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    Dana White slammed by Badou Jack after claims UFC prelim fighter earns TEN TIMES more than him for fighting

    BOXER Badou Jack hit back at Dana White after the UFC boss claimed one of his prelim fighters earned TEN TIMES more than him for a fight. White said the former world champion, who returns on Friday, November 26 in Dubai against Johnny Muller, would only make $75,000 (£55,000).
    Badou Jack hit back at Dana White after the UFC boss claimed he was being paid $75,000Credit: Getty
    Dana White claimed a UFC prelim fighter was being paid $750,000Credit: Getty Images – Getty
    But Jack, 38, hit back on Twitter: “I would never fight for that type of money ever in my life. Not sure who told you these lies.
    “That won’t even cover my training camp. But thanks for the free promotion.”
    Jack is believed to have been paid as much as $750,000 (£560,000) for his 2017 fights against James DeGale and Nathan Cleverly.
    And that is the sum UFC president White revealed one of his unnamed prelim fighters made.
    He said on the Pardon My Take podcast: “You know this kid Badou Jack? The boxer, right? Former world champion.
    “He’s fighting this weekend, I guess, in the Middle East, and he’s making $75,000.
    “A guy who isn’t even, he’s on the prelims never been a world champion — and I won’t mention his name — is making $750,000.”

    White has long been criticised over fighter pay, despite UFC champions being entitled to pay-per-view bonuses.
    Jack, who won titles at super-middleweight and light-heavyweight, is reported to have made $500,000 (£372,000) for his last win, in November 2020.
    He beat Blake McKernan, 34, on the same night Mike Tyson, 55, made his boxing comeback in an exhibition bout with Roy Jones Jr, 52.
    Jack has recently linked up with new boxing promotion Probellum for his return against cruiserweight Muller.
    Dana White reveals Conor McGregor will return to UFC as a ‘headliner’ More

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    ‘Mike Tyson owes me $50k!’ – Junior dos Santos reveals how boxing legend persuaded UFC to strip him of ‘best KO’ bonus

    FORMER UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has claimed boxing legend Mike Tyson owes him $50,000 after depriving him of a post-fight bonus in 2013.Iron Mike was in attendance at UFC 160 to see JDS register a sensational spinning wheel kick KO victory over MMA legend Mark Hunt in May 2013.
    Junior dos Santos scored a stunning third-round KO of Mark Hunt at UFC 160Credit: GETTY
    The Brazilian’s sensational spinning wheel kick originally earned him two bonusesCredit: GETTY
    But UFC chief Dana White took one away after Mike Tyson questioned why JDS should get twoCredit: GETTY
    Dos Santos’ stunning stoppage of the PRIDE legend saw him handed ‘Fight of the Night’ and ‘Knockout of the Night’ bonuses by UFC president Dana White.
    But the Brazilian ended up being stiffed of $50,000 when Tyson questioned why he was being given two bonuses.
    He told SunSport: “Back in the day, Mike Tyson took from me $50,000 because of Dana White!
    “When I fought Mark Hunt I had two Bonuses of the Night – Best Fight of the Night, and Best Knockout of the Night.
    “And Mike Tyson was there watching the fight and at the press conference after the fights, Dana White said, ‘Junior Dos Santos has won two bonuses of the night. Best Fight of the Night, and Best Knockout of the Night.’
    “But I was asking Mike Tyson and he told me to give the Knockout of the Night to somebody else!

