Posts for mma

UFC 229: A Closer Look at Conor vs. Khabib

Kevin Kinkead - October 5, 2018

Photo Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

I don’t think I’ve been this interested in an MMA fight since Jon Jones beat* Daniel Cormier last summer at UFC 214.

There have been some great bouts since (Miocic/Ngannou and Whittaker/Romero 2 come to mind), but in terms of star power and overall draw, it’s hard to view Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov as anything but a top-five all-time UFC fight, at least in terms of anticipation and meaning.

You’ve got the return of the most compelling figure in UFC history, fighting for his vacated lightweight title against a 26-0 opponent. There’s been rivalry and trash talk going back years now, while Conor was carrying the featherweight belt and feuding with Nate Diaz and others. Anybody who was dialed in back then hoped to see Conor vs. Khabib sometime in the future, and here we are.

On paper, this fight is incredibly straightforward. Khabib is the promotion’s best grappler and Conor is the promotion’s best striker. I really don’t think that’s a bullshit hot take; I think it’s true. McGregor has put the likes of Eddie Alvarez and Jose Aldo on their butts with perfectly-timed strikes while Khabib has looked bored while grinding opponents into dust on the mat.

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Snoop Dogg Gets UFC Fighters Mixed Up in Ridiculous Instagram Video

Kevin Kinkead - September 10, 2018

Not sure if y’all were watching UFC 228 the other night, but me and Snoop Doggy Dogg were.

Here’s the back story:

Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley was defending his belt against undefeated challenger Darren Till out of Liverpool, England. The other main challenger for the title is Colby Covington, a former Oregon State wrestler who talks a lot of shit and professes his love for President Donald Trump. He wears a MAGA hat and met Trump at the White House. 

During Saturday night’s fight, Snoop posted an Instagram video ripping into Till, calling for Woodley to “beat his mother fucking ass” while shouting “fuck Donald Trump” over and over again:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

King Kong.

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on

Right, so the only explanation is that Snoop thought that Darren Till was actually Colby Covington, because nothing in that rant makes sense. Till isn’t even an American and has said nothing about Donald Trump ever, at least not that I know of. He spent more than three years of his life living in Brazil.

I’m 99% sure Snoop had the wrong guy, but the rant is great, so allow me to transcribe part of it for you after the jump:

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Sports Betting Updates

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FanDuel Sportsbook Review

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FanDuel Sportsbook Review

October 23, 2018

Things have picked up for NJ online sports betting. FanDuel Sportsbook launched their sports betting app in September and they, along with DraftKings, have quickly become the leaders in the space. If you want to know how the sites compare to each other, read our DraftKings Sportsbook vs. FanDuel Sportsbook post. Otherwise, keep reading to get our review of FanDuel and their current bonus offers. Bonus: First deposit matched up to $100 Minimum Deposit: $10 FanDuel

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DraftKings Sportsbook Promo Code: DraftKings Is Offering a $500 Free Bet

December 11, 2018

DraftKings Sportsbook has been live in New Jersey for over three full months now and a lot has changed since launch, including promos and bonuses. Here is the current best DraftKings Sportsbook promo code and full review. The season of giving is upon us and our partners at DraftKings Sportsbook are spreading the holiday cheer between now and the end of the month by increasing their $200 free bet offer, which they’ve been running pretty

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The Best New Jersey Sportsbook Promos This Weekend

December 8, 2018

If you still haven’t gotten in on New Jersey’s legal sports betting action, now is a great time to check out the various promos some of the best betting apps are offering this weekend – just be sure to hit the “bet now” button or links to take advantage of these deals, as some of them are exclusive to our audience. For those of you in Pennsylvania, PA sports betting is coming soon. FanDuel Sportsbook FanDuel

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Eddie Alvarez Let Himself Down

Kevin Kinkead - July 30, 2018

Photo Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Eddie Alvarez blew it on Saturday night.

The Kensington native was fighting Dustin Poirier in a much-anticipated 155 pound rematch, 14 months after we were left with a “no contest” decision in the first go-round after Alvarez landed illegal knees while Poirier was grounded. That brought to a complete halt one of the better fights I had seen at that point in 2017.

So it was disappointing this weekend when Eddie, holding an advantageous full mount position and looking strong in round two, broke the rules again, this time throwing a pair of “12-6” elbows that caught Poirier on the shoulder:

Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

See how the elbow is coming straight down in that photo? That’s called a “12 to 6” because if you think about a clock, you go straight from 12 to reach 6. It’s illegal in MMA. All elbows have to be thrown from an angle and can’t be thrown vertically like that.

Here’s the video, also featuring an illegal wet willy:

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MMA Fighter Rags “Filthadelphia Eagles” Over Canceled White House Visit

Kevin Kinkead - June 11, 2018

Photo Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Colby Covington is what we’d call a “heel.”

