MMA News
Dana White: Weili Zhang will get same push from UFC as McGregor, Rousey
Tom Taylor - March 9, 2020
Dana White is very high on UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang, who defended her belt in an absolute war with the former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the co-main event of last Saturday’s UFC 248 card. White gushed over Zhang at the UFC 248 post-fight press conference, announcing that the Chinese champion has become a major needle-mover in her homeland, a territory the UFC is working hard to break into.
VIDEO | SBG Ireland fighters, Pitbull brothers have confrontation at Bellator press conference
Tom Taylor - March 9, 2020
On Monday, Bellator MMA held a press conference featuring a host of the stars of its upcoming shows — including the “Pitbull” brothers Patricio and Patricky Freire and several fighters from the famed SBG Ireland camp, such as James Gallagher, Pedro Carvalho and Peter Queally. Things nearly got physical between these two groups at the culmination of this press conference.
Yoel Romero takes post-fight dig at Israel Adesanya, proclaims himself the 'people's champ'
Tom Taylor - March 9, 2020
Yoel Romero and Israel Adesanya’s UFC 248 middleweight title fight failed to live up to expectations, and both fighters seem to agree it’s because the other was afraid. Romero suggested exactly that on Twitter on Monday morning, sharing a heavily edited screenshot of the Wikipedia entry for the word “fear.”
John McCarthy says Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero should have included 10-10 round
Adam Martin - March 9, 2020
Bellator commentator and MMA official John McCarthy believes that there should have been a 10-10 round scored in the Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero title fight at UFC 248. Adesanya won a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards to retain the UFC middleweight title in an undeniable stinker of a fight. Neither man seemed to be aggressive in the fight and it just plodded on for 25 minutes. Adesanya won the decision and gets to retain his belt, but it was not particularly impressive. Still, McCarthy agrees with Adesanya earning the decision.
Israel Adesanya feels he proved Yoel Romero isn't 'made of steel'
Tom Taylor - March 9, 2020
Israel Adesanya believes that he proved Yoel Romero isn’t “made of steel” at UFC 248. Adesanya, the UFC middleweight champion, defended his title against Romero in the card’s main event, winning a controversial and undeniably slow decision over the Cuban.
VIDEO | Brian Ortega escorted out of arena after altercation with Korean Zombie
Tom Taylor - March 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/KettnerLaw/status/1236715323513921536 One of the most high-profile encounters of Saturday’s UFC 248 card actually occurred outside the cage, as featherweight contenders Brian Ortega and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung had a run-in in the crowd.
John McCarthy gives his scorecard for Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Adam Martin - March 9, 2020
Bellator commentator and veteran MMA official Big John McCarthy has share his scorecard for the UFC 248 co-main event between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Zhang and Jedrzejczyk put on an instant classic on Saturday night, going the full five-round distance against each other in an all-out war. Zhang won the fight by split decision, but Jedrzejczyk saw her stock rise by putting on an incredible performance even despite losing. McCarthy, who knows a thing or two about fighting, was asked by host Josh Thomson on the “Weighing In” podcast what he thought about the fight, and he praised both women for their performances.
Neil Magny calls for a fight with ‘Maverick’ following impressive win at UFC 248
Natasha Hooper - March 9, 2020
At UFC 248, Neil Magny returned to the Octagon to face Chinese contender Li Jingliang. He out-struck Jingliang to win by unanimous decision. Post-fight, the 32-year old reflected on his successful performance and already has his sights set on his next opponent. “We went back and looked at my last five fights, the wins and losses, and really looked at where I could improve,” Magny said (via MMA Junkie). “One of the biggest things we found was foot positioning. I feel like we addressed that well tonight. Another thing is pressure. I wanted to sit back and calculate a little bit more, so it’s been improvement all around.”
Police reports filed following altercation between The Korean Zombie and Brian Ortega
Harry Kettle - March 9, 2020
The manager of Chan Sung Jung aka “The Korean Zombie” has confirmed that a police report has been filed following the UFC 248 incident with Brian Ortega. Ever since the scheduled fight between Korean Zombie and Ortega back at UFC Busan was called off due to “T-City” sustaining an injury, it seems as if the animosity between these two men has only gotten stronger and stronger.
