MMA News
UFC trademarks "UFSEA" after suggestion from John Oliver
Adam Martin - May 27, 2020
The UFC has officially filed trademarks for the phrase “UFSEA” after a recent suggestion by late-night TV host John Oliver as a nickname for Fight Island. According to a report from trademark expert Josh Gerben, the UFC has filed for trademarks for the name UFSEA to be used at both its events and on clothing.
Israel Adesanya accuses Jon Jones of doing "what Mayweather does"
Tom Taylor - May 27, 2020
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya believes Jon Jones, the promotion’s light heavyweight champion, is taking a page out of Floyd Mayweather’s book. Jones has recently been eyeing potential super fights with Adesanya, and with UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou. Adesanya believes the light heavyweight champion is merely attempting to keep himself in the headlines—the same way Mayweather does when a big star like Conor McGregor fights.
Sean O'Malley believes he's "a couple more fights" from title shot
Mike Pendleton - May 27, 2020
With Henry Cejudo now retired, and removed from the rankings, and the UFC’s bantamweight title vacant and up for grabs, there is new opportunity for several fighters looking to become the new champion. One of those fighters, Sean O’Malley, believes he’s just a few fights away from becoming the new bantamweight champion. O’Malley was recently a guest on The Luke Thomas Show on Sirius XM and discussed the changes inside the bantamweight division, Cejudo’s decision to retire, and why he’ll be the new bantamweight champion.
Israel Adesanya: Francis Ngannou made Paulo Costa "s**t his pants" in UFC 248 confrontation
Tom Taylor - May 27, 2020
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya claims Francis Ngannou gave Paulo Costa a serious scare in the crowd at UFC 248. Adesanya fought in the main event of UFC 248, successfully defending his title against Yoel Romero with a decision win. Costa, who is the next man in line for a middleweight title shot, was allegedly heckling the champ from cage-side—until Ngannou intervened.
UFC switches COVID-19 testing methods ahead of this weekend's event in Las Vegas
Natasha Hooper - May 27, 2020
The UFC has decided to change its testing methods for COVID-19 ahead of this weekend’s Las Vegas event. The UFC returned to action earlier this month with three fight cards in Jacksonville. Despite introducing various safety precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the organization will be tightening the reigns for this Saturday night’s Las Vegas card. The event will be held at the UFC Apex facility.
Former UFC lightweight Sam Stout suffers tragic loss of youngest daughter
Natasha Hooper - May 27, 2020
Former UFC fighter Sam Stout has suffered the tragic loss of his one-month-old daughter, Sydney Love Stout. The former lightweight standout retired from the sport in 2015 following a knockout loss to Frankie Perez in 2015. He competed in the UFC 20 times and finished with a professional record of 20-12-1.
Jon Jones weighs in on the death of George Floyd: “I’ve never experienced anything close to that level of torture”
Harry Kettle - May 27, 2020
The UFC’s light heavyweight king Jon Jones has given his thoughts on the recent death of George Floyd. Floyd, who was a Minneapolis citizen, was unarmed when he was detained by four police officers in Minnesota. He was held to the ground with one of the officers kneeling on his neck during the arrest, after which he was taken to Hennepin County Medical Centre where he died shortly thereafter.
False positive COVID-19 tests caused scares for Dan Ige and Claudia Gadelha in Jacksonville
Mike Pendleton - May 26, 2020
Both Claudia Gadelha and Dan Ige fought on UFC Fight Night in Jacksonville back on May 16 and both fighters came away with wins respectively. However, both fighters were also recent guests on Sirius XM Fight Nation’s ‘MMA Tonight’ and revealed they endure some COVID-19 scares in their camp. Before she picked up a win over Angela Hill, Claudia Gadelha said there was a lot of stress during her camp and the first COVID-19 test she received came back inconclusive and she was required to quarantine for 24 hours her first day in Jacksonville.
