MMA News
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).
ONE Championship makes successful return with back-to-back events in China
Tom Taylor - June 23, 2020
Singapore-based martial arts organization ONE Championship made a successful return over the weekend, promoting a pair of ONE Hero Series events in Shanghai, China. The bouts aired on ByteDance’s Toutiao/Xigua video platform, as well as on Douyin. Qinghai TV and Shenzhen TV5 will also air a delayed broadcast.
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.
Daniel Cormier intends to emulate Curtis Blaydes in Miocic trilogy fight
Tom Taylor - June 23, 2020
Daniel Cormier says he intends to emulate the gameplan Curtis Blaydes used against Alexander Volkov when he rematches Stipe Miocic on August 15. Blaydes took on Volkov in the main event of UFC on ESPN 11 last weekend, winning a clear-cut unanimous decision with a gameplan based on relentless takedowns and top control.
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.
Joe Rogan reflects on 18 years as UFC commentator: "I've had some pretty f*cking cool jobs in my life"
Christopher Taylor - June 22, 2020
Today marked the eighteen year anniversary of Joe Rogan’s first ever commentary gig with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Rogan made his debut with the promotion at UFC 37.5 on June 22, 2002. That night Chuck Liddell defeated fellow mixed martial arts legend Vitor Belfort by unanimous decision in the event headliner.
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.
Josh Emmett suffered numerous injuries in fight with Shane Burgos including a torn ACL
Mike Pendleton - June 22, 2020
This past weekend Josh Emmett picked up another big win to his resume, but he’s now going to be out of action for some time. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, MRI test results have revealed that in his victory over Shane Burgos, Emmett suffered multiple knee injuries, including a complete tear of his ACL. UFC featherweight Josh Emmett (@JoshEmmettUFC) suffered a "complete ACL tear" in his Fight of Night victory over Shane Burgos on Saturday.
Daniel Cormier slams potential Jon Jones vs Mike Tyson fight: It can go "right into the garbage can"
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2020
Daniel Cormier is not a fan of Jon Jones and Mike Tyson fighting one another. Over the weekend, Jones and Tyson took to social media to call each other out where “Bones” said he would box Tyson if the former heavyweight champion would do a mixed martial arts fight afterward.
What's next for Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov after UFC on ESPN 11?
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2020
In the main event of UFC on ESPN 11, Curtis Blaydes was looking to extend his winning streak against a perennial top-10 contender, Alexander Volkov. It was a very intriguing matchup and “Razor” had even said his plan was to ragdoll the Russian with wrestling to get his hand raised. That is pretty much what happened on Saturday night, as Blaydes set a new record for most takedowns at heavyweight and dominated the scrap to earn a clear-cut unanimous decision win.
Report | Dana White's Contender Series slated to return in August
Mike Pendleton - June 22, 2020
After being put on hold due to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, Dana White’s Contender Series is officially preparing for the 2020 season. As first reported by Nolan King of MMA Junkie, the Contender Series show is slated to have their first event on August 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. This will be the fourth season of Contender Series, and it will have events take place on Tuesday, although the promotion has not made an official announcement just yet. Although a schedule is not yet known, MMA Fighting had their own report on Contender Series, stating it would likely run through early October if they follow the same schedule as they have in their previous seasons.
Dan Hooker responds to Justin Gaethje predicting Dustin Poirier victory
Mike Pendleton - June 22, 2020
This weekend’s main event will be a big matchup between highly-ranked lightweights Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker, and neither of them are underestimating the other. Recently, UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje predicted that Poirier will “merk” Hooker in their fight, and now “The Hangman” has responded.