Blog

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW7xxJN4Tzg&w=560&h=315]

It was not a successful weekend for Ultimate Fighting Championship veterans in the sports entertainment realm.

Former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar relinquished his WWE heavyweight title to Drew McIntyre in the Wrestlemania 36 main event on Sunday night at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla. The match was taped at the venue ahead of time and didn’t have any fans in attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Lesnar, a former UFC heavyweight king, has consistently been one of the biggest stars in the WWE. The former NCAA championship wrestler flirted with a return to the Octagon to face Daniel Cormier but ultimately elected to return to the WWE.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MioWKP7ipWY&w=560&h=315]

Meanwhile, “The Ultimate Fighter 18” cast member Shayna Baszler was defeated by Becky Lynch in a match for the WWE Raw women’s championship in a taped bout that aired on Satur…

One Championship will not go forward with its plan to hold a series of closed-door, audience free events this month due to ongoing concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

One CEO Chatri Sityodtong announced the news in a post on his Facebook account Sunday, citing a partial lockdown in the promotion’s home base of Singapore as well as additional travel restrictions in nearby countries.

“Unfortunately, One Championship will have to postpone its closed-door, audience-free events for April due to new COVID-19 restriction,” Sityodtong wrote. “To extinguish the recent growth of the coronavirus, the Singapore government has just wisely ordered a partial lockdown of the country, whereby effective tomorrow (April 7) onwards, only essential services (such as food, healthcare, and transportation) are allowed to operate. Additionally, major countries (China, Thailand, Singapore, Australia, Russia, India, Vietnam, Japan, etc) have temporarily closed their borders.”

Last…

Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt sees his future at 125 pounds.

“No Love” is currently on a three-bout skid and hasn’t competed in the Octagon since a first-round TKO loss against Pedro Munhoz at UFC 235 in March 2019. He was expected to return against Raphael Assuncao in a 135-pound bout at UFC on ESPN 8 on March 28, but pulled out before the event was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Ohio native is confident that cutting to flyweight won’t be an issue in the long run.

“I never really cut weight at [135],” Garbrandt recently told ESPN. “I’m looking at going to [125]. That’s what I want to do. I’m young. I can do it. I walk around at 145 pounds. Sometimes after sparring sessions 142, 143. I’m still strong, fast before my weight cut, and I feel I can keep that at [125]. That’s the plan. We spoke about doing this.”

While his long-term plans seem to be at 125 pounds, Garbrandt first wants to see his fight with Assuncao rescheduled.…

UFC president Dana White has been named in a lawsuit as the alleged prominent Las Vegas businessman victimized by a $200,000 sex-tape extortion, according to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In a lawsuit filed in Clark County District Court on Friday, Ernesto Joshua Ramos accused White of breaking an agreement made in April 2016 to pay him $450,000 for not naming the UFC boss in a criminal extortion case. Ramos pleaded guilty to the federal extortion scheme and served 366 days in jail as result.

“I just found out that a bulls—t lawsuit was filed against me yesterday,” White said in a statement provided to the Review-Journal. “This guy went to federal prison for trying to extort me over five years ago. Now he’s hired a lawyer who is also a convicted felon, and he’s trying to extort me again for $10 million. He got no money from me last time and he won’t be getting any money from me this time. I look forward to the court dismissing this quickly so I can get rid o…

With the highly-anticipated Khabib Nurmagomedov-Tony Ferguson clash likely to be canceled for a fifth time, Tyron Woodley is offering his services to help save UFC 249.

The former welterweight champion revealed on Twitter that he has given his management permission to pursue a spot on the April 18 card. Woodley has targeted longtime rival Colby Covington as a potential opponent.

Just wanted you guys to know I'm in for #UFC249 I gave my management team executive permission to make it happen. Im training like a machine & ready to walk through someone! @uFC what's the word? Colby in or not? Are you guys going to pull the trigger on this its 2wks away?

