UFC News

Adam Martin - March 30, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson has reportedly been offered a fight against Justin Gaethje if Khabib Nurmagomedov cannot fight at UFC 249. Nurmagomedov said on Monday that he is stuck in Russia and, at this point, is not confident he will be able to leave his home country to fight at UFC 249, which is scheduled to take place April 18 at a location to-be-determined. With Nurmagomedov seemingly out of action, it leaves his opponent Ferguson without a dance partner. But perhaps not for much longer.

Tom Taylor - March 30, 2020

If the UFC needs a big name to step in and fight at UFC 249 on April 18, the promotion doesn’t need to look any further than welterweight star Jorge Masvidal. Speaking on Twitter early on Monday morning, Masvidal boldly proclaimed he’s free to fight on the upcoming fight card.

Natasha Hooper - March 30, 2020

UFC 250 fighters are in a precarious position, as they need to train for their upcoming fights amid a global pandemic. COVID-19 has spelt disaster for all live sporting events, including many inside the MMA bubble. UFC President Dana White has already cancelled three fight cards but has dug his heels in on UFC 249, which is scheduled for April 18.

Tom Taylor - March 30, 2020

Early on Monday morning, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov announced that he is stuck in Russia due to the country’s new travel restrictions. The implication here, of course, is that his long-awaited fight with Tony Ferguson now seems nearly impossible. While the bout is not officially cancelled yet, it seems very unlikely that it will have to be. Considering Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been scheduled to fight four times previously to no avail, that’s a tough pill to swallow.

Alfredo Zullino - March 30, 2020

It seems that the UFC 249 main event, which was expected to pit Khabib Nurmagomedov against Tony Ferguson, could be off the table again. There has been widespread worry over the last few days about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s whereabouts, and on Monday morning, “The Eagle” took to Instagram Live to confirm that he is seemingly stranded in Russia now that the country has closed its borders to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2020

UFC welterweight contender Vicente Luque says he is willing to step up on short notice to fight on the new UFC 249 card in three weeks. UFC president Dana White is trying his best to make UFC 249 a go despite all the red tape due to the coronavirus outbreak, but he admitted that the card would likely be different than the original card that was set to take place in Brooklyn. The UFC is now in the process of finalizing the rest of the card, and Luque could potentially be a part of it.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2020

UFC welterweight James Vick is determined to work on the defensive issues that have led him to a four-fight losing streak in the Octagon. Vick started off his UFC career with a 9-1 record, but he has since lost four straight fights to Justin Gaethje, Paul Felder, Dan Hooker, and Niko Price, with three of those losses coming by knockout. The loss to Price was particularly embarrassing for Vick as he became just the second fighter in UFC history to be knocked out from an upkick.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2020

UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson shared a video of the dance moves he’s been practicing while waiting out the coronavirus quarantine. Thompson, like most athletes, is currently holed up while the world waits out the coronavirus outbreak. It’s difficult for MMA fighters to find proper training at the moment given all the restrictions due to the coronavirus crisis, but Thompson isn’t letting his free time go to waste. Instead of just sitting around his house like many are doing, Thompson has been working on his dance moves.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2020

Manager Ali Abdelaziz is denying that UFC 249 will take place in Saudi Arabia despite speculation the event could be shifted there. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the UFC has been forced to postpone UFC London, UFC Columbus, and UFC Portland. But UFC president Dana White has been adamant UFC 249 will take place, and he even says he has a location in mind for the event if it does go on as planned, only he’s not telling the media where that location may be. White is doing everything he can to save the event headlined by Abdelaziz’s client Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson for the UFC lightweight belt.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2020

UFC heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier says that if the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t end by the summer he may be forced to retire from MMA. Cormier hasn’t fought since last August when he was knocked out by Miocic in the fourth round of the pair’s heavyweight title fight at UFC 241 to lose his belt. Since then, both DC and Miocic have been recovering from injuries, with the UFC planning on having them fight for a third and final time once both men are all healed up. The plan was for that to happen sometime this summer, but the coronavirus pandemic is throwing a wrench into things.

Christopher Taylor - March 28, 2020

If the UFC plans to hold future events as scheduled, they are likely going to have to do so by pitting fellow countrymen up against one another. With cross-border closures already being implemented by many countries due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the only way fighters will likely to be able to compete is if it comes against someone from their home nation. That is at least for the foreseeable future.

Christopher Taylor - March 28, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou has shared his thoughts on the recent arrest of promotional light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Early on Thursday morning, Jones was arrested for allegedly firing a gunshot in downtown Albuquerque. According to police reports, ‘Bones’ was also found to have marijuana residue on his clothing in addition to failing a sobriety test.