MMA News

Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019

In November of 2018, Bibiano Fernandes and Kevin Belingon went to war for the ONE Championship bantamweight belt. After five, frenzied rounds of action, Belingon was awarded a razor close decision victory, ending Fernandes’ longstanding reign as the ONE bantamweight king in the process. On Sunday night in Tokyo, Japan (Sunday morning in North America), at ONE: A New Era, Kevin Belingon and Bibiano Fernandes met again. This time around, it was Fernandes vying for Belingon’s belt. Because the pair also fought in 2016, with Fernandes winning by first-round submission, this bout marked the tie-breaking of their riveting trilogy.

Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019

On Sunday night in Tokyo, Japan (early Sunday morning in North America), former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson made his anticipated debut in the ONE Championship cage at ONE: A New Era. The flyweight legend’s welcoming committee was Japanese knockout artist Yuya Wakamatsu. Both fighters entered the ONE Championship cage with losses in the rear-view mirror. Demetrious Johnson last competed in August, when he surrendered the UFC flyweight title to Henry Cejudo in a bout that would go down as his last in the Octagon. Yuya Wakamatsu, meanwhile, recently came up short in his ONE Championship debut, giving up a decision to the streaking Danny Kingad.

Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019

On Sunday night in Tokyo, Japan, former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez made his ONE Championship debut. Alvarez’s debut fell on the stacked ONE: A New Era card, where he battled Russian juggernaut Timofey Nastyukhin in the final, first-round bout of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. Both fighters entered the ONE Championship cage looking to bounce back from recent losses. Eddie Alvarez last fought in July in the UFC’s Octagon, where he came up short against Dustin Poirier. Timofey Nastyukhin, meanwhile, last fought in September, when he was stopped by the surging Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev.

Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019

On Sunday night (early Sunday morning in North America), Singapore-based martial arts powerhouse ONE Championship debuted in the MMA hotbed of Tokyo, Japan with the aptly named ONE: A New Era card. To celebrate this Tokyo debut, ONE Championship bolstered this card with some of the biggest names on its roster.

Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019

A key lightweight bout between perennial division contenders Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza headlined tonight’s UFC Philadelphia event. Gaethje entered tonight’s main event on the heels of a first round knockout victory over James Vick at UFC Lincoln.

Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019

A key lightweight bout between perennial division contenders Edson Barboza and Justin Gaethje headlined tonight’s UFC Philadelphia event. The former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje, enters tonight’s main event looking to build off the momentum of his first-round knockout victory over James Vick this past August at UFC Lincoln.

Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019

A middleweight bout between David Branch and Jack Hermansson served as the co-headliner of tonight’s UFC Philadelphia event. David Branch enters tonight’s fight looking to rebound, this after he suffered a TKO loss to Jared Cannonier in his most recent appearance at UFC 230. The former WSOF “champ champ” has gone 2-2 during his most recent stint with the UFC.

Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019

A featherweight bout between Josh Emmett and Michael Johnson took place during tonight’s UFC Philadelphia main card on ESPN. Josh Emmett (13-2 MMA) enters tonight’s fight looking to rebound, this after suffering a knockout loss to Jeremey Stephens in his most recent appearance in February of 2018.

Christopher Taylor - March 30, 2019

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor shocked the mixed martial arts community earlier this week when he unexpectedly announced his retirement from MMA. The 30-year-old Irish superstar took to Twitter where he issued the following statement.

Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019

The octagon returns to Pennsylvania this evening for UFC Philadelphia, a thirteen-bout fight card headlined by a lightweight scrap between Edson Barboza and Justin Gaethje. The former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion, Gaethje, will be looking to build off the momentum of his first-round knockout victory over James Vick this past August in Lincoln.

Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019

Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor had a heated rivalry in the lead up to their featherweight title fight at UFC 194 in December of 2015. McGregor taunted Aldo profusely at the pre-fight press conferences before eventually knocking out the long time 145-pound kingpin in just thirteen-seconds (twelve if you ask Conor) in the fight itself.

Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019

Conor McGregor is adamant that his knockout victory over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 took place in twelve seconds, not thirteen. The former two-division UFC champion, McGregor, took to Twitter where he shared video proof of his claim, this while demanding that the promotion adjust the record books before any “talks” commence.

Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019

Earlier this month it was announced that former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping would be getting inducted into the promotions Hall of Fame later this summer in Las Vegas. It was a rather easy selection for UFC officials, as “The Count” was not only one of the most winningest fighters in promotional history, but he was also the UFC’s first ever British champion.

Cole Shelton - March 29, 2019

Former UFC interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee is moving up to welterweight. On May 18, he is set to take on Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC Rochester. Lee explained his decision to jump up a weight class and take on “RDA” during a recent interview.

Drake Riggs - March 29, 2019

UFC 215 took place in September 2017 and featured a single heavyweight bout. However, that wasn’t the original plan. The night’s co-main event was former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos making his second appearance in the division against Neil Magny. The main event saw Amanda Nunes defeat Valentina Shevchenko for the second time to defend her title.

Drake Riggs - March 29, 2019

‘The Karate Hottie’ Michelle Waterson is back in action tomorrow night at UFC Philadelphia when she faces off with perennial top 10 strawweight contender and former title challenger, Poland’s Karolina Kowalkiewicz. A win for Waterson will put her on her first three-fight winning streak at 115-pounds since 2012. Prior to her UFC debut in July 2015, the JacksonWink MMA product had established herself as one of the world’s best atomweight fighters as she would earn the Invicta FC title in her second fight after dropping down to the division in October 2012. Waterson would dethrone the then champion, Jessica Penne in an instant classic before going on to defend the belt once.

Tom Taylor - March 29, 2019

Anthony Engelen wrapped up the year 2018 in incredible style, picking up a pair of first-round victories in the span of two weeks in November. Unfortunately, this incredible success didn’t carry into the first phases of 2019, as he lost his first bout of the year, succumbing to a storm of strikes from Won Il Kwon in Jakarta in January. With some time between himself and this tough setback, Engelen admits that he wasn’t as focused as he should have been heading into the matchup.

Drake Riggs - March 29, 2019

Following his big promotional debut victory at UFC 235, ‘Funky’ former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight king, Ben Askren made it clear who he wanted for his sophomore appearance. And that was the winner of UFC London’s headliner which saw Darren Till face Jorge Masvidal. The man known as ‘Gamebred’ would end up walking away victorious with the violent second-round knockout over his British opponent.