MMA News
Miesha Tate weighs in on Germaine de-Randamie-Cris Cyborg controversy
bjpenndotcom - July 4, 2017
Germaine de Randamie may no longer be the UFC women’s featherweight champion, however her feud with the UFC is still an extremely controversial one. After winning the belt earlier this year, it appeared as though the stars had aligned for Germaine de Randamie to defend her title against Cris Cyborg. De Randamie refused to fight Cyborg, explaining that the former Invicta FC champ is a “proven cheater” in regards to her drug testing history. While Cyborg’s team, and many others, held out hope for a GDR-Cyborg fight, de-Randamie was ultimately stripped of the title by the UFC, and Cris Cyborg was booked to fight Megan Anderson.
UFC was targeting Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva 3 in Brazil
bjpenndotcom - July 4, 2017
Nearly four years after their first encounter in the Octagon at UFC 162 in 2013, The UFC was looking to cash in on the possibility of a Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva trilogy fight in Brazil. When the two met four years ago on July 6th, Wediman was an undefeated contender with a 9-0 professional MMA record, with five of those wins coming in the UFC. In just the second round, Chris Weidman shocked the world as he picked up a 2nd round KO win to claim the middleweight championship. Five months later, a rematch saw Silva’s leg snap in a moment of horror, as Weidman retained his title.
Michael Bisping still wants GSP, but he's starting to lose patience
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2017
This weekend, in the co-main event of UFC 213, streaking middleweight contenders Yoel Romero and Robert Whittaker will collide for the interim UFC middleweight title, as the undisputed champ Michael Bisping is currently on the injury list with some knee troubles. There is no guarantee, however, that the winner of this interim title fight fights Bisping next, as Bisping is still keen on a much-discussed fight with former welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. “I was supposed to fight GSP. Why wouldn’t I want to fight him? Of course, that would be big business,” Bisping said on the latest episode of The MMA Hour (h/t MMAFighting.com). “He’s a guy that will be regarded as a welterweight legend forever. I would love that fight for my legacy. We’ve been over this a million times.”
Friday's TUF 25 finale gets last-minute reshuffle
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2017
Though it is just days away, Friday’s Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale has received a last minute reshuffle, as French Canadian brawler Steve Bosse has been forced out of his anticipated light heavyweight scrap with Jared Cannonier. This news was first reported by Shawn Bitter on Twitter. The cause of Steve Bosse’s withdrawal is not currently known.
Former WSOF champ Justin Gaethje explains why he picked the UFC over Bellator
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2017
This Friday, in the main event of the Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale, former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin Gaethje will make his anticipated debut in the UFC’s Octagon. The undefeated debutant will do so against the UFC’s sixth-ranked lightweight contender, Michael Johnson. If things had unfolded just a little bit differently, of course, Gaethje could have gone the way of other free agents like Rory MacDonald, Ryan Bader and Roy Nelson, and signed with the ever-growing Bellator MMA.
Chris Weidman gives first-hand account of Cris Cyborg-Angela Magana incident
Tom Taylor - July 4, 2017
Perhaps the biggest story to emerge from this years UFC athletes retreat stemmed from a heated blowout between UFC featherweight star Cris “Cyborg” Justino and UFC strawweight Angela Magana. This confrontation was sparked by some nasty comments Magana made about Cyborg online, and culminated with Cyborg blasting Magana with a punch. Since then, we’ve heard many witnesses give their take on what happened. The latest to do so was former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who painted perhaps the best picture yet on the latest edition of The MMA Hour.
Edson Barboza does not understand why the UFC does not strip belt from Conor McGregor
Russell Ess - July 3, 2017
The #4 UFC ranked lightweight Edson Barboza is simply baffled that Conor McGregor is still the UFC lightweight champion. With McGregor set to fight Floyd Mayweather in a big money boxing fight on August 26, Barboza and the rest of the lightweight division contenders looking for a shot at the belt are stuck waiting around for McGregor to return to the Octagon.
VIDEO | UFC 213 Countdown: Full Episode
Russell Ess - July 3, 2017
UFC 213 takes place this Saturday on July 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event of the evening, UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes takes on Valentina Shevchenko in a rematch. However, this time their fight will be for Nunes’ championship belt as she looks to defend her title for the second time. Nunes and Shevchenko fought at UFC 196 back in March of last year where Nunes walked away with a unanimous decision win. Fans are curious to see how the five-round title fight goes as Nunes won rounds one and two in their first fight. However, Shevchenko turned it on towards the end of the fight in round three so it will be interesting to see how things go with five rounds on Saturday night.
