UFC News
Curtis Blaydes sends message to Brock Lesnar: 'F**k you'
Tom Taylor - May 1, 2019
Last night, reports surfaced suggesting that a long-discussed heavyweight title fight between reigning champ Daniel Cormier and WWE star Brock Lesnar is off the table. The reason, these reports stated, is that the pro wrestling export Lesnar has decided he’s done with mixed martial arts. Heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes isn’t happy to hear this. There hasn’t been a heavyweight title fight since November of 2018, when Cormier defended his title in a short-notice showdown with Derrick Lewis. Granted, that’s partly due to Cormier’s lingering injuries, but it’s also due the uncertainty surrounding this potential Lesnar vs. Cormier fight. Therein lies the issue for Curtis Blaydes.
Ronaldo 'Jacare' Souza issues statement after loss to Jack Hermansson
Tom Taylor - May 1, 2019
On Saturday night, in the main event of UFC Fort Lauderdale, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza risked his promised middleweight title shot in a fight with short-notice replacement opponent Jack Hermansson. Unfortunately for the former Strikeforce champ and his fans, this gamble did not pay off. Instead, the 39-year-old was walloped to a decision loss by his opponent and his title dreams were once again dashed — perhaps for a final time. Speaking on Instagram on Tuesday, Jacare issued a statement on this loss. He seems to be in good spirits.
Carla Esparza targeting rematch with Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Tom Taylor - May 1, 2019
Carla Esparza got the job done at UFC Fort Lauderdale over the weekend, defeating former Invicta champ Virna Jandiroba by unanimous decision. For the former UFC strawweight champ, the pressure was on heading into this fight, as another loss would have equated to a three-fight skid.
Coach says Greg Hardy victim in alleged domestic violence incident 'would be dead' if there was 'malice'
Drake Riggs - April 30, 2019
UFC heavyweight prospect Greg Hardy has been a controversial figure dating all the way back to his days in the NFL as a defensive end. That hasn’t changed now that he’s in the world of MMA. A naturally heavy hitter from playing American football, that has transitioned over nicely for the 30-year-old as he has finished all seven of his career wins by knockout/TKO (four as a pro, three as an amateur).
BREAKING | Daniel Cormier vs Stipe Miocic 2 being finalized for UFC 241
Drake Riggs - April 30, 2019
UFC Ottawa | Al Iaquinta says he almost fought ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone eight years ago
Cole Shelton - April 30, 2019
Al Iaquinta will take on Donald Cerrone in the main event of UFC Ottawa this weekend. Although it is a fresh matchup, ‘Cowboy’ and ‘Raging Al’ nearly collided eight years ago. Back in 2011, at UFC 131, Iaquinta almost stepped in on short notice to take on Cerrone.
Brock Lesnar not returning to MMA, says Dana White
Drake Riggs - April 30, 2019
Since UFC 226 concluded in July 2018, we all thought that a Brock Lesnar MMA return was inevitable. Well, it seems that plans have changed. According to UFC President Dana White, the WWE star and former UFC heavyweight champion is “done, he’s retired,” White told ESPN. “We’re going to move in another direction with [Daniel] Cormier.”
UFC Fort Lauderdale fighter payouts: Greg Hardy outearns Jack Hermansson
Drake Riggs - April 30, 2019
The UFC returned to the state of Florida this past weekend with UFC Fort Lauderdale. In the main event of the evening, we saw the return of Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza as he took on surging short notice opponent, Sweden’s “Joker,” Jack Hermansson.
UFC, Strikeforce veteran Renato Sobral opens up on struggles with CTE
Tom Taylor - April 30, 2019
Renato Sobral — better known by the nickname “Babalu” — is suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The former UFC and Strikeforce fighter opened up on these struggles, which he believes most fighters are doomed to endure, in an interview with Brazil’s PVT. ”Today I can’t walk a straight line, I lost sight of my left eye, which is a big price (to pay),” Sobral said (translation via MMA Fighting). “I have no balance today, my balance is almost zero. When I’m fighting, when I’m in a jiu-jitsu tournament or in training, it feels that my balance is normal again, but it’s complicated on a daily basis. But the guys that start fighting have to know that the price to pay will come one day. For everyone. People only talk about the good things today, what they have accomplished, what happened, but what about what you’ve lost? What happened to you?
Dana White meets with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn
Tom Taylor - April 30, 2019
UFC President Dana White has recently laid out plans to venture into the boxing business, and on Monday, he gave us reason to believe these plans could actually be taking shape. On his official Twitter account, the UFC boss shared a photo of himself and English boxing promoter Eddie Hearn meeting at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas.
