<ul class="summary-list"><li>American fighter Luke Rockhold and Jake Paul are embroiled in a war of words.</li><li>Rockhold has had the last say after the internet celebrity diminished his UFC legacy on Twitter.</li></ul>American fighter <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/luke-rockhold" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Luke Rockhold</a> clapped back at <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/jake-paul" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jake Paul</a> after the internet celebrity recently trashed him on Twitter.Rockhold competed in the final match of his <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> career Saturday and generated headlines during his UFC 278 loss to Paulo Costa as <a href="https://www.insider.com/luke-rockhold-smeared-blood-over-ufc-opponent-paulo-costas-face-2022-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he smeared his own blood over his rival's face</a> at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.When the prominent MMA reporter Ariel Helwani discussed Rockhold's legacy to his 1 million followers on social media, Paul chirped up with his say."Luke is a legend," <a href="https://twitter.com/arielhelwani/status/1561202911769657344" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Helwani said</a> of the former UFC and Strikeforce champion. "Respect to him."<h2>Luke Rockhold did 'nothing for the sport,' according to Jake Paul</h2><div type="image" title="Luke Rockhold is a former UFC champion." height="1331" width="2000" msid="93786107" hostid="261" sizebytes="173682"></div>"Imagine me on my knees begging for air in my fights, what would people say?" Paul replied. "I'm a legend. Lol, no. They'd call me a YouTuber. Y'all are sick and twisted with your favoritism and delusion."Responding, Helwani said: "Luke has been doing this for over a decade. He hasn't fought for three years. He almost had his leg amputated. Broke his jaw in his last fight. This has nothing to do with you. I've never said that about you."If you can't respect what that man just overcame, I don't know what to say."Paul finished the exchange by saying Rockhold and Costa "did nothing for this sport."<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Jake Paul (@jakepaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1561205661928722433">August 21, 2022</a></blockquote>It was not long before Rockhold saw the exchange, and commented on it during an appearance on Helwani's "The MMA Hour" show on MMA Fighting.Though Rockhold said he's "tired" of giving "relevance to idiots," he went on to speak at length about Paul, a novice boxer, and the impact he's had on the combat sports landscape to date.<div type="image" title="Jake Paul in the boxing ring." height="1294" width="2000" msid="93786108" hostid="261" sizebytes="155170"></div>For Rockhold, it's not all been a positive impact."I thought the kid had a better head on his shoulders, and I thought he was doing better for the sport," Rockhold said on the show.Paul has a pro boxing record of four knockouts from five wins and remains unbeaten. However, Rockhold said Paul isn't fighting for real and is competing in a "handicapped" version of the sport. "So don't talk," he said.<h2>Jake Paul thinks he's Muhammad Ali, Luke Rockhold said</h2>"And you're finding guys that are smaller than you, everything you're doing. I don't think I really opened my mouth about you — don't open your mouth about me," Rockhold continued."You just don't fucking understand what fighting is. When you're thinking about fighting, you've got to think about dying."Boxing is boxing. Putting these fucking puffy little pads on your hands, and all you've got to worry about their fucking hands," Rockhold said.<div type="image" title="Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa." height="1333" width="2000" msid="93786109" hostid="261" sizebytes="198328"></div>Rockhold said MMA is different because participants also have to worry about elbow strikes, knees, grappling, and so on. "Think about fucking every goddamn thing you could think about," he said. "Put you in a state of reality, which you've lost touch with."He continued: "The reality of the modern-day — people like that — he thinks he's like a fucking [Muhammad] Ali."Shut the fuck up [and] go back in your fucking hole before I fucking smack the shit out of you," the 37-year-old said.

American fighter Luke Rockhold clapped back at Jake Paul after the internet celeb trashed him on Twitter

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Luke Rockhold purposefully smeared his blood all over his opponent's face during a UFC fight.</li><li>Paulo Costa was unaware of it at the time but later said it was "very disgusting."</li></ul>American fighter <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/luke-rockhold" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Luke Rockhold</a> smeared his blood over <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> opponent <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/paulo-costa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paulo Costa</a> during a middleweight match Saturday at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.It is arguably the grossest thing to happen in an <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA</a> fight all year, as Rockhold, who had top position, rubbed a weeping wound over Costa's face in a move that was as aggressive as it was revolting.Costa told reporters at a post-fight press conference that he was aware something was happening at the time but did not know how abhorrent it was until he saw replay footage."I didn't see it in the moment of the fight," said the Brazilian. "I just felt something on my face, but I was so worried about blocking his arms to not get elbowed in the face and punched. But I felt something."<h2>Rockhold's actions were 'very disgusting,' according to Costa</h2><div type="image" title="Luke Rockhold and Paulo Costa." height="1331" width="2000" msid="93717017" hostid="261" sizebytes="121802"></div>He added that the whole scene is "very disgusting" and "a very weird moment."Costa was right: It was.The incident did little to sway the result as three Octagonside judges all scored the bout 30-27 to award Costa a unanimous-decision win."I don't know why Luke did that," Costa continued. "Maybe he was so frustrated and angry because he was losing the fight."<h2>Costa said he 'took a long shower' after the fight</h2><div type="image" title="Paulo Costa speaks to the media." height="1333" width="2000" msid="93717018" hostid="261" sizebytes="84326"></div>After the match, and prior to addressing the combat sports media, Costa said he "took a very long shower."Watch the incident right here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Ryan Lupton (@RyanZLupton) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1561765951762079746">August 22, 2022</a></blockquote>The bout took place at UFC 278 and was the penultimate fight of the night.In the main event, Kamaru Usman was leading his UFC welterweight title fight against Leon Edwards but unraveled at the very last minute when the British challenger ended Usman's reign with a head kick.See the impact of the kick right here:<div type="image" title="Leon Edwards knocks Kamaru Usman out." height="1402" width="2000" msid="93717019" hostid="261" sizebytes="132676"></div>And the impact it had on Usman, who was unconscious in an instant, right here:<div type="image" title="Kamaru Usman eyes." height="1334" width="2000" msid="93717020" hostid="261" sizebytes="114938"></div>Earlier in the show, Merab Dvalishvili beat Jose Aldo by decision; Lucie Pudilova thwarted Wu Yanan with elbows; and Tyson Pedro knocked Harry Hunsucker out with a body kick and punches.

