MMA News
Ben Askren shares theory on why Arianny Celeste hasn't been working recent UFC events
Chris Taylor - May 20, 2020
Former Bellator and ONE champion Ben Askren recently shared his theory on why fight fans have not seen Arianny Celeste working recent UFC events. The longtime Octagon girl, Celeste, was absent from all three of the promotions recent events in Jacksonville, Florida.
Neil Magny vs. Anthony Rocco Martin added to UFC 250
Adam Martin - May 20, 2020
An intriguing welterweight matchup between Neil Magny and Anthony Rocco Martin is the latest addition to the UFC 250 pay-per-view event in June. UFC president Dana White is hoping for the promotion’s next PPV card to take place on June 6 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card is set to feature UFC women’s featherweight champion Amanda Nunes against Felicia Spencer, plus a rumored bantamweight bout between Aljamain Sterling and Cory Sandhagen. Magny vs. Martin will likely slot in somewhere on the preliminary card of the evening.
Josh Emmett vs. Shane Burgos among new fights targeted for June UFC events
Adam Martin - May 20, 2020
A featherweight bout between Josh Emmett and Shane Burgos is among the new matchups the UFC is hoping to book for June fight cards. With the UFC schedule ramping back up, the matchmakers have been busy trying to get contracts signed for the promotion’s upcoming events in late May and in June. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported on Wednesday that a number of fights are in the works for the events in June, and Emmett vs. Burgos is arguably the best of the bunch.
Report: Marvin Vettori vs Karl Roberson rescheduled for June 13
Alfredo Zullino - May 20, 2020
He asked for it, and he got it. A middleweight bout between Marvin Vettori and Karl Roberson has been rebooked for next month. The “Italian Dream” was supposed to square off against Karl Roberson on May 13, but the latter had been forced off the fight card due to some weight-cut related issues.
Francis Ngannou wishes Jairzinho Rozenstruik fight went longer so he could have showcased his ground game
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2020
Francis Ngannou didn’t expect to knock out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds at UFC 249 and is semi-disappointed that he did. Entering the fight, Ngannou was on a three-fight winning with all three wins coming by knockout in under two minutes. Against Rozenstruik, however, Ngannou wanted to show off his much-improved cardio and ground game to prove to people he was ready for a title shot.
UFC rankings update: Glover Teixeira climbs at light heavyweight
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
The official UFC rankings have been updated after the promotion’s recent events in Jacksonville, and there have been some interesting changes. Most notably, former light heavyweight title challenger Glover Teixeira made a climb up the light heavyweight list on the strength of his Wednesday night defeat of Anthony Smith.
May 30 UFC event to go down in Las Vegas, per Dana White
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
The UFC’s planned May 30 card finally has a home. As widely expected, the event will go down at the new UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. UFC President Dana White confirmed the card’s location in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Stephen Thompson makes prediction for Tyron Woodley vs. Gilbert Burns fight
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson believes Tyron Woodley will defeat Gilbert Burns when the pair collide on May 30. Woodley and Burns will meet in the main event of the May 30 card, which still doesn’t have an official location but is expected to go down in Las Vegas or somewhere in Arizona. Woodley, the former welterweight champ, will be looking to be rebound from a title loss to Kamaru Usman, while Burns will be hunting for the biggest win of his career so far.
Joe Rogan's deal with Spotify reportedly worth more than $100M
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Yesterday afternoon, news surfaced that the popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the creation of UFC commentator Joe Rogan, will be streaming exclusively on Spotify by year’s end. A followup report from the Wall Street Journal, which cites a source familiar with the situation, suggests the deal between Rogan and Spotify is worth more than $100M. The WSJ report adds that this is one of the biggest deals in history of the podcast business.
Following Maycee Barber mauling, Roxanne Modafferi has next UFC fight booked
Adam Martin - May 20, 2020
Following a dominant victory over Maycee Barber at UFC 246, Roxanne Modafferi has been booked for her next fight in the Octagon against Lauren Murphy. Mke Heck of MMAFighting.com reported that Modafferi vs. Murphy will take place at a UFC event scheduled for June 20. According to the report, the UFC hopes to have this event take place at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, but UFC president Dana White admitted this week that the state of Arizona is a realistic possibility if Vegas can’t happen.
Daniel Cormier suggests solution to get Stipe Miocic back to training for rematch
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Daniel Cormier is eager to close out his career with a tie-breaking trilogy fight with reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Unfortunately for Cormier, Miocic is in no rush when it comes to his next fight. The champ also works as a firefighter, and is busy with his duties as a first-responder during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. His gym is also closed, which means committing to a full fight camp is not currently possible.
UFC on ESPN 8 produces strong viewership ratings
Tom Taylor - May 20, 2020
Last Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 event in Jacksonville, Florida delivered strong viewership ratings for the promotion. According to a report from MMA Fighting, which cites data collected by the Nielsen Ratings System, the UFC on ESPN 8 main card averaged 1.198 million viewers and finished second in the valuable 18-49 demographic. It was No. 1 for the male audience in that age grouping.
Alistair Overeem calls for a rematch with “Bigi Boy” following TKO victory over Walt Harris
Harry Kettle - May 20, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem has called for a rematch with Jairzinho Rozenstruik following his TKO win over Walt Harris. The Dutchman was able to return to winning ways at the weekend with an emotional and impressive triumph over the aforementioned Harris, overcoming an early onslaught in the process.
Jon Jones plays Tweet and delete following latest jab at Francis Ngannou
Natasha Hooper - May 20, 2020
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is playing a Twitter post and delete game as he attempts to bait Francis Ngannou into a fight. Jon Jones’ reign as the 205-pound king has been put into question since his last fight against Dominick Reyes at UFC 247. Jones won the fight by decision, but many spectators felt “The Devastator” gave the stronger performance.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father placed in a medically-induced coma due to COVID-19
Natasha Hooper - May 20, 2020
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the father of UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, has been put into a medically induced coma in Moscow. The news was confirmed by the champion’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz through ESPN on Tuesday. Abdelaziz confirmed that Abdulmanap was transported from his home in Dagestan to Moscow by airlift earlier this month. Khabib also recently revealed that his father underwent heart surgery stemming from complications related to a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Walt Harris plans to take Alistair Overeem up on his offer to train together following TKO loss
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2020
Walt Harris says he will be taking Alistair Overeem up on his offer to train together following his TKO loss. In the main event of UFC on ESPN 8 in Jacksonville, Florida, Harris returned to the Octagon to battle Overeem. It was an important fight for the heavyweight division and early on, “The Big Ticket” dropped the 40-year-old and nearly finished him in the first round.
Francis Ngannou doesn't believe Jon Jones fight happens but confident he'd KO "Bones" if it does
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2020
Francis Ngannou doesn’t think Jon Jones truly wants to fight him. Ever since Ngannou knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 20 seconds at UFC 249, Jones has taken to social media to say he wants to fight Ngannou. He has hinted at a move to heavyweight for some time now, but the heavyweight contender is skeptical he actually means it.
Edson Barboza says if UFC doesn't give him his win bonus he won't cut back down to 145
Cole Shelton - May 19, 2020
Edson Barboza hopes the UFC and Dana White finally show him some love and respect following his split decision loss to Dan Ige. At UFC on ESPN 8, Barboza dropped down to featherweight to take on 15th ranked Ige. Many had wondered how the Brazilian would fare in his debut and early on he had a ton of success by even dropping Ige in the first.