MMA News

Justin Golightly - December 8, 2017

When Ben Askren retired with a squeaky clean record at ONE: Immortal Pursuit, he left an asterisk above the ‘R’ word. He said that the only thing that could lure him back was a shot at the best welterweight in the world, not the third best, not the second best, but the best. The only problem with that was that Georges St-Pierre was a middleweight now and Tyron Woodley is too great of a friend for Askren to look for a fight with. However, as of last night, St-Pierre is no longer a middleweight and has vacated his middleweight title. That was enough for Askren to double-down on his call-out. @GeorgesStPierre if you want to make it more interesting I’ll put my bitcoin against yours as a side bet that you don’t make it 5 rounds against me.

Justin Golightly - December 8, 2017

Mark Hunt’s career came into jeopardy when he wrote an article detailing symptoms of CTE. He was consequently pulled from his fight at UFC Sydney and on leave from the UFC indefinitely. This resulted in Hunt seeking out a myriad of tests from the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, to try and prove that he is still fit to fight. After an exclusive statement was given to MMA Fighting, the UFC has cleared Mark Hunt for competition after his succesful medical analysis. “We’ve just had a conference call with the doctors in the States, who gave us the good news, so it’s all looking positive. The doctor said Mark scored well above average and that he’s good to compete. So they’ll ring the UFC now and let them know. We’re just waiting on the UFC to clear him. Now Mark’s been cleared twice. He’s done testing with two experts in Australia — and been cleared — before going and proving himself again in the US. Obviously our concern was always Mark’s health and we’re pleased to know everything is fine.”

Russell Ess - December 8, 2017

Big news for the UFC middleweight division was dropped late Thursday as the UFC announced that Georges St-Pierre vacated his newly captured middleweight title. With St-Pierre vacating the title, UFC interim middleweight champion Robert Whittaker was deemed the undisputed champion and former champ Luke Rockhold is now challenging Whittaker for the belt at UFC 221 in February. While Dana White may not be so happy about GSP’s decision to leave the middleweight division, former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos praised “Rush” for his quick decision to drop his new title.

Drake Riggs - December 7, 2017

Mackenzie Dern is one of the brightest prospects in all of MMA. The world championship BJJ black belt has gotten her career off to a hot start, going 4-0 with two spectacular submission victories and two dominant unanimous decisions. The only issue is that in two of Dern’s three fights at the 115 lb Strawweight division she has missed weight, and not by close margins. Invicta FC 26 is tomorrow and that means that the weigh-ins were today! And fortunately for Dern, all went according to plan and she weighed in right at 115.

Drake Riggs - December 7, 2017

There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of Conor McGregor’s career, whether it be in boxing or MMA. UFC president, Dana White has been repeatedly asked about what will be next for the current UFC Lightweight champion and stated most recently that he’s moving forward as if McGregor’s not coming back. He said this after saying, “Money changes everything, he may never fight again. He has got $100 million in the bank. It’s tough to get punched in the face every day when you’ve got $100 million.” This is definitely a reasonable opinion from White, but according to TheMacLife, McGregor himself told his sponsor, Betsafe the following:

Drake Riggs - December 7, 2017

Angela Magana has had quite a unique journey with the Ultimate Fighting Championship as well as just her career in MMA. Ranging from events such as verbally submitting to Jessica Aguilar in a 2008 fight after getting blood in her eye to getting into an altercation with UFC Featherweight champion, Cris Cyborg at the UFC Performance Institue during the 2017 Athlete Retreat…it’s been quite a crazy ride for the former The Ultimate Fighter season 2o contestant. Magana last fought at UFC 218 this past weekend against Amanda Cooper. Magana lost via second-round TKO thus extending her UFC losing streak to three straight(five overall and six including TUF 20) which was just too much for the organization to keep the twenty fight Strawweight veteran.

Drake Riggs - December 7, 2017

There were rumblings and rumors floating around about this fight potentially coming to fruition. Especially after current UFC Middleweight champion, Georges St-Pierre’s recent news regarding whether or not he’ll come back to the division where he said, “I don’t think so”.  GSP is battling ulcerative colitis anyway so prior to his recent interview it was expected that the Interim champion, Robert Whittaker would indeed defend his title before challenging for GSP’s anyway. But now everything is set. Ariel Helwani broke the news that former UFC and Strikeforce Middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold would be the next man to challenge for a UFC Middleweight title.

