MMA News

Justin Golightly - December 23, 2017

We don’t have to tell you that Georges St-Pierre’s life is ridiculous. He came back after four years away from the sport and took the UFC middleweight title away from Michael Bisping. That accomplishment is extraordinary in and of itself, but even away from the sport, St-Pierre does some awesome stuff. He literally went searching for dinosaur bones with the History channel. As famous as he is here, he’s practically a deity in Canada. Even celebrities and athletes from other sports want to hang out with the man. Even Hulkamania was running wild getting to chill with Georges St-Pierre. Last night, had the chance to hang out with two good guys – @davidguetta and the one and only @HulkHogan!!! pic.twitter.com/asAz1h23XJ

Justin Golightly - December 23, 2017

The last UFC card of the year is fast approaching and there is yet another big lightweight fight that can decide who is in contention for the throne. Eddie Alvarez put on a slobberknocker of a fight against Justin Gaethje, rocketing him back up to the top, but Khabib Nurmagomedov is facing Edson Barboza to hold his place at the front. Meanwhile, Tony Ferguson is waiting to unify the titles against Conor McGregor. And who blames him? Nurmagomedov’s coach Javier Mendez sure doesn’t, but it’s why he’s not too confident that the Ferguson fight is next. “If that fight [with Tony Ferguson] does come together, it’s gonna be because Conor [McGregor] vacated the title. That’s the only way I see that happening. Otherwise, Tony’s gonna hang in there for that golden nugget, and I don’t blame him. He wants the fights for that big money, but you know what, there also comes a time too with the time of limitation too. You can’t hold on forever. You can’t hold the division on forever, you know? You’re eventually gonna have to be put in a situation where if you don’t fight Conor you’re gonna have to fight somebody. So, the only fight that makes sense for Tony if Conor doesn’t fight him, is Khabib. That’s it. There’s no other fight that makes sense, there’s no other fight that people will buy into.”

Justin Golightly - December 23, 2017

Can you imagine that you are diving in your car, admiring the dark blue expanse of the heavens, when suddenly all these humongous, streaking blobs spread across the sky? You pull off the road along with other drives and look up, trying to take pictures or record some video for social media or to preserve this moment in case it’s the night that aliens visit Earth. In that crazy moment, you turn to your left and there is Tito Ortiz doing the same thing. That may have happened to someone last night as the former UFC light heavyweight champion tried to figure out if this was real life. “SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base at 5:27 p.m., was carrying 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit. The satellites will be part of a constellation operated by Iridium Communications. All 10 satellites successfully deployed, with the last one deploying about 1 hour and 12 minutes after liftoff.”

Justin Golightly - December 23, 2017

When we enter into the UFC’s 2018 year, there are a lot of things up in the air. But hey, it’s always good to end on a cliffhanger, right? One of the big mysteries of the new year is just what Conor McGregor is going to be doing. He’s been seen training jiu jitsu and straight up said he’s fighting MMA next, but he could always change his mind. One of the many fighters in three divisions that are waiting for McGregor’s return is interim UFC lightweight champ Tony Ferguson. While we get our last contender fight of the year with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Edson Barboz at UFC 219, Ferguson waits to see if he’ll unify the belts. With this in mind, he sends perhaps his last message of the year to the Irish ‘Champ Champ’. “Happy Holidays My Hooligans” Papi Chulo Cucuy Says #SeasonsBeatings & Happy New New Year! #DefendorVacate Friggen’ Potatoe Chip Eatin’ McNuggets Dunkin’, Paper Champ Dead Beat. It’s Sad To See Your Fans W/ Me @Thenotoriousmma #VacateBitch #NoBalls 🖕🏽😎 #InGloriousNotorious pic.twitter.com/YcHwmnnAiX

Justin Golightly - December 23, 2017

Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic will be decided who is the baddest man on the planet at UFC Boston, but if Daniel Cormier successfully defends his light heavyweight belt on the same card, he could move up and test that title as well. He was asked about going back to heavyweight for a giant fight to close out his career in a recent interview and said it’d be ‘the most amazing thing in the world.’ Not only that, but it seems like he’s thought about it a lot. His coach Javier Mendez opened up about the idea and thinks it could happen, with Cain Velasquez’s permission that is. “Yeah, [Daniel Cormier moving up to fight for the heavyweight title is] a fun theory too and it could be a realistic theory, and this is how it would work out if it did happen, okay. Cain [Velasquez] would talk to DC or DC would go to Cain, he’d go, ‘Hey, Cain, I wanna fight for the title against Stipe, do you have a problem for me going that one shot?’ And if Cain says yes, which I’m sure if that’s what they agreed on, then yeah, that would happen. That’s not far-fetched. It really isn’t, because that could be something that could happen. But it would be between DC and Cain, they would make that decision jointly together.”

