MMA News
Sean O'Malley has a message for anyone who thinks he's 'stupid enough to take a banned substance'
Tom Taylor - November 15, 2018
Red hot UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley was expected to make his anticipated return to the cage opposite José Alberto Quiñónez at UFC 229 on October 6. Regrettably, the popular bantamweight was forced off this card when he failed a pre-fight drug test administered by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Although new USADA policy dictates that potential violations are to no longer be announced, O’Malley chose to be forthright with his fans and explained that it was a failed drug test that forced him off the card. He also maintained that he did not mean to ingest a banned substance, and that his failed test was likely due to a tainted supplement.
Sijara Eubanks calls out Mackenzie Dern
James Lynch - November 15, 2018
After a title shot was taken away from her, and her picking up a win at UFC 230, Sijara Eubanks has her sights set on another opponent. The Ultimate Fighter Season 26 finalist called out jiu-jitsu sensation Mackenzie Dern for a matchup. Found this old gem…Hey @MackenzieDern how bout we run it back with the 4oz gloves! Let’s see who the realest bjj black belt in mma is! @AliAbdelaziz00 @danawhite @Mickmaynard2 pic.twitter.com/jVVyBMp8PB
VIDEO | UFC releases thrilling promo for Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson UFC 232 rematch
Tom Taylor - November 15, 2018
https://youtu.be/dOrm10Vl8ik After years of waiting, former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and long-time contender Alexander Gustafsson will finally rematch at UFC 232 on December 29. The pair’s long-awaited rematch has been given an extra infusion of excitement as it will be for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title, as reigning champion Daniel Cormier is expected to be stripped once they step into the cage.
Becky Lynch trashes Ronda Rousey for Holly Holm loss: 'You hid for a year under your blankie'
Tom Taylor - November 15, 2018
Ronda Rousey’s UFC career is soundly in the rear-view, as she’s now firmly embedded as a member of the WWE roster. Even in this new role, however, she can not escape the toughest setback of her sporting career: the 2015 knockout loss to Holly Holm that ended her reign as UFC women’s bantamweight champ. Ronda Rousey, who is currently the Raw Women’s Champion, was supposed to meet current SmackDown Live Women’s Champion Becky Lynch in the ring at WWE’s Survivor Series pay-per-view is this Sunday. Unfortunately, Lynch was forced out of the match with a nose injury, and replaced by Charlotte Flair.
Tito Ortiz coach questions Chuck Liddell's training footage: 'I think he’s playing a little bit of possum'
Tom Taylor - November 15, 2018
On November 24, Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz will meet for a third time. Ahead of this trilogy fight, we’ve seen several snippets of Liddell’s training, and many members of the MMA community are quite concerned about it, worrying that the 48-year-old Liddell looks alarmingly slow. Jason Parillo, one of the key coaches of Tito Ortiz, has seen this footage and had similar thoughts, wondering if Liddell might be attempting to give false impressions of himself ahead of the fight. He called the footage “hoax-y.”
Colby Covington's manager says Tyron Woodley fight being discussed for UFC 233
Drake Riggs - November 14, 2018
UFC 233 takes place on January 26 and it is already looking like it will end up being a fantastic card to start off the new year. With one title fight already lined up, we could be getting a second at 170-pounds. It’s no secret that UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and interim champion Colby Covington do not like each other and are on a crash course to meet one another inside the Octagon at some point. It’s just a matter of when.
Luis Pena dropping down to featherweight, wants to fight Artem Lobov
Drake Riggs - November 14, 2018
At UFC Denver this past Saturday, we got a clash between season 27 of The Ultimate Fighter contestants. One of which was the lightweight winner, Mike Trizano. Standing across from him was one of the season’s fighters with the most obvious potential, “Violent Bob Ross” Luis Pena.
UFC pay-per-view revenue set to greatly increase in 2019
Drake Riggs - November 14, 2018
2019 looks to be the biggest year yet for the UFC, and historically, for good reason. It will be the start of a new era as the ESPN deal begins. Looking back on things, it’s easy to forget how big and different the transition from Spike TV to Fox felt, but it was, in fact, a hell of difference comparatively. It will interesting to see how different things are with this upcoming transition as the UFC goes from their $120 million per year deal with Fox, to their five year $1.5 billion deal with ESPN.
VIDEO | Robert Whittaker wins GQ Sportsman of the Year
Drake Riggs - November 14, 2018
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UFC vet Cody McKenzie receives four-year NSAC ban for using 'urine substitute' in drug test
Tom Taylor - November 14, 2018
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has handed UFC veteran Cody McKenzie a hefty, four-year suspension for refusing to take a drug test, and then submitting fraudulent urine in said test. McKenzie did not appear at the commission’s hearing, which likely didn’t help his case.
