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    Conor McGregor and Jake Paul talked up for mega-fight as ex-sparring partner tells YouTuber how he can beat UFC star

    PAULIE MALIGNAGGI has talked up a super-fight between former sparring partner Conor McGregor and Jake Paul. YouTuber-turned boxer Paul has called out McGregor ever since embarking on his polarising prizefighting career.
    Conor McGregor has been called out by Jake PaulCredit: @thenotoriousmma
    Jake Paul in training for his next fightCredit: @jakepaul
    The 26-year-old has even offered to face the Irishman in the cage as well as the ring.
    And McGregor’s old sparring rival Malignaggi fancies Paul’s chances against the ex-UFC champion in both boxing and MMA.
    He told Lord Ping: “Jake just needs the ability to hang in there and he can start to trouble him a little. He can put himself in the position to win the fight.
    “I think McGregor’s boxing is brutally bad, but at this point, even in MMA, if you hang with him he will get uncomfortable.”
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    Malignaggi has rowed with McGregor ever since their infamous sparring sessions in 2017.
    They sparred before the McGregor’s crossover blockbuster against boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, which he lost in ten rounds.
    But after images and videos were leaked – including a disputed knockdown – the American stormed out of the camp.
    Malignaggi, 42, has rivalled McGregor, 34, ever since and continues to aim digs his way.
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    He said: “Jake has a high school wrestler background so he would not be totally out of his element in the cage.
    “He’d need to be alert to his kicks, but McGregor had absolutely no balls.
    “If you make him just a little bit uncomfortable, you are going to put yourself in a position where you might win the fight. 
    “You can make him uncomfortable by beating on him – or if he’s beating on you – if you just hang in the fight he begins to get nervous and paranoid – he’s not a true fighter.
    “He looks for the first window to jump out of. He’s got athletic ability but his anxiety levels get high. That’s why he gets so tired in fights.
    “This guy posts pictures of him running up mountains, swimming 25 miles, bicycling through the desert – just to make himself look like he’s Rocky during training and then he gets in the cage and he’s tired after 30 seconds.
    “He’s got no balls. There’s no way you can get that tired unless your anxiety levels are through the roof. He gets scared in there.”
    Conor McGregor and Paulie Malignaggi had two sparring sessions in 2017 More

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    Conor McGregor is ‘brutally bad’ at boxing and even a YouTuber like AnEsonGib would beat him, says UFC star’s rival

    PAULIE MALIGNAGGI claimed Conor McGregor’s boxing ability is so “brutally bad” a YouTuber like AnEsonGib could beat him. Malignaggi has feuded McGregor ever since their infamous sparring sessions in 2017.
    Conor McGregor stops for fans in New YorkCredit: Splash
    Retired ex-boxing world champion Paulie MalignaggiCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    And the retired ex-boxing world champion even fancies YouTuber-turned boxer Jake Paul’s chances against the UFC legend in MMA.
    He told Lord Ping: “This guy posts pictures of him running up mountains, swimming 25 miles, bicycling through the desert – just to make himself look like he’s Rocky during training and then he gets in the cage and he’s tired after 30 seconds.
    “He’s got no balls. There’s no way you can get that tired unless your anxiety levels are through the roof. He gets scared in there. 
    “Jake just needs the ability to hang in there and he can start to trouble him a little. He can put himself in the position to win the fight.
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    “I think McGregor’s boxing is brutally bad, but at this point, even in MMA, if you hang with him he will get uncomfortable.”
    Malignaggi sparred McGregor before the Irishman’s crossover super-fight against boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, which he lost in ten rounds.
    But after images and videos were leaked – including a disputed knockdown – the American stormed out of the camp.
    Malignaggi, 42, has rivalled McGregor, 34, ever since and continues to aim digs his way.
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    He added: “Conor McGregor’s boxing skills are so brutal that I think even a YouTube boxer like AnEsonGib would beat Conor McGregor in a boxing ring.
    “I worked with Gib for his first last year against Austin McBroom and Gib brings a lot of stress and a lot of pressure.
    “At this point, I think he’d even beat up Conor McGregor in a boxing ring.”
    YouTube boxing star AnEsonGibCredit: @AnEsonGib

