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Keeping up to date with combat sports news can take up a lot of time, so we’re simplifying the process by bringing the most important stories directly to you. We read the internet all week and then summarize what you need to know in 3-4 minutes.
- Paulo Costa refuses to fight Robert Whittaker because of contract issues
- An athlete born without legs wins his professional MMA debut
- Jake Shields gets banned from the UFC Performance Institute for attacking Mike Jackson
On October 20th, the UFC announced that Paulo Costa would fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. The fight excited fans as the matchup was a striker’s delight. However, the excitement quickly turned into confusion as Costa revealed on Submission Radio that the UFC hadn’t sent him a bout agreement for the fight. Costa stated in the interview that he wanted more money if he was going to fight Whittaker in Australia and that the fight wasn’t a done deal. It isn’t uncommon for the UFC to announce fights before bout agreements are signed. Anthony Smith recently revealed that there have been times when he didn’t sign a bout agreement until the week of the fight. Costa is known for being a great troll, which made the situation confusing. No one knew if Costa was joking about his contract issues or not.
In the midst of the confusion, Robert Whittaker was in camp training for the fight. Whittaker spoke with Submission Radio and laughed off Costa’s claims, thinking it was a big joke. On Monday, Costa tweeted a screenshot of Whittaker’s interview and again said that the fight is not happening. ESPN confirmed less than 2 hours later that the fight was indeed not happening.
This is the final fight of Costa’s UFC contract, and it appears he’s refusing to sign an extension. He’s asking to get paid more for a fight against Robert Whittaker and has stated he’ll be ready to compete in March. Costa’s contract situation has become a developing story.
On December 17th, Zion Clark made his professional MMA debut by defeating Eugene Murray by unanimous decision. Clark was born without legs due to a rare disorder called Caudal regression syndrome. Though he was born with the disorder, it didn’t stop him from chasing a career in athletics. Clark attended Kent State University in Tuscarawas, Ohio, where he had a successful career as an All-American D1 freestyle wrestler. A documentary about his life story won 2 Emmy Awards and is currently being streamed on YouTube.
Zion secured multiple takedowns against Murray which led him to his win. His first takedown was an aggressive single leg that Conor McGregor complimented on Twitter. Zion responded to McGregor’s tweet and said that he’ll continue to compete as a fighter. You can expect a lot more eyes on Zion headed into his second fight.
Things got messy at the UFC Performance Center in Las Vegas last Friday when Jake Shields got into a physical altercation with Mike Jackson. Shields posted the video on his Twitter account along with a thread where he attempts to justify what happened. Shields mounted Jackson and threw elbows at him while Jackson yelled for help.
Jake Shields has become somewhat of a political commentator on Twitter as of late as most of what he says is centered around his political ideologies. On the other end of the spectrum, Mike Jackson has been attacking Shields on Twitter and has referred to him as a “Nazi” on several occasions. This upset Shields, who told Jackson that it was gonna be on sight as soon as they were near each other. Shields stayed true to his word as he allegedly spit on Jackson multiple times, then physically attacked him.
In an interview with Mike Bohn, Jackson revealed that the UFC had banned Shields from entering the UFC Performance Institute moving forward. He also revealed that he intends to press charges against Shields in the coming days. The back and forth between Shields and Jackson didn’t end at the UFC PI. Since the altercation, the two have continued to take shots at each other on Twitter.
The UFC increased their PPV price by $5 in the US to $79.99.
Douglas Crosby appeared on Chael Sonnen’s podcast after his judging criticism.
Sean O'Malley rejects an invitation from Ramzan Kadyrov.
Jon Anik believes MMA judging has never been in a worse state.
Rafa Garcia lost 20% of his blood in his fight last week.
Taila Santos vs. Erin Blanchfield is in the works for February 18th for a possible title contender fight.
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