‘UFC 217’ Fight Card News: Big Date For Bisping And Garbrandt But Who Called Out Conor McGregor?
UFC 217 rolls into New York’s Madison Square Garden on November 4 and the fight card is beginning to take shape. The biggest news to date is that the UFC fight card will feature middleweight champion, Michael Bisping, who will face former welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre. The 36-year-old St. Pierre has been absent from the ring for almost four years after he branded the UFC fight scene as “completely insane” and a “freaking zoo.”
According to the Toronto Sun, UFC president, Dana White, initially refused to sanction Michael Bisping vs. Georges St. Pierre. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, White was fiercely criticized by UFC fighter Luke Rockhold over the on-off nature of the Bisping vs. St. Pierre fight. It seems that the indecision about the fight is now in the past after St. Pierre shared a post on Instagram, in which he is seen signing the contract for the UFC 217 fight with Bisping.
According to MMA Junkie, UFC 217 will also feature UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt. An injury caused the cancellation of a grudge match between Garbrandt and former teammate TJ Dillashaw, but it seems that the fight is on for UFC 217. Garbrandt also used social media to announce that he would face Dillashaw at UFC 217.
Another former champion, welterweight Johny Hendricks is also on the UFC 217 fight card. He will take on the undefeated Brazilian middleweight Paulo Borrachinha.
The UFC 217 fight card is shaping up nicely but the biggest news of the week involves Conor McGregor, who is unlikely to feature in Novembers PPV event.
Boxing Champion Vasyl Lomachenko Calls Out To Conor McGregor
Anyone with even the slightest interest in combat sport will know that we are just weeks away for Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather in the boxing ring. At times it seemed like Mayweather vs. McGregor would never happen, and true to form, UFC champion McGregor’s preparation has not gone smoothly.
As reported earlier this week by MMA Junkie, McGregor’s sparring partner Paulie Malignaggi, walked out of the McGregor camp, calling him “one of the biggest dirtbags” he has ever met. WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko is clearly not put off by McGregor’s reputation and has reached out to offer himself as a sparring partner for McGregor. This isn’t the first time that Lomachenko has reached out to McGregor.
Earlier this year, Lomachenko took to twitter, seemingly offering to take on McGregor under UFC rules.
I used to win many wrestling, judo, and sambo tournaments as a kid. Should I try fighting in the @ufc ? What do you think @TheNotoriousMMA?
— LOMA (@VasylLomachenko) May 4, 2017
As reported by FloCombat two-time Olympic champion Lomachenko is known for his speed, his ability to strike from all angles and has a style that would transition well to UFC combat.
It is easy to see why a match with McGregor would be attractive to Lomachenko. He is very much an up and coming boxer, the benefits for McGregor are not so clear. McGregor and Mayweather are expected to earn over $100 million each for their fight, so the financial imperative for McGregor is unlikely to feature. However, perhaps McGregor could be tempted to face Lomachenko under UFC rules.
McGregor is fiercely ambitious. Were he able to defeat Mayweather under boxing rules, and Lomachenko under UFC rules, McGregor could justifiably claim to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the history of combat sport. Perhaps that prospect would appeal to McGregor, but would it be enough to encourage him to face Vasyl Lomachenko?
What do Inquisitr readers make of Lomachenko’s offer to Conor McGregor? Would you like to see Conor McGregor vs. Vasyl Lomachenko under UFC rules? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Featured Image by Nick Wass/AP Images]
