MILWAUKEE — Authorities are investigating after three vehicles were burned in the Milwaukee driveway of mixed martial arts fighters Anthony and Sergio Pettis.

The fires happened early Thursday morning.

Milwaukee police say it appears accelerant was used to set two vehicles on fire, and the fire spread to a third vehicle in the driveway.

The brothers posted statements on social media. Sergio Pettis asked the Milwaukee community to come together and stop the violence.

Anthony Pettis said he was glad no one was hurt, and said he would do everything he could to find out who is responsible and have them prosecuted.

Anthony Pettis also said: “I am a fighter. I won’t be defeated by this.”

Anthony Pettis is scheduled to face Max Holloway in UFC 206 in Toronto in December.

“The California Kid” is ready to call it a career.

Former WEC champion and multi-time UFC title challenger Urijah Faber announced on Monday that he will retire following his next fight against Brad Pickett at FOX UFC Fight Night in Sacramento on Dec. 17.

“I’ve been kind of waiting for this, and this is actually going to be my last fight,” Faber told MMAFighting. “And it just feels right to do it in (Sacrament) in this new arena. It just feels like the right time and the right place.

“I’ve been waiting for this new arena to be built, I was waiting for that Dominick Cruz opportunity, and I feel like this is going to be an epic event and I can’t wait to do it in front of the people I love.”

The Golden 1 Center just opened in downtown Sacramento and will serve as host to the UFC event headlined by Faber’s teammate Paige VanZant when she faces Michelle Waterson in a strawweight main event.

As for Faber’s decision, he’s hinted at retirement recently after a career that spans 13 years and more than 40 fights in multiple promotions.

Faber has gone 1-3 over his past four fights while losing back-to-back decisions to bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and most recently dropping a bout to Jimmie Rivera at UFC 203 in September.

Despite those setbacks, Faber remains one of the top fighters in the world at 135 pounds, but he believes now is just the right time to have one last bout and then hang up his gloves.

“It took a long time to get to this point where I’m skilled enough and I’m in a position where I can fight and have a great time, but like my last fight, and my last couple fights, I haven’t found that emotional rise or fall,” Faber revealed. “That is kind of a strange thing for me.

“I still love what I’m doing and that’s the reason why I’m doing it, but I just feel like this is going to be something that’s going to be an emotional thing for me, it’s going to be a passion thing. I’m going to train my butt off, and I just feel like right now is the right time.”

Faber has been a stalwart of mixed martial arts in Sacramento after founding his gym, Ultimate Fitness, which serves as home to Team Alpha Male. It’s there where Faber established himself as a top fighter and coach while bringing up several notable competitors including former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw as well as current title contender Cody Garbrandt.

At 37, Faber will go to battle this last time against Pickett in his hometown and then he will retire from the sport once and for all.

Jon Jones knows deep down inside that he never knowingly cheated by taking a banned substance, and he went on an epic rant late Monday night against anyone saying otherwise.

Jones’ attorney Howard Jacobs explained in a recent interview how the interim light heavyweight champion was a victim of a contaminated product that he took in the lead up to his fight against Daniel Cormier at UFC 200.

Jacobs said testing on the product proved that Jones didn’t knowingly take any kind of banned substance and he hopes that USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) will ultimately give the fighter a reduced sentence as a result.

Ever since Jones was booted off the card back in July due to the positive drug test, he’s heard just about every fighter in his division call him a cheater or accused him of being on steroids. But with this latest evidence coming to light, he’s now firing back.

Jones exploded with a series of messages on Twitter taking aim at everybody who’s had something to say about him in the past few months.

Prior to his temporary suspension as a result of the positive drug test, Jones was ranked as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport and already held the record for the most title defenses in UFC light heavyweight history.

It doesn’t look like Jones is ready to concede the throne any time soon either with this latest diatribe aimed at those who said he cheated to make it to the top.

Jones has his arbitration hearing with USADA on Oct. 31 to determine his punishment for the drug testing case.

Following arbitration, Jones will then appear before the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Nov. 10 to answer for the drug test once again because he was licensed to fight in the state when the positive result was returned.

One of the true heavyweights (well, welterweights) of the MMA world is hitting the free agent market. Georges St.-Pierre confirmed the news himself on Monday.

Appearing on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, St.-Pierre stated that the UFC had released him from his contract and he was a free agent.

“You heard it right,” St.-Pierre said. “I’m a free agent.”

The news comes as a bit of a shocker to many (including St.-Pierre himself) and apparently was made after UFC failed to come up with a fight to offer him before a contracted deadline. The effort got lost in the shuffle amid the purchase of the UFC by WME-IMG over the summer. The new owners pulled the offer for a fight and put everything on hold in the meantime. The clock then expired, allowing St.-Pierre to become a free agent.

