MMA News
Michael Bisping has no sympathy for Vitor Belfort's loss in retirement bout, "he’s built a career off being a cheat"
Drake Riggs - May 16, 2018
One man who is never short on words is the former UFC middleweight champion, “The Count” Michael Bisping. With former opponent of Bisping’s, Vitor Belfort’s career coming to an end this past Saturday at UFC 224 with a violent knockout loss to Lyoto Machida, Bisping shared his thoughts on the legendary Brazilians departure from the sport on his podcast, Believe You Me.
Henry Cejudo says interim title fight to be made if Joseph Benavidez wins at UFC 225
Drake Riggs - May 16, 2018
Top UFC flyweight contender, Henry Cejudo doesn’t seem so happy. After roasting the champion, Demetrious Johnson earlier today on Twitter, Cejudo continued to detail the recent situation involving him and the champion and even dropped some news of potential future plans for the flyweight division.
VIDEO | Kamaru Usman predicts first round finish of Demian Maia at UFC Chile
Drake Riggs - May 16, 2018
Ahead of #UFCChile, hear what Kamaru Usman (@USMAN84kg) said about the possibility of fighting Demian Maia – in 2016. "My style will trump his style. … I know that I can get him out of there."@DanTomMMA breaks down the fight: https://t.co/6MuEkJdLE0 pic.twitter.com/4ujn4sw477
Demian Maia gives reason for accepting short-notice fight with Kamaru Usman
Tom Taylor - May 16, 2018
If things had gone according to the original plan, surging UFC welterweight contender Kamaru Usman would have battled Argentine striker Santiago Ponzinibbio in the main of the UFC’s debut in Chile, which goes down this Saturday in the capital of Santiago. When Ponzinibbio was forced out of the fight with an injury, however, Usman was left without a dance partner — which opened the door for former welterweight title challenger Demian Maia to step in. As it turns out, this will not actually be Maia’s first trip to Chile. The Brazilian visited the South American country two years ago, on a PR mission with the UFC, educating local journalists and decision makers on the sport of MMA. Given that he did this outreach work in Chile previously, it seemed logical to him to accept the short-notice bout with Usman in the country.
Chael Sonnen understands why UFC cut Yair Rodriguez, cites special UFC policy as reason
Tom Taylor - May 16, 2018
On a recent episode of his Beyond The Fight podcast, MMA analyst and current Bellator star Chael Sonnen delved into the UFC’s extremely controversial choice to cut featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez. While Sonnen had nothing but praise for Rodriguez’s ability, he understands why the UFC had to cut him. Apparently, it all comes down to a UFC policy that all fighters are made aware of. He says Rodriguez violated this policy by turning down two fights.
Rose Namajunas: Mackenzie Dern needs to "get her s**t together"
Tom Taylor - May 16, 2018
Last weekend, on the main card of UFC 224, BJJ star Mackenzie Dern stepped into the Octagon for the second time, taking on Amanda Bobby Cooper. Dern won this fight in emphatic fashion, dropping her foe with a huge punch in the first round, then sinking in a deep rear-naked choke for the win. Unfortunately, Dern’s win over Cooper comes with an asterisk attached, as she tipped the scales at 123 pounds, a significant seven pounds above the strawweight division’s 116-pound limit.
Israel Adesanya already has another opponent in mind if he beats Brad Tavares
Tom Taylor - May 16, 2018
Having won his first two UFC bouts, kickboxing export Israel Adesanya has been rewarded with a main event battle with well-established middleweight veteran Brad Tavares. The pair’s bout headlines The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale on July 6. Interestingly, this bout with Tavares is one that Adesanya asked for. And if he gets past the Hawaiian star, he plans on asking for another specific matchup: a fight with the winner of Uriah Hall and Paulo Costa’s fight, which goes down July 7 at UFC 226.
Daniel Cormier feels there's more on the line at UFC 226 than the heavyweight title
Tom Taylor - May 16, 2018
At UFC 226, which goes down on July 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada, reigning UFC light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier will return to his former haunts in the heavyweight division for a battle with divisional kingpin Stipe Miocic. If Cormier topples this momentous challenge, he’ll have to make room on his crowded mantle — which is already home to several UFC light heavyweight belts and a Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix belt — for a UFC heavyweight belt. Yet for the American Kickboxing Academy staple, there’s far more on the line at UFC 226 then another gold belt. In his eyes, the winner of his bout with Miocic could easily be considered the best pound-for-pound fighter alive.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz received an "apology letter" from Conor McGregor, says she won't sue for bus attack
Tom Taylor - May 16, 2018
Back in April, in the buildup to UFC 223, Conor McGregor went berserk in Brooklyn, NY, throwing a dolly through a shuttle bus window in a crazed search for his rival Khabib Nurmagomedov. Unsurprisingly, the Irishman’s rampage left the bus’s passengers — a host of UFC 223 fighters — quite shaken. Some, like Ray Borg and Michael Chiesa, were even injured. In the wake of this incident, McGregor has issued apologies to a number of the fighters that were affected by his rampage. One of the fighters to receive an apology was UFC strawweight champ Rose Namajunas — though she wasn’t having it. Another was UFC strawweight contender Karolina Kowalkiewicz, who seems to have taken the Irishman’s attempt to make amends a little better.
