MMA News

Tom Taylor - April 15, 2020

Conor McGregor, Israel Adesanya, Cris Cyborg, Michael Bisping, Stephen Thompson, Leon Edwards, Dillon Danis, Megan Anderson, Li Jingliang and a host of other MMA stars represented by Paradigm Sports Management have come together to encourage social distancing and safe practices during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The MMA stars helped spread this message in a video published by Paradigm Sports Management on Wednesday afternoon. See it below:

Tom Taylor - April 15, 2020

While most of the world is still locked down to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, UFC President Dana White has been defiantly attempting to keep his company running throughout the crisis. Former two-division UFC champ Randy Couture isn’t sure how to feel about that. Couture delved into the topic on an episode of Weighing In with John McCarthy and Josh Thomson.

Tom Taylor - April 15, 2020

For many years, Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber were two of the most heated rivals in MMA. From the sounds if it, however, their mutual animus has diminished. Speaking on MMA Fighting’s The A-Side, Faber was asked by a fan if he’d rather be on a sinking life boat with Cruz, or his teammate-turned-nemesis TJ Dillashaw.

Tom Taylor - April 15, 2020

Georges St-Pierre has a bit of advice for any fighters that end up competing during the coronavirus pandemic: get creative with your training. While the pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the globe, it’s looking increasingly likely that live fights will resume in the coming weeks. That’s promising news for fighters seeking paydays, but it will not be easy for them to prepare for their fights. Social distancing is still being encouraged the world over as the risk of infection is still very high, which means fighters are likely to run into difficulties when attempting to train with others. Furthermore, many gyms remain closed to combat the spread of the virus.

Adam Martin - April 15, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier says that he is interested in taking on Conor McGregor or Nate Diaz in a boxing match. Poirier hasn’t fought since a submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov last Septemeber at UFC 242 in a failed bid to win the UFC lightweight championship. The top-five ranked lightweight was scheduled to fight Dan Hooker at UFC San Diego, but that card fell apart due to the coronavirus pandemic. That leaves Poirier without a fight at the moment, and like other fighters, he’s anxious to get back in there and compete.

Tom Taylor - April 15, 2020

Former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. In fact, at the height of his dominance, he was viewed by many fans as the best fighter on earth. Speaking with ESPN recently, however, St-Pierre refuted the notion that any fighter can truly call themselves the best fighter alive. By his estimation, even the most dominant fighter can be beaten by somebody — though many are lucky enough to avoid crossing paths with that person.

Tom Taylor - April 15, 2020

Anthony Smith was recently the victim of a violent home invasion. Shortly after Smith shared the story of this ordeal, his former foe, UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, took to Twitter to boast that, if his home had been broken into, the intruder wouldn’t have left on his feet. Glad Anthony is OK, no way dude would have left my house walking https://t.co/U6wSr8KmA8

Harry Kettle - April 15, 2020

Dominick Cruz has reacted to the news that his UFC Bantamweight Championship fight against Henry Cejudo is back on.  The expectation was that Cruz, the former bantamweight king, would challenge for the belt at UFC 250. Now that it’s become clear that event won’t be happening in Brazil, UFC president Dana White appears to be shifting his attention towards a blockbuster card on May 9 in Las Vegas. 

Harry Kettle - April 15, 2020

UFC president Dana White has claimed that the UFC Apex facility will start hosting events next month and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Despite the recent setbacks that the UFC has been facing, it appears as if there’s a decent chance they’ll continue to try and get live events back on in some way, shape or form in May, with May 9 being suggested as a possible date for what could turn out to be a super card.

Tom Taylor - April 15, 2020

Rich Franklin wears many hats. He’s a former UFC champ. He’s a ONE Championship executive. He’s the President of ONE Warrior Series and the host of the web series of the same name. And now, he’s a podcast host. Last week, the former UFC middleweight champion announced the launch of his new podcast, Franklin Speaking, which is co-hosted by his ONE Warrior Series co-star Jonathan Fong.

Alfredo Zullino - April 14, 2020

The entire mixed martial arts world is on a hiatus due to all the coronavirus madness going on these days, and so is Italy’s fighting legend Alessio Sakara. Since the beginning of the full lockdown in Italy, the former UFC fighter, and current Bellator star, is quarantined just like the rest of his fellow countrymen.

Chris Taylor - April 14, 2020

Tony Ferguson decided to take a dig at reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov earlier this evening on social media. Ferguson and Nurmagomedov were slated to fight in the headliner of UFC 249 in Brooklyn on April 18. However, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the event had to be rescheduled and a new venue had to be procured by the promotion.

Natasha Hooper - April 14, 2020

UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is ready to touch down on the organization’s “fight island.” In fact, the 125-pound queen wants to commit 100% by training and even living there. Recent UFC fight cards have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The UFC president Dana White believes the best way to resume action is to set up events on a private island. According to White, his fight island venture is in the works. Multiple fighters are jumping at the opportunity to step foot on the island’s soil, and that includes Shevchenko.

Adam Martin - April 14, 2020

US president Donald Trump has added Dana White and Vince McMahon to his team of advisors helping to restart the American economy. White, the UFC president, and McMahon, the WWE chairman and CEO, are part of a large group of pro sports league heads that will team up on the advisory board for president Trump as he looks to help America rise from the ashes after the coronavirus pandemic has destroyed the world economy.

Cole Shelton - April 14, 2020

The UFC is looking to come back in a big way on May 9 and the targeted fight card has been released. Dana White recently told ESPN that the promotion is looking at May 9. Of course, the Las Vegas-based promotion was scheduled to hold an event at the Tachi Palace Resort and Casino on April 18. Yet, the higher-ups at Disney and ESPN put a stop to that due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, White is targeting May 9 as his return date which was originally scheduled to be UFC 250.

Cole Shelton - April 14, 2020

The UFC was forced to postpone UFC 249 and all events moving forward due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but they have their targeted return date. Dana White revealed to Brett Okamoto of ESPN the plan is to return on May 9 at a location to be announced. May 9, of course, was scheduled to be UFC 250. So, whether that will be the name of the event is unknown at this time. But, White revealed some matchups that will take place on the card like Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje, Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz, Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer and Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Adam Martin - April 14, 2020

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey defended the UFC deal with Reebok, saying that other sports set the standard for sponsorship deals. Rousey, who has been in the spotlight in recent days due to some recent comments she made about WWE, was recently a guest on the “Wild Ride! with Steve-O” podcast where she was asked about fighter pay. At one point in the interview, Steve-O pressed Rousey for her opinions on the UFC’s deal with Reebok, which Steve-O feels doesn’t do the athletes any good.

Tom Taylor - April 14, 2020

UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem suspects that he probably already had the coronavirus, although he didn’t experience any symptoms of COVID-19. Speaking on Duello Channel recently, Overeem admitted he was exposed to people with symptoms during a recent trip to Thailand, but believes that, as a finely-tuned professional athlete, he was fit enough to fend of the virus without much trouble.