UFC News
Alistair Overeem will get top-five opponent next, says Dana White
Adam Martin - May 18, 2020
UFC president Dana White says that Alistair Overeem will get a top-five opponent for his next bout after knocking out Walt Harris at UFC Florida. Overeem survived an early onslaught of blows from Harris in the first round to come back and dominate the second round and get the TKO stoppage. It’s the third win by knockout for Overeem in his last four fights, setting him up for a highly-ranked opponent in his next fight. Currently, Overeem is the No. 8 ranked heavyweight on the UFC roster.
Eric Albarracin says Henry Cejudo's retirement is "permanent" and goes down as all-time GOAT
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020
Eric Albarracin wasn’t surprised that his pupil Henry Cejudo finished Dominick Cruz inside two rounds, but was shocked he retired. Cejudo was looking for his first bantamweight title defense when he landed a perfect knee that dropped Cruz. “Triple C” followed it up with ground and pound shots to win the fight by TKO. For Captain Eric, he says Cejudo followed the gameplan perfectly.
Sayif Saud making Fortis MMA into a top gym with five ranked UFC fighters
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020
Sayif Saud didn’t expect Fortis MMA to become this successful so early on. Saud, who used to be an MMA fighter and trained at JacksonWink MMA, became a coach due to injuries limiting his pro career. After coaching around at various gyms, Saud, alongside former NBA player Deron Williams opened up Fortis MMA in 2017.
Jon Jones tells UFC to "send the deal" for Francis Ngannou superfight
Adam Martin - May 18, 2020
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones reaffirmed his interest in a Francis Ngannou superfight, telling the UFC to “send the deal” for him to sign. Jones and Ngannou have been talking on social media and in interviews as of late about a potential superfight between two of the sport’s biggest stars. There’s no doubt that if this fight were to be booked it would be one of the biggest fights the UFC could ever make. Both Jones and Ngannou are at the top of their games right now, making a potential superfight between them at heavyweight one of the most intriguing matchups possible.
Jon Jones questions Chael Sonnen's "gangster" persona
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has fired another volley at his former opponent Chael Sonnen, this time challenging his rival’s “gangster” persona. Jones and Sonnen have been jawing back and forth for several days, with Sonnen most recently burying the light heavyweight champ under an avalanche of virulent Tweets.
John Oliver reacts to Dana White's "insane" Fight Island plan on Last Week Tonight
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020
Count late night television host John Oliver among the skeptics of UFC President Dana White’s much discussed Fight Island plans. Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, White and the UFC recently managed to promote a trio of entertaining fight cards in Jacksonville, Florida. That being said, the lineups for these cards were composed completely of American fighters and fighters based in the United States, as travel restrictions have made it difficult to get international fighters onto US soil.
Tyron Woodley responds to ranking gripe from Dominick Reyes
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020
Former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley has responded to a rankings-related gripe from recent light heavyweight title challenger Dominick Reyes. Reyes recently took to Twitter to air his disappointment about being bumped out of the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings by Woodley, who currently holds the No. 15 spot.
Alistair Overeem was "fired up" about fighting in an empty arena
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem says he enjoyed the experience of fighting in an emptied-out arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Overeem defeated Walt Harris via second-round TKO in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 card. Like most sporting events going on during the coronavirus pandemic, this one went down without any fans in attendance — just the fighters, their corners, and the required UFC staff.
UFC on ESPN 8 salaries: Alistair Overeem leads the pack
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020
Alistair Overeem was the biggest earner for Saturday night’s UFC on ESPN 8 card in Jacksonville, Florida, pocketing a hefty $400,000 for his second-round TKO win over Walt Harris. The next biggest earners on the card were Claudia Gadelha and Krzysztof Jotko, who earned $108,000 each for their defeats of Angela Hill and Eryk Anders respectively.
Dana White says next UFC card could take place in Arizona
Adam Martin - May 18, 2020
UFC president Dana White says he hopes the next UFC card will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, but he’s prepared to go to Arizona if that can’t happen. The UFC’s next show is set for May 30, but the location is still up in the air at this point. The event was originally targeted to take place in Jacksonville but White later said the UFC was hoping to put on the event at the Apex in Las Vegas. However, Nevada still hasn’t given White the go-ahead to start running events again, and with the card just two weeks away the UFC is already on Plan B in the event it can’t hold the card in Vegas.
What's next for Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris after UFC on ESPN 8?
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2020
In the main event of UFC on ESPN 8, Alistair Overeem was looking to get back into the win column when he fought Walt Harris. “The Big Ticket” was making his return to the Octagon after the murder of his stepdaughter Aniah. The emotions were high for this one. But, in the end, it was Overeem who got the job done by second-round TKO. Harris, though, did have success early on as he dropped the Dutchman in the first round but Overeem survived.
Dana White evaluates UFC's three-event week in Jacksonville
Tom Taylor - May 18, 2020
Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Dana White and the UFC were able to promote three events last week in Jacksonville, Florida. White’s decision to promote events during the pandemic generated plenty of controversy, but he repeatedly emphasized the importance the promotion was putting on safety protocols — though some doubters have pointed out that those protocols weren’t followed to the letter.
Alistair Overeem targets one last run at UFC title in the “final phase” of his career
Natasha Hooper - May 18, 2020
Alistair Overeem wants one more shot at the heavyweight title as he enters the “final phase” of his career. On May 16, Overeem returned to a winning position in the main event of UFC on ESPN 8. He collided against Walt Harris who entered the bout on a two-fight win streak. It was the first time Harris had fought since the tragic death of his stepdaughter in 2019 and he started the fight leading the way. He knocked down Alistair Overeem with a big combo, and followed up with an onslaught of ground and pound. “The Reem” miraculously recovered and managed to turn the tide on the ground. He carried the momentum into the second round and finished Harris by TKO.
Chael Sonnen rips Jon Jones over “has been” comment
Natasha Hooper - May 18, 2020
Jon Jones has been spending his COVID-19 lockdown on Twitter going back and forth with many of his rivals. His latest target is Chael Sonnen. The former middleweight and light heavyweight title contender turned MMA analyst responded to the light heavyweight champion’s insults.
Anthony Smith calls referee Jason Herzog’s apology a “cowardly move"
Harry Kettle - May 18, 2020
UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith isn’t happy with referee Jason Herzog’s apology following his loss to Glover Teixeira. Smith, who was considered to be the favorite heading into his main event fight against Teixeira, was overwhelmed by the veteran in what turned out to be a fairly one-sided beating for the Brazilian.
Ben Rothwell calls MMA judging "extra disgusting lately"
Adam Martin - May 17, 2020
UFC heavyweight Ben Rothwell is not a fan of the recent slate of decisions in MMA, calling the judging “extra disgusting lately.” Rothwell was responding to a Tweet from women’s strawweight contender Angela Hill, who lost a narrow split decision to Claudia Gadelha in the co-main event of UFC Florida. The Hill decision was high scrutinized by fans and media, as were the decisions giving Dan Ige the victory over Edson Barboza and Song Yadong defeating Marlon Vera. Overall, the judging was very poor at UFC Florida and UFC president Dana White said as much himself.
Carla Esparza tells Claudia Gadelha to "leave the grease at home" for potential rematch
Adam Martin - May 17, 2020
UFC women’s strawweight contender Carla Esparza told Claudia Gadelha to “leave the grease at home” for a potential rematch between the two rivals. Esparza and Gadelha previously fought at UFC 225 in June 2018, with Gadelha winning a tight split decision in a fight that many believe Esparza deserved to win. Following the fight, Esparza accused Gadelha of greasing, with the Brazilian firing back at the American, saying that she was just making excuses for why she lost the fight.
Rose Namajunas the lone UFC fighter to have issues with fighting during COVID-19, says Dana White
Adam Martin - May 17, 2020
UFC president Dana White said that as far as he’s aware Rose Namajunas is the lone UFC fighter to not want to fight during the coronavirus pandemic. Namajunas was set to fight Jessica Andrade at the original UFC 249 card but understandably withdrew from the event after several members of her family passed away from COVID-19. The promotion told fighters on the roster during a conference call that no one is forced to fight during the coronavirus pandemic and it wouldn’t be held against any fighter if they choose not to fight.