Category: MMA

Conor McGregor No Longer Two-Division UFC Champion, New Main Event For UFC 206 Set

The UFC has taken one title away from Conor McGregor, as “Notorious” has relinquished his featherweight belt. McGregor remains the UFC lightweight champion, but officials announced on Saturday night that the titleholder of the featherweight division will once again be Jose Aldo.

With that, the UFC 206 main event next month from Toronto will see Anthony Pettis – a former UFC lightweight champion – and Max Holloway square off for the interim belt at 145 pounds. The winner of Pettis-Holloway is expected to face Aldo in 2017 to unify the belts.

Last year, McGregor defeated Aldo in a similar match, knocking out the long-time champion in a matter of seconds. Interestingly enough, Aldo was first rewarded the UFC featherweight title after the merger between the UFC and WEC was complete.

Below is a statement from the UFC:

UFC announced on Saturday that world lightweight champion Conor McGregor has vacated his featherweight title and opted to keep the 155-pound title he won by defeating Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 on Nov. 12.Interim featherweight titleholder Jose Aldo has now been elevated to undisputed champion, and following these developments, the interim UFC featherweight title will be on the line on Saturday, Dec. 10, as Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis battle for championship gold in the new main event of UFC 206.

The winner of the five-round bout, which will be held at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, will face Aldo in 2017 for the unified belt.

This bout replaces the UFC light heavyweight championship bout between Daniel Cormier and Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, which was scrapped when Cormier was forced to withdraw from the rematch on Friday due to injury.

In the main event of the historic UFC 205 event in Madison Square Garden, McGregor continued to make history when he stopped Alvarez in the second round to become the first fighter to hold two UFC titles simultaneously. With his decision to vacate the crown, McGregor’s longtime rival Aldo, who bounced back from his December 2015 loss to the Irishman by defeating Frankie Edgar for the interim featherweight title at UFC 200 in July, will now await the winner of Holloway vs. Pettis as he begins his second reign atop the division he ruled for over five years.

Also announced Saturday was a middleweight match between Kelvin Gastelum and Tim Kennedy that will take place on Dec. 10 as well, pending commission approval.

Source: WrestlingINC

Yana Kunitskaya upsets Tonya Evinger at InvictaFC20 but not without controversy

Many MMA fans were left speechless Friday night (November 18th,2016) as a relatively unknown Yana Kunitskaya submitted Tonya Evinger in the first round of the main event of InvictaFC20

Prior to this bout Evinger had been on a 10 fight winning streak, she hadn’t lost in five years and was invicta’s longest reigning Batemweight  champion.

So to say Kunitskaya  win was an upset would be the understatement of the century. 

Kuntitskaya stopped the former champion via standing armbar in the very first round. The win though is laced with controversy and here’s why.

While in the submission Evinger proceeded to step on Kuitskaya’s face in attempt to break free from the submission. Although not an illegal move referee Mike England made Evinger switch positions despite the fact that she was actively defending. 
The feeling is that once  Evinger was forced to switch positions this gave Kunitskaya the leverage she needed to cinch in the submission leaving Evinger no choice but to tap.

Evinger’s manager Jerod David Phillips and head coach Aaron Pena both stated that they will be challenging the referee’s call in hopes that Evinger will get an immediate rematch. It should be noted that Evinger used the very same technique in 2013 against Sarah D’alelio and it was never stopped.

Earlier in the night Mike England was criticized of making a bad call by stopping the fury in the Alexa Conners vs Stephanie Eggers fight to reset the mouthpiece of Eggers. Typically things like that should be done when action is at a stand still. Although Conners walked away with the split decision win, it’s believed she would’ve got the TKO victory had it not been for the mishap.

Regardless of what you feel about the main event though one thing is for sure. We have a new Batemweight champion in invicta and her name is Yana Kunitskaya.

Let us here your thoughts. Was Kunitskaya’s win a fluke? Should Evinger get an  immediate rematch? Was it just a bad call by the referee or was everything justified. Weigh in on the comment section below.

First Look: UFC207 Nunes VS Rousey 

Tomorrow  (November 14th, 2016) will mark the year anniversary the world of MMA saw something many thought we would never see. Previously undefeated Ronda Rousey (at the time was 12-0) was defeated by Holy Holm in a second round knock out.

After that loss many wondered would Rousey ever come back and more importantly what’s next for the women’s bantamweight division?

Since Rousey’s absence  the title has changed hands two times. Newly retired Miesha Tate defeated then champion Holy Holm via submission by rear naked choke in the 5th round at UFC197

Just four months later Amanda Nunes defeated Tate in a first round submission at UFC200.

Now we have the very first look at the main event of UFC207 Nunes VS Rousey and it’s awesome. No matter how you feel about Rousey there’s no denying this is an anticipated return. Is her time up? Will the Lioness remain supreme? Or will Rowdy achieve the ultimate comeback story and once again be on top of the mountain? Only time will tell but one thing is for sure. We’re excited about it.

Nunes (13-4) vs Rousey (12-1) will be the main event and  is set to take place on December 30th 2016 live from the T Mobil arena in Las Vegas. The co main event will see Dominic Cruz defending his bantamweight title against Cody Garbrandt 

Miesha “Cupcake” Tate Announces Retirement 

In what was a historic night at Madison Square Garden UFC205 is an event that people will be talking about for quite sometime.

It was a night where we saw successful title defenses from both Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Tyron Woodley, Conor McGregor made history by becoming the UFC’s very first two division champion.

November 12th, 2016 was also the night we saw one of the greatest in women’s mixed martial arts take her final bow. The former Bantamweight champion Miesha “Cupcake” Tate announced in her post fight interview that she is retiring.

Last night she lost to Raquel Pennington via unanimous decision. When asked if the retirement was brought on by the result she replied with

Yes I tried but I couldn’t pull it out of me. I just don’t have it in me anymore

Tate couched Pennington on The Ultimate Fighter season 18 and after the fight the teacher and student shared a beautiful moment.
Whether or not you’re a fan of Miesha Tate there’s no denying the contributions she brought to the world of WMMA. A former Strikeforce and UFC champion with a record of (18-6) cupcake or as the old school fans know her “Takedown” deserves respect.
Thank you Meisha. The Octagon will miss you.

UFC 205: Alvarez vs McGregor 11/12/16 Fight Card – NY

Image result for UFC 205 NY

UFC 205 11/12/16  Madison Square Garden, New York City, NY 

MAIN CARD

UFC Lightweight Championship
Eddie Alvarez (c) vs Conor McGregor

UFC Welterweight Championship
Tyron Woodley (c) vs Stephen Thompson

UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship
Joanna J?drzejczyk (c) vs Karolina Kowalkiewicz

Middleweight: Chris Weidman vs Yoel Romero

Welterweight: Kelvin Gastelum vs Donald Cerrone

Women’s Bantamweight: Miesha Tate vs Raquel Pennington

PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1)

Featherweight: Frankie Edgar vs Jeremy Stephens

Lightweight: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Michael Johnson

Middleweight: Rafael Natal vs Tim Boetsch

Welterweight: Vicente Luque vs Belal Muhammad

PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS)

Lightweight: Jim Miller vs Thiago Alves

Women’s Bantamweight: Liz Carmouche vs Katlyn Chookagian

Jon Jones Given A One-Year Suspension By USADA

Jon Jones was given a one-year suspension for his use of a banned substance during a July failed drug test, the USADA announced on Monday. Jones, who still holds the interim UFC light heavyweight title, will be allowed to compete again next July, as the suspension is retroactive to the date of the failed test.

Source: WrestlingINC

The UFC released a statement:

UFC is aware of the one-year sanction levied against Jon Jones as a result of his UFC Anti-Doping Policy violation, decided by a three-person arbitration panel held on Monday, October 31, 2016. UFC has been advised that the one-year suspension commenced on Wednesday, July 6, 2016. While the decision indicates no evidence of Jones’ intentional use of banned substances, it does highlight the care and diligence that is required by athletes competing in the UFC to ensure that no prohibited substances enter their system.

TNA Announcer Calling Kid Kash MMA Debut

Image result for Kid Kash Valor mma

Current TNA and former WWE announcer Josh Mathews have been roped in by Valor Fights to commentate for their upcoming event. Josh will be announcing the Valor MMA 38 event which takes place on Saturday Night. Interestingly, the fight card also features former WWE and TNA superstar David Cash AKA Kid Kash, who is set to mark his return to MMA. Below is the press release from Valor about the signing.

