MMA News

Justin Golightly - February 3, 2018

There is a yin and a yang to everything. The universe must always balance itself. The MMA gods must have pulled out all the stops to make the three gigantic super fights expected for 2018. By booking Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic – and attempting to put together fights with Demetrious Johnson, TJ Dillashaw, Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes – it was inevitable something had to go. According to a breaking report, Max Holloway suffered and undisclosed injury that will take him out of his title defense against Frankie Edgar at UFC 222. “According to sources, featherweight champion Max Holloway has suffered an injury that will prevent him from defending his title against Frankie Edgar. The UFC has not officially pulled Holloway from the event, but is expected to do so shortly. The promotion is already in the process of exploring other options for its main event.” – as reported by Brett Okamoto via ESPN.

Justin Golightly - February 3, 2018

We can’t talk about the upcoming superfight between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic enough. It will be an historic fight and both men stand to gain an incredible notch on their record for beating the other. On his way to ending his career, Cormier plans on beating Miocic and accomplishing something even his rival Jon Jones wasn’t willing to try. However, the UFC heavyweight champion is going to do all he can to prevent that. Despite Cormier’s history at heavyweight, Miocic insists he hasn’t fought anyone quite like him yet. “You know, [Daniel Cormier] and I talked about it and stuff like that. We actually talked to each other on the phone and made sure it was the right thing for both of us. We’re both gamers. We’re here to fight but also want to make sure it was the right thing for both of us. And you know, it worked out well. [I don’t gain any less by beating Daniel Cormier]. He’s fought heavyweight before. You know, he’s a tough guy. Listen man, I’m going to go out there and do my thing. We’re going to walk out with the belt still wrapped around my waist.”

Justin Golightly - February 3, 2018

Demetrious Johnson confirms ‘negotiations have begun’ to fight TJ Dillashaw as the co-main event of #UFC226: Cormier vs Miocic. pic.twitter.com/xEcrsiQV4a — Justin Golightly (@SecretMovesMMA) February 3, 2018

Justin Golightly - February 3, 2018

Back when Jon Jones finally came back and looked like the world-beater we all wanted him too, he was taken away from us nearly as soon as he arrived. He was able to finish Daniel Cormier and reclaim the title, then he called out Brock Lesnar. …But that fight never happened. Not only did a potential superfight go away, but so did Jones himself after a potential anti-doping violation that is still ongoing. A fight of that magnitude is now Daniel Cormier’s to carry. His fight later this year with Stipe Miocic is going to be historic and something no one — not even Jon Jones — can say they’ve accomplished. “It’s never been done before. The crazy thing when [Jon] Jones beat me, he asked to fight Brock Lesnar and he also said, ‘Hey, you guys can’t force me up to heavyweight, it’s one thing to fight a heavyweight, a guy that’s big. It’s another thing to go up and fight a guy that’s big, but also really, really good.’ So, he didn’t seem too stoked on it. I think it just shows the difference in mentality.”

Drake Riggs - February 2, 2018

Some are calling it MMA’s first true super fight and they may very well be right. The only other time we have gotten an established champion vs champion title fight was when Georges St-Pierre took on BJ Penn at UFC 94. Yes, we did see champion vs champion when Eddie Alvarez attempted to defend his lightweight crown against featherweight champion, Conor McGregor but neither had defended their titles yet. St-Pierre and Penn had, however. GSP was the welterweight champ and Penn the lightweight champ. The end result being a win for the Canadian in dominant fashion, but this time we’re getting the big boys. UFC 226 is officially being headlined by the light heavyweight champion of the world, Daniel Cormier as he looks to take away Stipe Miocic’s heavyweight title that he just broke the record defending. The two champions had their first staredown today at the UFC Performance Institute. Check it out:

