MMA News
Brian Ortega releases statement following altercation with The Korean Zombie and Jay Park at UFC 248
Christopher Taylor - March 9, 2020
Former UFC featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega has released a statement following his altercation with The Korean Zombie and Jay Park at UFC 248. During Saturday night’s UFC 248 event in Las Vegas, ‘T-City’ allegedly slapped Jay Park, a friend of The Korean Zombie, this while Chan Sung Jung was taking a bathroom break.
Morgan Charriere: "I'm bringing a French army to London"
Alfredo Zullino - March 9, 2020
If you are a casual martial arts fan and you watch only UFC events, you probably haven’t heard of French featherweight Morgan Charriere. But what if we tell you that the Frenchman will probably be the next big thing in Europe’s MMA?
Patricio Freire says he'll be 'the greatest featherweight of all-time' with Bellator grand prix win
Cole Shelton - March 9, 2020
Patricio Freire believes he can cement his legacy during the Bellator featherweight grand prix. “Pitbull” already defeated Juan Archuleta in the opening round and will now take on Pedro Carvalho on Friday in the quarter-finals. It is a fight the Brazilian picked during the selection show but says he did it because of the date, not because of the opponent.
Why women's MMA is here to stay
Natasha Hooper - March 9, 2020
Women’s MMA is needed now more than ever before. At UFC 248, fans witnessed an all-out war from strawweight royalty Weili Zhang and Joanna Joanna Jędrzejczyk. The pair collided in an action-packed brawl that seemingly overshadowed the main event between Israel Adesanya vs Yoel Romero. Out of left field, MMA fighter Islam Makhachev disregarded the female athletes with a now-deleted tweet, “this is not a women’s sport” he stated. Even Dana White previously dismissed the idea of a women’s division in the UFC. The MMA anti-female rhetoric attracts criticism but nevertheless highlights an ongoing perception that females should not fight.
Valentina Shevchenko believes Weili Zhang loses her title in next fight
Cole Shelton - March 9, 2020
Valentina Shevchenko doubts Weili Zhang will be a UFC champion for much longer. In the co-main event of UFC 248, Zhang edged out a split-decision win over Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The win also served as her first title defense since winning the belt with a first-round knockout win over Jessica Andrade.
VIDEO | Paulo Costa knocks out Logan Paul in sparring
Adam Martin - March 9, 2020
New training footage has emerged of UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa knocking out YouTube sensation Logan Paul in sparring. Costa is one of the best fighters in the UFC middleweight division while Paul is a YouTuber-turned combat sports star. Paul has had two boxing matches, including a professional bout against rival KSI last November, which resulted in Paul losing a controversial split decision after having points deducted due to illegal blows.
Abel Trujillo pleads guilty to misdemeanour in child sexual exploitation case
Natasha Hooper - March 9, 2020
Former lightweight fighter, Abel Trujillo has accepted a plea deal to avoid felony charges for child sexual exploitation in Castle Rock, Colorado. The 36-year old’s arrest was first reported by 9News in Colorado in 2019 after court documents regarding his case were released. He was initially charged with promotion of obscenity to a minor, attempted sexual exploitation of a child and sexual exploitation of a child (self/publish). He eventually agreed to plead guilty on one charge of a misdemeanour of promoting obscenity, the other felonies were dismissed, according to court documents.
Dana White: Weili Zhang will get same push from UFC as McGregor, Rousey
Tom Taylor - March 9, 2020
Dana White is very high on UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang, who defended her belt in an absolute war with the former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the co-main event of last Saturday’s UFC 248 card. White gushed over Zhang at the UFC 248 post-fight press conference, announcing that the Chinese champion has become a major needle-mover in her homeland, a territory the UFC is working hard to break into.
Yoel Romero takes post-fight dig at Israel Adesanya, proclaims himself the 'people's champ'
Tom Taylor - March 9, 2020
Yoel Romero and Israel Adesanya’s UFC 248 middleweight title fight failed to live up to expectations, and both fighters seem to agree it’s because the other was afraid. Romero suggested exactly that on Twitter on Monday morning, sharing a heavily edited screenshot of the Wikipedia entry for the word “fear.”