Justin Golightly - December 7, 2017

After Georges St-Pierre finished Michael Bisping, the former middleweight champion was eager for a quick turnarond against Kelvin Gastelum. It didn’t end up the way Bisping wanted it, also putting the UFC under fire for letting it happen. Bisping himself has recently opened up and admitted it might not have been a good move, but that he has no regrets. Georges St-Pierre spoke about the fight and displayed a lot of respect to his last opponent, but wasn’t happy with the UFC either. “Medically, [Michael Bisping fighting Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Shanghai] was not the right thing to do. However, if he would have succeeded – you know, he took a big risk and me, I can accept that because he took a big risk – if he would have succeeded he would have been like a hero. It’s like, ‘Oh my God, he just lose the title and then he come back with no preparation, boom, wins a fight.’ I think he tried to do something that was very, very risky, but at the same time if he would have achieved it, it would have been a big reward for him. So I can respect that. For him, I can respect the idea that he had, the goal that he had doing it.”

Justin Golightly - December 7, 2017

Eddie Alvarez is now at the top of the lightweight rankings and knocking on the door for another title shot after a Fight of the Night performance against Justin Gaethje. However, there is more than just the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Edson Barboza who stands between Alvarez and either interim or undisputed gold. Lurking in the shadows and pacing for another crack at Alvarez is Dustin Poirier. At UFC 211, Poirier believes he was track for a big victory of his own until an illegal knee by Alvarez ended their fight. It’s something Poirier isn’t going to let go, especially now that the ‘Most Violent’ nickname is on the line. “I don’t like [Eddie Alvarez] personally. I used to be a big fan of him, I still respect his fighting style. He’s a dog, he’s a warrior, he’s down but never out in fights. I believe that truly. But I used to really respect the guy and look up to him. Now he’s a piece of sh-t. The way he’s lied to himself and lied to people and said stuff about me and about the fight. So, I don’t have any respect for the guy. Eddie went in there with a good game plan [in the fight with Justin Gaethje], used good body work and like I said real good in and out movement. Gaethje stands real flat-footed and if move in and out on a guy like that, you can really finesse him.”

Tom Taylor - December 7, 2017

Last weekend, Nicco Montano and Roxanne Modafferi stepped into the Octagon to compete in the first ever UFC women’s flyweight title fight. After five, fun, back and forth rounds, Montano came out on top, making history as the first female flyweight champ in UFC history. Unsurprisingly, long-time women’s bantamweight contender Valentina Shevchenko, who could well be the next flyweight title challenger, was watching closely. “I was watching the fight,” Shevchenko said on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio. “It was a very good fight, a very entertaining fight. It was five rounds, no talk, not one girl wanted to quit and both girls put all the heart that they had [out there]. My number one goal, like it was before, and it still right now, is to be the champion of UFC, and I’m very glad that now we have one more weight class, 125. It’s my natural weight class, and I feel like fighting in this 125 [division], I will have more opportunity to show more skills, more technique, because it’s different when you have to fight with bigger sized opponent and it’s different when you have to fight with the same sized opponent. It doesn’t matter for me because in 135 I was feeling the same good. I was feeling very strong there and everything was great. But I feel for 125, it’s more natural weight class for me.”

Justin Golightly - December 7, 2017

The kind of hype train that Francis Ngannou and the UFC has created hasn’t been seen in quite some time. It’s not even just a train anymore, we’ve got hype planes, trains and automobiles here. Whether proven or not, it doesn’t even matter, the only thing that can slow all this momentum now is Stipe Miocic in January. With their fight in almost a month to the day, Ngannou has now been elevated to the very top of the heavyweight heap. Less than 2 years in the UFC!@Francis_Ngannou is now your number one ranked heavyweight! 🇨🇲🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/90uyL74xgH

Tom Taylor - December 7, 2017

Last weekend, Nicco Montano and Roxanne Modafferi stepped into the Octagon to compete in the first ever UFC women’s flyweight title fight. After five, fun, back and forth rounds, Montano came out on top, making history as the first female flyweight champ in UFC history. Now a little under a week removed from this history-making fight, the UFC has released the official, top-15 rankings for it’s new women’s flyweight division. As expected, Montano sits atop these rankings, while the top five is populated by Sijara Eubanks, Lauren Murphy, Roxanne Modafferi, Barb Honchak, and Montana De La Rosa. The rest of these new rankings are populated by a slew of Ultimate Fighter veterans, as well as strawweight veteran Bec Rawlings and her recent foil Jessica Rose Clark.

