MMA News
Sean Shelby says the last UFC welterweight title shot nearly went to Rafael Dos Anjos
Tom Taylor - September 4, 2017
This Saturday night, on the main card of UFC 215, former UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos will take his second fight in the welterweight division opposite dangerous contender Neil Magny. Apparently, however, dos Anjos very nearly found himself in a fight with UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley instead. In a UFC 215 preview video featuring Jon Anik and UFC matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard, Shelby explained that a dos Anjos vs. Woodley welterweight title fight was the contingency plan had Demian Maia not been able to accept a title fight with Woodley at UFC 214.
Brendan Schaub claims Conor McGregor is "steering the ship" in the UFC
Tom Taylor - September 4, 2017
Brendan Schaub has never been afraid to heap praise on UFC lightweight champ Conor McGregor. On Saturday’s special UFC Rotterdam Fight Companion edition of The Joe Rogan experience, Schaub did just that once more, explaining the he believes McGregor will have an incredible amount of sway in future negotiations with new UFC owners WME-IMG. “Conor has changed the game for the better, especially if you’re the fighter,” Schaub told Joe Rogan (h/t MMAFighting.com). “With WME, he’s steering the ship. Think about it, he made over – the numbers have come out and they’re saying it’s gonna be the biggest pay-per-view of all time – so he made $100 million, right? So you’re telling me if you’re Conor, and you’re part of his team you’re gonna go, ‘Hey, fight Nate Diaz for $5-10 million and also, we need you to wear this Reebok and they’re gonna pay you $100,000 a year.’ You think Conor’s gonna [do that]? You’re crazy.”
Ben Askren gets awesome opponent for retirement fight
Tom Taylor - September 4, 2017
“Funky” Ben Askren has long been regarded as one of the best welterweights outside the UFC, and perhaps the best fighter outside the UFC period. Over the weekend, in the main event of ONE Championship’s stop in Shanghai, the seemingly unstoppable wrestling specialist added to that reputation with a lopsided mauling of Zebaztian Kadestam. As it turns out, his ferocious TKO of Kadestam will go down as the second last fight of his career.
VIDEO | New corner cam footage from Mayweather vs. McGregor
Chris Taylor - September 3, 2017
There is no shortage of emotion in this new video which showcases the corners and family members of both Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather during their epic super fight from August 26. Conor McGregor had a fantastic start to the fight, arguably winning the contests first four rounds.
UFC 215 Fight Card and Start Time
Chris Taylor - September 3, 2017
The UFC will invade Edmonton, Alberta, Canada next weekend for UFC 215. The pay-per-view event is headlined by a flyweight title fight featuring long-time champion Demetrious Johnson taking on Ray Borg.
Matchmaker! What should come next for the UFC Rotterdam winners?
Chris Taylor - September 3, 2017
The UFC returned to Rotterdam this weekend for UFC Fight Night 115. The event delivered with a bunch of memorable finishes and some very entertaining fights.
PHOTO | Can we please have Carlos Condit back in our lives
Chris Taylor - September 3, 2017
It has been just over a year since fans were treated to a fight which involved former UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit. “The Natural Born Killer” was last seen in action at UFC on FOX 21 in August of 2016, where he suffered a first-round submission loss to Demian Maia.
UFC Rotterdam Reebok Athlete Payouts
Chris Taylor - September 3, 2017
The UFC returned to Rotterdam yesterday for UFC Fight Night 115. The fight card was headlined by a heavyweight main event which saw Alexander Volkov score a third-round TKO victory over hometown favorite Stefan Struve.
Alistair Overeem is willing to welcome Anthony Joshua to the Octagon
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2017
Earlier today, rumors surfaced of a potential MMA bout between former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 champion Alistair Overeem, and boxing heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua. While these rumors were almost immediately stomped out by discerning members of the MMA community, Overeem was quick to comment on them, saying that while he’s not interested in boxing Anthony Joshua, he’d be happy to welcome him to the UFC if it came to that. I had my journey out of MMA and became champion in another sport, the K1 ring. No desire to redo but willing to welcome others into the UFC! https://t.co/Zue6Q2lN2W
Artem Lobov responds to callout from red-hot UFC Rotterdam prospect Zabit Magomedsharipov
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2017
Yesterday afternoon, on the undercard of UFC Fight Night 115 in Rotterdam, Russian featherweight prospect Zabit Magomedsharipov dazzled by thrashing Mike Santiago to a second-round rear-naked choke. With this win, Magomedsharipov immediately established himself as one of the finest contenders in the featherweight division, and post-fight, he looked to capitalize on this status with a clever callout of Conor McGregor stablemate Artem Lobov. “This journey has been amazing,” Magomedsharipov said post-fight. “I had a big lay off, I haven’t fought in about a year so I was hungry for the fight,” he said. “I was expecting to go three rounds, just to feel the fight out but I had a chance to finish him in the second so I took it. It was perfect.”