— Tyron T-Wood Woodley (@TWooodley) April 4, 2020

Woodley was supposed to face Leon Edwards in the UFC London main event on March 21, but that card was postponed due to coronavirus concerns. The promotion is still planning to hold UFC 249, but a venue and location for the event h…

"They want to get back. They gotta get back. They can't do this. Their sports weren't designed for it. The whole concept of our nation wasn't designed for it."

President Trump on today's conversation with various sports executives.

(: @atrupar) pic.twitter.com/mgy3O053nn— Front Office Sports (@frntofficesport) April 4, 2020

Dana White was among 12 major sports commissioners and executives to participate in a conference call with United States President Donald Trump on Saturday.

“Today, President Donald J. Trump spoke by telephone with commissioners of major league sports to discuss the all-of-America response to COVID-19,” read a statement from the White House. “The President recognized the good work being done by many teams and players to care for their communities, workforces and fan bases across the nation. The commissioners thanked president Trump for his national leadership and for his interest in the sports industry…

"He never can do nothing with me. Inside the cage, he is zero. When we fought, what did he do? He did zero."@TeamKhabib questions "fake" Conor McGregor saying he is in fighting shape. (via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/DxhX7qINfb

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 3, 2020 Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov is sick of the MMA community attacking him for the UFC 249 headliner cancellation.

Nurmagomedov first wrote a statement on Wednesday expressing his frustrations about his UFC 249 match with Tony Ferguson being scuttled. He explained that he was “staying home in quarantine” while regretting that he “can’t control it all.”

Later that day, Ferguson harshly criticized the champ on ESPN, claiming that Nurmagomedov was not only “scared” and “running,” but that the title should be stripped from Nurmagomedov. Not to be outdone, on Thursday, Conor McGregor entered the fray by posting on Twitter that Nurmagome…

If it were up to One Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong, there would be some superfights once MMA gets back on track.

On Thursday evening, Sityodtong held a Facebook Live Q&A session answering questions from fans. Over the course of around 40 minutes, he was posed questions about free agents as well as his version of “The Apprentice.” However, the question that brought the most significant response was one about co-promotion, along with the dream matchups he would put together if he could.

To do so, he acknowledged that the Ultimate Fighting Championship would likely balk at such a request. This did not discourage him, as he said, “I would definitely like to see the best of the East vs the best of the West. UFC vs ONE Championship I think would be phenomenal, I think the whole entire world would watch it. And I’d love to see world champions vs world champions so definitely, for sure, I’m open to it.”

Sityodtong bolstered his interest in potenti…

California has canceled all combat sports events until June, per the state’s Department of Consumer Affairs. Full story coming to @espn.

— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) April 2, 2020 The coronavirus has made one state take wide-sweeping action, forcing all California combat sports events to shut down until June.

According to ESPN on Thursday, the California Department of Consumer Affairs has shuttered every event pertaining to combat sports for the next two months. This includes boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, grappling and MMA, and the ban will be in effect until June. The Department will revisit the ban in the future and make a later decision on if it needs to be extended, as it observes the fallout from the coronavirus.

On the California State Athletic Commission event schedule, 22 cards will no longer proceed forward, and most notably this will impact UFC San Diego. That event is slated to take place at Pechanga Arena in San…

The fact of this matter is, both Tony and Khabib where engaged in a game of chicken here towards the fight bell. With Khabib chickening out first. Making it 3-2 in pullouts in Tony’s favour. Khab scurried out of the U.S to home, and amid the crisis. Very high risk.Congrats Tony.

— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) April 2, 2020 Tony Ferguson is not the only Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter upset by the headliner of UFC 249 changing.

On Thursday morning, Conor McGregor posted on Twitter to dig into Khabib Nurmagomedov for withdrawing from the April 18 card. Nurmagomedov officially pulled out of the fight on Wednesday, although it was expected earlier in the week that the fight would not take place as planned.

