MMA News

Tom Taylor - May 22, 2019

This afternoon, the Nevada State Athletic Commission decided to reduce the year-long suspensions of Zubaira Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov by 35 days, meaning both men will be able to fight again as of September 2, rather than October 6. This is important news, as UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov previously vowed not to fight until both men were eligible to compete again, which represented an obstacle as the UFC attempted to schedule him for a fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 on September 7 in Abu Dhabi. With the NSAC’s new ruling, of course, Khabib Nurmagomedov is clear to fight at UFC 242 without breaking his promise. Zubaira Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov are also now in a position to join Khabib on the UFC 242 bill.

Tom Taylor - May 22, 2019

Reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov vowed that he would not return to the Octagon until his teammates Zubaira Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov were cleared to fight again. Given that they were initially suspended one year for their roles in the infamous UFC 229 brawl, and therefore ineligible to fight until October, that presented a bit of a problem as a the UFC has worked to book a title fight between Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 on September 7. Luckily, a solution has been reached.

Tom Taylor - May 22, 2019

According to a report from ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, controversial NFL veteran Greg Hardy will likely be returning to the cage at UFC San Antonio on July 20. Hardy will reportedly meet promising heavyweight prospect Juan Adams, a veteran of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. BREAKING: UFC is finalizing a bout between Greg Hardy and Juan Adams for July 20, San Antonio. Adams has targeted Hardy a lot on social media. Says he "hates" him and uses a #F—GregHardy hashtag. Obviously, a fight he's been looking for. https://t.co/TEtzaooOHW

Cole Shelton - May 22, 2019

“The California Kid” Urijah Faber could very well return from retirement at UFC Sacramento this July. The 40-year-old last fought back in December 2016, when he beat Brad Pickett and then announced his retirement from the sport. Given Sacramento is where Faber’s gym, Team Alpha Male is based, it only makes sense that he wants to return on that card. According to Faber, he is quite serious about returning and has been offered fights already.

Tom Taylor - May 22, 2019

Dustin Poirier will get the next crack at UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Barring a shakeup courtesy of Conor McGregor, the next title shot beyond that will likely go to the winner of a UFC 238 fight between Tony Ferguson and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Depending on how things shake out, then, there’s a chance Poirier will find himself with the winner of Cerrone and Ferguson’s fight sometime late this year or early next.

Natasha Hooper - May 22, 2019

According to Leon Edwards and his brother, Bellator fight Fabian Edwards, Jorge Masvidal turned down the opportunity to fight him. The Edwards brothers have also recently made digs at the UFC for the current ranking and lack of hype surrounding Leon. Leon Edwards (17-3) has made his desire to fight Jorge Masvidal no secret. In a recent interview with BJPenn.com, he says his winning streak is not reflected in his position in the UFC ranking system, presumably because he doesn’t engage in trash talking.

Tom Taylor - May 22, 2019

Las week, on the main card of the stacked ONE: Enter the Dragon card in Singapore, former UFC talent Sage Northcutt made his ONE Championship debut opposite dangerous kickboxing export Cosmo Alexandre. Unfortunately for Northcutt and his legions of fans, this ONE debut went disastrously, as we was knocked out in less than 30 seconds. After this tough knockout loss, Northcutt was carted to a Singapore hospital, where he underwent a nine-hour surgery to repair several facial injuries.

Tom Taylor - May 22, 2019

When Dustin Poirier defeated Max Holloway to win the interim lightweight title at UFC 236, he earned himself the opportunity to unify his new title with the undisputed lightweight belt owned by the undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov. The longstanding rumor has been that this lightweight title fight will occur at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi on September 7. That being said, the bout is not yet official.

Thomas Taylor - May 21, 2019

Shortly after Conor McGregor was defeated by Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 229, a wild brawl began between his and the Russian’s teams. Punches were thrown inside and outside of the Octagon, and this chaotic scene resulted in suspensions and fines for all parties involved.

Tom Taylor - May 21, 2019

Former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor has made more money than any other fighter in MMA history, and he’s never been shy about spending it. The Irishman lives extremely lavishly. Yet in an interview with Tony Robbins last month, which was only just released, McGregor divulged that he’s decided to change the way he spends his money. After reading a bit about NBA star LeBron James, he’s decided there are much more fruitful ways to invest his money and time. “For so long, in my mid to late twenties when I started to acquire wealth and acquire money, I was fascinated with materialistic things,” Conor McGregor began (transcript via Pundit Arena). “I would buy myself cars, watches. I have switched off of that.

Natasha Hooper - May 21, 2019

Justin Gaethje is one of the top contenders in the lightweight division and is currently ranked at No. 5 in the divisional rankings. Whilst many other major fighters in the division have confirmed bouts over the next few months, the next opponent for Gaethje remains to be seen. Gaethje partook in an interview with ESPN to share his thoughts on possible matchups. He believes he deserves to fight an opponent ranked above him and is open to a showdown with former two-division champion Conor McGregor.

Tom Taylor - May 21, 2019

After kickstarting his MMA career with an undefeated run and a brief reign as UFC bantamweight champion, Cody Garbrandt has fallen on tough times. After back-to-back knockout losses to TJ Dillashaw, and a third straight knockout loss at the hands of Pedro Munhoz, it’s going to take some work for him to work his way back into title contention. For the moment, however, the plan for Garbrandt to take some time off to recover, according to his manager Ali Abdelaziz.

Cole Shelton - May 21, 2019

All signs point to UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov taking on the interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier next. The fight is expected to take place at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi. Although that is the tentative plan, there is one person who can potentially change all that, and that is Conor McGregor. The Irishman fought Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 where he lost by fourth-round submission. But, according to Ali Abdelaziz, Nurmagomedov’s manager, if the former two-division champ were to get a win he could very well jump the line and get the next title shot.

Tom Taylor - May 21, 2019

The next crack at UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will go to Frankie Edgar, not Alex Volkanovski as many expected. The pair will meet at UFC 240 in July. Edgar has won just a single fight in the last two-years, while Volkanovski is on an massive tear, so this decision was not an overwhelmingly popular one.

Tom Taylor - May 21, 2019

It has not been an easy few years for UFC flyweight turned bantamweight Ray Borg. In fact, he’s had a terribly difficult run. The biggest struggles Borg has had to deal with have been the seemingly unending health problems of his young son. As if that weren’t enough to deal with, he’s also been forced to withdraw from fights, has had opponents do the same, and has endured controversial losses when he’s actually made it to the cage.

Tom Taylor - May 21, 2019

When Alex Volkanovski defeated former UFC featherweight champ Jose Aldo at UFC 237, the expectation was that he would soon be awarded a title shot opposite reigning champion Max Holloway. “My claim is rock solid,” Volkanovski said post-fight fight. “I’m undefeated. I just beat the No. 1 contender. So I’m the guy. I really am.”

Drake Riggs - May 20, 2019

UFC 240 has its headliner and it will be a featherweight title match-up that we’ve anticipated on two prior occasions. Former UFC lightweight champion, Frankie “The Answer” Edgar will look to finally claim his second divisional title in what will be his third crack at featherweight gold (including interim) when he faces the champion in Max Holloway.

Drake Riggs - May 20, 2019

The sport of bare-knuckle boxing (BKB) has been revitalized in 2019 thanks to the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). However, their next event, BKFC 6, might not get to live up to its name. According to Cageside Press’ Adam LeBarr, the Florida State Athletic Commission isn’t 100 percent on board with the idea of no glove boxing. BKFC 6 happens to be scheduled to take place in Tampa, Florida on June 22 after being relocated from the upper New England area.