MMA News
Ray Borg out of UFC Fight Night Vegas, Merab Dvalishvili gets replacement opponent after contract dispute
Adam Martin - June 11, 2020
UFC bantamweight Ray Borg is out of his scheduled bout against Merab Dvalishvili this weekend at UFC Fight Night Las Vegas due to personal reasons. Borg is no stranger from withdrawing to fights due to personal issues, and unfortunately, sometimes the withdrawals have been to his son Anthony’s well-documented medical issues. After the UFC announced Borg was out of the fight, the former flyweight title challenger took to social media to post a picture of his son. Check out Borg’s Twitter below.
Alexander Volkanovski plans to finish Max Holloway at UFC 251: "I'm sending a message"
Cole Shelton - June 11, 2020
Alexander Volkanovski feels disrespected that people still continue to doubt him after winning the featherweight belt. Back at UFC 245, Volkanovski dominated Max Holloway for five rounds to win the belt. Yet, at UFC 251 on July 11, the two will run it back. For the champ, he says it’s a chance to silence the doubters once more. But, this time he promises to finish the Hawaiian.
Patrick Mix eyes submission win over Juan Archuleta for vacant belt, trashes James Gallagher
Cole Shelton - June 11, 2020
Patrick Mix is looking to claim Bellator’s vacant bantamweight title. Bellator MMA is currently on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the promotion is eyeing a July return. If they do return in July, Mix is hoping to be on the first card and is eyeing a fight against Juan Archuleta for the vacant bantamweight title.
Dominick Reyes: It's "obvious" Jon Jones is ducking rematch
Tom Taylor - June 11, 2020
Dominick Reyes believes it’s obvious that it’s “obvious” that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is avoiding him. Reyes challenged Jones for the UFC light heavyweight title back in February. Despite Jones’ reputation as one of the greatest fighters of all times, Reyes pushed him to the brink of defeat.
Manager: Khabib Nurmagomedov's father "improving"
Tom Taylor - June 11, 2020
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the father and long-time trainer of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, is reportedly showing signs of improvement. The Nurmagomedov patriarch was hospitalized last month, and wound up in a medically induced coma in Moscow after a bout of pneumonia. Some reports suggested he was on life support for a period.
Tito Ortiz doubles down on plans to become a police officer
Tom Taylor - June 11, 2020
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has doubled down on his plans to become a police officer. Ortiz first broached this idea in the replies to an Instagram post earlier this week.
Stephen Thompson would move up to middleweight for one fight
Adam Martin - June 11, 2020
UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson says the only bout he would move up to 185lbs for is a fight against UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Thompson is one of the top-10 welterweights in the world and has been for the last half-decade. He has a 10-4-1 overall record in the UFC, which includes wins over Jorge Masvidal, Robert Whittaker, Johny Hendricks, and Rory MacDonald. In his last fight, he defeated Vincente Luque at UFC 244 in what was a “Fight of the Night” performance.
VIDEO | UFC stars come together to condemn racism, support Black Lives Matter movement
Tom Taylor - June 11, 2020
A number of high-profile UFC stars, including Israel Adesanya, Rose Namajunas, Michael Bisping, and Angela Hill, have come together to create a video in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. The video, which follows the killing of George Floyd by police officers, was shared by several fighters on social media.
World Lethwei Championship returns on August 7
Tom Taylor - June 11, 2020
World Lethwei Championship (WLC), the world’s largest Lethwei organization, has just announced the full calendar for the launch of the 2020/2021 Lethwei season—starting with an August 7 event that will mark the promotion’s return from a brief hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The WLC season will feature nine blockbuster events in seven cities across five countries, including the organization’s debuts in Japan and the USA.
Khabib Nurmagomedov pumps up Justin Gaethje ahead of title fight
Tom Taylor - June 11, 2020
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is making sure his fans are well acquainted with his next opponent, Justin Gaethje. At this stage, most fight fans who haven’t been living under rocks are very familiar with Gaethje, who might just be the most exciting fighter in the game at present.
Sean O’Malley says a fight with former UFC champ Cody Garbrandt will “100% happen”
Natasha Hooper - June 11, 2020
Sean O’Malley is set on a fight against former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt. The UFC standout is convinced that a fight against “No Love” will “100% happen,” even if takes a few years.
Poster released for UFC 251 on Fight Island
Harry Kettle - June 11, 2020
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has released the first official poster for the highly anticipated UFC 251 event on Fight Island. It’s been months in the making, but we finally have the confirmation through from the UFC that the proposed Fight Island will indeed take place on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. While it may not have been exactly what everyone pictured it to be, one thing is for sure: the first PPV card from the run of events over there is going to be a big one.
Sean O'Malley "interested" in fighting Marlon Vera but says it's up to UFC on who he fights next
Cole Shelton - June 10, 2020
Sean O’Malley has some interest in finally fighting Marlon Vera inside the Octagon. O’Malley and Vera were expected to fight at UFC 239. Yet, the fight was scrapped due to the undefeated contender was forced off the card after traces of Ostarine was found in his system. “Chito” then took shots at O’Malley, so the 25-year-old is not opposed to finally getting the chance to fight Vera. But, he says it’s up the UFC on who he fights next.
Daniel Cormier feels Conor McGregor's retirement overshadowed Amanda Nunes' UFC 250 win
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 10, 2020
Daniel Cormier doesn’t agree with the timing of Conor McGregor’s retirement announcement. Just after UFC “champ-champ” Amanda Nunes turned in a stellar performance against Felicia Spencer, McGregor hopped on Twitter to claim he is retiring from MMA competition. Some feel that the timing of McGregor’s announcement took away from Nunes’ dominant women’s featherweight title defense. Cormier is in that camp.
Gray Maynard: UFC fighters are "kind of like strippers"
Tom Taylor - June 10, 2020
Former UFC lightweight title challenger Gray Maynard says UFC fighters are treated a bit like strippers. Maynard made this comparison in a fantastic interview with Steven Rae of The Body Lock.
UFC rankings update: Cody Garbrandt rockets up at bantamweight, O'Malley debuts
Tom Taylor - June 10, 2020
The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last weekend’s UFC 250 card, and there have been some major changes, particularly in the bantamweight division. Former UFC bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt, who delivered a crushing knockout win over Raphael Assuncao in the card’s co-main event, is back in the division’s top-5.
Tito Ortiz says he's going to become a cop to "bring respect back to officers"
Tom Taylor - June 10, 2020
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz says he’s going to become a police officer to “bring respect back to officers.” On Tuesday night, Ortiz made the following post to Instagram.
Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns betting odds released
Adam Martin - June 10, 2020
The betting odds have been released for the upcoming UFC welterweight title fight at UFC 251 between champion Kamaru Usman and challenger Gilbert Burns. The UFC officially announced this week that Usman will take on Burns in the main event of UFC 251, which takes place July 11 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The event will feature three title fights on it, with Usman vs. Burns headlining a stacked undercard featuring Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 2 for the UFC featherweight title and Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo for the vacant UFC bantamweight belt.