MMA News
Tony Ferguson reacts following rebooking of Justin Gaethje fight
Chris Taylor - April 14, 2020
Former UFC interim lightweight title holder Tony Ferguson is once again slated to square off with Justin Gaethje, this time on May 9. The lightweight standouts were originally set to meet in the headliner of UFC 249, however that event was ultimately postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Valentina Shevchenko praises Dana White's "Fight Island"
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.
US president Donald Trump adds Dana White and Vince McMahon to economic task force
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.
UFC announces full fight card for May 9, including three title fights
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.
Who has the best chance to end Alexander Volkanovski's reign?
Cole Shelton - April 14, 2020
Alexander Volkanovski is one of the newest UFC champions as he dethroned Max Holloway back at UFC 245. He has yet to defend his strap once as he has been dealing with a hand injury he sustained in the scrap. So, when the UFC returns to normal Volkanovski will have a bevy of contenders to defend his strap against. The featherweight division doesn’t have a clear cut number one contender but features the likes of Holloway, Chan Sung Jung, Brian Ortega, and Zabit Magomedsharipov among others. So, who has the best chance to end Volkanovski’s reign as champ?
Ronda Rousey defends UFC Reebok deal, suggest individual sponsorships are outdated
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.
UFC's Alistair Overeem suspects he "probably already had" coronavirus
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.
Justin Gaethje responds to Tony Ferguson's weigh-in question
Tom Taylor - April 14, 2020
Tony Ferguson recently announced that he intends to make weight for his canceled fight with Justin Gaethje this Friday. On Tuesday morning, he asked Gaethje if he intends to do the same. @Justin_Gaethje You Gonna Make Weight Friday? @ufc #ufc249 -CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽
Petr Yan chides Henry Cejudo for calling out fighters riding losses
Adam Martin - April 14, 2020
Petr Yan took to social media to criticize UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo for calling out fighters coming off of a loss. Cejudo said this week that he is targeting fights against aging legends Frankie Edgar and Dominick Cruz, both of whom are coming off of a loss in their last bout. Cruz’s last fight was a decision loss to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207 in December 2016, while Edgar was knocked out by The Korean Zombie at UFC Busan in December 2019. Cejudo was also set to fight Jose Aldo — who was coming off of a loss to Marlon Moraes at UFC 250 — before Aldo was removed from the card due to travel restrictions. Yan noticed that Cejudo has only been calling out fighters coming off of losses and decided to take a shot at the champ.
Former Houston Rockets prospect Royce White eyes MMA debut
Adam Martin - April 14, 2020
Former Houston Rockets prospect and Sacramento Kings power forward Royce White is preparing to make his debut in mixed martial arts. White was drafted 16th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 NBA draft. He never ended up playing for the Rockets and was later traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he was waived. He ended up signing with the Sacramento Kings and played three times for them in the 2013-14 NBA season, but that was the last time we saw him in the NBA.
Cody Garbrandt bashes Cejudo vs. Cruz fight, champ issues savage response
Tom Taylor - April 14, 2020
Cody Garbrandt is not a fan of the bantamweight title fight between champ Henry Cejudo and challenger Dominick Cruz that was briefly on the table for the postponed UFC 250 card. Garbrandt, who is a former UFC bantamweight champ, shared his gripes with the matchup on Twitter on Monday.
Tony Ferguson to Justin Gaethje: "You gonna make weight Friday?"
Tom Taylor - April 14, 2020
Despite the cancelation of UFC 249, Tony Ferguson intends to make weight for his would-be interim lightweight title fight with Justin Gaethje this Friday. Now, he wants to know if Gaethje plans on doing the same.
The Rock heaps praise on "beast of a man" Francis Ngannou after training offer
Tom Taylor - April 14, 2020
During a recent Q&A on Instagram, pro wrestling legend and Hollywood superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had an interesting interaction with UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou. Ngannou joined the Q&A and named Johnson as one of of his inspirations. He also asked the star to join him in the gym. Johnson responded affirmatively and heaped praise on Ngannou for his skill.
Kelvin Gastelum reflects on loss to Israel Adesanya: “It burns in my heart to know I was that close”
Harry Kettle - April 14, 2020
UFC middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum has spoken about his historic defeat at the hands of Israel Adesanya back at UFC 236. It’s not an exaggeration to claim that Gastelum’s war with Adesanya for the Interim UFC Middleweight Championship was easily the Fight of the Year for 2019, which is saying something given the volume of world class fights we saw throughout those twelve months.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach has a message for critics following UFC 249 backlash
Natasha Hooper - April 14, 2020
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach Javier Mendez has come to the defence of his fighter amidst criticism regarding his UFC 249 withdrawal. The undefeated lightweight champion was expected to face Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. The UFC stars were scheduled to fight four times in the past, but the matchup was foiled for medical reasons each time. Their fifth matchup was no different as “The Eagle” pulled out a few weeks before their scheduled fight.
The Rock sends message of support to UFC fighters during pandemic
Tom Taylor - April 14, 2020
Pro wrestling legend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who is a big UFC fan, recently sent a message of support to UFC fighters who have been deprived of the opportunity to fight due to the coronavirus pandemic. Until as recently as last Thursday, it looked as though the UFC might continue operating during the pandemic, but company president Dana White ultimately had to pull the plug on the all upcoming events.
Conor McGregor breaks down UFC 246 knockout win: "I’ve been striking them where they believe they can’t be struck"
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2020
Conor McGregor has reflected on his remarkable UFC 246 win over Donald Cerrone. McGregor was making his highly-anticipated return to the Octagon in the main event against Cerrone. He was also moving up a weight class to welterweight, where he was looking to get back into the win column following his fourth-round submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Henry Cejudo wants Frankie Edgar next because "brittle" Dominick Cruz won't make it to the fight
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2020
Henry Cejudo is looking for his first bantamweight title defense to be against a legend. Cejudo hasn’t fought since he beat Marlon Moraes by TKO to win the vacant bantamweight title. He was scheduled to face Jose Aldo at UFC 250, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the fight was scrapped. He was then slated to fight Dominick Cruz on the fight card, but the status of UFC 250 is unknown at this time.