MMA News

Tom Taylor - October 10, 2017

It sounds like Henry Cejudo’s UFC 218 scrap with Sergio Pettis is in jeopardy. According to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle, Cejudo was one of several athletes who was forced to flee from the Wine Country fires that are currently scorching California. When a blaze struck the Fountaingrove Inn in Santa Rosa, the former UFC flyweight title challenger was forced to evacuate by jumping from a second story balcony – a maneuver that reportedly caused him to break his ankle.

Tom Taylor - October 10, 2017

Last weekend, in the main event of UFC 216, Tony Ferguson defeated Kevin Lee to capture the UFC interim lightweight title. In the wake of this title win, Ferguson quickly set his sights on a title unification battle with undisputed champion Conor McGregor, and according to UFC President Dana White, this is indeed the direction things are headed. On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, the new champ Tony Ferguson discussed his desired bout with McGregor. Apparently, he’s taking White’s word, and believes the UFC will attempt to book this fight.

Russell Ess - October 9, 2017

There was quite a bit of commotion with the UFC 216 weigh-ins leading up to this past weekend’s UFC card as Kevin Lee needed an extra hour to make the interim lightweight title fight weight. However, Lee who struggled to make weight looked amazing in comparison to another fighter who also stepped on the scale to compete over the weekend. Strawweight Daniel Lima fought at the Pancrase 290 event in Japan on Sunday but when he weighed in for his fight against Daichi Kitakata, Lima looked far from being able to compete in a fight the following day.

Russell Ess - October 9, 2017

Many are wondering when we will see Cris Cyborg make her way back to the Octagon to defend the UFC women’s featherweight title. Cyborg won the women’s 145-pound belt in July after the promotion stripped the title from the inaugural champion, Germaine de Randamie, after she refused to fight Cyborg who was the number one contender at the time. Cyborg met former Invicta bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger at UFC 214 after de Randamie was stripped of the title where Cyborg was able to stop Evinger in the third round by TKO to win the vacant title.

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2017

Since parting ways with the UFC in 2016, Texan lightweight veteran Cody Pfister has been busy. In addition to a victorious debut in the Bellator cage, he’s also kickstarted his own MMA promotion in the cleverly named “Fist Fight League.” In late September, Fist Fight League hosted its second show, and it was a fun one. Pfister himself headlined the show, taking on the fan favorite “Felony” Charles Bennett. The fighter-turned-promoter won this fight fight via submission in the first round. Fist Fight Night 2 also featured appearances by Wesley “Cabbage” Correira, Paul Buentello, and our very own BJ Penn.

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2017

In the buildup to and fallout of their two fights, Daniel Cormier and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson always kept things pretty civil. It’s for this reason that the recent heat between them, which began when Cormier scolded Rumble for his interactions with Jon Jones, came as such a surprise. “Rumble Johnson and I have always been respectful with each other, but something happened at UFC 214 that has forever made me change the way I’m going to interact with Anthony Johnson,” Cormier said on a recent episode of podcast Talk and Talker. “So, I walk into the back of the weigh-ins for UFC 214, and there’s Rumble. And I go up to Rumble and he says ‘what’s up DC? You look good.’ Give him a hug, and I say ‘hey man, I hope you’re enjoying your retirement. You seem happy. I wish you nothing but continued success’, and I go about my business — as much as you’d expect two guys who have competed and ave respect for each other would interact. Then in walks Jon Jones, and I expect him to — a guy he was supposed to fight, and may at some point still fight — give him the same type of conversation and kind of keep it moving, as a man. But Jon walks in, they give each other the shake and the hug, and they talk a little bit. And the conversation seems like Anthony is almost giving him advice … like pre-fight stuff.”

Russell Ess - October 9, 2017

With Ronda Rousey’s future in the UFC unclear and Jon Jones going through the process with his potential anti-doping violation, it seems Conor McGregor stands alone at the top as far as draws go for the UFC. Georges St-Pierre is certainly a big star but his future is undetermined as we will have to see if his own plans and abilities are set for a lengthy return. So who will be the next in the UFC roster that will bring in the audiences like Jones, Rousey, and McGregor? Dana White was asked that recently on The Dan Le Batard Show and the UFC President gave his opinion.