“It was like a shock, because we felt like we were making progress, we were almost there,” St.-Pierre said. “When they told us that, I got angry.”

This does not necessarily mean St.-Pierre is done with UFC, but he is now able to field offers from any suitor he wishes. When he returns to the sport also remains in question, as he has expressed a desire to take some downtime to gather himself from a stressful negotiating period.

“I’m truly confident I can beat the guys that are champions right now,” St.-Pierre says. “I’m that confident. At least I’m a free man. Now, I know I’m free. I have other options. I’m not caught up legally with a contract. I’m a free man.”

St.-Pierre had two reigns as UFC welterweight champion, with his final reign lasting nearly six years following his defeat of Matt Hughes to win the interim belt on Dec. 29, 2007. St.-Pierre then defeated Matt Serra on April 19, 2008, to unify the belts and proceeded to successfully defend his championship nine times. He last fought on Nov. 16, 2013, defeating Johny Hendricks via split decision to retain his title. A month later, he forfeited the title, and it’s been successfully defended a total of two times since.

Cris “Cyborg” Justino really wants to fight Ronda Rousey. She’s just not sure Rousey will step into the octagon with her anytime soon.

“Same way you talk to guys, you have to have the balls,” Cyborg recently told TMZ Sports. “OK, she speaks a lot of things about me, and why she don’t go in (the) octagon with me, fight with me? Man, she don’t have (the balls). She don’t have. She don’t have.

“And I know — girls, of course she don’t have (balls). But when you speak about someone, you have to go, ‘No, (f—) that. I’m gonna fight her. Let’s go in the octagon, make this fight happen. You have to do this. Man, this is her job.”

Rousey is scheduled to fight Amanda Nunes for the UFC women’s bantamweight title at UFC 207 on Dec. 30 in her first fight since losing the belt to Holly Holm last November. If Rousey wins, perhaps it’ll set the stage for a much-anticipated superfight with Cyborg, who’s been dominating the mixed martial arts scene, even winning her first two UFC fights since signing with the promotion in March 2015.

“Of course, She knows I would kill her,” Cyborg told TMZ Sports when asked if Rousey is afraid to fight her. “Same thing that happened with Holly Holm and her will be worse with me. She knows this. She knows this.

“She don’t fight for the belt (the) first time,” Cyborg added. “They gave to her the belt and she’s fighting in the UFC, the big promotion, and they make her. She’s an American girl, she’s pretty … she’s good for sales, and they make her. You cannot change this, but you cannot tell me she’s the best when she don’t fight me.”

So, what’s Cyborg’s message to Rousey?

“Ronda, say my name. Say my name, you make this fight happen.”

What if there were a way to give the UFC more of the two things fans covet above all else: titles and super fights? And what if I told you that on top of raising the entertainment factor, this alteration would also make the sport considerably safer for the athletes? What is it? Revamping the weight divisions, of course.

The current weight divisions are as follows: 125, 135, 145, 155, 170, 185, 205 and heavyweight. These weights put fighters in a position to choose between fighting bigger men or cutting extreme amounts of weight. The solution, while not simple, does seem obvious: Change the divisions.

Make the new divisions as follows: 125, 135, 145, 155, 165, 175, 185, 195, 205 and heavyweight. This wouldn’t solve every problem, but it would be a hell of a start. By eliminating the 170-pound division altogether and adding in 165, 175 and 195, you make it easier and much less hazardous for fighters to cut down to their desired weight. It’s no secret that fighters want to walk into the octagon at a much higher weight than what they weighed in at, but giving the fighters more classes to choose from may stop the need for them to seek such an advantage.

You’ll never stop fighters from cutting weight, and it’s naïve to think otherwise. The benefit to walking down the aisle a physically bigger man is too great. But the addition of the weight classes would give many fighters a chance to either extend or revitalize their careers fighting in a class that more suits their bodies.

Take Johny Hendricks, for example. Once upon a time, Hendricks was the 170-pound champion of the world. But since losing his title he has struggled, and some say it’s because the cut to 170 is too harsh on his body. Hendricks even ended up in the hospital once due to a blockage in his intestine, and kidney stones developed from the rapid loss of weight. The cut nearly killed him.

Hendricks isn’t alone, though. There seems to be at least one fighter per card who misses weight, and nearly every fighter looks like a shell of him or herself at weigh-ins. None, however, seemingly look worse than the sport’s biggest star, Conor McGregor, than when he makes his title weight of 145.

