MMA News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tom Taylor - May 19, 2020

The ONE Championship heavyweight division has produced some incredible knockouts over the years, and you can relive the very best of those knockouts right here (via ONE Championship on YouTube).

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.