MMA News
May 30 UFC event to go down in Las Vegas, per Dana White
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
The UFC’s planned May 30 card finally has a home. As widely expected, the event will go down at the new UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC President Dana White confirmed the card’s location in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Stephen Thompson makes prediction for Tyron Woodley vs. Gilbert Burns fight
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson believes Tyron Woodley will defeat Gilbert Burns when the pair collide on May 30. Woodley and Burns will meet in the main event of the May 30 card, which still doesn’t have an official location but is expected to go down in Las Vegas or somewhere in Arizona. Woodley, the former welterweight champ, will be looking to be rebound from a title loss to Kamaru Usman, while Burns will be hunting for the biggest win of his career so far.
Mark Hunt trashes UFC over Henry Cejudo situation
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Mark Hunt has some choice words for the UFC after former two-division champ Henry Cejudo seemingly retired over pay issues. Shortly after he defended the UFC bantamweight title with a TKO defeat of Dominick Cruz, Henry Cejudo shocked viewers by announcing his decision to retire. It quickly became clear that his retirement stemmed from issues surrounding his pay. It’s also widely believed that he’ll return if the right offer is presented.
Joe Rogan's deal with Spotify reportedly worth more than $100M
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Yesterday afternoon, news surfaced that the popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the creation of UFC commentator Joe Rogan, will be streaming exclusively on Spotify by year’s end. A followup report from the Wall Street Journal, which cites a source familiar with the situation, suggests the deal between Rogan and Spotify is worth more than $100M. The WSJ report adds that this is one of the biggest deals in history of the podcast business.
Daniel Cormier suggests solution to get Stipe Miocic back to training for rematch
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Daniel Cormier is eager to close out his career with a tie-breaking trilogy fight with reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Unfortunately for Cormier, Miocic is in no rush when it comes to his next fight. The champ also works as a firefighter, and is busy with his duties as a first-responder during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. His gym is also closed, which means committing to a full fight camp is not currently possible.
UFC on ESPN 8 produces strong viewership ratings
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Last Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event in Jacksonville, Florida delivered strong viewership ratings for the promotion. According to a report from MMA Fighting, which cites data collected by the Nielsen Ratings System, the UFC on ESPN 8 main card averaged 1.198 million viewers and finished second in the valuable 18-49 demographic. It was No. 1 for the male audience in that age grouping.
Jon Jones responds to Francis Ngannou: “You ain’t scaring nobody, I saw your heart"
Harry Kettle - May 20, 2020
UFC light heavyweight king Jon Jones has hit back at Francis Ngannou as rumors of a fight between the two continue to grow. “The Predator” took another huge step towards a second title shot when he knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in just 20 seconds at UFC 249. Jones, on the other hand, is coming off the back of a controversial victory over Dominick Reyes in Houston.
Alistair Overeem calls for a rematch with “Bigi Boy” following TKO victory over Walt Harris
Harry Kettle - May 20, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem has called for a rematch with Jairzinho Rozenstruik following his TKO win over Walt Harris. The Dutchman was able to return to winning ways at the weekend with an emotional and impressive triumph over the aforementioned Harris, overcoming an early onslaught in the process.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father placed in a medically-induced coma due to COVID-19
Natasha Hooper - May 20, 2020
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the father of UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, has been put into a medically induced coma in Moscow. The news was confirmed by the champion’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz through ESPN on Tuesday. Abdelaziz confirmed that Abdulmanap was transported from his home in Dagestan to Moscow by airlift earlier this month. Khabib also recently revealed that his father underwent heart surgery stemming from complications related to a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Walt Harris plans to take Alistair Overeem up on his offer to train together following TKO loss
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2020
Walt Harris says he will be taking Alistair Overeem up on his offer to train together following his TKO loss. In the main event of UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Florida, Harris returned to the Octagon to battle Overeem. It was an important fight for the heavyweight division and early on, “The Big Ticket” dropped the 40-year-old and nearly finished him in the first round.
Anthony Smith says he would've fired his corner if they threw in the towel during Glover Teixeira fight
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2020
Anthony Smith says he has told his corner before if they ever throw in the towel in one of his fights they would be fired. In the main event of UFC Jacksonville last Wednesday, many thought Smith’s corner let him down by not stopping the fight against Glover Teixeira. Yet, “Lionheart,” says they were just following his orders of never throwing in the towel.
Francis Ngannou doesn't believe Jon Jones fight happens but confident he'd KO "Bones" if it does
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2020
Francis Ngannou doesn’t think Jon Jones truly wants to fight him. Ever since Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds at UFC 249, Jones has taken to social media to say he wants to fight Ngannou. He has hinted at a move to heavyweight for some time now, but the heavyweight contender is skeptical he actually means it.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s greatest threat: Justin Gaethje was right under our nose this whole time
Jordy McElroy - May 19, 2020
Justin Gaethje didn’t need a shtick, funky fighting style or exalted name to beat the odds set by the black suits in Vegas at UFC 249. The blue collar slugger simply bit down on his mouthpiece and went to hell and back with a man that makes weight for fun. An emptied arena that surely would have been rollicking stirred in silence as he stood in the blood-spattered cage the victor, after knocking off previous No. 1 contender Tony Ferguson. UFC lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov’s name had previously been tied to Ferguson, Conor McGregor and even MMA legend Georges St-Pierre.
Francis Ngannou opens as betting favorite over Jon Jones
Adam Martin - May 19, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou opened as the betting favorite in a potential superfight against UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Ngannou and Jones have been going back-and-forth on social media as of late with talks of a potential heavyweight superfight between two of the UFC’s biggest stars. Jones would be moving up in weight to take on Ngannou in what would undoubtedly be one of the biggest fights in UFC history. Now the sportsbooks are getting in on the action.
The Joe Rogan Experience podcast to become Spotify exclusive
Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020
Spotify will soon become the exclusive streaming home of The Joe Rogan Experience, the popular podcast created by UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The streaming service announced this news in a release on Monday, identifying September 1 as the date the podcast will move to its new home. The release did not specify what this deal with mean for the JRE MMA Show, a popular, MMA-centric spinoff of the podcast, or Joe Rogan’s Fight Companion podcasts, during which the UFC commentator and combat sports notables like Eddie Bravo and Brendan Schaub break down live fights.
Eddie Alvarez makes prediction for Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje matchup
Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020
If Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje collide in the Octagon, Eddie Alvarez believes McGregor will come out on top. Gaethje, who captured the interim lightweight title with a win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, has been called out by McGregor several times since, renewing discussions about a potential fight between them.
Darren Till lays out plans for "massive" fight with Israel Adesanya
Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020
Darren Till has his sights set on a “massive” middleweight title fight with the division’s reigning champion, Israel Adesanya. Till recently called for the opportunity to coach the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter against Adesanya, but received a fairly decisive “no” in response from the champ.
VIDEO | Top-10 Knockouts in ONE Championship heavyweight history
Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020
The ONE Championship heavyweight division has produced some incredible knockouts over the years, and you can relive the very best of those knockouts right here (via ONE Championship on YouTube).