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Irish Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
No mention of Conor McGregor as new owners release new edition of whiskey
The new owners of Conor McGregor's whiskey have brought out a new version of the liquor with no mention of his name. Proximo Spirits launched a new limited edition 13-year-old premier version of the whiskey across America last week for 60 bucks a bottle while the shamed fighter and his ex-sparring partner Artem Lobov were fighting it out over the No Twelve whiskey in the High Court. A source said: "There was no mention of Conor's name at the launch - it was as if he never existed." Whiskey expert Lobov claims the idea of a McGregor whiskey was originally his and Conor promised him a five per cent share in the brand for all the years he worked on the project. McGregor offered him a million quid to settle a few years ago but he turned it down. But now sources say both were shocked when the new 13-year-old version of the whiskey was launched last week with no mention of McGregor - another idea Lobov says was his. It is understood the original idea of number 13 was to commemorate the 13 seconds that it took McGregor to knock out Jose Aldo at UFC 194 on December 12, 2015. The No Twelve idea came from the post code in which he grew up in Crumlin, Dublin. However Proximo, which paid $600 million for McGregor's whiskey, made it clear at the launch of the single malt whiskey that the product had nothing to do with Conor McGregor any more and was a "new era" for the business. He was dropped as the brand ambassador by Proximo last November after he was found liable for sexual assault in the civil action taken against him by Nikita Hand and ordered to pay €250,000 in damages. The fighter is currently appealing that decision. There is no use of his name, face or likeness in relation to Proper No Twelve any more and the same applies to the new 13-year-old bottle. Lander Otegui, executive vice-president of marketing for Proximo Spirits said it represented a new era for the brand. He said: "This 13-year-old Single Malt is a more refined expression that still holds true to our roots - bold, accessible and built for those who appreciate character. "It's a celebration of the exciting future ahead as we continue to expand the brand's Irish whiskey offerings and disruptive approach to the category." McGregor founded his whiskey in 2018 and it became an overnight commercial success story, becoming one of the most popular brands in the USA. He walked away with $130 million from the deal. It is believed he still holds shares in it. The new whiskey is distilled at Bushmill's, the world's oldest licensed whiskey distillery. The 13-year-old whiskey is now on sale in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Texas and Arizona. The High Court showdown between McGregor and Lobov has been postponed for a couple of weeks while changes are made to the original claim. It is understood private talks between the legal parties involved have so far failed to find a resolution to their dispute. McGregor and Lobov were best mates and used to travel the world together before they fell out. A source close to the case said: "We are all hoping they will sort this row out and make up. The Americans couldn't care less about either of them."
The Irish Sun
11-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Jose Aldo RETIRES from MMA as ex-Conor McGregor rival suffers controversial UFC 315 loss that leaves fans devastated
JOSE ALDO emotionally announced his second retirement from mixed martial arts following a controversial loss at UFC 315. The Hall of Famer locked horns with Aiemann Zahabi in a short-notice featherweight showdown in Montreal in the early hours of Sunday morning. Advertisement 6 Jose Aldo rolled back the years in his UFC 315 showdown with Aiemann Zahabi Credit: GETTY 6 The fan favourite suffered a controversial decision defeat to the Canadian Credit: GETTY 6 The MMA legend hung up his gloves for a second time after the defeat Credit: GETTY The former long-reigning 145lbs champion rolled back the years in the contest, throwing several of the combinations he became famed for earlier in his career. And the 38-year-old seemed on course to have his hand raised after dropping Zahabi with a brutal head kick in the third round, which he followed up with a running kick to the face. But he found himself eating a hellacious barrage of punches and elbows, which opened up a gash on his forehead, from his back following a failed takedown for the remainder of the round. The judges, surprisingly, scored the fight in Zahabi's favour, with all three of them turning in 29-28 scorecards in favour of the Canadian. Advertisement READ MORE UFC NEWS And the decision prompted an emotional Aldo to once again cal time on his career. He said: "I don't think I have it in me anymore. It wasn't just about the cutting of the weight and everything else. "I just felt there were so many things that happened. It was very tough to go through all of this. "There was one point this week — this was a very tough week — that I felt that I didn't have it in me, I didn't want to cut it anymore. Advertisement Most read in MMA Exclusive JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 6 Jose Aldo cut a dejected figure after the result was read out Credit: GETTY 6 Aldo is considered by