MMA News

Chris Taylor - June 20, 2020

The Octagon remains in Las Vegas for UFC on ESPN 11, a twelve-bout fight card headlined by a heavyweight scrap between Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov. Blaydes (13-2 MMA) will enter tonight’s contest on a three-fight win streak, his latest being a second-round TKO victory over former champion Junior dos Santos. ‘Razor’ has gone 8-2 thus far in his UFC career, with his lone two losses coming at the hands of Francis Ngannou.

Cole Shelton - June 19, 2020

Aspen Ladd will no longer be fighting Sara McMann. MMAJunkie was first to report the news that Ladd has suffered an injury and has been forced to pull out of her June 27th bout against McMann.

Adam Martin - June 19, 2020

UFC president Dana White says the world’s top MMA promotion is bracing for a second shutdown due to a potential second wave this fall of COVID-19. Despite all odds against them, the UFC has been pulling off shows since May even with the coronavirus still infecting people all over in the world and especially in the United States. White has remained adamant for months that the show would go on for the UFC and the promotion has made good on that promise with a number of shows in Florida in May and more in Las Vegas in June. The UFC is also planning for a number of events on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi this July and back in Vegas in August.

Adam Martin - June 19, 2020

UFC president Dana White explained why Jose Aldo received the vacant title fight against Petr Yan at UFC 251 over the other top contenders at 135lbs. Despite coming off of back-to-back losses to Alexander Volkanovski and Marlon Moraes in his bantamweight debut, the UFC is giving Aldo the title shot against Yan after Henry Cejudo vacated it last month. The Aldo vs. Yan fight has been met with widespread criticism from fans and media, who do not believe that Aldo has earned the opportunity over Aljamain Sterling and some of the other top contenders in the bantamweight division.

Tom Taylor - June 19, 2020

UFC President Dana White doubts the women’s featherweight division would survive if it reigning champion Amanda Nunes retires. Nunes, who also holds the UFC women’s bantamweight belt, is widely regarded as the best female fighter of all time. Shortly after her recent title defense against Felicia Spencer, she divulged that she’s considering retirement.

Tom Taylor - June 19, 2020

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes has shared his thoughts on fighter pay, which has been a hotly-debated issue over the last few weeks. Blaydes, who will battle Alexander Volkov in the main event of UFC on ESPN 11 this Saturday, shared his thoughts in an interview with CBS Sports, calling the amount some fighters are paid “embarrassing” and challenging the UFC to start sharing the wealth.

Jason Kindschy - June 19, 2020

Mark Hunt returns to the show to give us an update on the status of his competitive career and reaffirm his mission to bring about fair treatment of UFC athletes. “The Super Samoan” has not been in competition since leaving the UFC in 2018, and says that his ongoing legal battle with the company has truly drained his motivation for a sport that he once loved. However, Mark Hunt has plans to return to fighting later this year and end his illustrious career on a high note, while also continuing to fight for a better future for all MMA athletes. Mark gives us his take on the recent dissent among the ranks of the UFC elite regarding fair treatment and better compensation, and Hunt maintains that fighters must join together for the greater good. Mark Hunt also describes what he calls corruption in the Nevada courts regarding his lawsuit against the UFC, and details his hopes to lift the vail of this corruption with an upcoming appeal in October. Jim Miller joins us to preview his catchweight showdown against Roosevelt Roberts tomorrow at the UFC APEX and discuss his plans for the remainder of 2020. Having purchased a new home for his growing family, Jim plans to put on a show and snag another bonus to put towards the remaining renovations. Miller has long been thought of as a gatekeeper in the UFC’s lightweight division, but Jim believes he is better than ever and could very well make a run at the title. That all starts with getting back in the win column on Saturday. Also, you may be surprised to hear that Jim Miller is teasing the idea of moving up in weight! We’ll be discussing all that and more.

