UFC News

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2019

Last month, we learned that former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had failed an in-competition drug test surrounding his UFC Brooklyn flyweight title fight with Henry Cejudo. Dillashaw broke this news himself, announcing that he was being investigated by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and that he was relinquishing the UFC bantamweight strap as a result. On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that the substance detected on the TJ Dillashaw test in question was recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), and that Dillashaw has received a two-year suspension as a result. This suspension is dated retroactively to January 18, 2019, meaning TJ Dillashaw can fight again on the same day in 2021. Dillashaw reportedly didn’t contest this verdict.

Nolan King - April 9, 2019

Thirty-one-year-old welterweight Derrick Krantz has been competing in mixed martial arts longer than most. Last Friday night, Dana White validated all the blood, sweat, and tears Krantz has poured into the sport. After a short tenure as an amateur competitor, Krantz made the jump to the professional ranks in 2008. Battling the who’s who of welterweights on the Texas regional scene.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2019

Dillon Danis has become one of the most polarizing fighters in MMA. While he has definitely elevated his station in the industry with his ceaseless trash talk and bravado, he also receives a ton of hate from the fans and his fellow fighters as a result. If there’s anybody who could mentor Danis on how to deal with this kind of backlash, it’s his friend and training parter Conor McGregor. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Dillon Danis explained that Conor McGregor has actually given him a few crucial pieces of advice to this end.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2019

When Brock Lesnar relinquished his WWE title at WrestleMania 35 on Sunday night, one of the final hurdles between him and a title fight with UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier disappeared. Suddenly, it seems as though this long-discussed fight could happen quite soon. Daniel Cormier is certainly hoping that’s the way things shake out. The heavyweight champion explained why this fight needs to happen in a recent interview with TMZ Sports.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2019

The UFC is set to host another one of its star-studded seasonal press conferences at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia this Friday at 12 p.m. ET. This press conferences, which precedes the exciting UFC 236 card in the same venue, will be emceed by UFC President Dana White, and feature the stars of several upcoming cards including Jon Jones, Amanda Nunes, and Henry Cejudo. In the past, these press conferences have produced some massive headlines, and this event, which is free and open to the public, figures to be no different.

Drake Riggs - April 8, 2019

10 years ago, Ross ‘The Real Deal’ Pearson made his UFC debut by becoming the lightweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 9 when he defeated Andre Winner via unanimous decision. 25-fights later and the British slugger is now calling it a career.

Cole Shelton - April 8, 2019

The UFC and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) have been under criticism for how they handled Jon Jones’ case ahead of his return at UFC 232. USADA did not suspend Jones after the current light heavyweight champion was flagged in a pre-fight drug test. Rather, they said the positive test was due to a long-term metabolite that was still “pulsing” in his system from a few years back.

Drake Riggs - April 8, 2019

For years now, there have been two consensus top 155-pound lightweight fighters on the planet. One of those men being none other than ‘El Cucuy,’ The Ultimate Fighter season 13 winner, Tony Ferguson. With only a single loss in his UFC career, Ferguson has gone on to win 11 consecutive fights since then and done so all in thrilling fashion.

Tom Taylor - April 8, 2019

Last month, Irish MMA star Conor McGregor found himself in hot water after getting into an ugly altercation with a fan, and smashing that fan’s cell phone. After this incident, Ahmed Abdirzak, the owner of the phone, sought more than $15,000 in damages, accusing McGregor of battery, assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The incident was captured on video. In this video, McGregor could be seen stomping Abdirzak’s phone.

Nolan King - April 8, 2019

The UFC is working on an eye-catching bout for its debut in South Carolina. The promotion is angling for a bout between female flyweights Montana De La Rosa and Andrea Lee for UFC Greenville on June 22, per FloCombat. Initially, the UFC was targeting Montana De La Rosa for a bout at UFC 236 against Paige VanZant -— a fight De La Rosa was lobbying for. However, an arm injury prevented VanZant from being able to take the fight.

Tom Taylor - April 8, 2019

The legal troubles appear to be continuing for former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor. According to The Mirror, the Irish MMA star is being accused of assaulting a fellow patron inside a bar called the Marble Arch in the Drimnagh suburb of his native Dublin, Ireland. The news was first reported by Dizz on Twitter.

Tom Taylor - April 8, 2019

Last night, in the first-ever all-female WrestleMania main event, Ireland’s Becky Lynch defeated Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey to become the Smackdown and Raw champion. In an unsurprising twist, Irish UFC star Conor McGregor quickly took to social media to congratulate Lynch on her massive, history-making victory. McGregor also took this opportunity to once again hint as his own potential move to the WWE ring.

Tom Taylor - April 8, 2019

Former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett is now a Bellator MMA fighter. Although this news broke on April Fools day, it is indeed factual. Bellator President Scott Coker even has an opponent in mind for the heavyweight legend’s debut. Coker first announced that reigning Bellator light heavyweight and heavyweight champ Ryan Bader will defend his heavyweight belt against Cheick Kongo before returning to the light heavyweight division. He then added that Josh Barnett is likely to get an immediate title shot against the winner of Bader and Kongo’s fight.

Cole Shelton - April 8, 2019

Max Griffin is looking to get back into the win column at UFC 236. Griffin is currently on a two-fight losing streak with losses to Curtis Millender and Thiago Alves, although many thought Griffin beat Alves back in February.

Tom Taylor - April 8, 2019

Brock Lesnar is no longer the WWE Universal Champion. He surrendered that title at WrestleMania 35 on Sunday night after getting pinned by Seth Rollins (see it below). https://twitter.com/DokkanBattleGL/status/1115036668984053760 This information is pertinent to MMA fans because it would seem to open the door to a long-discussed heavyweight title fight between Brock Lesnar and reigning champion Daniel Cormier.

Thomas Taylor - April 7, 2019

It was only a matter before Conor McGregor reacted to Artem Lobov’s thrilling, Saturday-night victory over Jason Knight at BKFC 5. On Sunday evening, the Irish MMA superstar took to Twitter to congratulate his long-time training partner — and his foe — on this unforgettable fight. He also claimed that Lobov now deserves a new BKFC contract, and took a shot at their shared rival Paulie Malignaggi.

Chris Taylor - April 6, 2019

Present Donald Trump recently made headlines in Vegas when he accused Democrats of abandoning Israel, while claiming that asylum seekers looked like UFC fighters. Trump started his speech off by referencing Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar, who has suggested that politicians supporting Israel were doing so out of financial motivations.

Chris Taylor - April 6, 2019

Kelvin Gastelum will take on Israel Adesanya for the UFC’s interim middleweight championship at next weekend’s UFC 236 event in Atlanta. Gastelum was originally slated to challenge current UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker back at UFC 232, but that bout fell through when “The Reaper” was forced to withdraw from the contest due to health reasons.