many to be the greatest featherweight in UFC history Credit: GETTY "My body said no, and I just don't think I have it anymore. I don't want to go into war all the time and go through this. Advertisement "I just don't have it in my heart anymore. I think this is the last time you're going to see me. I just can't do this anymore." UFC star Jose Aldo chest tattoo disappears after fight Brazilian icon Aldo is considered by many to be the greatest featherweight in UFC history . He ran roughshod through the WEC before it was absorbed by the UFC and he became the promotion's inaugural featherweight champion. Aldo amassed 18 wins on the bounce during a whopping TEN-YEAR undefeated streak from 2005 to 2015. Advertisement His legendary run was ended by former bitter rival and two-division champion Conor McGregor, who won their mammoth unification bout at UFC 194 with a 13-second KO. He'd reclaim the belt in 2016 after winning the interim title against Frankie Edgar, although he'd lose it to Max Holloway in June 2017. He'd fail to become a two-weight world champion in July 2020 after dropping down to bantamweight, suffering a fifth-round TKO defeat to Petr Yan. The fan favourite would close out his legendary career with four wins in his last seven outings. Advertisement 6 Jose Aldo's iconic run at featherweight was ended by Conor McGregor in 2015 Credit: GETTY
USA Today
16-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC featherweight title history: Volkanovski on top again, Holloway, Topuria and more
The featherweight title is back around the waist of Alexander Volkanovski after UFC 314. Take a look at a chronological history of the UFC's 145-pound title, which migrated over from the WEC in 2010 when the promotions merged. Jose Aldo Date: Nov. 20, 2010 Event: UFC 123 Opponent: N/A Total reign: 1.848 days Title defenses: Mark Hominick, Kenny Florian, Chad Mendes, Frankie Edgar, Chan Sung Jung, Ricardo Lamas, Chad Mendes Conor McGregor (interim) Date: July 11, 2015 Event: UFC 189 Opponent: Chad Mendes Total reign: N/A Title defenses: None Conor McGregor Date: Dec. 12, 2015 Event: UFC 194 Opponent: Joe Aldo Total reign: 350 days Title defenses: None (stripped of title) Jose Aldo (interim) Date: July 9, 2016 Event: UFC 200 Opponent: Frankie Edgar Total reign: N/A Title defenses: None Jose Aldo Date: Nov. 26, 2016 Event: N/A Opponent: N/A Total reign: 189 days Title defenses: None Max Holloway (interim) Date: Dec. 10, 2016 Event: UFC 206 Opponent: Anthony Pettis Total reign: N/A Title defenses: None Max Holloway Date: June 3, 2017 Event: UFC 212 Opponent: Jose Aldo Total reign: 925 days Title defenses: Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, Frankie Edgar Alexander Volkanovski Date: Dec. 14, 2019 Event: UFC 245 Opponent: Max Holloway Total reign: 1,526 days Title defenses: Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung, Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez Yair Rodriguez (interim) Date: Feb. 12, 2023 Event: UFC 284 Opponent: Josh Emmett Total reign: N/A Title defenses: None Ilia Topuria Date: Feb. 17, 2024 Event: UFC 298 Opponent: Yair Rodriguez Total reign: 419 days Title defenses: Max Holloway Alexander Volkanovski Date: April 12, 2025 Event: UFC 314 Opponent: Diego Lopes Total reign: Incumbent Title defenses: First title reign: Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, Chan Sung Jung, Max Holloway, Yair Rodriguez
USA Today
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Today in MMA History: Conor McGregor suffers first UFC loss, and Nate Diaz is not surprised
(This story first published on March 5, 2018.) Nate Diaz stood in the octagon on Dec. 19, 2015, and listened patiently as UFC commentator Joe Rogan asked him to describe his feelings after beating Michael Johnson via unanimous decision at UFC on FOX 17 in Orlando, Fla. '(Expletive) that,' Diaz replied, grabbing for the microphone and looking directly into the camera so that he might address his true audience, a fellow by the name of Conor McGregor. For fans watching live on FOX in the U.S., where certain words simply aren't allowed on television, the rant that followed was more beeps than words. But still, Diaz got his point across. He was upset at McGregor. He thought McGregor might be reaping the rewards of other people's hard work. He would like to face him in a professional prizefighting contest, please. It was his considered opinion that this contest would be more profitable for both parties than all other alternatives. And so forth. The powers that be must have felt he made a compelling, eloquent case, because less than three months later Diaz would get that fight he asked for at UFC 196 in Las Vegas. This would lead a couple of the biggest nights in UFC history. And it all started with most Diazian of responses: '(Expletive) that.' Granted, it wasn't a direct line from Diaz's callout to the granting of his wish. Then, as now, calling out the newly minted UFC featherweight champ McGregor was a pretty popular career move. It just didn't typically go anywhere, since McGregor had his own ideas about his career trajectory, not to mention an uncanny ability to bend reality to meet his desires. And McGregor? He was clear about what he wanted after a 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo at UFC 194. His plan, he told the world immediately after the fight, was to go straight up to lightweight