MMA News

Drake Riggs - May 8, 2018

https://youtu.be/1HTNW25s0M8?t=8s Darren Till has been occupying the metaphorical shelf since his gigantic breakthrough victory over Donald Cerrone in October at UFC Gdansk and now he’s very clearly ready to get back inside the Octagon.

Drake Riggs - May 8, 2018

Did you think that it was only the UFC that was providing us with an MMA circus recently? Then you must not have been paying attention to Bellator…at least that’s how it may seem. Bellator has already been known for putting on various “legends” fights ranging from Stephan Bonnar vs Tito Ortiz and Royce Gracie vs Ken Shamrock 3 to Kimbo Slice vs DaDa 5000…we’ll just ignore that last one though.

Drake Riggs - May 8, 2018

Looking for a prospect battle? Well, one that has fans more interested than almost any other fight right now is the proposed Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Yair Rodriguez fight after Magomedsharipov called Rodriguez out after his recent win at UFC 223. It’s now been a full month since UFC 223 and according to UFC president, Dana White via Lance Pugmire, the fight is on for UFC 227 in Los Angeles, California on August 4th.

Tom Taylor - May 8, 2018

The UFC’s upcoming stop in Boise, Idaho, which is scheduled for July 14, keeps getting better. The latest bout to be tacked onto the bill is a dynamite featherweight matchup between all-heart Team Alpha Male star Darren Elkins and surging Australian prospect Alexander Volkanovski. This bout was first reported by BJPenn.com’s Tom Taylor.

Tom Taylor - May 8, 2018

Over the last few weeks, there’s been significant buzz about a potential fight between Bellator welterweight champ Rory MacDonald, and former Bellator and ONE welterweight champ Ben Askren. While this fight is one that most fans want to see, the key roadblock is that, even in his retirement, Askren remains under contract with ONE Championship. In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Bellator President Scott Coker divulged that he recently met with ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong to discuss a possible Askren vs. MacDonald matchup. While we already know that Coker isn’t interested in bringing Askren back to Bellator for a one-off fight, it sounds like he is interested in swapping fighters with ONE Championship in the future.

Tom Taylor - May 8, 2018

Former UFC strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who is now 0-2 against reigning champ Rose Namajunas, will look to get back on track when she battles Tecia Torres at UFC on Fox 30 this July 28. If she wins this fight, she expects to be rewarded with another crack at the title. “I am very happy to fight Tecia,” Jedrzejczyk said of the matchup with Torres on The MMA Hour this week (transcribed by Adam Guillen Jr. for MMAMania). “The good thing is she fought Jessica Andrade in her last fight, she lost that fight. But Jessica Andrade is going to be the challenger for Rose Namajunas. So I am very happy to face Tecia Torres and get the title shot after this fight.”

Tom Taylor - May 8, 2018

Late last month, BJJ ace and Conor McGregor training partner Dillon Danis made a successful MMA debut, tapping Kyle Walker with a first-round toe-hold on the main card of Bellator 198. Shortly thereafter, former Bellator lightweight champ Michael Chandler took to Twitter to share his thoughts on Danis. Just catching up to #bellator198 @dillondanis said he was the “highest paid fighter in @BellatorMMA” but I think he meant to say “most un-athletic fighter in Bellator” and that was against a man with a losing record. #cringe #slow #sloth #bellator198

Tom Taylor - May 8, 2018

The UFC and ESPN have reached a new deal, per a joint release from the two parties (via MMAJunkie). Starting in 2019, the UFC will begin streaming content on ESPN+, ESPN’s new streaming service, which costs $4.99 a month. The deal will include 15, 12-fight events per year, which will be referred to as “UFC on ESPN+ Fight Nights.”

Tom Taylor - May 8, 2018

Can’t wait for @ufc July 7th!! @francis_ngannou @syndicatemma @UnbrandedSupply #mma #ufc #monsterenergy #team pic.twitter.com/2OzDQDs2y3 — John Wood (@bigwoodmma) May 4, 2018

Tom Taylor - May 8, 2018

Many fans and pundits felt that Conor McGregor‘s insane rampage in Brooklyn, which crescendoed when the Irishman threw a dolly through the window of a bus, should have resulted in his being cut from the UFC. This, after all, is how the UFC responded when British welterweight Paul Daley punched Josh Koscheck after the bell in 2010. In the end, of course, McGregor’s station as the biggest and most valuable star in MMA history assured that he received very little immediate kickback from the UFC — even if UFC President Dana White recently suggested McGregor might be punished down the road.

Drake Riggs - May 7, 2018

The last time Team Alpha Male staple and perennial top 5 featherweight contender, Chad Mendes was seen competing inside the Octagon was in December of 2015. 2015 was a busy year for the Sacramento native as he fought three times going 1-2 against the likes of Ricardo Lamas, Conor McGregor and Frankie Edgar(in that order).

Tom Taylor - May 7, 2018

Earlier this year, on an April episode of BJ Penn Radio, UFC 225 interim welterweight title challenger Colby Covington shared plans to pursue gold in the lightweight middleweight divisions in the future. 

Tom Taylor - May 7, 2018

Chad Mendes has not fought since December of 2015, when he was knocked out in a featherweight contender bout with Frankie Edgar. Now, as he’s poised to return to action after an unfortunate USADA suspension, he’s hoping to run it back with Edgar. “I honestly would like to get that Frankie fight back,” Mendes said of his imminent comeback on a recent edition of The MMA Hour (transcribed by Dave Doyle for MMA Fighting). “Frankie is obviously a top-level guy and he’s a guy that I know I can beat. That fight would be great. I honestly feel like any of the guys I match up with in the top ten, I match up great.”

Tom Taylor - May 7, 2018

Paul Daley still isn’t happy with Bellator MMA. The British knockout artist, who battles former UFC welterweight title challenger and World Series of Fighting champ Jon Fitch at Bellator 199 this weekend, recently aired his grievances in an interview with MMAJunkie. “I’ve had great times with Bellator,” Daley said. “I just don’t like the recent treatment of me. I’ve made it clear, and I will continue to make it clear through all the interviews – at the post-fight, at the pre-fight, during fight week – I ain’t happy with what you guys are doing. I can see through what you guys are doing.

Tom Taylor - May 7, 2018

In the span of a year, Colby Covington has become known as one of the UFC’s biggest trash talkers. The American, who battles Rafael dos Anjos for interim welterweight gold at UFC 225 this June 9, is constantly generating headlines with his words.

Tom Taylor - May 7, 2018

Over the weekend, Japan’s Rizin Fighting Federation promoted one of its best events to date. This action-packed event featured a number of UFC veterans, most notably former flyweight title contenders Kyoji Horiguchi and Ian McCall, who collided in the main event. Though many fans expected this to be a competitive contest, it instead turned out to be a blitzkrieg win for the surging Japanese talent Horiguchi. The Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto protege and current American Top Team staple put his foe down with a punch mere seconds in the bout, forcing the referee to wave the action off at the 9-second mark (see it here).

Tom Taylor - May 7, 2018

If former UFC middleweight king Michael Bisping fights again, it will be the final bout of his career. Given that his next fight will be his last, “The Count” has been waiting for a special opponent. Kickboxing legend Gokhan Saki is hoping to be that opponent. Saki, who picked up his first UFC win back in September, called for a bout with the Brit on social media, after Bisping asked the fans who they wanted to see him fight.

Chris Taylor - May 6, 2018

VIDEO | Nick Diaz predicts potential Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomev fight Fight fans are hoping that 2018 will be the year that they finally get see current UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov square off with former division title holder Conor McGregor.