MMA News
Santiago Ponzinibbio wants Tyron Woodley next, 'I will knock Tyron out'
Drake Riggs - March 13, 2019
The welterweight division is about as deep of an MMA division as one could ask for. Currently, there happen to be three top 15 UFC welterweights with winning streaks within the organization that consists of seven straight wins or more. One of those streaks belongs to Argentina’s own, Santiago Ponzinibbio. For the Argentinian, his last bout came in a home game when he put on a show for the Argentina faithful in his main event with Neil Magny. Notoriously hard to finish, Ponzinibbio would make things look easy as he dissected the perennial top 15er over the course of four rounds before landing the knockout blow.
Jorge Masvidal: Ben Askren is 'a weasel and a coward' for accepting Robbie Lawler win
Tom Taylor - March 13, 2019
Ben Askren finally has a UFC win on his resume — unfortunately it came with a side order of controversy. The win, which occurred at UFC 235, came when he locked up a bulldog choke on Robbie Lawler. For a moment, it looked like the choke had lulled Lawler unconcious. The instant replay, however, revealed that Lawler seemed to be wide awake, and still capable of fighting. Whatever the case, Ben Askren seems to have moved on, and is now focusing on his next challenge in the UFC’s Octagon. While nothing is official just yet, it sounds like Askren’s next challenge will pit him against the winner of this weekend’s Jorge Masvidal vs. Darren Till fight.
Father of alleged Conor McGregor victim throws support behind Khabib Nurmagomedov
Tom Taylor - March 13, 2019
Earlier this week, former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor arrested and briefly jailed after breaking the cellphone of a man in Miami. Mahamad Abdirzak, the father of McGregor’s alleged victim, says this is precisely the kind of behaviour he expects from the Irish MMA superstar — which is why he supports McGregor’s rival Khabib Nurmagomedov. “What McGregor did is exactly in his character,” Mahamad Abdirzak told the Daily Mail. “He’s an angry man. I’m not a fan of his at all. I prefer Khabib (Nurmagomedov). He’s the fighter I like to watch, not McGregor.”
UFC rankings update: Junior dos Santos rockets up at heavyweight, flyweight division in chaos
Tom Taylor - March 13, 2019
The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last weekend’s UFC Wichita card, and as expected, there have been some big changes. Most notably, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has surged up the list at heavyweight on the strength of his stoppage victory over Derrick Lewis. Elsewhere, fighters like Yana Kunitskaya and Blagoy Ivanov have made more minor climbs, while Anthony Rocco Martin has replaced Vicente Luque in the welterweight rankings.
VIDEO | Stephen A. Smith scolds Conor McGregor for latest legal trouble
Mike Pendleton - March 13, 2019
Now that the UFC is on ESPN, there will be increasing occurrences of the main ESPN personalities giving their opinion on big UFC headlines. The recent arrest of Conor McGregor is a prime example of this, as the main talking heads of ESPN had an opportunity to share their opinion about the controversial former two-weight UFC champion. On Tuesday’s edition of First Take, Stephen A. Smith offered his opinion on McGregor’s latest run-in with the law:
Coach trashes 'morbidly obese' reporters and 'f***ing terrible' fans who bad-mouth Derrick Lewis
Tom Taylor - March 13, 2019
Derrick Lewis came up short in his UFC Wichita showdown with Junior dos Santos. That being said, the former heavyweight title challenger performed admirably — especially considering he was dealing with some pretty severe knee troubles heading into the fight. “He wasn’t gonna pull [from the fight] anyway,” Lewis’ coach Bob Perez told MMA Fighting, detailing Lewis’ pre-fight injuries. “That being said, training for this camp was really bad. He couldn’t do anything, honestly.
Matt Hughes sues brother over tractor ownership
Tom Taylor - March 13, 2019
According to a report from MMAjunkie, former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes is suing his brother Mark over the ownership of a tractor. No monetary damages have been listed, Hughes merely hopes that a judge will will decide who owns the John Deere 8410 tractor in question. This suit is relevant, as this tractor played a pivotal role in the restraining order that Mark Hughes recently filed against Matt Hughes.
Mickey Gall lists health issues he carried into Diego Sanchez fight
Tom Taylor - March 13, 2019
The oddsmakers expected Mickey Gall to defeat the veteran Diego Sanchez at UFC 235 earlier this month, but in the end, that’s not what happened. Instead, Gall was taken down and walloped to a TKO loss by his crafty foe. Speaking on The MMA Hour this week, Mickey Gall revealed that he entered this fight with a bevy of health issues — including some serious kidney troubles.
