MMA News

Justin Golightly - January 25, 2018

At UFC 220, the knockout machine Francis Ngannou was put up against another unstoppable fighter in now record-breaking champion Stipe Miocic. It wasn’t the performance that was promoted or expected, resulting in Miocic taking the contender into the deepest of waters and dominating him to a decision victory. After his first loss since 2014 and a super quick rush to a title shot, Ngannou will be stepping away from the sport for an undisclosed amount of time and reconnecting with family before regrouping and coming back strong. “In my dark way, I’m taking some time off which will benefit my personal life by going back home to enjoy family and friends . Then I’ll be back to set businesses up.” — Francis Ngannou on Twitter.

Tom Taylor - January 25, 2018

Earlier this month, we learned that long-time Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith had signed with the UFC. Smith made his debut with the promotion during UFC 220 last weekend, working the broadcast desk on Fs1. Now, he’s announced that he’ll return to his bread and butter – commentating on live fights – at UFC 221 on February 4 in Perth, Australia.

Justin Golightly - January 25, 2018

You’ve heard him on @UFCFightPass and #SnoopCast now @SnoopDogg brings his talents to @EASPORTSUFC 3 Knockout Mode! pic.twitter.com/GDq6pzAoKR — UFC (@ufc) January 25, 2018

Justin Golightly - January 25, 2018

The neverending pain of being a fight fan is watching all your favorite fighters fade and eventually walk away from the sport you love. Daniel Cormier has gone on record saying he only has three fights left before he hangs up his gloves due to his 40th birthday. Now MMA legend and PRIDE vet Mark Hunt is saying basically the exact same thing. After his fight at UFC 221, Hunt wants two more chances to walk-off KO opponents before he leaves the UFC. Not retire, but leave the UFC. “I’ve got this one in Perth [at UFC 221 against Curtis Blaydes], then hopefully I can push out two more before the end of the year and my contract will be up. I’d like to fight another three times globally and then probably hang them up. I’ve already been offered three boxing fights. I’m still chasing the UFC dream. I want to be the best mixed martial artist in the world. Maybe I will chase a boxing title after that. Conor [McGregor] fought [Floyd Mayweather] the best boxer in the world, so who knows?”

Justin Golightly - January 25, 2018

We finally have it booked again. MMA fans everywhere wept when Frankie Edgar had to pull out of his UFC 218 fight against Max Holloway, but the tears soon dried up when we found out Jose Aldo would replace him. Now Holloway is going back and trying to finish what he and the former UFC lightweight champion started. UFC 222 will go down in March and Frankie Edgar will attempt to accomplish what was never able to do against Aldo in a fight that he knows is his toughest test to date. “I’m going to have to say yes, [Max Holloway is my toughest test in a title fight] based on what he’s done in his career at this point. With him being so young and people want to say I’m being old, so I think this is my toughest test but this is what I want. If you want to be the best, you have to go after the best guys. I do think I have that chip [on my shoulder of being too small]. I think you need to have a chip on your shoulder regardless, but the fact that people tell me I’m too small, or not strong enough, not tall enough and now I’m too old, that’s definitely motivating and I love proving people wrong. If I’m able to do that, that’s a notch in my hat.”

Tom Taylor - January 25, 2018

Paul Daley has not been happy with Bellator MMA of late. Over the last few weeks, the British knockout artist has repeatedly shared his gripes with Bellator on Facebook. Scott Coker talking about Page at the Bellator presser, Bellator are Sooooooo on ass it’s sickening 🤢 He hasn’t fought MMA in how long, his last performance in boxing and MMA were terrible,” Daley said in a recent Facebook post. 

