MMA News

Tom Taylor - September 20, 2017

Sage Northcutt, one of the UFC’s brightest young prospects, is scheduled for a return to the cage. The 21-year-old lightweight will be taking on Michel Quinones at UFC Fight Night 120 in Norfolk, Virginia this November 11. This news was first reported by ESPN.

Tom Taylor - September 20, 2017

When former UFC welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald joined the Bellator family in August of 2016, he was expected to get an immediate title shot. Instead, however, he was booked for a May 2017 scrap with British knockout artist Paul Daley. When MacDonald won this battle with Daley with a second-round submission, he seemed to erase any doubt that he deserved the next shot at Bellator welterweight king Douglas Lima. Unfortunately, he then went months without a fight offer, which caused him to grow frustrated with his new employers, and even begin discussing a possible super fight with former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler.

Tom Taylor - September 20, 2017

Cain Velasquez is one of the greatest heavyweights alive. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been very active over the last few years, as he’s been sidelined by a hellish procession of injuries. Velasquez’s latest injury issue pertained to his back. Though he recently went under the knife to correct this issue, his coach Javier Mendez claims the surgery didn’t go as planned.

Tom Taylor - September 20, 2017

This Saturday, Bellator MMA will return to San Jose, California with Bellator 183. The card is a pretty stacked one. In the main event, we’ll see former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson take on long-time Bellator staple Patricky Freire. In the co-main event, meanwhile, we’ll see a pair of knockout-addicted UFC veterans collide, as England’s Paul Daley takes on recent Bellator title challenger Lorenz Larkin. Elsewhere on the card, we’ll witness the Bellator debut of former UFC heavyweight Roy “Big Country” Nelson, who takes on Javy Ayala.

Justin Golightly - September 19, 2017

The interim UFC lightweight title is up for grabs just a few weekends away at UFC 216, which is why trash talk between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee has been reaching a boiling point. Profanity has been flying around like the kicks and punches will be on October 7th. Lee is confident he is going to expletive Ferguson’s expletives, but El Cucuy hopes those aren’t just empty promises, but that Lee has actually prepared for the war he expects. “Pressure [is how I beat Kevin Lee]. I make him quit. I test his conditioning. Hit him in the stomach. Make him piss blood. He said,’I’m gonna’ f-ck you up,’ but I didn’t hear not one thing saying he was going to be physical, or he’s training for it, or doing all these different things to prepare for that.”

Justin Golightly - September 19, 2017

The beauty of MMA Twitter is that sometimes news can break out of nowhere. The last anyone heard from Carlos Condit, he was working on starting his own coffee business. Evidently, all that caffeine got him buzzing for another kind of rush. The former UFC welterweight title challenger is looking to step back into the Octagon. Not just sometime, the razor-elbowed striker wants to return as early as this year or at least early 2018, which is amazing news for fight fans. Yo! @seanshelby what's up big guy…? I'm wanting to fight in December or January… what say you!?

Justin Golightly - September 19, 2017

Jeremy Stephens is fresh off of beating Gilbert Melendez at UFC 215 thinks to an absolute leg destruction, but he’s not slowing down yet. He almost immediately called out Jose Aldo for a potential scrap at the end of this year or early 2018, unfortunately it turns out that fight isn’t happening for some reason or another. No worries, Stephens jumped to social media and decided to mention the name of another fan favorite: Chan Sung Jung, better known as the Korean Zombie. https://twitter.com/LiLHeathenMMA/status/909906244386791424

Justin Golightly - September 19, 2017

From time to time, the UFC sends out surveys to their athletes to get their opinion on certain things that the organization may have in the pipeline. An interesting question just caught UFC fighter Sean Strickland’s attention. A photo from Strickland’s Twitter account was posted, saying that USADA is considering a new tracking app that would allow them to always know an athlete’s location.

Justin Golightly - September 19, 2017

There has been an endless stream of trash talk since Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee were booked to fight. Actually, it was even before that when the war of words started. After his quick win over Michael Chiesa, Lee already started digging into Ferguson in their post-fight interview live on the air. As wild as the verbal battle has been, the physical fight between the two is sure to be even better… and very violent. “I’mma’ beat the f-ck outta’ Tony [Ferguson]. I’ll beat him. I’mma’ beat the f-ck outta’ Tony . Tony can take a shot, I like to give shots, I’mma’ beat the f-ck outta’ Tony. I’mma’ beat the hell out of him. I’m going to I beat him from pillar to post. Y’all just wait, the folks don’t really know. I’mma’ beat the f-ck outta’ Tony.”

Russell Ess - September 19, 2017

You often hear in the sport of mixed martial arts that fighters experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In most cases, it isn’t just the fighters competing in the bout that experience the rollercoaster of emotions but their team is also on the ride with them. Coaches and training partners who spend their time and efforts preparing for a fight also experience the joy of winning and sorrow of losing.

Tom Taylor - September 19, 2017

This weekend, the UFC will return to the MMA mecca of Japan with UFC Fight Night 117. Originally, the card was expected to be headlined by a light heavyweight rematch between PRIDE legend and former UFC light heavyweight king Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and his former foil Ovince Saint Preux. Unfortunately, the injury bug enjoyed its latest feast at the expense of this main event, and Shogun was forced to bow out with a damaged knee. Shogun’s replacement for this fight was a downright shocker.

