MMA News
Dana White "guarantees" that Conor McGregor will not fight again in 2020
Adam Martin - August 3, 2020
UFC president Dana White once again confirmed Conor McGregor is retiring, saying that he “guarantees” that McGregor will not fight again in 2020. McGregor is the biggest superstar in MMA but he announced that he had lost passion for the sport and would be taking a break. UFC president Dana White has confirmed multiple times that the UFC superstar is retired, but that hasn’t stopped fans and media from speculating he could return. Still, White has remained adamant that McGregor is retired.
Dana White says the UFC won’t be stripping Jon Jones
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2020
Jon Jones will remain the UFC’s light heavyweight champion according to Dana White. After defending his belt against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247, Jones became frustrated with the UFC. He wanted to move up to heavyweight to fight Francis Ngannou but the UFC didn’t pay what he wanted.
Kevin Lee believes he's "never fought someone” better than him
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2020
Kevin Lee is hoping to come back in early to mid-2021 with a new mindset. Lee is coming off a submission loss to Charles Oliveira and following the event said he may take a few years off. Since then, he needed surgery on both knees which will keep him out of the Octagon until 2021.
Tim Elliott and Jamahal Hill test positive for marijuana, facing suspensions in Nevada
Adam Martin - August 3, 2020
UFC flyweight Tim Elliott and UFC light heavyweight Jamahal Hill tested positive for marijuana and are now facing suspensions in Nevada. ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reported that both Elliott and Hill tested positive for marijuana in-competition during their UFC Fight Night appearances in Las Vegas on May 30. Elliott was submitted by UFC newcomer Brandon Royval, while Hill knocked out Klidson Abreu with a first-round knee. Both fighters have been temporarily suspended and are potentially facing nine-month suspensions. As well, Hill could see his victory being turned into a No Contest instead. According to Raimondi, USADA has not yet decided to take action on the matter.
Tim Johnson plans to utilize his wrestling against Matt Mitrione: "I don’t see it lasting very long"
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2020
Tim Johnson believes he has a clear path to victory against Matt Mitrione. Johnson will be making his fourth appearance in Bellator to battle the always dangerous Mitrione in the co-main event of Bellator 243 on Friday. Although this is a big fight for Johnson, he didn’t get much notice for it.
What's next for Derek Brunson and Edmen Shahbazyan after UFC Vegas 5?
Cole Shelton - August 3, 2020
In the main event of UFC Vegas 5, Derek Brunson was looking to extend his winning streak to three while Edmen Shahbazyan was looking to remain undefeated. During fight week, all the talk was on Shahbazyan and how this will be a coming-out party for him. He was a massive favorite but it was the veteran in Brunson who got the job done by third-round TKO.
Conor McGregor says he could have won first Nate Diaz fight with "horribly nasty" kick
Tom Taylor - August 3, 2020
Conor McGregor says he would have finished Nate Diaz in their first fight if he hadn’t chose to refrain from unleashing a “horribly nasty” kick. McGregor and Diaz first met in March of 2016, when Diaz stepped in on 11 days’ notice to replace the Irishman’s originally slated opponent Rafael dos Anjos, who was then the UFC lightweight champion.
Valerie Loureda: Jorge Masvidal is "guiding me a lot"
Tom Taylor - August 3, 2020
Bellator star Valerie Loureda is following in the footsteps of her American Top Team stablemate and fellow Cuban-American, UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal. Speaking on the latest episode of Hablemos MMA, Loureda opened up on the influence Masvidal has had on her career thus far.
Eric Spicely cut from UFC after antidepressant prescription derailed weight cut
Tom Taylor - August 3, 2020
Eric Spicely has been cut from the UFC after he was forced to withdraw from a fight with Markus Perez at the last minute last weekend. Spicely and Perez were set to collide at UFC on ESPN+ 31, which went down on Saturday at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, Spicely withdrew from the fight after his weight cut hit a snag.
Tyron Woodley expects Colby Covington to "be racist" ahead of their fight
Tom Taylor - August 3, 2020
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley expects Colby Covington resort to racism in an effort to get under his skin before their fight. Woodley and Covington are not officially scheduled to fight yet, but the bout is expected to be finalized soon.
