MMA News
VIDEO | 16 year old Andy Ruiz Jr. spars UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski
Harry Kettle - March 20, 2020
Footage has recently been released of a 16-year-old Andy Ruiz Jr. sparring with former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski. The combat sports world has gone into lockdown over the course of the last few weeks as a direct result of the coronavirus outbreak. Therefore, fans are taking comfort in the knowledge that there is a whole lot of footage out there from years gone by that they can watch as we wait for things to settle down. In addition to that, newly discovered footage is also being unveiled — as seen here when Ruiz Jr. posted up the following clip of him and Arlovski going at it many years ago.
Dana White buries MMA media for pandemic worries: They're the 'weakest, wimpiest people on earth'
Tom Taylor - March 20, 2020
Dana White has been working hard to keep the UFC running during the coronavirus pandemic. While he ultimately had to “indefinitely postpone” three UFC shows, he delayed doing so until the last possible minute, and has been adamant future shows will go down as planned. White’s reluctance to bend to the coronavirus pandemic has generated some understandable criticism from fans and media alike. He has not taken kindly to that criticism.
Ben Askren has an idea to ensure Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson happens
Tom Taylor - March 20, 2020
Ben Askren wants to see Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fight as a badly as the rest of us, and he’s got an idea he believes will ensure the fight happens even amid coronavirus-related restrictions. Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been scheduled to fight four times previously to no avail. The UFC attempted to book them for a fifth time at UFC 249 on April 18 in Brooklyn, New York, but of course the coronavirus pandemic had to come along and derail that plan.
Sam Alvey believes the United States has had a 'huge overreaction' to coronavirus pandemic
Natasha Hooper - March 20, 2020
Sam Alvey feels bad for all the people affected by coronavirus, but declared there has been a “huge overreaction” to the pandemic. With his upcoming fight against Khalil Rountree at UFC on ESPN 8 scrapped, “Smile’n” Alvey reacted to the company’s decision to cancel three upcoming shows. The news came after President Donald Trump declared no more than 10 people should gather at one time.
VIDEO | Mirko Cro Cop reminds the world he’s still got it
Harry Kettle - March 20, 2020
Mirko Cro Cop took some time to remind the world why he’s still a bad, bad man in a recently released training video on Instagram. The Croatian heavyweight is widely considered to be one of the most iconic fighters in the history of the division, with his professional combat sports career lasting over 23 years across both kickboxing and mixed martial arts.
Gegard Mousasi believes Israel Adesanya 'would be a good fight' for him
Cole Shelton - March 19, 2020
Gegard Mousasi believes he would have success against Israel Adesanya if they were to fight. Mousasi, who is the former Bellator middleweight champion, says he has sparred with people who fought Adesanya in Glory Kickboxing, which is why he thinks he’d have success.
Head coach Javier Mendez says he and Khabib Nurmagomedov willing to travel anywhere for UFC 249
Mike Pendleton - March 19, 2020
The status of UFC 249 is up in the air when it comes to the location and whether or not the event will actually take place, but one half of the main event are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure it happens. On Wednesday night, the NYSAC and the UFC released separate statements acknowledging that UFC 249 which had been scheduled to take place at Barclays Center will not take place in New York due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Derrick Lewis thanks Israel Adesanya for claiming the "most boring fight ever"
Natasha Hooper - March 19, 2020
Derrick Lewis is thankful Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero have taken his spot with the most boring fight in MMA history. As the Coronavirus pandemic increases, “The Black Beast” spoke to Ariel Helwani from home about his health, a Francis Ngannou rematch and the lackluster UFC 248 headliner, between Yoel Romero vs Israel Adesanya. The fight signified Adesanya’s first title defence as middleweight champion, but it failed to grab the attention of fans who dubbed the five-rounds bout boring.
Derrick Lewis calls for rematch with Francis Ngannou: "I guarantee it will be more entertaining"
Adam Martin - March 19, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis is calling for a rematch with Francis Ngannou, hoping to redeem himself after their first fight was a snoozer. Lewis and Ngannou first met back at UFC 226 in a highly-anticipated heavyweight bout between two knockout artists. Unfortunately for the fans, the fight turned out to be a stinker, with neither man engaging with each other on the feet, leading to one of the most boring fights in recent memory. Lewis won the fight and it earned him a title shot against Daniel Cormier at UFC 230, but two years later and he wants to right the wrong of how disappointing the fight was for the fans to watch.
