MMA News
UFC cutman under investigation for wearing QAnon patches on broadcast
Tom Taylor - June 24, 2020
A UFC cutman is under investigation for wearing a pair of QAnon patches on the broadcast for last weekend’s UFC on ESPN 11 broadcast. For those unfamiliar, QAnon is a far-right group that pushes a conspiracy about “a supposed secret plot by an alleged ‘deep state’ against Donald Trump and his supporters,” per Wikipedia.
Max Rohskopf defends coaches following UFC on ESPN 11 backlash
Natasha Hooper - June 24, 2020
Max Rohskopf has defended his corner after they insisted he continue to fight despite his decision to quit at UFC on ESPN 11. During last weekend’s preliminary fight card, Rohskopf made his UFC debut against lightweight standout Austin Hubbard. The striking onslaught of his opponent built up and forced the debutante to throw the towel in after the second round. His corner challenged his decision and insisted he fight it out into the third round. Rohskopf continually responded by telling his coach, Robert Drysdale, to “call it” and “I don’t have it.” This gained criticism from members of the MMA community such as Anthony Smith, who felt that the fighter’s coaches should have put an end to the action.
Sean O’Malley claims Reebok paid him $3k for generating over a million dollars in sales
Natasha Hooper - June 24, 2020
Sean O’Malley has claimed that Rebook only paid him $3k as part of their sponsorship deal, despite him generating the company over a million dollars in sales. The UFC’s underpayment of fighters has become a hot topic as of recent, and its sponsorship deal with Reebok is no exception.
Dan Hooker says a knockout win over Dustin Poirier "makes Gaethje look like a bum"
Cole Shelton - June 23, 2020
Dan Hooker believes if he knocks out Dustin Poirier this weekend it will make Justin Gaethje look bad. Gaethje and Poirier fought back in 2018 where “The Diamond” scored a fourth-round TKO win. Since then, Poirier went on to fight for the lightweight title while Gaethje is now the interim champion.
Michael Bisping suggests Jon Jones call out other boxers instead of Mike Tyson
Tom Taylor - June 23, 2020
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has no interest in seeing Mike Tyson fight Jon Jones in MMA, boxing, or any other arena. Last month, the heavyweight boxing legend Tyson, now 53, announced plans for a return to the ring.
VIDEO | Mike Tyson looks lethal in new training footage
Tom Taylor - June 23, 2020
53-year-old boxing legend “Iron” Mike Tyson has shared some brand new training footage, and he looks absolutely lethal. Tyson has been the talk of the combat sports world of late, having recently laid out plans for a return to the ring.
Michael Bisping thinks Max Rohskopf lacked heart at UFC on ESPN 11
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 23, 2020
Michael Bisping isn’t ragging on Max Rohskopf but he does feel the young fighter will regret quitting at UFC on ESPN 11. Rohskopf collided with Austin Hubbard in the opening bout on the UFC on ESPN 11 card. The action took place this past Saturday night (June 20). It was clear that Hubbard was too much for Rohskopf and the fighter told his coach, Robert Drysdale that he was done. Rohskopf ended up telling referee Mark Smith that he wanted out of the fight and the bout was stopped.
Combate Americas announces return on August 28, flyweight title fight tops bill
Tom Taylor - June 23, 2020
Combate Americas today announced that it will return to live television with a sports industry-first, interactive new Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight series from a state-of-the-art closed set in Miami, Fla. on Friday nights, beginning August 28, and continuing with two special events on Sept. 11 and Sept. 25 in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The events will air live on television in the U.S. in Spanish on Univision (12 a.m. ET/11 p.m. CT) and TUDN USA (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT), in English on AXS TV (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT) and in Mexico on Televisa Canal 5 (11 p.m. local time).
Geoff Neal frustrated by long UFC layoff, back serving at Texas Steakhouse: "It's bullsh*t, I need to get paid"
Adam Martin - June 23, 2020
UFC welterweight contender Geoff Neal said he’s frustrated with his long layoff and admitted that he went back to his second job as a server to make money. Neal is currently the No. 11 welterweight in the UFC rankings but he is having major troubles getting another fight lined up. Despite being a perfect 5-0 in the UFC and coming off of a huge TKO win over Mike Perry at UFC 245 last December, Neal told James Lynch of theScore that no one wants to fight him because he is such a dangerous fighter yet ranked in the bottom half of the top-15.
