MMA News

Tom Taylor - December 26, 2016

One of the biggest stories of 2016 was Conor McGregor becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes concurrently.

Tom Taylor - December 26, 2016

If you’re a Cain Velasquez fan, your Christmas Eve was likely dealt a significant blow this year. As Santa Clause geared up for another trip around the planet, we learned that the former heavyweight champion had been pulled from his planned UFC 207 bout with fellow former champ and recent foil Fabricio Werdum. In the buildup to his planned bout with Werdum, Velasquez made no secret of the fact that he was dealing with an injury. In fact, Velasquez even admitted that he had back surgery scheduled for mere days after the fight. Despite this injury, however, he claimed that he had every intention of fighting, and apparently, even got the OK from his doctor to do so.

Tom Taylor - December 26, 2016

In March, Irish MMA megastar Conor McGregor found himself on the wrong end of one the year’s biggest upsets as he tapped to a second-round rear-naked choke dealt by Nate Diaz. Given his previous dominance and his status as the UFC’s biggest star ever, McGregor was quickly given a shot at redemption against his foil. In preparation for this rematch with Diaz, which was momentarily scheduled for UFC 200 but ultimately occurred at UFC 202 in August, McGregor enlisted the help of Marcelo Garcia black belt Dillon Danis to sharpen his jiu jitsu skill. This, of course, thrust Danis into the MMA spotlight, where he has remained ever since.

Tom Taylor - December 26, 2016

This Friday, the UFC will return to glimmering Las Vegas, Nevada with UFC 207. The card will be headlined by an anticipated women’s bantamweight title fight between reigning champ Amanda Nunes and returning former champ Ronda Rousey. The co-main event, meanwhile, will occur in the men’s bantamweight division, where brick-fisted challenger Cody Garbrandt will attempt to solve the puzzle that is champion Dominick Cruz.

Tom Taylor - December 26, 2016

November was an incredible month for the UFC lightweight division. The most important moment of the month, of course, was Conor McGregor’s title-winning destruction of Eddie Alvarez. That said, the month also included huge wins from top contenders Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who defeated top-flight foes in Rafael Dos Anjos and Michael Johnson respectively. Under normal circumstances, McGregor would now have his sights set on a defense against either Ferguson or Nurmagomedov – though it’s difficult to say who of these two talents deserves the opportunity more. Instead, however, the Irish champion is taking a break from competition to start a family with longtime girlfriend Dee Devlin. While McGregor takes this paternity leave, Ferguson, Nurmagomedov, and the lightweight division’s other contenders have been left to squabble amongst themselves while they wait for their absentee champion to return.

Tom Taylor - December 26, 2016

This Friday, the UFC will close the curtains on an unforgettable year with UFC 207. The card is a fittingly stacked one. In the main event, we’ll see women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes take on returning former champ Ronda Rousey. In the co-main event, meanwhile, dominant men’s bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz will take on undefeated challenger Cody Garbrandt. Elsewhere on the card, we’ll witness appearances from former champions like TJ Dillashaw and Johny Hendricks, who will be taking on top talents in John Lineker and Neil Magny respectively. Needless to say, UFC 207 is an excellent card.

Scott Hernandez - December 24, 2016

Unfortunate news surfaced Saturday afternoon that former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez had been pulled from his upcoming UFC 207 scrap with Fabricio Werdum just days before the fight due to medical reasons. While Velasquez was quick to refute the reports, stating that as far as he knew, the fight was still on, NSAC director Bob Bennett has now stated on record that Velasquez is medically suspended.

Scott Hernandez - December 24, 2016

Saturday afternoon reports began to surface that former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez had been pulled from his UFC 207 fight with Fabricio Werdum on December 30th due to medical reasons. The report came after Velasquez revealed several important bits of information over the course of the last week regarding a back injury he dealt with throughout training camp. After revealing that he was scheduled for surgery just 5 days after the fight, Velasquez revealed that he had been using CBD Oil throughout training camp to deal with the back pain. With the help of the medicinal compound, Velasquez went through his entire training camp at 100%. The only hurdle, clearing a pre-fight medical screening with the NSAC.

Scott Hernandez - December 24, 2016

While former UFC light heavyweight champion, and arguable pound for pound kingpin Jon Jones is without a doubt one of the greatest fighters of all time, Jones’ struggles outside of the Octagon have tarnished his legacy in the eyes of some. While Jones was cleared of any wrong-doing in the case of his failed random out-of-competition drug test back in July that resulted in his being pulled from his UFC 200 headlining scrap just 48 hours before fight-night, ‘Bones’ is still serving a one-year suspension for the situation despite the fact that the failed drug test was the result of a tainted supplement.

