UFC News

Thiago Santos eyeing July return, turned down UFC's offer of unranked opponent
Adam Martin - February 18, 2020
UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos says he is planning a comeback to the Octagon in July and he has already been offered an opponent by the UFC. Santos last competed at UFC 239 in July 2019 when he lost a split decision to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. It was the most competitive fight of Jones’ MMA career since the Alexander Gustafsson fight at UFC 165 in September 2013, though Dominick Reyes recently had a great showing against Jones at UFC 247.

Al Iaquinta accuses Dustin Poirier of quitting against Nurmagomedov in heated social media skirmish
Adam Martin - February 18, 2020
UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta accused Dustin Poirier of quitting against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in a heated social media exchange. Iaquinta and Poirier are both currently without opponents and considering both men are ranked in the top-10 at 155lbs, it’s quite possible they will fight each other next.

Dana White, Michael Bisping support Diego Sanchez amid UFC Rio Rancho criticisms
Tom Taylor - February 18, 2020
Diego Sanchez has been criticized by many members of the MMA community after accepting a disqualification victory against Michel Pereira in the co-main event. UFC President Dana White and former UFC middleweight champ Michael Bisping are not among those critics. Sanchez fought Pereira in the main event of UFC Rio Rancho last Saturday. After losing the first two rounds, he was blasted by an illegal knee in the third. When he was unable to continue, he was awarded a win via disqualification.

Aljamain Sterling rips Henry Cejudo following 'Aljamima' comment, ‘Triple C’ responds
Harry Kettle - February 18, 2020
Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo continue to go back and forth on social media following Cejudo’s recent “Aljamima” remark. “Triple C” has been keeping himself pretty busy over the course of the last few months – and we don’t mean inside the Octagon.

Karyn Bryant calls out Henry Cejudo for racist comment used against Aljamain Sterling
Natasha Hooper - February 18, 2020
Henry Cejudo’s trash-talking antics have landed him in hot water. MMA reporter Karyn Bryant has called out the bantamweight champion for his use of racially loaded trash talk against Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. “Triple C” has received scrutiny recently for calling out Jose Aldo to fight in his next title defence. Despite Aldo’s long list of MMA accomplishments, the UFC legend is coming off two back-to-back losses and is ranked number 6 in the division. No. 2 ranked bantamweight Aljamain Sterling joined Ariel Helwani’s podcast yesterday and accused Cejudo of picking an easier fight to boost ticket sales.

VIDEO | Conor McGregor rocked Zubaira Tukhugov in UFC 229 brawl
Harry Kettle - February 18, 2020
New footage has emerged which shows Conor McGregor rocking Zubaira Tukhugov during the infamous post-fight brawl at UFC 229. While both McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have gone on to register victories inside the Octagon since that night in October 2018, the aftermath of their fight in the main event of UFC 229 will forever be remembered as one of the most notable moments in the history of the promotion.

John McCarthy on Diego Sanchez following UFC Rio Rancho: "How many fights is enough fights?"
Christopher Taylor - February 17, 2020
Referee John McCarthy believes there is just “something completely different” about Diego Sanchez following last weekend’s UFC event in Rio Rancho. The UFC legend, Sanchez, picked up a disqualification victory over Michel Pereira in front of a home crowd in New Mexico Saturday night.

Report | Tito Ortiz training with WWE for pro wrestling appearances
Cole Shelton - February 17, 2020
Tito Ortiz is reportedly looking to transition to wrestling as he’s training with WWE. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio is reporting that Tito Ortiz is training to be a pro wrestler and apparently has heard good things about the UFC Hall of Famer’s work ethic and enthusiasm.

Dustin Poirier believes Nurmagomedov will beat Ferguson, but thinks Gaethje could give 'The Eagle’ problems
Cole Shelton - February 17, 2020
Dustin Poirier thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov will defend his lightweight title when he fights Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. On April 18, Nurmagomedov and Ferguson are booked to fight one another for the fifth time in a scrap many fans are looking forward to. Although “The Eagle” is favored to win, many think it will be a close fight. But, for Poirier who fought Nurmagomedov last, he thinks the Dagestani champion will get his hand raised.