Full betting odds released for UFC on ESPN 12: Poirier vs. Hooker
Adam Martin - June 23, 2020
The full betting odds have been released for Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN 12, featuring a main event between lightweights Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker. The five-round main event sees Poirier look to bounce back after his loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242, while Hooker will look to add to his three-fight win streak after defeating Paul Felder in his last outing. In the co-main event, a pair of fan-favorite welterweights go at it as the striker Mike Perry takes on the grappler Mickey Gall.
UFC light heavyweight Gokhan Saki provides update after two-year absence
Tom Taylor - June 23, 2020
Kickboxing legend Gokhan Saki, a member of the UFC light heavyweight division, has provided an update for his fans after close to two years away from competition. Saki has not been in action since a shocking knockout loss to Khalil Rountree in July of 2018. Speaking on Instagram on Tuesday, the Turkish knockout artist provided an update for his followers, explaining that he recently underwent the first of two surgeries to repair injured elbows.
UFC on ESPN 11 medical suspensions: Josh Emmett facing long absence
Tom Taylor - June 23, 2020
The medical suspensions for last Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 11 card have been released, and as expected, co-main event star Josh Emmett is facing a long sit. Emmett battled Shane Burgos in the UFC on ESPN 11 co-main event. While he ended up winning a unanimous decision, Burgos didn’t make it easy on him. Emmett wound up leaving the Octagon with a litany of serious injuries. Those injuries could keep him out of the cage for 180 days.
Dan Hooker: If I beat Dustin Poirier "there's only three fights" that make sense
Tom Taylor - June 23, 2020
If Dan Hooker defeats Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC on ESPN 12 this weekend, he believes there’s only three opponents that make sense for his next fight. Hooker feels that a win over Poirier should earn him a lightweight title shot, which would mean a fight with the winner of the upcoming title unification bout between undisputed champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champ Justin Gaethje.
Josh Emmett issues statement on injuries sustained in war with Shane Burgos
Tom Taylor - June 23, 2020
Josh Emmett picked up an important victory and a $50,000 bonus check at UFC on ESPN 11 last Saturday, but it came at a cost. Emmett met fellow top-10 featherweight contender Shane Burgos in the card’s co-main event. The pair battled tooth and nail for three wild rounds, with Emmett ultimately capturing a unanimous decision victory. Both men earned bonuses for the fight, which instantly stood out as a 2020 Fight of the Year contender.
Khabib Nurmagomedov provides update on Father’s health: “The coronavirus is gone, but the infection has left consequences”
Natasha Hooper - June 23, 2020
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov still isn’t out of the woods when it comes to his ongoing health battle. The father and trainer of the UFC lightweight champion was hospitalized in April following complications relating to coronavirus. He was put into a medically induced coma after suffering a bout of pneumonia. In May, he underwent heart surgery at a military hospital in Moscow. Some reports suggested Nurmagomedov Sr. was on life support for a period.
Dominick Reyes says Jon Jones is “an actual idiot” for criticizing Hollister jeans label
Natasha Hooper - June 23, 2020
Dominick Reyes has criticized Jon Jones for his outrage over a label at a Hollister Co. store. Since announcing the decision to vacate his light heavyweight title, Jon Jones has been spending a lot of time on social causes. He has donated to food banks in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and has been vocal in his support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Most recently, he criticized the clothing company Hollister Co. for what he perceived as a racist label in a store.
From a fishermen's village to viral sensation: The story of Reug Reug
Alfredo Zullino - June 22, 2020
There’s a small, little fishermen’s village in West Africa, called Thiaroye-Sur-Mer, Thiaroye by the sea. Situated on the southeast coast of Cape Verde, in the suburbs of Dakar, this Senegalese town totals just more than 35,000 inhabitants. Most of the people there try to make a living by fishing, but there is another activity you can pursue in Senegal. You can wrestle.
Anthony Smith slams Max Rohskopf’s corner: “Get him the f**k out of there”
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2020
Anthony Smith is not a fan of the way Robert Drysdale reacted after Max Rohskopf asked him to stop the bout following the second round of his fight against Austin Hubbard. Rohskopf was making his UFC debut on short notice and after the second round told his coach to end the fight nine times. Nine times. Yet, his corner didn’t do that. The referee and someone from the Nevada State Athletic Commission overheard him asking for it to be stopped and they ended up stepping in.