    Conor McGregor and Paul Malignaggi feuded after a heated sparring session More

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    Fans spot UFC pair’s underwhelmed response to Logan Paul gifting them Prime chains as they say ‘bro thinks they care’

    LOGAN PAUL gifted Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski Prime chains – but fans don’t think they were that impressed.The pair of UFC champions became the first athletes to be sponsored by Paul’s popular Prime hydration drink.
    Logan Paul gifted Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski Prime chainsCredit: Instagram @moreloganpaul
    Fans think they were left underwhelmed by the presentCredit: Instagram @moreloganpaul
    And to celebrate, the YouTube, boxing and WWE star gifted Adesanya and Volkanovski custom Prime chains.
    But fans were left questioning whether they liked them, as one said: “Bro thinks they care.”
    Another added: “They not wearing that.”
    One joked: “Volk thinking about how much he can sell it for.”
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    Another agreed: “Straight to the pawn shop with those.”
    Volkanovski, 34, and Adesanya, 34, travelled to Paul’s Puerto Rico training base to be guests on his Impaulsive podcast.
    But the trio also got some training in where Paul was given a lesson in jiu jitsu.
    Middleweight king Adesanya was captured tapping him out while Volkanovski went one further.
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    Paul said: “You’re the best in the world at what you do, I got to experience it.
    “You are so strong and dominant, it’s like I knew it going into it.
    “You put me in a body lock and I felt like you could have tightened your legs so much and literally split me in half, I’m not doing BJJ again.”
    Israel Adesanya appeared with Paul and Volkanovski on the Impaulsive podcastCreditCredit: @loganpaul More

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    Logan Paul never doing jiu jitsu again after UFC champion FOUR STONE lighter ‘split him in half’

    LOGAN PAUL has vowed to never do jiu jitsu again after UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski split him in half. Volkanovski and fellow champ Israel Adesanya travelled to Paul’s Puerto Rico training base to be guests on his Impaulsive podcast.
    Alexander Volkanovski training with Logan PaulCredit: alexvolkanovski
    But the trio also got some training in where the YouTube, boxing and WWE star was given a lesson in jiu jitsu.
    Middleweight king Adesanya was captured tapping Paul out while Volkanovski went one further.
    Paul said: “You’re the best in the world at what you do, I got to experience it.
    “You are so strong and dominant, it’s like I knew it going into it.
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    “You put me in a body lock and I felt like you could have tightened your legs so much and literally split me in half, I’m not doing BJJ again.”
    Paul weighs around 14st 2lb while featherweight Volkanovski fights at 10st 3lb, meaning there is a huge FOUR STONE difference between them.
    The Aussie, 34, and Adesanya, 33, also took the journey over to announce their sponsorship with Paul’s Prime drink company.
    But despite backing the pair, Paul, 28, did not receive any mercy on the training mat with Volkanovski.
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    He said: “We were drilling this body triangle, where you have someone in your legs and hold them.
    “He goes ‘My legs are short, I don’t do the body triangle often’. Then when we actually went to do it, he almost kills me with the body triangle.
    “Jiu jitsu is a whole different beast, you don’t want to fight a guy in the street who knows jiu jitsu.”
    Israel Adesanya, Logan Paul and Alexander VolkanovskiCredit: @loganpaul More

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    Jake Paul’s fight with ex-UFC star Nate Diaz is a ‘MISMATCH’ and will end in four rounds, warns Eddie Hearn

