UFC News

Mike Pendleton - June 18, 2019

UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is getting right back into the Octagon after her first successful title defense. Shevchenko defeated Jessica Eye at UFC 238 in Chicago with a highlight reel head kick earlier this month, and she’s getting a quick turnaround for her second title defense. According to Brett Okamoto of ESPN citing multiple sources, Shevchenko will defend her flyweight title against Liz Carmouche on August 10, in the main event of UFC Uruguay.

Cole Shelton - June 18, 2019

Anthony Pettis is set to take on Nate Diaz at UFC 241. But, that isn’t stopping his manager, Abraham Kawa from thinking of what could be next for the former lightweight champ. Kawa believes if “Showtime” gets past the Stockton native, a fight against Conor McGregor should be next on the agenda. “Even Conor fighting Khabib (Nurmagomedov), I don’t think that’s the fight,” Kawa said to MMA Junkie. “I actually don’t want to see that fight right now. Maybe after a while, yes. But right now I think Conor vs. Anthony is the fight. I’m looking at it as (if) Anthony beats Nate, and I think Conor is next on the horizon.”

Tom Taylor - June 18, 2019

Despite an 8-3 promotional record against solid competition, Canadian middleweight Elias Theodorou was recently released by the UFC. The move, though widely derided by fans, has not left Theodorou with any ill will toward the UFC. “I have no ill will toward the UFC,” Theodorou told MMA Junkie. “I don’t think being upset about it does anyone good. Especially myself. I don’t want to burn any bridges, but I also want to look at it in the positive aspects where I’m happy and healthy, and I’ve been successful in 20 of my professional times.”

Tom Taylor - June 18, 2019

Despite her lengthy absence from the cage, due to an unfortunate series of injures, Paige VanZant remains one of the most visible stars in the UFC flyweight division. Yet while she is likely only a few wins away from a title shot, she doesn’t envision anybody beating the division’s reigning champion, Valentina Shevchenko. Luckily, VanZant doesn’t expect to ever be tasked with solving the Shevchenko puzzle.

Tom Taylor - June 18, 2019

Former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder Ben Askren is scheduled for his second UFC appearance at UFC 239 on July 6, where he’ll battle fellow contender Jorge Masvidal. It’s conceivable that the winner of this clash will get the next crack at UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman — though that would mean Colby Covington would have to be skipped over once again. Speaking to MMA Fighting recently, Ben Askren explained that he believes a win over Jorge Masvidal could very easily put him ahead of Covington in the welterweight contendership race.

Cole Shelton - June 18, 2019

Montana De La Rosa is set to return to the Octagon this Saturday at UFC Greenville. There, she is taking on Andrea Lee in a battle between two ranked flyweights. De La Rosa is 3-0 in the division so far, and she understands just how important this fight is for her career. Lee is on a six-fight winning streak and has shown she is one of the best fighters in the division.

Tom Taylor - June 18, 2019

The UFC had a difficult time locking down a main event for UFC San Antonio, which goes down on July 20. Eventually, the promotion landed on a welterweight contender bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Leon Edwards, but before that matchup was booked, several others were in consideration. One was a flyweight title fight between champion Valentina Shevchenko and challenger Liz Carmouche. While this matchup failed to come to fruition for the July 20 card in San Antonio, Shevchenko remains hopeful it will be booked soon. She has history with Carmouche, having experienced the first setback of her career against the American, and is eager for the opportunity to even the score. Particularly given the way their first fight ended.

Mike Pendleton - June 17, 2019

Former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw is currently serving a two-year suspension from USADA for his use of EPO, and recently spoke on his decision to take the banned-substance, but he also discussed more than that in his interview with Chael Sonnen. During his interview on the “You’re Welcome” podcast hosted by Chael Sonnen, Dillashaw discussed the return of his former coach and teammate Urijah Faber who is ending his retirement to take on Ricky Simon at UFC Sacramento on July 13, and didn’t hold back in his thoughts on Faber’s return. Faber recently spoke on the possibility of fighting Dillashaw, and it’s a fight that interests him when his former teammate returns from suspension.

Tom Taylor - June 17, 2019

From the sounds of it, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is open to a rematch with his last opponent, Conor McGregor, who he submitted at UFC 229 in October. Before this prospective blockbuster can occur, however, the champ wants to see the Irish star put in some work and earn it.

Mike Pendleton - June 17, 2019

The complicated UFC lightweight title picture is starting to look a little clearer. While Khabib Nurmagomedov is scheduled to defend his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in September, UFC President Dana White has an idea as to who is likely to get the next title shot thereafter. Following his win over Donald Cerrone at UFC 238, Tony Ferguson extended his winning streak to 12 and once again made a statement that he deserves a title fight. While many fans were left unsatisfied after the Ferguson and Cerrone fight ended by doctor stoppage, Dana White says that he assumes “El Cucuy” is next in line after Nurmagomedov and Poirier battle for the title.

Tom Taylor - June 17, 2019

UFC President Dana White has recently expressed interest in investing in the purchase of an NFL team with former UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta. When asked about this topic on a recent episode of LVSportsBiz Guerrilla Cross Radio, however, the UFC President peppered in another very interesting detail with respect to his career as a titan of the sporting world. He claims he’s signed a brand new 10-year deal with the UFC. That’s right. Another decade of profanity-laced tirades and interim titles courtesy of Uncle Dana.

Tom Taylor - June 17, 2019

Justin Bieber recently made his way into MMA headlines by calling for a fight with Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise and asking the UFC President Dana White to promote it. I wanna challenge Tom Cruise to fight in the octagon. Tom if you dont take this fight your scared and you will never live it down. Who is willing to put on the fight? @danawhite ?

Tom Taylor - June 16, 2019

UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo is not just a tremendous fighter but also an interesting character. While some members of the MMA community find his personality charming, however, not everybody is on board with it. File former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley into that latter group.

Tom Taylor - June 16, 2019

Earlier this year, former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw tested positive for the banned substance EPO and suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency as a result. Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi says he suspected the bantamweight of doping for “a long time.” https://youtu.be/1dARnaz-JWM

Tom Taylor - June 16, 2019

Tony Ferguson has earned himself a fight with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. That much is undeniable. Unfortunately for Ferguson, Nurmagomedov is currently tied up with a fight with Dustin Poirier, scheduled for UFC 242 on September 7 in Abu Dhabi.

Tom Taylor - June 16, 2019

On Saturday night, UFC welterweight contenders Jorge Masvidal and Anthony Pettis met in a charity grappling match. After ten minutes of entertaining action that saw both men have some success and lots of fun, the bout was scored a draw. https://twitter.com/HodkoV6/status/1140098070778195968

Matheus Costa - June 15, 2019

There is a new welterweight on the UFC roster. The promotion has signed Brazilian prospect Wellington Turman to fill a spot at UFC Sacramento. The 22-years-old fighter stepped in to replace John Phillips against Karl Roberson on the events preliminary card. The information was first published by Combate and confirmed by the BJPenn.com staff. Wellington Turman is one of the top guys on the Brazilian MMA scene. With 15 wins and only 2 losses on his professional record, he currently rides a 4-win streak. In his last appearance, he submitted UFC and Contender Series vet Marcio “Lyoto” Alexandre Jr. with a first round rear-naked choke.

Chris Taylor - June 15, 2019

UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will return to the octagon at UFC 241 where he will look to defend his title in a rematch with Stipe Miocic. Cormier and Miocic originally collided in July of 2018, with ‘DC’ emerging victorious by way of first round knockout.