight Conor, people laughed at me.
“Now, I’m laughing at Conor with a broken ankle, sitting there in the octagon. He needs Jake Paul more than I need him.
“So my offer to Conor is $23 and if we ever fought, I would knock those fake ass teeth right out of his f***ing mouth.”
Paul faces a longer wait to face McGregor, who underwent surgery and will be on crutches for six weeks while being handed a six month medical suspension.
But he and Poirier, 32, both have the backing of UFC boss Dana White for a FOURTH fight, after the unprecedented ending to their bitter trilogy bout.
What Conor McGregor told medics as doctor rushed in after suffering HORROR ankle injury against Poirier at UFC 264 More

PAULIE MALIGNAGGI offered Conor McGregor a winner-takes-all fight and said his sparring rival can only get more money against Jake Paul. Malignaggi has feuded with the Irishman ever since their infamous sparring sessions ahead of McGregor’s fight with Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
Paulie Malignaggi in his controversial 2017 sparring session with Conor McGregor
The American former two-weight world champion stormed out of McGregor’s camp after images and footage – including a disputed knockdown – were leaked.
Fast forward four years and Malignaggi, now 40, is still open to settling the score – so long as the winner is awarded all the money.
And he argued YouTuber Paul – who has continuously chased a fight with McGregor – is the only more lucrative option for the UFC legend.
Malignaggi told SiriusXMBoxing: “I mean, I wouldn’t put it past anything but I don’t think Conor McGregor is ever going to want to fight me.
“The only way that I’d fight Conor McGregor is if it’s winner-takes-all at this point.
“I wouldn’t fight Conor McGregor, there wouldn’t be any kind of negotiations it’s either winner-takes-all or we don’t fight.
“At this point he’s got everybody convinced he’s better and there’s more than enough money in the pot.
“He makes more money fighting me than anybody else other than maybe Jake Paul.
YouTuber Jake Paul has continued to chase a fight with Conor McGregorCredit: Getty
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“So, I don’t see him taking that kind of deal, so there’s probably not going to be a fight.”
McGregor, 32, went on to lose his boxing debut against Floyd Mayweather, 44, after sharing an eight-round and 12-round sparring session with Malignaggi.
He is yet to return to the ring, but was in talks to fight Manny Pacquiao, 42, last year before he faced Dustin Poirier, 32, in a rematch.
But in January Poirier knocked out McGregor, avenging his 2014 loss, which set them up with a trilogy bout at UFC 264.
McGregor was then beaten again after he suffered a broke tibia as the first round ended, leaving the doctor no choice but to stop the fight.
He has since undergone surgery and will be on crutches for the next six weeks while being handed a six month medical suspension.
Khabib claims ‘something superior’ caused UFC rival Conor McGregor’s leg break More

ANTHONY JOSHUA showed off his MMA-style flying knee while training with ex-UFC middleweight Luke Barnatt. The unified heavyweight champion is currently holidaying in Spain before returning to his training camp back home for his defence agains Oleksandr Usyk.
Anthony Joshua showed off his flying knee while enjoying some MMA training
Anthony Joshua training with ex-UFC middleweight Luke Barnatt
But despite the getaway, AJ is still staying active by visiting Barnatt’s gym Marbella.
He uploaded a video hitting the pads with one of his coaches, Angel Fernandez, as they prepare to fight Usyk in September.
However, Joshua, 31, then switched it up by trying his hand at MMA, getting a striking masterclass from Barnatt, who last fought in December 2020.
AJ drilled kicks, one-two’s and most impressively flying knees, one of which Barnatt pretended knocked him out.
Joshua is not the only heavyweight boxer to have had MMA training, with Tyson Fury linking up with UFC middleweight Darren Till in 2019.
Fury once claimed he would entertain a switch to the UFC but only after retiring from boxing.
But more recently, he changed his mind and revealed he would only be up for fighting in smaller gloves, without any grappling involved.
Fury told talkSPORT: “No, I’ve got no real interest in grappling up and down on the floor and all that sort of stuff.
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)

“I’m a stand-up fighting man, I don’t wrestle up and down and grab each other’s arms and sit on each other and all that.
“I’ve no interest in all that stuff – I like to stand up and fight so would I ever compete as an MMA fighter? Hell no!
“Would I compete with small gloves on in a cage in a fight? Yes. But no gripping and grappling.
“The noble art of standing up and what men have been doing for centuries. I don’t see any noble science in wrestling up and down the floor.”
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, 34, has called out both Joshua and Fury before, having eyed a boxing career before his MMA debut.
He was even linked with a two-fight deal against ex-kickboxer Dillian Whyte who won his only MMA fight, in 2018.
Tyson Fury MMA training with UFC middleweight Darren Till More

