Day: December 17, 2021

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On or off? Mini viral sensation reacts to claims UFC made $1.5mn offer (VIDEO)

Russian viral sensation Hasbulla Magomedov has ruled out a showdown with fellow social media star Abdu Rozik, dismissing claims that a deal of $1.5 million was in the works for a fight between the pair.

Hasbulla has emerged as one of the breakout stars of the year after a fight was teased between the Dagestani blogger and Tajik singer Abdu Rozik.

The pair – who suffer rare growth disorders – were supposedly set to clash back in May in a contest overseen by Russian Instagram influencer Asxab Tamaev.

READ MORE: Russian Dwarf Athletic Association criticizes viral sensations over ‘unethical’ MMA fight (VIDEO)

The bout never happened but Hasbulla’s fame continued to rise, particularly among the combat sports community.

That led to him being a guest of honor alongside Dana White at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi in October, where the pint-sized pugilist again clashed with Tajik nemesis Abdu Rozik.

Renewed claims followed that a deal was in works for a fight, with Tamaev outlandishly claiming the UFC was ready to offer $1.5 million for the rights.  

But on Friday at an Eagle FC MMA event in Moscow where he appeared alongside promotion owner Khabib Nurmagomedov, Hasbulla shut down that speculation.

“[Dana White] didn’t say anything about the UFC and fights,” Hasbulla told media including Red Corner MMA.

“Some people want to organize it but they won’t be able to, because it will be expensive and not too many people will be able to (pay for it). Plus I don’t want it at the moment.”

Hasbulla added that Tamaev – with whom he has reportedly fallen out – was in no position to negotiate anything on his behalf.

“We didn’t discuss it and Dana White didn’t offer it. How could [Tamaev] do that? Is he my father or something? He signed a contract with me to sell the fight?” said Hasbulla. 

“If for example I have something, I can give it to him and he can sell it. But how can he sell my fight if it doesn’t even exist?

“[Tamaev] posted some photoshopped screenshots of his DMs with Dana White. I told him to show me his screen recording with this and he couldn’t.”

In any event, Hasbulla suggested there would only be one winner if he did come face-to-face with Abdu Rozik in combat.

“Abdu Rozik is a bum, he’s a singer,” said the Dagestani star dismissively.

“This fight doesn’t even make sense. Fighting a singer would be a shame for me. I don’t have any opponent at the moment.”

“The UFC invited me to watch fights as a guest, and I love watching fights. That’s all,” added Hasbulla, who is said to be 19 years old, of his trip to Abu Dhabi. 

On Friday night in Moscow, Khabib was seen gently sitting with Hasbulla on his knee as the pair watched EFC 43, prompting fans online to note the pair’s friendship.    

Likewise after his victory at UFC 267, lightweight star Islam Makhachev had raised Hasbulla aloft inside the Octagon in celebration. 

“They’re my brothers, that’s why you see us together,” longtime fight fan Hasbulla said in Moscow when asked about his friendship with his fellow Dagestani stars.

“I’ve known Islam Makhachev for a long time. We weren’t close friends, but we’ve known each other for about 10 years.”

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‘That’s so dirty’: Female fighter shamed for disgusting move (VIDEO)

Priscila Cachoeira didn’t do much to ingratiate herself to UFC fans this week after first missing weight for her fight with Gillian Robertson, and then attempting an eye gouge after becoming stuck in a fight-ending submission.

It was a week to forget for Cachoeira, and one which might well cost the Brazilian flyweight her spot on the UFC roster.

First, she came in heavy when she stepped on the scales on the eve of her fight with Canada’s Robertson weighing a full 3lbs heavier than her contracted weight limit.

As if the spotlight wasn’t already on her, Cachoeira proceeded to attempt to escape what proved to be the pivotal submission move towards the end of the first round by repeatedly gouging Robertson’s eye – all while the referee intently scrutinized the sequence from just feet away.

In the end, Cachoeira’s attempt to avoid a loss proved fruitless as she tapped into submission with just a single second remaining in the opening frame.

“Look at this, she definitely looked like she was trying to stick her finger in her eye,” Joe Rogan said on the broadcast while analyzing the finish of the fight.

“100%, that’s so dirty.“

“Oh my goodness, she did it again,” added Daniel Cormier. 

“That’s so dirty,” Rogan again exclaimed.