American fighter Luke Rockhold purposefully smeared his blood over UFC opponent Paulo Costa's face in fight

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="9054110" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="justin-gaethje">Justin Gaethje</keyword> could drop <keyword id="5616915" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tony-Ferguson">Tony Ferguson</keyword> in Saturday's lightweight fight in Florida according to a former <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> champion.</li><li>The two UFC stars are the main event attraction at a behind-closed-doors event on May 9.</li><li><keyword id="3844781" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="luke-rockhold">Luke Rockhold</keyword> told Insider that Gaethje "throws to kill" and hits harder than people who have already dropped Ferguson.</li><li>Saturday's winner could challenge Rockhold's gym-mate Khabib Nurmagomedov later in the year. "Both present so many options and problems for Khabib," he said.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Justin Gaethje is the hardest puncher in the lightweight division, "throws to kill," and has the ability to floor Tony Ferguson in the <keyword id="9035179" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ufc-249">UFC 249</keyword> main event on Saturday, May 9.That is the opinion of former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, who told Insider this week that while Ferguson has developed so much as a mixed martial artist, he has been dropped by lesser punchers than Gaethje, and could therefore be dropped once again."Tony has grown so much as a fighter," Rockhold said, one week before the May 16 release of a movie in which he stars — "Cagefighter: Worlds Collide" — on Fite. "He's so wild, unpredictable … [but] Justin throws to kill."A 31-year-old American with a collegiate wrestling background, Gaethje most commonly guns for a stoppage by knockout rather than submission and has finished 18 opponents this way, compared to one submission and two decisions out of 21 wins in total.He fights at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville on Saturday riding a three-fight win streak — all by knockout via punches — against James Vick in 2018 then Edson Barboza and Donald Cerrone, both in 2019."If he lands … well, he hits harder probably than anybody in that division that Tony's really fought," Rockhold told Insider. "[And] we've seen Tony get dropped by lesser punchers."UFC 249 was originally supposed to take place on April 18 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with one of Rockhold's gym-mates at the American Kickboxing Academy, Khabib Nurmagomedov, defending his UFC lightweight championship against Ferguson.With the New York event nixed because of the worsening spread of COVID-19 and it unclear if or when the show could go on as planned elsewhere, Nurmagomedov returned to Russia and then could not leave as the country went into its own coronavirus-enforced lockdown.White then recruited Gaethje to replace Nurmagomedov for a mysterious event on Native American land in California on the same date, but after <a href="https://www.insider.com/restarting-ufc-during-a-pandemic-is-expensive-dana-white-says-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mounting political pressure from California gov Gavin Newsom, Disney, which owns UFC's broadcast partner ESPN, ordered UFC president Dana White to stop</a> his event.After rescheduling UFC 249 for May 9 in Florida, the Ferguson vs. Gaethje fight is finally going ahead as planned. The winner could even challenge Nurmagomedov for the title later in the year."We anticipated that fight for so long, hoping it's to be," Rockhold told us. "[But] whether it's Tony or whether it's Justin … you're going to get a helluva fight [against Nurmagomedov]."Both present so many options and problems for Khabib," he said. "So I'm excited to see whatever happens in general, it's wild, anything can happen."Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/jacare-souza-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-ufc-249-fight-canceled-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">3 people test positive for COVID-19 ahead of UFC 249. One said he was desperate for money because his family might end up homeless.</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-texts-dana-white-wanting-to-fight-on-fight-island-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor texted the UFC boss Dana White saying he's desperate to fight on 'Fight Island'</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/we-counted-18-safety-measures-in-place-for-ufc-249-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We counted 18 safety measures the UFC has in place for UFC 249, and people have already been filmed getting swabs for COVID-19</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/ufc-middleweight-luke-rockhold-said-he-kicked-a-sketchy-woman-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A former UFC champion said he front-kicked a 'sketchy' woman in LA because she tried to spit on him after running 'like a zombie'</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/sergio-moraes-coronavirus-more-aggressive-than-any-ufc-opponent-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A former UFC athlete said beating the coronavirus was far more 'aggressive' than any opponent he fought in his career</a>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/who-wins-ufc-249-justin-gaethje-big-puncher-tony-ferguson-2020-5">Insider</a>

