MMA News

Justin Golightly - December 29, 2017

We’ve all heard the usual pre-fight trash talk in the build-up to an event. Fighters waxing poetically about how they are going to knock out their opponent, predicting which round they may fall, or insulting their like of skills. You will not hear any of that from Neil Magny, who will be stepping into the cage tomorrow against Carlos Condit in his return to the Octagon. On the contrary, Magny is being completely blunt about his perceived chances. He doesn’t see any advantage he has in this fight, but that just excites him. “Yeah, [I don’t have] not one single advantage in this fight [with Carlos Condit]. I mean, reach advantage, cardio advantage, not a single advantage. Everything I want in this fight, we have to fight for that’s something I’m excited about. I’m going to win by going out there and being relentless. We’re going to fight tooth and nail for every single thing I want. I know every punch that I throw is not going to come easy, every kick I throw is not going to come easy, every takedown that I get is not going to come easy, so I know I’m going to have to fight for every single thing that I want in this fight. That’s what’s bringing out the excitement and that’s how Im going to win, by being relentless.”

Justin Golightly - December 29, 2017

After a string of some of the worst luck the MMA world has ever seen, Ian McCall is out of the UFC and healthier than ever. In his first fight since January, he was set to enter into Japan’s RIZIN ring to fight smart-mouthed prospect Manel Kape. The two nearly came to blows in their first staredown, then actually threw strikes at each other at the weigh-ins. So when the time actually came to fight, the air was electric and people were not disappointed. That is, until the fight ended. Not because Ian McCall was actually beat by Kape, but because of a cut caused by ring ropes. Ian Mccall losing via TKO (Rope Cut) stoppage has to be a first. #RIZINFF pic.twitter.com/eewlAgjG3r

Justin Golightly - December 29, 2017

You may have saw some news yesterday about Khabib Nurmagomedov that you just couldn’t believe. In the midst of all his weight cutting drama and criticisms, he revealed that he was thinking about switching divisions. No to welterweight where you’d think he would end up, but actually down to featherweight. As crazy as that sounds, his new nutritionist not only says that he’s on track to have his best cut ever, but that getting down to 145-pounds is possible. “Well, [Khabib Nurmagomedov] means it [when he talks about moving to featherweight]. This cut’s going really well. Again, I’m not trying to tempt the MMA gods here, but the cut’s going really well. And when a guy sees that the cut’s going really well, and you see big possible fights at 145, you think, ‘Well, are there things I could start doing two months sooner and be 10 pounds lighter to make the cut easier?’ You start looking, ‘Are there things I could do?’ So, I think he’s seeing this weight cut’s going better and seeing maybe if he even starts sooner, it would be easier. But no, I think he means it.”

Justin Golightly - December 29, 2017

Apparently Gabi Garcia missed weight by 27 pounds because her nose is blood? Beautiful angle by #RIZINFF. #RIZIN2017 pic.twitter.com/dMHuzA8cBq — Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) December 29, 2017

Drake Riggs - December 28, 2017

The UFC announced today that UFC 222 in Las Vegas will get a matchup between some UFC Heavyweight veterans. Former UFC Heavyweight champion, Andrei Arlovski will be taking on the Dutchman, Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve.

Drake Riggs - December 28, 2017

UFC 219 is drawing closer and closer. The weigh-ins are tomorrow and everyone is anticipating whether or not the top Lightweight contender, Khabib Nurmagomedov will make weight after his mishap at UFC 209. According to Khabib himself, he only has four pounds to go and that if he makes weight and defeats Edson Barboza, he has himself the UFC title shot that has been eluding his undefeated 24-0 career.\

Drake Riggs - December 28, 2017

In the second round of his unanimous decision victory over Peter Ligier at Bellator 191, debutant and former UFC Bantamweight title challenger, Michael McDonald broke his hand. A break so bad that it required surgery… If you missed the picture of the x-ray, here it is:

Justin Golightly - December 28, 2017

Nate Marquardt has been in this game for a long time. We’re talking about a fighting career that spans 18 years and far before his days in the UFC. While he’s never won a belts in the UFC, he’s no stranger to titles and has a storied journey that moves beyond just gold and leather. At 38-years old and on a three-fight losing streak, Marquardt had decided to walk away from the sport. He will continue to train and participate in MMA, looking to use his knowledge of the sport to add to his ministry. His fighting life dates all the way back to 1999. Nate Marquardt has fought in three different weight classes during his career, winning multiple titles including the Strikeforce welterweight title and is a three-time Pancrase middleweight champion. Despite ups and downs, Rousimar Palhares, Demian Maia, and Tyron Woodley have all suffered losses to Nate ‘The Great’. He’ll be using some of his free time to pursue a degree at Gateway Seminary, to find new uses for his unique experience. His entire statement is provided below.

Justin Golightly - December 28, 2017

Dana White has been making the rounds today and everyone wants to know about Conor McGregor. Going into 2018, his future in the UFC is completely unclear. On a mission to clear that up, White put his foot down and said that if McGregor does return, he’ll be defending his title against Tony Ferguson. Title defense criticisms have been what man fans target, as well as Ferguson in his ‘defend or vacate’ campaign, but White recently has said those critiques are completely overblown. “For people to suggest that [Conor McGregor be stripped of his UFC lightweight title], you’re just a Conor hater. Because if you look at how everything played out, Conor has fought everybody. When he won the 155-pound belt, he dropped the 145-pound belt, which we made him do. He tried not to do it, but he contractually had to let go of the 145-pound belt. He became the 155-pound champion, and his next fight was against Floyd Mayweather. He has to defend the title now. So, how has he never defended the title?”

