MMA News
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.
Diego Sanchez accuses the UFC of writing him off
Natasha Hooper - July 5, 2019
Diego Sanchez believes the UFC has written him off. Sanchez made this claim in a fantastic interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani — the type of interview that could be a catalyst to a renewed Sanchez cult following, or result in a myriad of merchandise hoodies with Sanchez memes and catchphrases.
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.
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.
Jon Jones says he is 'a bad guy that's trying to be good'
Natasha Hooper - July 5, 2019
During the Thursday media day for UFC 239, things got deep for Jon Jones. Jones (24-1) has experienced many trials and tribulations in his personal life and career. Media day surprisingly provided the perfect opportunity for him to shed light on the ramifications his behaviour has had.
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.
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.
Anthony Smith is confident that no one will beat Jon Jones their first time around
Cole Shelton - July 4, 2019
Jon Jones is considered one of, if not the greatest fighter of all-time. He is 24-1 with one no contest and his only loss came by disqualification. Time and time again “Bones” has broken down his opponents by using his length and reach, accompanied by his strong striking and wrestling skills.
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.
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)
ONE Championship's Gianni Subba hoping to compete again soon
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2019
Gianni Subba was less than a day out from a fight when he received the news. The talented ONE Championship flyweight contender was informed by the promotion’s medical team that he had an arachnoid cyst — a congenital cyst, present at birth — and was pulled from his scheduled bout as a precaution. It was the day before his birthday.
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.
Michael Bisping understands why Dana White wants Jon Jones' DQ loss overturned
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 4, 2019
From a promoter’s perspective, Michael Bisping can appreciate Dana White’s desire to have Jon Jones’ lone defeat overturned. Back in Dec. 2009, a young Jones took on Matt Hamill in the co-main event of TUF 10 Finale. This was Jones’ fourth fight under the UFC banner. “Bones” was teeing off on Hamill with some vicious ground-and-pound. When referee Steve Mazzagatti called a halt to the bout, most assumed that Jones scored a TKO victory. Instead, he was disqualified for illegal 12-6 elbow strikes.
Khabib Nurmagomedov: Tony Ferguson needs to 'step forward'
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2019
Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson. It’s a dream fight for most fight fans, and one the UFC has tried multiple times to book. Yet thus far, fate has had other plans. Today, when the lightweight champion Nurmagomedov is gearing up for a UFC 242 title defense opposite Dustin Poirier, and Ferguson is riding a ridiculous 12-fight win-streak, it’s easy to imagine the fight happening quite soon.