MMA News

Tom Taylor - April 27, 2020

UFC President Dana White is adamant that, as of yet, no UFC employees have been laid off due to the coronavirus pandemic. That being said, White recognizes that many business are feeling the pinch during these unprecedented time, and forecasted that many members of the MMA media will soon find themselves on the chopping block. White discussed the topic in a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports, first assuring that all of “his people” are safe from potential layoffs.

Natasha Hooper - April 27, 2020

Pat Miletich is putting the gloves back on. Miletich is a legend of the MMA. He was the UFC’s first welterweight champion and is a member of the UFC Hall of Fame. Alongside legends like Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie, he set the gold standard for the sport in the late ’90s.

Natasha Hooper - April 27, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap, has revealed he is “feeling fine” despite a suspected pneumonia scare. As the world faces an ongoing health crisis, so did the lightweight champion’s father, as Abdulmanap was hospitalized over suspected pneumonia and flu-like symptoms. The news came from Dagestani sports commentator, Ramazan Rabadanov on Instagram.

Jason Kindschy - April 26, 2020

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”531935″ player=”20625″ title=”Knee On Belly Drill” duration=”18″ description=”BJ Penn demonstrates “Knee on Belly Drill”” uploaddate=”2020-03-18 19:49:54″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/15717/thumb/531935_t_1584560999.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/15717/sd/531935.mp4″”] In this segment of BJJ with BJ, “The Prodigy” demonstrates a quick drill for the knee on belly position.

Jason Kindschy - April 26, 2020

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”531945″ player=”20625″ title=”BJJ with BJ Pass Guard Toro Ando Drill” duration=”29″ description=”BJ Penn demonstrates “Pass Guard Toro Ando Drill”.” uploaddate=”2020-03-18 20:07:59″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/15717/thumb/531945_t_1584562085.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/15717/sd/531945.mp4″”] In this segment of BJJ with BJ, “The Prodigy” demonstrates the Toro Ando drill for passing an opponents guard.

Adam Martin - April 26, 2020

UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards says he is interested in a fight against top contender Colby Covington in order to “shut him up.” Edwards was supposed to fight Tyron Woodley in a five-round main event at UFC London in March. The card was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic and Edwards has been in limbo ever since. There’s still a chance the UFC could re-book Edwards vs. Woodley at some point, but given global travel restrictions at the moment, it doesn’t seem like it’s a fight that will be happening anytime soon.

Adam D Martin - April 26, 2020

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith is upset that the MMA media turned his recent home invasion story into a rivalry with champion Jon Jones. Smith and Jones, of course, met last March at UFC 235, with Jones once again defending the UFC light heavyweight championship with a unanimous decision win. The two have remained mostly cordial since that fight on social media and in interviews. But when Smith recently told the story of having his home invaded by an alleged drug-fueled former wrestler in the middle of the night, Jones used it to take a shot at Smith.

Adam D Martin - April 26, 2020

Ray Borg is among the new fighters that have been added to the upcoming UFC card on Wednesday, May 13 in Jacksonville, Florida. Borg will take on Ricky Simon in a men’s bantamweight contest, while a women’s bantamweight bout featuring Sijara Eubanks vs. Sara Moras has also been added to the card. Jeff Fox was the first to report the new matchups.

Adam D Martin - April 26, 2020

UFC president Dana White doesn’t anticipate have crowds at a UFC event anytime soon, saying he doesn’t expect a live gate “for a very long time.” White has been adamant all along that the UFC’s show would not be affected by the coronavirus pandemic. But that didn’t stop several fight cards in March and April from being canceled. White did everything he could to hold the original UFC 249 card on April 18 at Tachi Palace in Leemore, California, but ultimately the UFC was forced to stand pat and not hold the event. The promotion is now looking to make a return to ESPN+ at the new UFC 249 card on May 9 in Jacksonville, Florida, though without a crowd present.

Adam D Martin - April 26, 2020

UFC heavyweight contender Greg Hardy said that he wants to live on Fight Island and break his own record by fighting six times a year on it. Hardy is coming off of a mostly-successful UFC rookie year in 2019. Though controversy followed him at every turn due to his dark past, Hardy showed that he is a legitimate heavyweight contender by going 2-2, 1 NC in his first fights in the Octagon, all of which took place within the span of one calendar year. Hardy set the record for most UFC fights in one year by a heavyweight in the process (though it’s happened in other weight classes.)

Adam D Martin - April 26, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker praised the legendary Fedor Emelianenko, gushing over the Russian’s recent KO win over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. Emelianenko is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time and is still fighting at a high level. In a legends’ match at the Bellator and RIZIN New Year’s Eve card in December, Emelianenko was able to stop Jackson in the first round in a battle of former PRIDE superstars. It was another big win for Emelianenko in the later stages of his career, and at age 43, don’t look now, but he’s won three of his last four fights overall, all by knockout.

Adam D Martin - April 26, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon at UFC 249, and he doesn’t care he’s on the prelims. Werdum hasn’t fought since March 2018 when he was knocked out by Alexander Volkov at UFC London. The veteran Brazilian was then suspended by USADA for two years after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, though the suspension was later reduced to 10 months.

Chris Taylor - April 25, 2020

Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez believes that Conor McGregor would “put away” Tony Ferguson in a potential fight. Alvarez, who now fights for ONE Championship, recently sat down with The Score MMA where he discussed McGregor’s chances against fellow UFC lightweight contenders.

Chris Taylor - April 25, 2020

UFC strawweight standout Mackenzie Dern will make her return to the Octagon on May 23 against opponent Hannah Cifers. The news comes from MMAFighting.com, who recently reported that verbal agreements are in place to have Dern and Cifers compete at the May 23rd event.

Chris Taylor - April 25, 2020

In our newest segment “Top 5 Knockouts” we take a look back at some of the most brutal finishes that have occurred during numbered UFC events. In this the third edition of “Top 5 Knockouts”, we reflect back on UFC events 21 – 30, which occurred between the years of 1999 to 2001.

Chris Taylor - April 25, 2020

UFC President Dana White is defending the promotions decision to give Dominick Cruz a title shot against Henry Cejudo at UFC 249. ‘The Dominator’, who has not competed in over three years, will square off with ‘Triple C’ for the promotions bantamweight world title on May 9 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Chris Taylor - April 25, 2020

Chael Sonnen believes it is up to fight fans to make sure that Tony Ferguson does not get screwed by the UFC for a second time. During a recent interview on Submission Radio, Sonnen was asked how committed he believes the promotion is to booking a McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov rematch and if it makes sense for Conor to have a trilogy bout with Nate Diaz while the dust settles at lightweight.

Chris Taylor - April 25, 2020

The father of current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Abdulmanap, has been hospitalized due to a suspected pneumonia and flu. The news comes from Ramazan Rabadanov, a sports commentator from Dagestan, Russia.