MMA News
Anthony Smith says he would've fired his corner if they threw in the towel during Glover Teixeira fight
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2020
Anthony Smith says he has told his corner before if they ever throw in the towel in one of his fights they would be fired. In the main event of UFC Jacksonville last Wednesday, many thought Smith’s corner let him down by not stopping the fight against Glover Teixeira. Yet, “Lionheart,” says they were just following his orders of never throwing in the towel.
Francis Ngannou doesn't believe Jon Jones fight happens but confident he'd KO "Bones" if it does
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2020
Francis Ngannou doesn’t think Jon Jones truly wants to fight him. Ever since Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds at UFC 249, Jones has taken to social media to say he wants to fight Ngannou. He has hinted at a move to heavyweight for some time now, but the heavyweight contender is skeptical he actually means it.
Edson Barboza says if UFC doesn't give him his win bonus he won't cut back down to 145
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2020
Edson Barboza hopes the UFC and Dana White finally show him some love and respect following his split decision loss to Dan Ige. At UFC on ESPN 8, Barboza dropped down to featherweight to take on 15th ranked Ige. Many had wondered how the Brazilian would fare in his debut and early on he had a ton of success by even dropping Ige in the first.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s greatest threat: Justin Gaethje was right under our nose this whole time
Jordy McElroy - May 19, 2020
Justin Gaethje didn’t need a shtick, funky fighting style or exalted name to beat the odds set by the black suits in Vegas at UFC 249. The blue collar slugger simply bit down on his mouthpiece and went to hell and back with a man that makes weight for fun. An emptied arena that surely would have been rollicking stirred in silence as he stood in the blood-spattered cage the victor, after knocking off previous No. 1 contender Tony Ferguson. UFC lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov’s name had previously been tied to Ferguson, Conor McGregor and even MMA legend Georges St-Pierre.
The Joe Rogan Experience podcast to become Spotify exclusive
Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020
Spotify will soon become the exclusive streaming home of The Joe Rogan Experience, the popular podcast created by UFC commentator Joe Rogan. The streaming service announced this news in a release on Monday, identifying September 1 as the date the podcast will move to its new home. The release did not specify what this deal with mean for the JRE MMA Show, a popular, MMA-centric spinoff of the podcast, or Joe Rogan’s Fight Companion podcasts, during which the UFC commentator and combat sports notables like Eddie Bravo and Brendan Schaub break down live fights.
Eddie Alvarez makes prediction for Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje matchup
Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020
If Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje collide in the Octagon, Eddie Alvarez believes McGregor will come out on top. Gaethje, who captured the interim lightweight title with a win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 249, has been called out by McGregor several times since, renewing discussions about a potential fight between them.
Alistair Overeem: Jon Jones can "definitely" beat Francis Ngannou
Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020
Alistair Overeem is very confident that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones could win a heavyweight fight with Francis Ngannou. Jones and Ngannou have been going back and forth on social media over the last week or so, with both men expressing their interest in a potential fight.
Darren Till lays out plans for "massive" fight with Israel Adesanya
Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020
Darren Till has his sights set on a “massive” middleweight title fight with the division’s reigning champion, Israel Adesanya. Till recently called for the opportunity to coach the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter against Adesanya, but received a fairly decisive “no” in response from the champ.
Michael Bisping: Alistair Overeem helped inspire Walt Harris to start MMA
Natasha Hooper - May 19, 2020
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping says Walt Harris discovered MMA by watching his most recent opponent, Alistair Overeem. The former champion turned UFC commentator hosts a podcast, Believe You, Me, with co-host Luis J Gomez. During this week’s episode, Bisping and Gomez discussed Harris’ loss to Overeem last weekend in the main event of UFC on ESPN 8.
Eddie Bravo admits he "froze" in Tony Ferguson corner: "I shouldn’t have been in there"
Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020
Renowned BJJ coach Eddie Bravo says he “froze” in Tony Ferguson’s corner during the UFC 249 main event. Ferguson battled Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title in the card’s headliner. Despite entering the fight on a borderline preposterous 12-fight win-streak, Ferguson experienced a lopsided beatdown in this title fight, and was ultimately stopped in the fifth round.
Jon Jones shares ideal weight range for heavyweight title win
Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is confident that he’ll soon win the promotion’s heavyweight title to become a two-division champ. Jones has been teasing a move up to the heavyweight division for years, but has been doing so at an increased degree of late, repeatedly calling for a fight with streaking heavyweight knockout artist Francis Ngannou.
Daniel Cormier shares uplifting story regarding the incredible strength of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father
Harry Kettle - May 19, 2020
UFC star Daniel Cormier has shared some positive words regarding Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father Abdulmanap, who is currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 related complications in Moscow. Nurmagomedov was recently taken ill and is believed to be in a serious condition over in Russia.
PHOTO | Niko Price shows off battle scars one week after war with Vicente Luque
Harry Kettle - May 19, 2020
UFC welterweight Niko Price has shown off the war wounds he sustained in his epic battle with Vicente Luque at UFC 249 in Jacksonville. Price is well known for his ability to steal the show on any card the UFC puts him on, and while he may not always come out on top, he almost always gives fans what they came to see in the form of thrilling entertainment and drama.
Khabib Nurmagomedov confirms his father has COVID-19, says multiple relatives are battling the virus
Natasha Hooper - May 19, 2020
Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed that his father Abdulmanap’s recent hospitalization is the result of COVID-19, and that multiple other family members are battling the virus. During an IGTV Livestream, the lightweight champion revealed that his father has suffered significant health problems stemming from COVID-19.
Chael Sonnen believes Conor McGregor is the number one contender at welterweight
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020
Chael Sonnen believes Conor McGregor could very well get a welterweight title shot next if he so desires. McGregor recently went on a Twitter rant where he called out several lightweights. Yet, Sonnen isn’t convinced the Irishman fights at 155 pounds next. Instead, he thinks a fight against Jorge Masvidal or the trilogy with Nate Diaz makes sense.
Aspen Ladd vs. Sara McMann added to UFC event on June 27
Adam Martin - May 18, 2020
A women’s bantamweight bout between top-10 contenders Aspen Ladd and Sara McMann has been added to a new UFC event on June 27. Ladd mentioned Monday on Twitter that she had her next fight booked. It didn’t take long for MMAjunkie.com to confirm that she will be fighting McMann in a battle of two of the best women’s bantamweight in the UFC. The fight will take place on June 27 at a location-to-be-determined. The UFC was supposed to go to Austin, Texas on that date, but due to the coronavirus pandemic that seems unlikely at this point.
Alistair Overeem will get top-five opponent next, says Dana White
Adam Martin - May 18, 2020
UFC president Dana White says that Alistair Overeem will get a top-five opponent for his next bout after knocking out Walt Harris at UFC Florida. Overeem survived an early onslaught of blows from Harris in the first round to come back and dominate the second round and get the TKO stoppage. It’s the third win by knockout for Overeem in his last four fights, setting him up for a highly-ranked opponent in his next fight. Currently, Overeem is the No. 8 ranked heavyweight on the UFC roster.
Eric Albarracin says Henry Cejudo's retirement is "permanent" and goes down as all-time GOAT
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020
Eric Albarracin wasn’t surprised that his pupil Henry Cejudo finished Dominick Cruz inside two rounds, but was shocked he retired. Cejudo was looking for his first bantamweight title defense when he landed a perfect knee that dropped Cruz. “Triple C” followed it up with ground and pound shots to win the fight by TKO. For Captain Eric, he says Cejudo followed the gameplan perfectly.