MMA News

Christopher Taylor - January 8, 2019

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor took aim at Tristar gym head coach Firas Zahabi earlier this evening, which resulted in an bitter exchange with Al Iaquinta. “Mystic Mac” had blasted Zahabi for his recent comments in which he insinuated that current UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway would defeat Conor McGregor in a rematch.

Drake Riggs - January 8, 2019

Today the UFC announced that their second event on the ESPN channel will be taking place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event got its first bout in a strawweight affair between top prospects Alexa Grasso (10-2) and Marina Rodriguez (10-0-1) after it was moved from UFC Fortaleza due to a Rodriguez injury.

Christopher Taylor - January 8, 2019

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has fired back at Tristar coach Firas Zahabi over his recent comments. The famous coach of UFC star Georges St-Pierre, Zahabi, had recently shared his thoughts on the possible outcome of a rematch between Conor McGregor and current UFC featherweight kingpin Max Holloway.

Christopher Taylor - January 8, 2019

Former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington is not happy after being snubbed by the UFC of his promised title unification bout with Tyron Woodley. “Chaos” had captured the promotions interim welterweight title at June’s UFC 225 event in Chicago, where he scored a unanimous decision victory over Rafael dos Anjos.

Thomas Taylor - January 8, 2019

Roughly two years after their first fight, Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen are still going at it. The latest skirmish in the pair’s ongoing war of words occurred on Twitter. This time around, it was Sonnen who fired the first shot. 

Tom Taylor - January 8, 2019

Back at UFC 232 in late December, the longstanding title reign of UFC featherweight champ Cris Cyborg came to a shocking end at the hands of Amanda Nunes. Given Cyborg’s status as one of MMA’s most dominant champions ever, most fans feel that she deserves an immediate opportunity to avenge her loss to Nunes and reclaim the UFC featherweight title. If she doesn’t get this opportunity, however, she’s got a backup plan.

Mike Straus - January 8, 2019

Few fighters entered the inaugural season of the Professional Fighters League (PFL) with better name recognition than Lance Palmer. Palmer, a former Team Alpha Male fighter, has been a champion before. ‘The Party’ is a former two-time World Series of Fighting (WSOF) featherweight champion, Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) 145-pound king, and now the PFL season one champ is a million dollars richer.

Drake Riggs - January 8, 2019

In every sport around the world, there are humans that will perform day in and day out to the best of their athletic capabilities. Of all the incredibly talented individuals, some will be more recognizable than others, but that doesn’t mean they’ll all be as equally impressive as the next just because they’re more well known.

Tom Taylor - January 8, 2019

When we talk about the busiest fighters in MMA, we usually mention names like Donald Cerrone, Neil Magny and Thiago Santos — and rightly so. These fighters keep tremendously busy schedules, oftentimes shoehorning four or five bouts into a single year. Yet no discussion about busy fighters is complete without mention of ONE Championship featherweight Anthony Engelen. Over the last few months, the 33-year-old Dutch-Indonesian talent has kept a timetable that would make the average fighter’s head spin. Engelen’s hyperactivity began at ONE: Heart of the Lion in mid-November when, after a brief hiatus, he made his anticipated return to the ONE Championship cage for a short-notice fight with Cambodia’s Meas Meul.

Tom Taylor - January 8, 2019

After being deprived of a shot at UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington is not happy with the UFC. In fact, the streaking wrestling specialist is so frustrated that he’s dared UFC President Dana White to release him from his UFC contract. 

Tom Taylor - January 8, 2019

During a recent Ask Me Anything session on the official Tristar YouTube channel, renowned MMA coach Firas Zahabi was asked for his thoughts on a rematch between former UFC featherweight champion Conor McGregor and current UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway. When the pair first met in 2013, McGregor walked away with a unanimous decision victory. If the pair were to rematch in the year 2019, however, Zahabi says he’d pick Holloway to come out on top — potentially even by stoppage.

Cole Shelton - January 8, 2019

Jon Jones is once again the light heavyweight champion. He defeated Alexander Gustafsson by third-round TKO at UFC 232 to reclaim the belt. Following the fight, Jones called out Daniel Cormier to fight him at light heavyweight — though he was subsequently booked to fight Anthony Smith at UFC 235 on March 2.

Tom Taylor - January 8, 2019

Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald is going to have a busy 2019. The champion is a combatant in the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix, and his title will be up for grabs in every one of his Grand Prix matchups, starting with his upcoming first-round showdown with Jon Fitch. If all goes according to plan, of course, MacDonald will make it to the tournament finale, and emerge unscathed with the belt still slung over his shoulder.

Tom Taylor - January 8, 2019

UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley is scheduled to defend his title at UFC 235 on March 2 in Las Vegas — against Kamaru Usman, not against Colby Covington as originally expected. While Woodley is now focused on this UFC 235 fight with Usman, and Covington is now at odds with the UFC, Woodley says he hopes to fight Covington almost immediately after he has dealt with Usman in March.

James Lynch - January 8, 2019

There was understandable pushback when Greg Hardy was booked on the same UFC event as Rachael Ostovich. Hardy is slated to make his UFC debut against Allen Crowder at UFC on ESPN+1 on Jan. 19. The former NFL star has a checkered past that includes a domestic violence dispute, the same thing Rachael Ostovich was a victim of late last year. But don’t count the TUF 26 star as one of his critics.

Tom Taylor - January 8, 2019

According to a report from CNN, a karate instructor has taken justice into his own hands and dispatched a would-be kidnapper to the hospital on a stretcher. Here’s how the instructor himself, Charlotte, North Carolina’s Randall Ephraim, explains the ordeal:

Drake Riggs - January 7, 2019

The champ is back! The last time we saw the current strawweight queen Rose Namajunas (8-3) in action was in April 2018 at UFC 223 when she fended off Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the second straight time.

Drake Riggs - January 7, 2019

Jon Jones vs Daniel Cormier is one of the greatest rivalries in MMA history. Now that Jones is back and the light heavyweight champion once again, it can potentially set up a trilogy bout for the two. ‘Bones’ currently leads the series 1-0 (1 NC). Since Jones vs Cormier 2 at UFC 214 in July 2017, Cormier has gone on to become the UFC heavyweight champion. Thus having made him the double champ as he held both the light heavyweight and heavyweight titles at the same time.