MMA News
Demetrious Johnson reflects on ONE Championship debut
Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019
Many fans expected former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson to blow through former Pancrase champion Yuya Wakamatsu in his ONE Championship debut. Yet while Johnson ultimately earned himself a second-round submission win, the first frame of his fight with the young Japanese knockout artist was actually quite competitive. Demetrious Johnson opened up on his entertaining scrap with Yuya Wakamatsu at the ONE: A New Era press conference in Tokyo.
Conor McGregor rips 'little rat' Khabib Nurmagomedov, lightweight champ fires back
Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019
UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and former UFC lightweight and featherweight champ Conor McGregor share one of the most heated rivalries in MMA. Not even their record-breaking UFC 229 showdown was enough to end their beef. There’s still some serious animosity festering between the two lightweight stars to this day. Their beef continued on social media over the weekend.
The biggest winners from UFC Philadelphia
Mike Straus - March 31, 2019
From the opening bell on the early prelims to the climactic knock out in the main event, UFC Philadelphia was a vastly entertaining card. Philadelphia is notoriously tough as a sports town. It is also one of the most endearing fan bases in all of sports. That being said, there were moments when the fans showed their frustrations during the 13 fight event, however, those moments were few and far between.
EXCLUSIVE | Former UFC flyweights give their thoughts on the state of the division
Cole Shelton - March 31, 2019
The future of the UFC’s flyweight division is murky. It was previously reported that the division was going to close down at the end of 2018. However, that was not the case. Rather, the division stayed on, and headlining the first card of 2019 was a flyweight title fight. Although the fight was considered a ‘superfight’ given TJ Dillashaw was moving down in weight to take on Henry Cejudo.
Ray Borg issues emotional statement on controversial loss to Casey Kenny
Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019
After a host of cancelled fights and opponent changes, former UFC flyweight title challenger Ray Borg finally returned to the cage at UFC Philadelphia on Saturday night. Borg, whose young son has been battling serious health issues, badly needed a victory in Philly. Unfortunately for him, Kenny wound up winning a controversial split decision.
What's next for UFC Philadelphia main event fighters?
Cole Shelton - March 31, 2019
The Octagon returned to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Saturday night for UFC on ESPN 2. In the main event, Justin Gaethje was taking on Edson Barboza in a fight that promised to bring fireworks. Ultimately, the fight delivered as Gaethje ended up knocking out Barboza in the first round. Now, Gaethje could very well be one win away from a title shot. Meanwhile, Barboza will have to take a step back in his next fight.
ONE: A New Era Results | Shinya Aoki sleeps Eduard Folayang in round one
Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019
Nobody expected Eduard Folayang to beat Shinya Aoki on the night of their first meeting in 2016, but the Filipino ONE Championship veteran did just that, clocking the Japanese veteran in the third round, and winning the lightweight title. In the years since that first fight, both fighters have enjoyed some huge wins and endured some tough losses. Their respective paths led them to a 2019 rematch, at ONE: A New Era in Tokyo, Japan. This time around, it was Shinya Aoki attempting to take the lightweight belt from Eduard Folayang.
ONE: A New Era Results | Xiong Jing Nan survives near finish, smashes Angela Lee in the fifth
Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019
At ONE: A New Era in Tokyo, which marked the first ONE Championship in Japan, ONE Atomweight World Champion Angela Lee moved up a weight class to battle ONE Strawweight World Champion Xiong Jing Nan in a bid to become the first female two-division champion in the promotion’s history. This bout was originally expected to occur at ONE: Heart of the Lion in Singapore in November of 2018, but was unfortunately postponed when Angela Lee was forced out of the bout with a back injury. After this delay, anticipation for this bout was extra high.
ONE: A New Era Results | Bibiano Fernandes wins title with DQ win
Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019
In November of 2018, Bibiano Fernandes and Kevin Belingon went to war for the ONE Championship bantamweight belt. After five, frenzied rounds of action, Belingon was awarded a razor close decision victory, ending Fernandes’ longstanding reign as the ONE bantamweight king in the process. On Sunday night in Tokyo, Japan (Sunday morning in North America), at ONE: A New Era, Kevin Belingon and Bibiano Fernandes met again. This time around, it was Fernandes vying for Belingon’s belt. Because the pair also fought in 2016, with Fernandes winning by first-round submission, this bout marked the tie-breaking of their riveting trilogy.
