MMA News

Adam Martin - September 18, 2019

UFC middleweight contender David Branch has been suspended two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for banned substances. USADA released a statement on this issue. Here’s what it said:

Tom Taylor - September 18, 2019

Former Strikeforce middleweight champion and long-time UFC middleweight contender Jacare Souza has recently been dealing with some mental health struggles. These issues were severe enough that they almost led him to give up on fighting. Jacare opened up on this struggles in a recent interview with MMA Fighting.

Tom Taylor - September 18, 2019

Ben Askren and Dillon Danis are separated by promotional bounds, as they’re currently signed with the UFC and Bellator respectively. Nonetheless, the pair of grappling specialists have taken every opportunity to swap trash talk on Twitter. From the sounds of it, they could soon settle their differences on the mats.

Tom Taylor - September 18, 2019

UFC Vancouver produced some violent finishes and some fun wars. An unfortunate side-effect of entertainment like this is that it often results in lengthy medical suspensions for the fighters involved. The medical suspension for UFC Vancouver are now public, and as expected, Donald Cerrone has been sidelined for a significant period after his knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in the main event. He’ll be out 90 days.

Cole Shelton - September 18, 2019

Although Cris Cyborg is no longer in the UFC and recently signed with Bellator, she still hopes she can rematch Amanda Nunes one day. The two fought back at UFC 232, when Nunes moved up in weight and shockingly knocked Cyborg out in just 51 seconds. Since then, the former featherweight champion and the UFC had arguments over whether or not she wanted the rematch.

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.

Tom Taylor - September 17, 2019

Colby Covington is once again butting heads with the UFC. The former interim welterweight champ was expected to challenge Kamaru Usman for the undisputed welterweight title at UFC 244 this November, but this plan fizzled when the fighters and the promotion could not come to an agreement that worked for all parties involved.

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.

Cole Shelton - September 17, 2019

Tristan Connelly made his name known at UFC Vancouver. The Canadian was stepping up on short notice to take on Michel Pereira. He would also be fighting in his home city, which made his debut even more surreal. Given the circumstances, many did not expect him to win the fight. He was the biggest underdog on the card, but the Canadian pulled off the upset winning by unanimous decision.

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.

Thomas Taylor - September 16, 2019

UFC 244 was originally expected to be headlined by a welterweight title fight between reigning champion Kamaru Usman and top contender Colby Covington. Unfortunately, negotiations for this fight ultimately hit a snag, and the fight was never made official. Welterweight contender Ben Askren believes that’s because both Usman and Covington made the same mistake: the both assumed they have more popularity — and therefor more bargaining power — than they actually do. Askren shared this opinion, which will surely generate some backlash from Usman and Covington, on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday.

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.