Justin Golightly - January 25, 2018

It was back in October of last year that Colby Covington beat Demian Maia to become the third ranked welterweight in the world. Since then, he hasn’t been booked in a single fight. It’s clear from his multiple tirades in the media that he’s holding out for his title shot against Tyron Woodley. The UFC welterweight champion is currently rehabbing his shoulder, but looks to return to fight Georges St-Pierre in July. Covington claims Woodley should focus on the money fight with him, instead of fighters who he says are out of the picture. “[Tyron Woodley] tries to racebait. The people that don’t like him and don’t wanna watch him for or think he’s boring, ‘Oh, they’re racist’. That’s his only claim now. So, he’s just trapped, he’s in a corner and he’s defeated before anything. The fans have completely gotten in his head and everybody’s under his skin. He doesn’t know how to handle the position he’s in now, but it’s okay, I’m gonna take over his position as welterweight champ and you will see the division be made great again. Tyron Woodley, all these fans hate him. He wants to be a hero, he wants to be the good guy, all the fans are telling you – I’ve literally had thousands of replies from Twitter that say, ’Tyron, if you knock out Colby I’ll be your biggest fan, I promise I’ll support you for the rest of your career’.”

Tom Taylor - January 25, 2018

We’re now almost a week removed from Francis Ngannou’s tough loss to UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. This loss was as lopsided as they come, as Ngannou emptied his gas tank early, and spent the rest of the five-round affair clinging to life opposite the patient and powerful Miocic. While Ngannou’s first crack at the UFC heavyweight title was more or less a disaster, his coach Fernand Lopez feels there are a few positives that can be taken away from the bout: namely, Ngannou showed he’s got heart.

Tom Taylor - January 25, 2018

Last weekend, the UFC touched down in the fight hub of Boston, MA with the exciting UFC 220. Given that there were two title fights on this bill, it’s no surprise that it caused some movement in the UFC’s official rankings. The most significant moves to arise from UFC 220 occured on the pound-for-pound list, where heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier both headed north. Stipe Miocic now sits at 6 on this vaunted listed, while Daniel Cormier resides at 4 in a tie with Max Holloway. Here are the newly updated UFC rankings (h/t MMAMania)

Tom Taylor - January 25, 2018

Earlier this month, in the co-main event of the UFC’s anticipated stop in St. Louis, Australian flyweight Jessica-Rose Clark picked up a key win over Paige VanZant. Given the way she performed in the cage, one would never guess how terrible her fight week was. But it was terrible. “Horrific,” in fact. In the days leading up to her fight with VanZant, Clark’s Las Vegas home was robbed. During the robbery, many of her belongings were stolen or destroyed, and her cat was also killed. She recounted the grisly debacle on the latest episode of The MMA Hour.

Drake Riggs - January 24, 2018

Daniel Cormier addresses the final 420 days of his career on @UFCTonight… …is he interesting in a heavyweight title fight? …is he still pushing for a Jon Jones fight?…is he going to lose his dressing room to @Twooodley?@DC_MMA has the answers! https://t.co/bXqp8uwYTS

Drake Riggs - January 24, 2018

Last week, top-ranked UFC Bantamweight contender and The Ultimate Fighter season 18 winner, Julianna Pena gave birth to baby girl, Issa Cruz. https://twitter.com/ufc/status/955986379724509184

Russell Sai - January 24, 2018

Nate Diaz gave his fans a real reason to look forward to the summer. The scrapper from Stockton stated on Tuesday in a social media post that a return in May or June is coming. TMZ caught up with Dana White on Wednesday and asked the UFC president about Diaz wanting to fight again.

Drake Riggs - January 24, 2018

Only one woman has gone the distance with both the UFC Strawweight champion, Rose Namajunas and the former champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk…and that’s Karolina Kowalkiewicz. Kowalkiewicz earned her first and only UFC title shot by defeating Namajunas by split decision at UFC 201 in July of 2016. This led to her taking on the then champion, Joanna at the big, inaugural UFC New York card, UFC 205. Unfortunately for Kowalkiewicz she would drop a unanimous decision to the champion then go on to lose to Claudia Gadelha before regaining another win this past October. Being so familiar with both, Kowalkiewicz obviously has an opinion. When asked by MMARocks her thoughts on the upcoming Rose vs Joanna rematch at UFC 223 and who she thought would win, this is what she had to say:

