MMA News
Al Iaquinta calls 'BMF' title disrespectful to real UFC champions
Natasha Hooper - October 5, 2019
New York native Al Iaquinta isn’t opposed to his former opponent, Jorge Masvidal facing Nate Diaz on his home turf at Madison Square Gardens. However, he doesn’t approve of the ‘BMF’ title attributed to their UFC 244 bout on the 2nd November. “I don’t know, I think the toughest motherf*cker is the champ, the real champ,” said Al Iaquinta who feels the ‘Baddest Motherf*cker’ title undermines the real belt.
VIDEO | Cain Velasquez shows up at WWE Smackdown and confronts Brock Lesnar
Christopher Taylor - October 4, 2019
Cain Velasquez showed up at tonight’s WWE Smackdown event where he confronted former UFC rival Brock Lesnar. Velasquez’s surprise arrival occurred shortly after Lesnar had defeated Kofi Kingston to claim the promotions WWE Championship.
VIDEO | Aljamain Sterling shows off 26 staples after wrist surgery
Adam Martin - October 4, 2019
UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling recently went under the knife for wrist surgery, and he posted a video of the aftermath on his social media. In an Instagram post, Sterling showed a video of the 26 staples and stitches in his arm after getting surgery on it. Check out the video below. Warning: graphic.
UFC 243 weigh-ins results: Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya official, two fighters miss weight
Adam Martin - October 4, 2019
All 22 fighters scheduled to compete on Saturday night’s UFC 243 card have officially weighed in, and two fighters have missed weight. The card features an incredible UFC middleweight title fight between champion Robert Whittaker and interim champ Israel Adesanya. Both men have officially made weight for their championship title bout, and the fight is on.
Michael Bisping says Tyron Woodley needs to accept loss to Kamaru Usman
Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 4, 2019
Michael Bisping advises Tyron Woodley to just accept his loss to Kamaru Usman and get back on the horse. Back in March, Woodley was shutout by Usman in their UFC welterweight title bout. Usman turned in a brilliant performance and nabbed every round to take the title away from “The Chosen One.” Since that bout, Woodley has called for a rematch but the next title opportunity will go to Colby Covington at UFC 245 on Dec. 14.
Scott Coker calls Fedor Emelianenko ‘the greatest fighter in the history of MMA,’ retirement fight in Russia planned
Adam Martin - October 4, 2019
Bellator president Scott Coker was recently asked about the future of the legend Fedor Emelianenko. According to Coker, he believes Fedor is the greatest MMA fighter of all time and said the Russian still plans on fighting a few more times, including a matchup on home soil for his final retirement bout within the next few years. Here’s what Coker told RT Sport about Fedor.
Wanderlei Silva calls out Vitor Belfort for bare-knuckle fight
Adam Martin - October 4, 2019
MMA legend Wanderlei Silva, who recently signed with Bare Knuckle FC, has called out long-time rival Vitor Belfort to a bare-knuckle fight. Speaking to AgFight.com, Silva said he badly wants to get his hands on Belfort.
Robert Whittaker lauds Khabib Nurmagomedov: 'No one can stop him'
Cole Shelton - October 4, 2019
Count Robert Whittaker among those who are very impressed with the undefeated Dagestani lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Whittaker says what he has seen of Nurmagomedov has been “phenomenal.” He doesn’t expect anyone will stop the lightweight champ any time soon.
Paulo Costa says Israel Adesanya will be the first 'kill' on his record
Adam Martin - October 4, 2019
UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa has come on the offensive against interim champ Israel Adesanya. Costa says he badly wants to fight Adesanya after UFC 243, and he wants to put the pain on him. So much so that Costa says he wants Adesanya to be the first “kill” on his MMA record. Here’s what Costa wrote on Twitter in response to Adesanya recently calling him an “overly-inflated balloon animal.”
Megan Anderson opens up on mental health struggles
Tom Taylor - October 4, 2019
As Megan Anderson gears up for a UFC 243 showdown Zarah Fairn Dos Santos, she’s opening up on the mental health struggles she’s dealt with over the course of her career. “I’m very hard on myself,” Anderson told MMA Junkie at UFC 243 media day. “I’ve always been open about that and about mental health issues and that kind of stuff. So I am my own worst critic and have kind of doubted my skills for a long time.”
