MMA News

Tom Taylor - April 13, 2020

Daniel Cormier was willing to put on the commentary head-set and call the recently canceled UFC 249 card — provided the UFC could guarantee a safe work environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the sounds of it, Cormier was satisfied with the measures the UFC had in place to keep staff — specifically commentators — out of harm’s way during this health crisis.

Tom Taylor - April 13, 2020

Earlier this year, the UFC announced that a 2013 war between UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones and challenger Alexander Gustafsson will be inducted into the Fight Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. “Going into the first Jones vs. Gustafsson fight, fans and media didn’t care about the fight, because they didn’t believe Gustafsson deserved a title shot, and this thing ended up being the greatest light heavyweight title fight in UFC history,” UFC President Dana White said in the promotion’s official announcement. “To be there and watch it live was amazing. It was an incredible fight and both athletes gave everything they had for all five rounds. This fight was such a classic it was named the 2013 Fight of the Year and will always be considered one of the greatest fights in combat sports history. This fight showed what a true champion Jon Jones was, as this was the first time he was taken into deep waters and truly tested. This fight also put Gustafsson on the map and showed his true potential. Congratulations to Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson on being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame ‘Fight Wing’ for such an epic fight.”

Tom Taylor - April 13, 2020

Last week, UFC President Dana White announced that UFC 249 — along with all other upcoming UFC cards — are indefinitely postponed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. That includes the UFC 250 card, which was expected to be headlined by the latest appearance from UFC bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo. UFC 250 was originally expected to go down in Brazil on May 9 and be headlined by a title fight between Cejudo and former featherweight champ Jose Aldo. Amid growing travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, the card was briefly relocated to US soil, at which point Cejudo was instead matched up with former bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz.

Adam Martin - April 13, 2020

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington says he plans on making the move to professional wrestling with the WWE in 2021. Covington has taken the pro wrestling approach to his mixed martial arts career in recent years, dropping promos on the mic whenever he can. He is one of the top three welterweights in the world right now but many fans and media have always felt his calling could be the world of professional wrestling just due to his ability to talk on the mic.

Tom Taylor - April 13, 2020

Conor McGregor recently donated €1 million worth of protective gear to hospitals in his native Ireland. The pile of supplies McGregor purchased — which includes 50,000 PPE masks — are now reaching their destinations, which will hopefully make things easier on frontline staff as they continue to work against the coronavirus pandemic. See some photos of the supplies McGregor purchased reaching their destinations below:

Mike Pendleton - April 13, 2020

Francis Ngannou was expected to battle Jairzinho Rozenstruik at the recently canceled UFC 249 card. While this was a massive fight for the division, Ngannou feels he’s already earned another crack at UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic. Ngannou, who is riding consecutive knockout wins over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, opened up on this topic on BJPENN.com’s Inside The Cage.

Harry Kettle - April 13, 2020

UFC light heavyweight king Jon Jones has issued a response after Ariel Helwani suggested his recent arrest could cost him his ‘GOAT’ status. It’s safe to say that this has been a difficult time for Jones, with his reputation once again being in the gutter as a direct result of his inability to get out of his own way. While some believe he needs help, others want to see the Ultimate Fighting Championship punish him as they would with many others.

Natasha Hooper - April 13, 2020

Following his recent arrest for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), Jon Jones has dialed back his disdain for his former rival Daniel Cormier. In March, the UFC light heavyweight champion was stopped by police in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jones was arrested for a DWI, having an open container, and negligent use of a firearm. This isn’t the first time “Bones” has had a brush with the law, as he was also arrested for a hit and run in 2015.

Tom Taylor - April 13, 2020

Jon Jones and Israel Adesanya did not hold back in their latest social media skirmish. The pair, who are the UFC light heavyweight and middleweight champs respectively, went at it on Sunday night — and nothing was off limits. The back-and-forth began when Adesanya poked Jones, recycling a line Jones famously used on Daniel Cormier several years ago.

Chris Taylor - April 12, 2020

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones did an impromptu Easter fan Q&A on Twitter where he opened up about his difficulties with alcohol. ‘Bones’ was arrested earlier this month on four different counts, including aggravated DWI, negligent use of a firearm, possession of open container, and no proof of insurance in vehicle.

Adam Martin - April 12, 2020

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov took to social media to hint at a return to the Octagon in September after UFC 249 fell apart due to COVID-19. Nurmagomedov was set to defend his belt against Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249 but the event fell apart after the coronavirus pandemic destroyed the UFC’s schedules. Nurmagomedov had problems leaving Russia to fly back to the United States for the event, but ultimately it didn’t matter as the event was postponed after ESPN stepped in and told UFC president Dana White to stand down and stop the card from happening.

Adam Martin - April 12, 2020

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya talked smack to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones on Twitter, calling him a “p*ssy.” We all know there’s no love lost between Adesanya and Jones. The two champions have engaged in verbal sparring ever since Adesanya won the middleweight title from Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 last October. Adesanya has guaranteed that he’ll eventually meet Jones inside the Octagon, though Jones so far has brushed off all of Adesanya’s previous callouts in the past.

Adam D Martin - April 12, 2020

New footage has been released of the home invader in the Anthony Smith case, Luke Haberman, allegedly breaking into a neighbor’s home. The story of Smith having his house broken into in the middle of the night by a screaming stranger later confirmed to be Haberman went viral this past week. Smith admitted that he was terrified of the intruder and scared for his family, but ultimately he was able to control and subdue the intruder after a life-and-death struggle.

Adam D Martin - April 12, 2020

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman says he accepted short-notice matchups against Edmen Shahbazyan and Yoel Romero for UFC 250. Weidman was set to fight Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City, which is one of the events the UFC planned on holding at Tachi Palace. Hermansson was likely not able to get to the United States as an international fighter, and it appears the UFC matchmakers were working quickly to find a replacement opponent.

Adam D Martin - April 12, 2020

UFC superstar Conor McGregor had a famous quote of his sampled in a newly-released track by Canadian rapping sensation Tory Lanez. McGregor is one of the most quotable athletes in mixed martial arts and we previously covered some of his best quotes in a recent article. One of his most notable quotes is this one: “I’d like to take this chance to apologize, to absolutely nobody!” It’s one of the most oft-quoted sayings from McGregor, and now it’s part of a new rap song by Lanez, the Toronto-based Grammy-nominated rapper, who just dropped a new album.

Adam D Martin - April 12, 2020

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping believed that the intruder in the Anthony Smith home invasion was on drugs at the time of the attack. Smith made headlines last week when he told the story of an intruder entering his family home in the middle of the night, where he got into a life-and-death struggle that ultimately ended with the man being arrested by police. Smith admitted that he was terrified of the ordeal and said he feared for his life. Many MMA fighters have responded to the incident in support of Smith, and Bisping is no exception.

Adam D Martin - April 12, 2020

UFC middleweight contender Darren Till took to social media to respond to the trolls who taught MMA fighters from the safety of their homes. One of the biggest problems with MMA fans since the introduction of social media has been how easy it is for them to go online and talk smack from the safety of their computer screens. Fighters are used to dealing with harassment and trolling from fans on a daily basis, and now Till has fired back at those who have trolled him specifically.

Adam D Martin - April 12, 2020

Professional wrestlers for WWE took to social media to comment on Ronda Rousey and her recent comments about what “real fighters” are. Rousey made headlines this week when she criticized professional wrestling fans and then doubled down on it by calling wrestling matches “fake fights for fun,” insinuating what MMA fighters do is far more difficult and tougher. The comments were highly controversial and have led to a mostly negative reaction that Rousey did not expect.