FLOYD MAYWEATHER has poked fun at Conor McGregor after the Irishman suffered a horror leg break in his defeat to Dustin Poirier on Saturday night.The American reignited his old feud with Notorious by uploading a photo-shopped picture of the UFC legend and told him to do the ‘stanky leg’.
Floyd Mayweather poked fun at Conor Mc Gregor with this photo-shopped picture
The Irishman broke his leg against Dustin PoirierCredit: Getty
McGregor, 32, broke his left leg seconds before the end of the first round of his trilogy fight with Poirier, which was ruled a TKO loss.
Notorious started the fight well, landing a number of heavy kicks before jumping for a guillotine and being punished with ground and pound.
He left the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on a stretcher and underwent surgery on Sunday.
But Mayweather – who beat McGregor in a boxing bout in 2017 – had no concern for his old foe.
Money Mayweather uploaded a photo of McGregor sat in an armchair with his left ankle photo-shopped so it was at a 90 degree angle.
The American captioned the post: “Y’all got it twisted! I like how his shoes fit. Now, do the stanky leg.”
It received more than 1.3million likes.
Despite the undoubtedly painful injury, McGregor did not let his leg break stop him from promoting his next fight and that really impressed former WWE star Ronda Rousey.

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The American reignited his rivalry with the Notorious after the UFC star’s ankle breakCredit: Getty

She tweeted: “I’m amazed that as soon as you hit the ground you were already promoting the next fight @TheNotoriousMMA.
“I def wouldn’t have had the mind to do that. The other fighters, @ufc and media are lucky to have you.”
And McGregor replied: “Thank you for the message Ronda! I appreciate it greatly.”
Notorious gave his fans an injury update late on Sunday night.
He tweeted: “Just out of the surgery room guys. Surgery went excellent. Feeling tremendous!
“Six weeks on crutch and we build back. Let’s go! God bless.”
McGregor also posted a video on Twitter thanking fans for their support, but couldn’t resist a dig at rival Poirier.
He said: “I want to thank all the fans around the world for your messages of support. I hope you enjoyed the show.
“I want to thank all the fans in attendance at the arena, the place was absolutely electric.
“It was a hell of a first round, it would’ve been nice to get into the second round then see what’s what.
“But that’s the nature of the business, a clean break on the tibia and it wasn’t meant to be.”
‘ILLEGITIMATE WIN’
McGregor added: “Dustin, you can celebrate that illegitimate win all you want but you’ve done nothing in there.
“That second round would’ve shown all. Onwards and upwards we go. We dust ourselves off, we build ourselves back, and we come back better than ever.”
McGregor hinted he will NOT retire straight after the shock loss, with a fourth bout all-but confirmed.
It is not known how long the former UFC world champion will be out for, but it could go into next year. 
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Conor McGregor threatens to get Dustin Poirier in his ‘sleep’ as he lies on cage with broken leg More

CONOR McGREGOR wanted to do charity wheelchair boxing match after his horror leg injury, his head coach revealed. The Irishman suffered a broken tibia against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 and was unable to fight on as the doctor waved it off before round two.
Conor McGregor wanted to do charity wheelchair boxing match after his leg injuryCredit: Reuters
Conor McGregor after his horror injury against Dustin PoirierCredit: Getty
McGregor has undergone surgery and will be on crutches for six weeks on his road to recovery.
Despite the setback, the former two-weight UFC champion was already joking about making his return in a charity boxing bout – in a wheelchair.
He was lined up to face impressionist Al Foran, who gained fame for mimicking the likes of McGregor.
In the main-event, former Olympic champion Paddy Barnes, who retired in 2019, will fight in a wheelchair boxing match.
And following McGregor’s injury, he wanted to follow suit with a wheelchair bout of his own.
His coach John Kavanagh told the UFC’s Laura Sanko: “Conor had volunteered to be the co-main event where he was gonna box, there’s a guy called Al Foran who is an impressionist.
“You might have seen him do some of Conor’s impressions. So Conor’s gonna fight Conor in the co-main event.”
“So Conor was going to fight Conor in the co-main event, which I thought was quite funny, he was accepting his first ever co-main slot.

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“He’s been main-event for a couple years now. But anyway in the heat of all this he just turned and went, ‘You know, I’m gonna do the wheelchair boxing fight now’.
“Because, he’s off his feet for a while. He made a joke about that.”
McGregor, who beat Poirier in 2014 but lost the rematch in January, called for a fourth bout with his rival after the unprecedented finish to their trilogy.
It put any talks of retirement to bed, with Kavanagh insisting the Irish superstar is only now entering the peak of his powers ahead of his 33rd birthday this week.
He said: “He truly loves this and it’s hard to imagine him not wanting to come back, not wanting to do this again.
“Because we really just got this fantastic rhythm.
“He’s turning 33, which to me is a peaking time where strength meets conditioning and mental and physical and spiritual maturity, everything’s coming together.
“I think we have a couple of years of this ahead of us.”
What Conor McGregor told medics as doctor rushed in after suffering HORROR ankle injury against Poirier at UFC 264 More