Jon Jones Rips Georges St-Pierre, Conor McGregor Featured, UFC Title Fight Set For December
- On the first episode of UFC 229 Embedded, we catch up with reigning lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at his training center, American Kickboxing Academy, as he prepares for Saturday night's main event bout with Conor McGregor.
Meanwhile, McGregor gets his team together in his "home away from home," Las Vegas, in hopes of winning back the title that was stripped from him without ever defending it. The show also profiles Tony Ferguson and Anthony Pettis, who collide in the co-main event from the T-Mobile Arena.
- A previously reported, the featherweight title fight between Max Holloway and Brian Ortega has now been made official for UFC 231 in Toronto this December. Holloway will defend his championship against Ortega on December 8.
Holloway was originally scheduled to face Ortega back at UFC 226 in July, but "Blessed" was pulled from the bout after suffering concussion-like symptoms. He unified the titles in 2017 with a victory over Jose Aldo, defending it last December vs. Aldo, as well.
Ortega is unbeaten in his career, sitting at 14-0 with a no-contest. The 27-year-old bested Frankie Edgar this past March to become the No. 1 contender, adding to wins over Clay Guida and Cub Swanson.
UFC 231 will also feature Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant female flyweight title, along with Claudia Gadelha vs. Nina Ansaroff and Elias Theodorou vs. Eryk Anders.
- Jon Jones has a bone to pick with former UFC middleweight and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. After GSP made comments regarding fighters not being included on the greatest of all time list if they have failed a drug test, the ex-UFC light heavyweight champion responded.
"It sucks when you have to hear someone you've always shown respect to sit and talk foolishness. But that's the nature of the game these days. Saying steroids change more than physical performance. 'Make you more creative and hungry.' Do you know how crazy that sounds? I guess brain damage is real out here," Jones wrote. "Saying PED metabolites threw a kick? Come on man. It's called training and identifying a weakness. So much in fact I told him to his face it was coming and then landed it. That's called execution. How about rather than campaigning for GOAT status you get in there and dominate your next fight. I've had nothing but respect for you over all these years. Don't change that now. You're better than this."
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Jon Bones Jones (@jonnybones) on