to claim that belt as well. Rafael dos Anjos, who successfully defended his 155-pound title against Donald Cerrone a week later, was open to the idea. While he told McGregor it was 'better to stay in the featherweight division,' he readily agreed to the pairing. And why wouldn't he? Like McGregor had promised during one notable earlier exchange, a fight with the Irish superstar was a guaranteed box office hit, not to mention a potential 'red panty night' back at home. But with the bout set for early March, things hit a snag in late February. It seemed dos Anjos had injured his foot in training. He was out of the fight, ruining McGregor's plans for an epic champ-versus-champ showdown, and it was all happening roughly two weeks before the event. After everything he went through trying to get in the same cage with Aldo, it must have felt like deja vu all over again. Fortunately, there was no shortage of volunteers to replace dos Anjos. Several names from different weight classes emerged as possibilities. Even the former featherweight champ Aldo was discussed as a possibility. But then, none of them had very recently been seen on network TV calling McGregor everything but a child of God. UFC President Dana White later would claim Diaz was training for a triathlon when he got the call to fight McGregor. Diaz, however, disputed that claim, and in fact later posted video evidence that seemed to suggest he was, as he claimed, 'on a yacht in (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico) getting my chillax on' with friends and teammates. According to the video, that process entailed at least a little bit of tequila. Still, Diaz accepted the fight at welterweight, which McGregor would later claim as his suggestion once Diaz pushed back on the idea of making the cut to lightweight on such short notice. Though dos Anjos pulled out of the fight, McGregor wanted to stay on the card. With 11 days left until the event, the UFC brought in Nate Diaz to fight Conor McGregor at UFC 196. The bout would take place at Welterweight. — MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) March 5, 2018 At a UFC gym in Torrance, Calif., in late February the two made their first public appearance to promote the bout. Foregoing his usual three-piece suits in favor of a grey tank top, McGregor expressed an admiration for the Diaz brothers – even the one he was about to fight. 'I honestly like Nick's little brother,' McGregor said. 'How can you not like him? He's like a little cholo gangster from the hood. But at the same time he coaches kids jiu-jitsu on a Sunday morning and goes on bike rides with the elderly. He makes gun signs with the right hand, and animal balloons with the left hand. You're a credit to the community.' Diaz, draped in a long-sleeve black shirt and jeans, replied in kind. '(Expletive) you,' Diaz said. '(Expletive) your belt. I don't give a (expletive) what you say, mother(expletive).' And with that, the tone was pretty much set. On paper, the pairing didn't seem so spectacular. McGregor was the instant sensation up from a lower weight class. Diaz was a former lightweight contender and occasional middling welterweight who seemed to have settled into the middle of the pack as a free TV fighter who, if nothing else, was always fun to watch. As a replacement for a superfight, it felt decidedly like what it was: a creative but still somewhat desperate back-up plan. Still, it was the interplay of personalities that promised to make this fun. McGregor touted his fame, his drawing power, his commitment to elevating the game as a well-dressed international superstar with the power to change these bums' lives just by letting them share the same cage with him for a night. Diaz? Yeah, he didn't play that. 'I don't care if it's all good or not all good,' he said in an interview a couple weeks before the bout. 'When we fight, we're going to fight – fight fight, for real fight. He thinks he's a ninja? I'm the ninja. Ninja Gaiden, American Ninja, real mother(expletive) ninja. This ninja martial artist right here, I started that (expletive).' At the press conference during fight week, the two nearly came to blows after McGregor swatted Diaz's clenched fist out of the way, prompting Diaz's entourage to rush the stage and give security a scare. In an effort to get maximum exposure in the days leading up to the fight, the UFC booked the fighters anywhere it could, including a strange appearance on CNBC, which required host Jane Wells to begin by explaining that she was 'going to talk about money, because we are the business network.' 'I'll take over from here, Nate,' McGregor shot back. 'You can bounce.' Diaz got visibly uncomfortable as Wells attempted to ask him about his finances and his payout for the fight. 'Who gives a (expletive)?' Diaz mumbled, almost to himself. 'What is this, the money channel?' Then finally, on March 5, 2016, it was go time. McGregor entered as a 4-1 favorite in the bout, but as he walked to the cage in the MGM Grand Garden Arena that night, the UFC commentator Rogan made what would prove to be a prescient observation. 'We have not seen (McGregor) in trouble,' Rogan said. 