UFC News
Justin Gaethje is 'f***ing pissed,' targets Edson Barboza, Al Iaquinta
Tom Taylor - January 11, 2019
Former World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has not fought since August 25. Gaethje was initially supposed to fight Al Iaquinta on that night, but when Iaquinta withdrew from the fight, he accepted a fight with the lower ranked James Vick. He won this fight with a devastating first-round knockout, and hasn’t been back in the cage since. He seems to be tired of waiting.
Firas Zahabi responds to Conor McGregor: It was nothing personal
Tom Taylor - January 11, 2019
Earlier this week, Tristar head coach Firas Zahabi shared his belief that, if Conor McGregor were to rematch Max Holloway in 2019, the latter would come out on top. “If I had to pick Max Holloway vs. McGregor today, I would pick Max Holloway,” Zahabi said on his podcast. “I think Holloway has grown leaps and bounds since then. In my opinion, Holloway would out-punch him, outwork him. He would do very much what Diaz did [to Conor McGregor], but more,” he said. “I think McGregor got away with a lot of stuff, like the leg kicks against Diaz, but I don’t think he’ll have that against Holloway.”
Manager explains what it will take for Colby Covington to accept Darren Till fight
James Lynch - January 11, 2019
BJPenn.com’s Chris Taylor broke the news earlier this week that UFC officials are looking to book Colby Covington against Darren Till at UFC London on March 17. However Covington’s manager and American Top Team owner Dan Lambert told Fightful that the only way that fight would happen is if gold is on the line. In addition, he’d rather see Covington fight the winner of the upcoming UFC 235 title fight between champ Tyron Woodley and challenger Kamaru Usman.
EXCLUSIVE | Coach Javier Mendez believes Ngannou is one of the most dangerous fights for Cain Velasquez
Cole Shelton - January 11, 2019
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is back. Velasquez is set to return to the Octagon on Feb. 17 against Francis Ngannou. The former champ was last seen at UFC 200 where he defeated Travis Browne by TKO in the first round. Despite this lengthy absence, he is once again on the hunt for the heavyweight belt.
UFC 232 does second biggest PPV buy-rate of 2018
Tom Taylor - January 11, 2019
UFC 232 was a massive success in terms of pay-per-view sales. According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, this stacked card sold roughly 700,000 pay-per-views.
Khabib Nurmagomedov borrows famous Conor McGregor quote on social media
Tom Taylor - January 11, 2019
Shortly after Conor McGregor defeated Dustin Poirier at UFC 178 in 2014, he proclaimed to his throngs of Irish fans in attendance “if one of us goes to war, we all go to war!” It’s one of the best one known quotes from the trash-talking Irish superstar, and one that’s now been borrowed by his arch rival Khabib Nurmagomedov — with a twist.
Daniel Cormier gives beautiful answer when asked what he'll miss most about fighting
Tom Taylor - January 11, 2019
Speaking on the on the Jim Rome Podcast this week, UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier was asked what he’ll miss most about fighting when he retires — whether that’s in March as originally planned, or a little later. His answer was incredible.
Bruce Buffer suggests Daniel Cormier should retire in favor of a trilogy bout with Jon Jones
Christopher Taylor - January 10, 2019
UFC announcer Bruce Buffer doesn’t think a trilogy fight between bitter rivals Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier “should happen”. The long time voice of the octagon, Buffer, shared his thoughts on the matter during a recent interview with Express Sport.
Anderson Silva in favor of bringing back testosterone replacement therapy usage
Drake Riggs - January 10, 2019
It has been roughly two whole years since we last saw Anderson Silva step into the Octagon. ‘The Spider’ last fought at UFC 208 which took place in Brooklyn, New York on February 11, 2017. He would defeat Derek Brunson via close and controversial unanimous decision.
Darren Till still wants Conor McGregor next, says 'Proper 12 is sh*te'
Drake Riggs - January 10, 2019
Liverpool’s finest fighting son is the No. 3 ranked UFC welterweight contender, ‘The Gorilla’ Darren Till. We haven’t seen Till compete inside the Octagon since September when he challenged Tyron Woodley for the division’s title at UFC 228.
UFC Brooklyn loses two fighters to injury with just a week away from fight night
Drake Riggs - January 10, 2019
It’s been a bit of a rough journey to get to the UFC’s very first show on ESPN programming. First, there was the trouble finding the main event which resulted in the UFC pulling UFC 233’s main event to put it on UFC Brooklyn (the first show on ESPN+). This led to the cancelation of UFC 233 entirely.
Dominick Reyes believes Anthony Smith can defeat Jon Jones at UFC 235
Mike Pendleton - January 10, 2019
As Jon Jones returns to the top of the light heavyweight division as champion, he has seen and heard from new names and faces coming after the belt. One of those fresh faces will be his next opponent Anthony Smith, who Jones is scheduled to defend his title against in the main event slot at UFC 235, on March 2, in Las Vegas. While many, including the oddsmakers, believe this matchup will look very one-sided for the champion, Anthony Smith and others don’t seem to be intimidated by Jones.
Joe Rogan compares legacies of Jon Jones and Demetrious Johnson
Tom Taylor - January 10, 2019
Speaking on the latest edition of the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show, UFC commentator Joe Rogan began heaping praise on former UFC flyweight champ and new ONE Championship star Demetrious Johnson. In Rogan’s eyes, the man they call “Mighty Mouse” is simply the best ever.
EXCLUSIVE | Jason Knight released by the UFC
Cole Shelton - January 10, 2019
Jason Knight has been released by the UFC. “They cut me after that last loss,” Knight told BJPENN.com this week.
Rose Namajunas opens as underdog against Jessica Andrade
James Lynch - January 10, 2019
Rose Namajunas is getting no love from the oddsmakers. The UFC strawweight champion, who is scheduled to defend her title against Jessica Andrade at UFC 237, opened as a +100 underdog (bet $100 to win $100) according to 5Dimes. Since then, the line has shot up even further, as Namajunas is sitting at a +135 underdog (bet $100 to win $135) with Andrade coming in at -165 (bet $165 to win $100).
Coach Din Thomas breaks down the 'four categories' of mixed martial artist
Tom Taylor - January 10, 2019
Speaking on the latest edition of the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show, American Top Team coach Din Thomas detailed what he calls the ‘four categories’ of mixed martial artist. He says that, as a coach, it’s important for him to identify which category each fighter falls into in order to train them effectively. https://youtu.be/iTLbaarXoW8?t=1501
Mackenzie Dern forgoes flyweight move, sticks to strawweight division
Tom Taylor - January 10, 2019
Mackenzie Dern will continue to compete as a strawweight. Despite her recent struggles to reach the strawweight division’s 116-pound cap, she and her team have decided to stick to this division for now, rather than move up to the flyweight division, which has a limit of 126 pounds for non title fights.
Report | Conor McGregor in negotiations to return to boxing for grudge match with Paulie Malignaggi
Christopher Taylor - January 9, 2019
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor is reportedly in negotiations to fight former boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi in the squared circle. That news comes via @BoxingKingdom14, who reported the following on Twitter: