UFC News
Jon Jones opens as sizeable favorite over Alexander Gustafsson ahead of UFC 232 rematch
Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018
The oddsmakers aren’t very confident in Alexander Gustafsson ahead of his newly announced UFC 232 rematch with former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. The online sportsbook Bovada.lv has pegged Jones as the -280 favorite for this fight (h/t MMAMania), meaning a successful $280 bet on the former champion would earn you $100. Gustafsson, meanwhile, has been labelled as a +220 underdog, which means a successful $100 bet on him would earn you $220.
Chael Sonnen has a message for fans who believe Conor McGregor deserves blame for UFC 229 brawl
Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018
Last weekend, shortly after Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor in the UFC 229 main event, a massive brawl broke out between the two fighters’ teams. Nurmagomedov leapt over the side of the Octagon and attacked McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis, while McGregor got into it with several of Nurmagomedov’s teammates inside the cage. It was a scene of pure, unbridled chaos that took several minutes to quell. Ever since this incident, the MMA community has been struggling to assign blame. There are some fans that believe that Khabib Nurmagomedov started it all by jumping over the cage and attacking Dillon Danis. There are others, meanwhile, that feel that Conor McGregor deserves the blame because he threw the first clearly visible punch of the skirmish.
Dustin Poirier breaks silence on withdrawal from UFC 230 fight with Nate Diaz
Tom Taylor - October 12, 2018
Earlier this week, the MMA community was rocked by the unfortunate news that Dustin Poirier had been forced out of his UFC 230 scrap with Nate Diaz. Shortly thereafter, we learned that the UFC would not be giving Diaz a replacement opponent for the November 3 card, and that he was off the card too. Given that this was arguably the best fight on the UFC 230 bill, this was massively disappointing news. Speaking on Twitter on Thursday evening, Dustin Poirier issued his first statement since his withdrawal from the card. While he did not specify what kind of injury he sustained, he assured he considers this a “minor” setback, and that he’s working hard to heal up quickly.
EXCLUSIVE | Stephen Thompson believes Darren Till was not 'even trying to make this weight'
Cole Shelton - October 11, 2018
Earlier this year, the UFC changed a card from Dublin, Ireland to Liverpool, England for one reason and one reason only: Darren Till. Till was on the rise to stardom after his stunning knockout win over Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. Till would then take on top welterweight contender Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.
Report | UFC 229 numbers smash the pay-per-view record
Mike Straus - October 11, 2018
UFC President Dana White had predicted big numbers heading into UFC 229 but his estimates may prove to be conservative as MMA Fighting has more recently suggested worldwide pay-per-view numbers closer to 2.4 million. UFC 229 featured the returning Conor McGregor, the unquestioned king of pay-per-view draws and the promotion’s leading box office draw. His opponent, Khabib Nurmagomedov is the unbeaten Dagestani wrecking machine, that oh, by the way, holds the lightweight title.
Nate Diaz tells Dana White 'fire me' instead of Khabib Nurmagomedov's teammate
Cole Shelton - October 11, 2018
After Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Conor McGregor at UFC 229, a post-fight brawl ensued. Nurmagomedov went after Bellator welterweight Dillon Danis, who was in McGregor’s corner. While that was happening, some of Nurmagomedov’s teammate’s attacked McGregor inside the Octagon. Since Saturday night, Nurmagomedov still has not received his fight purse. And, UFC President Dana White said if any of the people who attacked McGregor inside the Octagon are UFC fighters they would no longer be apart of the company.
Artem Lobov begs Dana White not to cancel Tukhugov fight: Don't let him 'escape his punishment' for UFC 229 brawl
Tom Taylor - October 11, 2018
Shortly after UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor in the UFC 229 main event last Saturday, his and McGregor’s teams engaged in a wild brawl, inside and outside of the Octagon. One of the fighters involved in this brawl was Nurmagomedov’s friend and training partner, UFC featherweight Zubaira Tukhugov, who was booked for a UFC Moncton scrap with McGregor training partner Artem Lobov at the time.
Conor McGregor coach John Kavanagh gives round-by-round breakdown of fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov
Tom Taylor - October 11, 2018
Conor McGregor’s long awaited return to the Octagon, which headlined UFC 229 last Saturday night in Las Vegas, didn’t go the way he planned. Instead, he was pummelled by his opponent Khabib Nurmagomedov and ultimately submitted in the fourth round. That, of course, is not the way McGregor’s head coach John Kavanagh envisioned the fight going. Kavanagh and his fellow coaches had worked out a detailed game plan for the Irish MMA star, but unfortunately things just didn’t work out.
Derrick Lewis grateful for UFC 230 title shot, but believes Stipe Miocic deserved the chance before him
Tom Taylor - October 11, 2018
At long last, UFC 230 finally has a main event. The card will be headlined by a last-minute heavyweight title fight between champion Daniel Cormier and streaking challenger Derrick Lewis. Not everybody, however, is happy about this title fight. Some members of the MMA community feel that Lewis is jumping the heavyweight contendership line, and that the next crack at Cormier’s title should have gone to Stipe Miocic, the man Cormier defeated to win the title.
