MMA News

Tom Taylor - August 7, 2017

Late last month, in the main event of UFC 214, UFC light heavyweight great and pound-for-pound mainstay Jon Jones returned to the cage after more than a year on the shelf. He did so against reigning light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier, and despite his layoff, won the fight by knockout in the third round to reclaim the UFC light heavyweight crown. Post-fight, Jones re-upped on his recent calls for a fight with former UFC heavyweight king and long-time WWE superstar Brock Lesnar.

Tom Taylor - August 7, 2017

According to a report from Damon Martin of FloCombat.com, fan favorite UFC strawweight Paige VanZant (7-3) has been booked for a return to the Octagon. This return will occur at UFC 216, this October 6 in Las, Vegas, Nevada – it just won’t occur at strawweight. Instead, it’s expected to occur in the new UFC women’s flyweight division, where VanZant will battle bantamweight staple Jessica Eye (11-6). VanZant will enter this fight having recently been choked out by the ever-dangerous “Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson. Prior to this loss, VanZant picked up a 2016 knockout of the year contender, snuffing Bec Rawlings with a jumping switch kick. This win, meanwhile, was preceded by a bloody submission loss to top contender Rose Namajunas.

Tom Taylor - August 7, 2017

Paulie Malignaggi is no longer a part of UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor‘s training for undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather. The former two-division boxing champ made his exit feeling as though he’d been unfairly represented by McGregor and his team. Since his departure from Team McGregor, Malignaggi has repeatedly blasted the Irishman on social media. He’s also had plenty to say about McGregor during his media appearances.

Tom Taylor - August 7, 2017

Last month, in the main event of the UFC’s debut in Long Island, New York, New York’s own Chris Weidman picked up an impressive submission win over surging middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum. While Weidman managed to secure the win, however, he did not escape the fight unscathed. In the first round, the former champ was blasted by a crushing Gastelum punch – the impact of which happened to be brilliantly captured on camera by veteran combat sports photographer Esther Lin. Ever the good sport, Weidman shared this image of himself getting punched in the face on Twitter after the fight. And though he didn’t expect such a reaction, the image became something of a viral sensation.

Tom Taylor - August 7, 2017

In July, we learned that former two-division boxing champ Paulie Malignaggi would be helping UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor prepare for his blockbuster August 26 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. Unfortunately, things have soured since then, as Malignaggi has abandoned McGregor’s camp, as he feels he’s been portrayed poorly by McGregor and his team. And if you ask Jose Aldo – one of McGregor’s fiercest rivals from the MMA world– that’s no surprise. In Aldo’s opinion, McGregor is simply bad for the sport.

Chris Taylor - August 6, 2017

Undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather and current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor will square off in a super-fight on August 26 live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Floyd Mayweather will attempt to improve his boxing record to a perfect 50-0 by defeating the UFC’s most popular champion Conor McGregor inside the squared circle.

Chris Taylor - August 6, 2017

Former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson (22-9 MMA) has gone 2-1 since joining Scott Coker and Bellator MMA in August of 2015. The American Kickboxing Academy staple scored a third-round submission finish (arm-triangle choke) over Mike Bronzoulis in his Bellator debut in September of 2015.

Chris Taylor - August 6, 2017

The octagon returned to Mexico City last night for UFC Fight Night 114. The twelve-bout fight card produced in a big way with some memorable fights and a ton of fantastic finishes.

Chris Taylor - August 6, 2017

At 38-years-old, former Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson (22-9 MMA) remains one of the very best 155-pound fighters in the sport of mixed martial arts. The product of American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) was most recently seen in action this past February in San Jose, where he had his two-fight win streak snapped by Patricky Freire via a controversial second-round knockout.

Chris Taylor - August 6, 2017

UFC welterweight Colby Covington is a rising star in the UFC’s stacked welterweight division. “Chaos” has won four fights in a row, his latest being a lopsided decision victory over highly regarded Korean fighter Dong Hyun Kim.

Chris Taylor - August 6, 2017

UFC middleweight standout “Smiling” Sam Alvey picked up this biggest win of his mixed martial arts career at last night’s UFC Fight Night 114 event in Mexico City, defeating former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans via split-decision. Following his victory over “Suga”, Alvey proceeded to callout another former UFC champion in Vitor Belfort.

