MMA news

• With new gym as part of retirement plan, Thales Leites ignores pressure before next UFC fight

  25-01-2018 22:00
  NITEROI, Brazil — Thales Leites is getting close to retiring from mixed martial arts, and he’s already working on his next endeavors.
  The former UFC middleweight title contender has been fighting professionally since 2003, entering the Octagon 20 times in two runs as a UFC fighter, and recently opened his gym in his hometown of Niteroi, Brazil.
  ”It’s different. I like it,” Leites said of life as a gym owner. “We have a Nova Uniao training center in Niteroi no
  
  Read more

• Francis Ngannou Announces Plans to Take Some Time Off Following UFC 220 Defeat

  25-01-2018 21:19 via sherdog.com
  In just two years, Francis Ngannou nearly got all the way to the top of the UFC’s heavyweight division. Now he wants to take a break.
  
  Read more

• Ex-Champ Liam McGeary to Face Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 194 on Feb. 16

  25-01-2018 21:06 via sherdog.com
  Former light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary will meet Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 194.
  
  Read more

• Bellator 194 Secures Liam McGeary vs. Vadim Nemkov

  25-01-2018 21:00
  Former Bellator light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary returns to the cage next month when he faces Vadim Nemkov at Bellator 194. The bout was first reported by Russian outlet Tass.ru. McGeary (12-2) has lost two of his last three, including a submission defeat to Linton Vassell in May. Nemkov (8-2) earned a first round knockout […]
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Bellator 193 Weigh-in Video & Results: Fernando Gonzalez Misses Weight Yet Again

  25-01-2018 20:53 via sherdog.com
  Lorenz Larkin has yet to visit the winner’s circle in Bellator MMA -- a fact he hopes to soon change.
  
  Read more

• Lightweights Joe Lauzon, Chris Gruetzemacher to Clash at UFC 223 in Brooklyn

  25-01-2018 20:23 via sherdog.com
  Joe Lauzon and Chris Gruetzemacher will square off in a lightweight duel at UFC 223.
  
  Read more

• UFC 223: Joe Lauzon Battles Chris Gruetzemacher in Brooklyn

  25-01-2018 20:00
  Former Ultimate Fighter competitors Joe Lauzon and Chris Gruetzemacher will square off at UFC 223 this April, according to a report by Newsday. Lauzon (27-14) is just 3-5 over his last eight, including back-to-back defeats at the hands of Stevie Ray and Clay Guida. The Massachussetts native will be trying to avoid the first three-fight […]
  
  Read more

• Bellator 193 weigh-in video

  25-01-2018 20:00
  At the Bellator 193 weigh-ins, all 18 fighters taking part in Friday night’s fights at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, Calif., will hit the scales Thursday afternoon.
  The event features the return of Lorenz Larkin against Fernando Gonzalez. They will have to hit the catchweight limit of 180 pounds (with one-pound allowance).
  The Bellator 193 ceremonial weigh-in video can be seen above, starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.
  Main card (Paramount at 9 p.m. ET)
  Lorenz Larkin vs. Fernando Gonz
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Joe Lauzon vs. Chris Gruetzemacher slated for UFC 223

  25-01-2018 19:00
  Joe Lauzon will make his 26th walk to the Octagon at UFC 223.
  Lauzon is slated to face fellow The Ultimate Fighter alumnus Chris Gruetzemacher in a lightweight contest in Brooklyn on April 7 at UFC 223. Newsday first reported news of the matchup on Thursday.
  A 33-year-old longtime veteran of the sport, Lauzon (27-14) has struggled in recent years, losing five of his last eight bouts since 2015. Still, Lauzon remains the UFC’s all-time leader in post-fight bonuses — a record, 15, he
  
  Read more

• Paul Daley says Bellator Granted Release, Promotion States Differently

  25-01-2018 17:54
  Is Paul Daley on the active Bellator MMA roster or not? Daley took to Facebook on Wednesday, telling his followers that he had been granted his release. “They’re only your friend, until they’re not your friend,” he wrote. “I have politely asked for my RELEASE from BELLATOR MMA, which they have agreed to. Once I […]
  
  Read more

• Paul Daley Says Bellator Agreed to Release Him from Contract; Promotion Denies Letting Him Go

  25-01-2018 17:29 via sherdog.com
  Late last week, Paul Daley ripped Bellator MMA for its handling of his career. This week, “Semtex” has been granted his release from the California-based promotion.
  
  Read more

• Jimmy Smith to Make UFC Color Commentary Debut at UFC 221 on Feb. 10

  25-01-2018 17:14 via sherdog.com
  Jimmy Smith will make his Ultimate Fighting Championship color commentary debut at the promotion’s next pay-per-view event.
  
