UFC president Dana White told reporters on “Fight Island” that his matchmaking team is working on securing big fights for both Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev as he looks to stack the deck ahead of the final months of 2020. Makhachev was due to face former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos on “UFC Fight Island” next weekend at UFC 254, but after the Brazilian tested […]
UFC
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UFC man of the moment Khamzat Chimaev says he will fight anyone and everyone as he plots the next moves in his rapid rise in the promotion. Chimaev established himself as the name on every fight fan’s lips in the space of just two months when he exploded onto the UFC scene with three dominant victories across two weight classes. Such is his ascent that the […]
Khabib Nurmagomedov says he is “finished” with Conor McGregor and would not take part in the mooted reboot of reality TV show ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ with the Irishman even if the UFC offered him $5 billion. UFC boss Dana White recently proposed a relaunch of the long-running ‘Ultimate Fighter’ series featuring Khabib and arch rival McGregor as the heads of opposing teams of fighters. Khabib’s manager […]
Dagestani flyweight Tagir Ulanbekov made his octagon debut at UFC Fight Island on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi, and after getting his career on the big stage off to a winning start, he dedicated his win to his former coach. Ulanbekov defeated Brazilian Bruno Silva via unanimous decision in the opening fight of the night on Fight Island to extend his professional record to 11 wins, […]
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has confirmed one of the sport’s most infamous rumors as he admitted that he hid under a cage in his gym to avoid drug-testers shortly after smoking a marijuana cigarette. Jones, who has drawn the ire of the UFC’s drug-testers on more than one occasion, had long been linked to the story, which was initially reported by Deadspin in […]
Russian UFC newcomer Tagir Ulanbekov has posted a throwback photo with Khabib Nurmagomedov and revealed the champ’s words to him as he set off for Abu Dhabi, where he has faced hitches in entering the city and became his own chef. Lightweight champion Nurmagomedov saw off Ulanbekov, one of his long-term training camp partners, as his fellow Dagestani departed for Abu Dhabi ahead of his first […]
UFC veteran Court McGee produced an incredible show of bravery after having his nose gruesomely disfigured by an uppercut from Carlos Condit, fighting through the pain to reach the end of the scrap against his astonished opponent. Tough welterweight McGee suffered the horrific injury at the end of round one in the clash against Condit at UFC Fight Island 4, when his rival sent him to […]
UFC champion Israel Adesanya has denied that he is using steroids after fans noticed an unusual swelling on his right pectoral during his UFC 253 win over Paulo Costa. Adesanya’s “painful” pectoral swelling was the source of much speculation when it was noticed on the broadcast in advance of his middleweight title defense against Costa last Saturday night. Almost immediately, several internet sleuths falsely determined that the swelling […]
Conor McGregor’s plans of facing Manny Pacquiao in a blockbuster boxing match in the Middle East are unlikely to happen because key players in the region are loyal to UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, the Russian’s manager says. McGregor and Pacquiao are in talks to meet in the ring later this year or in early 2021, as revealed by the Irishman in a bombshell tweet on Friday. […]
UFC boss Dana White has dismissed speculation that British welterweight star Leon Edwards will be next up for rising Russian-born star Khamzat Chimaev as he aims to continue his record-breaking assault on the rankings. Chimaev picked up a third UFC victory in the space of a little over two months when he destroyed Gerald Meerschaert with a one-punch KO just 17 seconds into their contest in […]
Fans have praised two-weight UFC champion Amanda Nunes and her partner, MMA fighter Nina Ansaroff, after the strawweight gave birth to their daughter, Raegan Ann Nunes, in an arrival that they described as a ‘dream come true’. Bantamweight and featherweight champion Nunes has become the first UFC title holder to be a mother after the partner she had sparred with deep into her pregnancy gave birth, […]
Paulo Costa cranked up the animosity with Israel Adesanya ahead of the pair’s UFC 253 middleweight title showdown as the Brazilian challenger shared a decapitated image of his rival. The unbeaten duo face off on Fight Island this weekend for the middleweight belt currently owned by Nigerian-born New Zealander Adesanya. Tensions between the pair had largely bubbled under the surface during the build-up to the bout, but tempers […]
If the build-up to their UFC middleweight title clash had seemed unexpectedly serene, then things exploded into life at Friday’s final staredown between Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa. Middleweight ruler Adesanya and Brazil’s Costa both put their unbeaten records on the line as they headline UFC 253 in Abu Dhabi this weekend, and things got heated ahead of time when they faced off on Friday. Costa […]
Undefeated Russian prospect Aliaskhab Khizriev delivered the goods as he impressed UFC president Dana White and earned a UFC contract after a 50-second win at the Contender Series on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. The series, which features the world’s top fighting prospects, offers unsigned fighters the chance to compete in front of UFC president White at the promotion’s multi-million-dollar Apex facility, with the night’s most […]