UFC Ottawa official fight card and start time
Tom Taylor - April 30, 2019
On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with its second offering from the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Canada. Featuring a key lightweight contender bout, and some of Canada’s top MMA talent, this UFC Ottawa card looks like it could be a solid night of fights. The card will be topped by a lightweight showdown between ranked contenders Al Iaquinta and Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Iaquinta will look to build on the momentum of a recent defeat of Kevin Lee, while Cowboy, who also fought on the UFC’s first show in Ottawa, will look to make it two in a row after stopping Alex Hernandez in January.
Ben Askren explains what he'd do differently if he was an MMA promoter
Tom Taylor - April 30, 2019
As the former ONE Championship and Bellator welterweight king, and one of the top contenders in the UFC welterweight division, Ben Askren has already accomplished some incredible things as a fighter. But what could he accomplish if he worked on the other side of the hurt business, as a promoter? He gave us a sense of how he’d handle that role on a recent episode of MMA Junkie Radio. Unsurprisingly, he says he’d work hard to treat the fighters better.
Greg Hardy sets sights on Stipe Miocic, Derrick Lewis, after first UFC victory
Tom Taylor - April 30, 2019
Over the weekend, disgraced former NFL player Greg Hardy picked up his first UFC victory, thumping the completely passive Dmitrii Smoliakov to a first-round TKO. With this first UFC win in the books, Hardy is already setting his sights on some of the UFC heavyweight division’s premier players, such as former champ Stipe Miocic and former title challenger Derrick Lewis.
Report | UFC 243 set for Sydney, Australia with Robert Whittaker vs Israel Adesanya in the works
Drake Riggs - April 29, 2019
Generally, when an interim champion is crowned, we know exactly what fight will be next for them. That, of course, is none other than the undisputed champion. When “The Last Stylebender” Israel Adesanya (17-0) defeated Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236 in a fight of the year candidate, he became the new UFC interim middleweight champion. Thus making an encounter with the undisputed champ, Robert Whittaker (20-4), inevitable.
Mike Perry threatens Colby Covington in profane rant: 'I will poke you in the eye'
Tom Taylor - April 29, 2019
Colby Covington recently claimed Mike Perry would be sent back to the regional circuit if he couldn’t get by Alex Oliveira at UFC Fort Lauderdale. In the end, Perry did get past Oliveira, defeating the Brazilian by decision in a Fight of the Night winning scrap. And speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, he took the opportunity to reply to Covington.
Corey Anderson to Joe Rogan: UFC gives Jon Jones 'special treatment'
Tom Taylor - April 29, 2019
Back in December, an anomaly on a Jon Jones drug test caused the entire UFC 232 card to be moved from Las Vegas to Los Angeles on a weeks’ notice. UFC light heavyweight contender Corey Anderson fought on that card, beating Ilir Latifi by unanimous decision, and was not exactly pleased about this last-minute inconvenience. Given that this was not the first bit of drama caused by Jon Jones over the last few years, it should come as no surprise that Corey Anderson has some strong opinions on the UFC light heavyweight champ — and on the way he’s treated by the UFC.
Uber driver confesses to murder of UFC veteran
Tom Taylor - April 29, 2019
Earlier this month, UFC veteran Rodrigo de Lima was reportedly hit and killed by an Uber driver in Belem, Brazil. The driver, Jefferson Roger Maciel Barata, has now confessed to this crime. He has been arrested and will reportedly be charged with murder (via MMA Fighting).
The biggest winners from UFC Fort Lauderdale
Mike Straus - April 29, 2019
UFC Fort Lauderdale is in the books. We learned a lot from last weekend’s 13-fight card from Southeastern Florida. Let’s take a deeper look at the fighters who did themselves the biggest favors over the weekend in Florida.
'Jacare' Souza comments on upset loss to Jack Hermansson
Tom Taylor - April 29, 2019
On Saturday night, in the main event of UFC Fort Lauderdale, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza risked his promised middleweight title shot in a fight with short-notice replacement opponent Jack Hermansson. Unfortunately for the Brazilian contender and his dedicated fan base, this gamble did not pay off. Instead, the 39-year-old was thumped to a decision loss by his unheralded opponent and his title dreams were once again dashed — perhaps for a final time. Speaking at the UFC Fort Lauderdale post-fight press conference, Jacare issued a few quick comments on this loss. Understandably, he says he’s sad.