MMA News
Deiveson Figueiredo, Joseph Benavidez to rematch for vacant flyweight title
Tom Taylor - May 22, 2020
Deiveson Figueiredo and Joseph Benavidez are expected to rematch for the vacant UFC flyweight title this July, according to a report from MMA Junkie. Figueiredo and Benavidez first met in late February, shortly after Henry Cejudo was stripped of the UFC flyweight title after moving up to bantamweight. The objective of the matchup was to crown a new ruler of the division.
Stipe Miocic fires back at Cormier, other haters: "Stop crying"
Tom Taylor - May 22, 2020
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has a message for Daniel Cormier and his other critics: quit it with the complaints. The world is currently waiting for a tie-breaking trilogy fight between Miocic and the former champion, Cormier. The pair have fought twice previously, with Cormier winning the first fight by first-round knockout, and Miocic reclaiming the title with a fourth-round TKO in the rematch. Ever since, there’s been a desire to see them settle their score. Cormier has also made it clear that the trilogy fight will be the last fight of his career.
Coach John Hackleman reveals formula for Glover Teixeira's recent resurgence
Harry Kettle - May 22, 2020
Glover Teixeira’s coach John Hackleman has revealed the formula behind the veteran’s recent light heavyweight resurgence. The Brazilian is currently riding a four-fight win streak, with his impressive showing against Anthony Smith serving as a warning to the rest of the division that he could still be a title contender at 205 pounds.
Edson Barboza rips the UFC rankings system after dropping out of Top 15
Natasha Hooper - May 22, 2020
Edson Barboza has slammed the UFC ranking system after dropping out of the top-15 in the lightweight division. Barboza has had a few close calls in recent fights such as his UFC 242 split decision loss to Paul Felder. In his last bout, the 34-year old appeared on the UFC on ESPN 8, making his featherweight debut against Dan Ige. Barboza came up short and lost again by split decision. His team filed an appeal, but that appeal was quickly shut down.
VIDEO | 69-year-old Tai Chi master suffers brutal KO loss to amateur mixed martial artist
Natasha Hooper - May 22, 2020
Video of a Tai Chi ‘master’ getting starched by an amateur MMA contender is making the rounds on the World Wide Web. See it below:
A "less emotional" Jon Jones issues new statement following failed negotiations for Francis Ngannou fight
Chris Taylor - May 21, 2020
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has issued a new statement after talks of a super-fight between he and Francis Ngannou broke down earlier tonight. This afternoon ‘Bones’ released some exciting news on social media stating that he was entering negotiations with the UFC for a heavyweight showdown with ‘The Predator’.
Chael Sonnen absolutely torches Tito Ortiz over callout of Mike Tyson
Christopher Taylor - May 21, 2020
Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen absolutely ripped his bitter rival Tito Ortiz for calling out boxing legend Mike Tyson on Instagram. Earlier this morning, Ortiz took to the popular social media platform to challenge ‘Iron Mike’ to a “Legend vs Legend” bout on pay-per-view.
Francis Ngannou reacts after Jon Jones says negotiations with the UFC have broken down
Cole Shelton - May 21, 2020
Francis Ngannou believes the UFC isn’t willing to make a fight between him and Jon Jones happen. Ever since Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds at UFC 249, Jon Jones has talked about fighting him. Many thought it was fake, yet “Bones” tweeted Thursday that he was in negotiations with the UFC for the fight. Shortly after though, he said he would be walking away from the sport as the Las Vegas-based promotion wouldn’t give him what he wanted.
Pros react after Jon Jones tells fans “maybe I’ll see you all in a year or two”
Cole Shelton - May 21, 2020
Jon Jones surprised many when he took to Twitter to announce he would be walking away from MMA following failed negotiations with the UFC. Jones had been vocal about going up to heavyweight and fighting Francis Ngannou his next time out. He then tweeted negotiations were ongoing but it didn’t take long after that for “Bones” to go on a Twitter rant saying the UFC did not give him what he wanted and we would not be seeing him for a year or two.
Jon Jones walking away from MMA due to poor offers from UFC for Francis Ngannou fight
Adam Martin - May 21, 2020
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones says he is walking away from mixed martial arts due to poor business offers from the UFC. Jones has been pursuing a superfight against heavyweight slugger Francis Ngannou and it appeared both men had legitimate interest in the matchup despite UFC president Dana White saying that he didn’t think both men actually wanted the fight. Still, fans and media figured that if the interest in this fight was real, that the UFC would be able to make the fight happen.
Eric Albarracin hopes Korean Zombie returns "ASAP" from injury to battle Alexander Volkanovski for the belt
Cole Shelton - May 21, 2020
Eric Albarracin says ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung is almost ready to return. Since Zombie defeated Frankie Edgar by TKO at UFC Busan last December he has been dealing with an eye injury. He ended up needing to get surgery and said he was targeting a summer return.
VIDEO | Francis Ngannou scores violent, one-punch KO in third pro fight
Tom Taylor - May 21, 2020
Top UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou has shared footage from his third pro fight, and it foreshadows the destructive force he’s become in the Octagon. Ngannou shared the clip on his official Instagram account on Thursday. See it below.
Cody Stamann says UFC 250 opponent is injured, calls out Urijah Faber
Tom Taylor - May 21, 2020
Cody Stamann says the opponent he was supposed to fight at UFC 250 on June 6 is injured, and is now calling for Urijah Faber to step in. Stamann called his shot on Twitter on Thursday.
More new fights in the works for May 30 UFC card
Tom Taylor - May 21, 2020
More fights have been tacked onto the bill for the May 30 card at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to a report from MMA Junkie, the card will feature a women’s flyweight bout between recent title challenger Katlyn Chookagian, and Antonina Shevchenko, the sister of the division’s reigning queen Valentina Shevchenko.
Anthony Smith says the tooth fairy left him $60 after losing teeth at UFC Jacksonville
Adam Martin - May 21, 2020
UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith says the tooth fairy left him $60 after losing his teeth at UFC Jacksonville. Smith suffered a brutal TKO loss at the hands of Glover Teixeira in the main event of UFC Jacksonville. The fight was extremely controversial as Smith suffered a vicious beating in the third and fourth rounds of the fight, with the judges scoring both rounds 10-8 in favor of Teixeira. At one point late in the fight, Smith could be heard saying that he lost his teeth, and Teixeira could actually be heard apologizing to him for breaking his teeth during the fight.
Sean O'Malley announces UFC 250 return, takes on Eddie Wineland
Tom Taylor - May 21, 2020
Fan favorite UFC bantamweight prospect “Sugar” Sean O’Malley is returning to the Octagon at UFC 250 on June 6. O’Malley teased his return to competition on Twitter on Wednesday evening.
Colby Covington threatens to concuss Masvidal in street fight: "He's never gonna be the same person again"
Tom Taylor - May 21, 2020
Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal used to be friends, but those days are over. Today, the pair reside as two of the fiercest rivals in the UFC welterweight division. Covington expects he and Masvidal will soon have the opportunity to settle their differences in the cage, but warns that their feud could lead to unsanctioned violence in the meantime.
Houston Astros star Carlos Correa interested in crossing over to UFC
Tom Taylor - May 21, 2020
Carlos Correa, who plays for the MLB’s Houston Astros, would love to test his mettle in the UFC‘s Octagon in the future. Correa, who is a big MMA fan, was asked which MLB star would make the best fighter during a recent interview with MMA Junkie. He quickly identified himself as the best bet, pointing to his background in boxing.