UFC News
Malki Kawa says Ali Abdelaziz "crossed the line" by slapping his brother Abe
Chris Taylor - October 12, 2019
Earlier today it was reported that a physical altercation between two prominent MMA managers occured at last night’s PFL event in Las Vegas. Abe Kawa, who is the Vice President of First Round Management, told ESPN that Ali Abdelaziz, the CEO of Dominance MMA, approached him at Mandalay Bay last night and proceeded to slap him across the face.
Report | Two of MMA's top managers involved in physical altercation
Chris Taylor - October 12, 2019
Two of the most prominent fighter managers in the sport of MMA were involved in a physical altercation in which battery was committed during Friday night’s PFL Event. Abe Kawa, who is the Vice President of First Round Management, told ESPN earlier today that Ali Abdelaziz, the CEO of Dominance MMA, approached him at Mandalay Bay and proceeded to slap him across the face.
Breaking! Cain Velasquez officially signs with WWE, retires from MMA
Adam Martin - October 11, 2019
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has officially signed a big-money, multi-year contract with the WWE. The deal will be announced at a press conference Friday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Marc Raimondi of ESPN confirmed the news.
Weili Zhang has US visa approved
Adam Martin - October 11, 2019
UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang has finally had her US visa approved, paving the way for her next fight to be in the United States. It was recently revealed that Zhang was having issued acquiring a US visa due to the recent conflicts in China. It looked like Zhang was going to have issues getting a visa, but according to Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com, that won’t be a hurdle any longer.
UFC Tampa weigh-in results: Main event official as Jedrzejczyk and Waterson make weight
Mike Pendleton - October 11, 2019
Despite all the rumblings earlier this week that former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk would have difficulty making weight for her scheduled fight against Michelle Waterson, UFC Tampa’s main event is a go. There had been some fight week drama when a report stated that the main event was in danger after Jedrzejczyk alerted the UFC she may not make the strawweight limit of 116 pounds, but then took it upon herself to answer questions from the media all week about her weight cut. The former champion told the media not to worry about the weight cut drama and on Friday morning she showed why she had no concerns, as she hit her mark when she stepped up to the scale for the official weigh-ins.
Conor McGregor appears in court over assault case, proceedings adjourned until November 1
Mike Pendleton - October 11, 2019
Former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor appeared in a Dublin court on Friday to face the assault charge stemming from a pub incident earlier this year. Last week, McGregor was served with a summons to appear in court over the charge. According to a report from the Irish Independent, McGregor’s stay in court lasted just a few minutes and by the request of his legal team, the proceedings were adjourned until November 1. Conor McGregor will now have just over three weeks to decide whether he would like to plea or have a trial if he chooses to contest his assault charge, which carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison, a fine, or potentially both.
Bibiano Fernandes motivated as ever for fourth fight with Kevin Belingon
Tom Taylor - October 11, 2019
ONE bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes is about to fight Kevin Belingon for the fourth time. The pair will collide with the bantamweight title on the line at ONE: Century this Sunday in Tokyo, Japan. Despite the fact that he’s once again preparing for a familiar foe, Fernandes says his focus hasn’t wavered.
Gilbert Burns wants another short notice fight in 2019
Harry Kettle - October 11, 2019
UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns has confirmed that he would be interested in another short notice fight before the end of 2019. Burns (17-3) has already fought three times this year and four times within the last 10 months, winning all four contests in the process. His most recent success came back at UFC Copenhagen just a few short weeks ago, where he was able to outwork Gunnar Nelson en-route to a unanimous decision victory.
Israel Adesanya shares the correct pronunciation of his name
Tom Taylor - October 10, 2019
Israel Adesanya is a name fight fans have been uttering a lot lately, but many of us have been saying his name wrong. Speaking on a recent episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, Adesanya explained how his last name is actually pronounced (via Jed I. Goodman on Twitter). I diss on ya.#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/t7inVaLgz0
VIDEO | Watch Israel Adesanya's family, corner react to his title win
Tom Taylor - October 10, 2019
Last weekend, in the main event of UFC 243 in Melbourne, Australia, Israel Adesanya captured the UFC middleweight title with a second-round stoppage of Robert Whittaker. To say his friends, family and training partners were excited about his victory would be a huge understatement. On UFC 243 episode of the UFC’s popular The Thrill and the Agony series, we get an up-close look at how those close to Adesanya reacted to his historic victory in Melbourne.
