MMA News
Edson Barboza vs. Josh Emmett added to UFC Oklahoma City
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.
BREAKING | UFC targeting Darren Till vs. Robert Whittaker for UFC Dublin headliner
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.
UFC Columbus card could be impacted by coronavirus
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.
Chael Sonnen: Adesanya vs. Romero outrage due to MMA fans being 'spoiled beyond belief'
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.
James Krause believes Diego Sanchez is being 'manipulated' by Joshua Fabia
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.
Amanda Nunes vs. Felicia Spencer betting odds released
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.
Dillon Danis reacts to Paulo Costa's sparring session with Logan Paul
Tom Taylor - March 11, 2020
Bellator MMA talent Dillon Danis has a long-standing beef with YouTube star Logan Paul and his brother Jake. Based on this grudge, it should come as no surprise that Danis had something to say about Paul’s recent sparring session with UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa. Paul and Costa sparred at the UFC Performance Institute last week. The pair engaged in some wrestling work — in which Paul did surprisingly well — and a bit of boxing. The boxing ended with a headache for Paul, who was sent crashing to the mat by a huge punch (though not everyone believes the impact was legit).
Paulo Costa opens up on sparring session with Logan Paul
Tom Taylor - March 11, 2020
Earlier this week, video surfaced of a sparring session between top middleweight contender Paulo Costa and YouTube star Logan Paul. During this session, which included some wrestling and some boxing, Costa ultimately sent Paul careening to the canvas with a punch — though not everybody believes the knockdown was legit.
UFC rankings update: Weili Zhang zips past Valentina Shevchenko on P4P list
Tom Taylor - March 11, 2020
The official UFC rankings have been updated after last Saturday’s UFC 248 card, and in a fairly surprising twist, not much has changed. That’s probably because UFC 248 featured precisely zero ranked fighters outside the main and co-main events. That being said, the updated UFC rankings do feature some interesting changes. Most notably, Weili Zhang has surpassed Valentina Shevchenko on the women’s pound-for-pound list on the strength of her UFC 248 defeat of Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Daniel Cormier has also finally been removed from the UFC light heavyweight rankings, clearing the path for a host of other light heavyweights to move up.
Tyron Woodley rips Joe Rogan for commentary hypocrisy at UFC 248
Natasha Hooper - March 11, 2020
It appears Tyron Woodley won’t be joining The Joe Rogan Experience podcast anytime soon, as he slammed the UFC commentator for his hypocrisy on the UFC 248 broadcast. In an Instagram post, Ariel Helwani shared a quote from Israel Adesanya regarding his hopes of finishing Yoel Romero at UFC 248 last weekend.
Henry Cejudo says Benavidez 'absolutely' deserves rematch after Figueiredo 'cheated' at UFC Norfolk
Natasha Hooper - March 11, 2020
Former UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo believes Joseph Benavidez deserves another shot against Deiveson Figueiredo for the vacant flyweight title. In the main event of UFC Norfolk on February 29, the flyweights battled it out in a non title-fight. They were initially scheduled to fight for the 125 belt that was up for grabs after Cejudo was stripped. However the Brazilian “Daico” missed weight and was penalized by having his title eligibility removed. Despite missing weight, Figueiredo used a huge right hand (and potentially an inadvertent head butt) to secure the KO victory in the second round. He sits at the top of the division’s ranking, but the title Cejudo once held still remains empty.
Report | Chinese broadcast company makes millions off UFC 248 due to Weili Zhang
Harry Kettle - March 11, 2020
UFC star Weili Zhang’s win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 248 is believed to have made a Chinese broadcasting company over $57.5 million. The battle between Zhang and Jedrzejczyk for the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship will likely go down in history as the greatest women’s mixed martial arts fight of all time. Zhang managed to come out on top in the contest, retaining the belt that she won last year against Jessica Andrade.
Manager: Yoel Romero not done chasing titles, will be ready in 12 weeks
Cole Shelton - March 10, 2020
Yoel Romero is looking for a quick turnaround after his UFC 248 fight against Israel Adesanya. Although Romero was on a two-fight losing streak, he got the title shot due to Paulo Costa being injured. Yet, after the lackluster scrap, UFC president Dana White said he wishes he never booked the fight and waited for Costa to be healthy.
Alexander Volkanovski says Henry Cejudo is ‘trying to stay relevant’ but will ‘regret’ calling him out if they fight
Cole Shelton - March 10, 2020
Alexander Volkanovski believes Henry Cejudo is just trying to stay relevant by calling him out. Cejudo, who is the current bantamweight champion, has said he wants to fight Volkanovski to try and become the first three-weight champion in the UFC. It would no doubt be a phenomenal feat. Yet, Volkanovski doesn’t believe it will happen, as he says “Triple C” will regret calling him out if they were to scrap down the line.
Gilbert Burns plans to submit Demian Maia, then call out Colby Covington for talking 'so much crap'
Cole Shelton - March 10, 2020
Gilbert Burns is getting the biggest fight of his career in the co-main event of UFC Brasilia this weekend when he takes on Demian Maia. It was a fight Burns had wanted but he didn’t expect Maia to accept. When he found out the scrap was happening, he was ecstatic.
Israel Adesanya explains why he wouldn’t alter strategy for booing crowd
Mike Pendleton - March 10, 2020
This past weekend’s UFC 248 main event was lackluster for most, but middleweight champion Israel Adesanya still retained his title with an unanimous decision victory over Yoel Romero. While the fight was a letdown for most fans, the reigning champion was not going to let the crowd effect him during the fight. Making an appearance on The Luke Thomas Show on Monday, Adesanya discussed why he wouldn’t let the crowd effect him during his fight against Romero.
The Korean Zombie is deeply disappointed in Rener Gracie for supporting Brian Ortega's actions
Christopher Taylor - March 10, 2020
The ongoing feud between The Korean Zombie and Brian Ortega continues and today ‘Gracie Jiu Jitsu’ legend Rener Gracie was put under the gun. In case you missed it, this past weekend at UFC 248 Chang Sung Jung and T-City were involved in an altercation in the crowd. According to eye witness reports, and statements from both featherweight combatants, Ortega had slapped The Korean Zombie’s friend and manager Jay Park while Jung was taking a bathroom break.
PFL announces 10 new signings for 2020 season
Tom Taylor - March 10, 2020
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) promised some new signings for the upcoming 2020 season, and so far, the organization is delivering. On Tuesday, the league officially confirmed 10 new free agent signings, including several UFC veterans and the brother of UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman.