UFC News
Thiago Santos 'dreams' of rematch against Jon Jones
Adam Martin - July 10, 2019
Thiago Santos had the biggest fight of his MMA carer this past Saturday against Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 239. Thought he officially lost a split decision, he gained the respect of the entire MMA community for not only giving Jones a tough fight, but for fighting 25 minutes with two severely-damaged knees. Although Santos will be out until mid-2020 after having knee surgery, he told Combate that he isn’t giving up hope of eventually fighting Jones for a second time.
Daniel Cormier named 2019 ESPYS MMA Fighter of the Year
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 10, 2019
Daniel Cormier is riding high going into UFC 241 and he now has one more thing to celebrate. Cormier is set to put his heavyweight gold on the line against Stipe Miocic in a rematch. In their first encounter back in July 2018, Cormier knocked out Miocic in the first round to capture the UFC heavyweight title. They’ll run it back inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Aug. 17.
Conor McGregor lands on Forbes highest-paid celebrity list
Cole Shelton - July 10, 2019
Forbes has released their 2019 highest-paid celebrity list (money earned from 2018) and there is only one MMA fighter on the list and that is Conor McGregor. The Irishman came in at 65 out of the 100 and earned an estimated $47 million. Forbes lists how he got that money which includes a $30 million payout from his UFC 229 fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, after his base salary and pay-per-view bonuses. He also collected $5 million from Reebok and his whiskey company, Proper Twelve sold over 200,000 cases. He was also the 21st highest paid athlete for the year according to Forbes, even after fighting just once, and it is the fourth-straight year he is on that athlete-centric list.
Israel Adesanya compares Robert Whittaker to a 'meth head'
Tom Taylor - July 10, 2019
Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker don’t even know where their UFC 243 middleweight title fight will occur yet, but Adesanya is already letting the trash talk fly. Speaking at the UFC Hall of Fame ceremony over the weekend, the interim champion Adesanya shared his thoughts on his first staredown with the undisputed champ Whittaker.
Jorge Masvidal calls new KO record 'a real f**king achievement'
Cole Shelton - July 10, 2019
Jorge Masvidal is now a UFC record holder. At UFC 239, “Gamebred” took on Ben Askren. To start the fight, he ran across the cage and landed a perfectly placed flying knee that knocked his foe out cold. The official time of the knockout was five seconds, which is still the record. But, as Joe Rogan pointed on the broadcast, had the ref gotten in position faster, it could have very well been two or three seconds.
Chad Mendes officially announces retirement from MMA: 'This is a dangerous sport'
Adam Martin - July 10, 2019
Former UFC featherweight title contender Chad Mendes has officially announced his retirement from mixed martial arts at age 34. Although previously reported to be retired, Mendes did not confirm that he was officially done with the sport until Tuesday. Mendes told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto he has notified the UFC of his retirement, and he has been removed from the USADA testing pool.
Robert Whittaker says Israel Adesanya is 'arguing by himself'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 10, 2019
Robert Whittaker has no plans to be goaded into a verbal spat with Israel Adesanya. Whittaker and Adesanya are set to collide in a middleweight title unification bout on Oct. 5. The championship tilt will serve as UFC 243’s main event. While the headliner and event have been announced, a location has not. While many had anticipated Melbourne, UFC president Dana White revealed during the summer press conference 2019 that nothing is a lock yet.
Holly Holm speaks on UFC 239 loss to Amanda Nunes
Tom Taylor - July 10, 2019
At UFC 239, Holly Holm sought to usurp the UFC bantamweight throne by unseating reigning champion Amanda Nunes. Regrettably for Holm and her dedicated fanbase, this mission did not go as planned, as she was stopped by a first-round head kick and volley of followup punches. Speaking in a video on her Instagram story on Tuesday, Holm addressed this tough setback, assuring her fans that she will keep moving forward, as the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive played in the background.
Alexander Gustafsson: 'I’m far from a retired fighter in my way of thinking'
Natasha Hooper - July 10, 2019
Alexander Gustafsson is reconsidering his retirement. The Swedish fighter announced his retirement in Stockholm last month, after receiving a submission loss from Anthony Smith.
Anthony Smith reacts to rival Luke Rockhold's KO loss
Tom Taylor - July 10, 2019
Ahead of his light heavyweight debut opposite Jan Blachowicz, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold had a lot to say about a handful of the division’s top stars — namely the champion Jon Jones and top-ranked contender Anthony Smith. In the end, of course, Rockhold’s debut in the division did not go the way he envisioned, as he was knocked out by Blachowicz in the second round.
VIDEO | Go behind the scenes of Amanda Nunes' Body Issue photo shoot
Tom Taylor - July 10, 2019
UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes is the latest fighter to strip down for ESPN’s Body Issue. The two-division champion joins other MMA stars like Ronda Rousey, Jon Jones, and Conor McGregor who have also posed for this longstanding series. Nunes’ Body Issue spread is expected to drop in September. In the meantime, you can go behind the scenes of her photo shoot in the video below, courtesy of ESPN MMA.
Anthony Smith shares interesting takeaway from Jon Jones' UFC 239 performance
Tom Taylor - July 10, 2019
UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith is the only man to have fought both Jon Jones and Thiago Santos. As such, he has some unique insight into the pair’s UFC 239 fight, which Jones won via narrow split decision — easily one of his least impressive performances of late. Smith gave his thoughts on Jones’ UFC 239 performance during an appearance on MMA on Sirius XM.