MMA News

Cole Shelton - September 10, 2019

Marvin Vettori is confident his UFC Vancouver opponent Andrew Sanchez is not on his level. Vettori, who took this fight on short notice, believes Sanchez does not have the cardio to keep up with him. Based on that, the Italian talent is confident he will be able to finish his American foe.

Tom Taylor - September 10, 2019

When the UFC returns to Melbourne, Australia for UFC 243, it will bring top fighters like Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya, Holly Holm, Raquel Pennington, Dan Hooker and Al Iaquinta along with it. Yet if a one Melbourne-based politicians has their way, the promotion will not bring its beloved Octagon girls to The Land Down Under. Melbourne Mayor Sally Capp shared her grievances surrounding the UFC’s Octagon girls with The Herald Sun, reminding that other sports have done away with similar roles — such as Formula One and Professional Darts.

Tom Taylor - September 10, 2019

Colby Covington was in attendance for July’s UFC 241 card, and reportedly had a few near-scuffles with several other fighters sitting cage-side at the event— even his former friend and training partner Jorge Masvidal. At least, that’s allegedly what he told UFC President Dana White. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Masvidal claimed that Covington told the UFC boss that he was trying to get violent with him in the crowd.

Tom Taylor - September 10, 2019

UFC welterweight contenders Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal were friends for a long time, but that no longer seems to be the case. As both fighters close in on welterweight title shots, they’ve become increasingly hostile with one another, even taking public shots at each other on social media.

Adam Martin - September 10, 2019

Count Dustin Poirier among those who are not a fan of Colby Covington. The UFC lightweight contender told Covington “it’s on sight” if he sees him at American Top Team. Poirier made the comments on an Instagram post from ESPN that quoted Covington calling Poirier “childish.” (h/t/ Phillyphil9)

Cole Shelton - September 10, 2019

Uriah Hall will make his first walk to the Octagon of 2019 at UFC Vancouver. He will do so with a new coach, Sayif Saud, after switching to Fortis MMA. The reason Hall decided to switch camps coming off a win is simple. He fell in love with the camp right when he walked in.

Chris Taylor - September 9, 2019

It appears that the friendship between UFC welterweight standouts Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington has officially come to an end. The pair first butted heads after ‘Gamebred’ referred to Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman as “losers” in a tweet to Nate Diaz.

Adam Martin - September 9, 2019

Edson Barboza plans to appeal his controversial split decision loss to Paul Felder that took place this past Saturday at UFC 242. The judges scored the contest 30-27 Barboza, 29-28 Felder and 30-27 Felder for a split decision nod for Felder. Many who watched the fight thought that it could have been scored 29-28 either way, with most media members actually scoring it for Barboza (via MMADecisions).

Cole Shelton - September 9, 2019

Tony Ferguson was not impressed with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s performance against Dustin Poirier this past weekend in Abu Dhabi. In the main event of UFC 242, Nurmagomedov defended his lightweight title by third-round submission. He seemingly dominated the fight from the get-go using his wrestling and relentless pressure to stop Poirier in his tracks. However, Ferguson was not impressed by Khabib, claiming his performance was lazy.

Thomas Taylor - September 9, 2019

We know that Khabib Nurmagomedov is a star in his native Russia. Yet in the wake of his UFC 242 victory over Dustin Poirier, which went down last Saturday in Abu Dhabi, it’s becoming clear that he’s an absolute mega star in his homeland. According to figures tracked by Mediascope and TV Index, and reported by RT Sport and Sport-Express.Ru, Nurmagomedov’s UFC 242 victory over Poirier has already passed 26 million viewers on Russia’s Channel 1 and its subsidiary networks, where it aired for free.

Tom Taylor - September 9, 2019

When welterweight contenders Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz step into the cage for the UFC 244 main event this November, there will a belt on the line. But it won’t be the undisputed welterweight title. It won’t even be an interim title. Instead, it will be the newly-created “baddest motherf**ker in the game” belt — as confirmed by UFC President Dana White. So how will this belt work? Will the winner defend the title? White explained the plan for this new title at the UFC 242 post-fight press conference.

Adam Martin - September 9, 2019

Bellator and RIZIN are eyeing a year-end show in Japan featuring some of the best fighters from both promotions. Reports indicate Bellator president Scott Coker and RIZIN bossman Nobuyuki Sakakibara are in talks for a main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, as well as a light heavyweight co-main event between Ryan Bader and Jiri Prochazka. Veteran MMA scribe Josh Gross of The Athletic shared the news via Twitter that Bellator and RIZIN hope to have a card December 29 in Japan, and they hope to bill it as Emelianenko’s final fight in Japan.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 9, 2019

Kelvin Gastelum doesn’t plan to get lost in all the hoopla surrounding his bout with Darren Till. Some fight fans were left puzzled when it was revealed that Till will move up in weight to take on Gastelum at UFC 244 on Nov. 2. The sticking point isn’t that Till is changing weight class, as many anticipated the move. The issue with many is that Gastelum is an elite 185-pounder while Till is coming off two stoppage losses at welterweight.

Tom Taylor - September 9, 2019

Dustin Poirier was not able to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242. Post-fight, the latest UFC lightweight title challenger has made no secret of how much this loss stings. In fact, he even hinted that he may not fight again in one of his post-fight social media posts. “Thank you guys for the support, it means a lot to me,” Poirier said in a video posted to social media. “If I choose to fight again, I’ll be back strong. If not I’ll see what God has in store for me.”

Adam Martin - September 9, 2019

Following his submission win over Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 242, UFC president Dana White believes Khabib Nurmagomedov is closing in on GOAT status in MMA. The UFC bossman made these comments to reporters during the event’s post-fight press conference. According to White, Nurmagomedov is a special, one-of-a-kind talent.

Tom Taylor - September 9, 2019

On November 2, in the main event of UFC 244, Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz will collide for the aptly named “baddest motherf**ker in the game” belt. From the sounds of it, it could be one of the biggest stars in the world that wraps this new belt around the winner’s waist: Dwayne Johnson — aka “The Rock.” When this Diaz vs. Masvidal fight was announced, The Rock expressed his excitement with the matchup on social media. Shortly thereafter, Masvidal mentioned The Rock on Twitter, asking the pro wrestler turned Hollywood star to strap the belt around his waist if he wins.

Tom Taylor - September 9, 2019

Back in April, Tyron Woodley surrendered the UFC welterweight title to Kamaru Usman. Ever since, he’s been campaigning for a do-over with the new champion. Woodley once again called for that rematch with Usman over the weekend, shortly after news surfaced that negotiations for a bout between Usman and Colby Covington had fizzled. He did so in the replies to an Instagram post from ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani.

Tom Taylor - September 9, 2019

Earlier this year, Cris Cyborg parted ways with the UFC. Based on UFC President Dana White’s telling of this highly publicized split, it was the UFC that decided to end the relationship. Cyborg, however, begs to differ.