MMA News

Natasha Hooper - July 6, 2020

Ben Askren has reacted to the news of his former opponent Jorge Masvidal’s upcoming fight against Kamaru Usman. On Sunday it was announced that the UFC welterweight champion Usman and the ‘BMF’ winner Masvidal will collide at Saturday’s UFC 251 event on Dana White’s Fight Island.

Christopher Taylor - July 5, 2020

Gilbert Burns has fired back at Nate Diaz after the ‘Stockton Slugger’ suggested that fans now have a “real fight” in Jorge Masvidal vs. Kamaru Usman. Diaz was highly critical of Burns receiving a title shot before disaster struck the previously scheduled UFC 251 headliner.

Adam Martin - July 5, 2020

The UFC 251 main event between UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal is official after ‘Gamebred’ tested negative for COVID-19. The UFC made the official announcement at midnight on Monday morning on its Twitter.

Adam Martin - July 5, 2020

MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz reacted to the news of Jorge Masvidal replacing Gilbert Burns against Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC 251. Abdelaziz, one of MMA’s top managers, represents both Burns and Usman, so he had a vested interest in the fight. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Burns tested positive for COVID-19 and had to be pulled from the fight against Usman. Fortunately, the UFC was able to move quickly and come together to get a deal signed for Usman to fight Masvidal. The two are now set to headline the UFC’s debut card on Fight Island pending the test results of a coronavirus test for Masvidal in Las Vegas.

Adam Martin - July 5, 2020

Months after the original opening betting line was released, we have an update on the betting odds for Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal. After Usman defeated Colby Covington via fifth-round TKO in an all-out war at UFC 245, the oddsmakers released a line for Usman against Masvidal. The opening betting odds at the time saw Usman open as a -260 betting favorite, with Masvidal opening as a +200 underdog. Nearly seven months later and with the two finally set to settle their score at UFC 251, now the betting lines have shifted as the fight becomes closer and closer to finally becoming a reality on Fight Island.

Adam Martin - July 5, 2020

UFC superstar Jorge Masvidal has set a UFC record by acquiring the title shot at UFC 251 against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. With 48 pro MMA bouts during his 17-year MMA career, Masvidal has set the record for having the most total fights before getting a UFC title shot. When Masvidal fights Usman next Saturday at Fight Island, it will be the 49th time that he steps into the cage. It took him longer than anyone the sport has ever seen to get his shot at a UFC belt, and even though he’s fighting on super short notice, expect him to make the most of his chance.

Adam Martin - July 5, 2020

UFC president Dana White confirmed that the reported bout between UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and top contender Jorge Masvidal is a go. After testing positive for COVID-19, No. 1 contender Gilbert Burns was forced off of UFC 251 late Friday night, leaving Usman temporarily without an opponent. But the UFC was able to work quickly all weekend and in the end, the UFC was able to strike a deal between Usman and Masvidal to headline the UFC 251 card. The bout will take place next Saturday on Fight Island pending negative tests from the fighters and their teams for COVID-19.

Adam Martin - July 5, 2020

Top UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Moraes is targeting matchups against former champion Cody Garbrandt and Dominick Cruz for his next fight. Despite coming off of a split decision win over Jose Aldo in his last outing at UFC 245, Moraes is the odd man out in the UFC bantamweight division after the promotion decided to go with Aldo against Petr Yan for the vacant belt at UFC 251. Moraes was supposed to fight Yan at UFC Kazakhstan before the coronavirus pandemic forced the card to be canceled, which left him without an opponent after the UFC gave Yan the Aldo fight.

Adam D Martin - July 5, 2020

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns reacted after the news that Jorge Masvidal will step in to face Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 next Saturday night. Late Friday night, Burns was pulled from his scheduled bout against Usman on Fight Island after testing positive for COVID-19. Since news of Burns’ positive test broke, the UFC has been working hard to get a deal done between Usman and Masvidal. On Sunday, it was reported by numerous sources including BJPenn.com’s own Cole Shelton that the Usman vs. Masvidal fight is a done deal pending the results of their tests.