Drake Riggs - December 22, 2017

One of Scotland’s finest may be on their way out of the UFC and MMA in general. Stevie Ray last fought at home in Glasgow last July when he battled against Paul “The Irish Dragon” Felder in a losing effort. This was Ray’s last fight on his UFC contract. Obviously, the plan was to get a big win at home and start negotiations. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen and now we’re here, wondering whether or not Ray will even fight again at all. This week, he spoke with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour about how he’s feeling and his frustrating situation.

Drake Riggs - December 22, 2017

A 12 year old Edson Barboza working the bag #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/L5SYbrY3me — HONKY EXTRAORDINAIRE (@Mr_Honky) December 23, 2017

Drake Riggs - December 22, 2017

A pretty odd pairing to say the least! Strange enough alone just considering the difference in weight with Francis Ngannou being a Heavyweight and Uriah Hall a Middleweight. It’s especially odd when considering how different each’s styles are compared to that of their upcoming opponents. But hey, sparring is sparring and surely not many are too willing to spar with Ngannou these days. But damn, would you just look at the big man move!

Russell Ess - December 22, 2017

Remember when UFC superstar Conor McGregor tweeted that he had retired last year? Well, we all know that didn’t end up being true and it would have been a shame if “The Notorious” hung up the gloves back then as he has accomplished some historical feats since. If McGregor retired in April of last year like he tweeted, he would not have gone on to become the only fighter in history to be a simultaneous two-division UFC champion. McGregor also would not have made the biggest payday of his career by transitioning to the boxing ring for the money fight with Floyd Mayweather.

Justin Golightly - December 22, 2017

After Nate Diaz spit flames on his longest interview since May, the world once again was talking about the Stockton soldier. For over 45 minutes, he talked about everything from Conor McGregor, the UFC’s ‘propaganda machine’, and what it would take to get him back in the Octagon. People have jumped on his quote of ‘ask nicely’ with a Sage Northcutt meme that had Team Alpha Male laughing, now kickboxing vet turned UFC fighter Gokhan Saki has joined the campaign to get Diaz to return to MMA. Dear Diaz @NateDiaz209 ,

Justin Golightly - December 22, 2017

After Conor McGregor heard the rumors of Floyd Mayweather squashed and that he was not going to the UFC after all, he was quick to Tweet out what seemed to be a response. However, there are some people who feel that McGregor shouldn’t be too quick to throw out insults when it comes to fighting. Frankie Edgar’s manager Ali Abdelaziz and coach Mark Henry recently joined forces to give the brash Irishman a piece of their mind on social media. Mostly centered around how the once featherweight champ allegedly ducked Edgar at all costs. “It’s crazy Conor McGregor [calls] everyone pussies when the guy’s ducked everyone that can beat him. Frankie Edgar, Khabib [Nurmagomedov], and never defended his titles. He only fights guys stylistically good for him. And his coaches only talk about guys he can’t beat. Not sure who’s the pussy here. Chad Mendes was in the mountain camping and he barely made weight. He had 10 days to train.” — Ali Abdelaziz via his official Twitter.

Russell Ess - December 22, 2017

“Ask nicely motherf**kers. Ask nicely. I’m talking about the organization, the fighters. And make it a big deal, because I’m not trying to just sign a contract just cause it’s a good idea for you guys.” Those are the words from Nate Diaz speaking with the Outside The Box podcast on getting called out by fighters and from the UFC who have been trying to get him into the Octagon for a classic Diaz scrap. Nate stated that at this point in his career, he doesn’t need to fight anyone but is willing to fight any opponent if it makes sense.

Justin Golightly - December 22, 2017

Conor McGregor has always been close to the members of his team. He’s stayed with them throughout his meteoric rise and intends on maintaining his loyalty no matter what. So after Artem Lobov was invited to train Russian special forces operatives at the Kremlin, McGregor was quick to praise his right-hand-man who calls a brother. Although, it wouldn’t be a proper public statement from McGregor unless is made fight fans and media raise their eyebrows. In his proud social media post, he alludes to a possible fight in Russia sometime in the future. “I am proud of my brother Artem Lobov. Inside the world famous Kremlin compound discussing and teaching our training methods to the Russian federal reserve on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin. One day soon I will visit Russia and potentially compete there for my Russian fans, alongside my brother Artem. Thank you to all our Russian supporters for recognizing our lifetime of hard work and supporting us along the entire way. Without effort, you can not get a fish out of the pond.” — Conor McGregor via his official Instagram.

