MMA News
UFC on ESPN 9 falls short of SpaceX launch in viewership ratings
Tom Taylor - June 3, 2020
Last Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 9 card, which was headlined by a welterweight clash between Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns, was a viewership success. According to Nielsen, UFC on ESPN 9 averaged 1.021 million viewers on the network (h/t MMA Fighting)—that makes it the fifth most viewed UFC card on ESPN. The event was also broadcasted on ESPN+, ESPN’s official streaming service. The viewership numbers for that platform are not released, but when they’re included, the number is of course much higher.
Rafael dos Anjos on final fight of UFC deal, uncertain of future with promotion
Tom Taylor - June 3, 2020
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is on the final fight of his current UFC deal, and is uncertain what the future holds beyond that. He’s hoping to fight again in the coming months, and with a little luck, re-sign with the UFC, where he’s spent the vast majority of his MMA career thus far.
Colby Covington trashes potential Usman vs. Burns matchup
Tom Taylor - June 3, 2020
Colby Covington has no interest in a potential welterweight title fight between champ Kamaru Usman and top contender Gilbert Burns. In fact, he feels the vast majority of fans share that disinterest. Last weekend, in the main event of UFC on ESPN 9, Burns picked up the biggest win of his career, defeating the former champion Tyron Woodley with a dominant, unanimous decision win. The win earned Burns the No. 1 spot in the UFC welterweight rankings, and very possibly the next crack at Usman.
Cody Garbrandt says his "demons" are in the past, sets sights on bantamweight belt
Tom Taylor - June 3, 2020
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt has lost his last three fights, and all by way of knockout. As he gears up for his UFC 250 fight with Raphael Assuncao, he says his troubles are behind him. “I just needed for me, first and foremost, to get out of my comfort zone and go rekindle that love for fighting,” Garbrandt told MMA Fighting ahead of UFC 250, explaining what he’s changed since his third straight loss. “I don’t know if I was going through the motions or if it was just the same thing but I needed a switch up.
Colby Covington challenges Dustin Poirier to grudge match in the Octagon
Tom Taylor - June 3, 2020
Top UFC welterweight Colby Covington is prepared to settle his differences with his former American Top Team stablemate Dustin Poirier in the Octagon. For many years, Covington and Poirier were training partners at ATT in Coconut Creek, Florida. Gradually, however, their relationship soured—largely due to Covington’s unbridled trash talk.
Photo | Check out all the upcoming UFC matchups in June, July and August
Adam Martin - June 3, 2020
Take a look at all of the upcoming matchups confirmed for June, July, and August in a new graphic showcasing what fights the UFC currently has in the works. MMA reporter Marcel Dorfff of MMADNANL put together a list of all the fights scheduled to take place at UFC events on the following dates: June 6, June 13, June 20, June 27, July 11, July 18, July 25 and August 1. All of these events are scheduled to take place at the UFC Apex. You can see all of the confirmed upcoming fights on the list below.
Colby Covington reacts to Tyron Woodley's loss to Gilbert Burns
Tom Taylor - June 3, 2020
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Colby Covington has reacted to Tyron Woodley’s UFC on ESPN 9 loss to Gilbert Burns. As expected, he did not hold back when discussing his long-time rival’s fall from grace.
John Oliver “not mad” at Dana White for stealing UFSea idea, but has some advice for the UFC president
Harry Kettle - June 3, 2020
TV host John Oliver has responded to UFC president Dana White trademarking the ‘UFSea’ term that started the war of words between the two. A few weeks ago, Oliver criticized the Ultimate Fighting Championship and White for putting on events in the midst of the Coronavirus crisis. He also focused specifically on UFC’s Fight Island idea, proceeding to suggest UFSea as a more imaginative term for the plan.
Stipe Miocic reacts to controversial fan comments during Blackout Tuesday
Natasha Hooper - June 3, 2020
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has responded to criticism following his support of Blackout Tuesday. The death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police has sparked outrage across the globe. In the wake of the tragedy, MMA stars have spoken out against police brutality and racism. The incident sparked an online protest known as Blackout Tuesday. Miocic showed his solidarity to the cause by posting a blank, blacked-out image on Instagram with the caption “#blackouttuesday”.