Manager laughs off claim Jorge Masvidal is "ducking anyone"
Cole Shelton - May 26, 2020
Jorge Masvidal’s manager, Abraham Kawa makes it clear his client is not ducking anyone. It was expected Jorge Masvidal would fight Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title this summer. The two have been going back-and-forth in interviews and had a scuffle at Radio Row during Super Bowl week. Yet, it has been reported negotiations have not gone well and “Gamebred” has turned his attention to the BMF title rematch with Nate Diaz.
Kamaru Usman says Conor McGregor deserves title shot but the Irishman's silence proves he knows he can't win
Cole Shelton - May 26, 2020
Kamaru Usman believes Conor McGregor deserves a title shot at welterweight. After Usman TKO’d Colby Covington at UFC 245, many thought his next title defense would be against Jorge Masvidal. Yet, “Gamebred” has turned his attention to the rematch with Nate Diaz while the champion is now interested in fighting McGregor.
John McCarthy explains why the UFC prefers to use a smaller cage
Adam Martin - May 26, 2020
Veteran MMA official Big John McCarthy explained why the UFC prefers to use a smaller cage whenever possible, saying it creates more action. The UFC typically uses a 30-foot cage at its big pay-per-views and big ESPN events at arenas but tends to use a 25-foot cage for its Fight Night cards. It also used the smaller cage on The Ultimate Fighter and it uses the 25-foot-cage at the new UFC Apex for the Contender Series and the Fight Night events taking place there in the next two months.
Dana White lost huge bet on Tom Brady in The Match
Tom Taylor - May 26, 2020
UFC President Dana White lost a $15,000 bet on the outcome of Capital One’s The Match, a charity golf game featuring one team composed of Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson and another comprising Peyton Manning and Tiger Woods. White, a diehard Patriots fan, bet $15,000 on team Brady-Mickelson to win at +175 odds. Unfortunately for him, this one went the way of Woods and Manning.
Ben Askren explains why he didn't include Conor McGregor on his GOAT list
Tom Taylor - May 26, 2020
Former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder Ben Askren recently shared the names of the fighters he believes belong in the GOAT debate in MMA, but his list did not include former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor. 7 People in discussion for MMA GOAT. Some have much better cases than others, but all have cases. Fedor and BJ would have had cases had they retired earlier.
Vitor Belfort wants AEW tag team match with Mike Tyson
Tom Taylor - May 26, 2020
ONE Championship star Vitor Belfort wants to partake in an AEW tag team match with boxing legend Mike Tyson. Belfort has recently been training with Tyson, and also attended an AEW event in Jacksonville, Florida, of which Tyson was a part.
Bellator's Myles Jury says "UFC are control freaks"
Tom Taylor - May 26, 2020
In 2019, Myles Jury migrated from the UFC’s Octagon to the Bellator cage. From the sounds of it, he made the right choice for himself. Speaking to MMA Junkie recently, Jury weighed in on the differences between the UFC and Bellator. The main difference, he says, is the level of control the two promotions have over their fighters.
Mike Tyson trains with Vitor Belfort ahead of comeback
Tom Taylor - May 26, 2020
Heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson is getting some work in with MMA star Vitor Belfort ahead of his widely-discussed comeback. Belfort shared a clip of a training session with Tyson on Instagram, adding that the boxer was one of his key inspirations in the early days of his fighting career.
Michael Bisping discusses his legacy amidst heated MMA GOAT conversations
Harry Kettle - May 26, 2020
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping has given his own thoughts on where he ranks in the ongoing “GOAT” conversation. While the discussion over who the Greatest of All Time is in the world of mixed martial arts may be subjective, many hardcore fans will defend their choice with great passion – whether it be on social media or down their local bar.
Daniel Cormier discusses how much Jon Jones should be paid for heavyweight move
Harry Kettle - May 26, 2020
Daniel Cormier has given his thoughts on how much he believes Jon Jones should be compensated for a move up to heavyweight. Cormier and Jones have had their fair share of spats over the years, but in the Octagon, Jones has been able to overcome “DC” with one decision win and one KO victory that was changed to a no contest due to a failed drug test.