Tom Taylor - December 7, 2017

Last Friday, the UFC crowned it’s first ever women’s flyweight champion in Nicco Montaño, who defeated Roxanne Modafferi to earn the inaugural title. While Montaño now owns the belt, however, many expect her reign to be quite short, as long-time women’s bantamweight contender Valentina Shevchenko zeroes in on a drop to flyweight, and most likely, an immediate title shot. In fact, many fans seem to consider Shevchenko the uncrowned flyweight queen. Yet while Shevchenko finds these opinions flattering, she is being careful not to let them get to her head. Overconfidence, after all, is a killer in MMA.

Justin Golightly - December 7, 2017

While some insane fights have happened and are still slated for UFC’s shark tank lightweight division, Tony Ferguson has been hanging back after beating Kevin Lee for the interim lightweight championship. With threats looming in the distance, all of our fingers crossed that we’d see Ferguson back in action soon, maybe against Khabib Nurmagomedov if not Conor McGregor. However, it looks like we’ll have to wait. First reported by Amy Kaplan over at Fansided, Tony Ferguson underwent elbow surgery and a date for his return is delayed indefinitely. “In good spirits even after elbow surgery. Praying for a speedy recovery, baby. We love you daddy.” — Tony Ferguson’s wife, Cristina Ferguson, on her private Instagram account.  

Justin Golightly - December 7, 2017

At the end of the month, one of the biggest women’s MMA fights of all-time will go down at UFC 219. Holly Holm will step into the Octagon to challenge Cris Cyborg for her women’s UFC featherweight title. A huge fight like this with such high stakes hearkens back to when Holm fought Ronda Rousey and finished her to become the women’s bantamweight champion in Australia. That feeling can’t help but conjure up images for Tito Ortiz of the fight that never was — Cris Cyborg versus Ronda Rousey —  and he thinks the fans deserve to have that happen. “I think the fans deserve [the fight between Cris Cyborg and Ronda Rousey]. Cris deserves it, and for sure I think Ronda deserves it after everything she’s said about Cris. If you’re ever gonna’ talk about somebody, at least step in the cage and try to prove yourself. But she’s afraid to do it, I understand. There’s many women who are afraid to fight Cris, and I’d just say the proof is in the pudding of how dangerous Cris truly is. If that fight’s in front of her it shows that UFC are able to once again put a great, huge fight together.”

Tom Taylor - December 7, 2017

Angela Magana, a veteran of MMA’s women’s strawweight division, is well acquainted with her haters. While she’s got a legion of loyal followers, her outspoken attitude assures she receives plenty of backlash too. That said, Magana has never let her haters get to her. Believing that she’s just a bit misunderstood, she chooses instead to dismiss them and keep being herself.

Tom Taylor - December 7, 2017

On January 20, when the UFC touches down in Boston, Massachusetts with UFC 220, Swiss light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir will attempt to topple the division’s champion Daniel Cormier. Ahead of this fight, the two fighters’ advantages are quite clear. Oezdemir, of course, has established himself as one of the light heavyweight division’s most venomous punchers. Cormier, meanwhile, is one of the most accomplished wrestlers in the division – and in MMA, period.

Tom Taylor - December 7, 2017

Last weekend, on the undercard of UFC 218, Angela Magana came up short against Amanda Bobby Cooper, succumbing to second-round punches. Unfortunately, Magana feels as though the fight might have been stopped a little early by referee Keith Peterson. “I feel like the fight was stopped early,” Magana explained on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio. “I remember my corner saying 28 seconds, and there were less than 30 seconds. Yes, [Cooper] was bashing the shit out of me, but I was fully with it. I was fully aware of what was going on. As soon as it stopped I was over with the referee just seeing the replay. I put my hands out like what the hell? But that’s his decision. You have to respect his decisions. I felt like if I could have got a third round, and my corner said, ‘whatever you do, don’t go to the ground, stand up [with her].’ I might have pulled something out of somewhere, I don’t know, to be able to win it. Who knows, but it was stopped a bit early. I feel like that’s the thing with women’s MMA. That they always stop us early in comparison to the men.”