  Read more

• Rory MacDonald Disputes Reports of Serious Injuries

  25-01-2018 17:00
  New Bellator welterweight champion Rory MacDonald left Bellator 192 on a stretcher, as he was transported immediately to a local hospital after defeating Douglas Lima. After the California Athletic Commission released a medical report stating the Canadian could be sidelined for several months, MacDonald took to social media to try and clear the air. “They’re […]
  
  Read more

• Mairbek Taisumov believes visa process has been ‘holding my career back’

  25-01-2018 17:00
  Mairbek Taisumov’s UFC performances have been restricted to Europe since his debut in 2014, but the Russian thinks the end of his US visa saga is in sight.After five straight knockouts and three consecutive ‘Performance of the Night’ bonuses in the lightweight division, “Beckan” has become undeniable. Following his emphatic first round disposal of Felipe Silva at UFC Fight Night 115, he told the media in Rotterdam that he would never be able to compete in the U.S.
  
  Read more

• Douglas Lima reflects on loss to ‘warrior’ Rory MacDonald: ‘I had the fight in my hands and I gave it to him’

  25-01-2018 15:00
  Rory MacDonald had to dig deep to take the Bellator welterweight championship away from Douglas Lima at Bellator 192, and the Brazilian talent is still mad about his strategy in the fifth round.
  Lima took on the former UFC welterweight contender in the co-main event of Saturday’s card in Inglewood, Calif., and “already anticipated a war” with “The Red King”, but can’t stop thinking about the last five minutes of the fight.
  ”I wanted to knock him out,&rd
  
  Read more

• Bellator 193 Weigh-Ins Stream Live on MMA News

  25-01-2018 15:00
  Catch the live fighter weigh-ins for Bellator 193 right here beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET from Temecula, California. Friday’s main card airs live on Paramount Network and features Lorenz Larkin vs. Fernando Gonzalez. The two have already agreed to meet at a catchweight of 180 pounds. Along with Larkin vs. Gonzalez, Saad Awad takes on […]
  
  Read more

• Morning Report: Demetrious Johnson wants to fight T.J. Dillashaw on “a stacked card,” not afraid of being stripped of his title

  25-01-2018 14:00
  Since reclaiming the UFC bantamweight title with a knockout win of Cody Garbrandt at UFC 217, T.J. Dillashaw has been aggressively calling for a flyweight title shot against pound-for-pound king Demetrious Johnson but “Mighty Mouse” has been mostly disinterested in the fight. But with the tides of inevitability moving inexorably towards the superfight taking place, Johnson has gotten fully on board with the bout, just so long as it takes place on a major pay-per-view event.
  Speaking
  
  Read more

• Joe Rogan Previews Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza vs. Derek Brunson

  25-01-2018 13:00
  This Saturday night, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Derek Brunson headline UFC on FOX 27 from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. The contest serves as a rematch from a 2012 meeting won by Souza under the Strikeforce banner. That night, the Brazilian ended the contest in the first round. In the video above, Joe Rogan previews […]
  
  Read more

• Jimmy Smith says he’ll make UFC color commentator debut at UFC 221

  25-01-2018 08:13
  Jimmy Smith is heading Down Under.
  The former longtime Bellator color commentator tweeted Wednesday night that he’ll be making his UFC debut in that same role at UFC 221 on Feb. 11 in Perth, Western Australia.
  First color gig for the UFC!! See you there at #UFC221 pic.twitter.com/7N88jibLRm— Jimmy Smith (@jimmysmithmma) January 25, 2018Smith was scooped up by the UFC earlier this month after parting ways with Bellator in December. He had been with the promotion for nine years, almos
  
  Read more

• Unfiltered Episode 165: Laila Ali Talks Ronda Rousey, and Derek Brunson Calls In

  25-01-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  Undefeated women's boxing champion and author Laila Ali joins Jim and Matt in-studio to discuss her new cookbook, "Food For Life", her past comments about Ronda Rousey, Muhammad Ali, Cyborg reaching out to her for sparring, differences between women's boxing and women's MMA, and much more. Later, #8 UFC Middleweight contender Derek Brunson calls in from Charlotte to break down his rematch with Jacare Souza and talks about being a totally different fighter now, Romero vs. Rockhold, getting a BJJ
  
  Read more

• UFC Statement on Michal Oleksiejczuk

  25-01-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  The UFC organization was notified today that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) informed Michal Oleksiejczuk of a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from an in-competition sample collected in conjunction with his recent bout against Khalil Roundtree at UFC 219 in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 30, 2017.USADA, the independent administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, will handle the results management and appropriate adjudication of this case involving Oleksiejczuk, as it relates
  