    EDDIE HEARN has labelled Jake Paul’s fight with Nate Diaz as a “MISMATCH” that will end in four rounds. The YouTuber-turned prizefighter returns on August 5 in Texas against Diaz, who is making his professional boxing debut.
    Eddie Hearn with Jake PaulCredit: Rex
    And the MMA veteran – who last year walked out on the UFC – had fans fearing after footage emerged of him in training.
    So promoter Hearn fears that unless Diaz was holding back on the pads, the bout will be one-way traffic.
    He said on The MMA Hour: “I watched Nate Diaz hit pads. You know it’s going to be a mismatch against Jake Paul don’t you?
    “But for it to be a mismatch against Jake Paul, like, yes [he’s getting smoked], yes. It won’t go four.
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    “Listen, unless it’s all a bit of a bluff by Nate what I saw. You can see people hit pads, and you know whether they [can box].
    “And we’re talking about Jake Paul. We’re not talking about Fury or Anthony Joshua, fighting an MMA fighter, you’re talking about Jake Paul.”
    Paul, 26, was beaten for the first time in February, losing a split-decision in Saudi Arabia to Tommy Fury, 24.
    But he snubbed a rematch to face Diaz, 38, who will be his FOURTH opponent formerly in the UFC.
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    Paul has wins over ex-MMA champions Ben Askren, 38, Tyron Woodley, 41, and Anderson Silva, 48.
    But for the first time, he will fight over ten rounds and agreeing with Diaz to have the rules changed by the Texas commission.
    Paul tweeted: “If the fight goes to the later rounds, it’s obviously a big advantage for Nate.
    “I know that, he knows that (that’s why he made the request), the oddsmakers know that. But I don’t give a f***. I’m all in.”
    Jake Paul facing off with Nate DiazCredit: @mostvaluablepromotions More

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    UFC’s Joe Rogan branded a ‘s**tbag’ by Tyson Fury for stirring up Jon Jones crossover fight as ‘offer’ is made to Brit

    TYSON FURY has blamed Joe Rogan for the talk of a crossover clash with Jon Jones – branding the UFC commentator a “s**tbag”.The combat sports world has been abuzz about a hypothetical fight between boxing and MMA’s heavyweight kings ever since Rogan claimed Jones would have his way with Fury.
    Tyson Fury is currently flirting with a crossover fight with UFC heavyweight champ Jon JonesCredit: GETTY
    UFC commentator Joe Rogan first talked up the hypothetical fight on the podcastCredit: GETTY
    Gypsy King Fury has branded Rogan a ‘s**tbag’ for stirring up the fightCredit: Getty
    Gypsy King Fury, 34, flew into a fit of rage at the notion of Jones getting the better of him in a no holds barred fight, screaming down his iPhone and posting the footage to Instagram.
    And he lays the ensuing talk of a cross-sport clash squarely at the feet of multi-millionaire podcast Rogan.
    During a recent Q&A at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA Gym in Phuket, Thailand, he said: “It was actually Joe Rogan, little s**tbag, who [started this].
    “Just out of the blue, there was no talk of me or Jon even fighting. Jon’s a great guy, probably the GOAT of MMA.
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    “[Rogan] said, ‘Oh if Tyson Fury goes in a room with Jon Jones he’s going to get absolutely smashed to bits.’
    “Like, if someone goes in the room with me and it’s no holds barred, you’re going to have to kill me to stop me.”
    Rogan’s insistence that mixed martial arts’ pound-for-pound king would have his way with Fury still irks the Brit.
    The WBC heavyweight champion said: “He didn’t say an MMA fight or a boxing fight, he said go in a room together and Tyson Fury’s not walking out.
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    “So I don’t know where it all started and Jon said something and I said something and we’ve being going back and forward.
    “There was never talk of me saying I was going to go in a cage with Jon Jones and go in there and get my arm snapped off.
    “No way. The thing was, I offered Jon, you want to walk in a boxing ring and make some real money then come and fight me.
    “But zero chance of me going in an MMA game and rolling around and all that. Zero.”
    UFC president Dana White has publicly entertained the prospect of Fury – who is without an opponent following the collapse of his historic undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk earlier this year – entering the octagon.
    Tyson Fury has claimed to have been offered a ‘hybrid fight’ with Jon JonesCredit: REUTERS
    And Fury sensationally claimed last week to have received an offer from MMA’s top promotion to throw down with ‘Bones’.
    During a Twitter Spaces, the Brit said: “I’ve been in talks with Francis Ngannou for a hybrid fight.
    “There’s talks of me and Jon Jones doing a hybrid fight as we talk right now.
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    “I received an offer from the UFC yesterday. So, you never know what’s gonna happen.
    “The future’s bright for sure. There’s a lot of options out there, and it seems at the moment I’m still going to get an actual boxing opponent.” More

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    Jake Paul announces major change to rules for Nate Diaz fight just weeks ahead of clash with ex-UFC star