UFC Tampa | Max Griffin looking to start off new five-fight deal on the right note
Cole Shelton - October 10, 2019
Max Griffin will return to the Octagon on Saturday against Alex Morono at UFC Tampa. He last fought back in April at UFC 236 and edged out a decision over Zelim Imadaev. For Griffin, the hope was to fight much sooner than this. He was scheduled to fight in summer but the UFC could not find him an opponent.
Conor McGregor gives Seth Rogen a suggestion for Superbad 2 plot
Tom Taylor - October 10, 2019
There are currently no plans for a sequel to the 2007 comedy Superbad, but if the film is ever revisited, Conor McGregor has some plot ideas. The former two-division UFC champ chimed in on the topic on Instagram recently after a fan suggested he’s starting to look a bit like Superbad star and writer Seth Rogen.
Kevin Holland predicts 'Boston Massacre' of Brendan Allen at UFC Boston
Mike Heck - October 10, 2019
Kevin Holland was originally scheduled to fight Antonio Arroyo in November in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Then, an opportunity arose to face a familiar regional foe in one of the greatest fighting cities in the world. Holland will replace Eric Spicely to face Brendan Allen at UFC on ESPN 6, which was first reported by MMA Junkie. The event will take place next Friday, Oct. 18 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. While the opportunity to fight Allen was an exciting one, he now gets to compete on the card he had hoped to get on.
Yorgan De Castro wants quick turnaround, ready for UFC Boston if needed
Mike Heck - October 10, 2019
Yorgan De Castro has had a cinematic-like 2019 thus far, which was made even more special with a highlight reel, “Performance of the Night” winning knockout at UFC 243. Despite the incredible year he has had, De Castro is ready for more, even if he is needed next weekend. De Castro knocked out Justin Tafa in just over two minutes to kick off Saturday night’s main card in Melbourne, Australia to cap off what has, so far, been a whirlwind of a year. The 31-year-old began the year with a unanimous decision win over Carlton Little at CES 54 in January, just his fourth professional fight. Five months later, De Castro would take on Alton Meeks on the first Dana White’s Contender Series fight of the season. Despite being the biggest underdog on the card, and one of the biggest of the entire season, De Castro would drop Meeks with a brutal leg kick and finish with a barrage of hammerfists to earn the win and a UFC contract.
Michael Bisping says Israel Adesanya can overtake Conor McGregor as biggest UFC star
Fernando Quiles - October 10, 2019
Michael Bisping feels Israel Adesanya may be able to surpass Conor McGregor in terms of star power. McGregor is widely recognized as the biggest mixed martial arts star. The “Notorious” one has made his mark in mainstream media and become a household name. With McGregor’s run-ins outside the Octagon, however, some believe that his shine may be fading. Enter Israel Adesanya, who many feel is picking up the ball and running with it.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk responds to her weight-cutting critics
Alfredo Zullino - October 10, 2019
The UFC Tampa madness is anything but over. After the news of former UFC strawweight queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s problem to make weight in time for her bout against Michelle Waterson broke, multiple versions of the story followed in these past days.
Manager Ali Abdelaziz says Frankie Edgar will 'whoop Conor McGregor's ass'
Adam Martin - October 10, 2019
Manager Ali Abdelaziz says that Frankie Edgar ‘will still whoop Conor McGregor’s ass’ despite being at a size disadvantage if they do end up fighting. The manager of Dominance MMA spoke at this week’s media event in Los Angeles about a potential fight between his client Edgar and McGregor. Abdelaziz says he likes this fight for Edgar and believes that despite being smaller, Edgar will still beat McGregor.
Tyron Woodley believes he can knock Canelo Alvarez out
Adam Martin - October 10, 2019
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley said he is interested in a boxing match with superstar boxer Canelo Alvarez. According to Woodley, he believes he can knock Alvarez out. Speaking to TMZ, Woodley spoke about his desire to take a boxing match against Alvarez, one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world. Here’s what Woodley said.