MMA News
Conor McGregor on Khabib rematch “He is trembling”
Mike Pendleton - January 3, 2020
Preparing for his return to the Octagon at UFC 246 later this month, Conor McGregor took questions on all things relative to his career on Thursday. Speaking to The Mac Life after a workout in Dublin, Ireland, McGregor spoke on several topics including a potential fight with Justin Gaethje, other possible opponents, and that he is ready to step-in as a replacement for the lightweight title fight at UFC 249, if need be.
Conor McGregor says Justin Gaethje could be next on his hit list
Adam Martin - January 3, 2020
UFC superstar Conor McGregor says that lightweight contender Justin Gaethje is on his hit list, and hinted that Gaethje could even be his next opponent. Gaethje has been going after McGregor for some time now in interviews and on social media. Gaethje doesn’t believe that the Irishman deserves to jump back into title contention at 155lbs considering his long layoff and the fact his fight against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 is at welterweight.
Conor McGregor interested in Masvidal, Usman and Covington fights
Tom Taylor - January 3, 2020
Conor McGregor is set to return to the Octagon at UFC 246 on January 18 in Las Vegas, where he’ll take on Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Though both men have enjoyed some of their biggest successes in the lightweight division, this fight will occur at welterweight. The moment it was announced that this fight will go down in the welterweight division, fans began to speculate what McGregor might be plotting. Could he be gunning for recent BMF champ Jorge Masvidal? Could he have his eyes on UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman?
Dustin Poirier down for UFC 249 fight against Justin Gaethje or Nate Diaz
Adam Martin - January 3, 2020
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier says he wants to fight in the co-main event of UFC 249 against either Justin Gaethje or Nate Diaz. Poirier is coming off of a stoppage loss to UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 but a win over Gaethje or Diaz could see Poirier jump right back into title contention. The fact Nurmagomedov is defending his belt against Tony Ferguson on the same card would put Poirier on an identical timeline with the champion, not to mention provide some insurance in case of an injury to either headliner.
Chael Sonnen: Jon Jones claiming to be '230 with a six-pack' is 'beyond peculiar'
Tom Taylor - January 3, 2020
Speaking at a press conference ahead of his UFC 247 title fight with Dominick Reyes, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones divulged that he’s now living with his nutritionist, and that he’s packed on a bit of extra size. “Right now, I’m living with my nutritionist and I’ve built a home gym in my garage and I feel really, really good right now,” Jones said. “I’m 230 with a six-pack.”
Justin Gaethje open to filling in for Khabib Nurmagomedov or Tony Ferguson
Mike Pendleton - January 3, 2020
The UFC 249 main event is scheduled to be a lightweight title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and challenger Tony Ferguson, a fight that the UFC is trying to book for a fifth time. While the fight has both high stakes and rewards, in what some are calling the most important fight in UFC history, not everyone is completely optimistic that it’ll actually happen. Lightweight star Justin Gaethje certainly isn’t abundantly confident. Gaethje is one of the UFC’s top-ranked lightweights, but doesn’t have a fight scheduled in the near future. While he wouldn’t fully commit to being a replacement fill-in if one was needed for Khabib vs. Ferguson at UFC 249.
Petr Yan says it's 'obvious' Henry Cejudo is ducking him
Adam Martin - January 3, 2020
Top contender Petr Yan says that it’s obvious UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo is ducking him and has no interest in fighting him anytime soon. Cejudo knocked out Urijah Faber at UFC 245 for his biggest win to date. On the same card, Marlon Moraes defeated Jose Aldo via split decision. However, the decision was extremely controversial, with UFC president Dana White saying that he thought Aldo won. Cejudo also thought Aldo won and is chasing a fight with the Brazilian legend despite the fact he is riding a two-fight losing skid at the moment.
Dana White relishes UFC surpassing NFL in Instagram followers
Natasha Hooper - January 3, 2020
The UFC has surpassed the NFL in terms of Instagram followers, and the promotion’s president Dana White is revelling in the good news. The Fertitta brothers and their business partner Dana White, bought the UFC in 2001 to save it from the brink of bankruptcy. The Fertittas purchased the UFC for $2 million and created Zuffa LLC, the parent entity responsible for the UFC. With the introduction of the Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV and the rise of MMA stars including Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell, the organization has gone from strength to strength.
