MMA News

Harry Kettle - March 30, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight Tim Sylvia has explained how he lost his desire to fight in the latest episode of UFC’s Where Are They Now series. Many fighters have been and gone over the years in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but very few stick in the mind of fans as cult heroes. While he may have had his ups and downs, Tim Sylvia is certainly an iconic heavyweight figure in the history books of mixed martial arts.

Harry Kettle - March 30, 2020

Veteran referee John McCarthy has given fans his thoughts on the recent arrest of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. The incident involving Jones in Albuquerque has been discussed to death by the mixed martial arts community, with the general consensus being that “Bones” probably needs to get some help before things continue to escalate.

Adam Martin - March 30, 2020

The sportsbooks have revealed the odds on who will replace Khabib Nurmagomedov against Tony Ferguson in the main event of UFC 249. Nurmagomedov revealed on Monday that he is stuck in Russia and likely will not be able to compete at UFC 249, which is set to take place on April 18 at a location that still has not been revealed to the public. That leaves Ferguson without a dance partner for the main event, and now the sportsbooks are taking bets on who that may be.

Adam Martin - March 30, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson has reportedly been offered a fight against Justin Gaethje if Khabib Nurmagomedov cannot fight at UFC 249. Nurmagomedov said on Monday that he is stuck in Russia and, at this point, is not confident he will be able to leave his home country to fight at UFC 249, which is scheduled to take place April 18 at a location to-be-determined. With Nurmagomedov seemingly out of action, it leaves his opponent Ferguson without a dance partner. But perhaps not for much longer.

Natasha Hooper - March 30, 2020

UFC 250 fighters are in a precarious position, as they need to train for their upcoming fights amid a global pandemic. COVID-19 has spelt disaster for all live sporting events, including many inside the MMA bubble. UFC President Dana White has already cancelled three fight cards but has dug his heels in on UFC 249, which is scheduled for April 18.

Tom Taylor - March 30, 2020

Early on Monday morning, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov announced that he is stuck in Russia due to the country’s new travel restrictions. The implication here, of course, is that his long-awaited fight with Tony Ferguson now seems nearly impossible. While the bout is not officially cancelled yet, it seems very unlikely that it will have to be. Considering Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been scheduled to fight four times previously to no avail, that’s a tough pill to swallow.

Tom Taylor - March 30, 2020

Early on Monday morning, UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov announced that he is stranded in Russia due to the country’s new travel bans, thrusting his fight with Tony Ferguson into jeopardy. “We were training in the AKA without any information regarding the fight, where and how is it going to happen,” Nurmagomedov stated on Instagram, updating on the status of his fight Ferguson. “Then the UFC told us that the fight 100% isn’t happening in the States and they said that 99% that it will happen in Emirates, Abu Dhabi. After talking to the UFC we decided to fly over to the Emirates a month before the fight. I don’t remember the exact date, it was 19th or 20th, I’ll have to check. But when we landed in Emirates we learned that they are going to close borders and no one will be able to leave or fly in, with the exception of residents. So we had to fly back to Russia. Currently, I am in Dagestan and I am training and preparing every day. Although I don’t know what am I preparing for because after we came to Russia we also learned that the borders are going to be locked. Same as in the States, the same as in Europe, Emirates, everywhere. The whole world is in quarantine right now.”

Alfredo Zullino - March 30, 2020

It seems that the UFC 249 main event, which was expected to pit Khabib Nurmagomedov against Tony Ferguson, could be off the table again. There has been widespread worry over the last few days about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s whereabouts, and on Monday morning, “The Eagle” took to Instagram Live to confirm that he is seemingly stranded in Russia now that the country has closed its borders to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2020

UFC welterweight James Vick is determined to work on the defensive issues that have led him to a four-fight losing streak in the Octagon. Vick started off his UFC career with a 9-1 record, but he has since lost four straight fights to Justin Gaethje, Paul Felder, Dan Hooker, and Niko Price, with three of those losses coming by knockout. The loss to Price was particularly embarrassing for Vick as he became just the second fighter in UFC history to be knocked out from an upkick.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2020

UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson shared a video of the dance moves he’s been practicing while waiting out the coronavirus quarantine. Thompson, like most athletes, is currently holed up while the world waits out the coronavirus outbreak. It’s difficult for MMA fighters to find proper training at the moment given all the restrictions due to the coronavirus crisis, but Thompson isn’t letting his free time go to waste. Instead of just sitting around his house like many are doing, Thompson has been working on his dance moves.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2020

UFC welterweight veteran Diego Sanchez is denying he has CTE despite having absorbed a historic number of head strikes in the Octagon. Sanchez, the winner of the first Ultimate Fighter, has competed in the UFC since 2004 and has been involved in numerous wars throughout his future Hall of Fame career. However, he has been criticized in recent years for continuing to fight despite taking over 1000 shots to his head during his UFC career, including multiple knockout losses in the last few years.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2020

Former Bellator lightweight champion and UFC veteran Will Brooks has signed a new contract with ARES Fighting Championship. News of Brooks signing with ARES was first relayed by BJPenn.com’s Al Zullino and later confirmed on Twitter by Alan Murphy, the matchmakers for ARES.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2020

UFC heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier says that if the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t end by the summer he may be forced to retire from MMA. Cormier hasn’t fought since last August when he was knocked out by Miocic in the fourth round of the pair’s heavyweight title fight at UFC 241 to lose his belt. Since then, both DC and Miocic have been recovering from injuries, with the UFC planning on having them fight for a third and final time once both men are all healed up. The plan was for that to happen sometime this summer, but the coronavirus pandemic is throwing a wrench into things.

Christopher Taylor - March 28, 2020

If the UFC plans to hold future events as scheduled, they are likely going to have to do so by pitting fellow countrymen up against one another. With cross-border closures already being implemented by many countries due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the only way fighters will likely to be able to compete is if it comes against someone from their home nation. That is at least for the foreseeable future.

Christopher Taylor - March 28, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou has shared his thoughts on the recent arrest of promotional light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Early on Thursday morning, Jones was arrested for allegedly firing a gunshot in downtown Albuquerque. According to police reports, ‘Bones’ was also found to have marijuana residue on his clothing in addition to failing a sobriety test.

Christopher Taylor - March 28, 2020

UFC President Dana White is determined to have next month’s UFC 249 pay-per-view event take place as scheduled on April 18, 2020. The fight card was originally slated to take place in Brooklyn, however, due to the Covid-19 outbreak the promotion was forced to move the event on short-notice.

Chris Taylor - March 28, 2020

Former Strikeforce champion Jacare Souza is coming to the defense of Jon Jones following his recent arrest in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The UFC’s light heavyweight kingpin, Jones, was arrested early Thursday morning following a report of a gunshot in downtown Albuquerque. The police officers who responded to the call found Jones in a running jeep with a firearm. According to the report, ‘Bones’ had marijuana residue on his clothing and also failed a sobriety test.

Chris Taylor - March 28, 2020

The future of current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones remains in question following his recent arrest in Albuquerque. Early Thursday morning, police responded to a gun shot call and found Jones in a running jeep. According to police reports, ‘Bones’ was in possession of a firearm and also had marijuana residue on his clothing. The light heavyweight champion also failed the sobriety test that was administered by police.