Ben Askren roasts Kamaru Usman: He's 'the worst promoter in the history of mixed martial arts'
Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020
Ben Askren believes UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman had a golden opportunity to gain some traction with the fans when he fought Colby Covington at UFC 245 last December. By Askren’s estimation, Covington is arguably the most hated fighter in MMA at present. As a result, he feels Usman could have gained some real popularity if he’d played the good guy in the lead-up to his fight with Covington.
Dana White fires back at critics, boasts he hasn't laid off one employee during coronavirus pandemic
Adam Martin - March 19, 2020
UFC president Dana White fired back at critics of the way his promotion has handled the coronavirus pandemic, boasting the UFC hasn’t laid off any UFC employees. The UFC has come under intense scrutiny from fans for holding UFC Brasilia last weekend while rival Bellator 241 postponed its events, and for planning on going forward with UFC London and several other events until the government stepped in. While White was not able to save his cards scheduled for London, Columbus, Portland and Brooklyn, he certainly tried his best for those events to go on despite the coronavirus outbreak around the world.
John McCarthy praises 'real leader' Scott Coker for Bellator 241 cancelation
Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020
Last Friday, Bellator President Scott Coker made the decision to cancel the Bellator 241 card at the last-minute amid growing concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Coker promptly announced that all the fighters that were scheduled to compete on the card would be paid. John McCarthy, a veteran MMA referee who now serves as a Bellator commentator, believes Coker made the right decision, and praised the Bellator boss for his handling of the situation.
Ali Abdelaziz says Justin Gaethje will make people rich by cashing in as underdog against Conor McGregor
Natasha Hooper - March 19, 2020
MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz is confident that Justin Gaethje would line the pockets of many fans as the underdog in a Conor McGregor matchup. Abdelaziz, the CEO of Dominance MMA, is responsible for a plethora of MMA stars including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo. One of his lightweight talents is none other than “The Highlight” Justin Gaethje.
Joe Rogan shares thoughts on Kevin Lee attempting to keep fighting after tapping out
Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020
Joe Rogan wasn’t on commentary duty for last weekend’s UFC Brasilia card, but he did film a Fight Companion episode of his podcast for the event, alongside his friends Eddie Bravo, Brendan Schaub and Bryan Callen. The UFC Brasilia card included plenty of interesting moments. One of the more interesting moments came at the end of the main event, which pitted lightweight contenders Charles Oliveira and Kevin Lee against each other.
Jacare Souza is training in his garage for UFC 249 fight
Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020
Jacare Souza is training in his garage for his UFC 249 middleweight scrap with Uriah Hall. The coronavirus pandemic is affecting the fight game on multiple levels. The most obvious effect, of course, is the widespread cancelation of fight cards. That said, the fighters competing on cards that have not yet been canceled.
UFC reportedly cuts 13 fighters including Mairbek Taisumov
Adam Martin - March 19, 2020
The UFC has reportedly released 13 fighters from its roster including former top-15 ranked lightweight contender Mairbek Taisumov. According to a report from Sherdog’s Tom Feely, the UFC has cut the following 13 fighters from its roster. The fighters are listed below, along with their records inside the Octagon.
Colby Covington moves on from Woodley, wants rematch with Kamaru Usman following 'fake fight' at UFC 245
Harry Kettle - March 19, 2020
Colby Covington has moved on from his plan to fight Tyron Woodley on short notice in favor of a rematch with Kamaru Usman. Covington, who was beaten by Usman back at UFC 245, was hoping to replace Leon Edwards on short notice in order to go head to head with long-time rival Woodley this weekend. Alas, the UFC couldn’t quite get it done, and now, “Chaos” has decided that he wants to try and avenge his loss to “The Nigerian Nightmare” with immediate effect.
Diego Sanchez responds to callout from Demian Maia
Tom Taylor - March 19, 2020
Diego Sanchez has responded to a recent callout from Demian Maia. Maia competed on last Saturday’s UFC Brasilia card, suffering a first-round knockout at the hands of Gilbert Burns in the co-main event.