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Maycee Barber, Oban Elliott, Caleb Plant, Jon Jones & Tom Aspinall trolling, more  The Ariel Helwani Show

Maycee Barber, Oban Elliott, Caleb Plant, Jon Jones & Tom Aspinall trolling, more The Ariel Helwani Show

Yahoo28-05-2025

Maycee Barber, Oban Elliott, Caleb Plant, Jon Jones & Tom Aspinall trolling, more | The Ariel Helwani Show | May 27, 2025
Join Ariel and the Boys In The Back break down all the combat sports action from the weekend that was. Monday's lineup is below:
1 p.m. ET: Ariel and the gang look back at the weekend in combat sports.
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1:30 p.m. ET: Oban Elliott previews his UFC Baku bout against Seok Hyun Ko.
2 p.m. ET: Maycee Barber looks ahead to her UFC Vegas 107 headliner against Erin Blanchfield.
2:30 p.m. ET: Caleb Plant stops by ahead of his super middleweight bout against Jose Armando Resendiz.

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Maycee Barber's Coach Says She Begged Team Not To Cancel UFC Fight
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Maycee Barber's Coach Says She Begged Team Not To Cancel UFC Fight

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MAY 31: Maycee Barber has her hands wrapped prior to her fight during the UFC ... More Fight Night event at UFC APEX on May 31, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) Maycee Barber was moments away from making the walk to the Octagon for her main event fight opposite Erin Blanchfield on the UFC Vegas 107 fight card when a medical issue left Barber unable to compete. According to Barber's coach, the highly ranked women's flyweight competitor begged her team to allow her to fight on Saturday night before the fight was called off. 'For the record, Maycee did not pull out of her fight,' Barber's coach Cody Donovan wrote on Instagram. 'She refused to surrender in spite of what was happening to her medically. As a coaching staff, we decided to call the doctor in. Even as she begged us not to. What we saw was just too dangerous. I am proud of the bravery she showed in the face of a medical emergency. Most fighters would have ran for door. When they tell the story of @mayceebarber this will be the Goliath that she got to overcome on her road to greatness. God is good." Instagram - Cody Donovan MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 09: Maycee Barber prepares to face Katlyn Cerminara in a flyweight fight ... More during the UFC 299 event at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) During the prelim portion of the UFC Vegas 107 card, UFC commentator Megan Olivi reported on the medical issues that had kept Barber out of the Octagon since her win over Cerminara. "A myriad of very serious health issues have plagued the UFC flyweight," Olivi said. "In fact, it resulted in an 11-day hospitalization. She had over a dozen rounds of IV antibiotics, and she was diagnosed with things like Epstein-Barr [Syndrome], Mono, and toxic levels of mercury in her blood. "They brought in a Colorado infectious disease specialist to see if they could diagnose and treat whatever was going on with her, and still, to this day, Barber doesn't really have any answers. "However, they were able to find a combination of medicine to help control all the things that were happening inside here., to help her feel better and to get back to training and competing. But yesterday, it was obvious. The time away, paired with all those health issues, really resulted in difficulty in making weight." Olivi then related that she had spoken to Blanchfield after Barber weighed in a half-pound heavy for the 135-pound bout. During that conversation, Blanchfield told Olivi she was concerned that Barber would not be able to make the walk to the Octagon for the fight. Ultimately, Blanchfield's fears became a reality. "Not what I had planned for a Sunday post," Barber posted on Instagram. "Thank you to everyone for the prayers & support I owe an apology to @ufc @mickmaynard2 @danawhite @seanshelby & @blanchfield_mma ** PS my life is not messy this is just a bad hand. We will get to the bottom of it all and be back 🤍" Maycee Barber Instagram Barber's post included video of her being taken out of the UFC Apex on a stretcher. Blanchfield's management team reported that she will be paid her full show and win money for UFC Vegas 107. There has been no reporting on if Barber will receive any of her purse for Saturday's fight card. UFC women's flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko was on hand for the card because the fight could have determined her next opponent. Blanchfield is ranked No. 4 in the official UFC women's flyweight rankings, while Barber checks in at No. 5. The next event on the UFC schedule is UFC 316 on Saturday.

Keyshawn Davis: If Gervonta 'Tank' Davis does fight Jake Paul, 'it's good for boxing'
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Keyshawn Davis: If Gervonta 'Tank' Davis does fight Jake Paul, 'it's good for boxing'

