MMA News

Mike Pendleton - December 11, 2019

Strawweight contender Cynthia Calvillo recently missed weight for the second time in her last three fights this past weekend. She would then go on to score a draw at UFC D.C. against her opponent Marina Rodriguez. Following the draw result, Rodriguez said she doesn’t want to have a rematch with Calvillo because of the fact she missed weight, but Calvillo has a different mindset about it. On Monday, Calvillo was a guest on The Luke Thomas Show and she did not hide from the weight miss, and provided an update on potentially moving up in weight.

Natasha Hooper - December 11, 2019

Colby Covington is expected to fight welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 245. Their growing disdain for one another will be put to the test in the title bout set for December 14th. The 31-year old already has his sights set on his next opponent, as Covington wants to fight his former friend turned foe, Jorge Masvidal. In an interview with BT Sport, the welterweight title challenger explains why:

Tom Taylor - December 11, 2019

Colby Covington, who will challenge Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 245 on Saturday night, has called American Top Team home for the duration of his MMA career. Unfortunately, he has made enemies of several fighters at the Florida gym — most notably Dustin Poirier and Jorge Masvidal — which has caused things to become quite tense under its sun-soaked roof.

Adam Martin - December 11, 2019

Former UFC featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo says that his weight cut to bantamweight has been “easy” ahead of his UFC 245 showdown against Marlon Moraes. Aldo surprised many in the MMA community when he announced he would be dropping down to 135lbs for the first time in his career to take on the division’s No. 1 contender Moraes at UFC 245. Aldo has admitted in the past to having a tough cut to 145lbs, so for him to drop an extra 10lbs was surprising when he first announced his intentions to do so.

Adam Martin - December 11, 2019

UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje criticized UFC president Dana White for suggesting Conor McGregor could get a title shot rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov if he gets by Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, calling the news a “crock of s***.” White told BT Sport on Wednesday that if McGregor beats Cerrone at UFC 246 and Nurmagomedov defends his belt against Tony Ferguson at UFC 248 that the promotion could potentially book a rematch between “Notorious” and “The Eagle.”

Tom Taylor - December 11, 2019

The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last Saturday’s card in Washington, D.C., and as expected, Jairzinho Rozenstruik has rocketed up the heavyweight list after smashing Alistair Overeem in the card’s main event. Outside this huge climb from Rozenstruik, the biggest change to the new UFC rankings occurred in the flyweight division as a result of recent title challenger Liz Carmouche’s release from the promotion.

Tom Taylor - December 11, 2019

Streaking UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards was hoping to fight Tyron Woodley, the former welterweight champ, when the UFC returns to London this March. Unfortunately for Edwards, Woodley is not interested in fighting overseas. 

Tom Taylor - December 11, 2019

Frankie Edgar was expected to make his bantamweight debut opposite Cory Sandhagen at UFC Raleigh in late January. When he was asked to replace the injured Brian Ortega against the injured “Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, however, he accepted. He’s now scheduled to meet the undead Korean in the main event of UFC Busan on December 21, while a frustrated Sandhagen has been left without the high-profile dance partner he was expecting.

Cole Shelton - December 11, 2019

Ilima-Lei MacFarlane is not happy about how the way the UFC released her friend and teammate Liz Carmouche. The two-time UFC title challenger Carmouche was released while she was in Washington D.C. doing promotional work for the company.

Mike Pendleton - December 11, 2019

Having been on the sidelines due to knee surgery since his title fight against Jon Jones at UFC 239 this past summer, Thiago Santos has finally given a timeline for when he expects to return, and he’s still got some waiting ahead. Speaking to MMA Junkie while in Washington, D.C. for the UFC’s latest fight card, Santos gave an update about where he’s at in recovery, when he expects to return, and what he plans for his return to the light heavyweight division.

Cole Shelton - December 11, 2019

Irene Aldana believes she is part of a No. 1 contender fight with Ketlen Vieira at UFC 245. Vieira, who is ranked No. 2 in the division, has not fought since March of 2018, so Aldana was surprised she was offered this fight.

Harry Kettle - December 11, 2019

The scheduled light heavyweight bout between Ovince Saint Preux and Ryan Spann has been canceled by the UFC. The showdown was set to take place at UFC 247 on February 8, on a card that will also feature Jon Jones vs Dominick Reyes with the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship being on the line. As you can imagine, it would’ve served as a wonderful opportunity for either “OSP” or Spann to really make an impact and put themselves into the conversation for a title shot.

Natasha Hooper - December 11, 2019

Amanda Nunes recently theorized on why a rematch with Cris Cyborg never came to fruition in the UFC. “The Lioness” defeated Cyborg via a shocking first-round KO in their December, 2018 fight. UFC President Dana White claimed that Cyborg didn’t want a rematch. However, Cyborg has always maintained her stance that she always wanted a rematch.

Adam Martin - December 11, 2019

Bellator welterweight contender Jon Fitch says that even though he’s an “old fart” he can still beat anyone in the top-15 UFC welterweight rankings. Fitch fought for the UFC between 2005 and 2013 before being unceremoniously dumped by the promotion following a loss to Demian Maia at UFC 156. Fitch ended up signing with WSOF and was the welterweight champion in WSOF and later PFL before the promotion released him and he signed with Bellator.

Alfredo Zullino - December 11, 2019

A dangerous new force is about to make his mixed martial arts debut. Undefeated Senegalese wrestler Oumar Kane, also known as “Reug Reug,” is going to fight on December 14 in the first ever ARES Fighting Championship show in Dakar, Senegal. The card will air on UFC Fight Pass.

Tom Taylor - December 11, 2019

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, two of the most heated rivals in UFC history, both have fights booked. Nurmagomedov will defend the lightweight title against Tony Ferguson in April of the new year, while McGregor is slated to return to the cage against Donald Cerrone on January 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to UFC President Dana White, McGregor and Nurmagomedov will likely fight each other again thereafter if they win these upcoming challenges.

Harry Kettle - December 11, 2019

Hollywood legend Arnold Schwarzenegger has praised UFC commentator Joe Rogan for changing his stance on “The Game Changers” documentary. The doc focused on the benefits of plant-based eating for athletes, but alongside Chris Kresser, M.S., L.Ac., Rogan changed his tune after discussing the matter with James Wilks on a recent podcast. The honesty of Rogan in letting the world know that he had jumped to conclusions was met with a lot of praise, including from Schwarzenegger.

Cole Shelton - December 10, 2019

Bryce Mitchell is the latest MMA fighter to call out Floyd Mayweather. Yet, the Arkansas native says his issue with the boxer happened 10 years ago and he wants to fight him for it. Bryce Mitchell also says he’ll hit Mayweather so hard he’ll finally be able to read. Of course, Conor McGregor joked that the boxer couldn’t read in the lead up to their fight.