McGregor wrote, “The fact of the matter is, both Tony and Khabib [were] engaged in a game of chicken here towards the fight bell. With Khabib chickening out first. Making it 3-2 in pullouts in Tony’s favour. Khab scurr…

If Tony Ferguson had his way, the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title would be vacant now.

Ferguson appeared on SportsCenter on ESPN on Wednesday night, where he ripped into Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to pull out of their UFC 249 matchup. In his interview with Ariel Helwani, he claimed that Nurmagomedov was “scared” and “running” and that the champ should be stripped of his title.

On Monday, Ferguson previously wrote on social media that he was willing to face “The Eagle” at any location, regardless of any travel bans that may prevent their meeting. He said that he did not want the Russian to back out of their contest, and when Nurmagomedov did do exactly that, Ferguson laced into him.

The appearance for “El Cucuy” on SportsCenter was preceded by Nurmagomedov’s post on Instagram where the latter officially announced his withdrawal from the April 18 event. Nurmagomedov explained that he was home in quarantine, and that he was “definitely upset more than…

Per sources, UFC has been working with fighters scheduled to compete on the canceled UFC London card on March 21 in terms of compensation, including headliner Leon Edwards, who almost flew to the US at the last minute in an effort to keep his fight together.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) April 2, 2020 The Ultimate Fighting Championship has been trying to make it up to fighters after the UFC London card was scratched earlier in March.

MMA Junkie first reported on Wednesday that multiple UFC London competitors have been paid by the promotion. Fighters including Marvin Vettori, Nicolas Dalby and Kevin Holland have all posted on their respective social media accounts that the UFC has paid them at least some amount for their time. UFC London was set to take place on March 21 at the O2 Arena in London, but was scrapped on March 16 due to the coronavirus.

Although the UFC briefly attempted to relocate the event from London to …

Dustin Poirier and the Ultimate Fighting Championship seem to have differing views regarding the promotion’s upcoming schedule during the coronavirus pandemic.

Once word got out that Khabib Nurmagomedov would be unable to leave Russia to compete at UFC 249 due to travel restrictions in the country, Dustin Poirier quickly offered to step in against Tony Ferguson on April 18.

I just threw it out there….that I’m open,” Poirier told ESPN. “I’m not out here begging for fights, but if they need somebody and nobody’s taking it at 155 or nobody’s ready, then I’ll do it. Any chance I get on a big fight like that, I’m always down.”

Poirier is currently supposed to face Dan Hooker in the UFC Fight Night 175 headliner in San Diego on May 16. According to Poirier, promotion officials told him to keep getting ready for that bout.

“They told me keep preparing for what I’m supposed to be preparing for, and they’ll let me know what’s going on. That’s it,” Poirier said. “The…

Tony Ferguson has opened as a slight betting favorite against potential UFC 249 adversary Justin Gaethje.

According to oddsmaker BetOnline, Ferguson is a -150 favorite in the currently hypothetical lightweight matchup, while Gaethje is an underdog at +130. Odds are subject to change, and the fight must take place before May 3 for any betting action to be valid.

After Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed that he would likely be stuck in Russia as a result of travel restrictions imposed to combat the coronavirus pandemic, the Las Vegas-based promotion reportedly targeted a showdown between Gaethje and Ferguson for the new UFC 249 main event. No formal announcement has been made regarding the bout.

Ferguson has established himself as one of the top lightweights in the sport while compiling a 12-bout winning streak that includes triumphs over the likes of Donald Cerrone, Anthony Pettis, Kevin Lee, Rafael dos Anjos and Edson Barboza.

A former World Series of Fighting ch…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrjT2HrxtsA&w=560&h=315]

Jon Jones has managed to avoid jail time after pleading guilty to a DWI charge on March 26 in Albuquerque, N.M.

The UFC light heavyweight champion struck a plea deal with prosecutors in which he will serve 96 hours in a community custody program, which is a form of incarceration similar to house arrest. Jones will wear an ankle monitor as part of the terms of the program, which will alert authorities if he leaves his home without permission. Jones also agreed to one-year supervised probation. TMZ Sports was first to report the news.

Jones must also complete 48 hours community service and a 90-day drug outpatient treatment program, the latter of which can be completed via video conferencing due to ongoing concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, Jones was fined $500 and is required to install an ignition interlock in his vehicle. Jones will be permitted to carry a medical marijuana card.…

Valentina Shevchenko’s next title defense has been put on hold.

According to a report from ESPN, a leg injury has forced the reigning flyweight champion to withdraw from a scheduled clash with Joanne Calderwood at UFC 251 in Perth, Australia, on June 6. Shevchenko injured the leg in her victory over Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 247, and the ailment hasn’t properly healed.

The contest is expected to be rescheduled at a later date. However, all fight bookings are tentative due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The UFC has not made an announcement regarding the bout. Shevchenko vs. Calderwood was slated as the co-headliner for UFC 251.

Calderwood confirmed that fight has been postponed in an interview with MMAFighting.com on Tuesday.

“We got word last week that it’s going to get pushed back,” Calderwood said. “Not because of this whole (coronavirus pandemic), but something on her end. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to say that, but we know for sure that it’s not …

Due to the ongoing safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as current federal, state and local government mandates, Bellator MMA officials today have announced that three upcoming live events scheduled for May have been postponed. pic.twitter.com/IzfcGLXnWu

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) March 31, 2020

The coronavirus continues to take its toll on the fight world, as Bellator MMA has canceled three fight cards scheduled for May.

Bellator announced the cancellations in a release on Monday. The California-based promotion previously canceled Bellator 241, slated for March 13, on the day of the event after initially planning to go forward with the card in an empty venue at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Bellator 242 at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on May 9; Bellator London at the SSE Arena in London on May 16 and Bellator 243 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calf., will now follow suit due to t…

With Khabib Nurmagomedov now likely out of the UFC 249 headliner due to travel restrictions in Russia designed to combat the spread of the coronavirus, the promotion is scrambling to find a new opponent for Tony Ferguson before April 18.

According to multiple reports, former World Series of Fighting champion Justin Gaethje has been offered as a replacement option to “El Cucuy.” ESPN was first to report the news. Currently, the fight has not been agreed upon and is far from being finalized. A location for UFC 249 has not been announced, either.

Gaethje had previously been linked to a potential matchup with Conor McGregor at International Fight Week in July. The Colorado-based fighter is currently on a three-bout winning streak that includes successive first-round finishes of James Vick, Edson Barboza and Donald Cerrone.

According to ESPN, the Las Vegas-based promotion remains determined to move forward with UFC 249 — even with Nurmagomedov unable to compete. The c…

Tony Ferguson is as enthusiastic as ever about the prospect of squaring off against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Early Monday morning, “El Cucuy” delivered a message via Twitter to Nurmagomedov regarding their scheduled clash at UFC 249. The post implied that there might be some difficulties between both parties on a potential location for the lightweight championship bout.

“April 18 is getting close [Khabib Nurmagomedov and] you’re hiding in Russia,” Ferguson wrote. “Travel bans will not prevent me from whoopin’ that ass. Don’t use it as an excuse to back out. You have been sent many locations, send us [one]. Still my bitch.”

April 18 Is Getting Close @TeamKhabib & You’re Hiding In Russia. Travel Bans Will Not Prevent Me From Whoopin’ That Ass. Don’t Use It As An Excuse To Back Out. You Have Been Sent Many Locations, Send Us 1. Still My Bitch #DefendorVacate MF -CSO- #ufc249 @ufc @danawhite pic.twitter.com/TVQH4mnG2e

— Tony Fer…

The UFC 249 headliner could be in serious jeopardy, as Khabib Nurmagomedov is apparently stranded in Russia due to government travel restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The reigning lightweight champion revealed his predicament during an Instagram Live video (translation via RT Sport) on Monday. Nurmagomedov spent part of his camp at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., but returned to Russia last week upon learning that the promotion had designs on moving UFC 249 to Abu Dhabi.

