MMA News
Daniel Cormier says Amanda Nunes' only threat is Valentina Shevchenko
Fernando Quiles - June 9, 2020
Daniel Cormier believes that Valentina Shevchenko is the only legitimate threat to Amanda Nunes. Nunes successfully retained her UFC women’s featherweight championship this past Saturday night (June 6). She turned in a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Felicia Spencer. This was Nunes’ first successful 145-pound title defense.
Leon Edwards was considered for title shot against Kamaru Usman before Gilbert Burns
Adam Martin - June 9, 2020
The UFC reportedly called Leon Edwards up to see if he would fight UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman before giving the shot to Gilbert Burns. Jorge Masvidal was widely expected to be next in line to fight Usman for the belt but he is currently involved in a public contract dispute with the UFC. Masvidal believes he should get a new contract to fight for the belt but the UFC is not budging on it. When the UFC couldn’t come to terms with Masvidal, they reached out to Burns instead and offered him the title shot at UFC 251. But according to a new report, the UFC called Edwards first.
Nate Diaz trashes Usman vs. Burns booking: "This isn’t a title fight"
Tom Taylor - June 9, 2020
UFC welterweight contender Nate Diaz isn’t a fan of the newly announced welterweight title fight between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. Diaz’s gripes with the matchup seem to stem from the fact that Burns, who now holds the No. 1 spot in the UFC rankings, was only given the opportunity to fight Usman for the title when Jorge Masvial began butting heads with the promotion.
Dana White fires back at Conor McGregor, accuses him of turning down short-notice fight
Tom Taylor - June 9, 2020
UFC President Dana White has sent some return fire in the direction of newly retired two-division champion Conor McGregor. McGregor surprised fight fans the world over when he announced his retirement last Saturday night. Shortly after announcing his retirement on social media, he gave a few quotes to ESPN, explaining that he simply doesn’t see any reason to continue fighting right now, as there are no opportunities that excite him.
Report | Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje in the works for UFC 253
Tom Taylor - June 9, 2020
According to a report from Marcelo Barone and Raphael Marinho of Combate, a lightweight title fight between undisputed champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champion Justin Gaethje is in the works for UFC 253 on September 19. Ultimate negocia Khabib Nurmadomedov x Justin Gaethje para o UFC 253,19 de setembro – Mais uma em parceria com o @marbarone https://t.co/YV2eAt4NyB
Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier trilogy fight official for August 15
Tom Taylor - June 9, 2020
A heavyweight title rematch between champion Stipe Miocic and challenger Daniel Cormier is official for August 15, per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. Given that both men are American, we can expect this fight to occur on US soil, rather than on the UFC’s much discussed Fight Island.
Dana White confirms location of UFC Fight Island, drops dates for first four cards
Tom Taylor - June 9, 2020
It’s official. As the rumors have suggested for weeks, Dana White’s much-discussed UFC Fight Island is none other than Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Speaking on social media on Tuesday, White confirmed the setting of Fight Island. He also dropped the dates of the first four events to go down on Fight Island: July 11, 15, 18 and 25.
Dana White says UFC is interested in Kayla Harrison
Adam Martin - June 9, 2020
UFC president Dana White says the world’s top MMA organization is interested in signing PFL women’s lightweight champion Kayla Harrison. The UFC is always looking for new challengers for women’s double champion Amanda Nunes. After she just beat down Felicia Spencer for five rounds in the main event of UFC 250, it’s becoming harder to envision anyone on the UFC roster finding a way to beat her. It’s possible that the person who gives Nunes the best fight is someone who isn’t even in the UFC right now. Cue Harrison.
UFC 250 fighter salaries revealed: Alex Caceres nets 116k for victory over Chase Hooper
Harry Kettle - June 9, 2020
The fighter salaries for all competitors on the UFC 250 card have been revealed, from the main event to Alex Caceres‘ big win and beyond. UFC 250 is officially in the books, and when the dust had settled, many fans agreed that this was a pretty successful event for the Ultimate Fighting Championship – with some suggesting it was the best slate of fights since the pandemic began.