  Read more

• UFC Charlotte - Fight by Fight Preview

  25-01-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  RONALDO “JACARE” SOUZA VS DEREK BRUNSONSaturday’s main event is one of the rare rematches where the first bout really has no bearing on what happens in the second one, and “Jacare” Souza and Derek Brunson are in agreement there, because both are vastly different fighters than they were when Souza scored a 41-second knockout win in 2012. Now, both have made their mark in the UFC and are in the title race, and Brunson has developed a deadly striking attack to go with
  
  Read more

• Gillespie's competitive spirit won't let him feel settled

  25-01-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  There has been no fishing for Gregor Gillespie in the last few weeks leading up to his fourth UFC bout against Jordan Rinaldi this Saturday. For any other avid fisherman, that would be torture. For Gillespie, it’s a reminder.“I like to deprive myself a little bit,” he said. “It kind of puts me into business mode. There has to be some variation in my life that says, ‘Hey, this is training camp, this is fight time now.’ I do everything so regimented the rest of
  
  Read more

• Camacho embraces the pressure

  25-01-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  If you’ve ever watched Frank Camacho fight, you may laugh when you read this, but the welterweight from Saipan is sincere when he says, “I hate confrontation.”And yeah, he laughed too, knowing that someone who has earned Fight of the Night awards for his first two thrilling brawls with Jingliang Li and Damien Brown isn’t going to convince too many people that he’s the shy and retiring type when he’s got gloves on and a gumshield in his mouth. “I’m
  
  Read more

• Alhassan hits back at Boo Boys after UFC 220 win

  25-01-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  Alhassan told KweséESPN about the disrespect he felt after the first fight in December, when he felt he couldn't celebrate his victory. That fight was stopped via TKO in the first round, much to the crowd's, and Homasi's, displeasure. But there was no doubt about it the second time."After that fight everybody was booing like I really didn't beat him. I know I dropped him with the punch. So when the UFC came to the back and asked me for a rematch, I was like 'let's get it on,'" the Ghanaia
  
  Read more

• UFC Fight Night 127 Could Feature Gunnar Nelson vs. Darren Till

  25-01-2018 05:57
  Red-hot Darren Till could be headlining another event soon, as he is rumored for a main event fight with Gunnar Nelson at UFC Fight Night 127. At least that is according to John Kavanagh, the head coach for SBG Ireland which includes Conor McGregor and Nelson. Kavanagh confirmed that Nelson (16-3-1) has accepted the fight […]
  
  Read more

• UFC 223: Al Iaquinta-Paul Felder Official For Brooklyn

  25-01-2018 05:33
  Lightweights Al Iaquinta and Paul Felder will finally settle the score this April at UFC 223. Officials confirmed the bout as part of the April 7 event from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The card features Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title, along with Rose Namajunas defending her strawweight belt vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk. […]
  
  Read more

• Scott Holtzman signs four-fight extension with UFC

  25-01-2018 05:00
  “Hot Sauce” isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
  Scott Holtzman announced Wednesday on Instagram that he has re-signed with the UFC, his third contract extension with the promotion. Holtzman’s manager Daniel Rubenstein told MMA Fighting that it was a new, four-fight deal. Recently signed my 3rd contract extension with the @ufc. What a ride it’s been. • • • by my boy @tyleroxendine just seconds before making the walk for my very first UFC fight in Brid
  
  Read more

• Aljamain Sterling accepts Rob Font’s callout following Thomas Almeida win

  25-01-2018 03:30
  Aljamain Sterling didn’t waste any time responding to Rob Font’s callout following his win over Thomas Almeida at UFC 220.
  The Massachusetts native dropped the highly touted Brazilian with a right hand in the second round of their bantamweight clash. Just as seemed Almeida had regained composure, “Time New Roman” blasted him with a head kick before finishing the fight with grounded shots.In an interview with Fox Sports after the victory, Font called for a showdown ninth
  
  Read more

• ‘There’s a chance’ Jimi Manuwa vs. Jan Blachowicz will main event UFC London

  25-01-2018 01:00
  Jimi Manuwa thinks it’s possible that he will headline consecutive UFC London cards when he takes Jan Blachowicz on March 17.UK fans are holding out hope that fan favorites Michael Bisping and Darren Till will be added to the card, but “Posterboy” believes there’s a chance that he will be handed top billing at UFC Fight Night 127.
  “Yeah, there’s a chance; there’s always a chance,” Manuwa told Ariel Helwani on the latest episode of The MMA Hour.
  &l
  
  Read more

Follow @NewsMMAUSA on Twitter!