MMA News
Amanda Nunes believes she had coronavirus
Adam Martin - June 4, 2020
UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes believes she may have been infected by the coronavirus a few months ago. Nunes, who defends her 145lbs strap this weekend at UFC 250 against Felicia Spencer, told Combate that she believes she was infected by the coronavirus on a trip to Las Vegas a few months ago. According to Nunes, she felt sick when she returned home to Florida and passed along her illness to her fiancee Nina Ansaroff. Nunes says she was never actually tested for COVID-19 but is convinced she had it and defeated it.
Dana White pushes Fight Island debut ahead, now targeting June 27
Tom Taylor - June 4, 2020
UFC President Dana White says we could be seeing fights on his much-discussed Fight Island as soon as June 27. White has been battling hard to keep promoting fights during the coronavirus pandemic. While he’s managed to promote a handful of events in Jacksonville, Florida, and at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, those events have been populated by American fighters, and fighters based on US soil.
Cynthia Calvillo responds to fans criticizing her main event fight with Jessica Eye
Tom Taylor - June 4, 2020
On June 13, Cynthia Calvillo will step into the Octagon with former UFC flyweight title challenger Jessica Eye. The pair’s headliner will serve as the evening’s main event. Not everybody is happy about that.
Chuck Liddell explains why he intervened at a recent protest in California
Harry Kettle - June 4, 2020
UFC legend Chuck Liddell has explained why he tried to intervene in the George Floyd protests in California this past weekend. The protests across the United States have largely been peaceful, but the escalation of violence in some areas of the country has been well documented. Part of this has been due to looters, whereas police brutality has also played a leading role.
Aljamain Sterling reveals he was knocked out by “Ninja” Zabit Magomedsharipov in 2017 training session
Natasha Hooper - June 4, 2020
Aljamain Sterling revealed he was knocked out by Zabit Magomedsharipov during training. In an interview with TheScore, the UFC bantamweight contender described sparring with the Russian fighter for the first time.
Dana White discusses current drama with Jon Jones: “Eventually you get to a point where you get tired of fighting”
Natasha Hooper - June 4, 2020
UFC President Dana White recently opened up on his public dispute with UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Tensions between the light heavyweight champion and the UFC president have reached an all-time high. Jones announced he was vacating his title after matchup negotiations for a Francis Ngannou fight turned sour.
PHOTO | Anthony Johnson teases return to 170lbs
Adam Martin - June 3, 2020
Former UFC star Anthony Johnson jokingly teased a return to 170lbs in his latest post detailing an update on his current weight. Johnson is rumored to make his return to the UFC sometime this year after retiring in 2017. He has teased a return to the cage for the last few months, periodically posting updates on his current weight. Some have said that Johnson could return to the heavyweight division, but a return to light heavyweight could be in his future as well.
Jack Hermansson vs. Kelvin Gastelum set to fight July 18 on Fight Island
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2020
Jack Hermansson and Kelvin Gastelum will finally get the chance to fight. Hermansson and Gastelum have talked about fighting one another quite some time and will do so on Fight Island. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the two will meet on the July 18 show.
Dana White says the "smartest move" for Conor McGregor is to wait and fight the winner of Nurmagomedov-Gaethje
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2020
Dana White believes Conor McGregor should wait to fight the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje for his next scrap. Ever since McGregor knocked out Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds back in January at UFC 246, many wondered what would be next for the Irishman. Names like Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz came up. But, for White, he believes McGregor shouldn’t fight again until he gets the title shot.
Raphael Assuncao not focusing on Cody Garbrandt's past losses, knows a win puts him in title contention
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2020
Raphael Assuncao believes his UFC 250 co-main event fight against Cody Garbrandt could very well have title implications on the line. Assuncao is currently on a two-fight losing streak while Garbrandt is on a three-fight skid. Yet, both are still ranked in the top-10, with Assuncao at five.
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.
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.
UFC 250 | Pro fighters make their picks for Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer title fight
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2020
In the main event of UFC 250, Amanda Nunes is looking to defend her featherweight belt for the first time when she takes on Felicia Spencer. Heading into the fight the champ is a massive -650 favorite while the Canadian challenger is a +425 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The pros are unanimous in thinking Amanda Nunes will get it done, with many thinking it will be by stoppage.
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.
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.
Jan Blachowicz responds after Daniel Cormier refers to his potential fight with Jon Jones as a “letdown”
Natasha Hooper - June 3, 2020
Jan Blachowicz responded to Daniel Cormier, who stated that the Polish fighter’s possible showdown against Jon Jones would be a “letdown.” Since his closely contested victory against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247, the light heavyweight champion Jones, suggested he wants to defend his title against Blachowicz next.