US citizens and green card holders on edge
Some of Bellator’s biggest names are becoming increasingly frustrated with the PFL’s lack of events since the promotional takeover last year. Bellator titleholders Patricio Pitbull, Patchy Mix, and Corey Anderson are a few of the latest big-name fighters to air grievances against PFL since the 2023 merger . Mix and Anderson both fought earlier this year but are becoming increasingly agitated with the PFL’s alleged lack of transparency in booking their returns. As of this writing, the next Bellator Champions Series event is scheduled for January, featuring a Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes headliner . The PFL made waves across mixed martial arts when they purchased Bellator last year, bringing two of the top MMA rosters under one roof. The initial excitement from fight fans, pundits, and fighters signaled a new era for MMA and a potential competitor to the UFC. But, things haven’t gotten off to a great start this year for the PFL-Bellator marriage. Several top names, including Gegard Mousasi, have spoken out against the PFL for alleged contract breaches and other issues. To cap off an up-and-down year for PFL and Bellator, three champions, including Pitbull, took to social media to share their experiences. READ MORE: Francis Ngannou bizarrely backs Jon Jones’ decision to not fight Tom Aspinall Bellator champs speak out against PFL’s fighter treatment and inactivity Pitbull, who was scheduled to return this month before the event’s cancelation, was among the first to recently speak out against the PFL. “I haven’t fought since February. I wanted to fight 3x this year, but I was told I’d have to wait until December 31st and found out online my opponent would fight someone else,” Pitbull shared on X. “Then they had a replacement, I bring people over, spend more money with the camp and there’s no fight... “This is wrong,” Pitbull continued. “We need answers, we need the fighters and fans to be respected. This is not a game or just some business, these are people’s lives we are talking about. A serious promotion would give fighters the chance to fight at least 3 times a year if they’re healthy.” Anderson, the Bellator light heavyweight champion, took a more tranquil approach to implore the PFL to get him a fight. “Aging like warm cheese over here waiting for [PFL] to give me a call. But don’t get it twisted.... we still ready to defend the strap against ANYBODY! Young or Old!!” Anderson posted on X . Mix, arguably the top bantamweight in MMA, is fed up with the PFL’s lack of communication since he defended his bantamweight title in May against Magomed Magomedov. “I’ve been training my ass off for the last half of year for nothing. This is frustrating in the prime of my career and I’ve had my fight in November cancelled?” Mix said on X . “Then now again I’m being told I’m off January Dubai card? I am the best in the world and I want to fight to prove it.” Mix is referring to the January Bellator Champions Series card featuring Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes. As of this writing, it’s uncertain why the PFL scratched its original plan to book Mix’s return for the event. READ MORE: Encouraging update on UFC Macau fighter’s health after head-kick KO left her on a stretcher PFL/Bellator merger hits another speed bump ahead of 2024 PFL Championship In fairness, there have also been some positive reviews from other Bellator standouts since the PFL merger. MMA legend and Bellator women’s flyweight champion Liz Carmouche recently praised the PFL season format in an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow . As of this writing, founder Donn Davis and the other PFL heads haven’t released a statement on Pitbull, Anderson, and Mix’s social media posts. The scathing accusations from Mix and Pitbull, in particular, come just days before one of the biggest PFL cards of the year. The 2024 PFL Championship this coming weekend features an astounding 10 world title fights, featuring top names like former UFC fighter Taila Santos against surging prospect Dakota Ditcheva. As Dana White and others have pointed out, the PFL has a long way to go to cement itself as a legitimate competitor to the UFC’s juggernaut. Time will tell if Mix, Anderson, and Pitbull get their returns booked and have their grievances made up for. READ MORE: Dustin Poirier updates on UFC retirement fight as ‘fake news’ spreads about potential opponentRediscovering Simplicity: Why Modern Families Are Turning Back to Walkmen and MP3 Players for Their KidsDefunding social health insurance in favor of medical ayuda
ORLANDO, Fla. — Next time Iowa State plays football, it will be in Dublin, Ireland. Saturday’s 42-41 Pop-Tarts Bowl win against Miami signaled the end of Iowa State’s first 11-win season. And at the rate modern college football moves with the transfer portal and NIL, the smart teams have already been thinking about the 2025 season. Here are the three biggest questions facing Iowa State ahead of that Aug. 3, 2025 game against Kansas State in Ireland. Iowa State woke up Sunday with a massive hole in its production. Senior receivers Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins combined for 2,377 receiving yards this season. The other 17 players who caught a pass this season combined for 1,203. Iowa State wide receiver Jaylin Noel (13) runs after a reception before he is tackled by Miami defensive back Zaquan Patterson (20) during the first half of the Pop Tarts Bowl NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. We know how the Cyclones will try to replace the duo. On Dec. 14, ISU landed a commitment from sophomore Eastern Carolina receiver Chase Sowell and three days later one from former UCF receiver Xavier Townsend. A funny coincidence is Sowell stands 6-foot-4, the same height as Higgins, while Townsend is listed at 5-foot-11, identical to Noel. Next season, Iowa State should also look to the tight end position to fill some lost production. Ben Brahmer’s sophomore season essentially ended in November after he suffered a leg injury against UCF. He caught 10 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore tight end Gabe Burkle saw a leap in his production after Brahmer got hurt. Burkle finished the season with five catches against Arizona State in the Big 12 Championship and four against Miami, including a