Slap fighting: The next big thing, or unsporting stupidity?
UFC President Dana White is selling slap fighting as the next big thing in combat sports, putting his money and the resources of one of the world's foremost mixed martial arts organizations behind the Power Slap League. The Nevada Athletic Commission has sanctioned the league for competitions in Las Vegas. "It’s a home run,” said White, who is among several UFC officials involved in the league. Such exposure has led to questions about the safety of slap fighting, particularly the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease believed to be caused by repeated blows to the head.
news.yahoo.comUFC mysteriously closes show at Vegas campus to fans, media
The UFC is holding its next fight show without fans or media members in attendance, and the mixed martial arts promotion isn't saying why. The UFC will stage a 13-bout Fight Night card at the Apex Gym on its corporate campus in Las Vegas on Saturday night, but no fans or reporters will be there. The UFC has held regular televised cards at the small gym since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, but has typically allowed in groups of fans and media representatives.
news.yahoo.comRob Gronkowski confirms Jon Gruden nixed deal that would’ve sent him, Tom Brady to Raiders
Nearly two decades after helping bring Tampa Bay its first Super Bowl title, Jon Gruden indirectly helped deliver the Bucs their second Lombardi Trophy. At least, that’s the way outspoken Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) boss Dana White explained it Saturday night, with no less an authority than former Tampa Bay tight end Rob Gronkowski seeming to confirm it. Speaking on “UFC 278 with The ...
news.yahoo.comNevada court rejects bid to revive claim against UFC chief
A Nevada Supreme Court panel has rejected an appeal in a legal battle between UFC President Dana White and a Las Vegas man who went to prison for trying to extort White in a sex-tape case. A lawyer representing Ernesto Joshua Ramos in his breach-of-contract lawsuit against the mixed martial arts mogul said Monday he will ask the full seven-member court to reconsider the decision handed down Thursday by a three-justice panel. The state high court panel noted Ramos and White previously reached a nondisclosure agreement and said Ramos didn’t specify an error by a state court judge in Las Vegas who dismissed his claim.
news.yahoo.comSlap in the face: Da Crazy Hawaiian, rising slap fight star
Slap fighting, the art of striking another fighter with an open hand for sport, is the latest head-turning spectacular. Slap fighting, yes the art of striking another fighter with an open hand for sport, is the latest head-turning spectacular. Trying to poke fun at the slap-until-you're-knocked out-sport would be, yes, a slap in the face to the Da Crazy Hawaiian. He has has dished out the fiercest open-hand smacks in the United States in his bid to be the most punishing slapper in slap fighting. Da Crazy Hawaiian and Hillbilly Hippie got to lay the slap down round after round that led to a few punch-drunk stumbles but no decision.
Conventions highlight aggressive fact-check efforts
Both Maddow and CNN's Daniel Dale aired lightning-round fact-checks following President Donald Trump's acceptance speech on Thursday night. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)NEW YORK Rachel Maddow ended her fact-check mission with a lightning round after President Donald Trump's nomination acceptance speech 12 corrections in about a minute. You can't win.Some of the efforts also stretch the definition of fact-checking, like when MSNBC interviewed Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan after a convention speech where South Dakota Gov. There he goes, lying again, anchor Sean Hannity said in cutting off a speech by former President Bill Clinton. Maddow's anchor colleague, Joy Reid, said as the convention's third night was coming to a close that she saw why it was necessary.
WHAT TO WATCH: Trump's moment, Ivanka and Rudy Giuliani
What to watch on the fourth and final night of the Republican National Convention:TRUMPTrump is scheduled to accept his partys renomination in an address from the White House South Lawn. IVANKAThe president will be introduced by his daughter Ivanka Trump, the fourth of his five children to speak during the convention. RUDYDonald Trumps personal attorney Rudy Giuliani is scheduled to help close out the convention. BIDENThe Democrat has laid low this week but he's scheduled to appear at a virtual fundraiser Thursday. ET (a half-hour earlier than the Democratic convention last week) and runs through 11 p.m.
UFC legacies on line for Miocic-Cormier trilogy title fight
FILE - In this July 7, 2018, file photo, Daniel Cormier, right, fights Stipe Miocic during a heavyweight title mixed martial arts bout at UFC 226 in Las Vegas. The trilogy fight between Daniel Cormier and champ Stipe Miocic will crown the greatest heavyweight of all time. UFC 252 Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020, in Las Vegas could be Cormier's last fight ever. It is billed as the super fight to end all super fights -- well, until the next one -- with good reason. Theyll settle the score Saturday when Miocic defends the championship against Cormier in the main event of UFC 252 at the UFC APEX complex in Las Vegas.
No longer Dana White's dream, UFC's Fight Island is real
A few months later, the project that came to be known as Fight Island is real and ready for competition. And while Fight Island is not exactly the idyllic scene evoked by its name, the octagon inside an air-conditioned arena on Abu Dhabi's Yas Island also sits inside a bubble that seems highly unlikely to burst. Rather than a deserted tropical paradise, Yas Island is a modern tourist destination with amusement parks, malls and a Formula One racetrack. Fight Island will host four UFC events in 14 days, starting with three championship fights at UFC 251 this weekend. I dont know, White said.