Adam D Martin - July 5, 2020

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker posted a photo of his face one week after his Fight of the Year war against Dustin Poirier, adding that he looks “good as new.” Hooker and Poirier threw down for 25 minutes of action at UFC on ESPN 12 last Saturday night in one of the best UFC fights of the year, if not all-time. Hooker and Poirier somehow managed to make it the full five rounds despite throwing everything including the kitchen sink at each other. Although both men survived without being finished, both men took a huge amount of damage in the fight, including Poirier showing off a swollen ankle and Hooker exhibiting numerous cuts on his face.

Adam D Martin - July 5, 2020

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and top contender Jorge Masvidal are en route to Las Vegas ahead of a potential showdown at Saturday’s UFC 251 event. After Gilbert Burns dropped out of the Usman fight late Friday night after testing positive for COVID-19, the UFC has been working fast behind the scenes to secure a replacement fight between Usman and Masvidal. Both men have tweeted that they have agreed to the fight and now it comes down to the UFC getting the deal signed and having both men test negative for the coronavirus so they can fly to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

Adam D Martin - July 5, 2020

UFC bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley is starting his own apparel line after “getting sh*t” from the oft-criticized UFC-Reebok deal. The UFC and Reebok agreed to a six-year, $70 million deal in 2014 to become the promotion’s official clothing sponsor until 2020. However, the deal has been harshly criticized by fans, fighters and media since then, with many accusing the UFC of not dishing out enough of the money to the fighters. The fighters are not able to have individual sponsorships in the cage and during fight week due to the Reebok deal, which further hurts their wallets in a deal that greatly favored the UFC over the athletes.

Adam D Martin - July 5, 2020

UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski is not buying Max Holloway’s claim that he has been training alone in preparation for their fight at UFC 251. Volkanovski meets Holloway in a rematch next Saturday at UFC 251 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. The two met last December at UFC 245 in Las Vegas, where Volkanovski pulled off a stunning upset, defeating Holloway via unanimous decision and taking home the UFC featherweight crown. Despite Volkanovski clearly winning the fight, the UFC decided to give Holloway an immediate rematch and the two will once again lock horns when they square off in the Octagon next weekend at UFC 251.

Adam D Martin - July 5, 2020

UFC superstar Conor McGregor, who recently retired from MMA, is back in the news again and this time it’s because he called out WWE chairman Vince McMahon. McGregor knocked out Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 back in January and was expected to be next in line to fight for the UFC lightweight title, but numerous factors went against that from happening. The coronavirus pandemic meant that UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov couldn’t fight Tony Ferguson, and Ferguson instead went on to fight and lose to new interim champ Justin Gaethje at UFC 249. The UFC is now planning on Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje to unify the lightweight belts at UFC 253 in September.

Adam D Martin - July 5, 2020

UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal has been training recently, so he should be in shape in case he fights Kamaru Usman on short notice at UFC 251. Usman was set to fight Gilbert Burns at UFC 251, which takes place in just six days from now at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, but late on Friday night it was revealed that Burns tested positive for COVID-19 and he had to be removed from the card. That left Usman without an opponent and put the wheels into motion for Masvidal to jump in on short notice and take on Usman next weekend at Fight Island.

Christopher Taylor - July 4, 2020

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will still be competing at next weekend’s UFC 251 event after Jorge Masvidal has agreed to step up on short notice. Yesterday evening unfortunate news broke that Usman’s slated UFC 251 opponent Gilbert Burns had contracted the Coronavirus and was thus forced out of next weekend’s event headliner.

Christopher Taylor - July 4, 2020

It appears that BMF title holder Jorge Masvidal will challenge Kamaru Usman for the promotions welterweight championship after all. Earlier this year it was reported that the UFC was looking to book ‘Gamebred’ against ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ at a July pay-per-view event. However, negotiations between Masvidal and the UFC stalled, so the promotion turned to streaking contender Gilbert Burns.

Chris Taylor - July 4, 2020

UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones was among a group of people who helped save a man’s life on Independence Day. The long time UFC champion, Jones (26-1 MMA), assisted in reviving a severely dehydrated individual they found in a field on the July 4th holiday.