UFC News
UFC on ESPN+ 33 Bonus Report: Ricardo Lamas wins award for "Fight of the Night"
Adam Martin - August 30, 2020
The UFC on ESPN+ 33 bonuses have been revealed, and veteran featherweight Ricardo Lamas won a bonus for “Fight of the Night.” The UFC announced the bonuses following the conclusion of Saturday’s event. Lamas and UFC newcomer Bill Algeo won $50,000 each for “Fight of the Night” while women’s strawweight Mallory Martin and welterweight Sean Brady each won a bonus for “Performance of the Night.” Check out the announcements via the UFC’s Twitter.
Video | Francis Ngannou takes on Hoga in a charity fight
Adam D Martin - August 30, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou took on comedian Hoga in a fight designed to raise money for Ngannou’s charity. Ngannou, the No. 1 contender in the UFC heavyweight division, hasn’t fought since May when he knocked out Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the first round of their fight at UFC 249. Ngannou has won his last four straight fights by knockout and UFC president Dana White has said he’s next in line for a title shot. But with no fight currently booked, Ngannou wanted to stay busy, and he decided to set up this fight against Hoga for charity.
Sean O’Malley says he still has that undefeated mindset, Henry Cejudo responds
Adam D Martin - August 30, 2020
UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley says he still has that undefeated mindset, which prompted former champ Henry Cejudo to respond. O’Malley officially suffered the first loss of his pro MMA career at UFC 252 when Marlon Vera finished him with strikes. However, O’Malley suffered an injury prior to the finish, and in the aftermath, he has not given his opponent Vera any sort of credit for the victory. Several UFC fighters such as Darren Till have piped up, saying that O’Malley should take the loss in stride.
Video | UFC star Jon Jones begins his transformation to heavyweight
Adam D Martin - August 30, 2020
UFC superstar Jon Jones released a video of him lifting weights as he looks to bulk up before making his move up to heavyweight. Jones recently vacated the UFC light heavyweight title and made it official that he intends on moving up to heavyweight for his next fight. Jones had previously expressed an interest in fighting Francis Ngannou in a non-title fight, but after Stipe Miocic defended the UFC heavyweight title against Daniel Cormier, Jones seems to have Miocic locked in his crosshairs. On his end, Miocic has admitted that he is interested in fighting Jones, too.
Neil Magny hopes to land top-10 opponent after dominant win over Robbie Lawler
Adam D Martin - August 30, 2020
UFC welterweight contender Neil Magny hopes to land a top-10 opponent in his next fight following a dominant win over Robbie Lawler. In the co-main event of UFC on ESPN+ 33, Magny outwrestled and outstruck Lawler over 15 minutes to earn a clean sweep on the judges’ scorecards, with all three judges scoring the bout 30-27 in Magny’s favor. This is one of the biggest wins of Magny’s career over a former UFC welterweight champion, and he is hoping that it’s the kind of performance that lands him a top-10 opponent for his next fight.
Aleksandar Rakic believes Dominick Reyes will be his toughest test at 205lbs
Adam D Martin - August 30, 2020
UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic believes that Dominick Reyes will be his toughest test at 205lbs. Rakic picked up the biggest win of his MMA career to date when he won a lopsided unanimous decision over Anthony Smith in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 33. The win improves Rakic’s record in the Octagon to 5-1 overall, and by beating the No. 5 ranked Smith, Rakic has assured himself of another big-name opponent for his next fight.
Anthony Smith open to switching weight classes following one-sided loss to Aleksandar Rakic
Adam D Martin - August 30, 2020
UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith is open to switching weight classes following a one-sided loss to Aleksandar Rakic at UFC on ESPN+ 33. In the main event of the evening on Saturday, Smith suffered his second straight lopsided defeat when Rakic dominated him in the striking and grappling departments to win a unanimous decision. Considering Smith was coming off of a brutal fifth-round TKO loss to Glover Teixeira in his last fight, this is now two straight fights where Smith was not competitive with his opponent, and now he is considering swapping weight divisions.
Pros react to Aleksandar Rakic defeating Anthony Smith at UFC Vegas 8
Chris Taylor - August 29, 2020
Tonight’s UFC Vegas 8 event was headlined by a key light heavyweight bout featuring former title challenger Anthony Smith taking on Aleksandar Rakic. Smith (33-15 MMA) had entered tonight’s UFC headliner looking to rebound this after suffering a TKO loss to Glover Teixeira in his most recent effort this past May. Prior to his setback to the Brazilian, ‘Lionheart‘ was coming off an impressive submission victory over former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson.