Justin Golightly - December 22, 2017

In just a matter of a couple of days, it was revealed by Dana White that Floyd Mayweather was in talks with the UFC. Demetrious Johnson and a slew of other fighters were frothing at the mouth in order to welcome him to the Octagon, but directly after that, Mayweather squashed the news and said it’s not happening. Of course, this same back-and-forth occurred during the negotiations for his boxing match with Conor McGregor, so you never know where the truth actually is until something happens or it doesn’t. None of that seems to matter to the ultra dominant UFC flyweight champ, who is daring Mayweather to actually follow through with this thing and meet him in the cage. “I think [a fight with Floyd Mayweather] would go very well for me, obviously. I’m very well-rounded. It’s mixed martial arts. I would even do a handicap. I won’t even grapple with him. I won’t even go to the ground at all. I’ll get him in the clinch, bang up, hit him in the liver, kick him in the liver, take out his legs and work him. I found out that news from my management team. They were like, ‘Dude, Floyd Mayweather’s coming to the UFC. Call him out and let’s get this fight.’ I was like that’s your job, my job is to train and go out there and win the fights.”

Justin Golightly - December 22, 2017

No matter what, there is a ghost that haunts Khabib Nurmagomedov. It’s not a fight with Conor McGregor, it’s not a loss in the UFC because the man has none. What follows the Russian Sambo machine wherever he goes is his infamous weight cut battle. A war he lost back at UFC 209, causing his highly anticipated fight with Tony Ferguson to be scrapped. Despite all of this, coach Javier Mendez claims it has all been blown way out of proportion. “You know, the last time, people were making too much of [Khabib Nurmagomedov’s] weight cut, talking about it was disastrous, he wasn’t gonna make weight, just because his opponent says he wasn’t gonna make weight and he made fun of it. He was on schedule to make weight, his body just failed on him. It’s like, how many times do you see a fighter get ready for a fight and all of a sudden kidney stones or something happens to him?”

Justin Golightly - December 22, 2017

There’s a serious chance for Holly Holm to shock the world once again at UFC 219. She’s confident she can do it, and her coaches believe she can do it as well. If she manages to take out Cris Cyborg, she’ll have beaten two of the number one female fighters on Earth. Knowing Cyborg’s track record and how long she has been dominant, if she does beat her, then Holly Holm is graciously willing to offer her an immediate rematch, just like she was going to do with Ronda Rousey. “Yes [I would give Cris Cyborg an immediate rematch if I beat her] and with Ronda [Rousey] I was open to a rematch as well, it’s just they didn’t know how long or when she would come back or if she would want to. And that’s when I said well I just don’t want to wait around. I’ll wait if you can tell me this is going to be within six months or whatever but I didn’t want to just be waiting around for that one fight. I want to be able to fight and train and live out my passion. I didn’t want it to be based around just one fighter. So I was welcome to the fact to rematch her, it’s just they didn’t have any answer if she really was going to come back and if she did, how long it would be.”

Drake Riggs - December 21, 2017

“Holly Holm can not knock anybody out with one punch… In boxing, she was wearing them down, throwing a lot of punches but she doesn’t have that one punch knockout. So, I told Cyborg, ‘do not underestimate her but that is something you may not have to be too concerned about.’. Of course, do not underestimate her because she is a great mover and she has a lot of ring intelligence. Also, beware of the southpaw, do a lot of sparring with southpaw as she is doing right now and always remember to try to lean more to the left instead of the right. Going to the right you can run into one of her strong weapons, which is her right. So think a little bit about that and I think she’s going to beat Holm. ” 

Drake Riggs - December 21, 2017

33-year old, Cincinnati, Ohio native, Daniel Straus is a two time Bellator Featherweight champion. He has been one of the lighter weights classes bigger names in Bellator for the better half of their existence. Currently riding a two-fight losing streak that started this year with a loss for his title at the time. An already bad 2017 has only gotten worse for Straus as it comes to a close. It was reported today by Bleacher Report that on Sunday, Straus got into a rather bad motorcycle accident.