“Cheating, missing weight… scratching the eye. That is so nasty.“

“I mean that was straight up thumb into the eye. Robertson still strangled her. That’s probably it for Cachoeira,” said one fan, predicting that the Brazilian might soon be handed her pink slip by the UFC.

“Buzzer beater [rear-naked choke] from Gillian Robertson to start the card off… Cachoeira was deadass tryna eye gouge Gillian to get out of it, doesn’t work, taps anyways… That was wild,” said another.

A third wrote: “Honestly shocked we don’t see more desperate eye gouges from fighters stuck in the RNC. Top tier cheating by Cachoeira, there.“

The sequence also incited a curious debate: what is a referee to do if they observe a clear and obvious foul in a potential fight-ending sequence such as this? An eye gouge can obviously lead to serious and even permanent damage to a fighter – but an official could risk the wrath of a fighter and their team if they were to pause the action to discipline a fighter in such a scenario. 

“What’s the actual correct play from the referee’s perspective? It’s an obvious foul but he can’t stop a checkmate sequence like that. Feels like a bit of a blind spot in the ruleset, no pun intended,” asked one.

“Personally think that he waits until either the sub or escape and if there’s an escape he stops and takes points away,” said another.

A third noted that the jiu jitsu community has a plans in place for such an event: “In jiu jitsu intentional eye gouging by an opponent is DQ especially if it stops you from continuing the submission.”

Either way, no harm was done on this occasion (at least hopefully) and Cachoeira will certainly face stern questions as to her future with the organization for such a clear and obvious violation of the rules. 

And just to cap a truly horrendous evening for her, she was also docked 30% of her purse for failing to make the 125lbs weight limit.

Better luck next time Pricila, if indeed there is a next time.

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‘Classy’ or ‘disrespectful’? Ukraine legend Lomachenko splits opinion with ring gestures (VIDEO)

Lightweight boxing legend Vasiliy Lomachenko was caught sending his opponent back to his corner and imploring his rival’s team to throw in the towel on more than one occasion during his latest win.

In his first fight since the summer, the Ukrainian earned a unanimous decision win over former IBF champion Richard Commey at Madison Square Garden.  

With scores of 117-110, 119-108 and 119-108 on the judge’s cards, it was a masterclass performance that put Loma in line to get back the division’s championship straps from George Kambosos Jr., who defeated the 33-year-old’s previous victor in Teofimo Lopez late last month.

But as communicated by the wide points margins, the bout perhaps could have been stopped earlier for the Ghanaian’s own good. 

Connecting with a 1-2 that rocked Commey’s head back, Lomachenko then showed his dazed foe where his corner was. 

On Twitter, the gesture was called “one of the most disrespectful things” on fan had seen in boxing. 

Later, in the seventh, there was more in store when Loma dropped Commey with a brutal left.

He gestured towards the corner again, but was this time appearing to ask Commey’s team if they wanted to throw the towel in.

They didn’t, and as the assault continued, Loma gave them the option one last time when Commey was on the ropes and Loma relented from delivering more crushing blows.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist was accused of being “arrogant” and “patronizing” for this, with one fan saying: “It’s cool to be a good fighter but that’s not cool.

“Be a professional,” he demanded.

However, others found it “genuinely classy” and said they had “massive respect” for the act, which is something that pundit Max Kellerman might agree with.

“Lomachenko didn’t have the stomach to finish a defenseless fighter, so he twice asked Commey’s corner to do the right thing, and stop the fight so he wouldn’t have to,” said Kellerman.

“They didn’t, and once Commey’s head cleared Lomachenko couldn’t. No good deed goes unpunished.”

Post-fight, the brawler himself explained the motives behind his behavior.

“I saw his situation,” he said. “It was very hard for him. That’s why I said: ‘Hey, stop the fight.’ He is a true warrior.

“He has a big heart and we continue and we show for people 12 great rounds.”

As a tearful Commey said he had let his country down, Lomachenko, who claimed the vacant WBO Inter-Continental lightweight title, made no secret of feeling he is more deserving of a shot at Kambosos than the likes of Devin Haney and Gervonta Davis.

“I will go anywhere I need to go to fight him,” he said, which could mean venturing to the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and The Ring king’s native Australia. 

“I need this chance.”

