MMA News
Mike Winkeljohn believes "it’s time for Jon Jones to take the big fights" and go up to heavyweight
Cole Shelton - April 9, 2020
Mike Winkeljohn believes the time is now for Jon Jones to go up to heavyweight. For years now, the talk around “Bones” has been when will he go up to heavyweight? He’s cleaned out the entire light heavyweight division twice, but has been reluctant to move up in weight.
Mike Tyson believes MMA fighters will always earn less than boxers
Natasha Hooper - April 9, 2020
Boxing legend Mike Tyson believes MMA fighters will never earn as much as boxers. The extensive history of boxing has provided a lucrative career path for veterans of the sport including Mike Tyson. The retired athlete earned a whopping $400 million in the ring and had a total net worth of $685 million (according to Forbes).
Fighters react after Dana White announces UFC 249 cancellation
Chris Taylor - April 9, 2020
Earlier this afternoon Dana White broke the unfortunate news that the promotion has decided to cancel UFC 249 which was set for April 18. The pay-per-view event was originally slated to take place in Brooklyn and feature a lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Dana White explains why UFC 249 was canceled, tells fighters not to worry about money
Adam Martin - April 9, 2020
UFC president Dana White explained on Thursday why UFC 249 has been canceled and why all other events have been postponed until further notice. The UFC bossman made the disappointing announcement to ESPN on Thursday that UFC 249 — which just saw the full card announced — had to be canceled. He later explained in detail why the UFC was forced to do it.
Daniel Cormier willing to commentate upcoming UFC events under certain conditions
Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020
Former two-division UFC champ Daniel Cormier is willing to undertake commentary duty for upcoming UFC events — provided certain conditions are met. The UFC schedule has been massively affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. While most sports organizations have closed up shop, however, UFC president Dana White has taken a show-must-go-on approach, moving multiple events to the Tachi Palace Casino in California, and even suggesting some events could occur on a “private island.”
Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris rescheduled for UFC Fight Island event
Adam Martin - April 9, 2020
A heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris has been rescheduled to take place at the UFC Fight Island event on May 16. Overeem and Harris were supposed to meet at UFC Washington, D.C. in December 2019 but Harris was forced to withdraw after the murder of his daughter Aniah Blanchard. Overeem ended up fighting Jairzinho Rozenstruik and was knocked out in the fifth round of the fight. The UFC re-booked Overeem to fight Harris at UFC Portland but the card was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rose Namajunas withdrew from UFC 249 due to COVID-19 deaths in family
Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020
On Wednesday night, news surfaced that former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has been forced out of her planned UFC 249 rematch with Jessica Andrade. Now we know why.
Jose Aldo and 13 other Brazilian fighters removed from upcoming UFC events
Adam Martin - April 9, 2020
UFC bantamweight contender Jose Aldo and 13 other Brazilian MMA fighters have been removed from upcoming UFC events in the United States. Aldo was set to fight Henry Cejudo in the main event of UFC 250 for the bantamweight championship, but Aldo was unable to obtain a visa to fight in the U.S. after the card was moved from Sao Paulo to Tachi Palace. Instead, the UFC is giving Dominick Cruz the title shot against Cejudo.
VIDEO | New promo proclaims UFC 249 "the most stacked card of the year"
Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020
The UFC has dropped a new promo for the upcoming UFC 249 event, declaring it “the most stacked card of the year.” See this new promo below:
Miesha Tate urges Dana White to be cautious but "won't knock the guy for being ambitious"
Adam Martin - April 9, 2020
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate says she is OK with UFC president Dana White’s plans to keep the UFC running during the coronavirus pandemic — as long as he does so safely. Even with the pandemic ravaging the world, White announced this week that he plans on following through with the UFC’s upcoming events, with the first four taking place at Tachi Palace in California and then the next batch of events taking place on a mysterious private island. By contrast, ONE Championship — which employs Tate — has canceled its upcoming two cards, despite originally announcing they would take place behind closed doors.
ABC agrees to list UFC 249 as sanctioned event
Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020
The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) has agreed to list the upcoming UFC 249 card as a sanctioned event. UFC 249, which is scheduled for April 18, was originally expected to go down in Brooklyn, New York, but has been moved to the Tachi Palace Casino on tribal land in California as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Jon Anik expresses "major concerns" about calling UFC 249
Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020
UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik has some understandable concerns about calling the upcoming UFC 249 event. UFC 249 is scheduled for April 18. It was originally expected to go down in Brooklyn, New York, but has been moved to tribal land in California to skirt public health advisories and travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Josh Thomson slams Dana White's "recklessness" with fight island plan
Natasha Hooper - April 9, 2020
Chuck Liddell: It's "an honor" to have inspired Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020
Conor McGregor has made no secret of his admiration for former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. The feeling seems to be mutual.
Joe Rogan still hesitant about calling UFC 249 despite Dana White's claims
Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020
Joe Rogan is hesitant about serving as a commentator for UFC 249, and from the sounds of it, for any other UFC cards that occur during the coronavirus pandemic. Rogan previously stated that he wouldn’t be on commentary duty for UFC 249.
Dustin Poirier understands why he wasn’t selected to replace Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 249
Harry Kettle - April 9, 2020
Dustin Poirier has said that he understands why he wasn’t the man chosen to replace Khabib Nurmagomedov in the UFC 249 main event. When Nurmagomedov’s removal from the UFC 249 card was confirmed, speculation began regarding who may be the man to replace him on the seemingly doomed card. Poirier was one of several fighters to offer to step in. It was eventually revealed to be Justin Gaethje, with many believing “The Highlight” had more than earned the right to fight for the title — even if it’s only the interim alternative.
Daniel Cormier willing to fight in empty arena to secure retirement bout with Stipe Miocic
Natasha Hooper - April 9, 2020
Daniel Cormier is ready to do whatever it takes to fight Stipe Miocic, even if that means fighting in an empty arena. The former heavyweight champion has fought Stipe Miocic twice. In 2018 at UFC 226, he delivered a showstopper knockout against his opponent in the first round to seal the victory. In their second meeting a year later, “DC” delivered another strong performance. However, the body shots he endured at the hands of Miocic eventually caught up with him and he lost by TKO in the fourth round.
Jacare Souza admittedly scared of COVID-19, but must compete at UFC 249 to keep his house
Harry Kettle - April 9, 2020
Jacare Souza has admitted that he is scared of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, but that he will still fight at UFC 249 in order to help pay his bills. As of this writing, UFC 249 is scheduled to go ahead on April 18 on tribal land in California. One of the most intriguing undercard fights will see Jacare, 40, go head to head with Ultimate Fighter 17 winner Uriah Hall.
VIDEO | UFC releases epic promo for Justin Gaethje vs Tony Ferguson
Christopher Taylor - April 9, 2020
Justin Gaethje will be stepping up on short notice to battle Tony Ferguson for the UFC interim lightweight title in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. Ferguson was originally slated to challenge undisputed lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at the event. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ‘The Eagle’ was grounded in Russia and unable to participate at the California-based event.