MMA News
Opinion | Justin Gaethje could be the foil to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s reign of dominance
Jordy McElroy - April 24, 2019
There is nothing flashy about Justin Gaethje’s style of fighting—no fancy footwork or slick striking techniques. The former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion is more of a bite down on a mouthpiece, march forward relentlessly and shove his fists in your face kind of fighter. Couple that with a criminally underrated ground game, and you have the recipe for big problems for reigning UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Gaethje implied that he would be the “toughest out” for Nurmagomedov out of all the other title contenders, including Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson.
Yancy Medeiros still feels lightweight is 'natural weight class' for Max Holloway
Tom Taylor - April 24, 2019
Back at UFC 236, UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway made his debut in the UFC lightweight division, taking on Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight strap. Unfortunately for the Hawaiian and his ever-growing fanbase, this move to lightweight didn’t go as planned, as he lost a unanimous decision to Poirier and saw his 13-fight win-streak disintegrate in the process. Speaking to MMA Junkie recently, Yancy Medeiros, one of Holloway’s chief training partners, gave his take on Holloway’s lightweight debut.
Jeff Notvitzky says USADA is 'still evaluating' Paulo Costa case
Tom Taylor - April 24, 2019
If you were hoping to see undefeated middleweight knockout artist Paulo Costa back in the cage soon, well, you might have some waiting to do. According to UFC vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky, Paulo Costa is still being investigated by the United States Anti-Doping Agency after being fined $9,333.33 by the New York State Athletic Commission for an unknown violation.
VIDEO | Catch Sage Northcutt in new Street Fighter: Genesis trailer
Tom Taylor - April 24, 2019
New ONE Championship star Sage Northcutt has seemingly caught the acting bug. The fan favorite welterweight can be seen in the newly released trailer for Street Fighter: Genesis, an unauthorized project based on the popular Capcom game. Northcutt plays the fiery-fisted character, Ken. See him in action below:
Nicco Montano releases statement following USADA suspension, aims for Summer return
Drake Riggs - April 24, 2019
Yesterday, USADA announced that four fighters had recently accepted sixth-month suspensions for their positive testings due to ostarine usage. All of which were the result of tainted supplements. One of those fighters happened to be the inaugural UFC flyweight champion, Nicco Montano. Montano has been out of action since she won the title in December 2017 dealing with a severe foot injury. Once she was finally ready to return in September 2018 to defend her title, things still didn’t go as planned as The Ultimate Fighter 26 winner would end up hospitalized during her weight cut. Thus, obviously, canceling her fight and then leading to her being stripped of her title.
Nicco Montano among three others accept USADA suspensions
Drake Riggs - April 23, 2019
It has been an absolute rollercoaster ride of a career to this point for the inaugural UFC flyweight champion, Nicco Montano. Entering The Ultimate Fighter season 26 as a bright prospect yet consensus underdog, Montano would go on to win the whole show and become the champion as she defeated some of the division’s best. Her crowning moment came on December 1, 2017.
Chris Weidman explains why he is a 'nightmare matchup' for Israel Adesanya
Tom Taylor - April 23, 2019
Like pretty much everybody else inside the MMA bubble, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman has enjoyed watching new interim middleweight champ Israel Adesanya compete inside the Octagon. That being said, he believes he possesses the physical tools and the skills to give the Nigerian-born Kiwi fits inside the cage. Weidman explains why he feels this way on the latest episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.
Dana White updates on Zuffa Boxing venture
Tom Taylor - April 23, 2019
UFC President Dana White has previously claimed that he plans to venture into the world of boxing promotion. “I had a meeting in LA yesterday. We are continuing to move forward, and we will absolutely, positively be in the boxing business,” White told ESPN last year. “If you know how I run my business and what I like, yes I want all the best boxers in the world,” he added. “I want them all to fight each other and find out who the real champ is. That’s what we’re going to do.”
Walt Harris accepts USADA sanction, win over Arlovski overturned
Tom Taylor - April 23, 2019
UFC heavyweight Walt Harris has accepted a four-month sanction from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive for the anabolic agent LGD-4033. In addition, Harris’ UFC 232 split decision victory over former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski has been overturned to a no-contest. USADA announced this news in a release, explaining that Harris’ violation was the result of his use of a tainted supplement:
EXCLUSIVE | Jon Fitch preparing to shock the world in Bellator 220 main event
Cole Shelton - April 23, 2019
Jon Fitch is fighting for the Bellator welterweight title on Saturday night, in the last first-round bout of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix. The 41-year-old, who is 1-0 inside the Bellator cage, will be taking on the champion Rory MacDonald in the main event of Bellator 220. Although Fitch is the underdog heading into this fight, the veteran is more than ready to do what he has to do to win.