Jose Aldo wants spot on UFC 217, is willing to fight anybody
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2017
Jose Aldo is no longer the UFC featherweight champion, having come up short against Max Holloway in June, but he still wants to stay active. In fact, the former champ is eager to insert himself into the lineup for the stacked UFC 217, which goes down this November 4 inside New York’s Madison Square Garden. “It’s a dream to fight [in New York], especially at Madison Square Garden,” Aldo told the media at his burger restaurant in Rio de Janeiro on Friday (h/t MMAFighting.com). “That’s a dream I have. I grew up watching boxers fighting there, so fighting at this arena is historical for me. I want to be on this [card].”
Bellator star AJ McKee updates on beef with "dumb ass" James Gallagher
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2017
AJ McKee (9-0) and James Gallagher (7-0) are two of the hottest prospects on the Bellator roster, and they happen to compete in the same division. As such, the two rising featherweights have developed a pretty memorable rivalry – one that will inevitably have to be settled in the cage. Speaking on the latest edition of BJ Penn Radio, McKee discussed his beef with Gallagher, explaining that he initially had no interest in a fight with him, but that the Irishman’s disrespect changed his mind.
Michael Bisping knows how to fix Conor McGregor's cardio problem
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2017
Last weekend, Conor McGregor came up short in his anticipated boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr., succumbing to 10th round punches. While this loss can be primarily attributed to Mayweather’s fantastic ring craft, it can also be stacked up to McGregor’s cardio issues – issues that also plagued him in his two Octagon battles with Nate Diaz. On the most recent episode of his podcast Believe You Me, UFC middleweight champ weighed in on McGregor’s cardio woes:
Rory MacDonald is "convinced" Robbie Lawler was on PEDs at UFC 189
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2017
Back in July 0f 2015, Canadian welterweight contender Rory MacDonald and then UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler co-authored one of the greatest fights in MMA history. In the end, Lawler would win this bloody battle, putting his foe down with a fifth-round volley. In the opinion of MacDonald, however, there should be an asterisk attached to Lawler’s TKO victory. He believes the former champ was on performance enhancers at the time of their fight. MacDonald made this claim during a recent AMA on Reddit, responding to a question from user cczzrr.
Tony Ferguson calls out UFC for major mistake on UFC 216 billboard
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2017
On October 7, in the main event of the stacked UFC 216, streaking lightweight contender Tony Ferguson will battle Kevin “The Motown Phenom” Lee for interim lightweight gold. According to a massive billboard Ferguson recently encountered, however, his fight with Lee will actually be for interim featherweight gold. Quick, somebody tell featherweight champ Max Holloway!
Jose Aldo denies that there was any moral victory for Conor McGregor against Floyd Mayweather
Tom Taylor - September 3, 2017
Last weekend, Conor McGregor came up short in his anticipated boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Yet given that McGregor lasted 10 rounds when he was expected to be dominated by the boxing great, many fans and pundits felt he’d at least earned a moral victory in his boxing debut. According to Jose Aldo, one of McGregor’s fiercest rivals in the MMA sphere, however, there was no such victory. “A lot of people talk a lot of crap, like, ‘Oh, he landed many more blows than (Manny) Pacquiao or (Miguel) Cotto and everyone.’ But no one says that (Mayweather) didn’t fight for two years,” Jose Aldo told Fernanda Prates of MMAFighting.com. “He didn’t even prepare for the fight. He knew, like everyone at the gym said, that it would be very hard (for McGregor to win) – very, very hard.”
Conor McGregor had an equipment emergency minutes prior to the Mayweather fight
Chris Taylor - September 2, 2017
Current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor put on an incredible performance in his boxing debut last weekend in Las Vegas against Floyd Mayweather. The Irish superstar was eventually stopped in the tenth round by the legendary undefeated boxer, but still McGregor’s stock did nothing but rise in defeat.
PHOTO | Georges St-Pierre is looking massive in preparation for his UFC 217 fight with Michael Bisping
Chris Taylor - September 2, 2017
Former UFC welterweight kingpin Georges St-Pierre is looking massive in preparation for his UFC 217 title fight with current middleweight champion Michael Bisping. The Canadian superstar, “GSP, recently took to Twitter where he shared the following picture showing off his size as a middleweight.