In the fast paced world of mixed martial arts we at Fighters Only know it’s hard to stay on top of all the latest news so here’s five stories that may have flown under your radar this week.
Bisping’s next movie
Michael Bisping’s Hollywood career seems to be going from strength to strength. With his roles in the new xXx movie and rebooted TV series Twin Peaks in the can, the UFC middleweight champion will also co-star in My Name is Lenny, which tells the life story of one of Britain’s most notorious bare-knuckle fighters, Lenny McLean, also known as ‘The Guv’nor’. Bisping took to Instagram to make the announcement adding, “Excited to be playing ‘Pretty Boy’ Roy Shaw in the upcoming movie about Lenny McLean’s life.”
Karate Hottie unmatched
After Aisling Daly was forced out of her UFC Fight Night Hamburg bout with Michelle ‘The Karate Hottie’ Waterson due to an knee injury, the promotion is now seeking a replacement for this strawweight fight. But matchmaker Sean Shelby needs to act fast as the event is just three weeks away, taking place in the German city on September 3rd. Daly meanwhile gave no indication as to how long it will take for her to recover and return.
Duane throwing shade
Dominick Cruz has no shortage of fighters vying for a crack at his bantamweight championship. TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt appear to be the front runners and it might just come down to who can generate the most heat. Dillashaw’s coach Duane Ludwig is doing his part as he took to Instagram and added the following zinger next to a screenshot of an email, “Congratulations to Dominick Cruz on your first week of the Bang Muay Thai online academy. Please let me know if you have any questions on the material and yes, TJ Dillashaw is available for private lessons at the HQ! Please bring his belt and receive free peanut butter.”
Out, out and out
Following various USADA infractions, Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar and Lyoto Machida have all been removed from the official UFC rankings. Given the removal of Jones this could very well lead to a statement from the UFC later this week in regards to his status as interim light heavyweight champion. All three fighters still have their due process to go through.
Alvarez fires at McGregor
Conor McGregor tangled with the world of professional wrestlers last weekend, essentially insulting them on the UFC 202 media conference call and then following up with a tweet on Sunday which instigated a reaction from the who’s who of the wrestling fraternity. UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez was also less than impressed and took to twitter himself to take aim at McGregor. “Breaking News: Conor McGregor agrees to fight a wrestler, a ‘fake one’. You ain’t s**t, either is the guy you’re fighting!” This could be a stroke of genius by Alvarez as McGregor has long campaigned to add the 155lb title to his 145lb bely and stake his claim as the first UFC fighter to hold two championships at the same time. With UFC 202 just days away, regardless of the outcome it will be interested to see what McGregor does next, drop back to 145lb and rematch José Aldo as promised, or opt for the Alvarez fight and attempt to make UFC history.
