MMA News

Russell Ess - April 19, 2017

Marijuana is becoming more and more accepted in the US as many states have legalized the use of medical marijuana. A few states have recently even legalized the use of recreational marijuana. Chances are you have seen some cases on the Internet where patients with certain conditions have had tremendous help with treatment from medical marijuana. However, UFC veteran Diego Sanchez said on this week’s episode of The MMA Hour (transcribed by Scott Harris for Bleacher Report) that after getting his medical marijuana license and experimenting with the treatment for a few months, he encountered a situation where he thought he could have died.

Russell Ess - April 19, 2017

UFC President Dana White said it himself, there is a ton of money to be made in the Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match. Even with the UFC lightweight champion not having a single professional boxing fight to his name going up against arguably one of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport, the masses will surely tune in, if the superfight takes place.

Tom Taylor - April 19, 2017

Back in November of 2015, Leo Kuntz touched down in his ancestral home of South Korea for a fight with South Korean star Tae Hyun Bang. The pair’s battle occurred on the undercard of UFC Fight Night 79. At a glance, the fight was pretty standard, as Bang emerged the victor with a hard-fought unanimous decision. While the fight itself was not especially memorable, however, it has earned a place in the MMA history books for a rather unfortunate reason. The bout marked the first verifiable case of fight-fixing in UFC history.

Russell Ess - April 19, 2017

Sorry Demetrious Johnson, but it looks like you have to get to the back of the Conor McGregor line.

Tom Taylor - April 19, 2017

Under normal circumstances, Jimi Manuwa’s back-to-back knockouts of Ovince St. Preux and Corey Anderson probably would have earned him a shot at Daniel Cormier’s UFC light heavyweight title. With the return of former champion Jon Jones towering on the horizon, however, the contendership picture at light heavyweight is far from normal. Earlier this week, UFC President Dana White confirmed to ESPN that, if the former champion Jones is ready to return in time for UFC 214 on July 29, he will be granted an immediate title shot against Cormier, who he defeated by decision back in January of 2014. The other possibility, of course, is that Jones – who has not fought in more than a year – isn’t ready in time for July 29. In this event, the next title shot will go to Manuwa, and Jones will be given a so-called tuneup fight (we explored that possibility here).

Tom Taylor - April 19, 2017

Earlier today, we learned of a nefarious fight-fixing scandal that occurred when the UFC touched down in Seoul, South Korea in late 2015. This scandal surrounded a lightweight bout between South Korea’s Tae Hyun Bang, and American Leo Kuntz. In advance of the fight, the betting odds made a drastic, unprecedented shift in Kuntz’s favor, which immediately reeked of a fix on the Bang-end of things. When Bang won the fight with a hard-fought split decision, however, there seemed to be far less reason to believe that any malpractice had actually occurred.

Tom Taylor - April 19, 2017

Riding high on an eight-fight win-streak, which includes triumphs over names like Derek Brunson, Brad Tavares, Tim Kennedy, Lyoto Machida, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Chris Weidman, Cuba’s Yoel Romero has done pretty much all he can possibly do to earn a shot a UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. The same can be said of 26-year-old Kiwi Robert Whittaker, who recently extended his middleweight record to a perfect 6-0 with a dominating TKO win over Jacare.

Tom Taylor - April 19, 2017

For many years, World Series of Fighting (WSOF), has stood out as arguably the third-biggest MMA promotion in the world, behind the UFC and Bellator. The promotion has been home to recognizable names like Justin Gaethje, Marlon Moraes, David Branch, Jon Fitch, Jake Shields, Rousimar Palhares, Thiago Silva, Matt Hamill, Vinny Magalhaes, Blagoy Ivanov, Josh Copeland, Shawn Jordan, Lance Palmer, Yushin Okami, and others. And now, it is is no more. In a development that has seemed likely for some time, the promotion has closed its doors. It will now operate under new ownership and under a new name: The Professional Fighters League (PFL). The Washington Post explains:

Tom Taylor - April 19, 2017

Back in November of 2015, Tae Hyun Bang stepped onto the canvas with Leo Kuntz. He did so on the undercard of a UFC Fight Night in Seoul, in his native South Korea. In the end, Bang and Kuntz’s fight went down as a fairly forgettable one, with Bang earning a close, split decision win. The final hours before this fight, however, stand out in the memory as some seriously suspect ones.

Tom Taylor - April 18, 2017

UFC 210 was steeped in controversy, as Pearl Gonzales was very nearly forced out of her fight with Cynthia Calvillo for having breast implants, and Daniel Cormier appeared to push down on his towel to make weight for his light heavyweight title fight with Anthony  “Rumble” Johnson. Of all the controversies attached to this card, however, none were quite as confusing as the one that occurred in the co-main event. In this co-main event, which pitted Gegard Mousasi against Chris Weidman, Mousasi seemed to land an illegal knee in the second round. The referee then paused the fight, while various doctors and other officials milled about the Octagon in confused chaos. For a moment, it looked as though the knees would be deemed illegal, which could have meant a Mousasi point deduction or even a Weidman disqualification win. In the end, however, a largely unknown policy called “referee polling” revealed that the knees were legal, which meant the dazed Weidman lost by TKO.

Tom Taylor - April 18, 2017

When UFC featherweight star Cris “Cyborg” Justino isn’t knocking heads in the hectic world of mixed martial arts, she likes to give back to the community. The latest example of the fearsome fighter’s philanthropic efforts occured on Tuesday morning in her native Brazil where she visited with a group of young cancer patients in the pediatric ward of the Erasto Gaertner Hospital

Tom Taylor - April 18, 2017

If you’ve had your finger on the pulse of the MMA world today, you’ve likely come across the rumors that featherweight destroyer Cris “Cyborg” Justino would be getting her long-awaited title shot against reigning champion Germaine de Randamie at UFC 214 this July 29, in Anaheim, California. While Cyborg has made no secret of the fact that this is the fight she wants – and the location she wants it to occur in – these rumors are a bit premature.

Russell Ess - April 18, 2017

UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier surely wants his chance to get another shot at Jon Jones in the Octagon, especially when many believe Jones is still the best fighter in the division. #1 ranked UFC light heavyweight Alexander Gustafsson is one of those that have voiced that Jones is still the most superior fighter in their division. Speaking with Champions, “The Mauler” has his priorities on beating Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 109 on May 28 but is definitely aware of what’s going on in the division.

Russell Ess - April 18, 2017

Cris Cyborg is without a doubt one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts and her contract with the UFC is literally counting down. According to a report by Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, multiple sources have said that Cyborg has just two fights left on her UFC contract. What makes things even more interesting is that there is a special clause in her current deal that that ends her contract with the UFC in October 2017 regardless of how many fights are left on her contract.

Russell Ess - April 18, 2017

Many fans are hoping to see a superfight between UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt for Johnson’s chance to make history by beating Anderson Silva’s title defense record. With Johnson getting his hand raised in his 10th title defense against Wilson Reis at UFC on FOX 24 over the weekend, “Mighty Mouse” tied Silva’s record for the most consecutive title defenses in UFC history.

Tom Taylor - April 18, 2017

Last night, UFC President Dana White announced on ESPN that, if former UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones is ready in time for UFC 214, which is scheduled for July 29, he will fight reigning champion Daniel Cormier for the title on the card. Shortly thereafter, White elaborated that, if Jones feels he won’t be ready for a title fight on July 29 – because he’s been sidelined for so long – Cormier will then make his next title defense against streaking British striker Jimi Manuwa. Given Jones’ heated rivalry with Cormier, it’s very hard to imagine him openly admitting that he feels too rusty for an immediate title shot, and that he’d like a tune-up fight instead. Indeed, all signs point to his accepting this title shot against Cormier.

Tom Taylor - April 18, 2017

This morning, the folks over at FloCombat.com reported that Canadian middleweight Elias Theodorou would be taking on Hawaii’s Brad Tavares at The Ultimate Fighter 25 finale this July 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada. BJPenn.com has now confirmed that this fight is happening with Theodorou himself, who says he is “ready to kick some ass” in Sin City. Theodorou, who won The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia, is currently on a two-fight winning streak, having recently defeated Sam Alvey and Cesar “Mutante” Ferreira, both by decision. These wins separated Theodorou from the lone loss of his professional career, a December 2015 setback against venomous striker Thiago Santos. Prior to this loss to Santos, Theodorou went 3-0 in his first three bouts in the Octagon, sandwiching a decision defeat of Bruno Santos between TKO defeats of Sheldon Wetscott and Roger Narvaez. The Canadian, who recently made headlines for his sponsorship deal with Pert shampoo, is 13-1 in sum.

Tom Taylor - April 18, 2017

Earlier this year, former UFC welterweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos announced his intention to move up to the welterweight division, citing a tiresome cut to the lightweight division’s 155-pound cap as the reason for the move. After being called out by several dangerous welterweights – such as the rising Colby Covington – Dos Anjos was ultimately pencilled in for a welterweight debut opposite former Strikeforce welterweight champ Tarec Saffiedine. The pair will battle on June 17 in Singapore, not far from Evolve MMA were Dos Anjos has done much of his recent training. In advance of this anticipated showdown, Dos Anjos spoke with MMAFighting.com to discuss the fight itself and his future in the division: