MMA News

Justin Golightly - November 28, 2017

After demolishing Japanese MMA veteran Shinya Aoki at ONE: Immortal Pursuit, Ben Askren rode his funky train into the sunset, retiring from MMA for good. …Or maybe not. Freshly-retired Askren took to Twitter to plant the seed of a possible return fight with Georges St-Pierre. If you think this opens the door to a bunch of other potential match-ups, you’re wrong. For Askren, it’s either the “best in the world” or he’s happy to move on to a new chapter outside of the cage. “I’ve never said I’m retired, period. I’ve said that I’m retired with the caveat that if I somehow get to fight to prove that I’m No. 1 in the world, I will take that opportunity. I’m not gonna fight to be No. 3 or 5 or 7 or anything else. Just to be No. 1, that’s it. It’s not really a money thing, it’s a pride thing. There’s this other guy who was a very famous welterweight named Georges St-Pierre who doesn’t seem to have a dance partner right now and doesn’t seem to want to fight Tyron [Woodley] or Robert Whittaker. So I figure, he doesn’t want to get hit hard, I don’t hit that hard. So we might as well just get in there and get after it.“If he needs a dance partner, I’m more than willing to do it. I’ll come to Montreal and fit the bill for him. We’ll fill out the Bell Centre.”

Tom Taylor - November 28, 2017

Last night, we were hit by a tidal wave of rumors and reports suggesting UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor had been involved in a bar fight in Dublin, Ireland, and that  somewhere in the fracas, he planted one of his vaunted punches on a close associate of of convicted Irish drug dealer Graham ‘The Wig’ Whelan.  Initially, these rumors could only be taken so seriously. On Tuesday morning, however, several bigger, more reputable outlets began reporting that an unnamed Irish star had indeed been involved in a confrontation, and that a cartel associate had been hit amid the bedlam.

Justin Golightly - November 28, 2017

Sage Northcutt was last seen at UFC Norfolk putting on one of the best performances of his career against Michel Quinones. It was his first trip to the cage after training with Team Alpha Male and it looked like it paid off. This turning point in Northcutt’s career is a perfect time to take a look back at the his formative years. Thanks to a thread on Imgur, a fellow classmate of Sage Northcutt posted a ton of photos from his annual giving us a peak into what life was like for Northcutt in the class of 2012. Surprisingly, the bright-eyed UFC fighter isn’t that much different than he was back then. 

Tom Taylor - November 28, 2017

Last night, rumors began to swirl on social media suggesting that UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor had been involved in an altercation at a pub in Ireland, during which he punched at least one person. From there, additional details began to suggest that one of the men on the receiving end of McGregor’s punches was a known associate of convicted Irish drug dealer Graham ‘The Wig’ Whelan. While all of this initially resided strictly in the realm of rumor, several reputable publications are now reporting that a yet-unnamed Irish star was, in fact, involved in an altercation that saw an associate of the Irish cartel punched.

Tom Taylor - November 28, 2017

Originally, long-time UFC featherweight contender Ricardo Lamas was expected to rematch former champion Jose Aldo at UFC on Fox 26, which goes down on December 16 in Winnipeg. When Frankie Edgar was forced out of his UFC 218 featherweight title fight with champ Max Holloway, however, Aldo was pulled from his fight with Lamas, and reassigned as Holloway’s replacement opponent. This, of course, left Lamas without an opponent. After a prolonged stretch with no updates on Lamas’ replacement opponent, it seems as though the UFC has finally found him a new foe. According to ever-reliable MMA insider Farah Hannoun, Lamas is now likely to battle Josh Emmett in Winnipeg.

Tom Taylor - November 28, 2017

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald and former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi stand out as two of the best fighters currently competing under the Bellator MMA banner. Given that they’re now fighting just a weight class apart, there has ample discussion surrounding a potential fight between them. Speaking on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Mousasi gave his thoughts on MacDonald, and on a potential super-fight with him. Apparently, that’s a discussion that can wait for now.