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    “He said, ‘Why give two bonuses to just one guy?’ So he took away from me $50,000. So he owes me $50,000!
    “He deprived me of that.
    “But it was normal back then to have two bonuses on the night and sometimes some guys got three!”
    Dos Santos – who was released by the UFC in March – is still somewhat irked by bonus-gate.
    He added: “The fight was really good I went three rounds with Mark Hunt and in the end I knocked him out with a spinning back kick.
    “They should have given me the two bonuses. For me it was a lot, but for the UFC maybe not.
    Former UFC heavyweight champ Junior dos Santos admits he’d love to box Mike TysonCredit: GETTY
    “It showed a lot the personality of Dana White because the UFC is so big and if Mike Tyson says someone else should get the Knock Out of the Night, then the UFC should have given an extra bonus to someone else but still should have given me mine. They just took it away from me.”
    Former undisputed heavyweight champion Tyson is gearing up to return to the ring in February.
    An opponent hasn’t been finalised for the Baddest Man on the Planet, although YouTuber Logan Paul has been rumoured to be the legend’s next assignment.
    But heavy-hitter dos Santos has thrown his hat into the ring, saying of Tyson’s training with his countryman Rafael Cordeiro: “They had been posting some good training videos.
    “It looked like the power of Mike Tyson is still there. He looks good.
    “Yes, I really believe a fight against Mike Tyson would be a very interesting fight.”
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    Logan Paul says he could easily beat Mike Tyson More

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    ‘Stop this s***’ – Dana White dismisses UFC star Kamaru Usman’s chances against Canelo Alvarez after he calls out boxer

    UFC chief Dana White dismissed Kamaru Usman’s desire to fight Canelo Alvarez after the boxer beat Caleb Plant.Alvarez, 31, dominated Plant before knocking him out in the 11th round, becoming the first ever undisputed super-middleweight champion by doing so.
    Kamaru Usman called out Canelo Alvarez earlier this week before defending his UFC welterweight crownCredit: Getty
    Alvarez responded to Usman’s callout by suggesting he is after a paydayCredit: Getty
    Dana White dismissed Usman’s intention to fight AlvarezCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    He is undefeated since 2013 and now holds five belts, and although Usman maintained his flawless UFC record on the same night, White believes he would have no chance against Alvarez.
    When asked what he thought of Usman calling out Alvarez for a fight earlier this week, White responded: “I watched the Canelo fight tonight.
    “He doesn’t want to fight Canelo, he doesn’t want to fight Canelo.
    “C’mon man let’s stop this s***.”
    Alvarez is ranked as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world by Ring magazine.
    And although Usman, 34, has a height advantage over the world champion, and knock-out power, it would be a big step to swap the Octagon for the ring.

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    But after dominating the Welterweight division with 14 straight wins the Nigerian is keen to face a different challenge.
    Alvarez, however, believes Usman is merely looking for a “payday” and shrugged off his suggestion of a fight.
    Usman defeated Colby Covington for a second time in UFC 268 on Saturday – his fifth defence of the 170lb belt. More

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    Dana White pictured watching Canelo Alvarez’s fight with Caleb Plant on TV while sitting in front row at UFC 268

    DANA WHITE was pictured cageside at UFC 268 watching Canelo Alvarez’s fight against Caleb Plant on his TV monitor. The night Canelo completed super-middleweight supremacy at in Las Vegas, over 2,500 miles away in New York the UFC had a competing pay-per-view.
    Dana White watching Canelo’s fight with Caleb Plant
    Alvarez’s fight fortunately did not clash with UFC 268’s headliner between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.
    But it did start while Rose Namajunas, 29 was fighting Weili Zhang, 32.
    And it appears UFC boss White – who started off in the boxing business – and his colleagues fancied checking in with Canelo.
    The Mexican star, 31, later went on to knock out Plant, 29, in 11 rounds to add the IBF title to his collection which already boasted the WBC, WBA and WBO.
    Later on, Usman, 34, beat Covington, 33, again in a rematch of their December 2019 classic, this time on points.
    Welterweight king Usman has recently spoken of his desire to fight Canelo, pitting together boxing and MMA’s most dominant champions.

