MMA News
Paige VanZant confirms she'll be fighting on first UFC on ESPN card
Tom Taylor - September 4, 2018
In late August, MMA Fighting reported that Paige VanZant would be returning to the cage opposite Rachael Ostovich on January 18, when the UFC debuts on ESPN. Unfortunately, VanZant was quick to refute this news, assuring that she hadn’t yet been given a clean bill of health. #FakeNews..sorry everyone I’m not even cleared yet. Hoping to get cleared this week to slowly start back to training! Off to Vegas Thursday to see my doctor.
Jon Jones calls for two more fights with Daniel Cormier, Cormier fires back
Tom Taylor - September 4, 2018
If former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has his way, his current USADA situation will soon be squared away, and he’ll fight his arch rival Daniel Cormier two more times: once to reclaim the light heavyweight belt, and once to capture the heavyweight title. “My vision is fighting him at light heavyweight first,” Jones said of Daniel Cormier in a recent interview with RT Sport (transcript via MMA Fighting). “I think that beating him a third time would really do something to his confidence. In his head, I feel like he thinks he can still beat me, especially because the fight was going fairly well until I knocked him out. I want to crush his confidence…
Tyron Woodley is "done" calling out fighters, but he's interested in trying other weight classes
Tom Taylor - September 4, 2018
Over the last year or so, UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has attempted to set up fights with major MMA stars, calling out Georges St-Pierre, Nate Diaz, and Michael Bisping. Unfortunately for him, none of these lucrative contests have come together. Having tried and failed to set up these big opportunities, Tyron Woodley now says he’s done with callouts. His priority instead is on dominating whoever is put in front of him.
Jon Jones: 'I had to find a place in my heart to be happy' for Daniel Cormier after UFC 226
Drake Riggs - September 4, 2018
When fighters find themselves embroiled in heated rivalries, they forever end up intertwined with one another. Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are no exceptions to that. The history between the two is clear yet ugly all at the same time. Jones was the once ruler of the 205-pound division but due to his own doing, he no longer is able to compete as actively as we expected him to be doing so from 2015 to now.
EXCLUSIVE | Coach Javier Mendez explains how he's reduced AKA fighter injuries by "50 percent"
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2018
As the home of current and former champions like Daniel Cormier, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Cain Velasquez and Luke Rockhold, American Kickboxing Academy is one of the very best MMA gyms in the world. It might even be the best in the world outright. If there has ever been a reason to knock the gym, however, it’s that, for a time, their fighters just couldn’t seem to stay healthy. On multiple occasions in the past, AKA’s top stars have been forced out of massive fights with injuries — oftentimes at the very last minute. This trend, unsurprisingly, did not go over well with fight fans, who understandably wanted to see AKA’s top dogs in action.
EXCLUSIVE | Javier Mendez assures Luke Rockhold will always be welcome at AKA
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2018
For many years, Luke Rockhold was one of the most visible and successful fighters training out of American Kickboxing Academy, and a crucial training partner to both Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez. Over the last year or so, however, Rockhold has done much of his training elsewhere. The former middleweight champion even did some training at Combat Club in Florida at a time when Volkan Oezdemir was using the gym to prepare for a fight with Cormier. All the same, you will not be hearing of any drama between Luke Rockhold and American Kickboxing Academy.
Jon Jones calls Chael Sonnen "the worst trash talker", Sonnen fires back in vintage style
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2018
Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Jon Jones recently stated that Chael Sonnen, one of the most infamous trash talkers in MMA, really isn’t actually all that good at trash talking. “I think Chael Sonnen is the worst trash talker,” Jones told Russia’s Разрешите вас перебить recently, comparing Sonnen’s trash talk to that of Conor McGregor (via MMAjunkie). “Just because a lot of the stuff he says is gibberish. Conor McGregor, when he talks trash, there’s a lot of truth behind what he’s saying.”
EXCLUSIVE | UFC 229's Dominick Reyes issues interesting challenge to Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2018
On the main card of UFC 229, which goes down on October 6 in Las Vegas, Nevada, surging UFC light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes will take on the biggest test of his impressive career thus far as he battles former interim title challenger Ovince Saint Preux. Later on the same card, former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the cage as he attempts to reclaim the lightweight belt from reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. If there is one thing Conor McGregor is known for, it’s his thunderous left hand. The Irish MMA star has put countless men down with this punch, and will seek to do the same against Nurmagomedov.
