MMA News
John McCarthy reiterates argument that 'MVP' fought better competition than Anderson Silva
Adam Martin - January 7, 2020
Bellator commentator Big John McCarthy explained why he recently said Michael Page fought better competition than Anderson Silva during his early career. McCarthy’s comments during the Bellator New Year’s Eve card drew the ire of MMA fans and media, who were quick to criticize McCarthy for his comments that Page fought better competition than Silva during the early parts of both fighters’ careers.
Kamaru Usman confident he'd beat McGregor worse than Nurmagomedov did
Tom Taylor - January 7, 2020
In 2018, former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor experienced a decisive, submission loss to UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is confident he could beat McGregor even more severely. Usman, like Nurmagomedov, is primarily a grappler. Yet he is quite a bit larger than Nurmagomedov, and probably quite a bit stronger too. So it’s easy to imagine why he feels that way.
Devonte Smith using 'lessons learned' towards recovery, 'winning' 2020
Mike Heck - January 7, 2020
To say Devonte Smith’s 2019 was chaotic would be a bit of an understatement. After starting the year off with a highlight reel first round KO win over Dong Hyun Ma at UFC 234 — in the first PPV prelim headliner in UFC history on ESPN — “King Kage” was on everyone’s radars. In fact, the 26-year-old lightweight standout would get matched up with a longtime UFC veteran in John Makdessi for UFC 241 in August.
Chael Sonnen: UFC 165 win over Alexander Gustafsson proved Jon Jones is the ‘toughest’ fighter in the world
Natasha Hooper - January 7, 2020
Chael Sonnen is convinced that Jon Jones is the toughest fighter in the world. During a recent episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, Sonnen and Helwani deliberated over the best fight of the decade. Helwani suggested Jones’ 2013 UFC 165 fight against Alexander Gustafsson was the first time the champion had faced any true adversity, adding that Jones’ partying and antics outside the octagon all contributed to the drama of a show-stopping fight.
Josh Thomson names the current Bellator stars he believes would give UFC champs problems
Tom Taylor - January 7, 2020
The UFC is widely regarded as the home to the greatest volume of high-level talent in MMA, but other promotions like Bellator, ONE Championship and RIZIN Fighting Federation are increasingly home to world class fighters of their own. Bellator analyst Josh Thomson certainly sees it that way. Responding to a fan on Twitter recently, Thomson identified a handful of Bellator champions and contenders that he believes could easily challenge the UFC champs of their respective weight classes.
Logan Paul trashes Antonio Brown, betting odds released for potential boxing match
Adam Martin - January 7, 2020
YouTuber and rookie boxer Logan Paul trashed NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown after the former Pittsburgh Steelers star responded to his callout on Twitter. Paul was the first to call out Brown, telling the former All-Pro wide receiver that he wanted to fight him in a boxing match during an appearance on KFC Radio last month.
Israel Adesanya says Yoel Romero fight is 'done'
Tom Taylor - January 7, 2020
Israel Adesanya will make his first defense of the UFC middleweight title opposite former title challenger Yoel Romero. The bout was initially reported by @TalkMMA on Twitter, and Adesanya made it official in a recent interview with ESPN, the official broadcast partner of the UFC.
Mike Perry responds to 'playground fighter' Michael Jai White
Harry Kettle - January 7, 2020
UFC favorite Mike Perry has continued his back and forth with Michael Jai White, who he deems to be a “playground fighter”. After White noted that he once tried to teach Kimbo Slice something he couldn’t learn, Perry came to the aid of the late legend. It began a short back and forth between the two men, with Perry seemingly being interested in the possibility of a spar (or something more) somewhere down the line.
Jorge Masvidal outlines his future plans: 'I’m going owl hunting'
Harry Kettle - January 7, 2020
Jorge Masvidal has seemingly made his intentions pretty clear as he sets his sights on UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. The expectation for a while now has been that Masvidal will goe toe to toe with Usman for the Welterweight Championship, as the stars just seem to be aligning for that. “The Nigerian Nightmare” was able to dispatch Colby Covington in his last fight, whereas “Gamebred” went an impressive 3-0 in 2019 against Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz.
Big John McCarthy shares his take on why Dana White is against cross-promotion
Adam Martin - January 6, 2020
Bellator color commentator and long-time MMA referee Big John McCarthy explained why he believes UFC president Dana White is against cross-promotion. Bellator recently did a cross-promotion event with RIZIN for New Year’s Eve which McCarthy was a big part of as the event’s announcer. Bellator president Scott Coker is someone who is a big fan of cross-promotion, and has in the past said he would like to do an event pitting Bellator fighters against UFC fighters. However, White has had no interest at all in doing such a thing.
VIDEO | All the times Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone have crossed paths
Chris Taylor - January 6, 2020
Fan favorites Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone will square off in the headliner of UFC 246 on January 18 live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor and Cerrone will be competing at welterweight, despite the fact that both men have found greater success in smaller weight classes.
Bellator signs Jordan Mein
Adam Martin - January 6, 2020
Former UFC welterweight Jordan Mein has agreed to an exclusive multi-fight deal with Bellator and is expected to make his promotional debut later this year. The news of Mein signing with Bellator was first reported by TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter.
Israel Adesanya responds to Jon Jones' insults, suggests he is 'coming for him'
Natasha Hooper - January 6, 2020
2019 was a magnificent year for the current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, and he expects nothing less in 2020 and beyond. His future plans include fighting the 205-pound champion, Jon Jones. In the meantime, “The Last Stylebender” responded to the light heavyweight’s multiple insults and returned the favor. Adesanya appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show to discuss his 2019 accomplishments and plans for the upcoming year. Another topic on the docket was Jones, who has vocalized his disdain for Adesanya on several occasions.
PHOTO | Reebok is getting roasted for Conor McGregor's UFC 246 walkout shirt
Thomas Taylor - January 6, 2020
Conor McGregor is set to return to the Octagon in the main event of UFC 246 on January 18 in Las Vegas, where he’ll take on Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in a compelling welterweight scrap. Like all UFC fighters, McGregor will make his walk out to the cage in Reebok gear. Unfortunately, his newly released Reebok walk-out shirt is not getting a very positive response from the MMA community.
Michael Jai White fires back at Mike Perry after bare knuckle challenge
Tom Taylor - January 6, 2020
“Platinum” Mike Perry has never been afraid to swap trash talk with his UFC rivals, but his latest target came as a bit of a surprise. Last week, the UFC welterweight took a shot at Hollywood action star Michael Jai White for allegedly disrespecting the late, great Kimbo Slice. And now, White has responded.
VIDEO | Tyron Woodley drops new music video
Tom Taylor - January 6, 2020
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is back with more music and a brand new music video. See Woodley’s newest song, Dead Ass, below (via his official YouTube channel).
ONE Championship lays out plans for busy 2020
Tom Taylor - January 6, 2020
Singapore-based martial arts organization ONE Championship had a big year in 2019, and is plotting even bigger things in 2020. On Sunday night, ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong took to social media to lay out plans for a hectic 2020 calendar, featuring 50 shows across ONE properties including the main ONE Championship MMA brand, feeder shows ONE Warrior Series and ONE Hero Series, and its newly launched e-sports arm, ONE Esports.
Donald Cerrone: I am 'absolutely' a 'better mixed martial artist' than Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - January 6, 2020
Donald Cerrone is just weeks out from a blockbuster UFC 246 welterweight showdown against former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor, inarguably the biggest star in the sport’s history. Heading into this matchup, Cerrone is widely considered the underdog. So much so that UFC President Dana White has accused fans of failing to give “Cowboy” the respect he deserves.