MMA News
UFC rankings update | Weili Zhang soars at strawweight, Israel Adesanya joins P4P rankings
Tom Taylor - September 4, 2019
The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last weekend’s UFC Shenzhen card, and as expected, there have been some big changes. Most notably, Weili Zhang has assumed the top spot in the strawweight division, having captured the title by defeating Jessica Andrade in less than a minute in the card’s main event.
Tony Ferguson shuts down potential Conor McGregor bout
Natasha Hooper - September 4, 2019
Tony Ferguson believes Conor McGregor should be fighting celebrities, and leaving the real action to the top dogs in the lightweight division. During the latest episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, Ferguson discussed a potential fight with McGregor. He doubts anybody would be interested.
Greg Hardy returns at UFC Singapore, takes on long-absent "Man Mountain"
Adam Martin - September 4, 2019
Controversial UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy is set to make his return to the Octagon at UFC Singapore in October, and his opponent may surprise you. The UFC announced Wednesday that Hardy will take on fellow heavyweight Jarjis Danho at UFC Singapore, taking place October 26 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.
Report | UFC 242 trending for massive PPV success
Natasha Hooper - September 4, 2019
According to a report from Kevin Iole from Yahoo! Sports, early figures suggest UFC 242 could be one of the biggest pay-per-view events in UFC history. The card will be topped by a lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier. Nurmagomedov’s last fight against Conor McGregor in 2018 was one of the most anticipated match-ups in UFC history. The UFC 229 event sold over 2 million pay-per-views and shattered all previous PPV records for the promotion. The UFC would of course be happy to recreate this success when Nurmagomedov returns to the Octagon against Poirier this Saturday.
Dominick Cruz says 'UFC is pretty interested in booking' him against Henry Cejudo next
Cole Shelton - September 3, 2019
Henry Cejudo has called for a ‘tune-up’ fight with Dominick Cruz for his next bantamweight bout. The former UFC bantamweight champion, Cruz, has not fought since he lost the title to Cody Garbrandt at UFC 207. Since then injuries have kept him away from the Octagon. Yet, he says he should be cleared to fight soon and says the UFC is interested in giving him a title shot against Henry Cejudo when he returns.
Tony Ferguson is hoping Dustin Poirier 'puts away' Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242
Cole Shelton - September 3, 2019
Tony Ferguson is hoping Dustin Poirier leaves Abu Dhabi as the undisputed UFC lightweight champion and stops Khabib Nurmagomedov in the process. Nurmagomedov will look to defend his title in the main event of UFC 242 when he scraps the aforementioned Poirier. It will no doubt be an interesting fight where the winner is likely to be fighting Tony Ferguson next. And, if ‘El Cucuy’ has his way, that fight would be against the current interim lightweight champion.
Ryan Bader reveals Bellator reached out to UFC for cross-promotional fight with Daniel Cormier
Cole Shelton - September 3, 2019
When Ryan Bader was in the UFC, Daniel Cormier called him the easiest fight in the light heavyweight division. Yet, a fight between the two never came to fruition and as “Darth” left in free agency for Bellator. Even though Ryan Bader is in Bellator, he still wants that fight and revealed he and his management reached out to the UFC for a cross-promotional fight with Cormier.
BREAKING | Cris Cyborg signs with Bellator MMA
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2019
Cris Cyborg officially has a new home. The former Strikeforce, Invicta and UFC featherweight champion has signed with Bellator MMA. Bellator President Scott Coker announced this exciting news on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.
VIDEO | Melvin Guillard knocks out civilian at bar
Adam Martin - September 3, 2019
New video footage has emerged of former UFC lightweight contender Melvin Guillard knocking out a civilian while working as a bouncer. The incident took place in Denver, Colorado back on June 15, 2018. A fight broke out outside of the Ginn Mill bar, and Guillard became involved when he brutally knocked out a civilian who was part of the commotion.
Leon Edwards willing to fight Tyron Woodley under right circumstances
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2019
Leon Edwards’ number-one choice at present is a matchup with his welterweight rival Jorge Masvidal. “Obviously, I want the fight [with Masvidal]. Now it’s up to him and his fat manager,” Edwards told MMA Fighting. “I am willing to fight in November. I will co-main event [Kamaru] Usman-[Colby] Covington and whoever wins gets a title shot.
Michael Bisping: Kelvin Gastelum is a 'ballsy' fight for Darren Till
Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 3, 2019
Michael Bisping believes Darren Till is in a high-risk, high-reward situation. Till is set to move up to the middleweight division when he takes on Kelvin Gastelum. The bout is scheduled for UFC 244 on Nov. 2. The action is being held inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. In terms of size, Till is certainly bulking up for the change in weight class.
VIDEO | Bellator drops video game inspired promo for Featherweight Grand Prix
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2019
Bellator MMA’s anticipated Featherweight World Grand Prix is about to begin. The eight quarterfinal matchups of the tournament will occur between Bellator 226, scheduled for this Saturday, and Bellator 228, scheduled for September 8. In anticipation of this awesome tournament, Bellator has released an awesome Mortal Kombat inspired promo for it. See it below:
Edson Barboza not looking for another Fight of the Night in Felder rematch
Cole Shelton - September 3, 2019
Edson Barboza is set for the first rematch of his career when he takes on Paul Felder in the co-main event of UFC 242 this weekend. The two first fought back at UFC on FOX 16 in 2015, when Barboza won by decision. The fight was honored as the Fight of the Night. Now, however, when the two step back into the Octagon, Barboza, who is from Brazil and trains at American Top Team, is not looking for another Fight of the Night.
Khabib Nurmagomedov explains why changing weight classes is not a focus
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2019
Khabib Nurmagomedov has been an incredibly dominant force in the UFC lightweight division, but he has not made much mention of moving up to welterweight or down to featherweight. As it turns out, there is a reason for that. Nurmagomedov has always been focused on building a legacy, and he believes consistency in his natural weight class is more important to that end than seeking challenges in new weight classes.
VIDEO | Watch UFC 242 Embedded: Episode 1
Natasha Hooper - September 3, 2019
The UFC has released its first Embedded vlog for UFC 242, which goes down on Saturday, September 7 in Abu Dhabi, and will be headlined by a lightweight title fight between undisputed champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champ Dustin Poirier. Watch the full episode below:
Dan Hardy breaks down Edson Barboza vs. Paul Felder
Natasha Hooper - September 3, 2019
Dan Hardy recently shared his take on the UFC 242 co-main event, which will pit Paul Felder against Edson Barboza in a rematch of an excellent fight. The card goes down on September 7 in Abu Dhabi.
Kenny Florian believes Daniel Cormier should retire
Natasha Hooper - September 3, 2019
Kenny Florian believes Daniel Cormier should retire after losing his heavyweight title to Stipe Miocic at UFC 241. The former UFC two-division champ ‘DC’ put his heavyweight belt on the line in a rematch against Miocic. The pair first fought at UFC 226 in 2018 when Cormier knocked Miocic out in round one. However, the second time around, Cormier lost via TKO in the fourth.
VIDEO | Junior Dos Santos busts out moves on Brazil's Dancing With The Stars
Natasha Hooper - September 3, 2019
Junior Dos Santos has swapped his MMA gloves for dancing shoes, as he recently made his debut on Brazil’s Dancing With The Stars. See it below (via Streetfight Bancho on Twitter)