UFC News
Manager Malki Kawa accuses Daniel Cormier of biased UFC commentary
Natasha Hooper - July 13, 2020
MMA Manager Malki Kawa, who represents stars like Jon Jones and Jorge Masvial, has accused Daniel Cormier of being a biased UFC commentator. Daniel Cormier, the former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champ, has spent the last few years working in commentary. Industry staples including Joe Rogan have celebrated Cormier’s commentary abilities. Similarly to Michael Bisping and Paul Felder, Cormier is respected for the smooth transition he made from competing to broadcasting.
Jorge Masvidal discusses possible fights with Colby Covington, Leon Edwards
Tom Taylor - July 13, 2020
Jorge Masvidal isn’t interested in fighting his former American Top Team teammate Colby Covington in his next Octagon appearance. Masvidal got his first crack at UFC gold over the weekend, challenging Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title in the main event of UFC 251. He accepted the fight on just six days’ notice, replacing Usman’s originally scheduled foe Gilbert Burns, who tested positive for COVID-19.
Max Holloway responds after reporters allegedly receive threats over scores for his fight
Tom Taylor - July 13, 2020
Max Holloway has jumped to the defense of members of the MMA media who have allegedly received threats over the way they scored his rematch with Alexander Volkanovski. Holloway and Volkanovski first fought in December of 2019. On that night, Volkanovski swiped the title from Holloway with a unanimous decision win. In the co-main event of last Saturday’s UFC 251 card, the pair ran it back. Volkanovski ended up winning by decision again, but this time around, the result generated widespread controversy, as many viewers felt Holloway did enough to win.
Jon Jones questions why everyone loves Randy Couture and not Kamaru Usman
Natasha Hooper - July 13, 2020
Kamaru Usman has a fan in his corner that goes by the name Jon Jones. Last weekend, in the main event of UFC 251, “The Nigerian Nightmare” faced off against Jorge Masvidal on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Usman secured the unanimous decision win against the “BMF” champ, Masvidal.
Video | Watch Joe Rogan's live reaction to Petr Yan's TKO victory over Jose Aldo
Christopher Taylor - July 12, 2020
Like many fight fans, UFC commentator Joe Rogan was disgusted to watch Petr Yan deliver unnecessary punishment to Jose Aldo at UFC 251. Although it was no fault of the newly crowned Russian champion in Yan, the referee allowed Petr to tee off on a seemingly helpless Aldo for almost two minutes before finally stepping in to stop the contest.
Volkan Oezdemir issues statement after suffering first KO loss of his career to Jiri Prochazka
Chris Taylor - July 12, 2020
Volkan Oezdemir welcomed former RIZIN light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka to the Octagon at last night’s UFC 251 event. The highly anticipated light heavyweight bout served as the featured prelim of last night’s event on Fight Island.
Conor McGregor rips Nate Diaz for suggesting Max Holloway was robbed at UFC 251
Christopher Taylor - July 12, 2020
Former two-division champion Conor McGregor was not happy with Nate Diaz proclaiming that Max Holloway was “robbed” at UFC 251. Holloway squared off with Alex Volkanovski in last night’s co-headliner, serving as a rematch from their initial confrontation at UFC 245.
Petr Yan says Cody Grabrandt is "dumb" and has "no chin"
Adam Martin - July 12, 2020
New UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan took to social media to blast his divisional rival Cody Garbrandt, saying he is “dumb” and has “no chin.” Yan defeated Jose Aldo to win the bantamweight title that was recently vacated by former champ Henry Cejudo. It was a dominant showing by Yan, who beat Aldo to a bloody pulp in the fifth round in a poor display of officiating by referee Leon Roberts. With Yan now as the champion, it sets him up for a number of big fights in one of the UFC’s most stacked division, with contenders like Aljamain Sterling, Marlon Moraes, and Garbrandt out there.
Leon Edwards and Gilbert Burns trade shots at each other over who should get the next title shot
Adam Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC welterweight contenders Leon Edwards and Gilbert Burns traded shots at each other on social media over who should get the next title shot at 170lbs. In March, Edwards was set to fight Tyron Woodley in the main event of UFC London but the card was scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the UFC booked Gilbert Burns against Woodley in Las Vegas, and Burns ended up dominating the former champ by unanimous decision to become the No. 1 contender at 170lbs. Burns was then set to fight Kamaru Usman at UFC 251, but tested positive for COVID-19, which allowed Jorge Masvidal to slip in and fight for the belt. Usman ended up beating Masvidal by decision.
