MMA News

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020

Former two-division UFC champ Daniel Cormier is willing to undertake commentary duty for upcoming UFC events — provided certain conditions are met. The UFC schedule has been massively affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. While most sports organizations have closed up shop, however, UFC president Dana White has taken a show-must-go-on approach, moving multiple events to the Tachi Palace Casino in California, and even suggesting some events could occur on a “private island.”

Adam Martin - April 9, 2020

A heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris has been rescheduled to take place at the UFC Fight Island event on May 16. Overeem and Harris were supposed to meet at UFC Washington, D.C. in December 2019 but Harris was forced to withdraw after the murder of his daughter Aniah Blanchard. Overeem ended up fighting Jairzinho Rozenstruik and was knocked out in the fifth round of the fight. The UFC re-booked Overeem to fight Harris at UFC Portland but the card was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020

On Wednesday night, news surfaced that former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has been forced out of her planned UFC 249 rematch with Jessica Andrade. Now we know why.

Adam Martin - April 9, 2020

UFC bantamweight contender Jose Aldo and 13 other Brazilian MMA fighters have been removed from upcoming UFC events in the United States. Aldo was set to fight Henry Cejudo in the main event of UFC 250 for the bantamweight championship, but Aldo was unable to obtain a visa to fight in the U.S. after the card was moved from Sao Paulo to Tachi Palace. Instead, the UFC is giving Dominick Cruz the title shot against Cejudo.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020

The UFC has dropped a new promo for the upcoming UFC 249 event, declaring it “the most stacked card of the year.” See this new promo below:

Adam Martin - April 9, 2020

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate says she is OK with UFC president Dana White’s plans to keep the UFC running during the coronavirus pandemic — as long as he does so safely. Even with the pandemic ravaging the world, White announced this week that he plans on following through with the UFC’s upcoming events, with the first four taking place at Tachi Palace in California and then the next batch of events taking place on a mysterious private island. By contrast, ONE Championship — which employs Tate — has canceled its upcoming two cards, despite originally announcing they would take place behind closed doors.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020

The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) has agreed to list the upcoming UFC 249 card as a sanctioned event. UFC 249, which is scheduled for April 18, was originally expected to go down in Brooklyn, New York, but has been moved to the Tachi Palace Casino on tribal land in California as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020

UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik has some understandable concerns about calling the upcoming UFC 249 event. UFC 249 is scheduled for April 18. It was originally expected to go down in Brooklyn, New York, but has been moved to tribal land in California to skirt public health advisories and travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020

Conor McGregor has made no secret of his admiration for former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell. The feeling seems to be mutual.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020

Joe Rogan is hesitant about serving as a commentator for UFC 249, and from the sounds of it, for any other UFC cards that occur during the coronavirus pandemic. Rogan previously stated that he wouldn’t be on commentary duty for UFC 249.

Harry Kettle - April 9, 2020

Dustin Poirier has said that he understands why he wasn’t the man chosen to replace Khabib Nurmagomedov in the UFC 249 main event. When Nurmagomedov’s removal from the UFC 249 card was confirmed, speculation began regarding who may be the man to replace him on the seemingly doomed card. Poirier was one of several fighters to offer to step in. It was eventually revealed to be Justin Gaethje, with many believing “The Highlight” had more than earned the right to fight for the title — even if it’s only the interim alternative.

Natasha Hooper - April 9, 2020

Daniel Cormier is ready to do whatever it takes to fight Stipe Miocic, even if that means fighting in an empty arena. The former heavyweight champion has fought Stipe Miocic twice. In 2018 at UFC 226, he delivered a showstopper knockout against his opponent in the first round to seal the victory. In their second meeting a year later, “DC” delivered another strong performance. However, the body shots he endured at the hands of Miocic eventually caught up with him and he lost by TKO in the fourth round.

Harry Kettle - April 9, 2020

Jacare Souza has admitted that he is scared of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, but that he will still fight at UFC 249 in order to help pay his bills. As of this writing, UFC 249 is scheduled to go ahead on April 18 on tribal land in California. One of the most intriguing undercard fights will see Jacare, 40, go head to head with Ultimate Fighter 17 winner Uriah Hall.

Christopher Taylor - April 9, 2020

Justin Gaethje will be stepping up on short notice to battle Tony Ferguson for the UFC interim lightweight title in the main event of UFC 249 on April 18. Ferguson was originally slated to challenge undisputed lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at the event. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ‘The Eagle’ was grounded in Russia and unable to participate at the California-based event.

Christopher Taylor - April 8, 2020

Former UFC featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo will no longer be challenging Henry Cejudo for the promotions bantamweight title at UFC 250. As reported by Combate, Aldo’s removal from the event stems from the Covid-19 pandemic which has forced the legend to remain in Brazil.

Mike Pendleton - April 8, 2020

As the UFC moves forward with UFC 249, questions have come up to the safety of all those involved with the event, from the fighters to the coaches, and all event personnel, and what safety precautions will be in place due to the ongoing COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. One fighter on the card, Francis Ngannou, provided a very encouraging update to how the UFC will be handling the event from a safety standpoint. After their fight in March was postponed, Ngannou is scheduled to face Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 249 on April 18, and spoke to BJPENN.com about the precautions in place for the event. Making an appearance on BJPENN.com’s Inside The Cage, Ngannou revealed that he and his team will be tested for COVID-19 prior to UFC 249, and he had no worries about the UFC keeping him and everyone involved healthy and safe.

Cole Shelton - April 8, 2020

Frankie Edgar is the latest UFC fighter to call out Henry Cejudo. Cejudo is scheduled to defend his bantamweight title against Jose Aldo on May 9 at a location to be announced. The scrap is set to headline UFC 250, which was expected to go down in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but the venue was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adam Martin - April 8, 2020

UFC light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira criticized Jon Jones for his recent DUI arrest and said he wants the UFC to suspend Jones for one year. Jones was arrested a few weeks back for a DUI and gun charges but reached a deal with prosecutors that involved house arrest but no jail time. The deal was criticized by fans and media for being too weak a punishment for a repeat offender. Most of his fellow MMA fighters have been supportive of Jones, but Teixeira has no problem throwing down the hammer on the champ.