UFC News
UFC rankings update: Frankie Edgar rockets into bantamweight top-15
Tom Taylor - August 26, 2020
The official UFC rankings have been updated after last Saturday’s UFC Vegas 7 card, and as expected, there have been some interesting changes. Most notably, former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar is now a ranked bantamweight having defeated Pedro Munhoz with a controversial split decision in the card’s main event. Edgar, who has spent the last few years competing in the featherweight division, was making a debut at bantamweight, and has swiped the division’s No. 5 spot in victory.
Daniel Cormier "needs to stop" fighting, says coach: "He’s gone down a bit"
Tom Taylor - August 26, 2020
American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez hopes Daniel Cormier, one of his most decorated students, sticks to his retirement. Cormier had been floating his retirement plans for over a year, and made that retirement official after UFC 252, where he came up short by decision against UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
Bryce Mitchell returns on Halloween UFC event, takes on Andre Fili
Adam Martin - August 26, 2020
A featherweight bout between Bryce Mitchell and Andre Fili has been added to the UFC card that is scheduled to take place on Halloween. Mitchell vs. Fili will take place on the undercard of the UFC Fight Night card set for October 31 at a location that has yet-to-be-determined. The event will be headlined by a five-round main event fight between former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Uriah Hall. UFC president Dana White has confirmed that this will be Silva’s retirement fight.
Full betting odds released for UFC on ESPN+ 33: Smith vs. Rakic
Adam Martin - August 26, 2020
The full betting odds have been released for the 11 fights scheduled to take place Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 33: Smith vs. Rakic event. In the main event, two of the top-10 light heavyweights in the UFC go at it as Aleksandar Rakic takes on Anthony Smith. Rakic is coming off of a split decision loss to Volkan Oezdemir in his last outing, while Smith is coming off a brutal TKO loss to Glover Teixeira. With Jon Jones recently vacating his title, this is a very important fight in the 205lbs title picture.
Report | UFC 253 to go down on Fight Island
Tom Taylor - August 26, 2020
UFC 253 is one of the biggest events on the combat sports calendar, but the location of the event has been a mystery until now. According a report from Brazilian combat sports publication AgFight, the card will go down on the UFC’s Fight Island—Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. The UFC has promoted four events on Fight Island thus far, all in July, and it certainly makes sense that UFC 253 will be the fifth. The card features many international fighters who likely have a far easier time getting to Abu Dhabi than they would to Las Vegas.
UFC boss Dana White responds to critics of Republican National Convention appearance
Tom Taylor - August 26, 2020
UFC President Dana White has responded to the critics of his scheduled appearance at the Republican National Convention this week. White is slated speak in favor of US President Donald Trump on Thursday, which is the final night of the convention. While the UFC boss’s support of Trump is certainly no secret, his dabbling in the world of politics has still generated plenty of backlash.
Former UFC fighter "Mayhem" Miller charged for residential burglary and car theft in California
Harry Kettle - August 26, 2020
Controversial former MMA fighter Jason “Mayhem” Miller has been charged for residential burglary and car theft in Irvine, California. Miller, 39, has had his fair share of run-ins with the law throughout the course of his life, and he even served jail time — but following an interview with Ariel Helwani a few months back, many fans were hoping that he’d been able to turn his life around.
Dana White announces the UFC will build a hotel by HQ to be completely self-sufficient
Natasha Hooper - August 26, 2020
Dana White has rapid expansion plans for the UFC and that even includes creating the first UFC hotel. The UFC president is attempting to grow the company on a global scale by building more UFC gyms, signing more partnership deals, and hosting more international events (especially when not in the midst of a pandemic).
Anderson Silva will retire following Uriah Hall fight on Halloween, confirms Dana White
Adam Martin - August 25, 2020
UFC legend Anderson Silva will retire following his fight against Uriah Hall on Halloween, confirmed UFC president Dana White. Silva is 45 years old and is the oldest fighter on the UFC roster. On October 31, he returns to the Octagon one last time when he takes on Hall in a battle between two incredible strikers. For Silva, the fight against Hall will mark the final time he makes the walk to the Octagon. The long-time UFC middleweight champion is one of the greatest fighters of all time, but in recent years he has really struggled, losing four of his last five fights.