John McCarthy says Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero should have included 10-10 round
Adam Martin - March 9, 2020
Bellator commentator and MMA official John McCarthy believes that there should have been a 10-10 round scored in the Israel Adesanya vs. Yoel Romero title fight at UFC 248. Adesanya won a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards to retain the UFC middleweight title in an undeniable stinker of a fight. Neither man seemed to be aggressive in the fight and it just plodded on for 25 minutes. Adesanya won the decision and gets to retain his belt, but it was not particularly impressive. Still, McCarthy agrees with Adesanya earning the decision.
Cory Sandhagen says he's accepted fight with Dominick Cruz
Tom Taylor - March 9, 2020
Cory Sandhagen says the UFC has offered him a fight with former bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz and that he’s accepted the offer. Sandhagen added that the fight could co-headline the UFC’s return to San Diego, California — Cruz’s home turf — which is scheduled for May 16.
Israel Adesanya feels he proved Yoel Romero isn't 'made of steel'
Tom Taylor - March 9, 2020
Israel Adesanya believes that he proved Yoel Romero isn’t “made of steel” at UFC 248. Adesanya, the UFC middleweight champion, defended his title against Romero in the card’s main event, winning a controversial and undeniably slow decision over the Cuban.
John McCarthy gives his scorecard for Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Adam Martin - March 9, 2020
Bellator commentator and veteran MMA official Big John McCarthy has share his scorecard for the UFC 248 co-main event between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Zhang and Jedrzejczyk put on an instant classic on Saturday night, going the full five-round distance against each other in an all-out war. Zhang won the fight by split decision, but Jedrzejczyk saw her stock rise by putting on an incredible performance even despite losing. McCarthy, who knows a thing or two about fighting, was asked by host Josh Thomson on the “Weighing In” podcast what he thought about the fight, and he praised both women for their performances.
Neil Magny calls for a fight with ‘Maverick’ following impressive win at UFC 248
Natasha Hooper - March 9, 2020
At UFC 248, Neil Magny returned to the Octagon to face Chinese contender Li Jingliang. He out-struck Jingliang to win by unanimous decision. Post-fight, the 32-year old reflected on his successful performance and already has his sights set on his next opponent. “We went back and looked at my last five fights, the wins and losses, and really looked at where I could improve,” Magny said (via MMA Junkie). “One of the biggest things we found was foot positioning. I feel like we addressed that well tonight. Another thing is pressure. I wanted to sit back and calculate a little bit more, so it’s been improvement all around.”
VIDEO | Official promo released for UFC 249: Khabib vs Ferguson
Natasha Hooper - March 9, 2020
UFC 249: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson is just around the corner. To mark the occasion, the organization has released a brand new official promo video. https://youtu.be/g38-pkMsfxk
Police reports filed following altercation between The Korean Zombie and Brian Ortega
Harry Kettle - March 9, 2020
The manager of Chan Sung Jung aka “The Korean Zombie” has confirmed that a police report has been filed following the UFC 248 incident with Brian Ortega. Ever since the scheduled fight between Korean Zombie and Ortega back at UFC Busan was called off due to “T-City” sustaining an injury, it seems as if the animosity between these two men has only gotten stronger and stronger.
Sean O'Malley takes aim at Henry Cejudo following impressive win at UFC 248
Christopher Taylor - March 8, 2020
Fan favorite Sean O’Malley returned to the Octagon at last night’s UFC 248 event in Las Vegas for a bantamweight contest with Jose Quinonez. The undefeated bantamweight prospect, O’Malley (11-0 MMA), had not competed since UFC 222 in March of 2018, where he earned a unanimous decision victory over Andre Soukhamthath.
What's next for the stars of UFC 248?
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2020
In the main event of UFC 248, Israel Adesanya was looking to defend his middleweight title against the divisions ‘boogeyman’ in Yoel Romero. The co-main attraction saw Weili Zhang looking for her first title defense of the strawweight belt against former division champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk. In the end, neither title changed hands as Adesanya won a lackluster decision. Zhang, meanwhile, won by split-decision in what many are calling one of the greatest fights of all-time.