Justin Golightly - September 19, 2017

For 11 years, Michael Bisping has Left Hook Larry-ed himself up to the tallest heights of the UFC ladder. He’s earned the UFC middleweight title, avenged two of his worst losses in the process, got a pretty cushy desk job, and even some movie gigs. At the age of 38 and the verge of what could be his biggest fight of his career, Bisping is thinking that it may be time to hang it up while he’s on top. If he can beat the legend Georges St-Pierre at UFC 217, it’d be a helluva way to go out. “It’s Georges St-Pierre. Everybody knows who Georges St-Pierre is. There’s not many people who have crossed over from the MMA fanbase into the mainstream, and Georges, I’d say he’s there. Maybe not as much as, say, a Conor [McGregor] or a Ronda [Rousey], but he’s not far behind, so it’s a big fight. And Georges brings a lot to the table. He’s a tough challenge, and as a said, it’s a big fight. I think this is going to be the biggest MMA fight of the year. […] I think the career I’ve had, the years I’ve been in the UFC, the injuries I’ve had, the ups and downs, getting close to title fights and all of this, there’s a possibility — this might be my last ever fight. I don’t know if I’ll fight again after this. So, what a way to go out if it is.”

Tom Taylor - September 19, 2017

UFC women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino is currently training at Phuket Top Team in beautiful Phuket, Thailand. If the video she uploaded to YouTube earlier today is any indication, she is absolutely killing it in the gym – and all of her prospective opponents should be worried. In this video, fans can watch Cyborg literally chase her pad-holder around the facility, smashing him with punches, knees, kicks and elbows as she does. Watch it above! Though nothing is official just yet, Cyborg has been angling hard for a fight with former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm – ideally at UFC 219 this December.

Justin Golightly - September 19, 2017

Over the years, Max Holloway has fought tooth and nail to prove he’s the best 145-er in the world. After losing to Conor McGregor, he’s gone on an obscene 11-fight win streak over everyone the UFC threw at him. His righteous onslaught culminated with finishing Jose Aldo at UFC 212, unifying the featherweight titles and breaking records in the process. At this point, there’s basically only one contender left that Holloway hasn’t fought yet. This is where Frankie Edgar comes in. …At least, that’s what Holloway hopes. “Everyone knows I’ll fight anyone, anywhere, any time. I’ve got a belt to defend. Right now if it’s defending the throne, it’s looking like Frankie [Edgar]. You can’t deny it. The guy’s a legend of the sport, multiple time champ and I can’t wait to get another one on my resume. If Frankie’s the next man up, so be it. I’ve been trying to get this fight forever. I always wanted to fight Frankie, I always wanted to challenge myself. I know he’s a tough competitor but at the end of the day he’s going to have to face me so I’m excited.”

Tom Taylor - September 19, 2017

BJJ whiz Mackenzie Dern is now ready to take the next steps of her MMA career. According to a report from MMAJunkie.com, which was confirmed by Dern herself on Instagram, this next step will occur at LFA 24 on October 13 inside Comerica Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. Dern’s opponent will be Mandy Polk. https://www.instagram.com/p/BZOG89lFBAp

Tom Taylor - September 19, 2017

John Lineker, one of the UFC bantamweight division’s most exciting contenders, is now scheduled for a return to the cage. According to a report from Combate, which was subsequently confirmed by MMAFighting.com, Lineker will make his return at UFC Fight Night 119 this October 28 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His opponent will be Ecuador’s Marlon “Chito” Vera. This will be Lineker’s first fight in nearly a year, as his last steps into the cage occurred in December of 2016, when he came up short in a bantamweight scrap with former champion  TJ Dillashaw. This loss to Dillashaw was preceded by four-straight wins in the bantamweight division, as he submitted Francisco Rivera, defeated Rob Font by decision, knocked out Michael MacDonald, and defeated John Dodson by decision. The Brazilian bantamweight knockout artist is 29-8 overall.

Tom Taylor - September 19, 2017

Daniel Cormier was not happy when he was knocked out by Jon Jones at UFC 214. This was immediately clear, as he shed tears in his ill-advised post-fight interview with Octagon commentator Joe Rogan. While sadness and disappointment were the first emotions to course through Cormier’s body after this loss, these emotions eventually gave way to anger. Speaking on the latest edition of The MMA Hour, Cormier explained that his anger was so severe that he nearly threw his UFC titles in the garbage.

Tom Taylor - September 19, 2017

Luke Rockhold is one of the best middleweights on earth. Last Saturday, he reminded the world of this fact, returning from a hiatus of more than a year to stop David Branch with a swarm of second-round ground strikes. According to former fighter and current UFC on Fox analyst Kenny Florian, however, Rockhold needs to start being a little more careful. Speaking on his podcast with Jon Anik, Florian explained that the blueprint for beating Rockhold was set by Michael Bisping, who knocked him out in June of 2016. The analyst explained that Bisping exposed some flaws in Rockhold’s game that were still visible in his fight with Branch – flaws that could be exploited if he’s not careful.