MMA News
Julianna Pena looking to fill superstar role left by Ronda Rousey
Scott Hernandez - January 24, 2017
While UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes was thrust into the public spotlight when she defeated former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey in just 48 seconds at UFC 207, top ranked women’s bantamweight Julianna Pena believes that there was a void left behind by Rousey. A void she intends to fill.
Dan Hardy elaborates on comment about Ortiz vs. Sonnen being "choreographed"
Tom Taylor - January 24, 2017
With no UFC card last weekend, the MMA spotlight was fixed firmly on Bellator 170, which went down on Saturday night. This card was headlined by a light heavyweight fight between retiring MMA legend Tito Ortiz, and returning star Chael Sonnen. In advance of this fight, Sonnen assured it was one he’d wanted for years, and one he was determined to win. Despite all of this pre-fight talk, however, Sonnen could not have looked much worse on fight night, as he was soundly out-grappled by the aging Ortiz, and ultimately wound up tapping out to a poorly applied rear-naked choke just over two minutes into the fight.
Khabib Nurmagomedov on Tony Ferguson: I'm going to break his arm
Tom Taylor - January 24, 2017
On March 4, in the co-main of UFC 209, streaking lightweights Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson will finally go to war. They will do so for interim lightweight gold, while the division’s undisputed champion Conor McGregor enjoys a break from competition to father his first child. In a recent interview with Fox Sports, Nurmagomedov opened up on this bout with Ferguson, and explained that he has plans to break his foe’s arm – something he was careful not to do when he recently tapped Michael Johnson with a kimura. The motivation behind this threat is to teach Ferguson some respect.
Tyron Woodley on racism: it’s indirect most times, but sometimes it’s blatant
Tom Taylor - January 24, 2017
Over the last few months, Tyron Woodley has generated dozens of headlines by claiming that, even as the UFC welterweight champion, he experiences racism on a frequent basis. Some fans have responded to these claims by accusing him of “race-baiting”. Others have applauded him for shining a light on these ugly issues which, to this day, have their claws embedded in North American culture. On a recent episode of The MMA Hour, host Ariel Helwani gave Woodley the chance to elaborate on his recent comments. The champ did not hesitate to do so, explaining that he’d actually prepared notes for the interview so as to assure he articulated his points effectively.
Tony Ferguson on Conor McGregor: 'That poor bastard has never defended even one belt in his entire life'
Russell Ess - January 23, 2017
Tony Ferguson, the #2 UFC ranked lightweight is set to take on the #1 UFC ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the interim UFC lightweight title on March 4 at UFC 209 in the co-main event of the evening.
VIDEO | Nick and Nate Diaz up in the clouds, smoking huge UFC glove blunt
Russell Ess - January 23, 2017
Leave it up to the Diaz brothers to highlight smoking out of an MMA glove.
Tim Kennedy updates on MMAAA recruitment, Bjorn Rebney's involvement
Tom Taylor - January 23, 2017
Earlier this month, long-time middleweight contender Tim Kennedy announced his retirement from MMA. With this retirement from competition, Kennedy now shifts his focus to a new fight, as he battles on behalf of fighters as the President of the new Mixed Martial Arts Athlete’s Association. During an appearance on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Kennedy gave an update on this association, which has been somewhat quiet over the last few weeks. During this segment, Kennedy touched on the controversial involvement of former Bellator president Bjorn Rebney, and shed some light on how the fighter recruitment process is going.
VIDEO | Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson hurt by 'King Mo's' comments: 'That was a low blow'
Russell Ess - January 23, 2017
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal are set to meet once again in the Bellator cage at Bellator 175 on March 31.
Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn't expect to headline UFC's debut in Russia
Tom Taylor - January 23, 2017
Late last year, news broke that UFC head honchos Dana White and Ari Emmanuel visited Moscow, Russia to begin working on the promotion’s potential debut in the country. At the moment, of course, this debut remains a hypothetical one, as no date or location has been confirmed. If the UFC does touch down in Russia, however, it’s likely to be a huge event, as the country is a hotbed for MMA fans, and one of the last markets the UFC has not yet tapped.
