MMA News
Jan Blachowicz makes prediction for fight with 'scared' Luke Rockhold
Tom Taylor - July 5, 2019
As Luke Rockhold closes in on his light heavyweight debut opposite Jan Blachowicz, scheduled for UFC 239 on Saturday night, he’s already talking about a potential title fight with divisional champion Jon Jones. Blachowicz believes that’s because Rockhold is scared of the task at hand.
Tito Ortiz outlines the strategy to beat Jon Jones
Tom Taylor - July 5, 2019
Tito Ortiz is one of the latest MMA stars to weigh in on a potential trilogy fight between UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and light heavyweight champion Jon Jones — two of the most heated rivals in MMA. By Ortiz’s estimation, it would be a great fight — particularly if it occurred in the heavyweight division.
UFC 239 weigh-in results: Jon Jones, Thiago Santos hit marks
Tom Taylor - July 5, 2019
On Saturday night, the UFC returns to its home turf in Las Vegas, Nevada with the absolutely stacked UFC 239 card. The card will be topped by a light heavyweight title fight between dominating champion Jon Jones, and ferocious challenger Thiago Santos. This bout will mark the second defense of Jones’ latest reign, and Santos’ first shot at UFC gold.
Donald Cerrone says Conor McGregor won't sign contract to fight him
Adam Martin - July 5, 2019
There have been rumors of a potential matchup between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone for quite some time now, but Cerrone says the reason the fight hasn’t been booked yet is because McGregor won’t sign the contract. Speaking to MMAjunkie.com Radio, Cerrone confirmed that he’s been close several times to signing a contract to fight McGregor, including a potential matchup back in 2016, when McGregor fought Nate Diaz at UFC 196 on short notice in place of Rafael dos Anjos. Diaz ended up winning that fight by submission and became a superstar in the process, and Cerrone still believes it should have been him who fought McGregor that night.
Thiago Santos promises upset of Jon Jones: 'I’m going to go out there and beat him'
Tom Taylor - July 5, 2019
If Thiago Santos beats Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 239 on Saturday night, don’t say he didn’t warn you. Despite being pegged as a massive bettering underdog against the seemingly unbeatable champion, the Brazilian challenger claims he has successfully humanized Jones in his mind, and is prepared to cudgel the champion just as he has all of his other recent opponents.
PETA begs Conor McGregor to stop wearing animal fur
Tom Taylor - July 5, 2019
Conor McGregor love his fur coats. For proof of that fact, check out this recent Instagram post, in which he gushes over a pair of mink fur coats he wore ahead of two of his biggest fights.
VIDEO | Ben Askren shares clip of backstage run-in with Jorge Masvidal
Tom Taylor - July 5, 2019
Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren, who are set to meet on the UFC 239 main card this Saturday, are not particularly big fans of one another. The pair have exchanged plenty of pre-fight trash talk in interviews and on social media, and that intensity has continued now that they’ve both landed in Las Vegas. In fact, the pair had a tense backstage encounter this week.
Michael Chiesa glad he no longer has to worry about 'the Conor effect'
Cole Shelton - July 5, 2019
Michael Chiesa is set for his second welterweight fight this Saturday at UFC 239, where he will take on Diego Sanchez. Moving up to welterweight was something was considering for a long time given how big he is. He says he would wake up a “couple of pounds” over 180 pounds with two-weeks until fight night — quite a distance from the lightweight division’s 156-pound limit. Not having to cut as much weight as a welterweight is a huge bonus and a big stress reliever for Chiesa.
UFC 239 Betting Odds: Jon Jones a massive favorite
Natasha Hooper - July 5, 2019
The anticipation is building for this weekend’s UFC 239 main event, which will pit dominant champion Jon Jones (24-1) against ferocious challenger Thiago “Marreta” Santos (21-6). As is seemingly always the case, ‘Bones’ is on top as the bookie favorite to win. The oddsmakers have identified him as -600 favorite, meaning a successful $600 bet on Jon Jones would win you $100. Marreta, meanwhile, is a significant +450 underdog (bet $100 to win $450).
VIDEO | Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren exchange words during first face-off for UFC 239
Natasha Hooper - July 5, 2019
Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren exchanged some choice words when they came face to face at the UFC 239 media day on Thursday. Askren chose to taunt his upcoming opponent to try and get a reaction. The UFC posted a clip of the exchange on their Twitter.
