MMA News
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.
Gilbert Burns confirms "bout agreement is signed" for Tyron Woodley fight
Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020
Streaking UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns says he’s signed a bout agreement for a long-rumored scrap with former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley. Burns has gone 3-0 since moving from the lightweight division to the welterweight division, defeating Alexey Kunchenko, Gunnar Nelson, and most recently, former title challenger Demian Maia, who he knocked out in March.
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.
Daniel Cormier praises Jon Jones for "gangster" move of calling out Francis Ngannou
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020
Daniel Cormier says Jon Jones calling out Francis Ngannou is a gangster move. Ever since Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in just 20 seconds at UFC 249, Jones has talked about moving up to fight him. It immediately caught the attention of the MMA world who has called for “Bones” to move up to heavyweight for years.
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.
Sayif Saud making Fortis MMA into a top gym with five ranked UFC fighters
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020
Sayif Saud didn’t expect Fortis MMA to become this successful so early on. Saud, who used to be an MMA fighter and trained at JacksonWink MMA, became a coach due to injuries limiting his pro career. After coaching around at various gyms, Saud, alongside former NBA player Deron Williams opened up Fortis MMA in 2017.
Jon Jones tells UFC to "send the deal" for Francis Ngannou superfight
Adam Martin - May 18, 2020
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones reaffirmed his interest in a Francis Ngannou superfight, telling the UFC to “send the deal” for him to sign. Jones and Ngannou have been talking on social media and in interviews as of late about a potential superfight between two of the sport’s biggest stars. There’s no doubt that if this fight were to be booked it would be one of the biggest fights the UFC could ever make. Both Jones and Ngannou are at the top of their games right now, making a potential superfight between them at heavyweight one of the most intriguing matchups possible.
Dana White responds to COVID-19 testing criticisms from John Oliver
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020
Dana White has responded to a piece of criticism from John Oliver, who discussed the UFC’s operations during the coronavirus pandemic on the latest episode of Last Week Tonight. Despite the ongoing pandemic, White and the UFC recently managed to promote a trio of fight cards in Jacksonville, Florida.
John Oliver reacts to Dana White's "insane" Fight Island plan on Last Week Tonight
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020
Count late night television host John Oliver among the skeptics of UFC President Dana White’s much discussed Fight Island plans. Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, White and the UFC recently managed to promote a trio of entertaining fight cards in Jacksonville, Florida. That being said, the lineups for these cards were composed completely of American fighters and fighters based in the United States, as travel restrictions have made it difficult to get international fighters onto US soil.
Tyron Woodley responds to ranking gripe from Dominick Reyes
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has responded to a rankings-related gripe from recent light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes. Reyes recently took to Twitter to air his disappointment about being bumped out of the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings by Woodley, who currently holds the No. 15 spot.
Alistair Overeem was "fired up" about fighting in an empty arena
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem says he enjoyed the experience of fighting in an emptied-out arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Overeem defeated Walt Harris via second-round TKO in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 card. Like most sporting events going on during the coronavirus pandemic, this one went down without any fans in attendance — just the fighters, their corners, and the required UFC staff.
Conor McGregor reviews performance in Mayweather fight ahead of "part 2"
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020
Conor McGregor recently rewatched his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and he seems to be very happy with his performance. McGregor, a former two-division UFC champ, and Mayweather, an undefeated boxing legend, met in the boxing ring in 2017. The pair’s crossover fight generated massive mainstream interest and went down as one of the most lucrative bouts in combat sports history.
Dana White says next UFC card could take place in Arizona
Adam Martin - May 18, 2020
UFC president Dana White says he hopes the next UFC card will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, but he’s prepared to go to Arizona if that can’t happen. The UFC’s next show is set for May 30, but the location is still up in the air at this point. The event was originally targeted to take place in Jacksonville but White later said the UFC was hoping to put on the event at the Apex in Las Vegas. However, Nevada still hasn’t given White the go-ahead to start running events again, and with the card just two weeks away the UFC is already on Plan B in the event it can’t hold the card in Vegas.
What's next for Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris after UFC on ESPN 8?
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020
In the main event of UFC on ESPN 8, Alistair Overeem was looking to get back into the win column when he fought Walt Harris. “The Big Ticket” was making his return to the Octagon after the murder of his stepdaughter Aniah. The emotions were high for this one. But, in the end, it was Overeem who got the job done by second-round TKO. Harris, though, did have success early on as he dropped the Dutchman in the first round but Overeem survived.