MMA News

Justin Golightly - February 22, 2018

If there wasn’t already enough plot twists in the saga of Frankie Edgar and Max Holloway’s fight which has been rescheduled twice now, Conor McGregor just dropped a bombshell on everything. While a long list of opponents was being gone through to find a replacement for UFC featherweight champion Holloway, evidently McGregor threw his name in the hat to fight Edgar at UFC 222. In an unexpected turn of events, it was actually the UFC that turned it down due to the lack of money and time to make it the fight they wanted it to be. “I am fighting again. Period. I am the best at this. I put my name forward to step in at UFC 222 to face Frankie Edgar when Max Holloway pulled out, but I was told there wasn’t enough time to generate the money that the UFC would need. I was excited about bouncing in last minute and taking out the final featherweight, without all the rest of the stuff that comes with this game. Please respect the insane amount of work outside the fight game that I have put in on top of the fighting. I am here. It is on them to come and get me. Because I am here. Yours sincerely, The Champ Champ™.” – Conor McGregor via his official Instagram.

Tom Taylor - February 22, 2018

After a long period of quiet, the anti-trust lawsuit levied against the UFC is once again trundling along. As expected, this ongoing legal battle is revealing some very information about the UFC, its decision makers, and their practices. One of the more interesting stories to emerge over the last few days came from UFC President Dana White, who essentially took responsibility for Conor McGregor‘s superstardom in a deposition. From his deposition White taking credit for McGregor’s success. pic.twitter.com/qAbABVMwR2

Jordan Colbert - February 22, 2018

In the main event of the UFC’s Sunday return to Austin, Texas, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone rebounded from a three-fight skid with a first-round TKO victory over Yancy Medeiros, who was riding a three-fight win streak coming into his first ever UFC Main Event contest. Following the bout, Cerrone was relieved to have finally gotten back in the win column and, when asked what was next for the man tied for the most wins in UFC history, he set the record straight. He intends to return to the UFC’s lightweight division for one last run at the title. In particular, Cerrone called out Khabib Nurmagomedov, a fighter he was scheduled to fight against in May of 2015 before Nurmagomedov withdrew due to injury. Nurmagomedov is currently scheduled for a main event bout at UFC 223 against current interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson, so that bout is unlikely, but there are many other matchups at lightweight that fans could easily get behind for Donald Cerrone.

Justin Golightly - February 22, 2018

After Brian Ortega submitted Cub Swanson at UFC Fresno, everyone was asking him if he was going to fight UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway next. His answer? He’d let Frankie Edgar get his shot first. Normally, nice guys finish last in this combat sports game, but for Ortega it looks like things have worked out. After the title bout between Edgar and Holloway has fallen through twice, Ortega jumped at the chance to fight Edgar not only to guarantee he fights for the belt next, but to get over with the fans and the UFC. “When you think about it, there’s guys and there’s fighters who have waited before that got promised a title shot and things never happened. For whatever reason, they had to fight again and it just never happened. So, the way I looked at it, this [fight with Frankie Edgar] is a blessing in disguise. I beat Frankie and it insures a for sure title shot without question, without wait. If I beat Frankie, automatically the fight between myself and Max [Holloway] will get booked. So, I figured why wait and keep your fingers crossed for that shot, wait even longer to fight and get a little cold?”

Justin Golightly - February 22, 2018

Who is that guy? That’s the hardest hittin’ 145-er, Jeremy Stephens. Fresh off his vicious finish of rising prospect Dooho Choi, Stephens is stepping into the Octagon with Josh Emmett this weekend, who is no stranger to throwing heat himself. He just took out perennial featherweight gatekeeper Ricardo Lamas in an outcome that shocked a lot of people. The fight at UFC Orlando between Stephens and Emmett will be about who can land that big shot first or whose chin can hold up for the long haul, but Stephens thinks Emmett just hasn’t put in enough time on the battle clock. “[Josh Emmett]’s been in the gym getting these guys [from Team Alpha Male] ready. He hasn’t actually been out there on the battlefield like a true general getting that experience. He’ll be well prepared and he’ll be in great shape but he doesn’t have what I have. He’s going to find that out very soon. I’m not a competitor. I don’t score points. I’m in there to take you out. I will break him. I’m not a competitor. I’m a vicious fighter. I’m a savage killer who wants to take you out, who wants to finish you.”

