MMA News
Report: Marvin Vettori vs Karl Roberson rescheduled for June 13
Alfredo Zullino - May 20, 2020
He asked for it, and he got it. A middleweight bout between Marvin Vettori and Karl Roberson has been rebooked for next month. The “Italian Dream” was supposed to square off against Karl Roberson on May 13, but the latter had been forced off the fight card due to some weight-cut related issues.
Coach: Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa will be "the greatest middleweight title fight in history"
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2020
Eric Albarracin has high expectations for Israel Adesanya vs Paulo Costa. Adesanya and Costa have been going back-and-forth at one another for months a fight between them seems likely. It would see both men put their undefeated records on the line, in what Albarracin says will be the greatest middleweight title fight in history.
Francis Ngannou wishes Jairzinho Rozenstruik fight went longer so he could have showcased his ground game
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2020
Francis Ngannou didn’t expect to knock out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds at UFC 249 and is semi-disappointed that he did. Entering the fight, Ngannou was on a three-fight winning with all three wins coming by knockout in under two minutes. Against Rozenstruik, however, Ngannou wanted to show off his much-improved cardio and ground game to prove to people he was ready for a title shot.
UFC rankings update: Glover Teixeira climbs at light heavyweight
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
The official UFC rankings have been updated after the promotion’s recent events in Jacksonville, and there have been some interesting changes. Most notably, former light heavyweight title challenger Glover Teixeira made a climb up the light heavyweight list on the strength of his Wednesday night defeat of Anthony Smith.
Stephen Thompson makes prediction for Tyron Woodley vs. Gilbert Burns fight
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson believes Tyron Woodley will defeat Gilbert Burns when the pair collide on May 30. Woodley and Burns will meet in the main event of the May 30 card, which still doesn’t have an official location but is expected to go down in Las Vegas or somewhere in Arizona. Woodley, the former welterweight champ, will be looking to be rebound from a title loss to Kamaru Usman, while Burns will be hunting for the biggest win of his career so far.
Mark Hunt trashes UFC over Henry Cejudo situation
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Mark Hunt has some choice words for the UFC after former two-division champ Henry Cejudo seemingly retired over pay issues. Shortly after he defended the UFC bantamweight title with a TKO defeat of Dominick Cruz, Henry Cejudo shocked viewers by announcing his decision to retire. It quickly became clear that his retirement stemmed from issues surrounding his pay. It’s also widely believed that he’ll return if the right offer is presented.
Joe Rogan's deal with Spotify reportedly worth more than $100M
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Yesterday afternoon, news surfaced that the popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the creation of UFC commentator Joe Rogan, will be streaming exclusively on Spotify by year’s end. A followup report from the Wall Street Journal, which cites a source familiar with the situation, suggests the deal between Rogan and Spotify is worth more than $100M. The WSJ report adds that this is one of the biggest deals in history of the podcast business.
Following Maycee Barber mauling, Roxanne Modafferi has next UFC fight booked
Adam Martin - May 20, 2020
Following a dominant victory over Maycee Barber at UFC 246, Roxanne Modafferi has been booked for her next fight in the Octagon against Lauren Murphy. Mke Heck of MMAFighting.com reported that Modafferi vs. Murphy will take place at a UFC event scheduled for June 20. According to the report, the UFC hopes to have this event take place at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, but UFC president Dana White admitted this week that the state of Arizona is a realistic possibility if Vegas can’t happen.
UFC on ESPN 8 produces strong viewership ratings
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Last Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event in Jacksonville, Florida delivered strong viewership ratings for the promotion. According to a report from MMA Fighting, which cites data collected by the Nielsen Ratings System, the UFC on ESPN 8 main card averaged 1.198 million viewers and finished second in the valuable 18-49 demographic. It was No. 1 for the male audience in that age grouping.
Jon Jones responds to Francis Ngannou: “You ain’t scaring nobody, I saw your heart"
Harry Kettle - May 20, 2020
UFC light heavyweight king Jon Jones has hit back at Francis Ngannou as rumors of a fight between the two continue to grow. “The Predator” took another huge step towards a second title shot when he knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in just 20 seconds at UFC 249. Jones, on the other hand, is coming off the back of a controversial victory over Dominick Reyes in Houston.
Alistair Overeem calls for a rematch with “Bigi Boy” following TKO victory over Walt Harris
Harry Kettle - May 20, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem has called for a rematch with Jairzinho Rozenstruik following his TKO win over Walt Harris. The Dutchman was able to return to winning ways at the weekend with an emotional and impressive triumph over the aforementioned Harris, overcoming an early onslaught in the process.
Jon Jones plays Tweet and delete following latest jab at Francis Ngannou
Natasha Hooper - May 20, 2020
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is playing a Twitter post and delete game as he attempts to bait Francis Ngannou into a fight. Jon Jones’ reign as the 205-pound king has been put into question since his last fight against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. Jones won the fight by decision, but many spectators felt “The Devastator” gave the stronger performance.
Walt Harris plans to take Alistair Overeem up on his offer to train together following TKO loss
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2020
Walt Harris says he will be taking Alistair Overeem up on his offer to train together following his TKO loss. In the main event of UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Florida, Harris returned to the Octagon to battle Overeem. It was an important fight for the heavyweight division and early on, “The Big Ticket” dropped the 40-year-old and nearly finished him in the first round.
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.
Francis Ngannou opens as betting favorite over Jon Jones
Adam Martin - May 19, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou opened as the betting favorite in a potential superfight against UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Ngannou and Jones have been going back-and-forth on social media as of late with talks of a potential heavyweight superfight between two of the UFC’s biggest stars. Jones would be moving up in weight to take on Ngannou in what would undoubtedly be one of the biggest fights in UFC history. Now the sportsbooks are getting in on the action.
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.