Khabib Nurmagomedov calls recent aid work in Africa a 'childhood dream'
Tom Taylor - November 14, 2018
Just over a month removed from his massive submission defeat of former UFC lightweight and featherweight champ Conor McGregor, undefeated UFC lightweight kingpin Khabib Nurmagomedov headed to Nigeria. The purpose of his visit, per a post on the UFC’s official Instagram post, is to “help build medical facilities and fix water wells around the area.” Speaking on his own Instagram page, the lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov gave a bit more information on this visit to Nigeria. He says the trip is the realization of a ‘childhood dream,’ and that there are more projects in the country underway.
Conor McGregor not interested in drinking Proper No. Twelve with Nurmagomedov or Mayweather
Tom Taylor - November 14, 2018
Conor McGregor has shared glasses of his new Proper No. Twelve with a number of celebrities over the last few weeks, but he won’t be offering any to his recent opponents Floyd Mayweather or Khabib Nurmagomedov. During a recent interview with Entrepreneur.com, the Irish star was asked which of these two former opponents he’d prefer to share a glass of whiskey with, and his answer was a decisive ‘neither.’
Israel Adesanya explains how he will beat Robert Whittaker
Tom Taylor - November 14, 2018
Israel Adesanya looks more and more like a future UFC middleweight title challenger with every passing fight. In fact, after his UFC 230 execution of long-time contender Derek Brunson, his fighting for the title in the near future looks less like a likelihood and more like a downright certainty. The UFC middleweight title is currently held by Australia’s Robert Whittaker. Provided Whittaker defeats his next challenger Kelvin Gastelum, who he’ll meet at UFC 234 in late January, he could easily find himself locked in the cage with the Nigerian Kiwi Israel Adesanya soon thereafter.
Louis Smolka returns to the UFC, faces Sumudaerji Sumudaerji at UFC Beijing
James Lynch - November 14, 2018
Less than a year after he was released from the UFC, Louis Smolka is back with the Las Vegas based promotion on a short-notice opportunity. The Hawaiian returns to action on Nov. 24 against newcomer Sumudaerji Sumudaerji at UFC Fight Night 141 in Beijing, China. MMAJunkie confirmed the matchup on Tuesday.
EXCLUSIVE | From last pick to fighting in the finale, Justin Frazier ready to prove everyone wrong
Cole Shelton - November 14, 2018
Justin Frazier is ready to prove all the doubters wrong. On The Ultimate Fighter 28 (TUF), Justin Frazier left tryouts not knowing if he would be on the show. Ultimately, the UFC saw enough potential in him and decided to put him on the show. However, before competing on TUF, Frazier didn’t take his fighting career seriously. The heavyweight was overweight, and his cardio was not very good. Then, to top it off, Frazier was the last heavyweight taken when coaches Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum picked their teams.
Chuck Liddell responds to criticisms of training footage
Tom Taylor - November 14, 2018
On November 24, former UFC light heavyweight champs Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz will step into the cage together for a third time. In the buildup to this fight, we’ve seen snippets of both men’s preparations. Unfortunately, the footage we’ve seen of the 48-year-old Liddell’s training has generated quite a bit of controversy.
Joe Rogan on Cain Velasquez: He 'stands out as the best'
Tom Taylor - November 14, 2018
If you ask UFC color commentator Joe Rogan, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is probably the best heavyweight in MMA history. Rogan got talking about Velasquez, and what makes him so special, after a discussion about the ideal weight for a heavyweight mixed martial artist on The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast. “There’s a thought with the 265-pound weight class and the consensus thought seems to be that somewhere around 240 pounds is the magic number,” Joe Rogan said of Cain Velasquez (transcript via MMA Fighting). “That’s what they think. They think that 240 pounds is the amount of weight that you have where you’re strong enough that you can knock out any man but you have more endurance than a man that maybe weighs 265 or heavier and cuts down to 265. Now this has not been substantiated. The problem is, there hasn’t been a super powerful world championship athlete that weighed 265 pounds…
Joe Rogan believes there is only one man who should be fighting Khabib next!
Christopher Taylor - November 14, 2018
Joe Rogan believes that there is only one man who deserves the next shot at current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. According to the longtime UFC commentator, Tony Ferguson is the obvious choice to be the next man to challenge “The Eagle”.