Pros react to Neil Magny defeating Robbie Lawler at UFC Vegas 8
Chris Taylor - August 29, 2020
Tonight’s UFC Vegas 8 event was co-headlined by a welterweight bout featuring former division champion Robbie Lawler taking on Neil Magny. Lawler (28-14 MMA) had entered tonight’s contest on a three-fight losing skid, his latest being a unanimous decision setback to Colby Covington last August. Before his recent rough stretch (1-4 in his past five fights), ‘Ruthless’ was riding a five-fight win streak which included stoppage victories over Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger.
UFC Vegas 8 Results: Neil Magny defeats Robbie Lawler (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - August 29, 2020
Tonight’s UFC Vegas 8 event is co-headlined by a welterweight bout featuring former division champion Robbie Lawler taking on Neil Magny. Lawler (28-14 MMA) will enter tonight’s contest on a three-fight losing skid, his latest being a unanimous decision setback to Colby Covington last August. Before his recent rough stretch (1-4 in his past five fights), ‘Ruthless’ was riding a five-fight win streak which included stoppage victories over Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger.
UFC Vegas 8: 'Smith vs. Rakic' Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - August 29, 2020
The Octagon remains in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 8 event, a ten-bout fight card headlined by a light heavyweight tilt between Anthony Smith and Aleksandar Rakic. Smith (33-15 MMA) will enter tonight’s headliner looking to rebound this after suffering a TKO loss to Glover Teixeira in his most recent effort this past May. Prior to the setback, ‘Lionheart’ was coming off an impressive submission victory over former title challenger Alexander Gustafsson.
Photo | Thiago Santos looks to be in tremendous shape ahead of UFC return
Chris Taylor - August 29, 2020
Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Thiago Santos will make his highly anticipated return to the Octagon against Glover Teixeira next month. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto first reported the Santos vs. Teixeira matchup. It is set to take place headline a UFC Fight Night card on September 12.
UFC Fighters pay tribute to 'Black Panther' Star Chadwick Boseman following untimely passing
Chris Taylor - August 29, 2020
A plethora of UFC fighters took to social media today to pay tribute to actor Chadwick Boseman following the news of his untimely death. Boseman, who was best known for his role as Marvel’s “Black Panther”, passed away Friday following a battle with colon cancer. He was only 43-years-old.
Joe Solecki "surprised" he submitted Austin Hubbard in the first round, eyes December return
Cole Shelton - August 28, 2020
Joe Solecki is now 2-0 in the UFC but he even surprised himself with his last performance. At UFC Vegas 7, Solecki was taking on Austin Hubbard in a very intriguing match-up. Hubbard entered the fight 2-2 in the UFC, with his two losses coming by decision to Davi Ramos and Mark O. Madsen, who are elite grapplers.
Ronaldo Souza provides update after testing positive for COVID-19: "My life is back to normal"
Adam Martin - August 28, 2020
UFC middleweight contender Ronaldo Souza provided an update after testing positive for COVID-19 before his fight at UFC 249 in May. Souza, known by his nickname “Jacare,” is one of the greatest middleweights of all time and one of the best fighters to never fight for a UFC title. However, the 40-year-old Brazilian is currently riding a two-fight losing skid against Jan Blachowicz and Jack Hermansson. He was hoping to get back in the win column against Uriah Hall at UFC 249, but a positive COVID-19 test forced him out of his fight in May and he hasn’t competed since.
Bruce Buffer reveals the UFC fight he is most looking forward to this year
Cole Shelton - August 28, 2020
The fourth quarter of 2020 appears to be a good one for the UFC and Bruce Buffer has his eye on one fight. The promotion will see massive fights like Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje, Israel Adesanya vs. Paulo Costa, and possible title defenses of Kamaru Usman and Petr Yan.
Aleksandar Rakic wants to make Anthony Smith "pay" for brutal training camp
Adam Martin - August 28, 2020
UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic intends on making Anthony Smith “pay” for what he says was a brutal training camp. Rakic takes on Smith in the main event of this Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 33 event. Oddsmakers have instilled Rakic as a hefty betting favorite entering the fight. Prior to dropping a narrow split decision to Volkan Oezdemir, Rakic was riding a four-fight win streak in the UFC. Had he beaten Oezdemir, he would be in the title mix right now.
UFC Vegas 8 weigh-in results: Smith and Rakic hit marks, two fighters miss weight
Tom Taylor - August 28, 2020
On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with UFC Vegas 8, the latest event out of the promotion’s Apex facility. UFC Vegas 8 will be headlined by a clash of light heavyweight contenders, as Anthony Smith and Aleksander Rakic look to rebound from recent losses to Glover Teixeira and Volkan Oezdemir respectively, and reassert themselves amongst the division’s best fighters.