Justin Golightly - February 22, 2018

Ben Askren has made it no secret his retirement has one, big Canadian asterisk. He’s only coming back to fight Georges St-Pierre to finally prove to all the naysayers that, despite the fact that he never fought in the UFC, that he’s the very best welterweight in the entire world. But what if that fight can’t happen? What about a money fight with the likes of Nate Diaz or even Conor McGregor? Don’t get your hopes up. Askren essentially shrugs at the names and says he’s going to stay on course in campaigning for a fight with GSP. “Nate Diaz sucks. I mean, yeah. [Conor] McGregor is barely the best in the world. I mean, the guy beat up Nate Diaz barely a couple of times and Nate Diaz himself is a very mediocre UFC fighter. There is no way you can argue that sentiment because all you have to do is look at [Diaz’s] record. The record shows he’s a very middle-of-the-road UFC fighter, he’s a 500 guy. He wins half, he loses half. Sure, he’s had some good wins, but he’s also had some terrible losses.”

Tom Taylor - February 22, 2018

Over the last few days, Derek Brunson has made multiple Twitter callouts of former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. He even shared what looked like a signed bout agreement to fight the former champion. I gotta go to the Fox studio to find @bisping I see. You’re ranked 6, I’m ranked 7. Let’s exchange @AliAbdelaziz00 @Mickmaynard2 @ufc @danawhite

Tom Taylor - February 22, 2018

On July 7, in the main event of UFC 226, reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will complete a fearless march back to the heavyweight division, where he will take on dominating UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic in a true superfight. Despite the fact that Cormier has been a part of some truly momentous battles in the past – such as his two fights with Jon Jones, his battle with MMA legend Anderson Silva, and his Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winning showdown Josh Barnett – he is calling this fight with Miocic the biggest of his life.

Tom Taylor - February 22, 2018

Over the last month, there’s been buzz circulating about a potential trilogy fight between retired MMA legends Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell. This very week, Ortiz admitted he has broached the idea with the UFC, though he doubts Liddell would ever be granted a license to fight again.

Drake Riggs - February 21, 2018

It’s not very often that you hear of an elevator accident being the reason for someone having to pull out of a fight… But this was the case for ‘the Doberman’ CB Dollaway at UFC 203. Dollaway was supposed to be taking on Francimar Barroso that night in Cleveland, Ohio but disaster struck the day of the event when Dollaway stepped into his hotel’s elevator and a malfunction occurred. Dollaway was able to walk away from the accident but not without cost. He suffered a back injury serious enough to force him from the fight and as he told MMAFighting, bad enough that he may never fully recover.

Drake Riggs - February 21, 2018

It has been a rough past three years for one of MMA’s former very best pound-4-pound fighters in the octagon. When Renan Barao burst onto the scene in 2011 with his devasting win over Brad Pickett, the sky appeared to be the limit for the Brazilian. And to a point, it was. Barao would go 6-0 in the UFC and 32-1 overall including four wins in UFC title fights(three interim, two interim defense, and one undisputed defense) before finally losing his first fight in almost ten years. That loss would come to none other than the current champion, TJ Dillashaw in what was and still is to this day one of the biggest upsets in MMA’s history.

Drake Riggs - February 21, 2018

The current #2 ranked UFC strawweight contender is none other than 115-pound powerhouse, ‘Bate Estaca’ Jessica Andrade. Andrade will be featured this Saturday in UFC on Fox 28’s co-main event when she takes on Tecia Torres in a battle that very well could provide us with our next title contender. But who may they winner battle for the title? We’ll have to wait until UFC 223 on April 7 to know that answer. But what we know for sure is that it will either be the former longtime champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk or the brand new champion who wants to prove that she is here to stay, Rose Namajunas.