Valor Fights Reaches An Agreement With Veteran Professional Wrestling Commentator Josh Matthews To Call The Professional Fights At Valor Fights 38 This Coming Saturday in Nashville, TN.Watch Valor Fights 38 On Saturday Night Live & Exclusively on Flo Combat.

Josh Lomberger, better known in wrestling circles as Josh Matthews has reached an agreement with Valor Fights to join the broadcast booth at Valor Fights 38, which includes the debut of former ECW/TNA/WWE competitor David “Kid Kash” Cash. Matthews is the current play by play announcer for TNA Wrestling.

Matthews started as an in-ring performer and actually wrestled Cash in his first professional wrestling match. After deciding to become a wrestling journalist, Matthews was hired by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002 as a backstage interviewer. From 2006-2014, Matthews hosted the WWE’s pre-shows on their PPV events. He also worked as a color commentator on Raw and on the promotions top pay-per-view, Wrestlemania XXVII in 2010. Since January of 2014, he has been the lead announcer of TNA’s Impact Wrestling.

“I have been looking for the perfect situation to try hand at calling MMA,”said Matthews. “I love the genre, the athleticism it takes to compete as well as the passion of the athletes. I will do my best to provide the proper soundtrack. David “Kid Kash”is someone I have known since I was 22 years old, when I was just starting my career as a professional wrestler. I competed against Cash in a series of matches around the country. I learned so much from him and not only did we wrestle, but we traveled and trained together. David is a pit-bull while training and competing. It will be extremely exciting to call his fight and I wish him the best of luck.”

“We are excited to have a world class commentator like Josh Matthews joining our broadcast booth for Valor Fights 38 on Saturday night,”Valor Fights President Tim Loy stated. “Josh has a wealth of experience at the highest level of professional wrestling with his his work in the WWE & TNA. We are certainly looking forward to watching his transition to mixed martial arts.”

For information on purchasing tickets fans can visit valorfights.com. A live stream is available from Flo Combat. Please follow us on Twitter, on Facebook and on YouTube under Valor Fights.

Source: WrestlingINC

Ronda Rousey Talks To Ellen About Her Return To The Octagon & Her Future

Ahead of the program airing later today, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” released a portion of an interview with Ronda Rousey. The former champion returns to the Octagon for the first time in over a year this December at UFC 207 vs. Amanda Nunes for the female bantamweight title.

Rousey talks in-depth about her decision to return, how long she plans on competing still and even her relationship with fellow UFC fighter Travis Browne during the interview. Of note, the former Olympic bronze medalist sees UFC 207 as the beginning of the end for her at 29 years old.

“Not that long, I’m wrapping it up,” Rousey said. “This is definitely one of my last fights. Everyone better watch. The show isn’t going to be around forever.”

Source: WrestlingINC

UFC Superstar Urijah Faber Announces Retirement

Image result for Urijah Faber 2016

Urijah Faber (33-10 MMA, 9-6 UFC) announced today that he will be retiring from MMA after his December 17th UFC on FOX 22 fight against Brad Pickett. Faber’s Hall of Fame career will come to an end in his hometown of Sacramento, CA.

This will be the 44th fight for the 37 year old. He debuted back in 2003.

Faber, a former WEC Featherweight Champion, currently holds the record for most wins in the UFC bantamweight division with 9 but also holds the record for most losses in title fights with 7. He last fought at UFC 203 in September and lost to Jimmie Rivera via unanimous decision.

Source: WrestlingINC

Bobby Lashley Stepping Back Into Bellator MMA Cage Live Tonight On Spike TV

Image result for Bobby Lashley Bellator MMA

TNA’s Bobby Lashley steps back inside the Bellator MMA cage this evening to meet Josh Appelt in the co-main event of Bellator 162. The contest airs live on Spike TV at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

Lashley has picked up seven consecutive wins, including four straight finishes with Bellator. He is coming off a November first round TKO win over James Thompson, and has also stopped Dan Charles Karl Etherington and Josh Burns since 2014.

Earlier this month, Lashley lost the TNA World Heavyweight Championship to Eddie Edwards after successfully defending it vs. Ethan Carter III.

Source: WrestlingINC