Tony Ferguson warned ahead of UFC 249 that Justin Gaethje 'throws to kill'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Former <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> champion <keyword id="3844781" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="luke-rockhold">Luke Rockhold</keyword> described a recent incident in which he kicked a "sketchy" woman who tried to spit on him while he was out walking his dog.</li><li>Speaking to Submission Radio this week, he said he walked past some "sketchy characters" while exercising his dog in Santa Monica.</li><li>One of those was a woman Rockhold described as looking like a zombie. He said he thought she was homeless, and likely on crystal meth.</li><li>"She looked bad, like, homeless, probably meth and just a nasty, nasty look."</li><li>Rockhold said she hocked a loogie and was trying to spit on him, so he kicked her and left her "quivering like a vampire frying in the sun."</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>A former UFC champion said he front-kicked a "sketchy" woman in Los Angeles because she apparently tried to spit on him after running like "a zombie."Luke Rockhold, a 35-year-old mixed martial artist, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvIFx0itCNc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Submission Radio</a> this week that when he was walking his dog around the Santa Monica area, he walked past woman he described as seemingly homeless and on crystal meth who hocked a loogie like "she was trying to infect" him.To protect himself, he said he hit her with a "vicious" kick which left her "quivering like a vampire frying in the sun."He said: "There was a couple sketchy characters. I see this girl, maybe 30ish, she was on the bus stop bench, and she looked bad, like, homeless, probably meth and just a nasty, nasty look."Rockhold said she had "crap all over her" as well as "blood or something.""She was super out of it [and] glanced up at me like real quick, looked down. I didn't think anything of it, and I just kind of just stayed on my path on the edge on the sidewalk and I started walking."As I got closer, she popped up out of nowhere and ran at me like some zombie. It was wild. It was like the last thing I expected. I was just walking and minding my own business with my dog, and this chick just runs at me within 15 feet."She just jumped and started to run at me like 'arghhh' and she started hocking a loogie like she was gonna spit on me, trying to scare me or infect me. I don't know what she was on, but it didn't look like anything I want to be around."Rockhold said he reacted instinctively. "As it got close to me I just reared up with a vicious front kick and just launched that thing in the air. The thing just went up, landed on the ground, and literally like started quivering like a vampire frying in the sun or something.""Honestly, it happened so quick, I didn't even think of anything," Rockhold added. "I thought she wasn't even paying attention, I thought she was pretty out of it on drugs or something."She just like glanced up for a second, maybe like 25 feet away. But when I got near her, maybe like 15 feet, she just got up and ran at me. It was funny because you could see her getting the spit ready."Rockhold said that the spit ended up landing on her when she was lying on the floor and he escaped unharmed, without being spat on."I checked myself, nothing got on me, and I was like … 'I'm out of here'."Rockhold, a surfer, skateboarder, and male model, held the UFC middleweight championship from 2015 to 2016 but has not competed since July, 2019.It is unclear if and when he will return to the Octagon.Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/ufc-has-inhuman-attitude-patricio-freire-says-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The UFC is so concerned about making money it doesn't care if fighters get the coronavirus and 'die,' a Bellator MMA athlete says</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/devin-haney-says-hes-not-racist-regrets-white-boy-remark-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">21-year-old American boxer Devin Haney says he's not racist, has 'learned a lot,' and regrets saying he'd never lose to a 'white boy'</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/mike-tyson-punched-garbage-man-for-throwing-away-his-pigeon-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mike Tyson said he once knocked out a garbage man for throwing away one of his pet pigeons that had died</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/paulie-malignaggi-warns-conor-mcgregor-he-will-knock-him-out-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor's old sparring partner says he'll 'beat the s---' out of him if the Irishman really wants to compete in boxing again</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/khabib-nurmagomedov-challenged-to-a-fight-vs-christian-lee-2020-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A 21-year-old champion is already good enough to dethrone UFC king Khabib Nurmagomedov, MMA promoter says</a>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/ufc-middleweight-luke-rockhold-said-he-kicked-a-sketchy-woman-2020-5">Insider</a>

A former UFC champion said he front-kicked a 'sketchy' woman in LA because she tried to spit on him after running 'like a zombie'

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6359203" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wwe">WWE</keyword> guys cannot rely on physicality alone if they wanted to transition away from pro wrestling and compete in mixed martial arts.</li><li>Few athletes have had crossover success, and while Brock Lesnar left the WWE as a champion to reign as a champ in the <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword>, CM Punk left with the same status only to be humbled when the fighting was real.</li><li>Two former UFC champions, <keyword id="2197942" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Chuck-Liddell">Chuck Liddell</keyword> and Luke Rockhold, recently told Insider that strength is no substitute for technical fighting ability — even if you're The Rock.</li><li>Liddell and Rockhold both feature in a May 16 movie — "Cagefighter: World's Collide" — which merges the pro wrestling and MMA worlds.</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>The reason the majority of WWE wrestlers would fail in the UFC is because their physicality does not match their technical fighting ability.That is the opinion of two former UFC champions Chuck Liddell and Luke Rockhold, who spoke to Insider ahead of the release of the <a href="https://www.fite.tv/watch/cagefighter-worlds-collide/2p715/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fite TV film "Cagefighter: World's Collide"</a> on May 16.Liddell and Rockhold both feature in the movie, assuming familiar roles of fight experts albeit in a coaching capacity, rather than as combatants.The film merges the pro wrestling and cage-fighting industries — an area an increasing number of athletes have dabbled in, with various degrees of success.Brock Lesnar left the WWE as a heavyweight champion to compete as a mixed martial artist, was fast-tracked into the UFC, and became the leading MMA firm's heavyweight champion after only four fights.But while there's a Lesnar, there's also a CM Punk, who left the pro wrestling business as a long-reigning WWE champion, only to be resoundingly beaten, twice, in the UFC.To ensure crossover success, Rockhold said a collegiate wrestling background is essential as it is the toughest fighting discipline. "Some of them do come from wrestling backgrounds and wrestling, as we know, is the toughest of all martial arts."It's a different kind of discipline and toughness that you can't teach in other realms — to just beat you down and nothing else."So a lot of those guys do come from heavy wrestling backgrounds. With that respect, I'd give them a chance. It works for that."There's a wild difference between someone like Lesnar, who had that collegiate wrestling background and, say, The Rock, who is arguably the WWE's most famous face but wouldn't actually know how to fight."They would have to pick his opponent really well," Liddell told Insider. "I mean, he's an athlete, plays football, and in shape but doesn't really know how to fight."Liddell said: "The guy's who have had success coming over have [into UFC] had really good wrestling backgrounds."CM Punk, the guy's coaching him did him a disservice … he was terrible. He wanted to fight but should have gone to a local show. The second guy he fought [Mike Jackson], insulted me more than the first guy [Mickey Gall] probably not ready to fight in the UFC yet but [Gall] was at least a real fighter."<h2>Performance-enhancing drugs could level the playing-field, Rockhold joked</h2>Liddell fumed at how the UFC allowed Jackson, who had a losing record at 0-1, into the company which is regarded as the pinnacle of professional mixed martial arts. "Why is this guy in the UFC?"People got so mad that Brock Lesnar got a shot at the title … but he won," Liddell said. "Once you win the fight that you got, the argument whether you deserve the fight or not is gone. And Brock was a beast of a wrestler."<div type="image" title="Cagefighter: World's Collide" height="1025" width="1367" msid="75763500" hostid="261"></div>For Rockhold, "the technical aspect of things supersede the strength and physicality" that WWE guys may have.The only thing that could counter-balance a trained fighter's skillset is performance-enhancing drugs, Rockhold suggested, but even then the Californian would expect the fighter to be able to handle a "juiced-up" wrestler.Rockhold referenced the time Lesnar returned to the UFC for the UFC 200 show in 2016, beat Mark Hunt, but had the decision retroactively overturned after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/dec/15/brock-lesnar-ufc-failing-drugs-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the former heavyweight champion failed a drug test</a>.Lesnar was fined $250,000 and slapped with a one-year ban."[If] they allow the wrestlers to use steroids and be who they are, like the UFC has seemingly done with Brock and create exceptions so people can cheat. So maybe The Rock could juice up and have a chance."But the technical realm usually takes over," he said.Liddell plays Marcus, a coach, and Rockhold features as Tony Gunn in the upcoming Cagefighter: World's Collide movie.Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/glover-teixeira-says-his-fist-hurt-from-punching-anthony-smith-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The veteran UFC fighter who knocked an American's teeth out said he knew he was doing damage because his fist hurt from all the punching</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/dana-white-said-anthony-smith-loss-was-tough-to-watch-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC boss Dana White said it was 'tough to watch' a fighter get beaten so bad he was left with broken bones and missing teeth</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-brian-kelleher-scores-1-punch-ko-ufc-fight-night-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An American called "Boom" scored a 1-punch KO then hit his defenseless, unconscious opponent with 2 hammer-fists on the canvas</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/how-professional-fighters-league-wants-to-change-mma-forever-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An MMA boss is paying fighters not to fight in the coronavirus era and wants to change the game with tech innovations when his sport returns for good</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/dana-white-said-loves-donald-trump-said-hes-awesome-249-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dana White knew his behind-closed-doors UFC 249 event was a huge success when he got a cageside phone call from Trump</a>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-wwe-athletes-fail-in-the-ufc-2020-5">Insider</a>

