MMA News

Drake Riggs - April 20, 2019

RIZIN 15 is the first RIZIN event of 2019 and as per usual it looks to be a great one. Stars return and a new champion will be crowned. In the main event, we will see the first ever RIZIN light heavyweight champion be decided when Bellator’s “King Mo” Muhammad Lawal returns to the ring to try and once again pick up a win over the red-hot Czech, Jiri Prochazka.

Chris Taylor - April 20, 2019

UFC welterweight standouts Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal will collide at July’s UFC 239 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight was put together shortly after “Gamebred” starched former title challenger Darren Till in London.

Chris Taylor - April 20, 2019

Former Strikeforce and Dream heavyweight champ Alistair Overeem picked up another first round finish at today’s UFC event in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Overeem took on submission specialist Aleksei Oleinik in the headliner of today’s UFC event. After a shaky start, “The Reem” would turn the tide with the utilization of some nasty knees which eventually caused Oleinik to hit the canvas. From there, Overeem would deliver some solid ground and pound which forced the referee to step in and call a stop to the contest.

Chris Taylor - April 20, 2019

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor competed in a boxing match this weekend in Dublin, Ireland. The bout marked the first time that fans have had a chance to see McGregor compete since his submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 this past October.

James Lynch - April 20, 2019

Kevin Lee wants his next fight to be legendary! Looking to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time in his career, Lee moves up to the welterweight division against former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC on ESPN+ 10 on May 18. The 26-year-old plans to be a lot more focused in this fight, as opposed to his last outing against Al Iaquinta, a unanimous decision loss at UFC on FOX 31, where he felt distracted.

Chris Taylor - April 20, 2019

A key heavyweight tilt between perennial division contenders Alistair Overeem and Aleksei Oleinik headlined today’s UFC event in Russia. Overeem entered tonight’s main event looking to build on the momentum of a first-round TKO victory he scored this past November in Beijing.

Chris Taylor - April 20, 2019

A heavyweight bout featuring perennial division contenders Alistair Overeem and Aleksei Oleinik headlined today’s UFC event in St. Petersburg. Alistair Overeem was last seen in action at November’s UFC event in Beijing, where he scored a first round TKO victory over Sergey Pavlovich.

Jason Kindschy - April 20, 2019

Rich Franklin returns following the announcement that the former UFC middleweight champion will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for 2019. ‘Ace’ joins legendary athletes such as Royce Gracie, Randy Couture, and Bas Rutten in the HOF’s pioneer wing. Rightfully so as Franklin was ahead of the curve with his approach to training and a well-rounded arsenal displayed during his UFC tenure. However, Franklin’s contribution to MMA did not end with his retirement from competition in 2015. The Ohio native has been an integral part in the success of ONE Championship and his keen eye for talent has led to Rich at the helm of the promotions talent acquisition program, ONE Warrior Series. Rich talks shop regarding all things ONE Championship, the continued success and global expansion of the company. We’ll also take an in-depth look back on his combat career and discuss everything from Franklin’s proudest moments, to his hardest setbacks, and the legacy he hopes to leave. Ray Cooper III and Zane Kamaka are both top-of-the-food-chain in Hawaii’s MMA landscape, and now the two compete for supremacy in the opening round of the 2019 PFL season. Cooper of course making it to the final last season, leaving a path of destruction in his wake before coming up short against Magomed Magomedkerimov. Kamaka on the other hand is incredibly hungry to prove his worth and feed his family in this promotional debut against Cooper on May 9th in Long Island, New York. As if that’s not enough reason to watch them collide, Ray and Zane are actually cousins cut from the same cloth . You’ll hear why Ray specifically asked to fight Zane in the opening round, why Zane believes he’ll prove to be the superior fighter, and how the bad blood began between the two.

Nolan King - April 19, 2019

The UFC is putting the final touches on another Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series bout. Featherweights Zach Zane (12-7) and Justin Gonzales (8-0) are on a crash course for Las Vegas on June 25, sources tell BJPenn.com Born and raised in Wailuku, Hawaii, “God’s Warrior” Zach Zane has been on a dominant run, competing for regional promotions around the world.