    JAKE PAUL has confirmed his Texas tussle with Nate Diaz will be a ten-rounder.The YouTuber turned boxer will throw down with the former UFC lightweight title challenger in a Dallas dust-up on August 5.
    Jake Paul will throw down with former UFC title challenger Nate DiazCredit: DAZN
    Fan favourite Diaz requested for their fight to be made a ten-rounderCredit: GETT
    Problem Child Paul has agreed to the stipulation changeCredit: GETTY
    Paul’s clash with the youngest Diaz brother was initially slated to be for eight rounds.
    But after public protestations from fan favourite Diaz, their grudge match will be a ten-round affair.
    Paul, 26, tweeted on Tuesday: “10 rounds confirmed. #PaulDiaz August 5th.”
    Former Disney star Paul has shown signs of fatigue in the latter rounds during his brief professional career.
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    But he doesn’t mind stacking the odds against himself in his must-win ring return.
    The Problem Child admitted: “If the fight goes to the later rounds, it’s obviously a big advantage for Nate.
    “I know that, he knows that (that’s why he made the request), the oddsmakers know that.
    “But I don’t give a f**k. I’m all in.”
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    Paul’s crossover clash with Diaz will be his first outing since losing his grudge match with Tommy Fury in February.
    And he’s eyeing a short night at the office, saying: “I’m ready, it’s not going to go that long.
    “I think he’s gonna be sharp for a couple of rounds but there’s nothing he can do to stop me.

    “I’m faster, I’m stronger. I’m the better boxer. He’s gonna be coming forward.
    “He doesn’t have head movement. He’s trying to pressure me. He’s gonna get diced up.
    “I see it ending in four rounds or less.” More

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    Conor McGregor urged to join OnlyFans by Ebanie Bridges after boxing superstars joined exclusive website

    CONOR MCGREGOR has been advised to increase his jaw-dropping net worth – by joining OnlyFans.Several boxers and mixed martial artists have joined the subscription-based website in recent years to share exclusive content with their legions of followers.
    Ebanie Bridges recently met UFC superstar Conor McGregor in DublinCredit: INSTAGRAM@EBANIEBRIDGES
    And she’s urged the MMA mogul to top up his huge cash reserves by signing up to OnlyFansCredit: INSTAGRAM@EBANIEBRIDGES
    Ebanie Bridges makes a pretty penny flogging sexy snaps on the subscription websiteCredit: INSTAGRAM@EBANIEBRIDGES
    IBF bantamweight champion Ebanie Bridges is one of several fighters raking in the cash from the site and reckons McGregor – who she recently met – should follow suit.
    The Aussie told OnlyAccounts: “He might have some ideas of doing it.
    “I do give a lot of people the idea though of joining OnlyFans – especially women as some people look down on it as a bad thing.
    “But it’s not, it’s exclusive content from athletes and celebrities.”
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    Bridges is adamant McGregor doesn’t need to flog racy snaps as she and some of her fellow fighters do on the website.
    She continued: “It doesn’t need to be sex and porn as it’s not like that.
    “I’m not a blogger or Instagram a lot by telling people all the time what I’m doing, but on my OnlyFans, I do.
    “So all the fans know what I’m up to – at home or when out, plus behind the scenes.
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    “While it’s been good during the injury as a way to keep in touch with all my fans.”
    Bridges met the UFC’s poster boy at Katie Taylor’s clash with Chantelle Cameron in Dublin last month.
    She said of The Notorious: “He’s lovely. Me and Conor have been talking for a while – he’s always supported my career.
    “I’ve talked to him online and he sends me messages before my fights and has invited me to Ireland a few times and is nice to have that support and friendship.
    Conor McGregor and Ebanie Bridges regularly chat about fighting on social mediaCredit: SPORTSFILE
    “Recently was obviously the first time I’d seen him in person and that was great after the conversations we’ve had online.
    “He’s awesome and so effervescent and has that energy – when Connor walks in the room he lights it up and he’s very inspiring.”
    Bridges, 36, hasn’t set foot inside the ring since her eighth-round TKO of fellow Aussie Shannon O’Connell last December.
    McGregor, meanwhile, has been on the sidelines for the last two years after breaking his leg in his UFC 264 trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier. More