Santiago Ponzinibbio calls out 'lucky' Anthony Pettis
Tom Taylor - April 23, 2019
Santiago Ponzinibbio is looking for a fight, and from the sounds of it, he’s got an opponent in mind. Speaking on Instagram on Monday, the Argentine welterweight contender called for a fight with former UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis. He asserted that Pettis got lucky in his last outing, in which he knocked out former welterweight title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, and promised that the American will have no such luck in this prospective matchup.
Darren Till receives punishment for incident in Canary Islands
Tom Taylor - April 23, 2019
According to a report from The Daily Mail, former UFC welterweight title challenger Darren Till has been fined more than 700 euro ($788 USD) in Spanish court after ransacking a hotel room and stealing a taxi in Tenerife, the largest of Spain’s Canary Islands. According to this report, Till and his cohorts have also been ordered to reimburse the hotel for the damage caused — a sum totalling more than 8,500 euro ($9,570 USD).
EXCLUSIVE | Ilima-Lei MacFarlane welcoming another title defense in her second home
Cole Shelton - April 23, 2019
There is no question the emotions were running high for Ilima-Lei MacFarlane’s last fight. MacFarlane got to defend her Bellator flyweight title at home in Hawaii where she defeated Valerie Letourneau in the third-round by submission. The win capped off an emotional fight week for MacFarlane. Now, she is set for yet another title defense this Saturday when she takes on Veta Arteaga at Bellator 220 in San Jose, California. Although Hawaii was MacFarlane’s real homecoming, she lives and trains in California which makes this yet another fight ‘at home’.
Firas Zahabi questions the decision-making of Max Holloway at UFC 236
Cole Shelton - April 22, 2019
Max Holloway was looking to become a two division champion at UFC 236. The featherweight king was moving up in weight to take on 155-pound contender Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight championship. Ultimately, Poirier beat Holloway by unanimous decision to snap the Hawaiian’s 13-fight winning streak. Although Holloway lost, he had some good moments in the fight, but many thought the size discrepancy between he and Poirier played a huge factor. However, MMA coach, Firas Zahabi believes Dustin Poirier simply fought a smarter fight, which resulted in him getting the win.
Luke Rockhold outlines path to Jon Jones title fight
Tom Taylor - April 22, 2019
When Thiago Santos knocked out Jan Blachowicz at UFC Prague, he earned a light heavyweight title fight with seemingly unbeatable champion Jon Jones. Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold, who is now scheduled to battle Blachowicz at UFC 239, is hoping that a similar performance will earn him his own fight with Jones. “Thiago Santos just got a world title fight after beating Jan Blachowicz, so I figure if I go out there and put a performance on him, what’s to deny me?” Rockhold said on a recent episode of Submission Radio (transcript via MMA Weekly). “I mean, what else is there? These guys are scouring around, not taking fights. So I’m gonna go out there and I’m gonna perform and do my job, and then I’m gonna let the chips fall where they may.”
The biggest winners from UFC St. Petersburg
Mike Straus - April 22, 2019
UFC St. Petersburg is in the books. Seven Russian fighters got their hand raised and a familiar heavyweight contender cemented his position in the ranks. The second trip to Russia proved beneficial for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The fights were entertaining with more than half of the 11 fights scheduled ending in a finish.
Maycee Barber says Paige VanZant is avoiding fight because she ‘doesn’t want her face damaged’
James Lynch - April 22, 2019
Maycee Barber has her next opponent in mind but isn’t confident it will happen The undefeated 20-year-old is currently recovering from a broken thumb, but spoke to Luke Thomas on The MMA Hour and explained why Paige VanZant would be an ideal next opponent.
Joseph Benavidez 'surprised it took that long' for TJ Dillashaw to get caught
Tom Taylor - April 22, 2019
TJ Dillashaw is no longer the UFC bantamweight champion. He surrendered that title when he tested positive for EPO, an injectable-only performance-enhancing drug, and was suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Many members of the MMA community were shocked to learn of Dillashaw’s PED use. But not everybody.