Justin Gaethje says he will punch Dana White in the nose if the promotion grants Conor McGregor a title shot
Harry Kettle - March 9, 2020
Justin Gaethje has claimed that he will punch UFC president Dana White in the nose if Conor McGregor winds up receiving a title shot. Gaethje has been making headlines fairly regularly as of late, mainly due to his desire to face Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC Lightweight Championship. After stringing together three straight wins via TKO or KO, “The Highlight” firmly believes that he should be next in line to challenge “The Eagle”.
Sean O'Malley takes aim at Henry Cejudo following impressive win at UFC 248
Christopher Taylor - March 8, 2020
Fan favorite Sean O’Malley returned to the Octagon at last night’s UFC 248 event in Las Vegas for a bantamweight contest with Jose Quinonez. The undefeated bantamweight prospect, O’Malley (11-0 MMA), had not competed since UFC 222 in March of 2018, where he earned a unanimous decision victory over Andre Soukhamthath.
What's next for the stars of UFC 248?
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2020
In the main event of UFC 248, Israel Adesanya was looking to defend his middleweight title against the divisions ‘boogeyman’ in Yoel Romero. The co-main attraction saw Weili Zhang looking for her first title defense of the strawweight belt against former division champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. In the end, neither title changed hands as Adesanya won a lackluster decision. Zhang, meanwhile, won by split-decision in what many are calling one of the greatest fights of all-time.
Joe Rogan gushes over Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Weili Zhang title fight at UFC 248
Christopher Taylor - March 8, 2020
Joe Rogan “can’t stop thinking about” last night’s thrilling strawweight title fight between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Weili Zhang at UFC 248. In the co-main event of UFC 248, Zhang put her newly acquired 115lbs title on the line against former division title holder, Jedrzejczyk.
Valentina Shevchenko believes Joanna Jedrzejczyk should've won judges decision at UFC 248
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2020
If UFC flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko was a judge she would’ve awarded Joanna Jedrzejczyk the strawweight title on Saturday. In the co-main event of UFC 248, Jedrzejczyk was taking on strawweight champion, Weili Zhang in the Chinese fighters first title defense. It was a fight many were torn on who would win and at the end of five rounds, fighters on social media didn’t know if we would hear And Still or And New. But, Zhang ended up earning a split-decision win to defend her title.
Tatiana Suarez still sidelined with neck injury, says Dana White
Adam Martin - March 8, 2020
UFC president Dana White provided a health update on women’s strawweight contender Tatiana Suarez following Saturday night’s UFC 248. Suarez is considered by many to be the best prospect in the women’s 115lbs division and there are many fans and media who believe she deserves a title shot. After all, Suarez is unbeaten with an 8-0 record in her MMA career including a 5-0 mark in the UFC. In her last fight in June 2019, Suarez defeated Nina Ansaroff and is currently ranked at No. 3 in the division.
Khabib Nurmagomedov fires back at Conor McGregor over "street fight" diss
Christopher Taylor - March 8, 2020
The ongoing feud between UFC stars Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor continued today on social media. The bitter rivals most recent exchange surrounded some comments made by ‘The Eagle’ during Friday’s UFC 249 press conference in Las Vegas. Following a heated staredown with soon to be opponent Tony Ferguson, where the undefeated Russian appeared to lose his cool by kicking the Americans belt, Khabib Nurmagomedov spoke to ESPN where he revealed the reason behind his actions.
Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson added to UFC Hall of Fame
Adam Martin - March 8, 2020
The UFC 165 epic light heavyweight title fight between rivals Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer. In September 2013, Jones and Gustafsson met in the main event of UFC 165 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At the time Jones was on an incredible roll, destroying a number of future Hall of Famers on his path to the top of the light heavyweight division, and the betting odds considered him a lopsided favorite to retain his belt. Few were giving Gustafsson a chance to defeat Jones, but he ended up giving the champ the toughest fight of his career.
Conor McGregor believes Weili Zhang’s win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk was the wrong decision
Adam Martin - March 8, 2020
UFC lightweight contender Conor McGregor believes the judges got the decision wrong in the Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk fight. The judges scored the bout 48-47, 47-48 and 48-47 in favor of Zhang, who retained her belt with a razor-thin split decision win in one of the greatest MMA fights of all time. Zhang and Jedrzejczyk threw hundreds of punches and kicks at each other over the course of 25 minutes in a fan-friendly affair that was praised throughout the MMA community. McGregor was one of those who lauded the fight, praising it an “amazing contest.”