MMA News

Tom Taylor - July 6, 2018

Last night, the Professional Fighters League (PFL) touched down in Washington DC with PFL 3. This event featured the opening rounds for the league’s welterweight and middleweight seasons, and just like their first two shows, it was an absolute thriller. In the main event, former Strikeforce middleweight champion and UFC welterweight title challenger Jake Shields was absolutely whooped by a relative unknown in Ray Cooper III. This massive upset came with an interesting footnote, as Shields had twice battled Cooper’s father, Ray Cooper II, going 1-1. So, this was not just “Jake Shields vs. Ray Cooper III” in the sense that Shields was fighting Ray Cooper the third. It was also Jake Shields vs. Ray Cooper III in the sense that it was Shield’s third fight with an opponent named Ray Cooper. Like I said… an interesting footnote.

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

“It’s a weird situation. Some people think it’s concussion-related and some people think it’s weight-cut related.

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.

Tom Taylor - July 5, 2018

Last night, UFC 226 was dealt a crippling blow as featherweight champ Max Holloway was forced out of his co-main event featherweight title fight with challenger Brian Ortega. Holloway was pulled from the card, which goes down Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nevada, with “concussion-like symptoms.” “Max’s team and UFC staff noticed Max was not normal since late last week,” Holloway’s management told MMAjunkie shortly after this unfortunate news was broken by ESPN. “This became obvious to many watching his interviews and public appearances the past few days.

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.

Tom Taylor - July 5, 2018

Tonight @MattSerraUFC gets inducted into the UFC HOF. Last night he was handling drunk idiots at Red Rock. @lorenzofertitta here is the new head of security @stationcasinos pic.twitter.com/7iFh8wYdgS — danawhite (@danawhite) July 5, 2018

Tom Taylor - July 5, 2018

This weekend, in the main event of UFC 226, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic will attempt to defend his title against UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. It’s an irrefutable superfight, and one that the UFC apparently mentioned to Miocic before his last fight, a unanimous decision defeat of Francis Ngannou at UFC 220. Speaking at a UFC 226 media lunch this week, Miocic divulged that the UFC called him two days before his high-stakes battle with Ngannou to discuss a potential fight Cormier, who defended his title against Volkan Oezdemir on the same card. They also mentioned his coaching The Ultimate Fighter against Cormier.

Tom Taylor - July 5, 2018

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier has typically been very complimentary of his UFC 226 opponent, UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic. That, of course, doesn’t mean Cormier doesn’t have any criticisms of his UFC 226 foe. Speaking at the UFC 226 open workouts this week, Cormier offered a critique of Miocic’s last win: a unanimous decision defeat of fearsome puncher Francis Ngannou at UFC 220. Cormier feels that, if he had spent 20-plus minutes on top of Ngannou, as Miocic did, he would have found multiple opportunities to finish him.

Tom Taylor - July 5, 2018

UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway’s title fight with undefeated challenger Brian Ortega isn’t happening. Not at UFC 226 this Saturday, at least. Last night, the MMA community was rocked by the terrible news that Holloway had been pulled from the fight with concussion-like symptoms — certainly not the kind of thing to take lightly.

Tom Taylor - July 5, 2018

Last night, UFC 226 was dealt a crushing 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 — truly not the kind of thing to take lightly. “Max’s team and UFC staff noticed Max was not normal since late last week,” Holloway’s management told MMAjunkie shortly after this unfortunate news broke. “This became obvious to many watching his interviews and public appearances the past few days.

Chris Taylor - July 4, 2018

Earlier this evening terrible news rocked the mixed martial arts world as ESPN announced that current UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway was forced out of his scheduled title fight with undefeated contender Brian Ortega. “Blessed” was hospitalized due to concussion-like symptoms and has thus been removed from his scheduled UFC 226 co-main event fight with “T-City”.

Chris Taylor - July 4, 2018

UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will no longer be defending his title against undefeated contender Brian Ortega at UFC 226. ESPN first reported the news that Max Holloway (19-3 MMA) has been hospitalized due to concussion-like symptoms and has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled UFC 226 co-headliner against “T-City”.