![]() ![]() The crowd in Las Vegas clearly supported Moreno, often chanting his name. president, had long wanted to expand the sport’s appeal to Mexican fans and fighters. champion in 2021 and became a key ambassador for the company, as Dana White, the U.F.C. Moreno became the U.F.C.’s first Mexican-born U.F.C. ![]() “Whatever he wants to do, we’ll probably roll with it,” White said. White, during the post-fight news conference, said Volkanovski had earned the right to dictate his next steps. He could chase the lightweight championship again or defend the featherweight belt again. Volkanovski, in his post-fight interview with the commentator and podcast star Joe Rogan, said he needed surgery on one of his arms before he competes next, and would need to reassess his next move. “I’m trying to inspire a lot of people and I think it’s working.” “We’re obviously pushing the needle good enough to be in the position we are, and I was able to be myself through the whole process,” Volkanovski said in an interview last week. ![]() Instead, he said he focused on winning, and said he felt his slot was a testament to the U.F.C.’s belief in him and an opportunity to gain more fans. But Volkanovski has mostly remained poised during news conferences and promotional events, and said he rarely tried to change or exaggerate his personality to increase his visibility. groomed fighters like Jones, McGregor and Adesanya for mainstream recognition, they were aided by the athletes’ personalities and trash talk. In June, he and Adesanya became the first athletes to be sponsored by a sports drink company founded by Logan Paul, the social media influencer who has dabbled in boxing.Īs the U.F.C. Volkanovski’s sponsorship opportunities are also expanding. This is the biggest we could have gone other than bringing in Conor McGregor or Jon Jones.” He continued: “His stock has never been higher. and absolutely destroys it in Australia and New Zealand.” 2 for pound-for-pound fighter in the world and he impacts pay-per-view sales in the United States, Canada and the U.K. This guy’s one of the biggest pay-per-view draws in the sport. “When you talk about what makes him a star, it’s about selling pay-per-views,” White said in an interview. 290, saying his cachet outside the United States gives him the ability to carry an important event. president, said he felt comfortable placing Volkanovski atop U.F.C. 295 in November at Madison Square Garden. booked Volkanovski’s unification bout and saved Jones-Miocic for U.F.C. 290 fell on International Fight Week, a staple event for the promotion filled with ceremonies such as its Hall of Fame induction.įight cards held at the end of that week are normally one of the strongest of the year, and headliners in the past included stars such as Jones, Conor McGregor and Adesanya. fighter of all time, defeated Ciryl Gane to claim the heavyweight title in March, most fans expected Jones to headline this card against the former heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. 1 pound for pound fighter and arguably the greatest U.F.C. introduced an interim featherweight belt, which Rodríguez earned in February by submitting Josh Emmett. As Volkanovski attempted to claim a championship in a heavier weight class, the U.F.C. fighter to hold belts in two different weight classes simultaneously. Had Volkanovski won that fight, he would have become the fifth U.F.C. in 2016, including in Perth, Australia in February, when he lost a competitive five-round fight to the lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Volkanovski, a former rugby player who trains at the New Zealand-based gym City Kickboxing with the star middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, has headlined three pay-per-view cards since entering the U.F.C. as it expands its presence in the country, including plans to open a performance institute in Mexico City in October. ![]() With the losses by Moreno and Rodríguez, the women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso is now the U.F.C.’s only champion born in Mexico, something of an inconvenience for the U.F.C. In the co-main event, Brandon Moreno lost the flyweight belt to Alexandre Pantoja in a split decision, a fast-paced fight that Pantoja won by prevailing in the grappling exchanges. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |