MMA News
Manager: Kelvin Gastelum 'taken care of' by UFC, eyes Robert Whittaker rebooking for June or July
Drake Riggs - February 12, 2019
UFC 234 didn’t get the cap off that we were all expecting. Sure, Israel Adesanya vs Anderson Silva was a thrilling chess match. But we were going to get that regardless. Just hours before the event began, we learned that the UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker had to undergo emergency hernia surgery thus, obviously, removing him from his scheduled title defense against Kelvin Gastelum.
Cain Velasquez would have retired if new UFC deal wasn't logical
Drake Riggs - February 12, 2019
When it comes to the most talented heavyweights to ever compete, a discussion cannot be had without the mention of former two-time UFC champion Cain Velasquez. Unfortunately for Velasquez and fans alike, the latter portion of his career has been plagued by injuries as he’s only fought twice since 2013.
Rafael Dos Anjos: Conor McGregor fight would be 'worth the drop in weight'
Drake Riggs - February 12, 2019
If it wasn’t for former UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos, we never would have seen the two wars between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. Before Eddie Alvarez was the lightweight champion, that label belonged to Dos Anjos who was supposed to be McGregor’s first champion vs champion bout as McGregor came up from the featherweight division that he was holding the title in.
Marlon Moraes says his next fight has to be for the title
Drake Riggs - February 12, 2019
It’s hard to argue that there is a bantamweight on the UFC roster who has been more impressive than Marlon Moraes as of late. The ‘magical’ former World Series of Fighting king has absolutely torn through his top 10 opposition in his last three outings.
Michael Page believes Paul Daley bout could 'spill over' into post-fight scuffle
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019
In May of 2010, British knockout artist Paul Daley stepped into the cage with Josh Koscheck in a UFC welterweight title eliminator — and a heated grudge match. After being out-wrestled for three rounds by his American foe, Daley walked across the Octagon and sucker-punched Koscheck. This grievous foul earned the Brit his release from the UFC. Today, Daley is gearing up for a grudge match with fellow British striker Michael Page at Bellator 216, and Page believes Daley might pull a similar stunt after their fight.
Referee Marc Goddard discusses Crute vs. Alvey stoppage after backlash
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019
Not everybody agreed with the stoppage in last weekend’s Jim Crute vs. Sam Alvey fight. UFC President Dana White, for example, was adamant that referee Marc Goddard stopped the action too early, and that Alvey should have been given a bit more time to recover. Speaking to MMA Fighting, Marc Goddard gave his take on the stoppage in this fight. In hindsight, he admits that he perhaps could have handled the situation differently, but he also reminds his detractors that he’s forced to act decisively in mere milliseconds, oftentimes when a fighter’s safety is on the line.
Kelvin Gastelum says Israel Adesanya is not yet worthy of a title shot
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019
Kelvin Gastelum, who was supposed to battle Robert Whittaker in the UFC 234 main event, and now considers himself the middleweight champ by default after Whittaker withdrew from the fight with an injury, was not impressed by Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva’s UFC 234 fight. Instead, Gastelum saw this fight as more “theatrics” than anything else.
Johnny Walker steps in against Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019
Rising light heavyweight prospect Johnny Walker has been booked for his next fight — and it’s a big one. The Brazilian knockout artist has stepped in to replace the injured Ovince Saint Preux against Canada’s Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235, which goes down on March 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. News of this new matchup was first reported by MMA Fighting.
Nate Diaz to corner Kron Gracie at UFC Phoenix
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019
Fan favorite UFC lightweight contender Nate Diaz will be returning to the cage this weekend at UFC Phoenix on ESPN, he just won’t be doing any fighting. Instead, the younger Diaz brother will be cornering BJJ ace Kron Gracie in his UFC debut opposite the always exciting Alex Caceres. ESPN’s Greg Rosenstein has the details:
VIDEO | Joe Rogan explains his primary goal when interviewing UFC fighters
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019
Joe Rogan has interviewed hundreds and hundreds of fighters over the years, but he’s never felt threatened by any of them. Speaking on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the UFC commentator was asked by Brazilian actor Rafinha Bastos if he has ever felt unsafe while interviewing a fighter. Rogan responded with a firm ‘no’ and outlined his primary goal in every fighter interview he conducts.
PFL suspends Josh Copeland after arrest, issues statement
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019
The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has indefinitely suspended heavyweight fighter Josh Copeland following his recent arrest, which stemmed from a domestic violence incident in early February. The PFL issued a statement on the Josh Copeland situation on Monday evening (via MMA Fighting).
Daniel Cormier says Cain Velasquez will be a champion again
Drake Riggs - February 11, 2019
Currently, Daniel Cormier is the reigning UFC heavyweight champion. But with an end in sight, he won’t hold that label forever. Training with Cormier for the majority of his professional MMA career has been the former two-time heavyweight king of the UFC, Cain Velasquez.
EXCLUSIVE | Austin Vanderford on special relationship with Paige VanZant, Bellator debut, and more
Mike Pendleton - February 11, 2019
Ahead of his upcoming Bellator debut, Austin Vanderford wanted to get one simple thing out of the way early, he’s going on without a nickname. Previously known in his fighting career as ‘AK-47’ and then also known to many as ‘Mr. VanZant’ due to his recent marriage to UFC flyweight Paige VanZant, Vanderford made it clear, there are no nicknames attached to him, he’s simply just Austin Vanderford.
Johnny Walker hopes to fill in for Ovince Saint Preux at UFC 235
Drake Riggs - February 11, 2019
Brazil’s Johnny Walker has wasted little to no time getting his UFC career started. The 16-3 26-year old has already racked up two stunningly impressive highlight reel knockout wins since entering the promotion late last year.
Israel Adesanya responds to critique from Chris Weidman and Paulo Costa
Drake Riggs - February 11, 2019
Criticism is always going to find its way to athletes in professional sports. Whether it be from fans or even peers. At UFC 234 in Melbourne, Australia this past weekend, ‘The Last Stylebender’ Israel Adesanya headlined his first UFC pay-per-view event.
Volkan Oezdemir believes Jon Jones needs to finish Anthony Smith quickly
Cole Shelton - February 11, 2019
Anthony Smith has been on a roll since moving up to light heavyweight. First, he had quick knockouts over former champions in Rashad Evans and Shogun Rua. Then, he submitted Volkan Oezdemir in the main event of UFC Moncton in October. That third win set Smith up for a title shot at UFC 235 against arguably the greatest fighter of all time, Jon Jones.
Biggest winners from UFC 234
Mike Straus - February 11, 2019
No that it is over let’s take a look at the biggest winners from last weekend’s UFC 234 card. Unfortunately, middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was forced to have surgery to fix a hernia rather than defend his title against Kelvin Gastelum in the main event, but luckily the co-main event featured Anderson Silva and Israel Adesanya.
Daniel Cormier confirms he is delaying retirement
Tom Taylor - February 11, 2019
As long suspected, UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will not be retiring when he turns 40 in March, as he originally planned. The champ confirmed this news on The MMA Hour on Monday.