MMA News

Natasha Hooper - September 18, 2019

Conor McGregor has teased an imminent return to the Octagon, so he posted a throwback picture on Twitter of him pummelling Dustin Poirier to remind potential opponents who’s boss. The lightweight fighters exchanged blows in the Octagon at UFC 178, five years ago. McGregor tagged Poirier with a left hook which hurt the American Top Team prospect. He continued to utilize his leg kicks and reach, finishing with a right punch that clipped Poirier behind the ear. McGregor followed up with some hammer fists and secured a KO stoppage win over ‘The Diamond’. McGregor shared a snapshot of the final moments of their UFC encounter 178 on Twitter:

Tom Taylor - September 18, 2019

The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last Saturday’s UFC Vancouver card, and as expected, there have been some interesting changes. Most notably, Justin Gaethje has climbed up to the number-four spot in the lightweight division on the strength of his devastating knockout of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

Tom Taylor - September 17, 2019

John Lineker, a native of Brazil and a current resident of Florida, never imagined he’d fight in Indonesia. Yet on October 25, he’ll take to the cage in Jakarta to ply his trade against Tajikistan’s Muin Gafurov. Lineker’s trip to the bustling metropolis of Jakarta is the result of his recent move from the UFC to ONE Championship.

Adam Martin - September 17, 2019

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have come after UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov after old videos of him wrestling bears recently resurfaced. Videos of Nurmagomedov wrestling bears as a child have been known in the MMA community for years, however with the champ recently becoming a global star after headlining UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, the mainstream media has now become aware of them.

Tom Taylor - September 17, 2019

Earlier this month, in the main event of UFC 242, Dustin Poirier attempted to swipe the lightweight title from the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov. Unfortunately for Poirier and his team, this mission didn’t go as planned. Instead, he was forced to tap out to a third-round rear-naked choke. Despite this setback against the champ, Poirier is still confident he has the ability to beat the champion. He attributes his loss to Nurmagomedov to his own performance more than anything else.

Tom Taylor - September 17, 2019

Anthony Pettis is riding a loss to Nate Diaz, but still feels like he’s in a good place in his career. Currently competing at welterweight, but well within reach of the lightweight division, he believes he’s got lots of interesting options going forward. One of those options is lightweight and welterweight veteran Diego Sanchez.

Cole Shelton - September 17, 2019

Tyron Woodley has his eyes set on reclaiming his welterweight title, but he also wants another fight. “The Chosen One” would like to fight the undefeated UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Although making 155 pounds is out of the question for Woodley, he is open to fighting Nurmagomedov at a catchweight. He just wants the fight, and to show off his takedown defense. It is also a fight he thinks he can win.

Natasha Hooper - September 17, 2019

Bellator President Scott Coker isn’t impressed with the way the UFC handled the career of Cris Cyborg. Cyborg, the former Strikeforce, Invicta and UFC featherweight champion, joined Bellator MMA earlier this month. Prior to her move to Bellator, Cris Cyborg competed in the UFC, and got off to a good start with stoppage wins over Leslie Smith, Lina Lansberg and Tonya Evinger, the latter of whom she defeated to win the vacant featherweight title.

Tom Taylor - September 17, 2019

Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz will soon come face-to-face for the first time ahead of their UFC 244 main event showdown. The pair of popular welterweight contenders are set to appear at an official UFC press conference this Thursday at 6:00pm at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City. This press conference will be free and open to the public.

Tom Taylor - September 17, 2019

Late last week, Kevin Lee announced his intention to return to the lightweight division after a brief stint at welterweight. He stated that he hopes to work his way toward a title fight with lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, and that he’s interested in battling Nurmagomedov’s training partner Islam Makhachev in the meantime. “After looking at that last fight with Khabib, I did an interview before Khabib fought Dustin (Poirier) and said I wasn’t too impressed,” Lee told ESPN (via MMA Mania). “But after seeing the way Khabib handled Dustin, I might want a piece of that cake. I like the biggest target I can find. He’s the real challenge out there. He’s the guy who is going to challenge Jon Jones for the pound-for-pound title. That’s the kind of fight that will get me up.

Natasha Hooper - September 17, 2019

Kevin Lee recently put the autonomous driving capabilities of his Tesla to the test, as he revealed in a recent Instagram post. Lee posted a video of himself playing video with his Tesla on autopilot.

Adam Martin - September 16, 2019

Two of the best welterweights in the world will scrap it out later this year when Robbie Lawler meets Santiago Ponzinibbio at UFC 245. The bout was first reported by MMAjunkie.com, though the UFC has yet to officially confirm it. UFC 245 takes place December 14 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Lawler vs. Ponzinibbio will likely be a part of the pay-per-view portion of the card.

Thomas Taylor - September 16, 2019

Ben Askren and Conor McGregor recently had a brief skirmish on social media. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Askren continued with this war of words by sending a scathing message to the former two-division UFC champion. By Askren’s estimation, McGregor needs to take a fight — perhaps with Dustin Poirier, who recently called him out. If McGregor is unwilling to do that, Askren believes he needs to keep quiet.

Cole Shelton - September 16, 2019

Cheick Kongo was fighting for the heavyweight title against Ryan Bader in the main event of Bellator 226. It was a chance for the 44-year-old Frenchman to win a major MMA title, something that has eluded him thus far in his career. Unfortunately for Kongo and his team, things didn’t go as planned. Instead, the fight was ruled a no-contest after an accidental eye poke from Bader. The champion has since gone on social media posting videos saying there was no eye poke. Kongo, however, says he was poked in the eye, and the nose.

Tom Taylor - September 16, 2019

Former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley is planning to move up to middleweight, but no quite yet. Speaking at fan Q&A ahead of last weekend’s UFC Vancouver card, Woodley divulged that he first plans on fighting his welterweight nemesis Colby Covington, as well as the man who ended his reign as welterweight champ, Kamaru Usman — twice. From there, he plans to head north to the 185-pound middleweight division.

Tom Taylor - September 16, 2019

Shortly after Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier fought at UFC 242, they exchanged Reebok t-shirts. Nurmagomedov subsequently announced his intention to auction off Poirier’s shirt and donate the proceeds to Poirier’s charity, The Good Fight, which is currently working in conjunction with Justin Wren’s charity, Fight for the Forgotten. In the end, Nurmagomedov was able to auction Poirier’s shirt off for a hefty $100,000, which will now be donated to the aforementioned causes. Poirier shared this exciting news with MMA Junkie on Monday.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 16, 2019

Michael Bisping believes those hoping for a heated buildup to Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal will be disappointed. On Nov. 2, Diaz and Masvidal will do battle for the one-time only BMF championship. The welterweight clash is set to headline UFC 244 inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. The seeds for this bout were planted when Diaz called Masvidal out following his successful return at UFC 241.

Mike Heck - September 16, 2019

Michel Pereira suffered his first UFC loss on Saturday to newcomer Tristan Connelly at UFC Vancouver, but he suffered a lot prior to the fight as well, according to a recent statement. “Demolidor” brings a charismatic and exciting style to the cage that has been rarely, if ever, seen in the UFC Octagon. Pereira also missed the welterweight limit by a pound prior to Saturday’s disappointing defeat.