MMA News

Tom Taylor - March 13, 2020

Bellator President Scott Coker has now issued a statement on the last-minute cancelation of the Bellator 241 card, which was scheduled to go down in Connecticut later tonight. Coker address this last-minute shake-up, which is of course due to the rapidly spreading coronavirus, on Twitter on Friday afternoon.

Tom Taylor - March 13, 2020

Bellator MMA was supposed to return to our screens tonight with the stacked Bellator 241 card. According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, that will no longer be happening.

Adam Martin - March 13, 2020

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey shared a video of how she and her husband Travis Browne are well-prepared for the coronavirus. Rousey, the former UFC superstar who put women’s MMA on the map, is married to Browne, a former UFC heavyweight himself, and they live together on a ranch in California. They wed in August 2017 and neither has fought again in mixed martial arts since getting married. Rousey is officially retired and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2018 and Browne is essentially retired as well, though he has never officially announced that.

Adam Martin - March 13, 2020

UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou has released a statement after the UFC Columbus card was moved to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Ngannou was expected to headline the UFC Columbus card on March 28 against fellow heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik, but the coronavirus outbreak put the entire event in jeopardy. The UFC announced on Thursday that the Columbus card, as well as April’s Portland, Oregon card, would be moved to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Harry Kettle - March 13, 2020

The opening odds for the middleweight showdown between Darren Till and Robert Whittaker at UFC Dublin have been released. The highly anticipated bout between these two titans of the division was first reported a few days ago, and ever since, fans and media members alike have been salivating over the prospect of seeing this fight go down in the Irish capital.

Tom Taylor - March 13, 2020

Kevin Lee will not cut any additional weight after tipping the scales at 158.8 pounds this morning — two pounds above the 156-pound limit for his lightweight fight with Charles Oliveira. This news comes from Brazilian MMA reporter Raphael Marinho, who is on the scene of Saturday’s UFC Brasilia card.

Tom Taylor - March 13, 2020

Tim Kennedy believes that Jon Jones’ performance in the cage have been hindered by his troubles outside it. Kennedy, who is now retired but previously trained with Jones, weighed in on the light heavyweight champion’s career on a recent episode of Submission Radio.

Tom Taylor - March 13, 2020

On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with the exciting UFC Brasilia card, which will go down in an empty arena thanks to the threat of the coronavirus. The UFC Brasilia event is expected to be topped by a lightweight contender showdown between former interim title challenger Kevin Lee and streaking finisher Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira.

Harry Kettle - March 13, 2020

UFC president Dana White has provided fans with an update regarding the immediate future of all UFC events in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Sports leagues all around the world have experienced widespread postponements and cancellations as a result of COVID-19, with the anticipation being that this is just the beginning for many countries.

Tom Taylor - March 13, 2020

This Saturday’s UFC Brasilia card has been closed to the public, meaning the fighters on the bill will compete in an arena completely devoid of fans. This is an experience a number of ONE Championship fighters are already familiar with. Late last month, amid growing concerns surrounding the coronavirus, ONE Championship elected to convert its ONE: King of the Jungle card to a closed-door event—just as the UFC has decided to do with the UFC Brasilia card.

Natasha Hooper - March 13, 2020

Jon Jones has prioritized coronavirus safety over MMA as he dubbed the crisis “bigger than sports.” The light heavyweight champion last fought in February when he defended his title against surging contender, Dominick Reyes. The fighters collided in the main event of UFC 247 in a five-round war. Jones ultimately won by unanimous decision, but the closely contested bout raised many eyebrows and criticism that Reyes should have won.

Cole Shelton - March 12, 2020

Kevin Lee is entering his UFC Brasilia main event fight against Charles Oliveira with a ton of confidence. Lee, who is coming off of a first-round knockout win over Gregor Gillespie, will go into enemy territory to battle Oliveira. Yet, the atmosphere will be a little different as there will be no fans in the arena.

Cole Shelton - March 12, 2020

Ali Abdelaziz is certain Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson will still happen on April 18 despite the Coronavirus pandemic. The two are set to headline UFC 249 in Brooklyn, New York where the lightweight belt is on the line. Yet, the state of New York recently declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that gatherings of more than 500 people will be forbidden in the state effective March 13.

Natasha Hooper - March 12, 2020

As his main event showdown against Tyron Woodley quickly approaches, Leon Edwards revealed how he went from living in a “tin shack” in Jamaica to the bright lights of the UFC. “Rocky” moved to Birmingham in the UK in his younger years, but was originally born in Kingston, Jamaica. During an interview with Adam Catterall from BT Sport, Edwards recalled living in poverty and the impact it had on him:

Natasha Hooper - March 12, 2020

Current UFC flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko recently discussed her upcoming title fight with Joanne Calderwood as well as her budding friendship with Halle Berry. The pair recently worked together in Berry’s directorial film debut “Bruised”. Not only does Shevchenko believe in the star’s director abilities, she thinks she has what it takes to make it big in MMA. The Peruvian champion accomplished another successful title defence last month against Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 247. She is set to take on number three ranked flyweight Joanne Calderwood at UFC 251 in Perth, Australia on June 6th, 2020. The clash will mark Shevchenko’s fourth title defence which she is more than ready for:

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2020

All hell broke loose at an MMA event in Russia last weekend. The trouble occurred at the ACA Young Eagles 12 card in Cherkessk, shortly after a fight between Dzhaddal Alikbekov and Alim Gugov. The fight ended with Alikbekov winning via a controversial submission. Evidently, Gugov’s supporters didn’t agree with the verdict.

Adam Martin - March 12, 2020

PFL has announced more signings for its third season, including a pair of former UFC middleweights in Tom Lawlor and Cezar Ferreira. PFL promised it would sign a number of high-profile fighters for its upcoming season back when it announced Rory MacDonald’s signing and the promotion has stayed true to its word. After recently announcing 10 signings of prominent fighters including former UFC standout Olivier Aubin-Mercier, the promotion has now revealed it has inked Lawlor and Ferreira to exclusive deals.

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the sporting world. UFC 249 could be one of its next causalities. On Thursday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that gatherings of more than 500 people will be forbidden in the state effective tomorrow (Friday, March 13).