MMA News

Justin Golightly - November 14, 2017

Kamaru Usman, along with all the fight fans looking forward to UFC 219, have simply not had the best of luck. There is no main event, Dominick Cruz is off the card and now Usman’s opponent Emil Meek will not be making it to the card due to a Visa issue. After Usman aired his grievances of multiple opponents ‘ducking’ leading up to the now-canceled fight, it’s easy to see how the surging welterweight is frustrated. Luckily, the game Darren Till has stepped up and wants the fight. I guess I wasn’t lying… @emilvalhalla for stepping up. Now everyone else can get back to @ColbyCovMMA @darrentill2 @danawhite @seanshelby @Mickmaynard2

Russell Ess - November 14, 2017

We once heard that a boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor would never happen. It came straight from Dana White’s mouth. Well, never say “never,” especially when it comes to Conor McGregor.

Russell Ess - November 14, 2017

While it may have come as shocking news to many, some were not surprised when news broke that Anderson Silva was recently flagged for a potential anti-doping violation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). UFC commentator Joe Rogan wasn’t surprised at all as he found out about the news of Silva’s recent potential anti-doping violation while doing his Joe Rogan Experience podcast with guest Billy Corgan.

Justin Golightly - November 14, 2017

This has been one of the craziest months in the history of the UFC. Three titles just changed hands, huge fights are being ripped apart by injuries, Conor McGregor is running amok everywhere but the inside the UFC’s Octagon, and anything that can happen has been proven that it will happen. The latest piece of news is none other than Nate Diaz has reportedly started a fight camp. The opponent and time frame has not been revealed.

Justin Golightly - November 14, 2017

Everyone has weighed-in on Conor McGregor’s behavior at the Bellator 187 card in Dublin. He stormed the cage as his teammate Charlie Ward was finishing John Redmond, then all hell broke loose. Since then, he has released an apology and the lead regulator that night has put out a statement on his actions. Finally, referee Marc Goddard sat down and wrote a lengthy post on his official Facebook detailing everything about what transpired, including some interesting details not apparent on first viewing. One of the keys being that it was unknown whether the fight was over or not. “The punch and action that followed naturally resulted in a surge of crowd noise, one that was so significant I had already made my determination that I could not audibly hear the bell sound for the end of the round, I had made my decision to step in with the belief that bell had indeed been sounded, when in actual fact it had not. This is a critical fact to the ensuing proceedings. At this point on my step in, and you will clearly see from the video replay that I only step across and do not wave the fight off. Charlie Ward, understandably so had reeled off in celebration thinking that I had indeed ended the contest and not as I had actually done, called time on what I believed to be the end of the round. Two distinctly different endings.”

Russell Ess - November 14, 2017

Many fans were likely upset to hear that Conor McGregor was scheduled to return to the Octagon on December 30 for the UFC 219 card but was pulled from the event due to his actions at Bellator 187. This was news that came from Mike Mazzulli, who is the president of the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) and is also the director of the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation (MTDAR), which was the lead regulator of the Bellator 187 event.

Tom Taylor - November 14, 2017

Bellator MMA finally has a plan in place to fill its vacant heavyweight throne. Throughout 2018, the organization will promote a heavyweight grand prix featuring eight of its premier heavyweights and light heavyweights in Frank Mir, Fedor Emelianenko, Matt Mitrione, Roy Nelson, Ryan Bader, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Chael Sonnen. Speaking on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Rampage discussed his role in this tournament, and immediately divulged that he’s rather unexcited about the prospect of a fight with wrestling specialist Chael Sonnen. The former UFC light heavyweight champ, after all, has always taken issue with opponents who focus on the takedown.

Justin Golightly - November 14, 2017

Max Holloway defending his new strap against Frankie Edgar is something everyone was waiting for. Somehow, amid the 11 fighters Holloway took out on his quest for the belt, he never ran into him. Unfortunately, as Edgar geared up for his third shot at the belt and his first fight with Holloway, an injured orbital took him out of the UFC 218 bout. It’s an injury that Edgar admits feels like he lost a fight, but he’ll be back on his quest for gold sooner rather than later. “I definitely feel f-cking bummed and in a funk for the past couple of days. I feel like I lost a fight to be honest. I know these opportunities don’t always present themselves. I’m also not one to stay down, be negative and beat myself up about things. I’m going to heal up, keep training and make sure I’m ready for that fight when it comes. I’m a guy who keeps a positive outlook on things. I’m not going to sit around feeling sorry for myself, and I don’t expect anyone to feel sorry for me either. This is just the type of sh-t that goes down. It’s inevitable. I train at a high level out here with some really good guys and shit happens. There wasn’t any negligence on my part. I train hard for fights and I always have.”