The majority of WWE athletes would fail in the UFC because their physicality does not match their technical fighting ability

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Chito Vera scored an impressive win Saturday when he knocked out Dominick Cruz.</li><li>A slow-motion video replay shows how devastating Vera's fight-finishing head kick truly was.</li></ul>Dominick Cruz, one of the best <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> bantamweights of all time, suffered <a href="https://www.insider.com/ufc-results-and-highlights-include-a-fighter-of-the-year-2022-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a knockout loss so brutal Saturday</a> that it potentially spelled the end of his time competing at the highest echelons of world <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA</a>.Chito Vera beat Cruz in the fourth round with a head kick to cap the 13-fight card that took place at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego on ESPN and ESPN+.There were numerous times that Vera's savage striking appeared to rearrange Cruz's face in the fight, but the final blow — that head kick — caused considerable damage as it shattered the American's nose.The scale of Vera's power was emphasized when ESPN replayed the finish using slow-motion technology.CBS reporter Shakiel Mahjouri even said it looked like a "baseball bat to the face."Re-live the live footage right here:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Shakiel Mahjouri (@Shak_Fu) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1558636163925061632">August 14, 2022</a></blockquote>Here's the slow-motion replay:<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1558637974841167872">August 14, 2022</a></blockquote>Ouch!The close-up photo below shows how bent out of shape Cruz's nose was:<div type="image" title="A close-up of Cruz's nose following Vera's head kick." height="451" width="850" msid="93578989" hostid="261" sizebytes="24226"></div><h2>Vera was unfazed at the spectacular nature of his own win</h2>Speaking to reporters at a post-fight press conference that followed the event, Vera played down the nature of his win despite the way it stunned those who saw it live."Honestly, me and my team, we really think the way he fights is kind of very low-level," Vera said.A former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, Cruz is one of the most tested competitors in mixed martial arts, as he's scored wins over Joseph Benavidez (twice), Urijah Faber, and Demetrious Johnson.It is perhaps a testament to how highly regarded Cruz is that the commentary team and audience members looked so visibly shocked after Vera's head kick flattened him in an instant.Check Michael Bisping's reaction in particular:<div type="image" title="Chito Vera's knockout win stunned onlookers." height="1384" width="2000" msid="93578990" hostid="261" sizebytes="274042"></div>Neither Vera nor his team were that surprised, though, the Ecuadorian fighter said."There's no base, there's no good stance," he said, criticizing Cruz post-fight."All that movement side to side, like, I'm like, we told each other I have to kick this guy's ass, but by saying that you put a lot of pressure on yourself. I just believe that style is not the best style for MMA."Maybe for boxing it can work better. But for MMA you got way too many weapons going."It is unclear when Vera will fight again.The UFC, though, returns Saturday for a big pay-per-view show that takes place at the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.<div type="image" title="UFC 278 poster." height="750" width="1000" msid="93578991" hostid="261" sizebytes="138104"></div>Kamaru Usman puts his UFC welterweight championship on the line against Leon Edwards in the main event.Paulo Costa fights Luke Rockhold in the co-main; Jose Aldo competes in a bantamweight match against Merab Dvalishvili; and heavyweights Marcin Tybura and Alexander Romanov also compete on the main card.

