MMA News

Mike Straus - January 3, 2019

Cortney Casey was originally supposed to be fighting Cynthia Calvillo at the now-canceled UFC 233 card in Anaheim, California on January 26. Instead, Casey will throw down with Calvillo when the UFC makes its debut on ESPN on February 17. “Even though we had that little change with the venues I was already on schedule for the California card,” Casey told BJPenn.com in a recent interview. “Having the fight pushed back actually gave me more time to relax and enjoy the Holidays.”

Tom Taylor - January 3, 2019

Last Saturday night, in the main event of UFC 232, Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson stepped into the cage for a rematch five years in the making. In the end, Jones would win this fight via third-round TKO, moving to 2-0 over Gustafsson in the process.

Tom Taylor - January 3, 2019

After her blistering knockout defeat at Cris Cyborg at UFC 232, Amanda Nunes is now the UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight champion. Dan Lambert, the founder of American Top Team where Nunes trains, believes the new champ-champ will actively defend both titles. “I know in some of the deeper divisions they have, it’s impossible to be a champ-champ,” Lambert told MMAjunkie Radio. “How’s [Daniel Cormier] going to defend it against the best in the world at heavyweight and the best in the world at light heavyweight at the same time? It’s kind of impossible. But there’s not quite as many – I mean, obviously, the featherweight division, they don’t even have rankings out there. How many people do they even have there? So it may be possible for her to keep both.”

Cole Shelton - January 3, 2019

2019 is officially here, and it’s looking like it could be a huge year for a number of rising UFC stars, such as surging striking sensation Israel Adesanya. Without further ado, here are three UFC fighters we expect to do big things in this new year.

Tom Taylor - January 3, 2019

Long-time boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya, who recently dipped his toes into the MMA industry, has caught wind of what the UFC paid Jon Jones for his UFC 232 main event with Alexander Gustafsson, and he’s not impressed. De La Hoya did not hesitate to share his thoughts with UFC President Dana White on Twitter, reminding the UFC boss of his opinion that “pay-per-view is dead.”

Tom Taylor - January 3, 2019

Last weekend, the long-time reign of UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg came to a shuddering halt at the hands of UFC bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Despite the disappointing outcome of this fight, Cris Cyborg says she still would have appreciated the chance to address her fans in a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. She reminds that she’s accomplished unimaginable heights in the sport, and says that her accomplishments justified her being given a chance to talk.

Tom Taylor - January 3, 2019

Shortly after Jon Jones defeated Alexander Gustafsson to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 232, he did an interview with the crew of UFC Tonight — including Michael Bisping. Apparently, during an off-air segment, Bisping asked Jones a question that did go over well. As you might have guessed, it pertained to the trace amounts of turinabol detected in several of Jones’s recent drug tests.

Drake Riggs - January 2, 2019

It seems like every now and then we will inch closer and closer to clarity in regards to the top of the UFC’s always stacked, 170-pound welterweight division. However, after looking like we may know the next title fight, the champion shut that down and fast. Top contender, “The Nigerian Nightmare” Kamaru Usman recently dominated former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos on route to a unanimous decision win. Thus setting himself up for a title shot or at the very least, one fight from it.

Thomas Taylor - January 2, 2019

From the sounds of it, Kamaru Usman will get the next crack at UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. Speaking on Twitter on Thursday evening, the surging UFC welterweight contender announced that his next fight is “a done deal” — and it sure seems like he’s talking about a title fight.

Thomas Taylor - January 2, 2019

Like all UFC fighters, flyweight contender Paige VanZant is required to wear Reebok gear when she competes inside the Octagon. Yet VanZant is also one of just a few fighters to have an additional, personal sponsorship deal with the sports apparel company — at least she used to be. Speaking on her social media channels earlier this week, Paige VanZant announced that her personal sponsorship deal with the sports apparel company has come to an end.

Drake Riggs - January 2, 2019

In recent years, title challengers in the 205-pound light heavyweight division have come few and far between. As of right now, Anthony Smith feels he’s the very clear next challenge to the once again champion, Jon Jones. At UFC 232 this past Saturday night, Jones regained the division’s title by defeating his old foe, Alexander Gustafsson via third-round TKO.

Tom Taylor - January 2, 2019

The UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last Saturday’s UFC 232 card, and as expected, there have been some major changes. After defeating Alexander Gustafsson in the UFC 232 main event, Jon Jones is once again perched atop the light heavyweight rankings, though he still sits behind Daniel Cormier — a man he’s beaten previously — on the pound-for-pound list.

Tom Taylor - January 2, 2019

Alexander Gustafsson hoped to cap of 2018 by toppling the seemingly unbeatable Jon Jones and capturing the UFC light heavyweight title. Regrettably, things did not go as planned for the fearsome Swede, as he wilted amid a storm of third-round ground-strikes from his foe. In the wake of this tough loss to Jon Jones, Alexander Gustafsson is now considering a move to the perilous UFC heavyweight division for a fresh start.

Tom Taylor - January 2, 2019

Jon Jones is back. The former UFC light heavyweight champ reclaimed the divisional title in main event of UFC 232 on Saturday night, when he stopped his long-time rival Alexander Gustafsson with a volley of third round ground strikes.

Tom Taylor - January 2, 2019

On New Years Eve, Sean O’Connell won a million dollars.  The 35-year-old UFC veteran earned this massive payday by bludgeoning an exhausted Vinny Magalhaes to a stoppage in the finals of the 2018 PFL light heavyweight season.

Tom Taylor - January 2, 2019

The UFC is going to be busy in the second quarter of 2019. After a rousing first quarter that will include some big pay-per-views and some stacked cards on ESPN, the promotion will keep things rolling in April, May and June with a whopping 10 cards. The UFC schedule for this second quarter of 2019 was announced during the UFC 232 broadcast last weekend. Here’s when we can expect to be watching UFC cards this spring and early summer (h/t MMA Fighting).

Tom Taylor - January 2, 2019

On New Years Eve in Tokyo, Japan, in the main event of RIZIN 14, 20-year-old Japanese kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa stepped through the ropes for an exhibition boxing match with undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. Because this fight was an exhibition, it would not wind up on either fighters record, no matter the outcome. All the same, Nasukawa hoped to do the unthinkable and knock the Floyd Mayweather out.

Drake Riggs - January 2, 2019

It seems as if the UFC lightweight division is almost destined for cloudiness among the top of the heap. In April 2018, undefeated 27-0 dominator Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov finally claimed the top spot as the undisputed lightweight champion by defeating Al Iaquinta.