Nick Diaz is poised to end his five-year hiatus from the cage after his manager confirmed that the former UFC title challenger has returned to training and is eyeing a comeback fight in early 2021. Diaz has been absent from the cage since a January 2015 fight with Anderson Silva, with many assuming that the former Strikeforce champion was essentially retired. But his manager Kevin Mubenga […]
A security guard whose block and takedown of a would-be thief went viral after it was caught on CCTV has officially been hired by UFC president Dana White, taking up a job offer after he flew her to a Conor McGregor fight. Summer Tapasa-Sataraka was at the center of a social media storm at the end of last year when footage emerged of her emphatically accosting […]
UFC president Dana White took aim at those calling to defund law enforcement in his speech to the Republican convention, praising all first responders while vocally endorsing four more years for President Donald Trump. White spoke on the fourth and final night of the Republican National Convention on Thursday, voicing support for Trump in the 2020 presidential race and denouncing a wave of civil unrest that […]
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya said that he will come out on top when the he meets fellow undefeated standout Paulo Costa next month as the two clashed in a heated television interview ahead of the UFC 253 main event. The two middleweight rivals have built a simmering rivalry for much of the past year, with Brazilian standout Costa stating that he will be the man to hand […]
UFC heavyweight champion of the world Stipe Miocic defeated Daniel Cormier in the third fight between the pair, then said he wanted his efforts to inspire his daughter after his grueling unanimous decision victory. Miocic defeated Cormier with scores of 49-46, 49-46, 48-47 on the judges’ scorecards as he outstruck the former two-division champion to retain his title and cement his legacy as the greatest heavyweight […]
Conor McGregor has goaded UFC rival Khabib Nurmagomedov by claiming the Russian will be “sh*tting his pants” against Justin Gaethje in the pair’s lightweight title unification fight and trying to “get a whiff of his jockstrap.” UFC lightweight champ Khabib meets interim title holder Gaethje on October 24, as the Russian bids to extend his unbeaten record to 29-0. Describing his plans for the fight in […]
A man who was successfully sued by the UFC in a $32 million lawsuit has ended his silence in damning style, calling the multibillion-dollar promotion’s chiefs ‘old ass bozos’ and distancing himself from his own public apology. New Yorker Steven Messina was prosecuted by the UFC over the distribution of an estimated 200 hours of content in 2014, streaming events watched by fans unwilling to pay subscription […]
Rhys “Skeletor” McKee, one of the top prospects in European MMA, was lost for words after he was told that he was being drafted in to compete against Russian-born grappler Khamzat Chimaev at ‘Fight Island’ on a week’s notice. McKee, a graduate of the Cage Warriors promotion which also featured the likes of Conor McGregor and Michael Bisping before they joined the UFC, has long been considered as […]
UFC boss Dana White says a lightweight title unifier between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje could still be on the cards for September despite the tragic recent death of Khabib’s father and trainer Abdulmanap. Khabib has not spoken publicly since his father lost his months-long battle with complications arising from a Covid-19 infection earlier this month. READ MORE: Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, father of UFC champ Khabib, dies […]
Georgian ‘Shewolf’ Liana Jojua scored her fifth career armbar and her first-ever UFC win when she submitted Dian Belbita in the first round at UFC Fight Night 172 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. READ MORE: ‘Who’s the p*ssy here?’: UFC’s Jojua and Kassem trade social media shots after Georgian ‘She Wolf’ calls out Aussie rival (PHOTOS) It took just 2 minutes and 43 seconds of […]
Former UFC title holder Cody Garbrandt has told new Russian champ Petr Yan that he is ready to beat him, reacting to a photo posted by the winner at UFC 251 in which he posed in a swimming pool while calling Garbrandt “no chin”. Garbrandt labeled Yan “too slow” despite his impressive win over Jose Aldo to claim the UFC bantamweight crown with a fifth-round stoppage […]
Petr Yan’s triumphant world title victory against Jose Aldo at UFC 251 has been immortalized on the streets of St. Petersburg with a picture-perfect mural of Russia’s latest UFC champion. Yan joined Khabib Nurmagomedov as one of just two Russian titleholders in the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion when he earned a stoppage late in the fifth round of his “Fight Island” bout with MMA […]
Russian’s Petr Yan says he plans on accepting any and all challenges during his reign as the UFC bantamweight titleholder, and even opened the door to a potential showdown with former two-division ruler ‘Triple C’ Henry Cejudo. Yan, who defeated Jose Aldo by fifth-round stoppage to claim his first UFC title on ‘Fight Island’ on Saturday night, now finds himself in the position that every new […]
Outspoken fighters Ben Askren and Colby Covington didn’t pull their punches in their assessment of the Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal title fight at UFC 251 as the pair criticized the fight on social media. Former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight champion Askren took the first pot-shot at Usman and Masvidal for their main event matchup on “UFC Fight Island,” which Usman won via unanimous decision […]