Al Iaquinta calls for fight with Dustin Poirier: 'I'm gonna f**k him up'
Mike Heck - February 17, 2020
Al Iaquinta is looking to get back to his winning ways and believes fellow former lightweight title challenger Dustin Poirier is the guy that should be standing across the Octagon from him. Following his title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov — which he took on a little over a day’s notice after the craziness of the UFC 223 fight week — “Raging” Al defeated Kevin Lee via unanimous decision. Since then, Iaquinta has dropped back-to-back fights to Donald Cerrone and Dan Hooker.

Mike Perry interested in dropping to 155lbs
Adam Martin - February 17, 2020
UFC welterweight fan favorite Mike Perry says he is considering a move down to 155lbs after struggling in his last few fights at 170lbs. Perry has dropped back-to-back fights to Geoff Neal and Vicente Luque and overall has dropped five of his last seven fights at 170lbs. That’s part of why he is potentially considering a move down in weight to get a fresh start, though he’s not convinced he will be able to cut all that weight. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, Perry spoke about moving down a weight class.

Darren Till willing to serve as backup for Adesanya-Romero title fight
Tom Taylor - February 17, 2020
If disaster strikes, and Israel Adesanya or Yoel Romero is unable to make it to the cage for their UFC 248 title fight, Darren Till hopes to be ready to save the day. Till, of course, was expected to fight Jared Cannonier on the UFC 248 card, but the fight fell through due to a combination of visa issues, contract gripes and ultimately, a Cannonier injury.

Dustin Poirier says UFC matchmakers told him to move on from Nate Diaz
Adam Martin - February 17, 2020
UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier has been chasing a fight against Nate Diaz for months, but now he’s finally decided to move on. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Poirier said that UFC matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard told him that Diaz and his camp have not responded to their requests for him to fight Poirier, and have told “The Diamond” to move on.

Marc Goddard defends Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington stoppage
Adam Martin - February 17, 2020
MMA referee Marc Goddard has spoken publicly for the first time about the controversial stoppage in the Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington fight at UFC 245. Goddard stopped the welterweight title fight with just 50 seconds left in the fifth round in what was up until the point of the stoppage a very close fight. Heading into the final round, one judge had the fight tied up 38-38 while the two other judges had it 39-37 for Usman and 39-37 for Covington, who felt the fight was stopped early.

Jimmy Crute reveals simple game plan for Michal Oleksiejczuk: 'I’m testing his f***ing chin'
Cole Shelton - February 17, 2020
Jimmy Crute is looking to return to the win column at UFC Auckland when he battles Michal Oleksiejczuk. Crute is coming off a first-round submission loss to Misha Cirkunov at UFC Vancouver where a win would have put him in the top-15. In the fight, the Aussie was close to finishing it but he says he let his emotions get the better of him.

Michel Pereira takes shot at 'chicken' Diego Sanchez
Tom Taylor - February 17, 2020
Michael Pereira is not happy with the way his fight with Diego Sanchez ended. The pair fought in the co-main event of last Saturday’s UFC Rio Rancho card on ESPN+. After seemingly winning the first two rounds, Pereira was disqualified in the third after landing he landed an illegal knee and Sanchez declared himself unable to continue fighting.

Becky Lynch says Conor McGregor will dominate Khabib Nurmagomedov in rematch
Adam Martin - February 17, 2020
WWE Raw women’s champion Becky Lynch says that Conor McGregor will dominate Khabib Nurmagomedov if and when they do rematch. Lynch and McGregor are two of the biggest sports stars from Ireland and have supported each other many times in the past, so it’s no surprise that Lynch is picking McGregor to beat Nurmagomedov in a rematch between the two UFC superstars.

Jon Jones vs. Jan Blachowicz opening odds released
Adam Martin - February 17, 2020
The sportsbooks have opened up betting odds for a potential bout between UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and top contender Jan Blachowicz. Blachowicz knocked out Corey Anderson in devastating fashion at UFC Rio Rancho to emerge as arguably the No. 1 contender in the UFC light heavyweight division. Jones was in attendance for the event and afterward expressed interest in fighting Blachowicz. Of course, Dominick Reyes could still get a rematch after his close loss to Jones at UFC 247. But after knocking out Anderson it looks like Blachowicz could very well be next in line.