MMA News

Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

After losing to the young Aleksandar Rakic at UFC Stockholm over the weekend, long-time UFC light heavyweight contender Jimi Manuwa has decided to hang up the gloves. The Nigerian-born Brit made this announcement in a poignant post to his official Instagram account.

Cole Shelton - June 3, 2019

In the main event of UFC 238, Henry Cejudo has a chance to become a champ-champ. He is the reigning flyweight champion, and after knocking out T.J. Dillashaw, the Olympic gold medalist is moving up in weight to take on Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight title. If Cejudo can become a champ-champ, he believes he will be the best pound-for-pound fighter.

Cole Shelton - June 3, 2019

At UFC Sacramento, Urijah Faber will return to the Octagon for a bantamweight tilt against Ricky Simon. It will be nearly three years since ‘The California Kid” last fought, but the 40-year-old is eager to return. Although Simon is not the biggest name, a win at UFC Sacramento could help setup a future fight with former teammate turned bitter rival T.J. Dillashaw. The former UFC bantamweight kingpin, Dillashaw is currently suspended for two years due to EPO use.

Christopher Taylor - June 3, 2019

Undefeated welterweight standout Ben Askren (19-0 MMA) took aim at former UFC lightweight title challenger Nate Diaz on Monday afternoon. The former Bellator and ONE Champion, Askren, roasted the younger Diaz brother over his professional record as a lightweight.

Natasha Hooper - June 3, 2019

During Monday’s episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show show, Nate Diaz explained the reason behind an infamous altercation wherein he slapped UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in the face. “He was not humble and not this nice guy,” Diaz began. “He was sitting there with his friend trying to making a fight with me, taking a picture of me making fun of me. So I capitalized and said ‘f**k you’ and slapped him in his face.”

Mike Pendleton - June 3, 2019

For the first time in ages, Nate Diaz has opened up on his fighting career. What will likely come as a disappointment to many fighting fans is that he’s apparently not interested in a trilogy against former featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor.

Adam Martin - June 3, 2019

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will next fight at UFC 242 on September 7 in Abu Dhabi — that much is almost certain. But we still don’t have confirmation about who his opponent will be. Most expect interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier to be the next man to fight “The Eagle”, but according to Nurmagomedov’s father Abdulmanap, that’s not a sure thing, as two other opponents are still under consideration.

Tom Taylor - June 3, 2019

At UFC 241, Nate Diaz will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon for a welterweight fight with Anthony Pettis. From the sounds of it, this is the division he plans to call home for the remainder of his career. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Nate Diaz closed the door on a return to the lightweight division. He claimed that, having defeated Conor McGregor in the Octagon and slapped reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov during an infamous altercation outside it, he’s already conquered the weight class.

Tom Taylor - June 3, 2019

From the sounds of it, UFC San Antonio almost got a banger of a featherweight matchup. According to a report from ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, a showdown between recent title challenger Brian Ortega and long-time contender Jeremy Stephens was briefly in the works for the card, but the fight was scratched due to the former’s lingering injuries. “There was some talk of booking Brian Ortega vs. Jeremy Stephens as the headliner for the July 20 card in San Antonio, but I’m told Ortega isn’t healthy enough to agree to a fight at the moment,” Helwani wrote on ESPN. “I do like that fight much better for Ortega than the rumored Zabit Magomedsharipov bout. Ease him back in.”

Mike Pendleton - June 3, 2019

It’s getting harder and harder to deny the legitimacy of the Drake Curse. When Drake meets an athlete, it seems like that athlete almost always loses immediately thereafter. One MMA coach is taking action to ensure his fighters go unaffected by the rapper’s witchcraft. After a photo of Drake and former boxing heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua surfaced online, John Kavanagh, head coach of SBG Ireland and Conor McGregor, sent out a pretty fair warning to the artist.

Tom Taylor - June 3, 2019

UFC flyweight champion Henry Cejudo has some incredible victories on his resume, most notably a decision defeat of Demetrious Johnson and a knockout win over TJ Dillashaw. Yet Cejudo’s UFC 238 opponent Marlon Moraes’ considers that latter victory a bit of a fluke. Speaking on a recent episode of MMA Junkie Radio, Moraes gave his assessment of Cejudo’s 28-second defeat of Dillashaw. He says he believes Dillashaw has the style to beat Cejudo, but that things simply went Cejudo’s way on the night of the fight.

Natasha Hooper - June 3, 2019

UFC flyweight Paige VanZant will have to delay returning to the Octagon as she is scheduled for another operation to her right arm next Thursday. This will be her third time undergoing surgery as a result of re-injuring it this year. According to a report from ESPN, Paige VanZant (8-4) fractured her arm in January during a sparring session. Initially, she was informed she would not need surgery, but upon further investigation, she will have to go under the knife and take three months out of the sport. As a result, she will not be able to fight in July as anticipated, despite training as recent as last month.

Tom Taylor - June 3, 2019

Shortly after he was defeated by Anthony Smith in the main event of UFC Stockholm over the weekend, Sweden’s Alexander Gustafsson hung up the gloves. “What can I say… The show is over guy,” Gustafsson said in the Octagon, placing his gloves on the canvas.

Christopher Taylor - June 3, 2019

The octagon returned to Sweden this past weekend for UFC Stockholm, a twelve-bout fight card headlined by Anthony Smith vs. Alexander Gustafsson. The event produced some incredible fights and jaw dropping finishes.

Christopher Taylor - June 3, 2019

Current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is starting his training camp for September’s UFC 242 event in Abu Dhabi. While not officially announced, it is expected that there the undefeated Russian will square off with current interim lightweight champ Dustin Poirier in a five-round title unification bout.

Christopher Taylor - June 2, 2019

Reigning UFC men’s flyweight champion Henry Cejudo looks to be in phenomenal shape ahead of this weekend’s UFC 238 event. This Saturday night in Chicago, Cejudo will attempt to earn ‘champ champ’ status when he moves up in weight to take on Marlon Moraes for the promotions vacant bantamweight title.

Tom Taylor - June 2, 2019

In 2017, Conor McGregor found himself in hot water after getting physical with referee Marc Goddard amid some confusion during his teammate Charlie Ward’s fight. As it turns out, this is not the first time the Irishman had an issue with Goddard.

Tom Taylor - June 2, 2019

Aleksandar Rakic put himself on the map at UFC Stockholm, beheading the dangerous Jimi Manuwa with a first-round head kick. With this incredible, highlight reel knockout in the books, Rakic can probably look forward to a spot in the light heavyweight top-10, and a reputation as a legitimate contender in the division.