MMA News

Drake Riggs - May 28, 2019

‘The greatest of all time’ is a label reserved strictly for only one specific component. Of course, when breaking down the category overall that the subject pertains to, there can be multiple different variants that make up the classification of a G.O.A.T. In the general sports world, this often can come in the forms of a team’s best player historically. However, in a singular athletic endeavor like a combat sport such as mixed martial arts, the closest comparison to a team’s G.O.A.T. would be that of a weight division’s.

Tom Taylor - May 28, 2019

UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou and and WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder compete in different sports, but UFC commentator Joe Rogan believes they’re bound by one key similarity: They both hit absurdly hard.

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.

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.

Natasha Hooper - May 28, 2019

Current UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has overcome all the adversity he’s faced in the lightweight division, however, there is one challenger he’s yet to defeat: his father. Nurmagomedov recently grappled with his “greatest challenge”, his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. The clip was posted on Instagram by his coach, American Kickboxing Academy’s (AKA) Javier Mendez, who paid his respects to the Nurmagomedov duo.

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.

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.

Cole Shelton - May 27, 2019

Before Anthony Smith fought Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title at UFC 235, former UFC middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold called him out. The 34-year-old pointed to Smith’s resume to show just how easy it was to get a title shot at 205-pounds, which “Lionheart” didn’t like. Since then, the two have gone back-and-forth in interviews. And, now Rockhold expects Alexander Gustafsson to put Smith in his place when the two fight this weekend.

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.

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

Patricio Freire now owns the Bellator featherweight and lightweight titles. In accomplishing this historic feat, he solidified his rep as one of the sport’s greatest fighters, regardless of promotion. Given Freire’s status as one of the best fighters on earth, many fans have wondered how he might fair in the UFC, namely against UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway.

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.

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

Leon Edwards is currently 7-fight win-streak in the stacked UFC welterweight division, but he still hasn’t managed to crack the division’s top-10 rankings. He’s hoping that changes sometime soon. Speaking on his Twitter account over the weekend, a visibly frustrated Edwards called for a top-5 opponent in his next outing.