MMA News

Drake Riggs - January 4, 2018

Invicta FC appears to be continually losing their champions to the UFC. Most recently, their Bantamweight champion, Tonya Evinger got pulled up to the big show to challenge Cris Cyborg for the vacant UFC Featherweight title(Cyborg herself was also an Invicta champion). This isn’t a new trend for Invicta fighters to go from champions to the UFC. Plenty of Invicta alumni(champions or not) are currently a part of the UFC roster and thriving. The newest fighter to make the move on over is/was their current Bantamweight champion(who won the title in the time that Evinger had left), Yana Kunitskaya. Kunitskaya is one of Holly Holm’s main training partners at JacksonWink MMA and she won the title last August at Invicta FC 25 when she defeated Raquel Pa’aluhi by dominant unanimous decision victory. Kunitskaya will be taking on one of those Invicta alumni I mentioned, as well as perennial UFC top 10 Bantamweight and former Olympic silver medalist in wrestling,  Sara McMann at UFC on Fox 28 in Orlando, Florida. McMann broke the news on her Instagram page:

Drake Riggs - January 4, 2018

UFC Fight Night 125 in Belem, Brazil is nearing completion! Today, Combate reported another fight between potential Bantamweights contenders Pedro Munhoz and former two-time Flyweight title challenger, John “the Magician” Dodson.

Drake Riggs - January 4, 2018

“The Texicutioner” is coming home! After a big win at UFC 217 over Joe Duffy to extend his streak to three, James Vick wanted a top ten fight and made that very clear. He actually had been wanting one before that…but no one would accept the challenge and still hasn’t. As Vick mentioned recently on an episode of BJ Penn Radio: “I talked to [UFC matchmaker Shelby], it was probably last week,” Vick said  “They’re going to ask Kevin Lee to fight me, which they don’t think is going to happen. Then he said they’re going to ask [Michael] Chiesa to fight me. I think they really want to make that fight with Chiesa because it makes sense for the UFC and for us. They don’t want to fight me,” he said. “I’ve been calling the dude out. I’ve been talking shit to him on Twitter. He don’t want to fight me.”

Drake Riggs - January 4, 2018

In case you were unaware, former Bellator Featherweight champion, Daniel Straus suffered a very bad motorcycle accident last month. At the time we knew very little about the extent of the injuries to Straus, we just knew that they were bad. All we knew according to Straus’ manager Matt Aptaker was that Straus had complete movement of his arms and legs and was awake and could speak. “It’s just too early to tell,” Aptaker said when discussing the accident. Also according to Aptaker, Straus had no memory of the accident even happening. Straus himself ended up releasing this statement after the event took place:

Justin Golightly - January 4, 2018

It looks like the UFC’s ‘next big thing’ turned out to be exactly what they wanted him to be. Francis Ngannou has laid waste to the last ten people that he’s fought, with K-1 and PRIDE veteran Alistair Overeem recently added to the list of victims. He’s a giant natural talent that used to be homeless and didn’t even know what MMA was five years ago. He’ll be going up against reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, who still manages to hold down a job as a full-time firefighter. It’s an incredible match-up that’s got Dana White more excited than he’s been since Conor McGregor boxed Floyd Mayweather. “This fight is awesome. I can’t wait. When we put together that promo [for UFC 220], I watched it 650 times. I love it. I mean, two knockout punchers. Two guys who come forward and try to finish you. It is the perfect heavyweight match-up. It’s one of the — if not the best heavyweight fight we’ve ever done. One of the best ever in the history of the UFC. It’s in Boston. The thing sold out immediately. […] [Ngannou is] somebody we’ve been focused on for the last year and a half but I didn’t expect that. You see the way that punch landed [on Alistair Overeem], it’s like something out a movie. Super impressive.”

Tom Taylor - January 4, 2018

If things had gone according to plan, Brazilian grappling star Gabi Garcia would have returned to the Rizin FF ring on December 29, when she was scheduled to battle 53-year-old pro-wrestling veteran Shinobu Kandori. While this fight was labelled by many as a “freak show,” it marked Garcia’s opportunity to end a tough year on a high note, erasing memories of two 2017 no-contests. Unfortunately, Garcia’s fight with Kandori never occurred, as health problems led her to miss weight by a whopping 26 pounds.