leaping touchdown catch in the first quarter. Burkle and Brahmer finished as the third and fourth leading receivers behind Noel and Higgins. Although the winter transfer portal window for underclassmen closed Saturday, there could still be Cyclones who enter. Every player on a team in the postseason has an additional five days after the season ends to enter the portal. No Iowa State opt-outs were reported leading up to the Pop-Tarts Bowl, but NFL Draft prospects Higgins and defensive back Darien Porter both chose not to play. Don’t be surprised if there are some Cyclones who enter the portal between now and the Thursday deadline. That’s not particularly an indictment on ISU’s program or culture, just the reality of modern college football. Derek Hoodjer is ISU’s assistant AD for player personnel. He is in charge of building ISU’s roster and navigating the portal. After the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Hoodjer celebrated with players on the field and made sure Noel got to lift the bowl trophy after his postgame press conference. Hoodjer is going to be the busiest person in Ames for the next couple weeks. Iowa State rode its defense until wheels fell off. The tires might still be discarded in a corner of AT&T Stadium after Arizona State ran all over the Cyclones in a 45-19 win. Iowa State defensive lineman J.R. Singleton (58) and wide receiver Jaylin Noel hold up the championship trophy after winning the Pop Tarts Bowl on Saturday against Miami in Orlando. Miami quarterback Cam Ward threw for three touchdowns in the first half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl before sitting out the second half to preserve his NFL Draft stock. Credit to the ISU defense, it forced a punt and interception on Miami’s final two possessions to lead to a win. Rampant injuries made every defensive effort this season a patchwork attempt. Through the first 10 games, ISU averaged 6.4 key defensive players sidelined . The Cyclones injury luck can't be worse next season, right? That’s probably true, but graduation is still going to cost ISU several key pieces. Safety Beau Freyler is the “nucleus” of Iowa State’s team and played his last game Saturday. Darien Porter is a veteran in ISU’s secondary and top special teams contributor who opted out of the Miami game with NFL Draft hopes. redshirt senior J.R. Singleton led the team with four sacks and finished his career Saturday. Ben Hutchens is an Iowa State University beat writer for the Lee Enterprises network. Follow him on X or send him an email at Ben.Hutchens@lee.net . Get local news delivered to your inbox! {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.Neal Maupay aims savage jibe at parent club Everton after nightmare spell with the club - before boxing star and Toffees fan Tony Bellew hits back with x-rated response Neal Maupay trolled Everton after their 2-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest Former boxing star Tony Bellew was enraged by the striker's post and responded LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! New formation, some new faces, but the optimism has gone at Old Trafford By YASEEN ZAMAN Published: 22:32 GMT, 29 December 2024 | Updated: 22:32 GMT, 29 December 2024 e-mail View comments Neal Maupay took to social media to poke fun at his parent club Everton after they suffered a 2-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The Frenchman joined the Toffees in August 2022 from Brighton and left this summer to join Marseille on loan. He is still contracted to Everton, but his deal at the Ligue 1 club lasts until the end of the season with an obligation to buy for £6million, rising to £10m if certain requirements are met. Despite this, Maupay is clearly content with his parent club's struggles this season, as Sean Dyche 's side lie just three points clear of the relegation zone in 16th place. Speaking on X, the striker said: 'Whenever I'm having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile.' Former boxer and Everton fan Tony Bellew took offence to the post, replying: 'P***k' Neal Maupay aimed multiple jibes at his parent club Everton after their 2-0 defeat on Sunday Ex-WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew is a life-long Everton fan and Merseyside native Bellew issued an x-rated response to Maupay after a cheeky dig towards his hometown club Bellew, the former WBC cruiserweight champion, is a Merseyside native and has even been paraded by his boyhood club during half-time at Goodison Park. In his boxing career, he entered the ring to the 'Theme from Z-Cars', the same song to which Everton enter the pitch at their home ground. Maupay's jibes did not stop at that one post, as he followed up by issuing a reply to a frustrated Everton fan. The fan wrote: 'Next time you play Everton you're going to get snapped. That will pipe you right down.' The forward responded, 'See you in the Championship next season!' before writing '*championship', implying that Everton will be relegated from the Premier League. During his time on Merseyside, Maupay scored just one goal in 32 games. His spell at Everton included a season-long loan to his former club Brentford in 2023-24, where he netted eight times in 31 games. This fiasco is not the first time the 28-year-old has trolled Everton on social media. Maupay gave a savage response to an Everton fan on X who was frustrated at his initial post The Frenchman has scored two goals in 12 games since moving to Marseille in the summer His woeful record in front of goal at Everton saw him net once in 32 games in all competitions Upon the public announcement of his move to Marseille in August, he posted a video of Andy Dufresne from the film The Shawshank Redemption online. The clip showed Dufresne celebrating his escape from prison, before ripping off his shirt as he screams in elation in the rain. Since moving back to his home country, Maupay has scored twice in 12 games. Roberto De Zerbi's side lie second in Ligue 1 and are in good shape to contend for a Champions League qualification spot for next season's competition. Everton Tony Bellew Share or comment on this article: Neal Maupay aims savage jibe at parent club Everton after nightmare spell with the club - before boxing star and Toffees fan Tony Bellew hits back with x-rated response e-mail Add comment
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