Justin Golightly - February 21, 2018

After Derrick Lewis finished his fight with Marcin Tybura in spectacular fashion, we knew we were in store for a wild and crazy post-fight interview. The UFC actually thought it was so risque that they put and edited version of it on their YouTube channel, but as all know what happened in regards to his comments about his plans for his wife April back home. Turns out though, his big game backfired and he hasn’t been able to well, ‘perform’ since his big finish at UFC Austin. He’s been too hurt, especially with his fourth metacarpal fracture. “Man, I’m still hurting right now. We still ain’t do nothing. My hand broken, look. My hand broke. Yeah [I broke it when I hit him with] the first punch. When I first dropped him. I hit his elbow too, so that’s what happened. I hit the tip of his elbow. I don’t got it in me [to make love], man. I’m hurting. I gotta put in a good performance, man. I can’t put in a half-assed performance and lay there like a starfish.” — Derrick Lewis speaking to TMZ Sports.

Jason Kindschy - February 21, 2018

BJPENN Radio returns tonight at 9PM ET/6PM PT! 9:15PM ET- We catch up with Alexander Volkanovski following his dominant finish of Jeremy Kennedy in Perth, Australia, at UFC 221. Still undefeated in the UFC and showing tremendous athleticism in the featherweight division, bigger fights are definitely on the horizon for this Aussie bashing machine. We’ll recap the win, discuss what’s next, and when fans can expect to see him back in action.

Justin Golightly - February 21, 2018

We’re all waiting, hoping, that Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov both make it to UFC 223 in April. It’s been coming for a long time and — next to Conor McGregor’s long awaited return — this is the best and most highly anticipated lightweight fight possible. Meanwhile, 11 slots under the top of the lightweight mountain, James Vick has eyes on moving up the roster after his win at UFC Austin. He recently weighed in on the UFC 223 fight and predicts that Nurmagomedov comes out on top. “I think Khabib [Nurmagomedov] wins. I think that [Tony] Ferguson’s too content with being on his back. He’s going to get taken down, obviously. Khabib can take down pretty much anyone in the division. Guys can get up, but Tony Ferguson will accept being on his back and throwing elbows and playing rubber guard and he’s not going to win [against Nurmagomedov] like that. Unless he just likes land a big elbow and cuts Khabib from the bottom or something, I don’t see him being able to win a fight off his back. He gets too content with staying on his back instead of trying to get the hell up.”—James Vick speaking to MMA Junkie Radio.

Tom Taylor - February 21, 2018

Having settled his score with Chael Sonnen in the Bellator cage, Tito Ortiz is now happily retired. That said, the former UFC light heavyweight champion and MMA legend would be willing to step back into the UFC’s Octagon for a third fight with his long-time rival Chuck Liddell. In fact, upon learning of Liddell’s apparent interest in a comeback, Ortiz broached the idea with the UFC. Apparently, however, this idea was met with immediate doubt that Liddell would ever be allowed to fight again.

Justin Golightly - February 21, 2018

In MMA, the search for the next big thing is never ending. Sometimes they work out, other times they never rise to the marketed prophecy of what they were made out to be. Two-time Olympian Jordan Burroughs could be just that. After Floyd Mayweather recently stood inside of an Octagon and teased his MMA jump in a clever ad for Paddy Power, Burroughs recently did the same thing asking, ‘What are the odds?’ According to what the four-time world champion said back in 2013, the odds aren’t that great. “With all due respect. Each fighter has a respective discipline. Whether it be wresting, jiu jitsu, boxing, etc. I think we all can agree that no one in the UFC is the best in the world at his or her respective discipline. Of all the fighters in every organization, there are no Olympic Gold medalists competing. Why would there be? If you were the the best in the world at your respective discipline would you leave to pursue a completely different sport? Probably not. I could be completely wrong, but from my observation most people get into MMA for the financial opportunities.”

Tom Taylor - February 21, 2018

The UFC’s return to Orlando, which will see the Octagon touch down in the Amway Center this Saturday night, has been rocked by a last-minute fight cancellation, as Brazil’s Gilbert Burns has been pulled from his lightweight bout with Canada’s Olivier Aubin-Mercier. Burns was pulled from this contest amid concerns that he could safely cut the remaining pounds required to make the lightweight division’s 156-pound cap. This news was first reported by FloCombat, and later confirmed by MMAJunkie, who acquired a statement on the issue from the UFC.