Slo-mo footage shows the exact moment Dominick Cruz's nose was broken in his KO loss to Chito Vera

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11922276" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma" source="Orion">MMA</keyword> lightweight <keyword id="12345283" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="islam-makhachev" source="Orion">Islam Makhachev</keyword> is a better version of ex-UFC champ <keyword id="11946150" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="khabib-nurmagomedov" source="Orion">Khabib Nurmagomedov</keyword>.</li><li>That's according to the guy who has represented both fighters, <keyword id="12345284" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ali-abdelaziz" source="Orion">Ali Abdelaziz</keyword>.</li></ul><a href="https://www.insider.com/category/islam-makhachev" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Islam Makhachev</a> is a better version of <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/khabib-nurmagomedov" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khabib Nurmagomedov</a>, according to <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MMA</a> manager <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ali-abdelaziz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ali Abdelaziz</a>.Nurmagomedov retired from ultimate fighting aged 32 in 2020, after submitting Justin Gaethje with a triangle choke at <keyword id="11922275" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ufc" source="Orion">UFC</keyword> 254 on "Fight Island" in Abu Dhabi.It brought to an end an unbeaten career in which the Dagestani wrestler won and retained the UFC lightweight title, having beaten Al Iaquinta, Conor McGregor, and Dustin Poirier.Makhachev, another imposing combatant from Dagestan, is one of the athletes from the region looking to take the baton from Nurmagomedov.For Abdelaziz, who has represented both fighters, Makhachev is "destined to be a world champion."<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faKTAw-f8qc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He told TMZ Sports</a>: "If I rank him today, the pound-for-pound listing, he's in the top-5."Makhachev returns to the Octagon on October 30 when he competes in a lightweight match against Dan Hooker at UFC 267 inside the Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi.Hooker is a "great fighter," Abdelaziz said, but the New Zealand striker is only "showing up for a paycheck."Regardless, Hooker is a rarity in MMA, Abdelaziz said, because not too many ranked fighters want to face Makhachev."I think he's going to be one of the greatest fighters ever. I think he's a better version than Khabib. I truly believe he is. He's a future world champion, for sure."Abdelaziz said Makhachev's abilities are clear to people who watch him train at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, where he challenges bigger, more experienced champions like Luke Rockhold and Dan Cormier."I see him in the gym beating DC, beating Luke, beating some of my guys in the top-5 at middleweight, top-5 at welterweight - he is a problem. He's one of the worst guys you can train with."Khabib beat you, but let you relax. Islam beat you every second of the round. He does not give time to people to breathe. And he is very dangerous striking, on the ground, wrestling."You have not seen the best Islam Makhachev yet. I promise you that."

Islam Makhachev is a better version of Khabib Nurmagomedov, according to MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6130340" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jake-Paul">Jake Paul</keyword> is busy making fresh enemies in the aftermath of his knockout win over Ben Askren.</li><li>The creator flamed three <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> fighters on Twitter and one, <keyword id="10141065" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dan-cormier">Dan Cormier</keyword>, responded.</li><li>The former two-weight UFC champ said: "I would kill him," on ESPN.</li></ul>Rather than basking in his most recent success in <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/boxing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">boxing</a>, Jake Paul has been busy creating fresh enemies in combat <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword>.The YouTube creator advanced his pro record to 3-0-0, 3 KOs on Saturday with <a href="https://www.insider.com/video-jake-paul-scored-first-round-knockout-over-ben-askren-2021-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a thumping first-round knockout win over the former MMA champion Ben Askren</a> in Atlanta.A deft one-two punch combination was enough to put Askren on his back. The decorated wrestler made his way to his feet, but because he was adjudged to be in no fit state to continue, the referee waved the contest off.Though Paul said he had competed in three fights in a short space of time and would take some time off, he appears to have no shortage of potential opponents to take on in his fourth, fifth, and even in his sixth bout.One of those is the <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> commentator and former two-weight UFC champion Dan Cormier, who Paul has seemingly declared war on via Twitter.It all started when Cormier appeared to have a problem with the way Paul was talking about MMA fighters."All these kids are going to get taught a lesson I swear," <a href="https://twitter.com/dc_mma/status/1383874490061316098" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he tweeted on Sunday</a>. "And I can't wait for it."[Paul training partner and pro boxer] J' Leon Love, you can't fight. Better respect dudes like Tyron Woodley before he puts his hands on you. He ain't Ben!"<blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1383874490061316098?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2021</a></blockquote>Paul then proposed an event involving Love against Woodley, a former UFC champion, and himself against Cormier."Okay, fat boy," <a href="https://twitter.com/jakepaul/status/1383914105472385035" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said Paul</a>. "So, me vs. you and J vs. T.?"Responding on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv3UYsecnXQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN</a>, Cormier said: "This dude would never fight me. I would kill him. Why would I ever fight someone like that?"Cormer said that he's a Hall-of-Fame athlete and that trash-talking Paul would be considered punching down. "I'm not gonna punch down to some kid that's on YouTube that's, like, 'Fight me!' Like, why?"What have you done to earn the right to fight me? So, no, it's silly and stupid. But I would like him to fight Tyron. I would like to see him fight somebody more real."Don't fight Ben Askren at 190, bloated. Fight a middleweight. Fight Luke Rockhold! Let me see you fight Luke Rockhold or somebody like that. And then I will not only say that you have base skills, I will say you're a real fighter."Because right now it's all pretend. It's all pretend."Paul also trashed two other UFC fighters on Twitter - Nate Diaz and Mike Perry.He said <a href="https://twitter.com/jakepaul/status/1383817705187205126" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he'd knock Diaz out in three</a> rounds, and seemingly <a href="https://twitter.com/jakepaul/status/1383848165065986052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed to have had the edge over Perry</a> during a recent sparring session.

