MMA News

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2020

As expected, the upcoming UFC Columbus card is reportedly being moved to Las Vegas. This news comes from Brazilian publication Combate — the same outlet that reported that the imminent UFC Brasilia card will go down behind closed doors. According to Combate, the UFC Columbus card — which will seemingly need a new name — will be held at the new UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas.

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2020

Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt will have to wait to mount his comeback. On Thursday, Brazilian publication agfight.com broke the news that Garbrandt has been hospitalized with kidney issues and forced out of his UFC Columbus matchup with Raphael Assuncao.

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2020

When Kevin Lee fights Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC Brasilia this weekend, there will not be any fans in the building. That’s because the UFC has converted the card to a closed-door event to mitigate risk associated with the coronavirus. While this quiet, closed-door event will be an unfamiliar setting for Lee, he doesn’t seem to worried about it.

Natasha Hooper - March 12, 2020

Step aside Demetrious Johnson and Jon Jones. UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov says that UFC bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo is currently the greatest combat athlete of all time. The all-access docu-series Anatomy Of A Fighter followed Nurmagomedov as he attended a recent media day for his management company, Dominance MMA. “The Eagle” made this appearance surrounded by MMA stars including Kayla Harrison, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Justin Gaethje.

Cole Shelton - March 12, 2020

In the main event of the closed-door UFC Brasilia card, Kevin Lee is going into hostile territory when he battles Charles Oliveira. Heading into the fight, Lee is a -145 favorite while the Brazilian is a +115 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The slight majority believe Kevin Lee gets it done but many also believe this is a true pick’em fight.

Tom Taylor - March 12, 2020

ONE Championship has responded to the growing threat of the coronavirus pandemic by converting all of its cards until May 29 to closed-door events. ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced this news on Facebook on Thursday morning.

Harry Kettle - March 12, 2020

Chan Sung Jung aka The Korean Zombie is ready to proceed with preparations for his expected fight against Brian Ortega following the American’s recent apology. The two men, who were scheduled to fight back at UFC Busan before Ortega had to pull out due to injury, had been going back and forth at one another ever since UFC 248. At the event, “T-City” prompted a physical altercation with Korean Zombie’s friend and translator Jay Park as a result of Ortega believing Park was trying to instigate trash talk between them.

Harry Kettle - March 12, 2020

There will not be any fans in the building for Saturday night’s UFC Brasilia card. On Thursday, Brazilian publication Combate reported that the UFC has converted the card to a closed-door event amid growing concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

Cole Shelton - March 11, 2020

Chael Sonnen doesn’t believe Valentina Shevchenko vs. Weili Zhang is a true superfight, at least not yet. Zhang has talked about wanting to fight Shevchenko down the line, but the flyweight champion doesn’t seem so interested. She said the Chinese champion isn’t an elite fighter and will loser her belt in her next fight. So, a champion vs. champion fight doesn’t make sense, and Sonnen agrees.

Cole Shelton - March 11, 2020

Charles Oliveira plans on beating Kevin Lee to defend Brazil in the main event of UFC Brasilia this Saturday. Lee is coming off a highlight-reel knockout win over Gregor Gillespie at UFC 244. It was a fight many thought he could lose. So, for Oliveira, he knows the “Motown Phenom” is coming in confident and poses a tough test.

Natasha Hooper - March 11, 2020

Don’t let Alexander Volkanovski’s height of 5’6″ inches deceive you, the current featherweight champion has fought contenders in significantly heavier weight classes. However, the journey to drop the pounds previously plagued “The Great” with multiple ailments: The Australian athlete joined the Joe Rogan Experience podcast today to discuss his recent title victory against Max Holloway. He also explained his transition from professional rugby to MMA and his dramatic weight loss that happened in the process:

Cole Shelton - March 11, 2020

Pedro Carvalho is confident he will become Bellator’s new featherweight champion on Friday. In the main event of Bellator 241, Carvalho is set to battle Patricio Freire in the quarter-finals of the featherweight grand prix. It is a fight “Pitbull” picked during the selection show, which for Carvalho shows it is destined he becomes a world champion on Friday.

Adam Martin - March 11, 2020

A featherweight matchup between Edson Barboza and Josh Emmett is the latest addition to the upcoming UFC Fight Night card in Oklahoma City. Barboza has been teasing a move down to 145lbs for a few months now, and he will get the chance to fight a top-10 ranked opponent when he takes on Emmett at UFC on ESPN+  32, taking place on May 2 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It seems likely that Barboza vs. Emmett will be a main card bout for the event headlined by middleweights Chris Weidman and Jack Hermansson.

Tom Taylor - March 11, 2020

According to a report from ESPN, the UFC is targeting a middleweight bout between former champ Robert Whittaker and rising contender Darren Till as the main event for UFC Dublin on August 15. ESPN’s report specified that the bout is not yet official, but is in the process of being finalized.

Tom Taylor - March 11, 2020

On Wednesday, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine laid out new rules “in regard to mass gatherings in Ohio.” These rules immediately stand out as a problem for the upcoming UFC Columbus event. Shortly, we will be issuing rules in regard to mass gatherings in #Ohio. Every expert has told us that there is a risk in any kind of mass gathering – the closer you are to other people, the bigger the risk. You must ask yourself if going to a large gathering is necessary.

Tom Taylor - March 11, 2020

MMA fans were pretty disappointed by the UFC 248 main event, which pitted middleweight champ Israel Adesanya against challenger Yoel Romero. Former fighter and MMA analyst Chael Sonnen believes that’s because, as fans, we’re accustomed to amazing fights. Or as he puts it, “spoiled beyond belief.” The man’s not wrong.

Tom Taylor - March 11, 2020

Diego Sanchez’s choice to continue working with controversial coach Joshua Fabia has been a hot button issue of late. One of the latest fighters to chime in on the topic is UFC welterweight James Krause, who would love to test himself against Sanchez in the Octagon. “There’s a couple of different routes I could go,” Krause told MMA Junkie with regards to his next fight. “I feel like the two routes are like fighting some legends of this sport. A couple of names come to mind like Diego Sanchez, Carlos Condit. I have a thing for Diego for some reason. I can’t stand his coach (Joshua Fabia). I feel like they’re selling wolf tickets to the sport of MMA, to the fans of MMA.

Adam Martin - March 11, 2020

The sportsbooks have released the opening betting odds for the upcoming women’s featherweight title fight at UFC 250 between Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer. The UFC officially announced last week that Nunes will defend her featherweight belt for the first time against Spencer at UFC 250, taking place on May 9 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The bout will serve as the co-main event to the headlining bout between UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo and Brazilian legend Jose Aldo.