Scott Hernandez - December 24, 2016

While Tony Ferguson is still holding out on signing his next fight contract in hopes of earning himself more money, ‘El Cucuy’ can’t help but catch the headlines of lightweight title talk. While it was initially reported that Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov would be fighting for the interim lightweight championship, Ferguson then stated that he would be holding out for more money. This then resulted in news surfacing that Nate Diaz had been offered an interim lightweight title fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov. In addition, at the same time, it was being reported that UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo was in talks with the UFC to move up to lightweight for an interim lightweight title fight.

Scott Hernandez - December 24, 2016

nothin like USADA deciding to join me on my date night with @mightywife 😎 pic.twitter.com/d5qzLrlszX — Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouseUFC) December 19, 2016

Scott Hernandez - December 24, 2016

Two lads mocking Conor McGregor on the streets of Dublin last night and this happens…….. pic.twitter.com/GMyXBcjajG — scampi claus (@lmScampi) December 24, 2016

Scott Hernandez - December 24, 2016

In this rare video, you can see MMA icon Fedor Emelianenko competing against UFC featherweight Chan Sung Jung, also known as ‘The Korean Zombie’ in a foreign gameshow. While the ‘fight’ is certainly a friendly one, with smiles being exchanged by both men throughout the session, Emelianenko doesn’t hesitate to use his Sambo and throw The Korean Zombie from the clinch whenever he gets the chance. Ultimately, Emelianenko’s size and Sambo experience prove to be the difference maker, as he secures a key-lock armbar on Jung and gets the submission.

Scott Hernandez - December 24, 2016

At UFC 207 on December 30th, former UFC heavyweight champions Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum will square off in a highly anticipated heavyweight #1 contender fight. In addition to a title fight with Stipe Miocic being on the line, the fight will give Velasquez a chance to avenge his UFC 188 loss to Werdum. In that fight, the pair met in the main event of UFC 188 in Mexico City, where Werdum’s cardio proved to be the X-factor as he submitted Velasquez in the third round, and unified the UFC heavyweight championship and the interim heavyweight championship.

Scott Hernandez - December 24, 2016

It’s no secret that former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, and the Diaz Brothers were once extremely close. While the trio still remain friends, Rousey trained with the Diaz brothers when she first was promoted to the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, frequently appearing in photos with the Stockton superstars. Ahead of Rousey’s return to the Octagon on December 30th, where she will look to reclaim the UFC women’s bantamweight championship by defeating Amanda Nunes, Nate Diaz recalled a time when he was nearly submitted by ‘Rowdy’.

Scott Hernandez - December 24, 2016

At one point in time, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos was once regarded as the ‘baddest man on the planet‘. Now, following a unanimous decision win over Ben Rothwell back in April, dos Santos will be looking to move one step closer to a heavyweight title fight when he steps into the Octagon with Stefan Struve in February. While ‘The Skyscraper’ is currently on a 2-fight win streak that has seen him KO Bigfoot Silva, and most recently submit Daniel Omielanczuk with a D’Arce choke, he is currently ranked at #11 on the UFC’s official rankings. With that being said, Junior Dos Santos, who is ranked at #4, knows the fight is a risky one. Unfortunately for ‘Cigano’ however, the rest of the heavyweight division hasn’t been chomping at the bit to share the Octagon with him.

Scott Hernandez - December 24, 2016

It has now been three years since UFC flyweight kingpin Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez shared the Octagon. The last time the pair met inside the Octagon, Johnson picked up a 1st round KO win to retain his title for the third time. That fight came just over a year after the pair had their first meeting in 2012, where Johnson picked up a split decision win to win the UFC flyweight championship. Now, in the midst of a 6-fight win streak that recently saw him pick up a split decision win over Henry Cejudo at the TUF 24 Finale in December, Benavidez is hopeful that he will be able to secure a trilogy fight with the flyweight champ.

Scott Hernandez - December 23, 2016

In just under one week, UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz will step into the Octagon against #8 ranked bantamweight Cody Garbrandt in a highly anticipated grudge match for the bantamweight title. While Garbrandt is entering the fight undefeated, on a 10 fight win streak that has seen him go 5-0 inside the Octagon, the champ believes that the challenger’s confidence going into the fight is nothing but ignorance.