Jon Anik: Floyd Mayweather needs McGregor and the UFC more than they need him
Tom Taylor - January 23, 2017
The biggest ongoing storyline in combat sports today surrounds a potential mega fight between retired boxing great Floyd Mayweather and MMA superstar Conor McGregor. Until recently, this history-making showdown has resided firmly in the realm of the hypothetical. When UFC President Dana White made what he called “a real offer” of $25 million to Mayweather, however, that changed. The wheels were decidedly in motion.
VIDEO | Road to the Octagon for UFC Denver: Shevchenko vs. Pena
Tom Taylor - January 23, 2017
With Bellator 170 in the rear-view mirror, the MMA spotlight now shifts to UFC Denver, a stacked card that will air on Fox this Saturday, January 28.
Gilbert Melendez confirms plans to drop to featherweight
Tom Taylor - January 23, 2017
For a time, Gilbert Melendez stood out as one of the best lightweights in the world. That was back when he was the dominant champion of Strikeforce’s lightweight division, and running through names like Josh Thomson, Shinya Aoki, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Jorge Masvidal. Today, however, the lightweight great has hit a bit of a rough patch. After a strong start to his UFC career, which saw him give up a razor thin decision to then lightweight champion Benson Henderson, and defeat Diego Sanchez in one of the best fights ever, Melendez has stumbled onto a three-fight losing streak.
VIDEO | Tito Ortiz says it'll take a public apology to forgive Chael Sonnen
Tom Taylor - January 23, 2017
On Saturday night, in the main event of Bellator 170, Tito Ortiz put Chael Sonnen away with a first-round, rear-naked choke. In doing so, he put to bed months of pre-fight posturing and trash-talk – or so you would think.
Paul Daley on knocking out friend Brennan Ward: "It was hard, I just hope he’s ok"
Tom Taylor - January 22, 2017
On Saturday night, Bellator MMA returned to our screens with Bellator 170, a stacked card that emanated from Los Angeles, California. Though the card had several exciting moments, the undeniable highlight in terms of spectacle was Paul Daley’s defeat of Brennan Ward. The British knockout artist put his foe down with an incredible flying knee to the temple in the very first round of their fight.
VIDEO | Chael Sonnen discusses Ortiz loss, assures he'll be back
Tom Taylor - January 22, 2017
Last night, in the main event of Bellator 170, three-time UFC title challenger and beloved mouthpiece Chael Sonnen returned from a hiatus of more than three years to take on retiring UFC Hall-of-Famer Tito Ortiz. Unfortunately for Sonnen and his throngs of fans, this comeback fight was a bit of a flop, as he was submitted by his veteran foe just 2:03 into the fight’s first round.
Anderson Silva: under new ownership, UFC is more about entertainment, less about martial arts
Tom Taylor - January 22, 2017
Anderson Silva is the greatest middleweight in the history of our sport. In fact, he could even be the greatest fighter ever, period. As such, his opinion on the state of the UFC and the larger MMA landscape will always be very interesting. In a recent interview with Brazilian TV show Combate News, Silva weighed in on the current state of the UFC, and how things have changed since it was sold by Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, and purchased by entertainment giant WME-IMG.
VIDEO | Tito Ortiz taps Chael Sonnen in the first
Tom Taylor - January 22, 2017
https://twitter.com/MMA_Jim/status/823091042148880384 On Saturday evening, Bellator MMA returned to our screens with Bellator 170. Featuring plenty of jaw-dropping moments, this thrilling card was topped by a light heavyweight showdown between UFC Hall-of-Famer and MMA legend Tito Ortiz, and three-time UFC title challenger, “The Bad Guy” Chael Sonnen.
MMA community reacts to Tito Ortiz's defeat of Chael Sonnen, retirement from MMA
Tom Taylor - January 22, 2017
On Saturday night, Bellator MMA returned to our screens with Bellator 170. Featuring some of the organization’s biggest names, this action-packed card was topped by a light heavyweight showdown between UFC Hall-of-Famer and veritable MMA legend Tito Ortiz, and returning cult hero Chael Sonnen. In the buildup to this fight, we learned that Tito Ortiz would be retiring afterwards, no matter what happened in the cage. In the end, he was able to earn himself a win, and the perfect way to ride off into the MMA sunset.