Khabib Nurmagomedov threatens to leave the UFC if promotion releases Zubaira Tukhugov for role in UFC 229 brawl
Tom Taylor - October 11, 2018
Shortly after UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor in the UFC 229 main event last Saturday, his and McGregor’s teams engaged in a wild brawl, inside and outside of the Octagon. One of the fighters involved in this brawl was Nurmagomedov’s friend and training partner, UFC featherweight Zubaira Tukhugov. Because of their status as two of the UFC’s biggest and most valuable stars, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor will not be released by the promotion for their role in this wild brawl. Tukhugov, however, could be — especially after he bragged about slapping McGregor on social media after the riot.
Dillon Danis insists he didn't make anti-Islam comments to Khabib Nurmagomedov before UFC 229 brawl
Tom Taylor - October 11, 2018
Shortly after Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor at UFC 229 last Saturday night, a frenzied brawl between the pair’s teams began. Nurmagomedov leapt out of the cage and attacked McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis, while McGregor scrapped with several of Nurmagomedov’s compatriots inside the cage. It was pure chaos, and the MMA community has been struggling to assign the blame ever since. Apparently, some fans have been blaming Dillon Danis for starting this riot, suggesting that he was making negative comments about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s faith through the cage before the bedlam began. Danis is not happy about these accusations, and insists they’re nothing but a smear campaign.
UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway opens up on struggles with depression
Tom Taylor - October 11, 2018
The year 2018 has not been particularly kind to UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway. The Hawaiian champ has been scheduled for three fights — a title defense against Frankie Edgar, a last-minute lightweight fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, and a title defense against Brian Ortega — but not one has come to fruition. Speaking on Good Show with Ben Ennis & JD Bunkis on Wednesday, Holloway divulged that in the wake of this string of cancelled fights, he’s been battling depression.
VIDEO | Vladimir Putin congratulates Khabib Nurmagomedov on his win at UFC 229
Drake Riggs - October 10, 2018
#Putin meets and congratulates #KhabibNurmagomedov on #UFC229 win over #ConorMcGregor https://t.co/GVe5meQroN pic.twitter.com/Xy3wTM3vhP — RT (@RT_com) October 10, 2018
Fantasy Warfare: 5 Fantasy ONE Championship Cross-Promotional Bouts
BJPENN.COM Staff - October 10, 2018
There are a plethora of intriguing bouts to make within the ONE Championship promotion, but sometimes it’s fun to think about what would happen if the best martial artists from ONE competed against some of the top competition from other organizations. Let’s look at five of the most intriguing fantasy matchups that we’d love to see.
Kevin Lee vs Al Iaquinta 2 to headline UFC on Fox 31 in Milwaukee on Dec. 15
Drake Riggs - October 10, 2018
The last big Fox show for the UFC will take place on December 15 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As the card takes shape, we now know the headliner. In February 2014, at UFC 169 a young prospect by the name of Kevin Lee (17-3) made his UFC debut with a perfect 7-0 record. Standing across from him would be The Ultimate Fighter season 15 finalist, “Ragin'” Al Iaquinta (13-4-1).
After UFC 230 title fight cancellation, Sijara Eubanks now set to rematch Roxanne Modaferri
Drake Riggs - October 10, 2018
Getting to UFC 230, in general, has just been one of the more wilder rides that the MMA community has witnessed as it’s gotten closer. After waiting a whole lot longer than we could have imagined, fans and pundits alike began to start just hoping that the event’s big lightweight co-main event between top-ranked contender Dustin Poirier and the returning Nate Diaz should have just gotten promoted up to the headliner.
Khabib Nurmagomedov jokes that he would have smashed Dana White's car if he didn't receive lightweight belt
Tom Taylor - October 10, 2018
Shortly after Khabib Nurmagomedov defended the UFC lightweight title with a fourth-round submission of Conor McGregor, he leapt over the side of the Octagon and attacked McGregor’s training partner Dillon Danis, inciting a riot between his and McGregor’s teams. As you can probably imagine, UFC President Dana White was not too impressed by this chaotic scene. In fact, the UFC boss was so upset with Khabib Nurmagomedov that he did not initially put the UFC lightweight title around the champ’s waist.
Daniel Cormier, Stipe Miocic get heated over talk of potential rematch
Tom Taylor - October 10, 2018
Daniel Cormier will attempt his first defense of the UFC heavyweight title against hulking knockout artist Derrick Lewis at UFC 230 on November 3. That’s thanks to some last-minute scrambling from the UFC brass, who had been struggling to create a fan-friendly main event for the card for weeks. While fans seem to be pretty excited about this undeniably surprising Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis fight, former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is not. Ever since he surrendered the heavyweight title to Cormier in July, he’s been adamant that he deserves a rematch on the basis of his record-breaking three-straight title defenses.