Tom Taylor - November 28, 2017

On the latest edition of the MMA Hour, former UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione claimed that former UFC matchmaker Joe Silva lied to him about the size of the Octagon ahead of his 2012 bout with Roy Nelson, claiming the large cage would be used, when the small cage was used instead. “Anyone who’s ever [seen] me fight or [listened to] my interviews, knows how much I despise that small cage, and Joe Silva lied to me and told me it’s the big cage so I would take the fight,” Mitrione said (h/t BloodyElbow). “The reason why I don’t like it is because it eliminates all my mobility, it eliminates my evasive action and my offensive footwork.”

Tom Taylor - November 28, 2017

For week, there has been talk about a possible blockbuster main event for UFC 219. While the card already includes dynamite women’s featherweight title fight between Cris “Cyborg” Justino and Holly Holm, the widespread hope was that the UFC would tack at least one more title fight onto this typically stacked end-of-year card. While we’ve heard names like Tyron Woodley, Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson and even Conor McGregor thrown out there over recent weeks, it now looks more certain than ever that the card’s Cyborg vs. Holm fight will serve as the main event. We can make this assumption given that Lance Pugmire of the LA Times recently confirmed that UFC 219’s Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Edson Barboza lightweight bout will serve as the co-main event.

Russell Ess - November 27, 2017

It took TJ Dillashaw nearly two years to fight for the UFC bantamweight title after losing a close split decision to Dominick Cruz at UFC Fight Night 81. Even after the very close and competitive title fight against Cruz that took place in January 2016, there was no immediate rematch for Dillashaw who had successfully defended the title twice before meeting Cruz in the Octagon.

Russell Ess - November 27, 2017

There has yet to be any statement from Conor McGregor or the UFC on this alleged incident but there have been several people who have claimed that the UFC lightweight champion got into a physical altercation while in a bar last night in Crumlin, Ireland. Take it for what it is at this point with people basically being able to post whatever they please on social media whether it is totally made up or an honest recollection of their experience.

Adam Conklin - November 27, 2017

  When the UFC’s exclusive negotiating period with FOX ended this year, speculation began about what network the UFC would be headed to next and what the implications of the new network, or platform, would be for the world’s largest MMA promotion.

Adam Conklin - November 27, 2017

  The UFC’s newest division, the women’s flyweight division, has been off to a slow start. Since a premature announcement that the division was being formed, the women’s 125-pound division has been in an odd state of hiatus as the UFC awaits the conclusion of the 26th main season of The Ultimate Fighter to crown the division’s first champion.

Adam Conklin - November 27, 2017

This weekend’s UFC 218 card promises* (*subject to change) an incredible lineup of former champions from both in and out of the UFC, title implications, and a bonafide featherweight title fight.

Chris Taylor - November 27, 2017

Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez will return to the octagon this Saturday night in Detroit where he will square off with Justin Gaethje on the main card of UFC 218. The key lightweight scrap is expected to deliver fireworks for fight fans, as both Alvarez and Gaethje are known for their willingness to throw caution to the wind while inside the octagon.

Chris Taylor - November 27, 2017

Don’t expect to see former UFC title challenger Alexander Gustafsson back in the octagon any time soon. “The Mauler” recently took to social media where he shared the following photo fresh out of shoulder surgery.

Chris Taylor - November 26, 2017

Yoel Romero says he only thinks about the UFC belt and eyes a rematch with Robert Whittaker in early 2018. Top UFC middleweight contender Yoel Romero has a plan for when Georges St-Pierre announces that he will be vacating his newly obtained UFC middleweight title.

Chris Taylor - November 26, 2017

VIDEO | UFC 218 Countdown: Jose Aldo vs. Max Holloway The Hawaiian champion, Max Holloway (18-3 MMA), was most recently seen in action at June’s UFC 212 event in Brazil, where he earned a third-round TKO victory over Jose Aldo to become the UFC’s undisputed featherweight champion of the world.

Chris Taylor - November 26, 2017

VIDEO | UFC 218 Countdown: Alistair Overeem vs. Francis Ngannou Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Alistair Overeem (43-15 MMA) will return to the octagon in the co-main event of this weekend’s UFC 218 pay-per-view fight card where he will square off with fellow knockout artist Francis Ngannou.