Russia has a new UFC world champion after Petr Yan scored a huge finish of former featherweight champion Jose Aldo to claim the vacant bantamweight title at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi. READ MORE: In memory of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov: Watch special episode of ‘Dagestan: Land of Warriors’ documentary series Yan finished a bloody war with legend Aldo by strikes when referee Leon Roberts eventually stepped in to […]
Video games giant EA Sports have revealed that welterweight fan favorite Jorge Masvidal and middleweight king Israel Adesanya will grace the cover of their hotly-awaited new UFC game. After heated debate online – which at stages broke out into open insults – the video games giant dropped the trailer for the new UFC 4 game on Saturday, revealing that Masvidal and Adesanya would share cover star status. The […]
In the event that his three piece and a soda isn’t enough to get the job done at UFC 251, Jorge Masvidal says he has arranged for a very special recipe to dethrone welterweight champion Kamaru Usman on ‘Fight Island’. While he admits the journey to this point was tough – after all, who enjoys cutting 20lbs while travelling halfway around the world? – now that […]
A titanic replacement bout has reportedly been agreed for UFC 251 next weekend, with Jorge Masvidal set to step in to face champion Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title. BMF champion Masvidal was the natural No. 1 contender to face Usman for the UFC’s 170-pound title, but appeared to have priced himself out of the matchup when the UFC dropped talks with the Miami native […]
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, the father and coach of UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, died on 3 July at the age of 57 after a long battle with coronavirus-related health complications. MMA fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov has commented on the death of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, in a conversation with the head of Russia’s Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov. “We did everything, we could. It’s important to remember and to acknowledge this”, […]
The first big UFC Fight Island show has already suffered a major blow with the news that the main event bout between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns is off due to the Brazilian testing positive for COVID-19. US-based MMA outlet MMA Junkie received information from multiple sources late Friday night confirming that Burns had been removed from his main event fight with Usman at UFC 251 […]
Paige VanZant looks set to become the latest high-profile free agent in MMA after the flyweight fighter added her voice to growing discontent about fighter pay, suggesting she earns more through endorsements than via the UFC. VanZant is scheduled to face Amanda Ribas at UFC 251 on ‘Fight Island’ next month but the appearance could well be the last of her six-year UFC tenure after she […]
UFC welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns has queried why Conor McGregor remains in the UFC rankings despite recently announcing he was quitting the fight game. Earlier in June the 31-year-old Irishman said he was calling it quits, citing a lack of “buzz” from the sport and claiming he was frustrated at the UFC for supposedly dragging its heels over his next bout. READ MORE: ‘I’ve decided […]
Petr Yan aims to become Russia’s latest UFC champion when he takes on the legendary Jose Aldo for the vacant bantamweight title on July 11 and as he told RT Sport, he is in very confident mood indeed. Ask anyone in the know and they would have told you that Petr Yan’s ascent to a UFC title bout wasn’t so much a matter of ‘if’, but […]
Conor McGregor teammate Dillon Danis has publicly vowed to take revenge on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s camp after rewatching footage of the scrap that saw both sides heavily sanctioned following their clash at UFC 229 in October 2018. The incendiary post-fight brawl after the headline fight between lightweight champ Khabib and Irish nemesis McGregor threatened to overshadow the momentous bout between the fierce rivals, spilling into the crowd as […]
Cody Garbrandt emphatically backed up his claim that he has rediscovered his passion for fighting by brutally knocking out bantamweight foe Raphael Assuncao with a colossal right hand at UFC 250, earning Performance of the Night. Garbrandt ended a run of three losses and secured his first win since he beat Dominick Cruz at the end of 2016 by producing a peach of a punch in the […]
Conor McGregor announced on Twitter he has decided to retire from fighting, but many commenters are skeptical, considering the number of times he has done this before. The 31-year-old Irish fighter announced his retirement on Twitter, posting a picture of himself and his mom after one of his title wins. “Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been!” he said. Hey guys […]
UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski has become the latest man to seek a lucrative showdown with notorious Irishman Conor McGregor, with the Aussie calling out his rival for a contest on the fabled ‘Fight Island’. Volkanovski, who was crowned featherweight champ in December after unseating longtime ruler Max Holloway, said he would relish the prospect of a meeting with McGregor at the as-yet unnamed island location […]
