MMA News

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.

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2019

Kevin Lee is currently on a two-fight losing streak, having recently come up short to Rafael dos Anjos and Al Iaquinta in the welterweight and lightweight divisions respectively. UFC commentator Joe Rogan believes a change of scenery could be the solution for the struggling but undeniably talented “Motown Phenom.” In fact, Rogan has a specific gym in mind for Lee.

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2019

Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal are two of the top welterweights on the UFC roster. They’re also training partners at American Top Team, and very close friends. While their friendship has beneficial in the past, it may soon become a bit of an obstacle, as both men are seemingly right on the cusp of welterweight title shots.

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2019

Johnny Walker is perhaps the most compelling new contender in the UFC light heavyweight division. The Brazilian finisher has gone 3-0 since joining the UFC roster, and seems to be on a collision course with divisional champion Jon Jones. In fact, Walker has stated that he believes he’s ready to fight the seemingly unbeatable Jon Jones right now.

Adam Martin - May 26, 2019

The UFC has made a number of roster cuts, and one of the promotion’s top-ranked middleweight fighters is among the fighters on the chopping block. According to Raphael Mariano from Globo, the UFC has parted ways with several athletes, including former “Ultimate Fighter” winner Elias Theodorou, who was the No. 15-ranked middleweight. The decision to cut Theodorou is shocking considering he was the co-main event of a UFC Fight Night card in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada earlier this month. He also had a solid 8-3 record in the Octagon. But he lost a lackluster decision in that fight and was even booed by the Canadian fans for “running” away from the action. The UFC matchmakers have seemingly decided to cut him as a result.

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2019

Arguably the most intense moment of the longstanding rivalry between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor occurred in early 2018, when McGregor ambushed a shuttle bus carrying the Russian, and threw a dolly through the bus’s window. This wild attack from Conor McGregor and his cohorts left several fighters on the bus with physical injuries, and several others with lingering psychological issues.

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2019

Colby Covington and Jon Jones have had an interesting relationship over the years. Though they once called each other roommates, they’ve since devolved into enemies. While Covington recently attempted to extend the olive branch to Jones, he’s still more than willing to trash talk reigning UFC light heavyweight champion if the chance presents itself.

Tom Taylor - May 26, 2019

Conor McGregor has accomplished a lot in his MMA career. The Irish MMA star has captured titles in two UFC divisions, headlined multiple record-breaking UFC pay-per-views, delivered some spectacular finishes against top-flight opponents, and engaged in some unforgettable wars. Yet he says there is one moment of his MMA career that stands out as the most significant. Apparently, he considers his first encounter with UFC championship gold — a UFC 189 interim title victory over Chad Mendes in 2015 — to be the most important win of his career. As he reminds, of course, he did not expect to meet Mendes that night, as he was initially booked to challenge Brazil’s Jose Aldo for the undisputed featherweight strap.

Chris Taylor - May 25, 2019

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has offered up an interesting idea as to who Conor McGregor should call out next. The Irishman appears to be on the outside looking in as the promotions continues to book key lightweight matchups that do not include the ‘Notorious’.

Chris Taylor - May 25, 2019

It has been almost ten years since BJ Penn told Joe Rogan “I love you” during his post-fight speech at UFC 123 in Detroit. That evening, ‘The Prodigy’ had defeated longtime rival turned good friend Matt Hughes via knockout in just 23-seconds, thus reasserting Penn as one of top welterweights in the divison.

Chris Taylor - May 25, 2019

Lyoto Machida will return to the cage on June 14 where he will square off with Chael Sonnen in the headliner of Bellator 222. The former UFC light heavyweight champion, Machida (25-8 MMA), made his Bellator debut this past December where he picked up a split-decision win over former Bellator middleweight title holder Rafael Carvalho.

Chris Taylor - May 25, 2019

Submission specialist Dillon Danis utilized some lyrics from rap mogul Eminem to send a warning to fellow fighters on social media. Danis, who rose to prominence in the MMA Community after helping prepare Conor McGregor for his rematch with Nate Diaz at UFC 202, took to Twitter with the following message for his peers.

Chris Taylor - May 25, 2019

No matter what happens in his fight with Alexander Gustafsson next weekend, it appears that Anthony Smith is on a collision course with former UFC middleweight champ Luke Rockhold. Smith and Rockhold have been trading barbs back and forth on social media ever since ‘Lionheart’ suffered a unanimous decision loss to Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 235 this past April.