MMA News

Tom Taylor - February 13, 2019

Artem Lobov has found a new home. The Conor McGregor training partner has signed a multi-fight deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships (BKFC) — not to be confused with WBKFF. He will make his BKFC debut opposite another fan favorite UFC veteran in Jason “The Kid” Knight on April 20.

Chris Taylor - February 13, 2019

Undefeated UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya does not want to see the promotions 185-pound division held up by injured champ Robert Whittaker. Whittaker was supposed to defend his UFC middleweight championship against Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of UFC 234 this past weekend in Australia.

Chris Taylor - February 13, 2019

Mixed martial arts legend Mirko Cro Cop (37-11-2 MMA) will make his Bellator MMA debut on February 16 against fellow veteran and knockout artist Roy Nelson. The bout will serve as a rematch, as Cro Cop and Nelson first met back at UFC 137 in October of 2011, with “Big Country” emerging victorious by way of TKO in round three.

Tom Taylor - February 13, 2019

On Sunday, February 17, the UFC will make its debut on ESPN with an exciting, 13-fight card. In the main event of this debut UFC on ESPN card, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon, where he will battle ferocious knockout puncher Francis Ngannou in an cage-shaking showdown.

Tom Taylor - February 13, 2019

This Sunday night, in the main event of the first-ever UFC card on ESPN, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will make his long-awaited return to the cage. His welcome committee will be former title challenger Francis Ngannou. Ahead of this compelling heavyweight showdown, it’s abundantly clear what Cain Velasquez needs to be most wary of: Francis Ngannou hits absurdly hard. Ngannou hits so hard, in fact, that UFC President Dana White once compared the French-Cameroonian’s power to a Ford Escort moving at full speed.

Drake Riggs - February 12, 2019

“Definitely,” Cain Velasquez told TMZ when asked if he would be interested in fighting Jon Jones. “Anyone, you know. That’s why I’m in this sport, to fight the best guys, to be the best out there. To me, it’s just go out there, perform and win and just take on the best guys. “I think I could [beat him]. I think I’m good enough. Jon Jones, he’s an amazing athlete. I’ve watched him in all of his fights, I know what he’s capable of. Again, every guy poses a great challenge, I think he does as well. I think I could beat him, yeah.”

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.

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.

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.

Cole Shelton - February 12, 2019

Cris Cyborg is one of the greatest female fighters to ever compete in MMA. For well over a decade, she was simply dominant, going 20-0-1 after losing her first professional fight. Then, at UFC 232, Cyborg had her toughest fight to date when Amanda Nunes moved up in weight to challenge her for the UFC featherweight title. Many believe it would be a close fight, but Nunes shocked the world. She knocked Cyborg out in just 51 seconds to become the new UFC featherweight champion.

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.

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.

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.

Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019

Last weekend, in the last-minute main event of UFC 234, former UFC middleweight champ and undeniable MMA legend Anderson Silva came up short in an exciting, three-round battle with surging contender Israel Adesanya. In the wake of this fight, Anderson Silva has made no secret of his respect and admiration for Adesanya. In fact, he even hopes to see the Nigeria-born New Zealander become a UFC champion in the future.

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:

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.

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.

Drake Riggs - February 11, 2019

UFC 234 ended up being a pretty wild night of action as expected. Unfortunately, on the day of the event, it had lost its headliner as the middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, had to undergo emergency hernia surgery.