UFC 250 medical suspensions: Nunes, Spencer facing six-month sits
Tom Taylor - June 9, 2020
The medical suspensions for UFC 250 are in, and as is usually the case for a card with so much action, many fighters are facing long sits. Felicia Spencer, who was brutalized by UFC featherweight champ Amanda Nunes in the card’s main event, is facing six months out. Nunes, despite the lopsided nature of her win, is facing a similar layoff—though she intends to take some time off anyway.
Daniel Cormier says the UFC must find a way to “make it work” with Conor McGregor
Harry Kettle - June 9, 2020
UFC star Daniel Cormier believes that the promotion needs to find a way to make it work with the now retired Conor McGregor. Cormier, who is rumored to be fighting Stipe Miocic later this year in the third fight of their heavyweight trilogy, has always been a big fan of McGregor’s work – although, as we all know, “DC” is also close friends with Conor’s biggest rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Top middleweight contender Paulo Costa takes aim at Jon Jones
Natasha Hooper - June 9, 2020
Jon Jones has found another adversary in the form of middleweight contender Paulo Costa. As of recent, Costa has been calling out UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. He called their rivalry much bigger than that of Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen, and is ready to erase him in a title fight. Adesanya responded by promising to ‘punish’ Costa in a matchup. The middleweight champion also accused Costa of being a “juiced-up monkey.”
Alexander Volkanovski vs Max Holloway 2 slated for UFC 251, two other title fights targeted for event
Mike Pendleton - June 8, 2020
In his first title defense since winning the belt at UFC 245, Alexander Volkanovski will reportedly run it back with former champion Max Holloway. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was first to report that the fight is being targeted for UFC 251, although the contracts have not been signed yet. The fight was originally scheduled to take place this summer in Australia, but those plans were shut down to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
Daniel Cormier says he will corner Dana White in potential Dan Le Batard fight
Cole Shelton - June 8, 2020
Daniel Cormier is backing his boss, Dana White. Recently, UFC president Dana White and ESPN radio host Dan Le Batard have traded shots at one another over a potential charity boxing match. The UFC boss pledged $250 thousand for the fight and now Cormier is ready to train and corner him.
What's next for Amanda Nunes and Felicia Spencer after UFC 250?
Cole Shelton - June 8, 2020
In the main event of UFC 250, Amanda Nunes was looking to defend her featherweight title for the first time when she battled Felicia Spencer. It was the first time Nunes was going back up to 145-pounds since her upset win over Cris Cyborg at UFC 232. For Spencer, it was her first time fighting for UFC gold. this following a 2-1 record with the promotion.
Sean O'Malley claims he would KO Cody Garbrandt, but believes there's "no way" the former champ accepts the fight
Cole Shelton - June 8, 2020
Sean O’Malley is confident he would knockout Cody Garbrandt if they squared off in the Octagon. O’Malley and Garbrandt are both coming off stellar knockout wins at UFC 250. ‘Sugar’ tweeted “decent” following Garbrandt’s win, insinuating that he was not all that impressed by the KO.
Jiri Prochazka vs. Volkan Oezdemir added to July 11 card on Fight Island
Adam Martin - June 8, 2020
A light heavyweight bout between former RIZIN champion Jiri Prochazka and top contender Volkan Oezdemir has been added to the July 11 card on Fight Island. As previously reported, the UFC has been targeting a fight between Prochazka and Oezdemir for several months now, but the coronavirus pandemic got in the way. With both men being international fighters, it was difficult for the UFC to book them to fight in the United States. But now, with Fight Island set to open in the next few weeks in Abu Dhabi, the UFC is able to now freely match up its international talent, and that includes these two.
Dana White uninterested in Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko 3, but likes Shevchenko vs. Weili Zhang
Adam Martin - June 8, 2020
UFC president Dana White says he is uninterested in a trilogy fight between Amanda Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko but says he likes Shevchenko vs. Weili Zhang. Nunes defeated Felicia Spencer via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 250 this past weekend to improve her win streak to 11 straight fights. She is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in women’s MMA history and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Naturally, the question has to be asked what’s next for her given that she has dominated everyone who she has fought thus far.