The guy is a great fighter but a total asshole, a trash-talking former collegiate All-American wrestler who now competes in the UFC’s Welterweight division.

Covington beat Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 225 on Saturday to claim the interim belt and set up a future fight with division champion Tyron Woodley. He used part of his post-fight press conference to slag the Philadelphia Eagles for “disrespecting” the country:

Well, they didn’t kneel for the anthem, but whatever. We’ve been over this before.

Covington said similar stuff about the Eagles (and threw in the Warriors) during weigh-ins:

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UFC 223: Conor McGregor and the Cursed Card

Kevin Kinkead - April 6, 2018

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Feels like the UFC 223 fight card has been under assault both literally and figuratively since the day it was announced. I wrote 95% of this article before Max Holloway was ruled out this morning, so now I’m trying to backtrack and scrape together something cohesive.

It looked like we were finally going to get the Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Numagomedov fight, a matchup planned three times in three years and cancelled every single time. This time, Ferguson had to pull out after injuring his knee in a non-training accident, resulting in featherweight champion Max Holloway stepping in to take the fight on short notice. He’s now off the card, according to Brett Okamoto:

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Frankie Edgar Added to UFC’s Atlantic City Fight Night

Kevin Kinkead - March 22, 2018

Photo Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

A sneaky-good card slated for Boardwalk Hall next month just got a whole lot better.

Toms River native Frankie Edgar will fight Cub Swanson in a rematch of their entertaining 2014 bout:

It’s a RAPID return for Edgar, who fought Brian Ortega just three weeks ago at UFC 222. He was knocked out for the first time in his career when he caught a vicious first-round uppercut and hit the canvas. Edgar was originally supposed to fight Max Holloway for the lightweight title, a matchup that was scrapped twice due to injuries, so Edgar took the Ortega fight instead and suffered a tough loss.

Is it too soon for him to fight again?

I think so, but Frankie is a machine, so I’m not surprised. He’s a New Jersey guy and trains not far from Atlantic City with Eddie Alvarez and Edson Barboza, the latter of whom will headline the event in a matchup against Kevin Lee. Knowing Edgar’s history, he probably wants to get back in the octagon ASAP to rid himself of the bitter taste of a bad defeat, and he’ll want to fight in front of a home town crowd again. Frankie hasn’t fought in South Jersey since 2006, when he beat Jim Miller in a Reality Fighting event.

The first Edgar/Swanson matchup was decided with in the fifth round, when Frankie won with a neck crank submission with 4 seconds remaining on the clock. 

Here’s the Atlantic City fight card, stuffed with intriguing matchups between ranked fighters:

 

 

 

UFC Fighters Lee and Barboza Talk Atlantic City, Eddie Alvarez, and Basketball

Kevin Kinkead - March 14, 2018

Imagine traveling around town with a guy who you’re going to punch in the face in five weeks.

Sounds odd, but that was the case on Tuesday, when UFC fighters Kevin Lee and Edson Barboza hit a bunch of Philly spots to talk about their April 21st headlining bout at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. Maybe the art of promotion in combat sports isn’t dead after all.

For Barboza, this will be his third fight in AC. He beat Evan Dunham there in 2014 at Revel Casino, the last time the UFC went to South Jersey. The Brazilian lightweight also won a pair of fights in Atlantic City back in 2010 when he was fighting for the Ring of Combat promotion. Barboza relocated to New Jersey a few years ago and trains with Toms River native Frankie Edgar and Philadelphia’s Eddie Alvarez.

Lee is a Detroit fighter who made his UFC debut in Newark but has yet to fight in our region.

It’s a interesting matchup at 155 pounds between a pair of guys coming off tough losses to elite opponents. Lee fought for the interim lightweight title in October but was bested by Tony Ferguson with a third round triangle choke. Barboza was battered by the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov back in December.

Khabib and Ferguson meet on April 7th in Brooklyn for the title that Conor McGregor won in 2016, then later vacated.

This fight should help sort out the pecking behind Ferguson and Khabib. Lee had the opportunity to fight Alvarez, but wanted Barboza instead. Eddie is three months removed from an excellent win against the previously unbeaten Justin Gaethje.

Lee and Barboza rang the bell at the Sixers game last night and were nice enough to speak for a few minutes before tip-off:

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UFC 217: Preview and Predictions for the Biggest Card of the Year

Kevin Kinkead - November 3, 2017

Photo Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to build a more complete card than UFC 217.

Tomorrow night we’ve got three title fights, the return of a future hall of famer, and a 14-fight win streak on the line. All 24 fighters made weight on Friday and we haven’t been blindsided with any illness issues (yet). Even the undercard is stacked with intriguing matchups.

If you’re not a MMA fan, this is the type of fight card that might get you interested in combat sports. There’s a lot going on here, with some unique storylines and interesting style matchups on the docket.

Here’s the rundown, with some background information and my predictions: Continue Reading

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