Miletich (second from right) and his companions during last week's Capitol Hill riot
UFC Hall-of-Famer Pat Miletich lost his commentary job with Legacy Fighting Alliance for being present during the Capitol Hill attack. The riot happened on Jan. 6 when supporters of President Trump stormed the Capitol Building, leaving five people dead.
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- The 54-year-old Miletich revealed the news of his firing in an Instagram video which he eventually deleted. He also affirmed that neither he nor his companions were involved in any violence.
- According to Miletich, the LFA was "getting a lot of pressure" from people to get him fired. Despite losing his job, he says he understands the company's position.
- The LFA released a statement through company president Ed Soares, confirming that the MMA legend won't be part of the LFA 97 event on Friday. However, Soares also clarified that they have yet to make a final decision regarding Miletich's job.
- As a fighter, Miletich is one of the sport's pioneers. He was the UFC's first-ever welterweight champion in 1998, and UFC 16's welterweight tournament winner. He is also a renowned trainer and founder of his very own Miletich Fighting Systems.
Bloody Elbow
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UFC president Dana White admitted he was "in a bad place" with Conor McGregor a few months back. White was referring to the September incident when McGregor released screenshots of their private social media conversations from February.
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- The DMs discussed McGregor's requests for a fight against veteran Diego Sanchez as a follow-up to his January 2020 victory against Donald Cerrone.
- According to "The Notorious," he made the screenshots public to prove he was "campaigning for another blockbuster McGregor event." He also claimed that upper management wanted to wait until crowds were allowed back in venues before they let him fight again.
- The 32-year-old McGregor announced his retirement in June, claiming the company "wanted to show power" and "stomp" all over him. He eventually came around and declared his return to fighting five months later.
- At the time, White referred to McGregor's actions as "one of the dirtiest things" anyone can do. But after sorting out their differences, the UFC executive recently said he is now "in a good place" with his most prized fighter.
- McGregor will headline UFC 257 on Jan. 23 in a rematch against Dustin Poirier. It will take place at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
YouTube / ESPN MMA
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Bellator featherweight Robin van Roosmalen was seriously injured after a car accident in his native country of the Netherlands on Wednesday. His 29-year-old sister Melissa, who was with him at the time, died from her injuries.
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- The incident happened in Nieuwegein in Utrecht. According to the initial report, the siblings were stopped on the shoulder of the road when an oncoming truck collided with their vehicle. The driver was reportedly arrested soon after. No further details have been provided regarding van Roosmalen's condition.
- The 31-year-old van Roosmalen was a kickboxing champion under Glory, where he held both the lightweight and featherweight titles. He decided to transition to MMA in May 2019 and signed with Bellator.
- Van Roosmalen was supposed to make his MMA debut at Bellator 232 in October 2019. However, he was forced off the bout after failing to make the 145-pound weight limit.
Yahoo! Sports
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Dustin Poirier wants a bloody fight with Conor McGregor at UFC 257. If it were up to him, they'd both be bleeding "with a minute off the first round clock."
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- Poirier, nicknamed "The Diamond," is known for his durability inside the Octagon. He said he wants a dog fight with McGregor to find out "who really wants to be in there."
- Poirier also believes he is the hungrier fighter because he has no "safety net." He's likely referring to McGregor's $120M net worth and the UFC's alleged favoritism towards the Irishman.
- Based on recent history, Poirier has been more successful when the match turns into a brawl. Several fights he's won in such a manner were against champions Eddie Alvarez, Justin Gaethje, and Max Holloway.
YouTube / Theo Von
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According to the World Boxing Council, UFC star Conor McGregor is eligible to fight for a boxing world title. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman says all the "The Notorious" needs to do is defeat a ranked fighter.
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- Sulaiman added that McGregor isn't a rookie entering boxing and that he "has a long history of combat sports." The 32-year-old Irish fighter has been competing professionally since 2008.
- McGregor has one professional boxing fight in his record: a tenth-round TKO loss to undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017. He is currently angling for another high-profile match, this time against Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao.
- If successful, McGregor will be the first MMA fighter in history to win a world boxing title.
MMA Mania
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UFC veteran Spencer Fisher has been declared "permanently disabled and unable to work" after a ten-year fighting career. The 44-year-old former fighter recently revealed he was diagnosed with brain lesions and early signs of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. He retired in 2012.
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- According to Fisher, he'd been experiencing dizzy spells, depressive episodes, and difficulty remembering people's names. He recalled instances with his children when he'd forget their names on the spot.
- On Thursday, the UFC donated $1M to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas for further research. But according to company president Dana White, brain injuries are "part of the gig" as a professional fighter.
- As a professional fighter, Fisher competed 17 times in the UFC and won four post-fight bonuses amounting to $50,000 each. He holds a record of 24-9, 19 of those victories ended via stoppage.
MMA Fighting
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QUICK HITS
- The UFC wants to book Weili Zhang's next strawweight title fight in Asia, depending on quarantine restrictions. Zhang, the first UFC Chinese champion, hasn't fought since her 2020 Fight of the Year barnburner against Joanna Jędrzejczyk in March.
- Number three-ranked featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov will fight within the next three months according to UFC president Dana White. The 29-year-old Dagestani fighter hasn't competed since November 2019 when he won Performance of the Night honors against Calvin Kattar.
- Top-ten bantamweight Marlon Moraes is set to undergo shoulder surgery. "Magic" Marlon is currently on a two-fight skid, with his last loss happening at the hands of Rob Font in December.
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Miguel Ordoñez is a writer and amateur mixed martial arts competitor based in the Philippines. He is one of the staff writers for SBNation’s Bloody Elbow, covering the latest in combat sports news. Follow him on Twitter @Mr_Ordonez
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Editor
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Charlotte Hayes-Clemens is an editor and writer based in Vancouver. She has dabbled in both the fiction and non-fiction world, having worked at HarperCollins Publishers and more recently as a writing coach for new and self-published authors. Proper semi-colon usage is her hill to die on.
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