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Yet another week in MMA has gone by--one which witnessed a few huge announcements, and some intriguing rumors added to the daily rigmarole of MMA.
Bellator MMA has been making waves lately with the signing of legendary Kickboxer and Pride FC alumni Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. In hot pursuit of the same, yet another MMA legend seems to have signed with the promotion.
Besides, a certain boxing legend-turned-aspiring MMA fighter once again found himself in the news, as he continues to tease a UFC debut. So, without further ado, Sportskeeda brings you the top 10 MMA news & Rumors of the week--
#5 Rumor: Michael "The Count" Bisping vs. Luke Rockhold III...Conceive. Beleive. Achieve.
Days after teasing a trilogy bout with Luke Rockhold, that would serve as the retirement bout for "The Count", Michael Bisping and Luke Rockhold have continued their war of words.
Rockhold took to Twitter, posting a photo of him having submitted Bisping in their first match, to demand that Bisping sign the contract to fight him the third time and bring an end to their trilogy given that they're currently at 1-1. Bisping then posted a GIF of him knocking out Rockhold in their rematch, following which the duo continued their heated social media exchange.
#5 News: Bethe Correia undergoes second eye surgery
Bethe Correia pulled out of her scheduled bout with Irene Aldana that was set to take place at the UFC St. Louis card in January of this year, owing to an eye injury.
Apparently, while Correia was looking to return this March, her Octagon comeback has been delayed once again, as her eye problems persisted. Speaking to MMAFighting, Correia stated--
“I had a healing problem and had to do a second surgery to fix it,” Correia added. “I was using eye drops but they weren’t working, so I had to do another surgery by the end of February. Nothing serious, but I had to do it.”
#4 Rumor: Ronda Rousey retired from MMA?
In a recent appearance on a popular talk show, Ellen, Ronda Rousey spoke to host Ellen DeGeneres on a myriad of topics.
Rousey explained that going back to MMA in the days to come would be akin to going back to the Olympics for her. She added that similar to how she never announced her retirement from Judo, she doesn't necessarily have to announce that she's indeed retired from the sport of MMA.
Furthermore, Rousey also asserted that she's happy with her job in the WWE, and intends to stay with the promotion over the next several years. Rousey stated--
“I don’t know...I think it’s just as likely as me going back to another Olympics for judo. No one demanded a written resignation from me for judo and I don’t really think the same thing is necessary for fighting. I’m just doing what I enjoy and WWE is what I enjoy right now.”
#4 News: MMA veteran returns to face former UFC Lightweight king in Bellator
Roger Huerta--widely regarded as one of the most beloved fighters in MMA history--returns to Bellator this April.
Huerta, who has fought for several notable promotions the world over, was regarded as one of the best MMA fighters during his heyday, and highly respected for his gritty battles inside the Octagon and the Bellator MMA cage over the years. Per Ariel Helwani, Roger Huerta faces former UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson in the main event of Bellator 196 which takes place at the Budapest Sports Arena in Budapest, Hungary on April 6th.
The upcoming bout will be Huerta's first fight in the US since 2011, as "El Matador" has largely competed in smaller promotions abroad over the past seven years.
#3 Rumor: CM Punk returning at UFC 225
Former WWE Superstar CM Punk aka Phil Brooks has taken to social media so as to allude that he'll be competing on the UFC 225 card which takes place in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
Punk put forth a Tweet with the caption reading--
"June nine, after I win and lock eyes with my beautiful wife, embrace my coaches and shout out my entire team"
UFC 225 takes place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on June 9th. The event will be headlined by a long-anticipated rematch for the UFC Middleweight Championship between reigning titleholder Robert Whittaker and challenger Yoel Romero.
#3 News: Amanda Nunes reveals behind the delay in super-fight with Cris Cyborg
On a recent edition of the UFC Unfiltered Podcast, UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion Amanda Nunes opened up on why her super-fight against UFC Women's Featherweight titlist Cris Cyborg has been stalled.
Nunes explained that she has nothing personal against Cyborg, however, in order to be the best she wants to beat the best--hence, facing Cyborg makes sense for her career. Nunes alluded that she'd like to eventually move up in weight and face Cyborg, however, she plans on defeating two of the current top 135-pound fighters, Raquel Pennington and Ketlen Vieira, before the Cyborg matchup. Nunes stated--
"When I texted Dana White that I wanted the fight, I didn’t have nobody in my division...I didn’t even know if I was gonna fight soon. I was concerned with waiting years because I’ve been in that position before, waiting so long for a fight, I don’t want to do it again and stay waiting, waiting, waiting.
“But now, we have Rocky [Pennington] and we have the Brazilian, Ketlen [Vieira] and I feel like my division is starting to grow. If you pay attention, the division’s gonna be awesome and now I have two. I have Rocky and I have Ketlen. Rocky is my next step and I want to see Ketlen after, for sure.”
#2 Rumor: Ronda Rousey being considered for the 2018 UFC Hall of Fame Class
Ronda Rousey is one of the names being considered for the 2018 UFC Hall of Fame Class. Apparently, despite being a young professional who hasn't officially retired from MMA, the vast majority of MMA experts believe that Rousey could be accorded a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame this year.
The primary reason behind the same is said to be the impact Rousey had on the sport of MMA and combat sports in general. This is indeed a rumor worth keeping one's eye on, as a Hall of Fame induction for Rousey at the age of 31 could serve to further elevate her brand value in the world of sports & entertainment, which in turn could tremendously benefit her not only in the WWE but also in her Hollywood career.
#2 News: Alexander Gustafsson sounds off against DC
Alexander Gustafsson has once again taken aim at longtime Light-Heavyweight rival and reigning UFC 205-pound Champion Daniel Cormier, accusing the latter of playing it safe by moving up to Heavyweight and fighting Stipe Miocic for the UFC 265-pound title later this year.
Gustafsson asserted that DC has everything to gain and nothing to lose in his fight against Miocic. Speaking on The MMA Hour, Gustafsson stated--
"I’ve been a little bit frustrated...because I was counting on the DC fight. Me and him fighting for the belt again, that was my plan. That was my plan basically, and it didn’t end up like that, so it’s been a little bit frustrating. I’ve been injured for awhile too..."
“And now when [Cormier] goes up a weight class, we’re just sitting there on the sideline watching everything happen. So I’m a little bit frustrated, a little bit disappointed.”
#1 Rumor: UFC Welterweight king training Floyd Mayweather for MMA debut
UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley revealed on a recent edition of his Hollywood Beatdown show that he's close to securing a deal that'll have him help Floyd Mayweather Jr. train for the latter's MMA debut.
Woodley added that Mayweather is one of the greatest strikers of all time, and could beat several current UFC fighters, particularly the ones who aren't great grapplers. Woodley stated--
“I saw him at the Jordan party during (NBA) All-Star weekend...We started chatting about training MMA and we decided let’s connect, let’s hook up in Vegas and do some training and get him ready for MMA.”
#1 News: Cynthia Calvillo gets extended suspension for positive marijuana test
Cynthia Calvillo recently accepted a 6-month suspension after testing positive for marijuana during an in-competition test pertaining to her UFC 219 fight against Carla Esparza. Apparently, the NAC (Nevada Athletic Commission) has now increased Calvillo's suspension to 9 months.
Furthermore, Calvillo was also fined $6,150, which is 15 percent of the pay, $41,000, which she received in her UFC 219 Unanimous Decision loss to Carla Esparza. Calvillo tested positive for Carboxy-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is a marijuana metabolite.