EXCLUSIVE | Curtis Blaydes says UFC Beijing opponent Francis Ngannou is "unwilling to change"
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2018
On November 24, in the main event of UFC Beijing, surging UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes will attempt to avenge the only loss his career, as he battles former title challenger Francis Ngannou. Since their first fight, which went down in April of 2013, both Curtis Blaydes and Francis Ngannou have realized mountainous success in the perilous UFC heavyweight division. More recently, however, Blaydes has emerged as a bona fide title contender, while Ngannou has slipped into a bit of a rough patch.
Report | Uriah Hall vs Bevon Lewis fight in the works for UFC 232
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2018
Bevon Lewis, who recently earned a UFC contract with a first-round drubbing of Alton Cunningham on Dana Whites’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, could be getting a huge test for his UFC debut. BJPenn.com’s Tom Taylor is reporting that a bout between Bevon Lewis and long-time middleweight contender Uriah Hall is in the works for UFC 232, which goes down on December 29 in Las Vegas. I'm told that a matchup between Uriah Hall and Bevon Lewis is in the works for #UFC232.
Floyd Mayweather Sr. says Mayweather-McGregor rematch is "being talked about"
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2018
Over the last few weeks, Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor’s beef has heated back up, as the undefeated boxer and Irish MMA superstar have exchanged a bit of trash talk on Twitter. These recent skirmishes have Floyd Mayweather’s father believing that Mayweather and McGregor will fight again. In his eyes, Conor McGregor is probably eager for the opportunity to try to avenge his 2017 loss to Mayweather.
Jimi Manuwa explains why he accepted short-notice fight with Thiago Santos
Tom Taylor - September 2, 2018
Originally, British light heavyweight contender Jimi Manuwa was expected to battle Glover Teixeira in the main event of UFC Sao Paulo on September 22. Regrettably, Glover Teixeira was forced out of this fight with an injury, which left the UFC with the difficult task of finding a replacement opponent for Jimi Manuwa. Eventually, after some deliberation, the promotion booked a fight between Manuwa and Brazilian middleweight Thiago Santos, who will move up division for the opportunity.
Coach Javier Mendez predicts Khabib Nurmagomedov is "never going to lose"
Tom Taylor - September 2, 2018
In the opinion of Javier Mendez, the head coach at American Kickboxing Academy, undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is simply never going to lose. That, of course, means he’ll defeat former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor when they battle in the main event of UFC 229 on October 6. https://soundcloud.com/mmafighting/eurobash-w-javier-mendez-episode-1
Tyron Woodley discusses his advantages over Darren Till
Tom Taylor - September 2, 2018
At UFC 228, which goes down on September 8 in Dallas, Texas, UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley will attempt to defend his title against undefeated British contender Darren Till. Heading into this fight, the 25-year-old Darren Till has quite a bit of hype behind him. Tyron Woodley, however, isn’t worried.
Al Iaquinta makes prediction for Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor fight
Tom Taylor - September 2, 2018
In the opinion of UFC lightweight contender Al Iaquinta, Conor McGregor is in for a rough night when he fights Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. Iaquinta, who lost a short-notice fight against Nurmagomedov by decision in April, made his prediction for the fight in an interview with MMA Fighting. “The worst-case scenario [for McGregor], I think [Nurmagomedov] takes a few shots from Conor and just keeps coming forward,” Iaquinta said. “I mean, Conor obviously has the power to put him out, but I don’t know. Does he? I think a lot of people think he does, because he’s knocked a lot of people out, but Khabib is tough. He sees things, he’s got a little awkward style, which is different. It’s tough to adjust to, because it’s so different, standup-wise.”
Darren Till only anticipates "slight" size advantage over Tyron Woodley at UFC 228
Tom Taylor - September 2, 2018
Darren Till, who will battle Tyron Woodley for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 228 on September 8, is huge for the welterweight division. So huge that he appeared to dwarf Woodley when they met face to face at a press conference this month. Speaking at a media scrum earlier this week, Darren Till admitted that even he was a little surprised by how much he towered over the reigning welterweight champion.
Mike Perry spills on sparring session with upcoming opponent Donald Cerrone
Tom Taylor - September 2, 2018
On November 10, on the main card of UFC Denver, “Platinum” Mike Perry will step into the cage with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. This, of course, will not be the first time the two welterweight fan favorites have met. Earlier this summer, the pair got some sparring in in, both at JacksonWink MMA, and at Cerrone’s BMF Ranch.
Jon Jones talks Cormier vs Lesnar and a potential trilogy bout with “DC” at heavyweight
Chris Taylor - September 1, 2018
It is no secret that former UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones (21-1 MMA) is not a fan of Daniel Cormier. With that said, “Bones” still has a ton of respect for “DC’s” talents and believes that Cormier will have no issue getting by former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in their upcoming yet to be announced heavyweight title fight.