MMA News
Israel Adesanya eyes future title defense against Darren Till in a stadium in London
Cole Shelton - January 31, 2020
Israel Adesanya knows he will fight Darren Till one day. Adesanya, is set for his first title defense against Yoel Romero at UFC 248, in a fight that he believes will be easy. So, “The Last Stylebender” is actively looking at future fights and has his eyes on a scrap with Darren Till. He and the Englishman get along great but he knows style-wise, that is a fight that must happen.
Michael Bisping slams Maycee Barber over handling of UFC 246 loss: 'You're not going to win any fans'
Cole Shelton - January 31, 2020
Michael Bisping is not a fan of the way Maycee Barber has handled her loss to Roxanne Modafferi. At UFC 246, Barber was looking to stay undefeated and improve to 9-0. Yet, she lost by unanimous decision where she also tore her ACL.
VIDEO | Moscow MMA event turns into mass brawl
Natasha Hooper - January 31, 2020
At an MMA event in Moscow, the violence extended outside of the cage. A major brawl broke out involving fighters and audience members at the local ‘Coliseum’ sporting event. The incident left one fighter seriously injured. It is unclear what ignited the commotion, but according to coach Pavel Murtazin, embittered fans sparked the fight.
Petr Yan responds to Aljamain Sterling callout
Natasha Hooper - January 31, 2020
Aljamain Sterling wants the UFC spotlight focused on him. To do so, he wants to take centre stage against number three ranked bantamweight, Petr Yan. On social media, the New York native called for a showdown against the surging Russian prospect. He said:
Diego Sanchez accepts three-month USADA sanction
Adam Martin - January 31, 2020
Veteran UFC welterweight Diego Sanchez has accepted a three-month sanction from USADA for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy. Sanchez tested positive for the prohibited substances ostarine and S-23 in an out-of-competition test in December and was given a three-month sanction. However, USADA says these substances originated in Sanchez’s system in October, making him eligible to still fight Michel Pereira at UFC Rio Rancho in February.
Dustin Poirier set to take on Gary Tonon in grappling match
Adam Martin - January 31, 2020
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier says that he is set to take on Brazilian jiu-jitsu star Gary Tonon in a grappling match in February. Poirier will take on Tonon in the main event of the SubStars Jiu-Jitsu event on February 21 at The Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami Beach, Florida. Also expected to compete on the card is Bellator middleweight champion Rafael Lovato Jr. when he takes on Robert “Cyborg” Abreu. The JiuJitsuTimes.com has the full card.
Umar Nurmagomedov, Khabib's cousin, signs with UFC
Adam Martin - January 31, 2020
Umar Nurmagomedov, the younger cousin of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, has signed a new contract with the UFC. The more famous Nurmagomedov broke the news of his cousin’s signing on his Instagram. Here’s what he wrote below (translated from Russian).
Kevin Lee plans to remind Charles Oliveira that he's in 'the big leagues now' in UFC Brasilia main event
Cole Shelton - January 31, 2020
Kevin Lee did not expect to be fighting Charles Oliveira next but is excited about the scrap. In the main event of UFC Brasilia on March 14, Lee will look to make it two in a row when he battles the local favorite Oliveira. “The Motown Phenom” says fighting a Brazilian in Brazil is something not many people want to do. But he is excited about the opportunity.
Jared Cannonier calls out Kelvin Gastelum for UFC 248
Adam Martin - January 31, 2020
UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier is currently without an opponent for UFC 248 and he has now turned his attention to a fight against Kelvin Gastelum. Cannonier was originally set to fight Robert Whittaker at UFC 248 but Whittaker withdrew from the fight due to personal reasons. Cannonier was then set to take on Darren Till, but Till was also removed from the fight due to what UFC president Dana White says was an ankle injury. That leaves Cannonier without an opponent for the March pay-per-view event.
Newly retired Josh Thomson opens up on future plans
Natasha Hooper - January 31, 2020
This week on his Weighing In podcast, Josh Thomson announced his official retirement from fighting. “I can say that I’m officially retired,” Thomson began.
Montel Jackson explains inspiration behind memorable UFC Raleigh walkout
Mike Heck - January 31, 2020
While there were two big events in the MMA world on Saturday night — UFC on ESPN+ 24 and Bellator 238 — Montel Jackson may have won the entire weekend before his fight with Felipe Colares even began. Prior to his unanimous decision win over Colares in Raleigh, NC, Jackson walked to the Octagon to a song very few combat sports fans expected to hear: Whitney Houston’s mega-hit song released in November 1992, I Will Always Love You.
Kamaru Usman sends warning to Jorge Masvidal
Tom Taylor - January 31, 2020
All signs point to Jorge Masvidal getting the next crack at UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Usman, who recently had a heated run-in with Masvidal in Miami, would seemingly relish the opportunity to punish him in the cage.
Henry Cejudo blasts 'wannabe good guy' Conor McGregor
Harry Kettle - January 31, 2020
UFC Bantamweight Champion Henry Cejudo has taken a shot at Conor McGregor as he looks back on his journey to the top of MMA. As many fans know, Cejudo’s road in combat sports didn’t start with mixed martial arts. The wrestler established himself as one of the best in the world within his own weight class at the Olympic Games, bringing home a gold medal for good measure for Team USA.
Israel Adesanya says Jon Jones can ‘run to heavyweight’, but he will hunt him down regardless
Natasha Hooper - January 31, 2020
Israel Adesanya wants to cement his legacy as the greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time. To do so, Adesanya believes he needs to face the light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. In a recent interview with BT Sport, Jones shut down claims of a potential Adesanya matchup. The UFC star doesn’t see himself facing the middleweight champion in the future as he will likely move up to heavyweight.
VIDEO | Jake Paul KOs AnEsonGib in the first round
Natasha Hooper - January 31, 2020
Social media star Jake Paul followed in the footsteps of his brother last night, as he stepped foot in the boxing ring to fight AnEsonGib in a pro bout. His older brother and fellow YouTuber Logan Paul joined the boxing circuit in 2018 to face KSI. The stars battled to a draw in their first fight, but KSI outpointed the older Paul brother in their 2019 rematch.
Jimi Manuwa hints at potential comeback
Adam Martin - January 30, 2020
Former UFC light heavyweight contender Jimi Manuwa is teasing a potential comeback to the Octagon after retiring last year. Manuwa hung up his gloves after getting brutally knocked out with a head kick by Aleksandar Rakic in June 2019. It was the fourth loss in a row for Manuwa, with three vicious knockout losses during that stretch. At age 39, Manuwa decided to call it a career.
Israel Adesanya says he'll make Yoel Romero fight 'look easy'
Cole Shelton - January 30, 2020
Israel Adesanya is full of confidence ahead of his title fight against Yoel Romero. In the main event of UFC 248, Adesanya will look to defend his title for the first time when he takes on Romero. Yet, “The Last Stylebender” revealed it was tough to convince the UFC to make this fight with the Cuban in Romero being on a two-fight losing streak.
Dominick Reyes hopes to honor Kobe Bryant at UFC 247
Mike Pendleton - January 30, 2020
The tragic passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant shocked and shook the sports world, and it’ll have an effect on the UFC 247 main event as well. During a media luncheon ahead of his fight for the UFC light heavyweight title against Jon Jones, challenger Dominick Reyes hopes to honor Kobe Bryant. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Reyes said he would like to honor Bryant, who he said is the only athlete he’s ever looked up to.