VIDEO | Felice Herrig explains why poop did not faze her in the Octagon
Russell Ess - July 3, 2017
on #TheMMAHour, Felice Herrig addresses Kish's "accident" during their bout — watch the show live now: https://t.co/kkn0OSHyW3 pic.twitter.com/YAAxGfoI3n — MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) July 3, 2017
Daniel Cormier won't be confident Jon Jones rematch will happen until they're Octagon
Tom Taylor - July 3, 2017
On August 29, in the main event of UFC 214, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will attempt to defend his title against former champion Jon Jones: his fiercest rival and the only man he’s lost to. On Monday’s edition of the MMA Hour, Cormier recounted the trouble he had getting this rematch booked, but why it was such an important rematch to make happen.
Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin says he'd come back for the right fight
Tom Taylor - July 3, 2017
Over the last few years, we’ve seen a long list of MMA legends return to the cage with varying results. We’ve seen comebacks from Tito Ortiz, Fedor Emelianenko, Wanderlei Silva, Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, and of course, our own BJ Penn. We’ve also heard legends like Chuck Liddell and Matt Hughes hint at comebacks. On a recent episode of MMAJunkie Radio, former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin and current One Championship Vice President Rich Franklin weighed in on the possibility of his own return to the cage. While Franklin acknowledged such a thing is possible, he assured it would take a special kind of fight to get him excited enough to make a comeback.
Tony Ferguson hopes to battle Khabib Nurmagomedov in the fall
Tom Taylor - July 3, 2017
Originally, Tony Ferguson was expected to battle Khabib Nurmagomedov for the interim lightweight title at UFC 209. When Nurmagomedov was hospitalized after a tough weight cut, however, the fighters were deprived of the chance to settle their score. While Nurmagomedov’s weight troubles have only helped to solidify Ferguson’s claim to the lightweight number-one-contender spot, Ferguson still plans to fight his rival in the near future.
A fan has offered Justine Kish an outrageous sum of money for her soiled fight shorts
Tom Taylor - July 3, 2017
It’s unfortunate, but it is arguable that the biggest story to emerge from the UFC’s recent stop in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma surrounds the mid-fight accident Justine Kish experienced in the middle of her fight with Felice Herrig, which she ultimately lost by decision. This incident has generated countless headlines, not just on combat sports publications, but far further afield on the online media landscape. Today, the trend continues, as Kish recently told Submission Radio that a fan offered to pay her the win bonus she lost in defeat for the shorts she soiled in the fight. Apparently, this fan was hoping to add her shorts to his man cave.
VIDEO | Ahead of UFC 213, watch Yoel Romero's knockout-filled highlight reel
Tom Taylor - July 3, 2017
This Saturday, in the co-main event of UFC 213, Cuba’s Yoel Romero will collide with Kiwi contender Robert Whittaker for the UFC interim middleweight title. Romero, who is a former Olympic wrestler, will enter this fight on a wild, eight-fight win-streak.
Alistair Overeem knocks Fedor Emelianenko's legacy: he fought cans
Tom Taylor - July 3, 2017
In late June, in the co-main event of Bellator NYC, Russian heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko had his lights shut off by UFC veteran Matt Mitrione. This loss marked the latest hiccup in Emelianenko’s clear decline, and in the opinion of Alistair Overeem, a heavyweight legend of the same vintage as Emelianenko, a signal that it might be time to hang up the gloves. Overeem broke it down in an interview with Fight Hub TV (via MMAFighting.com).
Report: Gilbert Melendez heading to featherweight at UFC 215
Tom Taylor - July 3, 2017
This September 9, when the UFC debuts in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with UFC 215, former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez will reportedly look for a fresh start in the featherweight division. His opponent for this featherweight debut will be hard-hitting veteran Jeremy Stephens. This bout was first reported by Damon Martin.
UFC matchmaker explains why Anthony Pettis asked to fight Jim Miller
Tom Taylor - July 2, 2017
This Saturday, on the main card of UFC 213, former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will look to correct one of the toughest slumps of his career opposite lightweight veteran Jim Miller. While Miller represents a small step down in competition for the struggling Pettis – who has recently battled a procession of top-10 foes in Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, Edson Barboza, Eddie Alvarez and Rafael Dos Anjos – this is apparently a fight Pettis asked for specifically.
Justine Kish to receive bonus after accident in Felice Herrig fight
Tom Taylor - July 2, 2017
Late last month, on the main card of the UFC’s exciting visit to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Russian-American strawweight Justine Kish stepped into the cage with the amply more experienced Felice Herrig. In the end, Kish would lose this fight by unanimous decision, as she was soundly out grappled for three rounds. Unfortunately, Herrig’s impressive performance will not be the reason this fight is remembered. Instead, the fight will be remembered for the unfortunate mid-fight accident that Kish endured in it.