UFC News
UFC 250 among combat sports events in May and June approved by Nevada
Adam Martin - May 27, 2020
The Nevada State Athletic Commission has approved a number of combat sports events coming up in its state, including UFC Fight Night and UFC 250. The commission on Wednesday gave the go-ahead to the UFC and Top Rank boxing to hold four events throughout May and June in Las Vegas. Arash Markazi from ESPN has the full list of the approved events below.
Colby Covington officially leaves American Top Team
Tom Taylor - May 27, 2020
Colby Covington has confirmed he’s parted ways with his long-time training home, American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. Covington’s departure from ATT has been rumored for several days. The fighter confirmed those rumors himself in an interview with James Lynch of theScore.
Louis Smolka promises to finish Casey Kenney: "I’m going to hit him until he breaks"
Cole Shelton - May 27, 2020
For Louis Smolka, he wishes every fight would be like his upcoming one on Saturday night against Casey Kenney. Smolka was offered the bout just one week ago, but for the Hawaiian, he didn’t hesitate to take the fight on short notice. Instead, he says he loves short notice fights and the chaos that comes with it.
VIDEO | Austin Vanderford let Paige VanZant try to drown him in Instagram "experiment"
Tom Taylor - May 27, 2020
MMA power couple Austin Vanderford and Paige VanZant are known for their entertaining antics on Instagram. Yet the pair’s latest “experiment” might be their wildest yet. On Tuesday, Vanderford and VanZant shared a clip to their Instagram channels, detailing a bizarre but undeniably hilarious experiment they undertook out of pure curiosity.
Sean O'Malley believes he's "a couple more fights" from title shot
Mike Pendleton - May 27, 2020
With Henry Cejudo now retired, and removed from the rankings, and the UFC’s bantamweight title vacant and up for grabs, there is new opportunity for several fighters looking to become the new champion. One of those fighters, Sean O’Malley, believes he’s just a few fights away from becoming the new bantamweight champion. O’Malley was recently a guest on The Luke Thomas Show on Sirius XM and discussed the changes inside the bantamweight division, Cejudo’s decision to retire, and why he’ll be the new bantamweight champion.
Israel Adesanya: Francis Ngannou made Paulo Costa "s**t his pants" in UFC 248 confrontation
Tom Taylor - May 27, 2020
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya claims Francis Ngannou gave Paulo Costa a serious scare in the crowd at UFC 248. Adesanya fought in the main event of UFC 248, successfully defending his title against Yoel Romero with a decision win. Costa, who is the next man in line for a middleweight title shot, was allegedly heckling the champ from cage-side—until Ngannou intervened.
Kamaru Usman explains why he’s against rematching Colby Covington next
Harry Kettle - May 27, 2020
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has questioned why he’d entertain a rematch against Colby Covington for his next fight. Many fans and pundits believe that Usman’s war against Covington back at UFC 245 was one of the best fights of 2019, with both choosing to avoid their wrestling and focus on a stand-up battle.
UFC switches COVID-19 testing methods ahead of this weekend's event in Las Vegas
Natasha Hooper - May 27, 2020
The UFC has decided to change its testing methods for COVID-19 ahead of this weekend’s Las Vegas event. The UFC returned to action earlier this month with three fight cards in Jacksonville. Despite introducing various safety precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the organization will be tightening the reigns for this Saturday night’s Las Vegas card. The event will be held at the UFC Apex facility.
Jon Jones weighs in on the death of George Floyd: “I’ve never experienced anything close to that level of torture”
Harry Kettle - May 27, 2020
The UFC’s light heavyweight king Jon Jones has given his thoughts on the recent death of George Floyd. Floyd, who was a Minneapolis citizen, was unarmed when he was detained by four police officers in Minnesota. He was held to the ground with one of the officers kneeling on his neck during the arrest, after which he was taken to Hennepin County Medical Centre where he died shortly thereafter.
False positive COVID-19 tests caused scares for Dan Ige and Claudia Gadelha in Jacksonville
Mike Pendleton - May 26, 2020
Both Claudia Gadelha and Dan Ige fought on UFC Fight Night in Jacksonville back on May 16 and both fighters came away with wins respectively. However, both fighters were also recent guests on Sirius XM Fight Nation’s ‘MMA Tonight’ and revealed they endure some COVID-19 scares in their camp. Before she picked up a win over Angela Hill, Claudia Gadelha said there was a lot of stress during her camp and the first COVID-19 test she received came back inconclusive and she was required to quarantine for 24 hours her first day in Jacksonville.
Cortney Casey on quick turnaround during pandemic: "It's my job to go out there and fight"
Mike Pendleton - May 26, 2020
Getting back to normalcy is tough during a worldwide pandemic, but fighters, especially those in the UFC are known and credited for their toughness, one way or another. As the UFC works it’s way back to normalcy and continues to put on events, fighters like Cortney Casey are getting back to their jobs. Casey most recently picked up a win at UFC Fight Night on ESPN with a first-round submission win over Mara Romero Borella, and now has accepted a quick turnaround and will meet Gillian Robertson on June 20 for a matchup of flyweights looking to climb up in the division.
Manager laughs off claim Jorge Masvidal is "ducking anyone"
Cole Shelton - May 26, 2020
Jorge Masvidal’s manager, Abraham Kawa makes it clear his client is not ducking anyone. It was expected Jorge Masvidal would fight Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title this summer. The two have been going back-and-forth in interviews and had a scuffle at Radio Row during Super Bowl week. Yet, it has been reported negotiations have not gone well and “Gamebred” has turned his attention to the BMF title rematch with Nate Diaz.