UFC News

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of Saturday’s action-packed UFC Stockholm card, and as expected, there have been some big changes, particularly in the light heavyweight division. Anthony Smith, who defeated Alexander Gustafsson in the card’s main event, has cruised up to the division’s No. 3 spot, behind only Thiago Santos and Daniel Cormier. Aleksandar Rakic, meanwhile, has rocketed into the rankings, settling at No. 11 on the strength of his decapitation of Jimi Manuwa.

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

Last weekend, Anthony Smith established himself as one of the top contenders in the light heavyweight division by defeating Alexander Gustafsson — something only a few truly elite fighters have done before. “Who else has done it? If you take Phil Davis out of it because that was a long time ago, who else has done it? Jon [Jones], ‘Rumble’ [Anthony Johnson] and D.C. [Daniel Cormier],” Smith told MMA Fighting. “That’s a pretty good group of guys to be mentioned with,” Smith told MMAFighting when speaking about his win. “At this point, I don’t know what else I’d have to do to answer any questions of my legitimacy. Honestly I don’t care. I’m just really happy that I’ve inserted myself among the top two guys in the world or three guys in the world if you keep D.C. in there.”

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

UFC commentator Joe Rogan loves to discuss potential fights between boxers and mixed martial artists. He did it mere weeks ago, when he drooled over a matchup between WBC heavyweight champ Deontay Wilder and UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou. And now, he’s done it again, this time riffing on a fight between Ngannou and new unified heavyweight champ Andy Ruiz Jr.

Cole Shelton - June 5, 2019

In the co-main event of UFC 238, this Saturday, Valentina Shevchenko will look to defend her flyweight title against Jessica Eye. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their picks for the title fight. In this case, the majority believe Shevchenko wins. But, some believe we will hear ‘And New’ from Bruce Buffer.

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

Nate Diaz has not fought since August of 2016. In the time since then, he’s only been scheduled for two fights: one, a lightweight fight against Dustin Poirier, which fell through, and the other, a welterweight fight with Anthony Pettis, which is scheduled for UFC 241 in August. While these are the only fights Diaz has accepted in that time, UFC President Dana White has previously claimed that he’s offered the younger Diaz brother plenty of other matchups in that stretch. If that’s accurate, we can safely say that Diaz has a very high standard for the fights he accepts.

Tom Taylor - June 5, 2019

Yesterday afternoon, UFC President Dana White breathed new life into a potential Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch, suggesting the fight could happen after Nurmagomedov battles Dustin Poirier at UFC 242. Former World Series of Fighting champion Justin Gaethje, however, does not believe McGregor should be anywhere near a lightweight title shot at present — not unless he beats a top contender first.

Adam Martin - June 4, 2019

Conor McGregor might not be fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov in a rematch at UFC 242, but there’s still the chance we see these two bitter rivals fight each other again down the road. On Tuesday, it was made official that the UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov will battle interim champion Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 242 on September 7 in Abu Dhabi. This of course means that Conor McGregor won’t be getting the rematch he so desperately craves, at least not until we see what happens between Nurmagomedov and Poirier. The announcement also meant that Tony Ferguson and Donald Cerrone are temporarily out of the running for a title fight against Nurmagomedov.

Cole Shelton - June 4, 2019

Khabib Nurmagomedov has re-signed with the UFC after agreeing to headline UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi against Dustin Poirier. According to the lightweight champion’s manager in Ali Abdelaziz, both he and “The Eagle” are ecstatic with the new contract.

Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

The long rumored fight between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim champ Dustin Poirier is now official for UFC 242. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, who spoke with Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, this fight will mark the first obligation on a brand new UFC contract for the Russian champion. More interestingly still, this contract allegedly includes a clause in the event that Nurmagomedov ever gets his long desired fight with Georges St-Pierre.

Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

Jimi Manuwa entered his UFC Stockholm fight with Aleksandar Rakic with three losses in the rear-view mirror, two of which came by way of knockout. Ahead of this bout, amid growing concerns that his best days had come and gone, he tried to remind fans that it wasn’t all that long ago that he was dishing out violent knockout wins of his own. “I think MMA fans and the MMA community itself have got a very short memory,” he told MMA Fighting’s Peter Carroll ahead of the fight.

Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

At long last, it’s official. UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier will unify their titles at UFC 242. The card goes down on September 7 in Abu Dhabi. The UFC announced this matchup as official on social media on Tuesday afternoon.

Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

UFC heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa is best known for two things. First and foremost is handiwork in the cage, which has carried him to a solid 8-1 record. Second is his affection for ‘shoeys’ — the act of chugging a beer out of somebody else’s shoe. UFC commentator Joe Rogan is a big fan of the first of those things, but he’s not so sure about the second. Rogan gave his take on shoeys on the latest episode of his podcast:

Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

On the latest episode of the Joe Rogan Rogan Experience, host Joe Rogan got into a lengthy and visibly exhausting debate with his guest Eddie Bravo. The topic, as those familiar with either man might guess, was the shape of the earth. Rogan, like most people, believes it’s round, while Bravo is adamant that it is actually flat. The two friends could not come to an agreement on the shape of the planet we live on, and at long last, agreed to change the subject.

Cole Shelton - June 4, 2019

UFC 238 is set to go down on Saturday from Chicago, Illinois. The card is stacked top to bottom with two title fights closing out the night. But, also on the card is an intriguing lightweight matchup between Donald Cerrone and Tony Ferguson, the winner of which will most likely get a crack at the title. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions on this fight. They all agree it will be a great fight and a hard fight to call.

Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

Anthony Smith got the win he sought over Alexander Gustafsson in the UFC Stockholm main event, but it came at a cost. The American light heavyweight contender sustained a nasty hand injury in the bout, and it looks like it’s going to take some time to heal. Smith shared an x-ray of this injury — a bad break — with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.

Adam Martin - June 4, 2019

The UFC returns to San Antonio, Texas this summer for UFC on ESPN 4 and two of the biggest heavyweights on the roster are set to throw down when Juan Adams meets Greg Hardy in a grudge match. Now, Adams has one simple message his opponent: “F*ck you.”

Tom Taylor - June 4, 2019

Amid the retirements of UFC light heavyweights like Alexander Gustafsson and Jimi Manuwa, another fantastic light heavyweight fighter has elected to hang up the gloves: The great Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal. Lawal, a former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion, RIZIN Grand Prix winner, and Bellator contender, quietly retired from competition earlier this week. The news was announced on the official Instagram page of American Top Team, the gym he’s called home for many years.

Natasha Hooper - June 4, 2019

Speaking on Monday’s episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, Nate Diaz discussed many interesting topics, including his loss to Conor McGregor. Diaz first beat McGregor at UFC 196 in the second round with a rear-naked choke. The pair returned to face each other at UFC 202 later the same year. The fight went five rounds and McGregor won from a majority decision. Yet for many, (including Nate Diaz,) it was not a clear win for the Irish fighter.