Leon Edwards rips the latest UFC rankings after Tyron Woodley remains ranked above him
Harry Kettle - June 3, 2020
UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards isn’t happy with the latest UFC rankings following Tyron Woodley’s loss last weekend. Edwards was scheduled to fight Woodley in the main event of UFC London earlier this year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the bout fell apart. Instead, “T-Wood” went on to face Gilbert Burns in a losing effort at the UFC Apex last Saturday night.
Henry Cejudo claims he's in talks for Ryan Garcia boxing match in Saudi Arabia
Tom Taylor - June 3, 2020
Former two-division UFC champ Henry Cejudo, who recently retired from MMA, says he’s in talks for a blockbuster boxing match with Ryan Garcia in Saudi Arabia. Cejudo made this claim in an interview with TMZ Sports, adding that “we got the money guy that’s willing to pay both of us. It’s just up to little Ryan ‘Candy’ Garcia to sign that contract.”
Jon Jones shares his take on celebrities bailing out looters and supporting them
Chris Taylor - June 2, 2020
Jon Jones made headlines earlier this week when he confiscated cans of spray paint from some would-be vandals after a protest in Albuquerque. A video was released on social media showing ‘Bones’ removing cans from two individuals who planned on executing some destruction his hometown.
Colby Covington calls for "friends-turned-enemies" fight against Jorge Masvidal following departure from ATT
Cole Shelton - June 2, 2020
Colby Covington is hoping to settle his differences with Jorge Masvidal following his departure from American Top Team. Covington recently confirmed he left ATT after having feuds with several fighters. Masvidal, meanwhile, says “Chaos” was cancer in the gym and the former interim welterweight champion was actually fired from ATT.
Daniel Cormier believes McGregor-Silva is a "bigger fight" than Jones-Ngannou
Cole Shelton - June 2, 2020
Daniel Cormier is interested in seeing Conor McGregor fight Anderson Silva. Recently, Silva took to social media to call out McGregor for a catchweight fight. It immediately drew the attention of the MMA world and the Irishman was quick to accept the challenge.
Chael Sonnen explains why Tyron Woodley needs to move to middleweight following loss to Gilbert Burns
Cole Shelton - June 2, 2020
Chael Sonnen believes Tyron Woodley needs to switch weight classes. In the main event of UFC Vegas this past weekend, Woodley was returning for the first time in 15 months to take on Gilbert Burns. In the lead-up, he was saying he would take Burns into deep waters. Yet, that is far from what happened as Burns dominated the fight and won a clear-cut decision.
Photo | Tim Sylvia suffers nasty infection in arm broken by Frank Mir 16 years ago
Adam Martin - June 2, 2020
Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia has taken to social media to show a photo of the arm he famously broke against Frank Mir at UFC 48. With the vacant UFC heavyweight title on the line, Mir famously broke Sylvia’s arm just 50 seconds into their title fight with an armbar. Sylvia refused to tap out, but referee Herb Dean saw the limb was compromised and stopped the fight. It’s still to date one of the most visual examples of a broken limb that we’ve seen inside the Octagon.
Sean O'Malley planning for "viral knockout" of Eddie Wineland at UFC 250
Cole Shelton - June 2, 2020
Bas Rutten weighs in on protests, looting: "violence will never work"
Tom Taylor - June 2, 2020
MMA legend Bas Rutten has shared his take on the protests, and in some instances looting, that is going on all over the United States this week. Rutten shared his thoughts in a lengthy Facebook post. He began by condemning the killing of George Floyd and the racism that caused it. He went on to support the peaceful protests that are ongoing, and share is disapproval with the violent outliers partaking in looting and vandalism.
Marc Montoya opens up on criticism following Anthony Smith fight
Mike Pendleton - June 2, 2020
After receiving plenty of criticism from the decisions made in the corner in Anthony Smith’s last fight, Factory X head coach Marc Montoya has finally responded. In his last fight against Glover Teixeira back in May, Smith took a lot of damage to the extent that many had called for his corner to stop the fight, which they did not do but the referee ultimately ended it in the fifth-round.