Jose Aldo issues statement following TKO loss to Petr Yan at UFC 251
Christopher Taylor - July 12, 2020
Jose Aldo squared off with Petr Yan for the UFC’s vacant bantamweight title on the main card of last night’s UFC 251 event from Fight Island. The result was a thrilling scrap which saw both men have their respective moments. However, Yan was able to turn the tide in his favor in the later rounds and ultimately scored a TKO finish after landing a plethora of ground and pound on the Brazilian.
UFC 251 bonuses: Jiri Prochazka earns $50k for incredible KO win over Volkan Oezdemir
Adam Martin - July 12, 2020
Light heavyweight contender Jiri Prochazka was among the four fighters who earned $50,000 bonus awards for their performances at UFC 251. The UFC announced the bonus awards following the event. The UFC handed out two “Performance of the Night” bonuses to Prochazka and bantamweight Davey Grant, while “Fight of the Night” went to former women’s strawweight champions Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade for their exciting rematch on the main card.
Aljamain Sterling challenges Dana White to "cut the games" and give him a 135lbs title shot
Adam Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling challenged Dana White to “cut the games” and give him a title shot at 135lbs against new champion Petr Yan. It was thought all along that Sterling would be next in line to fight the winner of Yan vs. Aldo at UFC 251, and when Yan won the fight, fans were immediately salivating at the possibility of a Yan vs. Sterling matchup for the belt. In fact, White himself said that Sterling would be next in line for the belt after he dispatched of Cory Sandhagen in devastating fashion at UFC 250 back in June.
Did Joanna Jedrzejczyk just retire from mixed martial arts?
Christopher Taylor - July 12, 2020
Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk posted a cryptic message on social media today insinuating that she has retired. The Polish star, Jedrzejczyk (16-4 MMA), took to Instagram with the following post that containted the caption “33 and retired”.
Dana White rips referee for “horrible” stoppage in Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo fight
Adam Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC president Dana White ripped referee Leon Roberts for a “horrible” stoppage in the Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo vacant bantamweight title fight. After Yan and Aldo split the first two rounds, Yan started to pull away as he won the third and fourth rounds, and then in the fifth, he made it clear who the superior fighter was as he beat Aldo to a pulp. It was hard to watch as Yan rained down hundreds of punches on Aldo’s head, only to see the referee Roberts refuse to stop the fight. Fans, media, and fighters on social media were upset about the stoppage, and rightfully so, and it appeared that the fight could have been stopped far sooner and Aldo could have been saved damage.
Daniel Cormier says “the same thing” would happen to Jorge Masvidal against Kamaru Usman on a full camp
Adam D Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier says the “same thing” would happen to Jorge Masvidal if he fought Kamaru Usman again with a full training camp. Masvidal took the fight against Usman on just six days’ notice after No. 1 Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID-19. Although Masvidal’s training partners such as Dustin Poirier said that Masvidal was putting in the work at American Top Team just in case the opportunity to fight Usman on short notice came up, he did struggle through a brutal weight cut of 20lbs during fight week and it showed during the fight, as Masvidal appeared to tire badly from all the grappling after a strong opening round on the feet.
Alex Volkanovski reveals USADA woke him up the night before UFC 251
Adam D Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski says that USADA woke him up the night before his UFC 251 main event against Max Holloway. Volkanovski defended his title via split decision in a highly-competitive battle between two of the best featherweights in the game. The judges scored the bout 47-48, 48-47, and 48-47 in favor of Volkanovski, allowing the champ to retain his title. Although it was not his best performance in the Octagon, the win improved Volkanovski’s career record to 22-1, including a 19-fight win steak a perfect 9-0 mark in the UFC.
Jorge Masvidal believes he has the formula to beat Kamaru Usman following 251
Adam D Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal believes he has the formula to beat Kamaru Usman if they ever meet inside the Octagon again for a rematch. Masvidal took the fight against Usman on just six days’ notice, filling in for the COVID-19 infected Gilbert Burns, and the short notice showed. After a quick start for the challenger in the first round, Masvidal faded badly as the fight went on as Usman was able to dominate him in the clinch and on the ground en route to a unanimous decision victory. All three judges scored the fight in favor of Usman, 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46.
Photos | Scorecards revealed for Masvidal - Usman and Holloway - Volkanovksi 2
Adam D Martin - July 12, 2020
The judges’ scorecards have been revealed for the UFC 251 title fights between Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal and Alex Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway. In the main event of the evening, Usman won a unanimous decision over Masvidal by utilizing a strong wrestling game. Although Masvidal had some nice moments early on, Usman dominated Masvidal in the clinch and when he was able to get takedowns he controlled the fight on the mat as well, leading to him scoring a unanimous decision.