Justin Golightly - January 4, 2018

Thug Rose. Thug Rose. Thug Rose. Daniel Cormier hollered over and over again as Joe Rogan and Jon Anik freaked out. As we all freaked out. Stoic and immovable Rose Namajunas, her golden locks iconically clean shaven, upset Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217 to become the new women’s UFC strawweight champion. She was a huge underdog and there were already whispers of  ‘GOAT’ when using Jedrzejczyk’s name in a sentence. Namajunas put that all to rest with one fade left hook. It’s this performance that clinched ESPN to award her with their ‘Fighter of the Year’ award. She reflected back on the historic moment with ESPN’s own Brett Okamoto. “I felt like I was part of the Knicks basketball team [before the fight with Joanna Jedrzejczyk]. I was in that really nice locker room and I felt so light on my feet, so agile — just great. Superhuman at that moment. [Saying the Lord’s Prayer] was a habit for me growing up. When I was helpless and didn’t know what to do — that was something I said to make me feel better. Now it’s way more intentional.”

Tom Taylor - January 4, 2018

UPDATE: Abubakar Nurmagomedov has been removed from this bout for “unknown reasons” per Raphael Marinho of Combate. Sergio Moraes is now expected to battle Tim Means.

Tom Taylor - January 4, 2018

Having reclaimed the UFC bantamweight championship with an incredible November knockout of his arch rival Cody Garbrandt, TJ Dillashaw is now hellbent on dropping down to flyweight to unseat the division’s seemingly unstoppable champion, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. If Dillashaw hopes to topple Mighty Mouse – something the flyweight champ’s last 14 opponents have failed to do – he’ll have his work cut out for him. Before any battle with the flyweight champ occurs, however, Dillashaw will face another challenge, and that’s his battle with the scale.

Justin Golightly - January 4, 2018

After a false alarm leak, Demetrious Johnson released a statement saying that a Champ Champ fight with TJ Dillashaw still isn’t official yet. But hey, don’t tell Dillashaw that. He’s been training since early December now and is steamrolling ahead like the fight is tomorrow. This is a giant scrap for both fighters and could be one of the most high-level displays of MMA ever. TJ Dillashaw recently opened up about the match-up and the fact that it has a whole lot more on the line that just a belt. This is about legacy and the title of greatest of all time. “I’m looking to come in and dethrone [Demetrious Johnson] from his legacy. He won’t be able to call himself the GOAT anymore. It’s so easy for him to continue calling himself that and take the fights he thinks are a little easier. He’s a cerebral fighter. He and his coach are smart guys, and they know I bring the greatest threat. I think he knows that’s going to be a tough one for him to win. It’s frustrating, because I believe I should be a lot higher [pound-for-pound].”

Justin Golightly - January 4, 2018

Cris Cyborg came, she saw, she conquered. She took on her biggest test to date and still proved she’s the most dominant women’s champion in the world of MMA today. After winning a decision over former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm, everyone is wondering what will be next. Cyborg has said she wants true featherweight fighter Megan Anderson, but the UFC seems to have other plans. Despite saying she doesn’t want to fight another Brazilian, Dana White says Amanda Nunes challenging Cyborg is the fight to make. “First of all, Amanda Nunes wants to fight her. Amanda Nunes wants to fight [Cris] Cyborg,” White said. “That is the fight to make, and that is the fight I will make. Yeah, That’s the fight. That’s the fight. Amanda Nunes is a big, strong, powerful puncher. I think she matches up very well with Cyborg too, and I think that’s a fun fight. And that’s the fight to make.”

Justin Golightly - January 4, 2018

It looks like Khabib Nurmagomedov’s convincing and violent marketing campaign has paid off. He was talking to Dana White in between dominating Edson Barboza at UFC 219, even waiting on him at his car to speak with him in the parking lot. Everything with Conor McGregor is still up in the air, so the UFC is now moving on with or without him. The plan right now is for Nurmagomedov to finally fight Tony Ferguson. It will depend on McGregor if that fight is for the interim or the undisputed UFC lightweight title. “As long as Conor [McGregor] is willing to fight by March, we could do Khabib [Nurmagomedov] versus Tony [Ferguson]. We could do Khabib versus Tony and then the winner fights Conor for the title. Or, Conor doesn’t want to fight and wants to sit out until next fall, then we would have to make Khabib vs. Tony for the title – not the interim title.”