Former two-weight UFC champ Dan Cormier said he'd 'kill' YouTuber Jake Paul if they ever fought

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6164007" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Khabib-Nurmagomedov">Khabib Nurmagomedov</keyword> competes in his 29th mixed martial arts match Saturday, and speculation remains over whether the sambo specialist will retire forever next year.</li><li>Daniel Cormier, a former two-weight <keyword id="992778" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="UFC">UFC</keyword> champion himself, said his gymmate Nurmagomedov has emulated the achievements of other champions from the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose.</li><li>The AKA founder <keyword id="9827789" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="javier-mendez">Javier Mendez</keyword> was asked at a <keyword id="9060271" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="fight-island">Fight Island</keyword> media day this week whether there are any up-and-coming athletes from his academy who can one day emulate Nurmagomedov, like Nurmagomedov emulated Cormier and others.</li><li>Mendez instead hailed three athletes close to Nurmagedomov, telling the MMA media to expect big things from Islam Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Usman Nurmagomedov.</li></ul>FIGHT ISLAND — Javier Mendez listed three fighters to potentially replace Khabib Nurmagomedov when the UFC lightweight champion finally retires from mixed martial arts.Mendez, the founder of the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, is Nurmagomedov's long-time trainer, and will be cornering for the Russian at UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.Victory over American striker Justin Gaethje would advance Nurmagomedov's unbeaten record to 29 wins — and it has been rumored that he could be tempted to take a legacy fight, <a href="https://www.insider.com/georges-st-pierre-is-ideal-opponent-for-khabib-nurmagomedov-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">potentially against Georges St. Pierre</a>, before retiring from the sport forever.Another famous AKA graduate, former two-weight UFC champion Daniel Cormier, said at a Fight Island media day Thursday, that alongside Luke Rockhold and Cain Velasquez, he established AKA as a place where champions practise.But Cormier added that Nurmagomedov, one of the most dominant fighters the UFC has ever seen, has taken AKA's reputation to another level.At the same media day, Mendez said there are three Dagestani fighters close to Nurmagomedov who could help fill the void should he retire next year.They are:<ol><li>Islam Makhachev — A lightweight in the UFC with a record of 18 wins (three knockouts, seven submissions, eight decisions) against one loss.</li><li>Umar Nurmagomedov — A featherweight recently signed to the UFC with an unbeaten record of 12 wins (one knockout, five submissions, and six decisions)</li><li>Usman Nurmagomedov — A lightweight recently signed to Bellator MMA with an unbeaten record of 11 wins (seven knockouts, three submissions, and one decision)</li></ol>"On Khabib's side, he's got Islam Makhachev who is fighting against Rafael dos Anjos," Mendez said.Makhachev only has one loss, a knockout in 2015, and is on a six-fight win streak. He was supposed to fight dos Anjos on Saturday at UFC 254 but the bout has been postponed until November 14 after dos Anjos tested positive for coronavirus.It will be Makhachev's sternest test yet. "Expect Islam to be victorious," Mendez said confidently this week.Elsewhere, Mendez expects Nurmagomedov's family members to excel in the various MMA organizations — particularly Usman Nurmagomedov — who he seemed particularly excited about."Umar, his cousin, another undefeated guy. His other cousin, Usman, signed with Bellator and I think he's going to be a superstar, with time."Expect Usman to be the Luke Rockhold of Dagestan because the guy has got it all."Read more:<a href="https://www.insider.com/video-khabib-nurmagomedov-looked-relieved-to-make-weight-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khabib Nurmagomedov looked relieved to make weight ahead of his UFC lightweight title fight Saturday</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/khabib-nurmagomedov-on-difference-between-russian-us-wrestling-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khabib Nurmagomedov says there's a difference between Russian and American wrestling, and it's all to do with relentlessness</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/khabib-nurmagomedov-has-given-conor-mcgregor-an-ultimatum-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khabib Nurmagomedov has given Conor McGregor an ultimatum, showing how much power the Irishman has lost in recent years</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/conor-mcgregor-gets-fighter-support-after-khabib-nurmagomedov-demand-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Conor McGregor appears to have support from a UFC ally after he was slapped with an ultimatum by Khabib Nurmagomedov</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/andrade-vs-chookagian-video-shows-brutal-body-shot-2020-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Video footage from a UFC women's flyweight match shows the devastating, fight-ending effect a big shot to the body can have</a>

3 fighters close to Khabib Nurmagomedov could replace him when he finally retires, his trainer said

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12411737" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="glover-teixeira" source="Orion">Glover Teixeira</keyword> endured an illegal 43-day journey to get into the US two decades ago.</li><li>The Brazilian, a <keyword id="11922275" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ufc" source="Orion">UFC</keyword> fighter, called on Hollywood to make a film about his journey</li></ul>ABU DHABI - A veteran <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UFC</a> fighter wants Hollywood to "make that movie" about his illegal immigration into the US.Meet Glover Teixeira, a 41-year-old Brazilian grappler who fights for the UFC light heavyweight title Saturday against reigning champion Jan Blachowicz in the main event of UFC 267, which takes place inside Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena.Teixeira's story includes a 43-day journey from Brazil to the US, crossing the "dangerous" Mexico border, and hoping to avoid the fate of captured people who "get arrested, tortured," and die, he said, <a href="https://www.mmafighting.com/2021/10/26/22672235/glover-teixeira-details-dangerous-42-day-illegal-journey-brazil-to-usa-mexico-border-ufc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to MMA Fighting</a>.He was only 19 years old at the time and his family feared for his safety, Teixeira said.He drank, partied, but said his journey took him "through some scary places" where his guides were "obviously bribing" the locals in countries like Guatemala.Teixeira's group had to stay in Tijuana, Mexico, for eight days to wait for perfect weather conditions - fog - so that "helicopter and immigration people wouldn't see us," he said.Teixeira's group paid for the guides and "coyotes" - a term for those who smuggle people across borders - though he claimed there was an opportunity to do it for free.All they had to do was carry a backpack and deliver it to somebody in San Diego, California, he said. "I think it was drugs or weapon."Teixeira declined the offer.<h2>Texieira is now one win from becoming a UFC champion</h2><div type="image" title="Glover Teixeira throws a kick during his pre-fight practise session in Abu Dhabi." height="1000" width="2000" msid="87343800" hostid="261"></div>Once in the States, Teixeira said he fell in love with the country and, before long, started to box.A friend recommended he fight in the UFC - a firm that specializes in contests involving multi-fight disciplines, which was a concept still in its infancy back then."I got my ass kicked," in early fights, Teixeira said, but he eventually started training with Chuck Liddell - one of the first superstar <keyword id="11922276" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma" source="Orion">MMA</keyword> fighters - who recommended him to the UFC boss <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/dana-white" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dana White</a>.Many fights later he started <a href="https://www.insider.com/video-anthony-smith-can-be-seen-handing-his-tooth-to-the-referee-2020-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">punching the teeth out of one opponent's mouth</a> - Anthony Smith.He is now on the hunt for the win that would define his career as he looks to dethrone Blachowicz this weekend.<div type="image" title="Jan Blachowicz boxes during a pre-fight practise session in Abu Dhabi." height="1000" width="2000" msid="87343801" hostid="261"></div>It took a while for Blachowicz to get the respect his resume deserved, as the Polish fighter is on a tear of late, defeating Luke Rockhold, Dominick Reyes, and, significantly, Israel Adesanya.Speaking at a media day Insider attended Wednesday, at an ornate five-star hotel on Yas Island - mere minutes from the host venue the Etihad Arena this weekend - Teixeira said he was happy to enter this Octagon as the underdog.Someone who "overcomes the odds" to defeat the champ. "It's a hard thing to do and I'm glad that I'm here," said Teixeira. "And I'm going to get it Saturday night."He continued: "It's going to be a great fight because the style match-up is amazing. Jan, he likes to come in and finish fights. He goes after people. You know me, the record speaks for itself … I have the most submissions in UFC."Somebody's going to get hurt, and it's going to be Jan."Added Teixeira: "I want to be champion, I'm going to be champion. That's the mindset I have right now."Teixeira said he's lived "an amazing life" - one almost befitting of a Hollywood screen.But in this world, it is perhaps only victory Saturday that would provide the ultimate punctuation mark for Teixeira's million dollar script.

