MMA News

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:

Tom Taylor - January 8, 2019

At UFC 235 on March 2, streaking light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith will get his shot at the UFC light heavyweight title, which is once again owned by the seemingly unstoppable Jon Jones. Heading into this fight, fans are not giving Anthony Smith much of a chance. For all his talent and ferocity, Jones has proven himself to be on another level entirely from most of his opposition.

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.

Drake Riggs - January 7, 2019

Having to fight through adversity in her life and career is nothing new for UFC bantamweight contender Cat Zingano. At UFC 232 on December 29, Zingano made her featherweight debut when she took on Megan Anderson. Unfortunately for the former bantamweight title challenger, 61 seconds would be all it took for her to suffer an unusual loss.

Thomas Taylor - January 7, 2019

Speaking on Instagram on Monday afternoon, three-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson called for a UFC London fight with streaking contender Corey Anderson. Both men, to remind, fought at UFC 232, with Gustafsson coming up short to Jon Jones, and Anderson picking up an impressive win over Gustafsson’s training partner Ilir Latifi.

Thomas Taylor - January 7, 2019

Norman Parke, a veteran of the UFC, KSW, BAMMA and Brave CF cages, has decided to call it a career — at least tentatively. Parke announced his retirement from MMA on Twitter, explaining that he’s become “sick of how this game works.” That being said, he added that he does plan to partake in a bareknuckle bout in the United Kingdom later this year, and could end his retirement from MMA should the right offer come across his desk.

Drake Riggs - January 7, 2019

Every year, there seemingly will always be points in the year where those in the community who are baselessly making their claims for whatever reason that MMA, or more specifically the UFC, is not flourishing in the business department. However, that continues to prove untrue when really looking deeper at the numbers. Even though without looking deeper we can still see the big deals that are being made…

Drake Riggs - January 7, 2019

The UFC’s heavyweight division is looking more and more interesting with each and every month that passes. Now, another great matchup is set to go down in early 2019. On March 9, the UFC’s fourth ESPN+ event will take place in Wichita, Kansas. In the event’s main event, we will be treated to a sure-fire slugfest between the likes of recent title challenger Derrick Lewis (21-6) and former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos (20-5), confirms MMAJunkie.

Tom Taylor - January 7, 2019

Speaking to MMA Fighting recently, Ali Abdelaziz claimed that streaking lightweight contender Tony Ferguson would “100%” not be the next opponent for his star client, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. “The biggest money fight he can make [is what we’re looking for],” Abdelaziz said. “At the end of the day, Khabib doesn’t need to fight anybody else for his legacy. He’s done what he’s done. He’s 27-0, he’s 12-0 in the UFC, he’s never been dropped, he’s never been caught, he’s never been knocked down. Let’s talk about a GOAT. No PEDs. We talk about the greatest of all-time, I think that he should be on top of the list, because he never lost to anybody. He’s never lost, he’s never been dropped, he’s never been stitched, nothing.

Tom Taylor - January 7, 2019

Just over a week removed from his UFC 232 loss to Jon Jones, three-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson is already ready to get back into the cage. Speaking on Instagram on Monday afternoon, the Swedish star called for a fight with streaking contender Corey Anderson. Anderson, to remind, also fought at UFC 232, defeating Gustafsson’s teammate and friend Ilir Latifi by unanimous decision.

Cole Shelton - January 7, 2019

Jon Jones returned to glory at UFC 232 when he defeated his rival Alexander Gustafsson by TKO in the third round to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title. It was not an easy road back for Jones. The light heavyweight great was coming off of a 15-month USADA suspension and was looking to win back his belt. The pressure was high and some fans believed Jones would suffer from ring rust. Yet for Jones’ coach Mike Winkeljohn and the rest of the team at JacksonWink MMA, that was never a worry.

Tom Taylor - January 7, 2019

Last night, in a somewhat surprising twist, former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor called for an exhibition mixed martial arts bout with 20-year-old Japanese kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa, who was recently trounced in an exhibition boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. I wish to go to Tokyo to face Tenshin Nasukawa in a Mixed Martial Arts exhibition bout.Before this summer. Please arrange this, this instant. Yours sincerely The champ champ. @ufc @ParadigmSM

Tom Taylor - January 7, 2019

Russia’s Timofey Nastyukhin (12-4, 6 KOS, 4 Subs) has been competing in combat sports for a long time. He began training in Pankration when he was just a child, and wound up winning a European championship in the sport at a young age. Buoyed by his success in Pankration, he then transitioned into MMA at 18 years old, and after a seven-fight win streak — all stoppages — he was invited to ONE Championship, where he debuted with a jaw-dropping, flying knee knockout of current lightweight champion Eduard Folayang.

James Lynch - January 7, 2019

UFC bantamweights Rob Font and Nathaniel Wood are making the UFC matchmakers’ job pretty easy. The pair exchanged a verbal agreement on Twitter over the weekend that they’d be willing to fight each other when the UFC makes it’s return to London on Mar. 16.

Tom Taylor - January 7, 2019

It’s no secret that Mark Hunt is not a fan of Performance-Enhancing drug use in MMA — particularly in the UFC. Now that the’s parted ways with the UFC, he’s even more open about his feelings on the issue. “They’ve actually taken my love for fighting away because of how they promote steroids and cheaters, how they’ve done it all,” Hunt told MMA UK recently, speaking of the UFC (transcript via MMA Fighting). “They’ve pushed me out of the way, to be honest and that’s what’s taken my love for fighting away. It’s kind of sad because they should be promoting the guy that’s not cheating whereas they are promoting the cheaters of this sport, which is wrong. I actually thought Jeff Novitzky was a nice person but he’s just a sellout. You’re a sellout, bro. That’s the bottom line.”

Tom Taylor - January 7, 2019

Chael Sonnen and Tito Ortiz have already fought once, in January of 2017, but apparently, their beef is not yet settled. Since their first fight, which Ortiz won via first-round submission, the pair have continued to go back and forth, raising question as to whether we might see them fight again.