Justin Golightly - January 24, 2018

The UFC’s next big thing took on Stipe Miocic and it was hyped as if Francis Ngannou could obliterate the heavyweight champion over the course of a couple of rounds. Some others put their money on Miocic, the more experienced and well-rounded fighter to take out Ngannou. What no one expected was that it was going to last all five rounds in a battle of attrition. An exhausted Ngannou lost to a decision to what could be the best heavyweight in history, then immediately got hit with criticisms about his ground game and gas tank. His coach recently spoke out defending his fighter. “I was surprised that someone like Joe Rogan said that Francis [Ngannou] didn’t know what to do on the ground. I think people should go check the fight again. Francis spent three minutes throwing heavy punches without hitting the target and he wasted a lot of energy. After that, he got taken to the ground and he was in the cross mount. At that position, when you have a heavy wrestler on your back and you really have a very little small amount of moves you can make from there. […] What I’m trying to say is that if Francis didn’t know what he was doing on the ground, how come Stipe [Miocic], who has way more experience in professional MMA and who has vicious ground and pound, how come Stipe didn’t finish Francis on the ground if Francis didn’t know what he was doing?”

Justin Golightly - January 24, 2018

The UFC has been teasing that this 25th anniversary year is going to be huge. Going into 2018, it’s hard to imagine a big fight year without the superfight between Demetrious Johnson and TJ Dillashaw happening. It’s been teased even before Johnson broke Anderson Silva’s title defense record with a spectacular submission finish never before seen in the UFC. Dillashaw has already been training, the fight was falsely teased, both parties want it and the UFC needs it. So, why hasn’t it been finalized yet? Aside from recovering from shoulder surgery, it’s because Johnson wants the best possible scenario for him and his opponent. “It’s the superfight everyone wants. I think TJ [Dillashaw] and I are both on board. We just want to make sure it’s on a stacked card. We want to make sure we can benefit from a good pay-per-view buy. I think I deserve it and I think he deserves it. I’d rather have somebody else [be the] main event, who is going to bring in way more PPVs. In my opinion, that’s held up the fight on my end. I’ve seen guys jump on [stacked] PPV cards and make $1.5 million, fighting an inferior opponent than who I’m about to fight. Me and TJ could fight on a smaller card and pull 275,000 buys, get an extra check for $75,000. My management told me, ‘You know what, we’ll hold out for a big event.’ A lot of media and fans think that’s a way of turning down fights or ducking someone, but that’s a way of being a smart businessman and getting the most money you can get.”

Justin Golightly - January 24, 2018

It looks like the first superfight of 2018 has finally gotten close to becoming official. Dana White said it was the fight to make. Amanda Nunes has wanted it for some time in her quest to become a two-weight champion. Cris Cyborg has said she agreed with her management for it to happen. So, it seems like UFC featherweight champion will attempt to defend her belt against UFC bantamweight title holder Amanda Nunes. Reluctant to accept at first, Cyborg recently has gone on record saying she thinks Nunes needs this fight for money and to increase her fame. “Amanda [Nunes] fought Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate with big pay-per-view numbers. The reality though is that the UFC promoted her opponents more than her, and after having to fight on her own brand she struggled to sell 100,000 pay-per-views against [Valentina] Shevchenko. Amanda knows my name sells pay-per-views and without it her brand isn’t strong enough to sell enough pay-per-views to reach her bonus incentives in her contract.”

Tom Taylor - January 24, 2018

For weeks, there’s been mystery surrounding the main event of the UFC’s April 17 stop in London, England. Originally, the idea seemed to be that the retiring Michael Bisping would fight the last fight of his career in the main event. With Bisping now hesitating on fighting again at all, however, it appears the UFC is going a different direction. According to SBG head coach John Kavanagh, Icelandic welterweight Gunnar Nelson has been offered a scrap with surging British contender Darren Till, in a bout that has been targeted as the UFC London headliner. Per Kavanagh’s Tweet, he and Nelson are just waiting on Till and his team to accept the deal.