UFC News

Drake Riggs - April 9, 2019

Former two-time UFC bantamweight champion, TJ Dillashaw has officially been suspended for two years due to a USADA drug test failure. But the test that did him in wasn’t his first time testing positive. It was revealed on Tuesday that Dillashaw tested positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), which is a substance that is not found in contaminated supplements as it can only be used via injection and boosts an athlete’s cardiovascular performance.

Thomas Taylor - April 9, 2019

This afternoon, news broke that TJ Dillashaw has been suspended for two years for his use of recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), an “injectable only” drug. “I’m quite familiar with EPO from my days investigating professional cycling teams,” UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance Jeff Novitzky told ESPN of EPO and how it is used. “It’s a very effective substance. It’s not a substance you find in contaminated supplements, it’s injectable only. You have to know what you’re doing when it enters your system.

Mike Pendleton - April 9, 2019

The UFC’s strawweight division has seen a fair share of new title contenders rise to the top of the division ever since Rose Namajunas dethroned former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in November 2017. While names like Tatiana Suarez, Nina Ansaroff, and Weili Zhang rising up the ranks and inching towards title contention, a veteran, Michelle Waterson, coming off the biggest win of her career, feels she deserves the next title shot and believes the timing is perfect for it.

Drake Riggs - April 9, 2019

The Summertime is always a big time of the year for the UFC as evidenced by the big events they put on with all of them culminating at the end of International Fight Week. This year, the end event of that will be UFC 239 on July 6. But before we get there, the promotion has to head through Chicago, Illinois for UFC 238. And with plenty of fantastic bouts already on the bill, it continues to get more as finalization looms.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2019

Last month, we learned that former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had failed an in-competition drug test surrounding his UFC Brooklyn flyweight title fight with Henry Cejudo. Dillashaw broke this news himself, announcing that he was being investigated by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), and that he was relinquishing the UFC bantamweight strap as a result. On Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that the substance detected on the TJ Dillashaw test in question was recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), and that Dillashaw has received a two-year suspension as a result. This suspension is dated retroactively to January 18, 2019, meaning TJ Dillashaw can fight again on the same day in 2021. Dillashaw reportedly didn’t contest this verdict.

Nolan King - April 9, 2019

Thirty-one-year-old welterweight Derrick Krantz has been competing in mixed martial arts longer than most. Last Friday night, Dana White validated all the blood, sweat, and tears Krantz has poured into the sport. After a short tenure as an amateur competitor, Krantz made the jump to the professional ranks in 2008. Battling the who’s who of welterweights on the Texas regional scene.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2019

Dillon Danis has become one of the most polarizing fighters in MMA. While he has definitely elevated his station in the industry with his ceaseless trash talk and bravado, he also receives a ton of hate from the fans and his fellow fighters as a result. If there’s anybody who could mentor Danis on how to deal with this kind of backlash, it’s his friend and training parter Conor McGregor. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Dillon Danis explained that Conor McGregor has actually given him a few crucial pieces of advice to this end.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2019

When Brock Lesnar relinquished his WWE title at WrestleMania 35 on Sunday night, one of the final hurdles between him and a title fight with UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier disappeared. Suddenly, it seems as though this long-discussed fight could happen quite soon. Daniel Cormier is certainly hoping that’s the way things shake out. The heavyweight champion explained why this fight needs to happen in a recent interview with TMZ Sports.

Tom Taylor - April 9, 2019

The UFC is set to host another one of its star-studded seasonal press conferences at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia this Friday at 12 p.m. ET. This press conferences, which precedes the exciting UFC 236 card in the same venue, will be emceed by UFC President Dana White, and feature the stars of several upcoming cards including Jon Jones, Amanda Nunes, and Henry Cejudo. In the past, these press conferences have produced some massive headlines, and this event, which is free and open to the public, figures to be no different.

Drake Riggs - April 8, 2019

10 years ago, Ross ‘The Real Deal’ Pearson made his UFC debut by becoming the lightweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter season 9 when he defeated Andre Winner via unanimous decision. 25-fights later and the British slugger is now calling it a career. https://www.instagram.com/p/BwA_GBihiO7/ “After some long hard talks, and careful consideration with my family, friends and team, I’ve decided it’s time to retire as an MMA fighter. As hard as that is to say, it’s not the end of my career as a competitor. I’ve always been a fighter, and right now I am keeping my mind open as to what’s next for me. I’d like take this time to thank everyone at the @UFC for having me for the past 10 years @danawhite for seeing something in me and believing in me for all these years ago. To my family, my teammates, and my friends, your support has been endless and I appreciate all of you – with a special shout out to all the north east training partners & coaches who where there for me in the beginning @grapplefit to @alliancemma for taking me in as part of the family, my wife @kristiejpearson for following my dream with me and all the guys at @centralcoastmma. . And to all my fans , thanks for all the love & support !” Pearson said on Instagram.

Cole Shelton - April 8, 2019

The UFC and the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) have been under criticism for how they handled Jon Jones’ case ahead of his return at UFC 232. USADA did not suspend Jones after the current light heavyweight champion was flagged in a pre-fight drug test. Rather, they said the positive test was due to a long-term metabolite that was still “pulsing” in his system from a few years back.

Drake Riggs - April 8, 2019

For years now, there have been two consensus top 155-pound lightweight fighters on the planet. One of those men being none other than ‘El Cucuy,’ The Ultimate Fighter season 13 winner, Tony Ferguson. With only a single loss in his UFC career, Ferguson has gone on to win 11 consecutive fights since then and done so all in thrilling fashion.