Drake Riggs - February 2, 2018

The middleweight division’s Thiago Santos has been one of their most devastating finishers since his arrival in 2013. He holds a 9-4 record in the UFC and all but one of those wins has come by knockout. Santos currently rides a three-fight winning streak and looks to extend it to four this weekend. As is with many ranking based sports, the more you win, the higher you get ranked. Santos is currently sitting at #15 in his division of 185 pounds but he doesn’t care about that whatsoever as he detailed when speaking with MMAFighting:

Drake Riggs - February 2, 2018

“I’ll tell ya what, maybe it’s because I just watched that movie ‘Battle of the Sexes’… I was thinki’ today, what do you do with CM Punk? There’s not a man on the roster that does not walk through him in under a minute. So what do you do with him? You’re obviously gonna give him another fight… Is he a ratings draw…? I don’t think so. There was that mystery like, ‘god, how would he do?’ then we were like, ‘oh my god that was awful’. It was so bad you don’t want to see him fight again.

Drake Riggs - February 2, 2018

As you may have heard earlier today, the co-main event between John Dodson and Pedro Munhoz for UFC Fight Night 125 in Belem, Brazil is no longer going to happen. From time to time…fighters will indeed miss weight. This was again one of those times but so severely that the fight ended up being canceled. The fight was scheduled as a 135-pound bantamweight bout but Munhoz came in four pounds over at 140.  An official statement from the UFC has since been made:

Justin Golightly - February 2, 2018

Five years ago today, @TWooodley gave us one of the greatest debuts in @UFC history! #ReplayKO pic.twitter.com/Gc6kAOgkgl — FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 2, 2018

Justin Golightly - February 2, 2018

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Mark Hunt. After he beat surging contender Derrick Lewis last Summer, he disappeared across the sea like Godzilla at the end of a movie. As he winds down his legendary career, he returns at UFC 221 in Perth to fight Curtis Blaydes. As a fighter who has only been in the UFC for two years, the relative newcomer knows what it means to step into the Octagon with the Super Samoan. Even comparing him to Michael Jordan or Charles Barkley. “I’m appreciative that the UFC’s gonna give me the chance to fight a living legend. I wasn’t expecting it so soon, but I’m happy they did it. I’m looking forward to putting on a show. My hands have gotten a lot better and I know his hands are very dangerous, but with my hands, plus my wrestling — I think it’s a great fight. I’ve always respected Mark Hunt, I don’t have the style, obviously, but you can’t help respect a guy who’s been doing it for as long as he has at the level he has. I know he doesn’t have the best record, but everyone knows he only fights the best of the best.”

Justin Golightly - February 2, 2018

Everyone knows by now that Daniel Cormier will be going up to challenge Stipe Miocic for the UFC heavyweight title, if you were one of the few who didn’t, we hope you were sitting down. The gigantic fight will culminate after the 27th season of The Ultimate Fighter, which will feature undefeated prospects in the featherweight and lightweight divisions. Cormier and Miocic’s official teams have already been announced, but as any previous viewer of the show knows, there are always a few guest coaches. Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold may just be one of them. Spoke to @LukeRockhold, who leaves for Perth tomorrow. Told me Javier Mendez and Bob Cook will be in his corner at 221, and he expects he’ll appear on TUF at some point for DC. Still very much Team AKA, in addition to coaches Henri Hooft and Greg Jones.

Justin Golightly - February 2, 2018

The new EA Sports UFC 3 video game just officially released last night and the EA threw one of those crazy parties you only read about. Of course, unofficial UFC 3 ambassador Demetrious Johnson is the unofficial ambassador was there, styling and profiling. He’s been promoting the game since day one and streaming the beta as well as his early release copy to his thousands and thousands of Twitch viewers. While he’s entered a few high profile gaming tournaments, this is probably his eSports peak. Why? Oh, just because he did it all with none other than Jamie freaking Foxx. #EASPORTSBOWL is wild with @OBJ_3 going at @MightyMouseUFC on #UFC3 pic.twitter.com/3T4IpXIOCB