A veteran UFC fighter wants Hollywood to 'make that movie' about his illegal immigration into the US

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11023009" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="usman-nurmagomedov">Usman Nurmagomedov</keyword> makes his highly-anticipated <keyword id="6150626" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bellator-mma">Bellator MMA</keyword> debut Friday on Showtime.</li><li>The lightweight trained in Las Vegas alongside former UFC champ Khabib to get ready for his bout.</li><li>Bellator boss <keyword id="3395273" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Scott-Coker">Scott Coker</keyword> told Insider he's excited about the AKA fighter's potential in <keyword id="6403489" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma">MMA</keyword>.</li></ul>"An army" of Nurmagomedovs heads to <a href="https://www.insider.com/pitbull-freire-is-the-bellator-goat-according-to-scott-coker-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bellator 255</a> as <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/khabib-nurmagomedov" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khabib</a>'s cousin Usman makes his debut for the company on Friday.Usman Nurmagomedov is an unbeaten fighter with seven knockouts, three submissions, and one decision from a flawless run so far in regional MMA promotions in Russia and the Middle East.The lightweight Dagestani fights for the 12th time during <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/bellator-mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bellator MMA</a>'s first event in four months as the Hollywood-based combat <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> firm restarts its live events business with a Connecticut show broadcast on Showtime in the US and the BBC's online service, iPlayer, in the UK.With Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement from professional sport, there is intense interest in the next wave of talent from his team-mates, training partners, and proteges.<a href="https://www.insider.com/video-islam-makhachev-records-submission-win-against-drew-dober-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Islam Makhachev</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/video-khabib-nurmagomedovs-cousin-umar-scores-debut-ufc-win-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Umar Nurmagomedov</a> are returning impressive performances in the UFC, and Usman Nurmagomedov is expected to do the same when he makes his US debut with Bellator at the Mohegan Sun Casino.The rise of Makhachev, Umar, and Usman is because of Khabib, Bellator boss Scott Coker told Insider last week.Coker said Khabib helped nurture their talents in Dagestan, and especially at Javier Mendez's renowned American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose."He was a great fighter coming into training at AKA, competing in the UFC, and becoming one of the greatest fighters and the greatest lightweight of all time," Coker told us."And then he's got all his guys and they all train, they all fight, and he's got a great team."They were in Vegas training, taking it seriously, and getting ready. Khabib's there, Usman, another brother, and it's like an army coming to the Mohegan Sun Casino, April 2, live on Showtime."It's a big deal for [Usman]. Can you imagine training with Khabib? And Usman has had great fights all around the world, but now you've got to deliver. There must be a certain amount of pressure that comes with that."<h2>Usman's potential in mixed martial arts is huge, Coker said</h2><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CIldtf8jNaT" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Usman Nurmagomedov (@usman_nurmagomedov)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime=""></time></div></blockquote>Aside from Khabib, AKA has helped Daniel Cormier, Cain Velasquez, and Luke Rockhold - all UFC champions - flourish.But there are many others developing their trade there, and AKA's founder Mendez, an esteemed MMA coach, recommended Usman to Coker."Javier Mendez who trains Khabib at AKA told me, 'Hey, you should look out for this kid [Usman].'"So we signed him and what I'm excited about is not just the fighter he is right now but the fighter he is under the tutelage of Javier, AKA, that gym, and with all the great fighters it has put out. It's like a fight factory, really."But you put this guy into Javier's hands and he's just going to mould him properly."On what stands Usman apart, Coker said: "He's got it all … the stand-up, the ground-game, the wrestling."He's not a fighter you'll be able to take advantage of because he's weak in one area or another. He's a fighter who's got a well-rounded game, with excellent hands and complete striking ability."Usman is campaigning in the lightweight division - home to fighters like Benson Henderson, the Pitbull brothers Patricio and Patricky Freire, and Brent Primus.As Usman makes his debut appearance in Bellator on Friday it is hard to gauge how far he can go in the sport, but Coker is excited by his prospect's potential."Where can we take this kid from here?" he said. "Where he is today … in a couple of years he'll be at a whole different level. That's what's exciting."