Tom Taylor - August 6, 2017

Last night, in the co-main event of the UFC’s latest trip to Mexico City, Mexico, Randa Markos attempted to build on the momentum of a career-best defeat of former strawweight champion Carla Esparza with a win over highly regarded Mexican prospect Alexa Grasso. Though Markos was forced to take Grasso on in her home country, at altitude, and at a 119-pound catchweight due to Grasso’s weigh-in miss, she performed very well, giving her young foe plenty of problems. Unfortunately for the Canadian and her team, Grasso was ultimately awarded a split decision win. Needless to say, things didn’t go the way Markos planned. And while she seems to understand the fight was close, she feels she should have received the nod. The frustrated Canadian gave her assessment of the fight on Twitter, and also explained that she feels she deserved Fight of the Night honors – even if Grasso was ineligible due to her weigh-in miss.

Tom Taylor - August 6, 2017

Last month, former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis returned to the division he once ruled after a short stint at featherweight. His opponent in this return was ever-exciting veteran Jim Miller. Pettis looked great in his lightweight return, out-duelling Miller to a sound unanimous decision win. Now, he’s keen to step back into the cage and take another step in the direction of the title. During the broadcast of last night’s UFC Fight Night 114, Pettis revealed that he has an opponent in mind for his second fight back in the lightweight division. That opponent is all-action contender Dustin Poirier.

Tom Taylor - August 6, 2017

News that former two-division boxing champ Paulie Malignaggi would be helping UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor prepare for his August 26 boxing match with Floyd Mayweather was met with widespread intrigue and excitement. Unfortunately, things have taken a nasty turn since the pair’s latest sparring session, as Malignaggi has taken issue with the way he’s been portrayed by McGregor and his team. This tiff ultimately resulted in Malignaggi’s permanent departure from McGregor’s camp. pic.twitter.com/DTJ0MQMSlv

Tom Taylor - August 6, 2017

Last night, the UFC returned to sun-soaked Mexico City, Mexico with an exciting night of fights. While the main card was of course the focal point of the event, the undercard produced plenty of excitement too. One of the more exciting moments of this undercard occurred in an interesting flyweight bout between Dustin Ortiz and Hector Sandoval. Though Ortiz is known for his wrestling, he showed off some crackling hands in this fight, rocking an over-aggressive Sandoval with a counter, and polishing him off mere seconds later. Just 15 seconds into the fight, Ortiz was being pulled off his foe by the referee. Just like that, he’d authored the fastest finish in UFC flyweight history.

Tom Taylor - August 6, 2017

Last night, during the broadcast of the UFC’s latest trip to Mexico City, Mexico, the UFC announced the cast for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (season 26). Like the Ultimate Fighter season 20, which saw contenders battle to become the first-ever women’s strawweight champ, this season will see competitors vie for the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight title. The list of competitors for this latest season of the Ultimate Fighter includes several names that many fans will be familiar with, such as Barb Honchak, Roxanne Modafferi, and Lauren Murphy.

Tom Taylor - August 6, 2017

Last night, the UFC touched down in Mexico City, Mexico. This time, the card was headlined by a compelling clash of flyweight contenders, as Sergio Pettis took on Mexico’s own Brandon Moreno. Though Moreno started strong, Pettis bounced back in a big way, regaining control of the fight in the second to batter Moreno on the feet, ultimately capturing a unanimous decision win as a result. Here’s how the pros reacted to Sergio Pettis’ big win!

Chris Taylor - August 5, 2017

A key flyweight scrap between Sergio Pettis and Brandon Moreno served as the headlining bout of tonight’s UFC Fight Night 114 event in Mexico City. Round one begins and Moreno misses with an attempted low kick to start. He fires off another that lands. Moreno catches a Pettis low kick and uses that to score an early takedown. Moreno working from full guard here. Pettis traps an arm. Moreno pulls it free. Pettis scrambles but gives up his back. Moreno takes the back and locks in a body triangle. Brandon is looking for a rear-naked choke now. He switches to some punches and then resorts back to working for the submission. Pettis is able to avoid the choke. Moreno switches to punches. Pettis attempts to scramble but Brandon stays on his back. Brandon is working some strikes from the back. Ten seconds remain. The horn sounds to end round one.