'We have not seen him rocked. We have not seen him tested. We also have not seen him fight a guy who's as long and as slick with his boxing as Nate Diaz.' If McGregor was concerned, you couldn't tell. He entered the cage and walked immediately to the center, posing with his arms stretched wide as Diaz paced in his corner with an even more ferocious version his usual scowl. When referee Herb Dean brought them together for the pre-fight instructions, both men were too busy jawing at one another to listen. McGregor would continue that strategy throughout the first round, talking to Diaz as he slipped and threw. While Diaz circled on the outside, McGregor charged in behind his powerful left hand, tossing off overhands and uppercuts and spinning kicks like he was already picturing the highlights in his head. Diaz, on the other hand, stayed patient, even as the damage began to show. As McGregor found his range with the left in the latter half of the opening round, blood started to trickle from a cut around Diaz's right eye. Diaz briefly took McGregor down off a kick in the final minute, only to be swept and end the round on bottom up against the fence, essentially solidifying the first round for the heavy favorite McGregor. McGregor continued pushing the pace to start the second, firing off three more spinning kicks in the opening minute while taunting Diaz nearly every time the left hand landed. But then, subtle hints of a shift. After a particularly busy blitz by McGregor, Diaz came back with a stiff jab. Later, a trademark 'Stockton slap' from Diaz. McGregor loaded up on a left and missed. Little by little, he seemed to be slowing. Then halfway through the second round Diaz caught McGregor leaning off to his left and tagged him with a two-punch combination, ending on a sharp left hand that knocked McGregor back onto his heels. Diaz came forward behind another combination, and now it was McGregor moving backwards for the first time. It was in the 2nd round where the momentum completely shifted in Diaz's favor. He landed a 1-2 & began to drown McGregor with his high volume attack. — MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) March 5, 2018 Soon Diaz was suffocating him in the clinch, firing off short punches and knees while his blood nearly drenched McGregor's torso. When they moved back out into space, Diaz landed the same one-two, stinging an exhausted McGregor with the straight left. That's when McGregor did the last thing most people expected and shot in low for a takedown. Was it desperation? Was it fatigue? Was he just out of good ideas and tired of being hit in the face? Or did he somehow think it was in his best interests to take the bigger man with the better grappling pedigree to the mat? Whatever it was, he soon had reason to question his own decisions, as Diaz locked on a guillotine and then blocked McGregor's attempt to circle into side control. With control of his neck, Diaz used the choke to flip McGregor to his back before moving to full mount and firing off just enough punches to convince McGregor to roll to his belly. As soon as he exposed his back, Diaz slipped one arm under his chin and squeezed for the choke. McGregor made no attempt to defend the submission before reaching up and tapping out in the final minute of the second round. After all the sound and fury, McGregor's first loss in the UFC came via that subtly meek gesture of surrender. 'I hope Conor McGregor stays offline for a couple of days,' Rogan said on the broadcast soon afterward. As for Diaz, he soon found himself right back where he'd been a few months earlier after the win over Johnson, this time being asked to describe his feelings upon beating the much-hyped McGregor. 'Hey, I'm not surprised, mother(expletives),' said Diaz. There hardly seemed to be anything else that needed to be said. By the time the receipts were all totaled up, the event pulled in more than $8 million at the gate, plus a reported 1.3 million pay-per-view buys, making it one of the biggest UFC events of the modern era. The two would eclipse that mark with a rematch that August, drawing more than 1.6 million buys just five months later. But while McGregor's rivals and detractors were quick to jump on his loss with memes and gloating tweets, McGregor himself was dignified in defeat. Showing up to the post-fight press conference in a crisp blue suit, McGregor admitted that he'd been 'inefficient with my energy.' He made mistakes, he told reporters. But he wasn't running and hiding from them, nor was he about to let his haters have the last laugh. 'This is the game,' said McGregor. 'We win some, we lose some. I will never shy away from a challenge. I will never shy away from defeat. This is part of the game.' Not many gave Diaz a chance to defeat Conor McGregor on 11 days notice, but he was not surprised…. — MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) March 5, 2018 For complete coverage of UFC 196, check out the UFC Events section of the site. 'Today in MMA History' is an MMAjunkie series created in association with MMA History Today, the social media outlet dedicated to reliving 'a daily journey through our sport's history.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Luke Rockhold vows to 'ice' Chris Weidman in GFL rematch, wants to box Darren Till after
