MMA News

Drake Riggs - July 6, 2018

The question for Australia’s first UFC champion, the middleweight king, Robert Whittaker is “who’s next”? Well, we’re close to getting the answer. After an incredible fight of the year candidate with Yoel Romero in their title rematch at UFC 225, Whittaker came out on top with a split decision nod.

Drake Riggs - July 6, 2018

“[Jon Jones] will be watching. Because…he may not like to admit it but he’s my fan. He enjoys watching me compete. He does *laughs*.

Chris Taylor - July 6, 2018

Earlier this week, unfortunate news struck the mixed martial arts world when ESPN announced that current UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway had been forced out of his scheduled UFC 226 title fight with Brian Ortega. “Blessed” was hospitalized due to concussion-like symptoms and thus removed from this weekend’s highly anticipated UFC 226 pay-per-view fight card.

Tom Taylor - July 6, 2018

Tomorrow night, International Fight Week will draw to a dramatic conclusion with UFC 226, one of the best UFC cards in recent memory. The card will be headlined by a bona fide superfight, as UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier returns to his former haunts in the heavyweight division to battle dominating heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

Tom Taylor - July 6, 2018

Top UFC women’s flyweight contender Valentina Shevchenko has been gunning for the division’s inaugural champion Nicco Montano for months. Now that Montano is fighting fit, it looks as though the pair will be booked to fight at UFC 228 on September 8.

Tom Taylor - July 6, 2018

The latest recipient of UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington’s venomous trash talk is former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra, who was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame last night. Covington shared his thoughts on Serra in a multi-Tweet cannonade on Thursday evening.

Tom Taylor - July 6, 2018

Last night, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion and bona fide WMMA pioneer Ronda Rousey was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Also inducted this year were Dan Henderson and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, former welterweight champion Matt Serra, and UFC co-founder Art Davie.

Tom Taylor - July 6, 2018

Last night, at the UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremony, UFC Hall-of-Famers Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz engaged in the first staredown ahead of their newly announced third fight. See this surprisingly tense staredown in the video at the top of this post!

Tom Taylor - July 6, 2018

Tony Ferguson, who was forced out of UFC 223 with a leg injury in April, is now hoping to return to the cage as soon as September. “I’m about 90 percent right now,” Ferguson told Helen Yee this week (transcribed by Jed Meshew for MMA Fighting). “Obviously, I want to get back in there. September looks good for me.”

Drake Riggs - July 6, 2018

It’s happening. MMA legends and former UFC light heavyweight champions, Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell will finally have their trilogy fight. Liddell vs Ortiz is one of MMA’s all-time greatest rivalries. Dating all the way back to 2004, the bad blood still runs deep for the legends.

Drake Riggs - July 5, 2018

“I’m 100 [percent] down to fight next year. 

Drake Riggs - July 5, 2018

The UFC’s next event in Europe continues to lose out on it’s top showcases. After Volkan Oezdemir’s bailing to fight Alexander Gustafsson, another loss has come for UFC Hamburg. It just gets worse and worse for the UFC’s return to Germany as although they are retaining their headliner with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua now taking on the replacement in Anthony Smith, a replacement will quickly need to be found for the co-main event too.

Thomas Taylor - July 5, 2018

https://twitter.com/jedigoodman/status/1015004521703956485 The International Fight Week curse is not to be underestimated.

Jason Kindschy - July 5, 2018

A new episode of BJPENN.COM Radio is here, Penn Nation! First up, coming off a sensational KO win at Bellator 201 over the weekend, good friend of the show Juan Archuleta. “The Spaniard” returns to help us recap his performance and discuss what’s next for the future champ. When he’d like to get back to action, the most ideal matchups, which title he plans to capture first, we’re going to cover it all. We’ll also get an update on Juan’s daughter and hear how the news of his only child having a medical emergency just hours before his fight weighed on his conscious going in.

Thomas Taylor - July 5, 2018

Last night, UFC 226 was dealt a terrible blow as featherweight champion Max Holloway was forced out of his co-main event featherweight title fight with undefeated challenger Brian Ortega. Holloway was removed from the card, which goes down this Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada, with concussion-like symptoms. From there, the UFC apparently made a brief attempt at finding a short-notice opponent for Ortega, ideally for an interim title fight. Their first choice was streaking featherweight knockout artist Jeremy Stephens. Unfortunately, Ortega wasn’t interested in this idea, and opted to wait for Holloway to recover.

Thomas Taylor - July 5, 2018

https://twitter.com/MMAFighting/status/1014965113860702208 This afternoon, the fighters on the UFC 226 bill partook in some tense media day staredowns. One of the best of the bunch came courtesy of welterweight knockout artist “Platinum” Mike Perry, and beefed-up lightweight striker Paul Felder, who replaces the injured Yancy Medeiros on short notice.

Tom Taylor - July 5, 2018

Tomorrow night, the winners of The Ultimate Fighter 27 will be crowned, as Joe Giannetti battles Mike Trizano in the lightweight division, and Jay Cucciniello takes on Brad Katona at featherweight. This TUF 27 Finale card will be headlined by a middleweight bout between surging prospect Israel Adesanya, and established Hawaiian contender Brad Tavares. On Thursday afternoon, Tavares, Adesanya, Gianneti, Trizano, Cucciniello, Katona and the 18 other fighters on the TUF 27 Finale bill took to the scales to weigh in for the respective battles.

Tom Taylor - July 5, 2018

Earlier this year, former NFL star Greg Hardy appeared on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, where he knocked out Austen Lane to earn a ‘developmental deal’ with the UFC. Hardy’s involvement with the UFC, of course, is deeply controversial, given his ugly history of domestic violence. In the face of continued criticisms, UFC President Dana White wants to remind the world that Greg Hardy isn’t yet in the UFC, and that he’ll have to win at least one more Contender Series bout before he gets an official UFC contract.