MMA News

Tom Taylor - May 13, 2020

According to a report from Russian sports daily Sport Express, which has been corroborated by Russian outlet RT, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the father and trainer of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, is in a coma in a Moscow hospital. According to these reports Abdulmanap was initially hospitalized in his native Dagestan with “suspected pneumonia”, and subsequently transported via a “special flight” to a military hospital in the Russian capital amid concerns about potential heart problems.

Cole Shelton - May 13, 2020

Eryk Anders is looking to extend his winning streak to three when he battles Krzysztof Jotko this Saturday in Jacksonville. The two were scheduled to fight at UFC Portland on April 11, but, the event was canceled leaving them to be rebooked for May 16. For Anders, he’s excited he gets the opportunity to compete during this time and is also happy it will still be against Jotko.

Tom Taylor - May 13, 2020

Top UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou recently got a boxing lesson from legendary former heavyweight champion “Iron” Mike Tyson. Just like Tyson was in his heyday, Ngannou has become known for his ferocious, one-punch knockout power, so fans were immediately excited to see these two stars working together. See it below:

Adam Martin - May 13, 2020

UFC president Dana White says the lightweight title unification bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje will take place in September. Nurmagomedov was set to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in April but the card was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. After the dust settled and Nurmagomedov was stuck in Russa, the UFC was able to re-book the UFC card with Ferguson against Gaethje for the interim lightweight title.

Tom Taylor - May 13, 2020

Veteran MMA referee Herb Dean has reacted to Dominick Cruz’s incendiary accusations against Keith Peterson, who officiated his UFC 249 fight with Henry Cejudo. Cruz was defeated by Cejudo by second-round TKO, but immediately protested Peterson’s decision to end the fight. He later accused the referee of smelling like alcohol and cigarettes, and during a Monday interview with ESPN, doubled down on these accusations.

Adam Martin - May 13, 2020

Daniel Cormier believes that his rivalry with UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is the greatest series the heavyweight division has ever seen. Cormier and Miocic have fought twice, with Cormier knocking out Miocic at UFC 226 to win the UFC heavyweight title, and then Miocic knocking out DC at UFC 241 to win his title back. The DC KO on Miocic was incredible, but Miocic’s comeback win with body shots over DC in the rematch was also amazing to watch. Now the pair looks to conclude their exciting trilogy later this year when they meet for a third and presumably final time in the Octagon.

Tom Taylor - May 13, 2020

A fight between Marvin Vettori and Karl Roberson has been removed from the lineup for tonight’s UFC Jacksonville card, per ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani. Tonight’s Karl Roberson vs. Marvin Vettori fight is off, per multiple sources. Roberson fell ill after a tough weight cut. Non-COVID related. More shortly.

Tom Taylor - May 13, 2020

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith once fought an opponent who got out of jail the very same day as their bout. Smith, who takes on Glover Teixeira in the main event of tonight’s UFC Jacksonville card, shared this wild story in a recent interview with MMA Fighting.

Harry Kettle - May 13, 2020

The UFC has been forced to postpone its May 23 event, with May 30 being lined up as a potential new date. The report comes from MMA Junkie who have spoken with several people close to the situation, with the belief being that it just wasn’t possible to get all of the pieces in place in time for May 23.

Natasha Hooper - May 13, 2020

On May 11, an Iowa man later identified as former UFC fighter Tim Gorman was arrested for carrying 121 lbs of marijuana as well as other substances such as cocaine and steroids. Gorman, 37, of West Des Moines has been charged with two counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, possession with intent to deliver and possession of money during a drug violation.

Natasha Hooper - May 13, 2020

UFC bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo has only been retired for a few days, and he’s already laying the groundwork for a move to boxing. At UFC 249 last Saturday, Cejudo faced the former champion Dominick Cruz in a bantamweight title bout. He won by TKO in the second round, but Cruz disagreed with that stoppage. After his victory, Cejudo announced his shocking retirement from the sport.

Harry Kettle - May 13, 2020

UFC light heavyweight king Jon Jones feels he has spoiled fight fans to the point that simply winning his fights is not longer enough. While many fans and pundits alike consider Jones to be the greatest of all time, he has certainly had some difficulty in defending the Light Heavyweight Championship in his last two fights.

Christopher Taylor - May 12, 2020

Former UFC champion Conor McGregor made headlines earlier this week when he took aim at Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Just days after the Ultimate Fighting Championship held their highly anticipated UFC 249 event, which marked the promotions first fight card in over a month, McGregor took to Twitter where he proceeded to unload on multiple lightweight standouts.

Cole Shelton - May 12, 2020

Dan Hardy believes he would knockout Anthony Pettis if they were to fight. Hardy was diagnosed with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome in 2013 leaving him unable to fight. Yet, in 2018 the Englishman announced he was cleared to compete again and in 2019 said he has joined the USADA testing pool.

Cole Shelton - May 12, 2020

Tony Ferguson did not take kindly to Conor McGregor’s recent Twitter rant. In the main event of UFC 249, Ferguson was taking on Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. It was a phenomenal fight but in the end, it was Gaethje who got his hand raised by fifth-round TKO.

Cole Shelton - May 12, 2020

Edson Barboza has been a perennial lightweight contender for years but on Saturday, he will make the move down to 145 pounds to take on Dan Ige. When Barboza announced he was going to make the move to featherweight, it was surprising for some. Yet, for the Brazilian, he says he needs some new challenges, and fighting at 145 pounds gives him that opportunity.

Cole Shelton - May 12, 2020

Dana White is hoping Khabib Nurmagomedov can defend his belt against Justin Gaethje on Fight Island this summer. This past weekend, Gaethje TKO’d Tony Ferguson in the fifth round to win the interim lightweight title. It was a phenomenal performance which has setup the ‘Highlight’ for a title unification bout with Nurmagomedov. That contest will take place on Fight Island, according to Dana White.

Adam Martin - May 12, 2020

Following his win at UFC 249, Francis Ngannou has opened as the betting favorite for a potential heavyweight showdown against Daniel Cormier. Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in just 20 seconds on the UFC 249 PPV card to reaffirm his position as one of the top contenders in the UFC heavyweight division. “The Predator” is now running a four-fight win streak, with first-round knockouts over Rozenstruik, Junior dos Santos, Cain Velasquez, and Curtis Blaydes.