Michael Bisping believes Francis Ngannou would sleep Jon Jones
Cole Shelton - July 4, 2019
For a long time, many people have been clamoring to see light heavyweight king Jon Jones move up to heavyweight. He has almost cleaned out the entire 205lbs division, and there are plenty of challenges awaiting “Bones” at heavyweight. Most recently, a fight against surging heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou has sparked the interest of fights fans. ‘The Predator’ has been adding to his knockout reel lately, his latest victim being former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.
Jorge Masvidal says Ben Askren "fu**ing froze" during a recent encounter
Mike Pendleton - July 4, 2019
Jorge Masvidal has not been shy about his dislike for his upcoming UFC 239 opponent, Ben Askren and now he’s added fuel to that fire. During his media day interviews, Masvidal told reporters on multiple occasions that Askren froze up during a recent encounter between the two. Since entering the UFC, Askren has gotten under the skin of many welterweight fighters with comments he’s made about them and his lack of concern in their response. There have been many circumstances that has led to the rivalry between both Askren and Jorge Masvidal, but “Gamebred” told reporters on Thursday that once he confronted Askren, there was no fight about to break out.
Donald Cerrone targeting rematch with Tony Ferguson, says UFC "open to it"
Mike Pendleton - July 4, 2019
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone wants a rematch with Tony Ferguson after their entertaining fight at UFC 238 ended with a doctor’s stoppage TKO victory for ‘El Cucuy’. Both Ferguson and Donald Cerrone had their moments in the first fight, but after the second round following a late hit from Ferguson after the bell, Cerrone blew his nose and his eye closed shut. Although the fight would come to an end, Cerrone did not suffer an injury to his eye. The decision to blow his nose is one that Cerrone said he knows as a veteran he shouldn’t have made, but has said on numerous occasions that the late hit from Ferguson is not what caused the ending of the fight. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie Radio, Donald Cerrone says he is eager for a rematch with Ferguson and is looking no later than September for a return.
Paul Felder vs Edson Barboza 2 targeted for UFC 242
Mike Pendleton - July 4, 2019
A fight featuring a pair of top lightweight contenders is reportedly headed to Abu Dhabi on the same night the title is on the line. MMA Junkie was first to report that a rematch between Paul Felder and Edson Barboza is being targeted for UFC 242. This will be a rematch between Felder and Barboza from their 2015 fight which saw Barboza come out victorious by unanimous decision. Currently, Felder is ranked 10th in the division while Barboza is ranked 7th, meaning this fight likely doesn’t have title implications, but will be an important one for both fighters looking to get into the lightweight title picture.
Luke Rockhold says 'fake' Jon Jones comes across as acting
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 4, 2019
Luke Rockhold doesn’t believe Jon Jones is genuine when it comes to addressing the media and fans. Rockhold and Jones will be featured on the UFC 239 card this Saturday night (July 6). Rockhold will collide with Jan Blachowicz in his light heavyweight debut. Jones headlines the event, putting his 205-pound gold on the line against Thiago Santos. It’ll be the second defense in his current reign.
Ben Askren breaks down Covington vs. Lawler fight
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2019
At UFC Newark, on August 3, top welterweight Colby Covington will look to reestablish himself as the next man in line for the champion Kamaru Usman with a big win over Robbie Lawler. Ben Askren, one of Covington’s most vocal haters, believes this is a fight that could go either way. Check out what he had to say about the matchup below (via Heidi Fang)
Diego Sanchez claims he took Mickey Gall's virginity
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2019
This Saturday, on the main card of UFC 239, Diego Sanchez will return to action against Michael Chiesa. He’ll do so with an impressive TKO victory over Mickey Gall in the rear-view mirror. Speaking on a recent episode of MMA Junkie Radio, Sanchez gave a retrospective assessment of his defeat of Gall, and let’s just say it was interesting. Even by Diego Sanchez standards…
Bec Rawlings to make interesting donation to Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Fame
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2019
Former UFC strawweight and flyweight contender Bec Rawlings was one of the first fighters to make the jump to the surging sport of bare knuckle boxing. During her time as a bare knuckle fighter, which occurred under the BKFC banner, she picked up 3 impressive wins, and was hailed as the Queen of Bare Knuckle. While Rawlings has since returned to MMA roots, having recently signed with Bellator, she will soon be honored for her contributions to the sport of bare knuckle with an induction into the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall of Hall of Fame.