MMA News

Tom Taylor - February 18, 2020

Diego Sanchez was the subject of quite a bit of criticism after he accepted a disqualification win over Michel Pereira at UFC Rio Rancho last weekend. Amid this criticism, Sanchez has taken the time to give the nod to the people who have supported him. He believes Conor McGregor is one of those people. Sanchez and Pereira fought in the co-main event of the UFC Rio Rancho card. The bout ended in the third round when Pereira blasted Sanchez with an illegal knee, and Sanchez said he could not continue.

Cole Shelton - February 18, 2020

Jalin Turner knows the stakes are high for his UFC Auckland fight against short-notice opponent, Joshua Culibao. Entering this fight, Turner is just 1-2 in the UFC with a debut loss to Vicente Luque at welterweight and most recently a decision loss to Matt Frevola. In his last fight, he admits he probably should have pulled out but with his kid being born just weeks after he needed the money and couldn’t risk being on the sidelines with no payday insight.

Natasha Hooper - February 18, 2020

A report from the Dublin City University has raised concerns over weight-cutting methods used by MMA fighters and influenced by their peers. The University report lead by Dr Brendan Egan, David Nolan and John Connor from the School of Health and Human Performance investigated over 260 athletes that take part in rapid weight loss (RWL) practices to compete.

Adam Martin - February 18, 2020

UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic announced on his social media that he has re-signed with the UFC on a new six-fight contract. Rakic took to his Instagram to announce the new contract with the world’s leading MMA promotion. Here’s what the 28-year-old Austria native wrote.

Cole Shelton - February 18, 2020

The last time the UFC was in Auckland, New Zealand was in 2017. There, Kai Kara-France was sitting front row cheering on his teammate Dan Hooker. During that event, Kara-France told himself he would be the one fighting next time the promotion came to his home city. And on the prelims of UFC Auckland this Saturday, Kara-France will complete his goal when he battles Tyson Nam. Yet, for a bit, many didn’t think it would happen after he fought just two months ago at UFC 245. There, he lost to Brandon Moreno. Since then, he quickly reflected on the fight and knows he made some mistakes.

Adam Martin - February 18, 2020

UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos says he is planning a comeback to the Octagon in July and he has already been offered an opponent by the UFC. Santos last competed at UFC 239 in July 2019 when he lost a split decision to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. It was the most competitive fight of Jones’ MMA career since the Alexander Gustafsson fight at UFC 165 in September 2013, though Dominick Reyes recently had a great showing against Jones at UFC 247.

Adam Martin - February 18, 2020

UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta accused Dustin Poirier of quitting against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in a heated social media exchange. Iaquinta and Poirier are both currently without opponents and considering both men are ranked in the top-10 at 155lbs, it’s quite possible they will fight each other next.

Tom Taylor - February 18, 2020

Diego Sanchez has been criticized by many members of the MMA community after accepting a disqualification victory against Michel Pereira in the co-main event. UFC President Dana White and former UFC middleweight champ Michael Bisping are not among those critics. Sanchez fought Pereira in the main event of UFC Rio Rancho last Saturday. After losing the first two rounds, he was blasted by an illegal knee in the third. When he was unable to continue, he was awarded a win via disqualification.

Natasha Hooper - February 18, 2020

According to Diego Sanchez, he can sleep easy at night knowing he bagged a disqualification win against Michel Pereira at UFC on ESPN+ 25. The welterweight fighters collided in the co-main event on Saturday in Rio Rancho. The bout finished early in the third round after Pereira delivered an illegal knee while Sanchez was on the mat. The referee immediately intervened and acknowledged the foul.

Natasha Hooper - February 18, 2020

Henry Cejudo’s trash-talking antics have landed him in hot water. MMA reporter Karyn Bryant has called out the bantamweight champion for his use of racially loaded trash talk against Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. “Triple C” has received scrutiny recently for calling out Jose Aldo to fight in his next title defence. Despite Aldo’s long list of MMA accomplishments, the UFC legend is coming off two back-to-back losses and is ranked number 6 in the division. No. 2 ranked bantamweight Aljamain Sterling joined Ariel Helwani’s podcast yesterday and accused Cejudo of picking an easier fight to boost ticket sales. 

Harry Kettle - February 18, 2020

New footage has emerged which shows Conor McGregor rocking Zubaira Tukhugov during the infamous post-fight brawl at UFC 229. While both McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have gone on to register victories inside the Octagon since that night in October 2018, the aftermath of their fight in the main event of UFC 229 will forever be remembered as one of the most notable moments in the history of the promotion.

Christopher Taylor - February 17, 2020

Referee John McCarthy believes there is just “something completely different” about Diego Sanchez following last weekend’s UFC event in Rio Rancho. The UFC legend, Sanchez, picked up a disqualification victory over Michel Pereira in front of a home crowd in New Mexico Saturday night.

Natasha Hooper - February 17, 2020

Henry Cejudo has slammed Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan while responding to criticism for his callout of Jose Aldo. Tonight Aljamain Sterling joined Ariel Helwani’s MMA podcast to discuss potential bouts. Number one on “The Funkmaster’s” radar is the “The Boogeyman,” Petr Yan. Sterling revealed that he had a run-in with the Russian fighter at the UFC Performance Institute, and has previously called him out for a fight on Twitter.

Cole Shelton - February 17, 2020

Dustin Poirier thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov will defend his lightweight title when he fights Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. On April 18, Nurmagomedov and Ferguson are booked to fight one another for the fifth time in a scrap many fans are looking forward to. Although “The Eagle” is favored to win, many think it will be a close fight. But, for Poirier who fought Nurmagomedov last, he thinks the Dagestani champion will get his hand raised.

Mike Heck - February 17, 2020

Al Iaquinta is looking to get back to his winning ways and believes fellow former lightweight title challenger Dustin Poirier is the guy that should be standing across the Octagon from him. Following his title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov — which he took on a little over a day’s notice after the craziness of the UFC 223 fight week — “Raging” Al defeated Kevin Lee via unanimous decision. Since then, Iaquinta has dropped back-to-back fights to Donald Cerrone and Dan Hooker.

Adam Martin - February 17, 2020

UFC welterweight fan favorite Mike Perry says he is considering a move down to 155lbs after struggling in his last few fights at 170lbs. Perry has dropped back-to-back fights to Geoff Neal and Vicente Luque and overall has dropped five of his last seven fights at 170lbs. That’s part of why he is potentially considering a move down in weight to get a fresh start, though he’s not convinced he will be able to cut all that weight. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, Perry spoke about moving down a weight class.

Tom Taylor - February 17, 2020

Daniel Cormier has spent the majority of his career competing as a heavyweight, but from 2014 to early 2018, he spent a nine-fight stint in the light heavyweight division. While Cormier realized massive success as a heavyweight, capturing the light heavyweight title and beating the likes of Dan Henderson, Anthony Johnson (twice), Alexander Gustafsson, Anderson Silva and Volkan Oezdemir, his time in the division was not easy.

Adam Martin - February 17, 2020

UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier has been chasing a fight against Nate Diaz for months, but now he’s finally decided to move on. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Poirier said that UFC matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard told him that Diaz and his camp have not responded to their requests for him to fight Poirier, and have told “The Diamond” to move on.