Tom Taylor - June 19, 2020

The official fight poster for the stacked UFC 251 card, scheduled for July 11 on Fight Island, has been released by the promotion. See it below:

Tom Taylor - June 19, 2020

On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with the compelling UFC on ESPN 11 card out of the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. The card will be topped by a heavyweight showdown between top-10 contenders Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes. Blaydes will enter the fight with defeats of Justin Willis, Shamil Abdurakhimov and Junior dos Santos in the rear-view, while Volkov will look to build on them momentum of a short-notice decision win over Greg Hardy.

Tom Taylor - June 19, 2020

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Smith is set to return to the cage opposite Austria’s Aleksandar Rakic. The pair are scheduled to meet on a UFC Fight Night card on August 29. News of this bout was first reported by MMA Play 365 and confirmed by MMA Junkie.

Harry Kettle - June 19, 2020

Former UFC champion Holly Holm has explained why she believes she receives fairly regular title shots with the promotion. Holm captured the UFC Bantamweight Championship back in November 2015 when she beat Ronda Rousey, but since then, she’s gone 3-5 in the UFC across her last eight fights. Despite that, she’s still fought for either the featherweight or bantamweight title three times since dropping the belt to Miesha Tate — losing all three.

Harry Kettle - June 19, 2020

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes has issued a warning to fans ahead of his main event fight against Alexander Volkov this weekend. Blaydes is set to square off against Volkov in the main event of UFC on ESPN 11 on Saturday night, which will take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. Blaydes is currently riding a three fight win streak, whereas Volkov has only lost one fight during his run with the promotion.

Natasha Hooper - June 19, 2020

UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky has explained why so many fighters test positive for Ostarine, and why it is a banned substance. This week, women’s flyweight Rachael Ostovich fighter received a one-year suspension from USADA after testing positive for several banned substances. The 29-year old tested positive for Ostarine and GW1516 as part of an out-of-competition drug test collected on January 3, 2020.

Natasha Hooper - June 19, 2020

Law enforcement has arrested a suspect in relation to a San Antonio shooting on June 12, 2020. The alleged gunman injured eight people, five women and three men between the ages of 23 and 41. He also claimed to be a UFC fighter, but it has been confirmed that he is not, in fact, affiliated with the promotion. According to a report by the San Antonio Police Department, Jenelius Crew, 37, was taken into custody on June 18. Homicide detectives collected evidence through the course of the investigation which lead them to gather more information on the suspect. The police then obtained eight Aggravated Assault/Deadly Weapon arrest warrants for Crew.

Cole Shelton - June 18, 2020

Paulo Costa has set his price to coach The Ultimate Fighter and fight Israel Adesanya. Dana White has recently said TUF is coming back and named a few possibilities of who may coach the season. One pairing fans were eager to see was Adesanya and Costa. The two have a massive rivalry, so it would make for good TV. It would also set up their middleweight title fight, which is expected to happen later this year.

Adam Martin - June 18, 2020

UFC women’s flyweight Rachael Ostovich has received a one-year suspension by USADA after testing positive for several banned substances. Ostovich tested positive for ostarine and GW1516 during an out-of-competition drug test collected on January 3, 2020. The banned substances were found in a tainted supplement that Ostovich used, as the label on the supplement did not indicate these substances were in it. This led to USADA reducing the suspension from the standard two years to one year, and that was further reduced to eight months due to time served from a 2019 atypical finding which USADA cleared Ostovich of. She may return to the UFC on August 3, 2020.

Cole Shelton - June 18, 2020

Tyson Nam had a hectic fight week for what was a do-or-die fight for his UFC career. At UFC on ESPN 10, Nam was expected to fight Ryan Benoit. Yet, Benoit had to pull out and was replaced by longtime Glory kickboxer, Zarrukh Adashev.

Harry Kettle - June 18, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker has questioned whether or not Dustin Poirier’s chin is as strong as Paul Felder’s ahead of their showdown next weekend. In a bout that has been a long time coming, Hooker and Poirier will square off in the main event of UFC on ESPN 12 at the UFC APEX. While “The Diamond” is attempting to bounce back after failing to win the UFC Lightweight Championship against Khabib Nurmagomedov last year, Hooker will be aiming to extend his current three-fight win streak.