Tom Taylor - January 4, 2018

It has now been almost three years since Nick Diaz’s last fight, a January 2015 no contest with middleweight legend Anderson Silva. That said, there is still widespread hope that he will one day return to the cage. While UFC President Dana White isn’t optimistic we’ll ever see the older Diaz brother back in the Octagon, UFC VP of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky believes we might. He thinks the fighter just needs to work through the issues stemming from his failure to report his whereabouts, as required by USADA.

Tom Taylor - January 4, 2018

On January 14, in the main event of the UFC’s anticipated stop on St. Louis, MO, South Korean featherweight contender Doo Ho Choi will return to the cage for the first time since his insane 2016 loss to Cub Swanson. His opponent in this long-awaited comeback fight will be a fellow knockout artist in Jeremy Stephens. Should Choi win this fight with Stephens, he’ll vault up the UFC featherweight rankings in the direction of a title shot. And while he’ll likely need another few wins beyond Stephens to secure that shot, he’s hoping it’ll happen soon – before he’s forced to complete the two years of mandatory military service required of all South Korean men.

Tom Taylor - January 4, 2018

UFC light heavyweight contender Jimi Manuwa has been teasing fight news for several days, and now, his next fight is official. The Brit will return to the cage in his native London, England this March 17. His opponent will be Poland’s Blachowicz. Manuwa announced this fight on his official Twitter account.

Drake Riggs - January 3, 2018

Violence, violence and more violence. If that’s the game then Justin Gaethje is the name! Gaethje was last seen in action when he took on former UFC and Bellator Lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez at UFC 218 in what was a crazy fight to say the least. But that’s nothing new for the man known as “the Highlight”. Gaethje recently spoke about who he might like to fight next and one name that came to mind was that of recent title challenger, Kevin Lee. Today on Sirius XM’s MMA Tonight broadcast, “the MoTown Phenom” responded. .@MoTownPhenom responds to @Justin_Gaethje's callout: "I like easy money. Justin likes to take a lot of damage. I like to give a lot of damage. It seems like a good matchup to me." @MieshaTate @realOCsports pic.twitter.com/5Y1z1DVgdd

Drake Riggs - January 3, 2018

It’s been quite a bittersweet end to 2017 for the man known as “Uncle Creepy”, Ian McCall. The California native, McCall returned to action for the first time in nearly three years on New Year’s Eve when he took on Manel Kape in the Rizin Bantamweight Grand Prix in Saitama, Japan. McCall who’s found most of his career success at Flyweight was one of the fighters to help get the division on the map when the UFC created their 125 lb division. Earlier this year, after trying to compete several times only to have fights fall through for a myriad of reasons, McCall asked for his release from the UFC which led to the fight in Japan.

Drake Riggs - January 3, 2018

Oh, medical suspensions. We get them with every single MMA event. Some are more severe than others and for the most recent UFC event(UFC 219), Cynthia Calvillo could be leading the pack in that category. According to MMAFighting, the Nevada State Athletic Commission released the list of fighters who will be receiving these suspensions. Cynthia Calvillo: Requires x-ray of left hand, if positive then must be cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until 06/30; minimum suspension of no contest until 02/15, no contact until 01/30 Neil Magny: Requires x-ray/MRI of left thumb, if positive then must be cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until 06/30; minimum suspension of no contest until 01/30, no contact until 01/21 Omari Akhmedov: Requires left-hand fracture to be cleared by orthopedic doctor or no contest until 06/30; minimum suspension of no contest until 03/02, no contact until 02/15 Holly Holm: Suspended until 03/02, no contact until 02/15 Edson Barboza: Suspended until 03/02, no contact until 02/15 Khalil Rountree: Suspended until 02/15, no contact until 01/30 Michal Oleksiejczuk: Suspended until 2/15, no contact until 01/30 due to right eyebrow cut Rick Glenn: Suspended until 02/15, no contact until 01/30 Marvin Vettori: Suspended until 02/15, no contact until 01/30 due to tough fight Louis Smolka: Suspended until 02/15, no contact until 01/30 due to left forehead cut Carla Esparza: Suspended until 01/30, no contact until 01/21 Mark De La Rosa: Suspended until 01/30, no contact until 01/21 Of these twelve fighters, only three came out victorious in their fights(Esparza, Magny, and Oleksiejczuk). Calvillo, who could serve the most time on the sideline, lost a close fought unanimous decision to former Strawweight champion, Carla Esparza. This made it the promising prospect, Calvillo’s first career loss as well as her fifth fight in 2017. That considered, a break might not be bad for the young Team Alpha Male standout but she would have liked to do so off a win and that is indeed what she thought she deserved.