UFC News

Adam Martin - February 27, 2020

The UFC is headed back to Austin, Texas, and the first bout on the card is a women’s flyweight match between Jennifer Maia and Viviane Araujo. Combate was the first to report the UFC will head back to Austin on June 27 for a Fight Night card and the first to report the Maia vs. Araujo matchup. At this time, no other bouts for the card have been revealed.

Tom Taylor - February 27, 2020

UFC strawweight champ Weili Zhang has made it to the United States for her UFC 248 title defense against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, but the journey was not easy. Zhang’s homeland is still reeling from the headline-dominating novel coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed many lives and caused complicated travel restrictions worldwide. These restrictions made it extremely difficult for Zhang to make it to the US, and left her feeling like a “refugee.”

Mike Pendleton - February 27, 2020

Following a split decision loss to Dan Hooker, Paul Felder had a brief moment where he considered retirement. Yet Felder’s head coach Duke Roufus believes we’ll see “The Irish Dragon” back in the Octagon. Furthermore, Roufus believes Felder and Hooker could run it back and had an interesting suggestion for that potential rematch. Speaking on The Luke Thomas Show on Sirius XM, Roufus discussed the fight and emotion behind the loss for Felder.

Cole Shelton - February 27, 2020

In the main event of UFC Norfolk, the vacant flyweight title is on the line as Joseph Benavidez battles Deiveson Figueiredo. Heading into the fight, Benavidez is a slight -145 favorite while the Brazilian is a +115 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. The majority are leaning towards Joseph Benavidez finally becoming a UFC champion but they realize how dangerous Deiveson Figueiredo is.

Tom Taylor - February 27, 2020

Conor McGregor is still at the top of the fight game, but the former two-division UFC champ recognizes that his time as a fighter will eventually come to an end. When that happens, and he’s no longer collecting his massive fight purses, he’ll seemingly be well prepared. In a recent interview with The Mac Life, McGregor opened up on the importance of preparing for life after fighting. He says he’s studied the careers of other athletes — both inside and outside the combat sports industry — as he readies for the next chapter of his life. Based on his comments, it sounds like this research was a big part of his decision to launch ventures like his Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey and his August McGregor fashion line.

Cole Shelton - February 27, 2020

Deiveson Figueiredo is confident he will become the UFC’s flyweight champion on Saturday. In the main event of UFC Norfolk, Figueiredo will battle Joseph Benavidez for the vacant flyweight title. When the Brazilian got the news that he would be fighting for the belt he knew it meant he could finally achieve his goal of being a UFC champion.

Harry Kettle - February 27, 2020

A physician with notable links to UFC legends and veterans has been charged in a money laundering scheme worth over $120 million. As confirmed by the United States Department of Justice in a statement yesterday and initially reported by MMA Fighting, 65-year-old Francisco Patino has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, in addition to one count of money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Natasha Hooper - February 27, 2020

Diego Sanchez has defended his controversial coach Joshua Fabia following criticism of his training approach. The Ultimate Fighter winner and his coach became a hot topic of discussion after his Michel Pereira bout in the co-main event of UFC Rio Rancho. Sanchez absorbed an illegal knee in the third round and decided not to continue the fight. Much to the dismay of some spectators, “The Nightmare” was awarded the disqualification victory.

Mike Pendleton - February 26, 2020

Judging has been a very big topic of discussion in the MMA world as of late, and the main event of UFC Auckland, which pitted Paul Felder against Dan Hooker, brought more to that conversation. After Hooker and Felder engaged in a very close fight, the judges gave the victory to Hooker by way of split decision — but not everyone agreed with that verdict.

Mike Pendleton - February 26, 2020

The entire sports world has been buzzing over last Saturday’s Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury rematch, which saw Fury hand Wilder his first pro loss and claim the WBC heavyweight title via 7th-round stoppage. One of the latest members of the combat sports community to chime in on this fight is UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith. During MMA Tonight on Sirius XM, a show that Smith co-hosts, he did not hold back on Wilder’s performance against Fury. He also addressed Wilder’s reaction to his corner stopping the fight, and shared little optimism that Wilder could ever beat Tyson Fury.

Adam Martin - February 26, 2020

Bellator commentator and veteran MMA official John McCarthy believes that Paul Felder edged out Dan Hooker at UFC Auckland, but admits it was not a robbery. Hooker won a narrow split decision over Felder in the main event of UFC Auckland, with the judges scoring it 48-47, 47-48 and 48-47 in favor of the New Zealander. Fans and media were split on who they thought won the fight, but there was a certain subset of MMA fans who were adamant the decision to award Hooker the fight was a ‘robbery.’

Natasha Hooper - February 26, 2020

Dapper Labs, the company responsible for CryptoKitties, has announced a partnership with the UFC to provide a “new digital experience” for MMA fans around the world. Dapper Labs is a cryptocurrency company, best known for creating CryptoKitties: a blockchain game on Ethereum which allows players to purchase, breed, collect and sell virtual cats.