Russell Ess - December 28, 2017

Whether you liked it or not, there is no denying that the big-money boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor had people’s attention. The fight ended up being the second highest pay-per-view event in history falling right behind and quite close to the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight. The artwork of both Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather has gotten quite a bit of exposure as fans have had so much interest in both fighters. McGregor had a mural painted in his gym of him landing a punch on Mayweather’s face. Mayweather went a bit further and had two big portrait paintings of himself and McGregor installed in his house after the fight. Interestingly, it was revealed by MMA journalist Chamatkar Sandhu that similar to McGregor, Mayweather also had McGregor’s face in his gym. However, this work of art had a bit more practical use than McGregor’s gym mural.

Tom Taylor - December 28, 2017

15th-ranked UFC lightweight James Vick has been having a very difficult time finding fights, and that trend continues to this day. Having had his hopes of headlining the UFC’s return to Austin opposite Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone dashed, he’s now eagerly waiting to see what else the UFC can come up with for him. While the promotion apparently has four potential opponents in mind for him, the increasingly frustrated James Vick won’t be surprised if they all turn him down. In his opinion, fighters just don’t accept fights with the willingness they once did. And he thinks it’s time they started being punished for their over-selectiveness.

Tom Taylor - December 28, 2017

Streaking UFC lightweight James Vick, who is fresh off a mauling of Joe Duffy, was hoping to battle Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the main event of the UFC’s upcoming trip to Austin. Now that Cerrone has been booked for a fight with Yancy Medeiros in Austin’s main event, however, Vick knows this isn’t going to happen. With this development, Vick has been forced to look elsewhere in the hunt for his next opponent. Apparently, the UFC has a few options in mind to that end.

Justin Golightly - December 28, 2017

It looks like the change in networks and a crazy grand prix tournament aren’t the only shake-ups over at Bellator. As per an official Paramount Sports and Bellator press release, Jimmy Smith has parted ways with the company. A former MMA fighter himself, Smith provided knowledgeable insight as well and entertaining dialogue seamlessly for many years with the fighting organization. Both Bellator and Smith have released statements on the sudden change. “Jimmy [Smith] is one of the finest combat sports announcers of our time. He has played an integral role in the growth of Bellator as it has evolved into the successful global franchise it is today.” — Bellator via press release.

Justin Golightly - December 28, 2017

Earlier this week, there were some Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone drama when he announced that his potential fight with Mairbek Taisumov fell through. It didn’t take long for another fighter to be in talks for a chance at the lightweight and welterweight wild man. Suddenly, there were talks of Yancy Medeiros and Cerrone meeting in Austin, Texas that left fight fans drooling. Now we know that those whispers weren’t just hot air. The UFC just made the welterweight bout official today. Medeiros and Donald Cerrone will have a main event brawl in the Lone Star State on February 18th. AUSTIN, get ready!@CowboyCerrone is riding into town to face @YMedeiros in a WW main event. #UFCAustin pic.twitter.com/t4BmaR59mm

Tom Taylor - December 28, 2017

Riding high off a thudding knockout of the highly-regarded Joe Duffy, James Vick (12-1) feels he’s ready for a big step up in competition. He was hoping to get that step up when the UFC touches down in Austin, Texas – just hours from his hometown – this February. It was his hope that he could battle fan favorite lightweight-turned-welterweight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in the card’s main event. Unfortunately for Vick, Cerrone was pencilled in for a scrap with Hawaii’s Yancy Medeiros this week. Though neither Cerrone nor Medeiros is from Texas, their fight will serve as the Austin card’s main event. Unsurprisingly, Vicki is pretty unhappy about this development.

Justin Golightly - December 28, 2017

One of 2018’s biggest MMA mysteries is if Conor McGregor will return to MMA and who would he fight. Titles, contracts, it doesn’t matter, McGregor can decide whatever he wants to do and that’s one of the things that makes him so compelling, yet so frustrating. Out of nowhere, Dana White popped onto FS1 this afternoon and opened up about Conor McGregor. While has seems to have no idea what his plans are either, he did say that if he returns to the UFC, he has to defend his belt. Whether that be against Tony Ferguson, or whoever may beat him for the interim title depending on how long it takes McGregor to return. “If Conor McGregor fights next year, that’ll be awesome. If Conor McGregor doesn’t fight, the UFC will go on. […] There’s two different sides to this coin, there’s the one that you just said [about it being hard to wake up in the morning and get hit in the face when you’re so rich], then there’s the one where there is only many trips you can go on and there’s only so much stuff you can buy before you start to get bored and you want to get back in the game. So, I don’t know. I don’t really have a feel on what Conor wants to do. Conor’s rich, it’s the holidays, I’m sure his whole family has a great Christmas. We’ll see what the New Year brings.”

Tom Taylor - December 28, 2017

Glory kickboxing heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven has already competed once in mixed martial arts, having authored a first-round TKO of Viktor Bogutzki back in 2015. From the sounds of it, he hopes to compete in MMA again – and at the very highest level. Speaking on the latest stacked episode of BJ Penn Radio, Verhoeven shared his interested in fights with both upcoming UFC heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou, and with UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic.

Tom Taylor - December 28, 2017

RIZIN FF weigh-ins: @gabijiu misses weight by 27lbs, @kandori_shinobu is furious. RIZIN president @nobu_sakakibara considers possibly cancelling the contest.https://t.co/CBlrpmvWLc pic.twitter.com/59EZG8UcVA — Women’s MMA Rankings (@WMMARankings) December 28, 2017