    But White, who viewed Alvarez’s brutal win over Plant, was quick to shut down the idea, but did welcome him into the octagon.
    He said: “I watched the Canelo fight tonight. He don’t want to fight Canelo. He don’t want to fight Canelo.
    “Come on, man. Let’s stop this s***. If Canelo wants to come over here, let’s do it. He don’t wanna box Canelo.”
    White in 2017 allowed Conor McGregor, 33, to cross over to the ring to face Floyd Mayweather, 44, but the Irishman lost in round ten.
    More recently, ex-UFC fighters Ben Askren, 37 and Tyron Woodley, 39, both lost to YouTuber Jake Paul, 24.
    Kamaru Usman beat Colby Covington in their rematchCredit: Getty
    Canelo beat Caleb Plant in round 11Credit: Getty More

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    Canelo Alvarez start time against Caleb Plant will NOT be delayed if UFC 268 main card runs over after Kovalev shambles

    CANELO ALVAREZ’s eagerly-anticipated showdown with Caleb Plant will NOT be pushed back this weekend – despite its clash with a monster UFC card.The pound-for-pound king’s undisputed super-middleweight title fight with the American will take place at the same time as a blockbuster UFC 268 card at Madison Square Garden.
    Canelo Alvarez will bid to unify the super-middleweight division against Caleb Plant this weekendCredit: Rex
    But the mouthwatering bout will clash with a stacked UFC 268 card at MSGCredit: UFC
    Golden Boy delayed the start of Canelo’s bout with Sergei Kovalev the last time they clashed with a UFC eventCredit: GETTY
    But Showtime Sports chief Stephen Espinoza insist that won’t be happening this weekendCredit: MARK ROBINSON
    But Showtime have no plans to push back the pair’s ring walks to accommodate for the bonanza of mixed martial arts at the Garden.
    Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza told ESPN: “We’re completely unconcerned with the timing of any other competing event.
    “Canelo Alvarez is the No.1 star in boxing by far at the box office.
    “We wouldn’t be doing his event justice if we were putting his audience in the arena, and on television, on a delay and sort of compromising the viewer experience and fan experience to accommodate some other event happening across the country.”
    Espinoza anticipates some ‘crossover’ but is confident the UFC’s penultimate pay-per-view card of the year won’t detract from Canelo’s potentially historic bout.
    He said: “I’m not saying that competing combat sports on that same night will never draw from our audience.

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    “But in terms of the overlapping fan appeal, I don’t think there are any Canelo fans who are worried about Colby Covington and vice versa for that matter.
    “Undoubtedly, there is some crossover.
    “But if you look at the kinds of events, the demographics, we’re relatively unconcerned about losing [our] audience.”
    But renowned pundit and coach Teddy Atlas reckons several boxing fans will end up tuning into Kamaru Usman’s clash with bitter rival Colby Covington.
    He said: “Those fans will say, ‘I’m going to go over where I’m guaranteed a competitive fight, I’m going to go with the sure thing, and guess what else I’m going to get? The undercard.’
    “Boxing fans are not dumb. I have news for the promoters: The gig is up.
    “They’ve been suffering through some of the crap on the undercards and guess what? There is no crap on the undercard of the UFC.
    “Every one of those fights can be life or death, every one of those fights can be a war.”
    Canelo will bid to become undisputed 168lb champion this wekeendCredit: REX
    The clash of pay-per-view events is the second time in three years a Canelo fight has fallen on the same night as a UFC pay-per-view event.
    In November 2019, the Mexican’s WBO light-heavyweight title fight with Sergei Kovalev clashed with Jorge Masvidal’s UFC 244 clash with Nate Diaz.
    And that night, Golden Boy made the stunning decision to delay the fight until after the conclusion of the BMF fight.
    That delay led to a fully kitted out Canelo catching some shut-eye less than an hour before his 11th-round KO of the Russian.