An 'army' of Nurmagomedovs heads to Bellator 255 as Khabib's cousin Usman makes his debut with the firm

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6150626" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bellator-mma">Bellator MMA</keyword> returns Friday with its second event of the year.</li><li>The company's president <keyword id="3395273" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Scott-Coker">Scott Coker</keyword> recently told Insider about its April shows.</li><li>He told us that his firm is in the healthiest position its ever been in.</li></ul>The <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/bellator-mma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bellator MMA</a> roster is in the healthiest state it has ever been in, company boss Scott Coker said, as he marveled over recent signings including <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/khabib-nurmagomedov" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khabib Nurmagomedov</a>'s cousin Usman.The Hollywood-headquartered combat <keyword id="6356028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports">sports</keyword> promotion restarted its live events business April 2 with <a href="https://www.insider.com/bellator-mma-patricio-pitbull-chokes-emmanuel-sanchez-unconscious-2021-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a thumping performance</a> from its <a href="https://www.insider.com/pitbull-freire-is-the-bellator-goat-according-to-scott-coker-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GOAT fighter Patricio "Pitbull" Freire</a>.Pitbull advanced to the fight firm's featherweight final and will meet A.J. McKee in the coming months for a $1 million fight likely to be one of the biggest in the company's history.Bellator, meanwhile, has another event Friday as a light heavyweight grand prix gets underway.Ahead of this, Coker told Insider about the four-month pause in its live event schedule, the ever-growing roster of athletes, and scoring premium broadcaster partners like Showtime in the US and BBC iPlayer in the UK.Regarding the reasoning behind the hiatus, Coker said: "It was really scheduling with TV on the Bellator side.""We needed time to get our companies [Bellator and Showtime] in the same alignment and the same page. We were on Fite TV, CBS, Paramount, and having Viacom as the ownership group is a great thing because they have many different platforms they can offer you."Coker has been on Showtime before with his previous firm Strikeforce, which was sold in 2011 to Zuffa - the parent company of the UFC. Strikeforce fighters then became UFC fighters."I felt really good about the conversation when they [Viacom] said: 'You're going to Showtime,' because that's where I built Strikeforce."The same people who were there in 2009, 2010, 2011, are still there today. Senior executive producer, the SVP of marketing, communications department … I don't think anybody's ever left Showtime."So this is the second opportunity for myself to be back with a company like Showtime that really know how to promote <keyword id="6403489" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="mma">MMA</keyword>, and the quality fights they've put on in the past."In 1986, I was watching Mike Tyson on Showtime. Recently, Floyd Mayweather - that whole run. When it comes to television, marketing, story-telling, what an amazing network to be with."<h2>Bellator's roster has improved drastically since Coker took over in 2014</h2><div type="image" title="Usman Nurmagomedov Bellator MMA" height="1370" width="2000" msid="81968903" hostid="261"></div>Zuffa retained Coker for a contracted period of three years when it acquired Strikeforce in 2011.Months after that period lapsed in 2014, Coker replaced Bjorn Rebney as the boss of Bellator and asked American Kickboxing Academy coach Bob Cook for his take on the quality of the roster at the time."When I came to Bellator, I'll never forget … I sat down with Bob Cook from AKA and I said: 'Here's our roster, what do you think?'"And he said: 'You don't have much here. It's kind of thin.' So I said: 'Okay. Let's go sign some new guys. Who do we sign?'"He recommended Aaron Pico and gave us a load of athletes to go after with development deals. As we're doing that and nurturing him, we signed Phil Davis, Ryan Bader, Fedor Emelianenko - people that are the free agents."The strategy of building fighters like Pico and McKee, while signing free agents, built the quality of Bellator's roster year on year.In 2020, Coker made further additions. Insider asked him who has gotten him most excited."I think Magomed Magomedov," he said. "That guy is a beast - a killer - and he'll give our guys a lot of headaches."I'm really excited about Usman [Nurmagomedov]. There's also Pico who is a guy we've invested in, backed for a long time."Joey Davis is another kid I'm confident about."Now, we've got the greatest roster in the history of this company. But this roster took six years to this point."This was always the game plan, Coker told us."One thing I learned from Strikeforce - you have to build from the bottom up. And you have to buy free agents from the top down."But free agents alone aren't going to make your business. They'll come and go. The health of your company is about the fighters you build."I knew that at Strikeforce with Tyron Woodley, Ronda Rousey, Daniel Cormier, and Luke Rockhold - the list goes on and on." All four athletes Coker named were champions in the UFC after it absorbed Strikeforce."You have to have your base. And that's the part that stuck. Sometimes it takes five to six years to see fighters get to a world class level where they could fight anybody."This is the healthiest and greatest fight roster we've ever had in this company," he said.<h2>Bellator has big broadcast partners</h2><div type="image" title="Nemkov beats Bader, Bellator MMA" height="844" width="1500" msid="81968906" hostid="261"></div>As well as the partnership with Showtime in the US, Bellator events are being broadcast on the BBC iPlayer in the UK. This, Coker said, is a testament to the mainstreaming of MMA."Right now we're in the process of sealing a lot of international deals," Coker said. "But we're excited about the BBC iPlayer deal. To have the BBC put a stamp of approval on MMA is not only a victory for our company, but for the sport."It wasn't that long ago, 10 years ago, when there was no MMA on CBS, or Fox, or ESPN. It wasn't on major television like it is today."Now, you've seen mixed martial artists become accepted in mainstream America."The first show I did in 2006, a guy asked me if it was like human cockfighting. They have no idea what it is. So this is good for the industry as a whole, this BBC deal."Bellator returns Friday with Bellator 256, an event broadcast on Showtime and BBC iPlayer from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.The main event features Ryan Bader against Lyoto Machida in a light heavyweight tournament quarterfinal. Further down the card, Liz Carmouche fights Vanessa Porto.

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