Renan Barao follows Rousimar Palhares, "Bigfoot" Silva, signs with Taura MMA
Tom Taylor - August 3, 2020
Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao is the latest big name to sign with upstart MMA promotion Taura MMA, according to a report from MMA Fighting. Barao is expected to compete in the promotion’s featherweight division, and will make his debut—the first fight of a three-fight deal—sometime later this year. His debut opponent has not yet been identified.
Tyron Woodley updates on negotiations for "the biggest fight" of his career
Tom Taylor - August 3, 2020
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has provided an update on the negotiations for his fight with Colby Covington, which he views as “the biggest fight” of his entire career. Woodley and Covington have been linked to a fight for several weeks, but as of yet, the bout still isn’t official.
Dana White gives full credit to Derek Brunson but says Edmen Shahbazyan “looked gassed out” by round two
Harry Kettle - August 3, 2020
UFC president Dana White has praised Derek Brunson’s performance on Saturday night, while simultaneously questioning the cardio of Edmen Shahbazyan. Heading into the main event this past weekend, many expected 22-year-old Shahbazyan to run through Brunson and continue his rise up through the middleweight division. Unfortunately for him, things didn’t quite work out that way as the veteran produced one of the best performances of his UFC career to bring the youngster’s unbeaten run to an end.
Kevin Holland vents on UFC Vegas 5 fight cancellation: “I could bite somebody’s ear off”
Natasha Hooper - August 3, 2020
Kevin Holland is frustrated that his UFC Vegas 5 fight against Trevin Giles was cancelled and he wants everybody to know about it. The middleweight prospect’s fight against Giles was cancelled at the last minute after his opponent fainted just moments before his walkout. Holland explained how he discovered the disappointing news and vented that he wants to “bite somebody’s ear off’ or “eat their kids”.
UFC's Joe Rogan details "weirdest, most psychedelic experience" during weekend sauna session
Tom Taylor - August 3, 2020
UFC commentator Joe Rogan had a profound, psychedelic experience during a Sunday evening session in his sauna. The long-time UFC broadcaster opened up on this experience in a lengthy post to his official Instagram account, which he admits he “hesitated” to write down.
Jorge Masvidal set to compete against American Cornhole League champ Cody Henderson
Harry Kettle - August 3, 2020
UFC star Jorge Masvidal’s next match-up has been confirmed – a showdown with American Cornhole League champion Cody Henderson. Masvidal is always ready for action whenever he’s called upon, as he was able to prove when he flew to Abu Dhabi in order to take on Kamaru Usman on incredibly short notice last month. While he may not have won the Welterweight Championship, somehow, his stock managed to go up even higher in defeat – especially when the pay-per-view buys were first reported.
Derek Brunson calls out Jack Hermansson and Darren TIll
Adam Martin - August 2, 2020
Fresh off of a big win at UFC Vegas 5, top middleweight contender Derek Brunson hopes to fight either Jack Hermansson or Darren Till in his next fight. Brunson picked up one of the most impressive wins of his UFC career to date when he finished top prospect Edmen Shahbazyan with a third-round TKO. Brunson was a +300 betting underdog heading into the fight and few gave him a chance to win, but he was able to beat the odds by using his wrestling to tire his younger opponent out, before beating him with ground and pound until referee Herb Dean stopped the fight in the third round.
Dana White shoots down speculation of Conor McGregor vs. Manny Pacquiao
Adam Martin - August 2, 2020
UFC president Dana White shot down speculation about a potential crossover fight between UFC superstar Conor McGregor and boxing legend Manny Pacquiao. A fight between McGregor and Pacquiao has been speculated for years, ever since McGregor fought Floyd Mayweather. If McGregor were to ever fight Pacquiao, it would more than likely be in a boxing match. Even though it might seem like a ridiculous idea, we saw the record-breaking numbers that Mayweather and McGregor had, so even though it might seem crazy at first glance, it’s still something that fans and media have speculated about.