If you didn’t know better, you would think 170-pound and 145-pound McGregor were different people or at least the before and after versions of a “this is your body on meth” commercial. Some have even questioned if the reason McGregor hasn’t defended his 145 title is because of the severe weight cut he has to endure.

The obvious argument against this change would be the possible dilution of the classes, especially if the 195-pound division was created. The current 205-pound division is already perceived as being thin, but with the current growth and popularity of the sport, there can be no reasonable argument that there will be a shortage of 195/205-pound competitors in the future.

It would take a lot of work on the UFC’s part to get this done; there is no denying that. But imagine, if you will, the upside of the changes. You would have two new champions to crown and the new possibility of super-fights throughout the company.

Let’s face it, the reason the Conor McGregor versus Eddie Alvarez fight is drawing so much buzz, besides McGregor’s obvious appeal, is because something that has never been done before (simultaneous champion at two weight classes) is a distinct possibility. These new weight classes bring the odds of this happening again up dramatically.

MMA is an inherently dangerous sport, which is a large part of the appeal to many. Two men facing off, going toe to toe to see who the best is on that particular night. It’s one of the true tests in all of sports, which is why we love it. But unfortunately the fight to make weight is starting to become as important as the contests themselves.

The UFC is like any other business in the world. If you don’t adapt, you die. No one is saying the UFC is dying — far from it — but becoming complacent and stuck in tradition is a good first step in that direction. With just small changes, the UFC can ensure that not only will its fighters thrive, but most importantly, the bottom line will as well.

Conor McGregor can make history at UFC 205 next month by becoming the first fighter to hold championship belts in two different weight classes if he defeats Eddie Alvarez in the lightweight title bout.

However, Dana White said last week that “The Notorious” won’t be able to hold two belts simultaneously, and it appears McGregor will follow White’s orders.

The featherweight champion told Sports Illustrated he would be willing to relinquish one of his belts, but under one condition: He wants to bask in the “historic moment.”

“Let me see the pictures on publications with a belt on each shoulder first,” McGregor said. “Let me go onto the side of that Octagon and raise two world titles, what’s never been done before, before talking about stripping me … Let me do it and let me go back and look at some pictures of me with two belts and let me embrace it for half-a-day.”

McGregor is singing a different tune from last month when he said “they’re going to have to gather an army” to force him to give up one of his belts.

 

Conor McGregor loves to make history.

Whether it’s his 13-second knockout over Jose Aldo, which is the fastest finish in UFC title fight history, or his record-breaking numbers on pay-per-view over a pair of fights with Nate Diaz, McGregor is all about setting the mark.

That’s why becoming a two-division champion while simultaneously holding onto both belts is so important to McGregor because it’s never been done before. Only BJ Penn has attempted the feat previously and he fell short in his bid when he lost to Georges St-Pierre at UFC 94 in 2009.

Before McGregor can even step into the Octagon with lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez on Nov. 12, he’s heard UFC president Dana White insist that if he wins, the Irishman will have to give up either the 145- or 155-pound title afterwards.

While McGregor previously said the UFC would need an army to take one of the belts from him, it appears he’s softened that stance in the days leading up to the fight. That being said, McGregor really just wants to enjoy the moment before the UFC comes knocking on his door demanding one of the belts back.

“Let me see the pictures on publications with a belt on each shoulder first,” McGregor told SI recently. “Let me go onto the side of that Octagon and raise two world titles, what’s never been done before, before talking about stripping me. Let me get the (expletive) things, let me do it.

“I’ll always listen to the correct business move and I’ll always do what is the correct move, but let me do it and let me go back and look at some pictures of me with two belts and let me embrace it for half-a-day.”

McGregor actually points the finger at the media for spurring on this discussion about whether or not he’ll get to hold onto both titles should he win at UFC 205.

It’s a question that’s been raised multiple times to both McGregor and White over the past few weeks as UFC 205 approaches. More than anything, McGregor just wants to sit back and revel in his history making moment before doing what’s right for business.

“It’s the media that’s making this,” McGregor said. “Let me look at the historic images we’re going to get on this night, me with these two belts. That’s what everyone should be excited about, this is history.”

Don’t expect McGregor to be done making history after UFC 205 is finished.

McGregor has promised that he will break more records and set the bar for the sport once again in 2017 after he’s become the first fighter to ever hold two belts at the same time.

“We keep breaking them. We keep seeking more,” McGregor said. “They tell me ‘you’ll never do this, you’ll never win world titles.’ I’ve done it consecutively. We keep pushing the envelope, keep going. I conquer one and then I’m onto the next.

“I work and I hustle like I’m not in the position I’m in. I’m set. I could literally just put my feet up but I hustle like I’m not in that position. I work like I’m not in that position.”