Chael Sonnen not falling for 'scumbag' Fedor Emelianenko's 'nice guy gimmick'
Drake Riggs - May 15, 2018
Believe it or not, it’s really going to happen. If you were told ten years ago…hell, even a year ago that former top-ranked UFC middleweight, Chael Sonnen would one day be fighting the greatest heavyweight fighter of all time and someone that many believe is the greatest of all time across all divisions, Fedor Emelianenko… How absolutely insane would you think that that person was? Welcome to 2018.
Nate Diaz under investigation after altercation with Clay Guida at Combate Americas event
Drake Riggs - May 15, 2018
Last Friday night things got a little bit wild in the audience of the Combate 20 event. As seems to generally be the case when Nate Diaz shows up attending MMA fights in the crowd… Infamously known for two brawls prior to this one, Diaz and his brother Nick were banned from World Series of Fighting events for life after a scuffle with Khabib Nurmagomedov and company a few years back. Going even further back, there was the Nashville brawl in Strikeforce after the Diaz’ teammate, Jake Shields retained his middleweight title by beating Dan Henderson.
Dear MMA Gods | It's not too late for the WEC super fight
Drake Riggs - May 15, 2018
Tis the season for super fights! Christmas is coming early this July as we get a colossal showdown between the UFC’s light heavyweight and heavyweight champions, Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic. Talk about a treat. Other super fights that have been up in the air recently are that of flyweight king, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson vs bantamweight champ, TJ Dillashaw. Then of course, what would be the first ever female super fight pitting featherweight dominator, Cris Cyborg against bantamweight queen, Amanda Nunes. Featherweight…dominator…I like the sound of where this is going…
Amanda Cooper shares first thoughts post-UFC 224
Drake Riggs - May 15, 2018
A fight from UFC 224 that became highlighted closer to when the fight drew nearer was the scheduled strawweight tilt between The Ultimate Fighter season 23 finalist, Amanda Cooper and hot prospect and BJJ world champion, Mackenzie Dern. Spotlighted for the wrong reason, the drama came late in UFC 224’s fight week when Dern would miss the strawweight limit by seven pounds. Cooper’s confidence wasn’t rattled though and she still accepted the fight.
MMA veteran Phil Baroni gives interesting take on Chuck Liddell's comeback: It's not up to you
Tom Taylor - May 15, 2018
Yesterday afternoon, on the latest edition of The MMA Hour, 48-year-old MMA legend Chuck Liddell confirmed what we’ve long suspected: After eight years of retirement, he will be returning to the cage. “I will fight again,” Liddell said, point blank, on the show (transcribed by MMA Fighting).
Tony Ferguson gives timeframe for return, expects immediate title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov
Tom Taylor - May 15, 2018
If things had gone according to the initial plan, Tony Ferguson would have battled Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight title at UFC 223. Regrettably, Ferguson sustained a knee injury just six days before the April 7 bout, and was forced out of the fight as a result. Nurmagomedov then defeated late-replacement Al Iaquinta to earn the lightweight belt, while Ferguson headed to the operating room for knee surgery. With his surgery in the rear-view, Ferguson is hoping for a quick and uncomplicated recovery.
Mackenzie Dern sends message of thanks to Amanda Bobby Cooper: I learned a lot from this
Tom Taylor - May 15, 2018
Last weekend, on the main card of UFC 224, grappling ace Mackenzie Dern stepped into the Octagon for the second time, taking on Amanda Bobby Cooper. Dern won this fight in emphatic fashion, dropping her foe in the first round, then submitting her with a rear-naked choke. Unfortunately, Dern’s win over Cooper comes with an asterisk attached, as she tipped the scales at 123 pounds, a significant seven pounds above the strawweight division’s 116-pound limit.
Raquel Pennington's head coach explains controversial decision not to stop fight
Tom Taylor - May 15, 2018
Raquel Pennington’s shot at Amanda Nunes and the UFC women’s bantamweight title, which headlined the action-packed UFC 224 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last Saturday night, did not go as she had hoped. Instead, the challenger was thumped to a fifth-round stoppage by the dominating champ Nunes. Regrettably, Pennington’s failed title bid also accompanied by a sizeable dose of controversy, as she appeared to be forced off the stool by her corner between the fourth and fifth rounds after telling her coaches that she was “done.”
Raquel Pennington breaks silence on UFC 224 corner controversy
Tom Taylor - May 15, 2018
Raquel Pennington’s long-awaited shot at Amanda Nunes and the UFC women’s bantamweight title, which headlined UFC 224 last Saturday night, did not go the way she planned. Instead, she was thumped to a fifth-round stoppage by the champ Nunes. Unfortunately, Pennington’s dashed title dreams were also accompanied by a significant dose of controversy, as she appeared to be forced off her stool by her corner between the fourth and fifth rounds after telling her coaches, point-blank, that she was “done.”