Tom Taylor - November 14, 2017

Back in October, established UFC welterweight contender Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone stepped into the cage with Darren Till, an up-and-coming fighter he knew very little about. After winning this fight via first-round knockout, Till immediately emerged as one of the welterweight division’s hottest contenders. Had Cowboy not accepted this fight with Till, it’s likely that Till would still be out on the fringes of the welterweight top-15, rather than right in the middle of the top-10. James Vick, a lightweight who currently resides on the outside of the lightweight rankings, wishes there more fighters like Cowboy in his division so that he could be given a similar chance.

Tom Taylor - November 14, 2017

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has a long and unfortunate history of being forced out of fights with injuries. Earlier this month, the trend continued, as he was forced out of a planned UFC 219 scrap with Jimmie Rivera with yet another injury. Speaking to MMAJunkie this week, Rivera explained that, despite Cruz’s apparent fragility, he wasn’t particularly worried about this fight getting scrapped.

Tom Taylor - November 14, 2017

Surging welterweight contender Colby Covington has spent much of the last year talking trash about current welterweight champion Tyron Woodley. When Covington authored a career-best win over Demian Maia late last month, his verbal assault on Woodley picked up even more steam. On Monday, the trend continued, as Covington took to Instagram to offer Woodley a bit of a reminder. In this post, Covington told Woodley, who has been criticized for the tepid nature of his last few wins, that his job is to put his opponents to sleep, not the fans.

Tom Taylor - November 14, 2017

With the actioned packed UFC 217 and UFC Norfolk cards now in the rear-view, the UFC has updated its official rankings. Unsurprisingly, these rankings have experienced some tectonic shifts in the wake of these cards – perhaps none as notable as Georges St-Pierre’s blasting by Conor McGregor on the pound-for-pound list. Here’s how the rankings look as of Monday.

Russell Ess - November 13, 2017

It sounds like Conor McGregor’s Bellator incident will be costing the UFC, Tony Ferguson, and himself a lucrative Christmas. On Friday, the UFC lightweight champion brought a lot of eyes on the Bellator 187 event that took place in Dublin, Ireland. Following McGregor’s teammate, Charlie Ward knocking out opponent John Redmond, McGregor scaled the Bellator cage and jumped in to celebrate Ward’s win.

Tom Taylor - November 13, 2017

Retired boxer Oscar De La Hoya, who owns Golden Boy Promotions and promotes stars like Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, has had plenty to say about UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor of late. De La Hoya’s comments on McGregor reached a crescendo in the buildup to McGregor’s blockbuster boxing debut opposite Floyd Mayweather Jr. Now, it appears De La Hoya actually wants to fight McGregor. The 44-year-old has apparently been training, in secret, with the goal of stepping into the ring with the Irishman.

Russell Ess - November 13, 2017

UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor brought a lot of attention to Bellator on Friday. “The Notorious” made a big scene in the Bellator cage after his teammate Charlie Ward knocked out opponent John Redmond at the end of the first round. McGregor, who was sitting cageside as a spectator scaled the cage and jumped in following Ward’s finish.

Russell Ess - November 13, 2017

Rising UFC welterweight Colby Covington has some real history with former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. According to Covington, the two MMA stars were college roommates from 2007-2009 at Iowa Central Community College where they both won junior college national wrestling titles together. Covington has a way with his words that has gotten him a lot of attention. Recently, Covington sent a harsh tweet to Jones, who wished Georges St-Pierre well in his return to the Octagon at UFC 217.

Tom Taylor - November 13, 2017

This Saturday, the UFC will make its anticipated return to Sydney, Australia with UFC Fight Night 121. This exciting UFC Sydney event has been rocked, rattled and reassembled by injuries, USADA violations, controversy and more, and yet somehow, it still stands out as a card worth watching. In the main event, we’ll see rising Polish heavyweight Marcin Tybura take on the biggest test of his career in former champion Fabricio Werdum, who stepped in on short notice to replace Mark Hunt. In the co-main event, meanwhile, Australia’s Bec Rawlings will take on last-minute replacement Jessy Rose-Clark, the stand-in for injured Scotswoman Joanne Calderwood.

Russell Ess - November 13, 2017

UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor brought some of his “Notorious” publicity to Bellator on Friday during the Bellator 187 event that took place in Dublin, Ireland. McGregor’s teammate Charlie Ward knocked out opponent John Redmond at the last seconds of round one and “The Notorious” scaled the cage and jumped in to celebrate Ward’s win. Marc Goddard, who already had some history with McGregor was the referee for the Ward vs. Redmond bout had a word with McGregor who then erupted and shoved and yelled at Goddard in the cage. McGregor was also seen slapping another official while sitting on top of the cage as the official tried to get him off.