Welcome to Hamburg, Germany the world’s capital of metal and catch wrestling. While Ryan Bader’s knee to Ilir Latifi’s dome still travels through space and Josh Barnett’s after-party wraps up at around 12:00 PM EST, rumors still swim the Atlantic Ocean as we type.
The past seven days in the MMA world have birthed some very strange, odd and weird stories that would be a banner week for any other sport but it may just be a blip on MMA’s 365-day radar.
As always these our rumors that have been talked about behind closed doors between MMA higher ups, so take them as rumors.
Rumors never take a day to celebrate labor, so celebrate the unofficial last day of summer with a folded lawn chair, a cold drink, plenty of coconut-scented sunscreen and your Sunday Morning Rumor Mill.
- Rumors have swirled over the last month that CM Punk is hurt again but this time he can’t pull out or UFC 203 might suffer too much. Also, the court of public opinion would turn too far against Punk’s MMA debut if he drops out with another injury. Expect him to address this aliment post-fight.
- All signs say Conor McGregor vs. Georges St. Pierre are in the midst of heavy negotiations. The fight location is still to be determined with UFC 205-207 all up for bid at the moment. If the terms are right for all three parties involved this is the new fight the UFC may be pushing hard to get done
- MMA legend and hall of famer Igor Vovchanchyn is back in the gym training again. And if a Pride FC legend is a free agent then Rizin is interested. Vovchanchyn’s training is being monitored by Rizin and they are very interested in booking a potential comeback fight
- Sources say Robbie Lawler versus Cowboy Cerrone is nearly a done deal. Both camps want the fight, so don’t be surprised if this welterweight showcase fight is announced soon
- Royce Gracie reportedly refused to fight Tito Ortiz for his last fight, so Ortiz would like to fight Rampage Jackson or Fedor under the Bellator/Spike TV banner. Reports are Ortiz says Scott Coker already asked him about both fights and how it could be another Bellator tent pole style event for Ortiz and his TBD opponent
- Earlier this week the winner of The Ultimate Fighter 24 was widely circulated on The Internet and rumor is the UFC were up in arms about the leak. An old school yet classic Las Vegas freakout may have went down due to the next flyweight challenger’s name getting released too soon
If you have heard of any interesting rumors that you’d like to add, feel free to post them in the comments section below, on our Facebook page, tweet us or mail them to us in an unmarked envelope. Just remember they are rumors and not confirmed as fact, so please take them as such.