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‘Problems breathing’: Man Utd star becomes latest footballer to face heart fears (VIDEO)

David De Gea has thrown his support behind Victor Lindelof after the Swedish defender was taken off during Manchester United’s win against Norwich on Saturday after complaining of chest pains and breathing difficulties.

Lindelof was taken off with 15 minutes remaining as Ralf Ragnick maintained his undefeated run as United interim boss at Carrow Road, after the former Benfica man appeared in obvious discomfort and held his hand to his chest, prompting immediate concern from his teammates and the Manchester United medical staff.

Reports indicate that the 27-year-old center back complained to medics that he was suffering from chest pains and a racing pulse after what appeared to have been a mild collision with an opponent during the Red Devil’s 1-0 win.

United boss Ragnick, who succeeded Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the Old Trafford hot seat at the end of November, confirmed to the media afterwards that Lindelof had complained that he was suffering from various maladies, including a shortness of breath.

“Victor had problems to breathe and his heart rate was higher than normal. He was a little shocked,” the German said after the game.

“He can’t remember how it happened but he had a collision with another player. After the game we checked him.

“It seems everything is OK but we will have to see tomorrow. Hopefully he will be fit for Tuesday against Brentford.”

Adding his concern was United goalkeeper De Gea, who was again pivotal in helping his side to victory in what was a below par performance against the relegation-threatened Norwich, and said that recent incidents involving Christian Eriksen and Sergio Aguero had initially left him fearing the worst.

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Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman has undergone an operation © Christof Stache / Reuters
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“As soon as it was like difficult breathing and feeling strange, the game doesn’t matter,” said De Gea afterwards. “First of all is life. Football doesn’t matter.

“We saw some players who are feeling a bit of problems with their breathing. We saw Eriksen and Aguero.

“It is difficult to see your players acting like this and I hope he is fine. As soon I saw it was difficulty with breathing, it does not matter about the game – the main thing is to be safe.”

A Cristiano Ronaldo strike from the penalty spot was enough to hand his side all three points, but attention will now turn to Lindelof’s health status ahead of Tuesday’s visit to Brentford – and with Raphael Varane another injury absentee, it could mean that Ragnick’s rearguard could be further stretched amid an intense December calendar of domestic action for his side.

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French Olympic swimming champion arrested in teenage rape case

Double Olympic swimming champion Yannick Agnel has been arrested in connection with the alleged rape and sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl.

Agnel won gold medals in the 200-meter freestyle and 4×100-meter freestyle relay for France at the London 2012 summer Games.

As reported by the AFP, he was arrested in Paris on Thursday and taken into police custody in Mulhouse, which is five hours southeast of the capital close to the borders with Germany and Switzerland. 

Prosecutor Edwige Roux-Morizot said that a complaint was filed for incidents that allegedly occurred “around 2016”, and included “rape and sexual assault on a 15-year-old minor”.

The victim is also a swimmer and trained with Agnel at the swimming club in Mulhouse from 2014 and 2016.

According to L’Equipe, several swimming colleagues were interviewed by police over the past few weeks before an arrest was made. Furthermore, the swimming club has monetary disputes with some of them who have left the institution.

Agnel, who has already been in court to collect €60,000 ($68,000) for the final year of his contract with an appeal against the ruling his favor set for March, is among their number. 

MON, which is famous for once being the home of French Minister of Sports and 2000 Olympic backstroke silver medalist Roxana Maracineanu, is also being investigated for “attempted fraud” in events dating back to 2016.

Agnel was apprehended at his Paris home on Thursday, with his custody extended Friday morning.

According to Le Parisien, he has a “Garde à Vue” status of pre-trial detention which lasts up to 24 hours, but this can be extended to up to 48 hours by prosecutors.

After this time is up, Agnel can be released without any charges, released and given a court date, or, in the most serious cases, remain behind bars until a trial as seen in the UK with his compatriot Benjamin Mendy.

Before his arrest, Agnel had been working as a columnist and podcaster on E-Sports at France Info, who have suspended his contract.

Agnel announced his retirement from swimming after failing to defend his 200m freestyle title at Rio 2016 and advance through the heats.

In addition to winning gold twice at the Olympics, he is a 2010 gold medalist in the 400-meter event at the European championships, and won two golds again in the 200-meter freestyle and the 4×100-meter freestyle at the 2013 world championships.