One Championship making deliberate plans for return to cage
Sityodtong still plans to be a bit more measured on his own path to get One Championship back in the cage during this unprecedented public health crisis. One Championship definitely will return to action this summer, Sityodtong told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Sityodtong is working with government officials and health experts on the fastest path back in China, Thailand and Singapore, One Championship's hometown. Once he finalizes his plans, Sityodtong plans to speed up One's calendar to hold as many events as prudently possible in 2020. But One Championship, which held its most recent show Feb. 28, is proceeding down this difficult path more deliberately than the UFC.
UFC 'Fight Island' revealed in Abu Dhabi, will host 4 shows
The UFC's mysterious Fight Island is actually Yas Island, a popular tourist destination in Abu Dhabi where the mixed martial arts promotion will hold four shows in July. The UFC revealed the location Tuesday and announced a series of fan-free shows at Fight Island, starting with a card tentatively featuring three title fights at UFC 251 on July 11. The UFC has staged past fight cards most recently in September on the leisure island in the United Arab Emirates. The UFC will hold subsequent shows on Yas Island on July 15, July 18 and July 25. White told ESPN, his promotion's broadcast partner, that Fight Island will encompass a hotel and restaurants along with an octagon.
UFC 249 results: Justin Gaethje dominates Tony Ferguson, claims interim lightweight belt
Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) quite simply put on an incredible performance against Tony Ferguson on Saturday night in the main event of a memorable UFC 249. The interim lightweight title bout was the UFC 249 main event at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN/ESPN+ and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+. Ill be real, Its a long camp weight cut had nothing to do with it, Justin is a tough son of an (expletive).Up-to-the-minute UFC 249 results include:Gallery Justin Gaethje def. Tony Ferguson at UFC 249: Best photos view 38 images
rssfeeds.usatoday.comGeorges St-Pierre headlines 2020 UFC Hall of Fame class
Georges St-Pierre will join the UFC Hall of Fame this summer. St-Pierre (26-2 MMA, 20-2 UFC), the former UFC middleweight and welterweight champion, will join the modern-era wing of the UFC Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 class. Georges St-Pierre is a pioneer of Canadian MMA who helped build the sport globally, UFC president Dana White said. He was the face of MMA in Canada, helping the UFC set a then-record attendance of more than 55,000 at UFC 129 in April 2011. All that equals up to an unprecedented place in MMA history, and now St-Pierre will be honored for it.
rssfeeds.usatoday.comPresident Donald Trump congratulates Dana White for putting on UFC 249 during pandemic
Donald Trump is happy to see the UFC back in action. The U.S. president was featured in a pre-taped video during Saturdays UFC 249 preliminary broadcast on ESPN, congratulating UFC president Dana White and the UFC for resuming operations and hosting the card during the global coronavirus pandemic. Trump said the following during the broadcast:I want to congratulate Dana White and the UFC. Check out the video of Trump congratulating White and the UFC above. Gallery UFC 249 in an empty Jacksonville arena: Best photos view 16 images
rssfeeds.usatoday.comUFC President Dana White says sports can resume but will 'lose a lot of money'
Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White said Tuesday he believes many sports leagues could resume competition but it would come at a price. You're going to lose your live gate, which is millions and millions of dollars," White said on "Closing Bell." "You're going to lose a lot of money. And it's going to cost you a lot of money now to put on the sport, to make sure that it is safe. The UFC events will be the rare live sporting event on television during the crisis.
cnbc.comFor Dana White and the UFC, a hard lesson on perspective and power structure | Opinion
In the mixed martial arts bubble, UFC president Dana White is the master of the universe. Newsom had reached out directly to Disney executives to express his misgivings about the UFC running at Tachi Palace. If the UFC had persisted, Newsom could have had the commission pull its promotional license and never given it another thought. The rock-bottom dumbest takes out there are the trolls who think the media is actively rooting for the UFC to fail. How the company responds from here will determine whether the UFC can bounce back or whether the reputational damage is permanent.
rssfeeds.usatoday.comDana White says he's 'securing a private island' for fights, promises safe UFC 249
UFC president Dana White insists UFC 249 wont be a one-off return to action: The fight schedule will be in full swing again beginning April 18. After that, though, he claims the promotion will be setting up shop on a private island. I locked this venue (that will host UFC 249) for two months, White told TMZ on Monday. Im also a day or two away from securing a private island. Im going to start flying them all into the private island and start doing international fights from there.
rssfeeds.usatoday.comPro-Trump America First groups raise $50 million with $42 million on hand going into 2020
Pro-Trump outside groups America First Action and America First Policies combined to raise $50.4 million in 2019 giving the president a boost going into an election year. President Donald Trump, whose campaign raised $46 million last quarter, will also be seeing an advantage from his flagship super PAC in 2020 with America First Action finishing 2019 raising just over $19 million, according to the groups' spokeswoman. The nonprofit, America First Policies, which focuses on promoting many of the president's policy accomplishments, brought in $31 million. "America First Action is well-positioned to help the President deliver a crushing victory in 2020. Combining our year end fundraising, fundraising to date and total pledges, this places us at $106 million, well on our way to achieve our fundraising goal for the election year.
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