UFC strawweight became the first woman ever in the promotion to win with a leg submission as she defeated fellow American Hannah Cifers in the first round of their Las Vegas fight on Saturday night. Dern, 27, was forced to weather an early storm as Cifers came out swinging but the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist took control once the action moved to the canvas mid-way through the […]
Alistair Overeem became the second fighter on the UFC roster to claim victories in FOUR different decades when he stopped Walt Harris in the second round of an emotional UFC Florida headliner on Saturday night. Veteran Dutch striker Overeem claimed the 46th win of a career which has now included victories in the 1990’s, 2000’s, 2010’s and 2020’s as he defeated Harris, who was fighting for […]
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has paid tribute to the UFC for successfully hosting three events in the space of eight days in Jacksonville, Florida. The UFC kicked off their Jacksonville triple-header with UFC 249, which took place on May 9 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in the city as they became the first major sporting event to be held in the United States […]
UFC official Jason Herzog has said suggested he has learned a “harsh” lesson as he appeared to apologize after being widely criticized for not stopping the light heavyweight fight between Anthony Smith and Glover Teixeira sooner. Veteran referee Herzog eventually called things off just over a minute into fifth round of the main event in Jacksonville on Wednesday, although many felt the stoppage should have come […]
Conor McGregor’s friend and long time sparring partner Artem Lobov says that the Irish fighter was more focused on his business ahead of the UFC 249 fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov, but will be victorious should they meet again. It’s not a secret that a rematch with Nurmagomedov is one of the top priorities for the former double champ. At least fight wise. McGregor started hyping up […]
Dominick Cruz is not a happy man following his controversial second-round stoppage loss to Henry Cejudo during Saturday’s UFC 249, claiming afterwards that referee Keith Peterson smelled of “alcohol and cigarettes.” Former bantamweight champion Cruz came up short in his quest to reclaim UFC gold after a 1,227-day absence from the cage in Jacksonville late Saturday night, as the injury-plagued fighter was finished by strikes seconds […]
Tony Ferguson will be licking his wounds in more ways than one on Sunday morning after he was taken to hospital for injuries suffered in his TKO defeat to Justin Gaethje in a fight which removes ‘El Cucuy’ from title contention. Ferguson was stopped late in the fifth round after a prolonged beating at the hands of newly-crowned interim lightweight champion Gaethje in their UFC 249 […]
Justin Gaethje produced the performance of a lifetime to demolish Tony Ferguson and win the interim lightweight title at UFC 249, and one man distinctly impressed was Khabib Nurmagomedov – the fighter he will likely face next. Gaethje picked Ferguson apart almost at will on the way to earning a fifth-round stoppage win at UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Florida. In a contest far more one-sided contest […]
Heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou was already frustrated not to have been given his second shot at the UFC heavyweight title, and he took that frustration out on undefeated former kickboxer Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 249. Ngannou had worked tirelessly with coach Eric Nicksick in isolation at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas as he prepared to face Rozenstruik, who had called him out following his dramatic late […]
United States President Donald Trump sent a message of congratulations to Dana White and the UFC for being the first major sports league to return to action following the COVID-19 shutdown. Trump has earmarked sports leagues as the starting point for a gradual restart of the US economy, and he invited White, who spoke for him at the Republican National Convention, to be a part of […]
It’s been nearly two months since the last UFC show, but now the biggest MMA promotion is back with a stacked card and a world title double-header at the top of the bill. Follow our live updates throughout the night. It’s been a rocky road to get here, but we finally have live fights back on our screens as the UFC stages the first sports event […]
UFC president Dana White said his team has worked flat out to keep fighters safe ahead of UFC 249, and revealed President Donald Trump is watching developments in Jacksonville ahead of fight night in Florida. Speaking to US showbiz outlet TMZ ahead of UFC 249 – and before news of Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza’s positive coronavirus test – White laid out the challenges that his team faced […]
The news that Ronaldo ‘”Jacare” Souza, plus his two cornermen, tested positive coronavirus test couldn’t have come at a worse time for the UFC, who had done everything they could to mitigate risk ahead of UFC 249 The event, which is set to be the first major sporting event in the United States since the COVID-19 outbreak, was the focus of much of the sporting world […]
The build-up to Saturday night’s UFC 249 event has been hit by a major setback following the news that UFC middleweight contender Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, plus two cornermen, have tested positive for coronavirus in Jacksonville. Souza was due to face Uriah Hall in a middleweight bout on the UFC 249 card in Jacksonville and, like all fighters involved on the card, had been subjected to coronavirus […]