ONE: A New Era Results | Demetrious Johnson survives early adversity to submit Yuya Wakamatsu (video)
Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019
On Sunday night in Tokyo, Japan (early Sunday morning in North America), former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson made his anticipated debut in the ONE Championship cage at ONE: A New Era. The flyweight legend’s welcoming committee was Japanese knockout artist Yuya Wakamatsu. Both fighters entered the ONE Championship cage with losses in the rear-view mirror. Demetrious Johnson last competed in August, when he surrendered the UFC flyweight title to Henry Cejudo in a bout that would go down as his last in the Octagon. Yuya Wakamatsu, meanwhile, recently came up short in his ONE Championship debut, giving up a decision to the streaking Danny Kingad.
ONE: A New Era Results | Timofey Nastyukhin stops Eddie Alvarez in round one (video)
Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019
On Sunday night in Tokyo, Japan, former UFC and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez made his ONE Championship debut. Alvarez’s debut fell on the stacked ONE: A New Era card, where he battled Russian juggernaut Timofey Nastyukhin in the final, first-round bout of the ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix. Both fighters entered the ONE Championship cage looking to bounce back from recent losses. Eddie Alvarez last fought in July in the UFC’s Octagon, where he came up short against Dustin Poirier. Timofey Nastyukhin, meanwhile, last fought in September, when he was stopped by the surging Saygid “Dagi” Guseyn Arslanaliev.
ONE: A New Era live results and highlights
Tom Taylor - March 31, 2019
On Sunday night (early Sunday morning in North America), Singapore-based martial arts powerhouse ONE Championship debuted in the MMA hotbed of Tokyo, Japan with the aptly named ONE: A New Era card. To celebrate this Tokyo debut, ONE Championship bolstered this card with some of the biggest names on its roster.
Pros react after Justin Gaethje KO's Edson Barboza at UFC Philadelphia
Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019
A key lightweight bout between perennial division contenders Justin Gaethje and Edson Barboza headlined tonight’s UFC Philadelphia event. Gaethje entered tonight’s main event on the heels of a first round knockout victory over James Vick at UFC Lincoln.
UFC Philadelphia Results: Justin Gaethje KO's Edson Barboza (VIDEO)
Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019
A key lightweight bout between perennial division contenders Edson Barboza and Justin Gaethje headlined tonight’s UFC Philadelphia event. The former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje, enters tonight’s main event looking to build off the momentum of his first-round knockout victory over James Vick this past August at UFC Lincoln.
UFC Philadelphia Results: Jack Hermansson submits David Branch (VIDEO)
Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019
A middleweight bout between David Branch and Jack Hermansson served as the co-headliner of tonight’s UFC Philadelphia event. David Branch enters tonight’s fight looking to rebound, this after he suffered a TKO loss to Jared Cannonier in his most recent appearance at UFC 230. The former WSOF “champ champ” has gone 2-2 during his most recent stint with the UFC.
UFC Philadelphia Results: Josh Emmett KO's Michael Johnson (VIDEO)
Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019
A featherweight bout between Josh Emmett and Michael Johnson took place during tonight’s UFC Philadelphia main card on ESPN. Josh Emmett (13-2 MMA) enters tonight’s fight looking to rebound, this after suffering a knockout loss to Jeremey Stephens in his most recent appearance in February of 2018.
“Grateful” Coach Kavanagh pays tribute to his recently retired pupil Conor McGregor
Christopher Taylor - March 30, 2019
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor shocked the mixed martial arts community earlier this week when he unexpectedly announced his retirement from MMA. The 30-year-old Irish superstar took to Twitter where he issued the following statement.
UFC Philadelphia: Barboza vs. Gaethje Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - March 30, 2019
The octagon returns to Pennsylvania this evening for UFC Philadelphia, a thirteen-bout fight card headlined by a lightweight scrap between Edson Barboza and Justin Gaethje. The former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion, Gaethje, will be looking to build off the momentum of his first-round knockout victory over James Vick this past August in Lincoln.