UFC News
New information revealed about murder of Walt Harris' stepdaughter Aniah Blanchard
Mike Pendleton - June 4, 2020
There are new details in the murder case of Aniah Blanchard, who is the stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight Walt Harris. Harris recently returned to the UFC Octagon and came up short in his fight against Alistair Overeem, and during the lead up to his fight , SportsCenter Featured did a special on Blanchard.
Dana White explains why Conor McGregor is a bigger star than GSP, Rousey, Silva
Tom Taylor - June 4, 2020
Dana White believes Conor McGregor is the first truly international superstar in UFC history, and that’s what sets him apart from other stars like Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Ronda Rousey. White compared McGregor’s celebrity to that of other big UFC stars on Eddie Hearn’s Talk the Talk podcast. He believes that, while stars like GSP, Rousey and Silva opened up new markets, McGregor brought the UFC to the whole world.
Colby Covington not buying Jon Jones as a hero: "You're a scumbag"
Mike Pendleton - June 4, 2020
Former interim UFC welterweight champion Colby Covington is not holding back against some of his biggest rivals. Earlier this week during an interview with Submission Radio, Covington went after the likes of Tyron Woodley, Dustin Poirier, Jorge Masvidal, and Kamaru Usman.
Curtis Blaydes vs. Alexander Volkov headlines UFC card on June 20, betting odds released
Adam Martin - June 4, 2020
A heavyweight bout between top contenders Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov will headline a UFC Fight Night event on June 20 and the betting odds are out. Blaydes vs. Volkov was originally set to headline UFC Saskatoon, but that card was a victim of the coronavirus pandemic and was canceled. Thankfully for both fighters, the UFC was able to keep the matchup intact, and now the two will fight on June 20 in the five-round headliner of a Fight Night event. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The UFC made the fight official this week.
Michael Bisping thinks Tyron Woodley lacked urgency against Gilbert Burns
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 4, 2020
Michael Bisping feels Tyron Woodley didn’t fight Gilbert Burns with a sense of urgency. Tyron Woodley took on Burns on May 30 in the main event of UFC on ESPN 9. The card was held inside the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Woodley was hoping to rebound from his March 2019 title loss against Kamaru Usman. Instead, “The Chosen One” suffered another one-sided unanimous decision loss.
Colby Covington ready to "play ball" with UFC as contract nears conclusion
Tom Taylor - June 4, 2020
Polarizing UFC welterweight star Colby Covington has just two fights remaining on his current UFC contract. While we’ve seen many fighters part ways with the UFC over the years, Covington is eager to stay with the promotion, as he believes UFC championships are taken more seriously than championships in other promotions.
Chael Sonnen sees five options for next Conor McGregor opponent
Tom Taylor - June 4, 2020
According to MMA analyst Chael Sonnen, Conor McGregor has five options in terms of opponents for his next fight—whenever that next fight winds up happening. Sonnen explored the options in a video posted to his official YouTube channel, using a whiteboard to share his picks.
Cory Sandhagen bids farewell to "annoying" Henry Cejudo
Tom Taylor - June 4, 2020
Streaking UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen is glad that Henry Cejudo, the division’s most recent champion, has retired and vacated the throne. Cejudo shocked viewers by announcing his retirement from MMA shortly after he defended the UFC bantamweight title with a second-round TKO of Dominick Cruz at UFC 249.
Dana White pushes Fight Island debut ahead, now targeting June 27
Tom Taylor - June 4, 2020
UFC President Dana White says we could be seeing fights on his much-discussed Fight Island as soon as June 27. White has been battling hard to keep promoting fights during the coronavirus pandemic. While he’s managed to promote a handful of events in Jacksonville, Florida, and at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, those events have been populated by American fighters, and fighters based on US soil.
Cynthia Calvillo responds to fans criticizing her main event fight with Jessica Eye
Tom Taylor - June 4, 2020
On June 13, Cynthia Calvillo will step into the Octagon with former UFC flyweight title challenger Jessica Eye. The pair’s headliner will serve as the evening’s main event. Not everybody is happy about that.
Chuck Liddell explains why he intervened at a recent protest in California
Harry Kettle - June 4, 2020
UFC legend Chuck Liddell has explained why he tried to intervene in the George Floyd protests in California this past weekend. The protests across the United States have largely been peaceful, but the escalation of violence in some areas of the country has been well documented. Part of this has been due to looters, whereas police brutality has also played a leading role.
Aljamain Sterling reveals he was knocked out by “Ninja” Zabit Magomedsharipov in 2017 training session
Natasha Hooper - June 4, 2020
Aljamain Sterling revealed he was knocked out by Zabit Magomedsharipov during training. In an interview with TheScore, the UFC bantamweight contender described sparring with the Russian fighter for the first time.
PHOTO | Anthony Johnson teases return to 170lbs
Adam Martin - June 3, 2020
Former UFC star Anthony Johnson jokingly teased a return to 170lbs in his latest post detailing an update on his current weight. Johnson is rumored to make his return to the UFC sometime this year after retiring in 2017. He has teased a return to the cage for the last few months, periodically posting updates on his current weight. Some have said that Johnson could return to the heavyweight division, but a return to light heavyweight could be in his future as well.
Jack Hermansson vs. Kelvin Gastelum set to fight July 18 on Fight Island
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2020
Jack Hermansson and Kelvin Gastelum will finally get the chance to fight. Hermansson and Gastelum have talked about fighting one another quite some time and will do so on Fight Island. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the two will meet on the July 18 show.
Tyron Woodley says he's already been offered and accepted Colby Covington fight following Burns loss
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2020
Tyron Woodley says he’s already been offered and accepted a fight against Colby Covington following his loss to Gilbert Burns. Woodley and Covington have had a long-standing rivalry and it was expected they would finally meet inside the Octagon after “Chaos” won the interim title. Yet, he needed nose surgery so Woodley defended his belt against Darren Till and has since lost two bouts in a row to Kamaru Usman and Burns.
Dana White says the "smartest move" for Conor McGregor is to wait and fight the winner of Nurmagomedov-Gaethje
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2020
Dana White believes Conor McGregor should wait to fight the winner of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje for his next scrap. Ever since McGregor knocked out Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds back in January at UFC 246, many wondered what would be next for the Irishman. Names like Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz came up. But, for White, he believes McGregor shouldn’t fight again until he gets the title shot.
UFC on ESPN 9 falls short of SpaceX launch in viewership ratings
Tom Taylor - June 3, 2020
Last Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 9 card, which was headlined by a welterweight clash between Tyron Woodley and Gilbert Burns, was a viewership success. According to Nielsen, UFC on ESPN 9 averaged 1.021 million viewers on the network (h/t MMA Fighting)—that makes it the fifth most viewed UFC card on ESPN. The event was also broadcasted on ESPN+, ESPN’s official streaming service. The viewership numbers for that platform are not released, but when they’re included, the number is of course much higher.
Rafael dos Anjos on final fight of UFC deal, uncertain of future with promotion
Tom Taylor - June 3, 2020
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is on the final fight of his current UFC deal, and is uncertain what the future holds beyond that. He’s hoping to fight again in the coming months, and with a little luck, re-sign with the UFC, where he’s spent the vast majority of his MMA career thus far.