UFC News
Cain Velasquez impressed by Stipe Miocic, but not convinced he should 'get a title shot right away'
Tom Taylor - February 13, 2019
A lot has changed in the heavyweight division since former champion Cain Velasquez last stepped into the cage. Perhaps most notably, Stipe Miocic burst into title contention, captured the title, and defended it a record-breaking three straight times. Although Stipe Miocic broke the record for the most consecutive defenses of the UFC heavyweight title, he ultimately lost his title to Velasquez training partner Daniel Cormier, who still holds the belt today. Since then, Miocic has been adamant that he deserves an immediate rematch with Cormier based on his previous dominance as champion.
Israel Adesanya compares Robert Whittaker to Dominick Cruz: "This is another one of those"
Chris Taylor - February 13, 2019
Undefeated UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya does not want to see the promotions 185-pound division held up by injured champ Robert Whittaker. Whittaker was supposed to defend his UFC middleweight championship against Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of UFC 234 this past weekend in Australia.
UFC on ESPN 1: Velasquez vs. Ngannou Fight Card and Start Time
Tom Taylor - February 13, 2019
On Sunday, February 17, the UFC will make its debut on ESPN with an exciting, 13-fight card. In the main event of this debut UFC on ESPN card, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon, where he will battle ferocious knockout puncher Francis Ngannou in an cage-shaking showdown.
UFC rankings update: Israel Adesanya is now a top-5 middleweight
Tom Taylor - February 13, 2019
The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of last Saturday’s UFC 234 card, and as expected, Israel Adesanya has burst into the middleweight division’s top-5 on the strength of his decision defeat of the legend Anderson Silva. Elsewhere, the men’s flyweight division continues to be the picture of chaos, as many of the weight class’s top fighters have been cut by the promotion.
VIDEO | Cain Velasquez confident that he could beat Jon Jones
Drake Riggs - February 12, 2019
“Definitely,” Cain Velasquez told TMZ when asked if he would be interested in fighting Jon Jones. “Anyone, you know. That’s why I’m in this sport, to fight the best guys, to be the best out there. To me, it’s just go out there, perform and win and just take on the best guys. “I think I could [beat him]. I think I’m good enough. Jon Jones, he’s an amazing athlete. I’ve watched him in all of his fights, I know what he’s capable of. Again, every guy poses a great challenge, I think he does as well. I think I could beat him, yeah.”
Manager: Kelvin Gastelum 'taken care of' by UFC, eyes Robert Whittaker rebooking for June or July
Drake Riggs - February 12, 2019
UFC 234 didn’t get the cap off that we were all expecting. Sure, Israel Adesanya vs Anderson Silva was a thrilling chess match. But we were going to get that regardless. Just hours before the event began, we learned that the UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker had to undergo emergency hernia surgery thus, obviously, removing him from his scheduled title defense against Kelvin Gastelum.
Cain Velasquez would have retired if new UFC deal wasn't logical
Drake Riggs - February 12, 2019
When it comes to the most talented heavyweights to ever compete, a discussion cannot be had without the mention of former two-time UFC champion Cain Velasquez. Unfortunately for Velasquez and fans alike, the latter portion of his career has been plagued by injuries as he’s only fought twice since 2013.
Rafael Dos Anjos: Conor McGregor fight would be 'worth the drop in weight'
Drake Riggs - February 12, 2019
If it wasn’t for former UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos, we never would have seen the two wars between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. Before Eddie Alvarez was the lightweight champion, that label belonged to Dos Anjos who was supposed to be McGregor’s first champion vs champion bout as McGregor came up from the featherweight division that he was holding the title in.
Cris Cyborg doesn't think Amanda Nunes loss will hurt UFC contract negotiations
Cole Shelton - February 12, 2019
Cris Cyborg is one of the greatest female fighters to ever compete in MMA. For well over a decade, she was simply dominant, going 20-0-1 after losing her first professional fight. Then, at UFC 232, Cyborg had her toughest fight to date when Amanda Nunes moved up in weight to challenge her for the UFC featherweight title. Many believe it would be a close fight, but Nunes shocked the world. She knocked Cyborg out in just 51 seconds to become the new UFC featherweight champion.