Dana White says Tony Ferguson vs. Dustin Poirier will "probably" take place at UFC 254: Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje
Adam Martin - August 25, 2020
UFC president Dana White says a matchup between Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier will “probably” take place at UFC 254: Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje. White recently revealed that the UFC was working on an intriguing lightweight matchup between Ferguson and Poirier for an upcoming card. With so many of the UFC’s upcoming events already booked with five-round headliners, fans and media were already speculating what card the fight could take place on. It seems like the type of big fight that deserves five rounds but considering the upcoming schedule that may not be possible.
Dana White says Jon Jones could get immediate heavyweight title shot: "Jon Jones is undefeated"
Adam Martin - August 25, 2020
UFC president Dana White says that Jon Jones could get an immediate title shot if he decides to move up to heavyweight as expected. Jones recently vacated the UFC light heavyweight title and announced that he is planning on moving up to heavyweight. Jones made the move in the wake of UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic beating Daniel Cormier in their trilogy match, though White has said that heavyweight slugger Francis Ngannou is the No. 1 contender in the heavyweight division. However, Jones moving up to heavyweight complicates things.
Alexander Volkanovski sends a message to the featherweight division: "Start fighting"
Cole Shelton - August 25, 2020
Alexander Volkanovski has a simple message to the featherweight division: Start fighting. Volkanovski is coming off his first title defense against Max Holloway at UFC 251. Following the win, many wondered what would be next for the champ. He made it clear the division needed to start fighting, and nearly two months later, the message remains the same.
Paulo Costa taunts Israel Adesanya: "USADA never came to test me in Brasil"
Cole Shelton - August 25, 2020
Paulo Costa continues to taunt Israel Adesanya ahead of their UFC 253 title fight. For months now, Costa and Adesanya have taken shots at one another. The trash-talk has been intense, but recently, the middleweight champion questioned if the Brazilian has been tested by USADA.
Bruce Buffer expects to continue being the voice of the Octagon for "at least another 10 years"
Cole Shelton - August 25, 2020
Bruce Buffer isn’t going anywhere, anytime soon. Buffer has been the voice of the Octagon for over 25 years. As of late has had to provide the same energy with no fans in the building. Yet, for Buffer, he says even when fans are in arenas, the introduction has always just been him and the fighter.
Odds and prop bets released for Dana White's appearance at Republican National Convention
Tom Taylor - August 25, 2020
UFC President Dana White is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention this week, and there are some pretty interesting prop bets available for his appearance. Check out some of the bets available below via BetOnline/MMA Mania:
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 8 with Bruce Buffer, Clay Collard, Giga Chikadze & Zak Cummings
Cole Shelton - August 25, 2020
The eighth episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Vegas 8. We’re first joined by the voice of the Octagon, Bruce Buffer (1:46). Next, former UFC featherweight and Top Rank boxing star, Clay Collard (15:38) comes on. Then, rising featherweight contender, Giga Chikadze (27:47) joins the program. Finally, UFC middleweight, Zak Cummings (43:59) closes out the show.
Darren Till offers advice for Sean O'Malley: "Take your loss"
Tom Taylor - August 25, 2020
UFC middleweight contender Darren Till has some advice for bantamweight star Sean O’Malley, who recently suffered his first professional loss. O’Malley got his first taste of defeat at UFC 252 earlier this month, when he was stopped by Marlon “Chito” Vera after injuring his leg early in the first round.
Patricio Freire willing to bet Dana White $1 million that he could defeat the UFC’s current featherweight and lightweight champs
Harry Kettle - August 25, 2020
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire is willing to bet Dana White $1 million that he can beat Khabib Nurmagomedov and Alexander Volkanovski. The subject of UFC vs Bellator dream fights has always been present in the MMA community, especially in the last few years. While the last few days has seen a discussion commence regarding which promotion has the best light heavyweight division, it appears as if that’s starting to extend to some of the other weight classes too.