MMA News

Tom Taylor - May 28, 2019

When Alex Volkanovski defeated featherweight legend Jose Aldo by decision at UFC 237 in Brazil, many fans expected him to be rewarded with a title shot against reigning champ Max Holloway. This was not the case.

Tom Taylor - May 28, 2019

Former UFC welterweight champ Johny Hendricks was one of many fighters not to get paid by the now defunct bare knuckle fighting promotion WBKFF in late 2018. He’s understandably not happy that he ever got paid for his efforts in the ring. Furthermore, Hendricks has some questions for former WBKFF president Bas Rutten. Rutten claimed to have no previous knowledge of WBKFF’s sketchy finances, and also claimed that he believed WBKFF founder Tom Stankiewicz would eventually pay the fighters he owed money too.

Tom Taylor - May 28, 2019

Shortly after Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Conor McGregor at UFC 229, he leapt over the side of the Octagon and attacked McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis. Danis and Nurmagomedov engaged in a momentary skirmish before being separated by security.

Cole Shelton - May 28, 2019

In the co-main event of UFC Stockholm, Volkan Oezdemir will return to the Octagon to take on Ilir Latifi. There, the Swiss fighter will attempt to get back into the win column for the first time since UFC 214 in July 2017. His current skid includes losses to Daniel Cormier, Anthony Smith, and a controversial decision loss to Dominick Reyes in March. After these setbacks, Oezdemir just wanted to get back into the Octagon soon and get the bad taste of losing out of his mouth.

Tom Taylor - May 28, 2019

Urijah Faber has long been teasing a return to the Octagon, and now it’s official. The former WEC featherweight champion and long-time UFC bantamweight contender will battle Ricky Simon at UFC Sacramento on July 13. Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Dave Meltzer was the first to report this new matchup.

Tom Taylor - May 28, 2019

At UFC 232 in late December, Alexander Gustafsson and Jon Jones stepped into the Octagon for a rematch years in the making. Just as it was in their first fight, which Jones won via controversial decision, the light heavyweight title was on the line in this second chapter. In the end, this rematch was much less competitive than the original, as Jones dominated Gustafsson to a third-round TKO.

Tom Taylor - May 28, 2019

Earlier this month, in an interview with motivational speaker Tony Robbins, former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor looked back on his 2017 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. The Irish MMA star explained how Mayweather’s mid-fight strategy change affected him, and called for a rematch with the boxer.

Adam Martin - May 27, 2019

We’ve seen Jose Aldo lose before, but never in the fashion he did when he fought Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 237 earlier this month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Prior to the Volkanovski fight, the former UFC featherweight champion Aldo had lost four times in his career — once by submission to Luciano Azevedo back in 2005, and then three times by knockout in the UFC, twice to Max Holloway and once to Conor McGregor. The Volkanovski fight was the first time Jose Aldo lost a decision in his 15 years as a pro, and many were left puzzled by the Brazilian’s performance in the fight.

Drake Riggs - May 27, 2019

Anyone who’s been following the sport of MMA from its early days knows exactly who David ‘Tank’ Abbott is. Known for his fan-friendly wild brawler style, Abbott fought in the UFC from 1995 to 2003 where he would go 8-10 taking on some of the sports best ranging from Frank Mir, Dan Severn, Frank Shamrock, Don Frye, Vitor Belfort, Pedro Rizzo, and Maurice Smith. Every single one of Abbott’s 25 career bouts has ended within the first round. With the exception of his last fight which took place in 2013 (a second-round TKO loss to Ruben Villareal).

Drake Riggs - May 27, 2019

A month ago, UFC strawweight veteran, Angela Magana was set to make her Combate Americas debut at Combate 36: Reinas on April 26 against Kyra Batara. Unfortunately, an emergency surgery to take care of a herniated disc took a turn for the worst.

Drake Riggs - May 27, 2019

The former WEC featherweight champion and Team Alpha Male (TAM) leader, “The California Kid” Urijah Faber’s retirement appears to be coming to an end. As soon as the UFC announced that they would be returning to Sacramento this Summer, the rumor mill began to heat up with the possibility of a comeback from one of the greatest lighter weight fighters of all time.

Tom Taylor - May 27, 2019

In 2018, welterweight contenders Stephen Thompson and Darren Till battled for five tense and competitive rounds. At the end of their 25 minute meeting, England’s Till was named the winner via decision — though many fans disagreed with that verdict. At the time of their meeting, Thompson and Till stood out as two of the top contenders in the UFC welterweight division. Today, however, the pair are both riding brutal, one-punch knockout losses. Thompson came up short more recently, after absorbing a bomb from former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis. Till tasted defeated just before that, when he was thumped by Jorge Masvidal.

Tom Taylor - May 27, 2019

Demetrious Johnson has already cemented himself one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, but he’s not ready to rest on his laurels. After a record-setting reign as the UFC flyweight champion, he is now zeroing in on a new title in ONE Championship. Johnson’s road to ONE Championship gold leads through the perilous ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix. The former UFC champion has already advanced to the tournament’s second round, having submitted Yuya Wakamatsu in Tokyo in March, and he’s now looking ahead to a yet unscheduled semifinal showdown with former DEEP flyweight champion Tatsumitsu Wada.

Natasha Hooper - May 27, 2019

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman discussed his highly anticipated showdown with former interim champion Colby Covington, which has still not yet been finalized. He says that his health is his priority, and that he needs to recover from his lingering injuries before he commits to his first title defense.

Tom Taylor - May 27, 2019

Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub, who now makes his living as a podcaster, comedian and combat sports analyst, believes that the UFC is going to change quite a bit during its time on ESPN. In fact, he believes the changes have already begun.

Cole Shelton - May 27, 2019

In the co-main event of UFC 241, Nate Diaz will return to the Octagon after nearly three years away to take on Anthony Pettis. Top welterweight contender Colby Covington believes this will be a fun fight for the fans. However, he believes the two fighters are past their primes and that they wouldn’t be competitive against the sport’s top welterweights.

Tom Taylor - May 27, 2019

This July, former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. During a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Evans looked back on his Hall of Fame career, and pinpointed a few of the fights and victories that meant the most to him.

Tom Taylor - May 27, 2019

For a brief period, it looked as though Daniel Cormier and Ryan Bader would meet in the UFC. Unfortunately, the matchup never materialized, and the two wrestling specialists went their separate ways. Today, both men are hovering at the pinnacle of the sport in different promotions. Bader currently holds the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles in Bellator. Cormier, meanwhile, briefly held the same titles in the UFC, though he relinquished the light heavyweight belt.