Alleged victim claims Conor McGregor went in for handshake before smashing phone
Chris Taylor - March 12, 2019
UFC Star Conor McGregor was attested in Miami after allegedly stealing then smashing Ahmed Abdirzak’s cell phone. The former two-division UFC champion, McGregor, was arrested for strong-armed robbery and criminal mischief.
Fresh out of knee surgery, Kamaru Usman promises beating for 'you know who'
Thomas Taylor - March 12, 2019
Kamaru Usman was the picture of dominance in his welterweight title-winning defeat of Tyron Woodley at UFC 235. That being said, he didn’t leave the Octagon unscathed. During the fight, he injured his knee, and on Tuesday, went under the knife to repair this injury. Moments after coming out of surgery, a still dazed Kamaru Usman took to his Instagram story, where he greeted his ever-expanding fan base and promised he’d be back in action soon.
Dillon Danis gives his prediction for McGregor vs Khabib 2
Cole Shelton - March 12, 2019
At UFC 229, Conor McGregor took on Khabib Nurmagomedov in what would be the biggest pay-per-view in UFC history. Leading up to the bout, fighters and fans were torn on who would win. Some thought Nurmagomedov would be able to maul McGregor, while others thought Conor would emerge victorious by way of knockout.
EXCLUSIVE | Curtis Blaydes makes prediction for UFC Nashville battle with Justin Willis
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2019
On March 23, at UFC Nashville, dangerous heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes will look to distance himself from a tough loss to Francis Ngannou as he takes Justin Willis. Heading into this matchup, the wrestling specialist Blaydes expects Willis to be well-prepared, as he trains at American Kickboxing Academy alongside top heavyweight wrestlers like Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez.
Tony Ferguson says he's been 'antagonized, provoked, and threatened'
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2019
Tony Ferguson is one of the most interesting and eccentric characters in MMA. So much so that, within the MMA community, fans have something of a running joke about him. The format is simple: “Tony Ferguson is the type of guy ______.” You simply finish the sentence yourself.
Teddy Atlas says boxing needs a 'dictator' like Dana White
Mike Pendleton - March 12, 2019
As the UFC brand and MMA as a sport continue to grow, the sport of boxing finds itself still struggling to stay at the top of the combat sports world. There are several ongoing complaints in the world of boxing, and Teddy Atlas feels he has the answer to boxing’s issues. Talking on his podcast about how fans miss out on matchups due to the politics of boxing, Atlas said the biggest change that can happen to benefit the sport is to make it more like the UFC. Atlas said the best thing for boxing to do is to get a promoter — or “dictator” — like UFC President Dana White involved.
Anthony Johnson explains why heavyweight showdown with Jon Jones needs to happen
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2019
Two-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Johnson has recently expressed interest in a showdown with reigning champ Jon Jones — but not at light heavyweight. Instead, Johnson has been campaigning for a lucrative heavyweight showdown with the light heavyweight king.
Nate Diaz mocks Khabib Nurmagomedov, Ben Askren intervenes
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2019
Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov have had plenty to say about each other on social media over the last few years. Early on Tuesday morning, the trend continued, as Diaz took a shot at the dedicated Sambo practitioner on Twitter. https://twitter.com/NateDiaz209/status/1105392661689643010 “Sambo?” Diaz wrote in a post that included a classic picture of Nurmagomedov shoehorned into a tiny tub with several of his training partners (h/t Asian Persuasion MMA)
Top middleweights troll Paulo Costa after Yoel Romero's accusations
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2019
For a period, middleweight destroyers Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa were expected to collide this spring. In a surprising twist, however, Romero was then matched up with Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza, leaving Costa without an opponent. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Romero stated that he heard Paulo Costa had been flagged for a potential United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) violation — the reason he’s apparently been pulled from this fight.
Paulie Malignaggi trashes Conor McGregor after Miami arrest
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2019
When Conor McGregor was arrested for ““strong-armed robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief” in Miami on Monday night — the result of his smashing a fan’s cellphone — you knew it was only a matter of time before his legions of haters starting chiming in. Of all McGregor’s haters, it’s arguable that none are quite as dedicated to the cause as former boxer and new BKFC fighter Paulie Malignaggi.