VIDEO | Brawl breaks out at Brave CF 27 weigh-ins
Tom Taylor - October 4, 2019
Brave CF 27, scheduled for Friday in Abu Dhabi, will feature a welterweight title rematch between champion Abdoul Abdouraguimov and challenger Jarrah Al-Selawe. When the pair squared off at the card’s weigh-ins, all hell broke loose. What started with a bit of shoving — something we often see at weigh-in ceremonies — quickly devolved into an all-out brawl. See it below:
Miesha Tate says Holly Holm will 'definitely' be in the Boxing Hall Of Fame
Mike Pendleton - October 4, 2019
Miesha Tate achieved a career dream when she defeated Holly Holm at UFC 196 to become UFC women’s bantamweight champion for the first time in her career. Now, she’s giving major props to her former foe. During an episode of MMA Tonight with host Ryan McKinnell on Sirius XM, Tate was asked about Holly Holm being on the ballot for the 2020 Boxing Hall Of Fame class, and while Laila Ali headlines the strong class which includes 12 female boxers, Tate believes Holm should definitely be inducted.
RIZIN boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara interested in signing free agent Sergio Pettis
Tom Taylor - October 4, 2019
Sergio Pettis was scheduled to battle Kai Kara-France at UFC 245, but was pulled from the matchup when it came to light that his current UFC contract has concluded. Pettis is now exploring free agency, and from the sounds of it, he can expect some interest from Japan’s RIZIN Fighting Federation. Speaking to BJPENN.com’s Tom Taylor, RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara commented on Pettis’ free agency. He believes the long-time UFC flyweight contender could be a great addition to the RIZIN bantamweight division.
Israel Adesanya reacts to Jon Jones' Twitter attack
Natasha Hooper - October 4, 2019
During an interview with Brett Okamoto, Israel Adesanya reacted to the barrage of insults he received from Jon Jones on Twitter this week. Recently, Israel Adesanya made several comments about a potential octagon showdown against the light heavyweight champion. Jon Jones’ was not impressed with the call out and attacked the 30-year-old in a heated rant.
Eddie Hearn on Conor McGregor partnership: 'We can do it better'
Natasha Hooper - October 4, 2019
During a media event regarding the upcoming Andy Ruiz Jr. vs. Anthony Joshua 2 card, Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn spoke highly of Conor McGregor and pitched a future partnership with “The Notorious.” In an interview with Seconds Out, Jamal Niaz, mentioned Conor McGregor. Hearn spoke highly of the former two-division champion.
Israel Adesanya discusses why he's more fit for main event pressure than Robert Whittaker
Mike Pendleton - October 3, 2019
With UFC 243 right around the corner, current UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will return to action, after being away for 16 months in a title unification fight against interim champion Israel Adesanya. In what many are calling the biggest fight in Australia and New Zealand history, the two fighters have been given star treatment by the UFC and their host venue of Marvel Stadium in the build-up to the fight. With plenty of media, appearances, and attention being given to both fighters, “The Last Stylebender”, Adesanya, believes he’s built for the pressure of a main event this meaningful.
Bellator announces return to Hawaii featuring Ilima-Lei Macfarlane and A.J. McKee
Mike Pendleton - October 3, 2019
Bellator MMA is headed back to Hawaii, and they’re bringing two of their bright young stars with them. KHON2 in Hawaii was first to report that Bellator will be returning to Hawaii on December 21st at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Oahu, Hawaii. The card will feature Bellator’s flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane who will attempt to defend her flyweight title against Kate Jackson who has a 11-3-1 record in her professional career, and is also a former competitor of The Ultimate Fighter Season 23. Jackson is riding a two fight winning streak and is 3-1 since joining Bellator.
Israel Adesanya takes a shot at Yoel Romero in latest warning to Robert Whittaker
Christopher Taylor - October 3, 2019
Current UFC interim middleweight champ Israel Adesanya has taken a shot at Yoel Romero in his latest warning to reigning division kingpin Robert Whittaker. Israel Adesanya (17-0 MMA) will square off with Robert Whittaker (20-4 MMA) in the headliner of this weekend’s highly anticipated UFC 243 pay-per-view event from Australia.