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JULY 06: Keyshawn Davis reacts against Miguel Madueno of Mexico during their WBC Lightweight World Title fight at Prudential Center on July 06, 2024 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by) Keyshawn Davis isn't holding out hope for a lightweight unification bout with Gervonta "Tank" Davis materializing anytime soon. "I ain't going to lie, I think 'Tank' is just thinking on a different stratosphere right now. I feel like he's definitely chasing that Jake Paul fight," Davis told Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" on Wednesday. Advertisement "'Tank' wants to just do things differently at this point. I don't think he really wants to fight us fighters ... I don't really think he's paying attention to us at this point. He's trying to get his rematch [with Lamont Roach] settled, get his respect back in the sport, and then go fight Jake Paul and maybe do an exhibition with a WWE fighter or whatever. He's trying to do things differently so he can get them real big paydays." Rumors have floated for months about the possibility of a "Tank" vs. Paul exhibition bout later in 2025. The two sides were reportedly in talks for a match to take place after "Tank's" first fight with Roach, but plans were temporarily halted from the WBA champ's side in favor of pursuing a Roach rematch. While many make the case that "Tank's" apparent lack of desire to face the top names in the red-hot 135-pound division is bad for the sport, the WBO lightweight champion has a different view on the situation. "At the end of the day, man, we've been doing this for so long, we're in a position where we need to do what we want to do," Davis said. "We've been doing this for a long time, taking punches for a long time. It's not easy to go in there in front of millions of people and take punches. ['Tank'] earned the right to do what he wants to do. Outside of that, he and Jake Paul are going to bring so [many] eyes on the sport of boxing — I think it's good for boxing." 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Turki Alalshikh, I had a meeting with him and he put Teofimo on FaceTime, and Turki said, 'Yo, Keyshawn wants to fight you right here. Why do you keep bringing up [welterweight champ Jaron Ennis]?' Because [Lopez kept saying], 'Turki, you promised me [Ennis].' I'm on a FaceTime with him in front of Turki, saying, 'Yo Turki, you want us to fight? Let's fight. Let's make it happen.' Keyshawn Davis punches Denys Berinchyk during their WBO lightweight title fight at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in February. () (Al Bello via Getty Images) "He's like, 'No, no, no, I want to fight [Ennis].' That was very shocking to me, honestly, that he was so adamant [about] fighting 'Boots' over me for the same money, and it's going to be basically the same type of [fight]. He's definitely ducking me. I don't know why he's scared to fight me, but it is what it is." 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Robbie Lawler reveals his secret motivation for iconic Rory MacDonald win at UFC 189: 'I didn't say anything'
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Robbie Lawler was one of the most beloved fighters of any era. (Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) Robbie Lawler was known as "Ruthless" for a reason. The 2025 UFC Hall of Fame inductee delivered some of the most epic knockouts and fights in MMA history throughout his 22-year career. Lawler's entry into the Hall later this month will be his second after his legendary rematch with Rory MacDonald entered the Fight Wing in 2023. Arguably the greatest fight of all time, Lawler vs. MacDonald 2 stands out on its own despite being part of one of the sport's most memorable events, 2015's UFC 189 pay-per-view. In hindsight, it's easy to forget the fight preceded the evening's headliner, the interim featherweight title clash between Conor McGregor and Chad Mendes. Advertisement Lawler revealed on Wednesday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show" how his co-main event position for his first welterweight title defense was much more of a motivational factor than he ever let on. "Leading up to that fight, Rory never realized it, but we were second fiddle that whole freaking build-up to that fight," Lawler said. "I'm like, 'Oh, they're putting me on the undercard of [original headliner Jose] Aldo and freaking McGregor.' So I'm just freaking training like they're disrespecting me. "I get it. Aldo's the freaking man, Conor is the up-and-comer. But I'm the heavier guy. So, I'm freaking training hard. Like, really freaking hard. And I actually had time to freaking relax after [having five fights in] 13 months [beforehand]. So I was able to rest and put in a hard freaking camp for him — and I had something to prove. Then, two weeks before the fight, Aldo's out and they put in freaking Mendes, and I'm still the undercard. I didn't say anything. I wasn't pissed. I was like, 'OK.' It is what it was, alright. So that's who he (MacDonald) was fighting, too. 'I'm the freaking guy,' was what I was thinking." Advertisement If there's one moment outside the cage to summarize the ruthless nature of Lawler, it'd be the famous line he delivered in response to a question about McGregor's loss to Nate Diaz the following year. Rather than take McGregor's neck and submit the Irishman like Diaz did with a rear-naked choke at UFC 196, Lawler flatly stated he would've instead taken the McGregor's soul. Lawler, 43, won 22 of his 30 victories by knockout and only once submitted an opponent very early in his pro career. For the former UFC welterweight champion, that was just never his style. "He (Diaz) did just freaking take his (McGregor's) neck and freaking let him off the hook," Lawler said. "He could have done whatever he wanted. ... I want to beat people up. That's how I fought. Advertisement "It's kind of funny because I'm coaching guys, and in the UFC I had zero submission attempts." "In my eyes, and in my head, I was always thinking, 'If you submit somebody, there's tricks, right?' There's little tricks like, 'Oh, he tricked me.' But if you whoop somebody's ass, then there was really no trick to that." That train of thought may lead one to believe Lawler went out of his way to prove himself in an old-school "tough-guy" fashion. But Lawler assures that was never a concern. He fought how he felt was right for him. If someone bested him, it was what it was. Advertisement "I would tap. I would never go to sleep. That's stupid," Lawler said. "Oxygen away from your brain. What does that prove? If you got, you got me." Lawler has been enjoying life outside the Octagon since his instantly iconic retirement fight against Niko Price in July 2023. In one of the most perfect sendoff performances ever seen in combat sports, Lawler knocked out his tough-as-nails opponent in a mere 38 seconds, leaving the fight world begging for more. Nearly a year and a half later, Lawler has stayed true to his retirement promise, but not without a little enticement to return. Bare-knuckle boxing leader BKFC has openly done its best to bring Lawler back sans gloves for a showdown against the promotion's top star, Mike Perry. And while Lawler likes the concept, he's still under contract with the UFC and hasn't seriously entertained a return. "Not really," Lawler responded when asked if BKFC is a real possibility. "They touched base probably January of last year, and this is where we are today. So, you tell me. I never say never to anything, but I'm retired. We have to cross those paths [with figuring out his UFC status] when we need to. "A fight's a fight, right? [Bare-knuckle is] how I first started fighting. ... To me, a fight's a fight. Knees to the head of a grounded opponent, soccer kick, stomps, that's fighting. When I fought in Hawaii, we had all those rules. You weren't safe anywhere. If you were in a front headlock position, you probably shouldn't hang out there because you'd probably be getting kneed in the head. So there's just more stuff to worry about and no resting spot."

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