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    Canelo Alvarez would ‘love to fight in England’ as promoter Eddie Hearn teases Mexican star headlining at Wembley More

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    Colby Covington claims UFC threatened to ‘strip’ bitter rival Kamaru Usman if he didn’t accept UFC 267 grudge match

    COLBY COVINGTON has claimed Kamaru Usman only agreed to a rematch because the UFC threatened to “strip” him of the welterweight title.The bitter rivals will renew their feud early on Sunday morning in the main event of UFC 268 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
    Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington will renew their rivalry at UFC 268Credit: GETTY
    Usman vs Covington II headlines a stacked card at Madison Square GardenCredit: UFC
    But Covington claims Usman only agreed to the rematch to avoid being stripped of the 170lb titleCredit: GETTY
    Covington aggressively pursued a rematch with Africa’s first UFC champion after their war for the ages in December 2019 but was unsuccessful.
    And Chaos claims the Nigerian Nightmare has only agreed to give him a shot at redemption for fear of being stripped of the belt.
    He told ESPN: “It’s been such a journey. It’s been tough. It wasn’t supposed to happen.
    “They did not want it to happen. His manager, they were refusing.
    “They were trying to find every way in the book out of fighting this rematch.
    “They didn’t want this fight and the only reason they have to take it is the UFC gave them no choice.

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    “They said, ‘Hey, you fight this fight or we strip you. It’s one or the other.’
    “‘You’ve got to come out and prove you’re the best in the world. There needs to be no controversy surrounding this fight.’ So it’s been tough.”
    Covington and Usman, 33 and 34 respectively, locked horns with one another in the main event of UFC 245 in December 2019.
    Following a back-and-forth affair, Usman retained the 170lb strap with a fifth-round TKO victory.
    Covington has only fought once since that fateful night in Las Vegas, registering a fifth-round TKO victory over his old team-mate and former welterweight champ Tyron Woodley.
    And the former interim 170lb titleholder has attributed his inactivity to the top contenders in the division refusing to face him.
    Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington first fought at UFC 245 in December 2019Credit: GETTY
    And Chaos has vowed to exact his revenge on The Nigerian NightmareCredit: GETTY
    He said: “The fact is no one wanted to fight me. Go to Hunter Campbell, go to Dana White, ask them the truth. No one would fight me.
    ‘Street Judas’ [Jorge] Masvidal, they wanted to make this big hype fight, best friends turned rivals who hate each other’s guts now.
    “He was running his mouth in the media saying all this and that, ‘I’ll drop Colby on sight, that guy’s fragile, blah blah blah.’
    “I was trying to put on the biggest and best fights for the UFC.
    “No one wanted to take the bait so now we are here and we get the best fight in the welterweight division and it’s gonna be a real treat for the fans.”
    Covington will happily jump right into a trilogy fight with Usman should he level their series this weekend.
    But he doesn’t foresee Usman following suit.
    SunSport’s latest pound-for-pound UFC rankings
    He told Yahoo Sports: “I’m not going to be a coward. I’m going to give the people what they want.
    “If they want this trilogy, I’ll do it right away. The thing is, after I finish him next weekend, he’s not going to want to come back. It’s going to be a life-changing defeat.
    “He’s not going to want to come back for the trilogy, he’s probably going to retire.”
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    Colby Covington vows to ‘finish’ Kamara Usman at UFC 268 More

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    Conor McGregor invites Sir Alex Ferguson for a drink after wading into Man Utd woes.. before swiftly deleting tweet

    CONOR McGREGOR invited Sir Alex Ferguson for a drink after he waded in on Manchester United’s woes. United fan McGregor tweeted, but swiftly deleted, to say that he would love to share a glass of his Proper 12 whiskey.
    Conor McGregor invited Sir Alex Ferguson for a drinkCredit: Instagram thenotoriousmma
    Manchester United legend Sir Alex FergusonCredit: PA
    It came after the Irishman called for Old Trafford boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s role to be ‘rearranged’ in another deleted post.
    McGregor, 33, tweeted: “The issue at United is it’s just bunch of young fellas talking to each other. Peers.
    “You need some one above the group chat to take the helm. Ole was on the bench when Ronaldo played. A peer. Not enough.
    “Love and respect Ole to the max but his role needs rearranged. My opinion.”
    But McGregor denied he was firmly in the ‘Ole Out’ brigade.
    He responded: “Never Ole out you silly fool. Ole is forever United!