Referee Marc Goddard discusses Crute vs. Alvey stoppage after backlash
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019
Not everybody agreed with the stoppage in last weekend’s Jim Crute vs. Sam Alvey fight. UFC President Dana White, for example, was adamant that referee Marc Goddard stopped the action too early, and that Alvey should have been given a bit more time to recover. Speaking to MMA Fighting, Marc Goddard gave his take on the stoppage in this fight. In hindsight, he admits that he perhaps could have handled the situation differently, but he also reminds his detractors that he’s forced to act decisively in mere milliseconds, oftentimes when a fighter’s safety is on the line.
Kelvin Gastelum says Israel Adesanya is not yet worthy of a title shot
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019
Kelvin Gastelum, who was supposed to battle Robert Whittaker in the UFC 234 main event, and now considers himself the middleweight champ by default after Whittaker withdrew from the fight with an injury, was not impressed by Israel Adesanya and Anderson Silva’s UFC 234 fight. Instead, Gastelum saw this fight as more “theatrics” than anything else.
Johnny Walker steps in against Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019
Rising light heavyweight prospect Johnny Walker has been booked for his next fight — and it’s a big one. The Brazilian knockout artist has stepped in to replace the injured Ovince Saint Preux against Canada’s Misha Cirkunov at UFC 235, which goes down on March 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada. News of this new matchup was first reported by MMA Fighting.
Nate Diaz to corner Kron Gracie at UFC Phoenix
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019
Fan favorite UFC lightweight contender Nate Diaz will be returning to the cage this weekend at UFC Phoenix on ESPN, he just won’t be doing any fighting. Instead, the younger Diaz brother will be cornering BJJ ace Kron Gracie in his UFC debut opposite the always exciting Alex Caceres. ESPN’s Greg Rosenstein has the details:
VIDEO | Joe Rogan explains his primary goal when interviewing UFC fighters
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2019
Joe Rogan has interviewed hundreds and hundreds of fighters over the years, but he’s never felt threatened by any of them. Speaking on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the UFC commentator was asked by Brazilian actor Rafinha Bastos if he has ever felt unsafe while interviewing a fighter. Rogan responded with a firm ‘no’ and outlined his primary goal in every fighter interview he conducts.
Daniel Cormier says Cain Velasquez will be a champion again
Drake Riggs - February 11, 2019
Currently, Daniel Cormier is the reigning UFC heavyweight champion. But with an end in sight, he won’t hold that label forever. Training with Cormier for the majority of his professional MMA career has been the former two-time heavyweight king of the UFC, Cain Velasquez.
Kelvin Gastelum roasts 'leper' Conor McGregor following UFC 234
Drake Riggs - February 11, 2019
UFC 234 ended up being a pretty wild night of action as expected. Unfortunately, on the day of the event, it had lost its headliner as the middleweight champion, Robert Whittaker, had to undergo emergency hernia surgery.
Israel Adesanya responds to critique from Chris Weidman and Paulo Costa
Drake Riggs - February 11, 2019
Criticism is always going to find its way to athletes in professional sports. Whether it be from fans or even peers. At UFC 234 in Melbourne, Australia this past weekend, ‘The Last Stylebender’ Israel Adesanya headlined his first UFC pay-per-view event.
Volkan Oezdemir believes Jon Jones needs to finish Anthony Smith quickly
Cole Shelton - February 11, 2019
Anthony Smith has been on a roll since moving up to light heavyweight. First, he had quick knockouts over former champions in Rashad Evans and Shogun Rua. Then, he submitted Volkan Oezdemir in the main event of UFC Moncton in October. That third win set Smith up for a title shot at UFC 235 against arguably the greatest fighter of all time, Jon Jones.