Justin Golightly - February 2, 2018

Just when you thought the UFC’s chaotic middleweight division was going to reach some sort of state of homeostasis, a big Robert Whittaker-sized wrench gets thrown into things. Promoted to the undisputed middleweight champion, the hard-hitting Aussie was set to defend against Luke Rockhold. Unfortunately, he had to pull out due to undisclosed reasons, which led to Yoel Romero stepping in. Whittaker recently made an appearance and opened up about what took him out, and it’s absolutely bonkers. “Everyone knows I like to fight injured. Half the fights I’ve taken I’ve always been injured. Just before I got ill I pulled my hamstring. And we could work around it and we were doing things to compensate for it, we were working around it, but then I got a really bad infection. And the infection in the end just took it out of me, I was really struggling to recover. And then right at the end of the infection I got the chicken pox. That’s why I’ve got the scars all over my face, because it was an absolute mess. If anyone’s had it, it’s just horrible.”

Drake Riggs - February 1, 2018

Would @MieshaTate be open to a @WWE run? Would she work with Ronda Rousey in the world of pro-wrestling? Miesha tells @realOCsports what the possibilities are when it comes to stepping into the squared circle. @BustedOpenRadio pic.twitter.com/16e0psHY4C — MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) February 1, 2018

Drake Riggs - February 1, 2018

Next week, UFC 221 is headlined by a big middleweight fight to determine the interim champion while undisputed champion, Robert Whittaker recovers on the sideline. In that interim title fight will be recent title challenger, Yoel Romero, and former UFC champ, Luke Rockhold. Someone who’s pretty familiar with both of these fighters is another former champion, Chris Weidman who fought and lost to both fighters in back to back fights. Since these losses, he’s gone 1-1 with his last fight being a win over the very skilled, Kelvin Gastelum. While Weidman’s been recovering from a recent injury, a fellow perennial top 185er has earned a big win as well. Someone Weidman has interest in fighting as he told MMAFighting:

Drake Riggs - February 1, 2018

From the sounds of it, “The Carpenter” Clay Guida knows exactly who he wants to fight for his next time out. And it’s one the lightweight division’s very best.

Justin Golightly - February 1, 2018

If you’ve followed UFC flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson‘s life at all outside of the Octagon, you’d know that when he’s not dominating in the Octagon, he’s interacting and playing against fans on his Twitch stream. Rain or shine, holiday or no holiday, he can be found playing all your favorite games live on the platform. Recently, two streaming and sports entertainment worlds collided when Johnson and WWE’s Xavier Woods got together and played some of the new Dragon Ball FighterZ game. You don’t even have to insert a coin to check it out. “That’s what we’re working towards [to be the best fighter on planet Earth]. Gotta keep on working harder to cement that legacy. One hundred percent [I would want to be in a Tournament of Power in the Universe Survival Saga]. One hundred percent. I would win it. I don’t want to spoil the sagas coming up for you, but I’m probably one of the strongest guys in that tournament.”

Jason Kindschy - February 1, 2018

BJPENN Radio returns tonight at 8PM ET/5PM PT! 8:15PM ET- Our guest tonight for this streamlined episode is a familiar one, having joined the show many times over the past year. The always brash and outspoken heel in the world of MMA, Colby Covington. The No. 3 ranked welterweight in the UFC remains in the media spotlight by pulling no punches and continuing his verbal assault of the elite at 170, with his primary target of course being the champ Tyron Woodley. We’ll be discussing Colby’s plans for 2018 and how he sees the title picture unfolding with Woodley sidelined and Rafael dos Anjos being considered for the next shot at gold. On a previous episode, Stephen Thompson had expressed interest in a matchup with Covington. You’ll hear his response to a potential showdown with “Wonderboy” and how long Colby is willing to sit out while waiting for the title fight. Plus, we’ll get his reaction to Ronda Rousey joining the WWE roster and much more!