Tom Taylor - April 19, 2019

At UFC 239, which is scheduled for July 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada, Francis Ngannou will take on Junior dos Santos in a pivotal heavyweight showdown. If he wins this fight, he believes there will be no denying him another shot at the UFC heavyweight title. After blitzkrieg knockouts of Cain Velasquez and Curtis Blaydes, Ngannou feels he already arguably deserves that opportunity.

James Lynch - April 19, 2019

Can former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez succeed in Lucha Libre wrestling? Alberto Del Rio would know better than anyone. The former WWE star has competed in North American pro wrestling, Lucha Libre and MMA, and weighed in on Velasquez’s chances in an interview with MMAJunkie.

Tom Taylor - April 19, 2019

This Saturday, the UFC will return to ESPN+ with the exciting UFC St. Petersburg card. This card will be topped by a key heavyweight contender bout between former Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1 champ Alistair Overeem and Russian submission specialist Alexey Oleynik. It will also feature a host of rising contenders and prospects such as Islam Makhachev, Sergei Pavlovich, Ivan Shtyrkov, and Antonina Shevchenko.

Tom Taylor - April 19, 2019

On April 27, in the main event of Bellator 220, Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald will attempt to defend his title against former World Series of Fighting champ Jon Fitch in the final, first-round bout of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix. Speaking to Robin Black and DAZN ahead of this fight, MacDonald’s coach Firas Zahabi, the main behind Tristar MMA, went off Jon Fitch, calling him a cheater and a coward.

Tom Taylor - April 19, 2019

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, is nearing the end of his fighting career. Yet as he gears up for a high-stakes UFC 237 showdown with the dangerous Jared Cannonier, he suggested he might have one last UFC title run in him. UFC gold just isn’t a priority like it used to be. “I never put something in my mind like, ‘Oh I need to fight again for the belt,” Silva told the media in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this week (via MMA Junkie). “No. That’s a part in my life I passed. But I continue to fight. But I don’t know – maybe I have a new opportunity to fight for the belt. I don’t know.

Tom Taylor - April 19, 2019

Paulie Malignaggi and Artem Lobov now have a date and locale for their anticipated bare knuckle grudge match. The pair will collide at BKFC 6 on June 22 in New Hampshire. Malignaggi first divulged these details in an interview with Helen Yee. BKFC President Dave Feldman later confirmed the news to MMA Fighting, though he added that an exact venue for the fight has not yet been locked down.

Tom Taylor - April 19, 2019

Last month in Miami, former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor found himself in hot water (again), after an early morning run-in with an overeager fan. This encounter ended with McGregor taking the fan’s phone and smashing it on the ground, immediately opening a Pandora’s Box of legal repurcussions. TMZ has now acquired video from the sunny morning on which the police showed up to arrest Conor McGregor in Miami — bodycam footage, to be more precise. In this video, we can see McGregor exiting his home, being cuffed, and finally being crammed into the back of a police cruiser.

Drake Riggs - April 18, 2019

Current undisputed UFC world lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov is currently serving a suspension he gained following his successful first title defense over Conor McGregor in October 2018 at UFC 229. However, that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t been keeping busy in his spare time while watching over his division. Following the scuffle that unfolded after his fight, ‘The Eagle’ is now looking at a September return which will presumably see him face the new interim champion, Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier.

Tom Taylor - April 18, 2019

Earlier this week, the MMA community was rocked by the distressing news that former UFC fighter Angela Magana had slipped into a coma after a complication during an emergency surgery. “She’s in a coma, and we’re waiting to hear some positive news,” her coach Gabriel Lamastus told MMA Junkie. “The surgery went fine. The problem was anesthesia. It’s very rare that patients react bad to anesthesia, but it does happen, and I guess this is one of those rare cases. But I’m being positive. She’ll be fine, and she’ll wake up. She’s a hard worker. Angela is a very, very hard worker. A lot of people only know the Angela from social media. They don’t really know the real Angela. That woman busts her tail to provide for her family.”