MMA News

Tom Taylor - June 15, 2018

CM Punk’s sophomore UFC effort, a decision loss to Mike Jackson, didn’t go a whole lot better than his first, a first-round submission loss to Mickey Gall. Despite his unfortunate 0-2 record, however, nobody is questioning Punk’s heart.  Over the course of his two MMA bouts, the 39-year-old former pro wrestler showed that, while he may be short on actual ability, he’s long on guts and toughness. That seems to be one of the main takeaways for Punk’s jiu jitsu coach, Daniel Wanderley.

Tom Taylor - June 15, 2018

Last Saturday, in the first bout of the UFC 225 main card, former pro wrestler CM Punk stepped into the cage with Mike Jackson, keen to erase the memory of his disastrous MMA debut, in which he was thrashed to a first-round submission by Mickey Gall. Regrettably, Punk’s sophomore effort went no better than his first, as he was battered to a lopsided decision loss. In the wake of Punk’s latest lost, opinions on his MMA run have varied. Some admire his ambition and his heart. Others are more focused on the fact that he seems to lack the physical tools to cut in a cage fight. In the opinion of UFC President Dana White, you have to respect what the former pro wrestler attempted to do. If you don’t, well, you’re a “fucking idiot.”

Drake Riggs - June 14, 2018

“I don’t have a very good opinion [of Greg Hardy being signed to the UFC]. I had a spat with domestic violence before I moved out to Vegas. That’s actually why I moved to Vegas.

Drake Riggs - June 14, 2018

UFC 225’s main event was an instant classic. It featured a rematch between two of the greatest middleweight fighters MMA has ever seen. The fighters competing in said main event were Yoel Romero and the UFC champion, Robert Whittaker. Unfortunately, after Romero missed the championship weight the day before by .02 pounds, the fight was changed to a non-title bout. But it didn’t stop the two from beating the hell out of one another.

Drake Riggs - June 14, 2018

After constant harassment from fans on social media while recovering from a serious foot injury, the inaugural UFC flyweight champ is ready to make her first title defense. The champion, Nicco Montano announced the news on Instagram today that she is ready to defend her title against former 135-pound title challenger, Valentina ‘Bullet’ Shevchenko at UFC 228 on September 8th in Las Vegas.

Drake Riggs - June 14, 2018

https://youtu.be/TsZd2-NHkgQ When it comes to fun, must-see fighters in the lighter weight classes, British MMA legend, Brad Pickett has been one of the names that always came to mind for the better half of the past decade.

Drake Riggs - June 14, 2018

July 29th, 2018 will mark a full year since Jon Jones last competed inside the Octagon. And his situation has still yet to get a clear resolution. The 30-year-old 22-1 former light heavyweight champion just hasn’t been able to avoid troubles outside the cage since 2015. The spiral began with the infamous hit-and-run incident that led to the first stripping of his title.

Tom Taylor - June 14, 2018

Now that Robert Whittaker has defeated Yoel Romero for a second time — he did so by decision in the main event of UFC 225 — there are two clear frontrunners in the race to the next middleweight title shot. One is former middleweight champion Chris Weidman. The other is streaking contender Kelvin Gastelum. Weidman believes he deserves the next middleweight title shot because he submitted Kelvin Gastelum in his last fight. He also believes that his accolades as a former middleweight champion — with three defenses to his name — outweigh his three recent losses to Luke Rockhold, Romero and Gegard Mousasi.

Tom Taylor - June 14, 2018

Today, Conor McGregor appeared in court to face the music for his infamous rampage in Brooklyn, New York. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait before there’s any kind of concrete news about the Irishman’s future — which, according to Dana White, indicates continued uncertainty for Khabib Nurmagomedov too… As MMA Fighting reports, McGregor’s court appearance was brief, as he and his cohort Cian Cowley promptly informed the court that they intend to negotiate a plea deal. With this development, McGregor is set to return to court on July 26, where he and Cowley’s representation will enter said plea.

Tom Taylor - June 14, 2018

At 18-1 overall, Juan Archuleta boasts one of the most impressive records of any fighter on the Bellator MMA roster. At Bellator 201, which goes down on June 29 in Temecula, California, he’ll look to make that record even more impressive with a win over UFC veteran Robbie Peralta.

Tom Taylor - June 14, 2018

Over the last few weeks, there’s been a rash of fighters missing weight for high-profile UFC bouts, from Mackenzie Dern, to Darren Till, to Yoel Romero. In the opinion of UFC welterweight Alan Jouban, there’s an easy way to explain some of these weigh-in misses — particularly the more significant ones.

Tom Taylor - June 14, 2018

CM Punk’s second MMA bout, which occurred on the main card of UFC 225 last weekend, was more or less a disaster for him. Though he managed to survive the full fifteen minutes with his foe Mike Jackson, he was out-classed from bell-to-bell, and left the cage looking like bruised plum. Over the course of his fifteen-minute fight with Jackson, Punk showed plenty of heart — enough heart to “fill the arena,” according to his foe. Yet the unfortunate side-effect of the fight going the full fifteen minutes is that it provided ample proof that Punk is not cut out for cage fighting.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2018

There was a time not all that long ago, when UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley and new interim welterweight champion Colby Covington trained under the same roof at American Top Team in Florida. Today, however, they are perhaps the fiercest rivals in MMA. Woodley, of course, no longer trains at American Top Team. All the same, he believes he still holds some sway at the gym, and is hoping he can get Covington kicked to the curb after they unify their titles.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2018

Darren Till is riding high on the biggest win of his career: a close, but impressive decision defeat of two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Unfortunately for Till and his fans, the win does come with an asterisk attached. Not only do many fans and commenters feel that the decision should have been awarded to Wonderboy, but Till also missed weight for the bout, tipping the scales at 173.5 pounds — three pounds above the 171-pound limit for non-title welterweight fights.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2018

Last night, on the latest episode of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, controversial former NFL player Greg Hardy earned himself a developmental UFC contract with a thunderous first-round knockout of fellow NFL veteran Austen Lane. While Hardy’s victory was undeniably impressive, his history of domestic violence has made his association with the UFC incredibly controversial. UFC President Dana White, however, seems to be convinced that the former football player is a changed man.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2018

UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley’s next fight is almost certain to pit him against Colby Covington, the UFC’s new interim welterweight champion. If Woodley and Covington’s fight goes ahead as planned, Woodley is hoping to use it as a chance to punish Covington for the ceaseless trash talk he’s unleashed over the last few months. Rather than taking Covington down, he’s hoping to settle things on the feet. He does not, however, expect Covington to play ball. Instead, he expects the interim champion to lean on his wrestling — the same wrestling he used to defeat Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 225 last weekend.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2018

Curtis Blaydes impressed a lot of people with his UFC 225 TKO win over former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 champion Alistair Overeem. One of the most notable people to jump on the Blaydes hype-train after UFC 225 was UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov showered Blaydes with praise in a conversation with documentary producer Will Harris of Anatomy of a Fighter.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2018

Last weekend, on the undercard of the stacked UFC 225, former strawweight champion Carla Esparza gave up a close decision to perennial strawweight contender Claudia Gadelha. Shortly thereafter, she accused Gadelha of cheating, sharing her belief that the Brazilian was greasing on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour.  “She cheated in the fight; she greased before the fight,” Esparza said. “I was considering saying something to the referee in between [rounds]. I was going to say, ‘She’s greasing! She’s greasing,’ but I didn’t really know how to go about it. … Even when I was trying to grab armbars during the fight my arms kept slipping down. She’s a cheater, but it doesn’t really surprise me. In my opinion, she’s been a pretty dirty fighter throughout, so it is what it is.”