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2017

In the wake of Jon Jones’ latest failed drug test, which was administered in the buildup to his UFC 214 title fight with Daniel Cormier, many fans have questioned the legitimacy of his legacy, suggesting that perhaps his greatness can be the attributed to PED abuse. In the opinion of top light heavyweight contender Volkan Oezdemir, however, these claims are not exactly fair. On the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio “No Time” shared his belief that, while Jones’ could well have been helped by PEDs, his talent remains unquestionable. “It’s hard to answer to this, because the way Jones fights, it’s just amazing,” Oezdemir said. “He’s doing stuff nobody does. He just has a really high IQ when it comes to fighting. He’s doing stuff with perfect timing, crazy, spinning back elbows… you know. You cannot take anything off Jon Jones, because he so much talent. So, I don’t think it’s really tarnished his legacy. When you watch his fights, he doesn’t win because [of the banned substances]. Of course, it probably helped, but he doesn’t win because he’s so strong and so big. It’s all about the intelligence that he has, and also the IQ, fight IQ. He’s just an amazing athlete.” 

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2017

Last Saturday, in the main event of the action-packed UFC 216, Kevin Lee and Tony Ferguson stepped into the cage to battle for the interim lightweight title. Though Lee started strong, mounting and very nearly finishing Ferguson in the first-frame, his gas tank seemed to empty as the fight progressed. From there, Ferguson was able up the aggression, wear his foe down, and ultimately, lock up a choke for the win.

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2017

The new UFC women’s flyweight division is slowly starting to take shape. By the time the current season of The Ultimate Fighter wraps up, the 125-pound weight class with have a brand new champion. That champion, of course, will not actually be in a particularly enviable position, as they’ll have to deal with not only Valentina Shevchenko dropping down from the bantamweight division, but also strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who has repeatedly flirted with the idea of a move to 125 pounds.

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2017

Last Saturday night, in the main event of the stacked UFC 216, 25-year-old lightweight contender Kevin Lee stepped in to the Octagon with the streaking Tony Ferguson. He did so in an effort to capture the UFC interim lightweight title. While Lee put up a valiant fight, very nearly finishing Ferguson in the first-round, he was ultimately finished in the third round when he was wrapped up in an arm-triangle choke. Unsurprisingly, this was not the result the young fighter was looking for. That said, he has taken the L with grace.

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2017

On November 4, in the main event of UFC 217, former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will return from a multi-year hiatus to battle UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. If St-Pierre defeats Bisping, it opens the door to a number of other super fights, such as battles pitting him against Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and perhaps most interestingly, UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor. As two of the biggest and most dominating stars the UFC has ever produced, St-Pierre and McGregor are often talked about as potential opponents for one another. In the opinion of Georges St-Pierre himself, however, this isn’t the most interesting option for him. He’s not keen on dropping down weight classes to fight smaller opponents. Instead, he’s interested in moving up to take on bigger foes, like Bisping.

Chris Taylor - October 8, 2017

The UFC 216 Reebok Athlete Outfitting payouts are in! Main event fighters Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee each took home $30,000 from Reebok last night.

Chris Taylor - October 8, 2017

UFC President Dana White did his best to honor the victims of the Las Vegas shooting at last night’s UFC 216 event at T-Mobile Arena. The promotion had 1,500 first responders in attendance for last night’s event and also gave some of the survivors from the shooting an introduction in the octagon.

Chris Taylor - October 8, 2017

The octagon will return to Madison Square Garden in New York next month for UFC 217. The pay-per-view fight card, which takes place November 4, will be headlined by a middleweight title fight featuring current champion Michael Bisping taking on former welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre.

Chris Taylor - October 8, 2017

The UFC 216 fighter salaries are in and newly crowned interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson earned the events top payout. Ferguson, who submitted Kevin Lee in the third-round of the UFC 216 main event, earned a total of $500,000 for his title earning victory.

Tom Taylor - October 8, 2017

Last night, in the co-main event of the stacked UFC 216, Ray Borg stepped into the cage with perhaps the greatest fighter to ever do it: UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. Borg sought not only to steal Johnson’s flyweight belt, but also spoil the champ’s record-breaking 11th straight title defense. Though Borg put forth a valiant effort, he was more or less outclassed for the duration of the fight, and in the end, he was finished in the most emphatic way possible. Mid-way through the 5th round, Johnson slammed him to the canvas, locked up and arm-bar mid-way through the maneuver, and seconds later, after a brief struggle, coaxed out the tap.

Tom Taylor - October 8, 2017

Last night, in the co-main event of UFC 216, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson shattered the record for consecutive title defenses in the UFC, moving to eleven-straight with a jaw-dropping fifth-round armbar over Ray Borg. In the wake of this dazzling win, Johnson is once again being widely referred to as the greatest of all time. At the UFC 216 post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White gave his take on the GOAT debate.