Donald Cerrone thanks Conor McGregor for suggesting fight occur at 170
Tom Taylor - January 3, 2020
Donald Cerrone was initially expecting to fight Conor McGregor in the 155-pound lightweight division. But then, McGregor suggested they both forgo the weight cut and fight in the 170-pound welterweight division. Cerrone was all for it, and actually offers McGregor his thanks for the suggestion.
Justin Gaethje makes prediction for Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone
Mike Pendleton - January 3, 2020
As he waits to find out what’s next for him in the lightweight division, Justin Gaethje had an interesting take about the UFC 246 main event fight between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone taking place later this month. After responding to claims from Dana White that he has been turning down fights on “MMA Tonight” on Sirius XM, Gaethje was asked his opinion on the upcoming fight between McGregor and Cerrone and didn’t hold back on his prediction.
Geoff Neal knew head kick would be there against Mike Perry, eyes anyone ranked above him
Cole Shelton - January 3, 2020
Geoff Neal picked up the biggest win of his career at UFC 245 when he knocked out Mike Perry in the first round. He was also the first person to knock out the fan favorite out in MMA. Neal was confident he would earn a finish but was surprised it happened so soon into the fight.
Claressa Shields says she will train with Jon Jones, make MMA debut in 2020
Mike Heck - January 3, 2020
Claressa Shields is looking to make a lot of history in 2020 — in the boxing ring, and in the world of mixed martial arts. Shields has the opportunity to become a three-division world boxing champion and do so faster than any fighter in history when she faces Ivana Habazin on Jan. 10 for the vacant WBC and WBO 154-pound titles. The event will take place at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. and will air on Showtime.
Darren Till makes prediction for Conor McGregor vs. Donald Cerrone
Tom Taylor - January 3, 2020
UFC middleweight contender Darren Till, like most of the MMA community, is very excited for the upcoming welterweight showdown between Conor McGregor and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Till, who holds a knockout win over Cerrone and has previously called for a fight with McGregor, weighed in on the matchup on Twitter. He encouraged Cerrone and his team not to sleep on McGregor — having heard Cerrone’s coach claim that McGregor has nothing more to offer than a good left hand — and went on to predict McGregor will win early.
RIZIN champ Seo Hee Ham claims management has been embezzling money
Tom Taylor - January 3, 2020
UFC veteran Seo Hee Ham, who is currently the RIZIN atomweight champion, claims she’s the victim of embezzlement. Ham put forth this allegation on her Instagram account, claiming that manager Hidekatsu Morooka and with his wife have been embezzling money from her since the early days of her career. In that time, she alleges they’ve stolen more than $26,000 from her.
Dana White previews the next decade for the UFC
Harry Kettle - January 3, 2020
A brand new year and a brand new decade has begun for us all, and given the manner in which Dana White and the UFC are about to start the year, it’s understandable that there’s quite a bit of excitement in the air amongst fans and media members alike. A whole host of stars including Conor McGregor, Jon Jones, Khabib Nurmagomedov & Joanna Jędrzejczyk are already booked to compete between now and April, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
ONE Championship announces new strategic partnerships with leading global brands in 2020
Tom Taylor - January 3, 2020
ONE Championship has announced new strategic partnerships with a number of major brands. The Singapore-based martial arts organization announced this news in a Wednesday press release. Per the press release:
USADA refutes report that Paulo Costa is the most drug tested fighter in UFC
Chris Taylor - January 2, 2020
According to a recent report from Yahoo Esportes, top ranked UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa was the most drug tested fighter by USADA in the 2019 calendar year. The Brazilian knockout artist, Costa, was very happy with this news and even took to Instagram to celebrate the moral victory with the following announcement.
MMA Community reacts after Dana White reveals his biggest matchmaking regret
Chris Taylor - January 2, 2020
UFC President Dana White recently sat down with the promotions official website to touch on a number of topics following the conclusion of the 2019 year. During the interview, White was asked if there was a fight he wished he could have put together this past decade.