    “His role simply needs to be readjusted, and again, someone above the group chat needs brought in.
    “Someone to command the young squad. God bless.”
    United were thrashed 5-0 at home against Liverpool last Sunday, mounting huge pressure on Solskjaer.
    His job is deemed safe for now, but his future could be decided after their next two matches, away trips to Spurs in the league and then Atalanta in Europe.
    It is believed the board – including club icon Alex Ferguson – are prepared to give the under-fire manager time to turn things around.
    But without a win in five matches, their last coming almost one month ago at West Ham, Solskjaer desperately needs a change of fortune.
    Love and respect Ole to the max but his role needs rearranged. My opinion.Conor McGregor on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
    SunSport revealed United have already drawn up a four-man shortlist of potential candidates to replace the Norwegian.
    It includes Antonio Conte, Zinedine Zidane, Brendan Rodgers and Erik ten Hag.
    Conte won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2017 but is out of work after leaving Inter Milan last summer, despite leading them to the Serie A title.
    Similarly, Zidane is out of work since walking out of Real Madrid for the second time.
    Rodgers, an ex-Liverpool boss, has emerged as one of the best managers in the country at Leicester, winning the FA Cup last season.
    And Ten Hag is currently in charge at Ajax, where he has won two Dutch league titles.
    Conor McGregor and wife Dee Devlin look happy as ever as they drive around in £170,000 convertible Bentley More

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    UFC legend Michael Bisping predicts Mike Tyson ‘absolutely flatlining’ Logan Paul and brother Jake is ‘the better boxer’

    MICHAEL BISPING predicted Mike Tyson ‘absolutely flatlining’ Logan Paul and said the YouTuber’s brother Jake is ‘by far the better boxer.’Heavyweight legend Tyson and social media sensation Paul were rumoured to be in talks for an exhibition in February.
    Logan Paul, left, pictured next to his brother Jake
    Mike Tyson is rumoured to be in talks with Logan PaulCredit: @miketyson
    Neither have confirmed the reports, but Tyson exclusively revealed to SunSport that he will return to the ring in February.
    Paul, 26, has not boxed since taking American legend Floyd Mayweather, 44, the distance in their exhibition in June.
    But despite that feat, former UFC champion Bisping gave him little chance against Tyson, who is 29 YEARS older.
    He said on his YouTube channel: “Logan, you know, he’s tall, you know, he’s long. He’s kind of a big guy, he’s athletic. He’s got a great physique.
    “Jake Paul is by far the better boxer I would say. If I had to pick who was better then I’d say Jake Paul’s way better but Logan, you know, he has some skills.
    “He can certainly punch and as I say, he’s big and he’s athletic and he’ll learn from the fight against Floyd.
    “Maybe he’ll learn to manage his gas tank a little better. But there’s just no way I don’t see Mike Tyson going out there and absolutely flatlining him.”

    Tyson, 55, returned to boxing in November, after 15 years out, and drew with Roy Jones Jr, 52, in an exhibition.
    On the undercard, Paul’s younger brother Jake, 24, knocked out ex-NBA star Nate Robinson, 37, to extend his record to 2-0.
    He has since beat former UFC fighters Ben Askren, 37, by KO and Tyron Woodley, 39, most recently on points.
    Before beating Askren, the internet phenomenon was in talks to fight Bisping, who retired from the UFC in 2018.
    The Brit was unable to come to terms with Paul and just months later was ringside as a pundit to witness the win over Woodley.
    And Bisping has since hailed Paul for his influence on boxing since debuting professionally in 2020 against online rival ‘AnEsonGib’.

    He said: “Jake Paul isn’t just a YouTuber. He’s a boxer now. He’s still a YouTuber, but he’s also a boxer.
    “Just because you discover your love for the sweet science later in life doesn’t mean you have to be labelled a YouTuber your entire life.
    “The reality is, Jake Paul’s doing a great thing in the boxing world. Jake Paul’s bringing a lot of attention, a lot of eyes to the boxing world.”
    Michael Bisping retired from the UFC in 2018Credit: Getty
    Jake Paul tipped to beat Tommy Fury as UFC legend Michael Bisping breaks down where YouTuber wins fight More