Nate Diaz threatens N3on, Ilia Topuria sas Max Holloway not ready, Jon Jones on MMA magic
By Amy Kaplan
I'll be breaking down the news from around the combat sports world and giving you my take on it in this new daily column. Check back every morning to see the biggest or most obscure headlines and what I think about them below.
Nate Diaz went off on N3on after disrespectful press conference question
On Wednesday at the Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal pre-fight press conference, an influencer named N3eon asked Diaz a question aimed to spark his anger and cause a scene. “When you get knocked out, are you going to retire?” N3on said. Diaz obviously went off on him and he was later seen running away from Diaz's team after the event.
We really need to stop allowing just anyone to ask questions. This person is not a journalist and has become known now as asking questions like this meant to insult fighters and go viral. I wouldn't even have shared this video because of that but I felt it was important to admonish N3eon for being disrespectful.
Ilia Topuria claims Max Holloway is not unavailable to fight
UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria claimed the BMF champion Max Holloway is not unavailable to fight and therefore they won't be the next match-up. “They called me to say that Max Holloway was having family issues, that he was having trouble cutting weight, and that he wanted to fight in a higher weight class. Honestly, I don’t know. I have no idea.” Holloway took to Twitter to debunk his words, claiming he is ready and that Topuria is just making things up.
Frankly, I believe them both. I thin Holloway is ready but I also believe that someone told Topuria he wasn't. We already know the tactics the UFC uses to make fights they want to happen, happen. Perhaps it came from his manager who is leading him another direction or maybe it was even just a miscommunication. I don't think either fighter is "scared" or trying to avoid the fight.
Jon Jones confirms MMA magic is 'very real’
During the build up to Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka there was a lot of talk about "magic" being used. Prochazka accused Pereira of not being able to win without it and urged him to leave it behind for a real fight with him. Now, UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is weighing in on the discussion. And he thinks it's real too. “This stuff is all very real. I felt all types of weird energies walking into those arenas," he tweeted.
All this talk of "magic" is just faith in something bigger than yourself. Everyone has something, for Jones, it's Jesus Christ and no one calls that "magic." just because Pereira believes and honors something other than the more common God/Allah/etc. it's considered magic? That's silly. And frankly, if Prochazka had talked about Jesus the way he talked about Pereira's faith, people would be up in arms over it.