"We were training in the AKA without any information regarding the fight, where and how is it going to happen. Then the UFC told us that the fight 100 percent isn't happening in the States. And they said that 99 percent that it will happen in [United Arab] Emirates, Abu Dhabi,” Nurmagomedov said. "After talking to the UFC we decided to fly over to the Emirates a month before the fight. I don't remember the exact date, it was 19th or 20th, I'll have to check. But whe…

Ares Fighting Championship has bolstered its roster with the addition of former Bellator MMA lightweight king Will Brooks.

Matchmaker Alan Murphy revealed the signing via Twitter. Brooks was slated to make his promotional debut against Martin van Staden at Ares FC 2 on Aug. 1, but that event was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Brooks experienced his greatest success in Bellator, where he captured the 155-pound belt and defended it three times before signing with the UFC. “Ill Will” went 1-3 in the Octagon before a brief stint with Professional Fighters League during its 2018 season. Most recently, Brooks suffered a submission loss to Gleison Tibau at Battlefield FC 2 on July 27.

The 33-year-old fighter also participated in a tryout for World Wrestling Entertainment this past December.

Ares FC 2, originally slated for Brussels, Belgium on April 2, has been rescheduled for Oct. 30.

So I accepted a matchmakin…

Craig Jones submits Kevin Casey #SUG12 pic.twitter.com/gpNMCS45Ui

— ShayMyName (@ImShannonTho) March 29, 2020

Australian grappling ace Craig Jones didn’t have much of an audience at Submission Underground 12, but it didn’t matter.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and decorated grappling champion tapped out UFC and Bellator veteran — and Rickson Gracie black belt — Kevin Casey with a heel hook at the 2:40 mark of regulation, earning a verbal submission from his opponent.

Due to coronavirus concerns, Submission Underground 12 took place behind closed doors at a facility formerly used as a grain silo in Portland. That wasn’t all in terms of precautions: Only one cameraman was allowed in the venue, and Chael Sonnen, the founder of SUG, served as a commentator via UFC Fight Pass from a remote location outside the venue. Additionally, the cage was sanitized in between matches.

“I’m getting way too much credit for this,” Sonne…

When the coronavirus initially began to take hold in the United States, Eddie Alvarez was admittedly among those who wasn’t sure if the outbreak was as serious as some were making it out to be.

As COVID-19 quickly developed into a global pandemic, however, Alvarez went from planning a family vacation to observing quarantine and social-distancing protocols in his native Pennsylvania.

“Right away me and my wife looked at each other and we’re like, ‘If the kids get off school, we’re headed straight to Disney.’ I was still three months out from my fight,” Alvarez said on ”Beatdown.” “I’m like, ‘We can head to Disney for five days and have the time of our life.’ That was my initial thought, but we sat and waited on it a little bit, kept listening to the news, kept reading everything that was coming out. I was like, ‘This is for real.’ We have friends who are nurses, family who are nurses – the more stories we were hearing, the more we need to stay our ass home, stay in the …

Credit: Jay Pettry/Sherdog.com

Dana White has come under heavy scrutiny for his “show must go on” mentality during the coronavirus pandemic, but not everyone is critical of the UFC president’s philosophy.

Count light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes among those who praises White’s efforts to do whatever it takes to proceed with UFC 249 on April 18. Reyes, of course, isn’t scheduled to compete on the card, but he nonetheless understands the mentality of a fighter.

“Dana handled this whole thing exactly how you should handle it,” Reyes told UFC.com. “We are the toughest motherf—-ers in the world. Our sport is not like any other sport; you cannot compare it to anything else. Everything we do is different. The only thing we do that other sports do is put in hard work and entertain. We train our whole lives for these fights. For a lot of guys with fights that got postponed, I imagine it being heartbreaking.

“I applaud Dana and I applaud the fighters that are doing…