Luke Rockhold is already on the move with Global Fight League. When GFL unveiled complete rosters for each of its six teams. Rockhold was drafted as a middleweight for Team Dubai, led by his old American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez. However, Uncrowned's Ariel Helwani confirmed Monday on "The Ariel Helwani Show" that the former UFC middleweight champion has been traded to GFL's Team LA in order to put together a Chris Weidman rematch. The promotion is expected to launch in April, and Rockhold very much wants that fight. "Weidman and me, it makes the most sense, I think, and it's fun," Rockhold said. "I think there's rumors of a fight coming here to LA, and I'm healthy, man. I'm healthy and I'm training and back to it. So, Weidman, I'd love to close that door, as Dricus [du Plessis] would say. I think I already closed it [at UFC 194], but I'm going to secure that bag, get the fight." Rockhold's and Weidman's history dates back to 2015, when they met in UFC 194's co-main event as a high-profile appetizer to the much-anticipated Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor showdown. Rockhold ultimately made good on the opportunity, finishing the then-undefeated Weidman with a fourth-round barrage of strikes to capture the UFC middleweight championship in brutal fashion. Nine years later, both former champions are now under the GFL umbrella, with Weidman on Team New York. A rematch was supposed to happen at UFC 199 in 2016, but injury forced Weidman to withdraw two weeks out from fight night, resulting in Michael Bisping's historic underdog win over Rockhold. After parting ways with UFC in December, Weidman joined GFL mere days later, citing a potential Rockhold rematch as one of the reasons he was most interested in joining the promotion. If and when that fight gets booked, Rockhold expects it to end similarly to the first for Weidman. "Let's see how it goes, I like my chances this time around," Rockhold said. "I think Weidman is a little slower than I've come off [in recent fights]. I think I can keep up. Guys like Eryk Anders and who you're losing to [in the UFC], I'm not losing those fights these days. That's what I'm seeing. "People age differently. I have aged well, trust me. If I'm healthy, I'm going to all-out flow, and I'll be slicker than most anybody out there. So I know what I'm capable of, I just gotta get in shape. Obviously, my last time out I fought Joe Schilling on three weeks' notice or less [for Karate Combat this past April], and I broke my nose again, fought through it, got the knockout. So I expect to have a full training camp and be ready to go and f***ing ice this guy. Put him to sleep." Rockhold and Weidman, 40, have both fought at light heavyweight in the past despite their careers primarily taking place at middleweight. There's been no indication yet as to which weight class a GFL rematch would be held, but Rockhold favors the heavier weight class after turning 40 this past October. But GFL still must prove that it can be a player in the MMA industry. With several handfuls of notable names and former UFC champions like Rockhold and Weidman on the roster, the foundation is in place. Rockhold likes what he's seen so far and is excited to get back to the sport he made his name in. "There's money behind it," Rockhold said of GFL. "They're taking care of me thus far, and they've got a lot of potential fights that are fun. "I miss mixed martial arts. My legs were so beat up after the Paulo Costa fight [in 2022] and injuries and different things, so it was nice to take a break. I wanted to pursue some other things, but I've gotten healthier, and really, MMA is what I'm best at. I still have some fire left in me, and I'd love to test that out." Rockhold has competed three times outside of MMA since leaving the UFC following a unanimous decision loss to Costa. Rockhold first took the gloves off for a detour into bare-knuckle boxing against Mike Perry in BKFC in 2023, which Perry won via second-round knockout. Rockhold then entered the Karate Kickboxing pit and rebounded with a nasty third-round knockout of Schilling. After Rockhold followed that with a grappling loss to Pat Downey at the Craig Jones Invitational, he was offered a spot on the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul undercard. A back injury ultimately prevented Rockhold from accepting a boxing match against Viddal Riley, but he still likes the idea of competing in the sweet science. Rockhold's ideal opponent for a boxing showcase? Fellow UFC veteran Darren Till. "I hurt my back pretty bad going into that CJI thing. I had to get steroid cortisone injections before that. It's been a little bit, but I'm healthy now," Rockhold said. "I think Darren Till is f***ing great. I'd love to swing and test myself against someone like that. We'll see who else. I mean, Viddal Riley, I still like that fight, honestly. Give me eight weeks, give me 10 weeks when I'm healthy for an eight-round boxing match. I'm going to f***ing need my legs, so I just got to be healthy for it. But all these guys, I like [for potential fights]." Till has boxed twice since leaving the UFC in early 2023. He first stopped Mohammad Mutie before most recently knocking out Anthony Taylor in Round 6 of their Misfits Boxing clash in January. Rockhold believes he'd provide Till with a much stiffer challenge than Taylor did. "I can't take that guy any serious," Rockhold said of Taylor. "He's pretty bad, the way everything about what he does and how he throws punches. "I didn't really see [their fight], I just saw the knockout. Till, he's good, he's a pretty clean boxer, for sure. He's got skills. I like it, just give me some time."
