Follow @mikehiscoe
Welcome to the sixth of twelve installments of the 2018 MMA year in review. In the series, we will look at the biggest stories and fights from each month and reflect on how things played out as the year went on. Be sure to check out the previous installments and stay tuned as we go through each month of 2018 over the coming days.
- January 2018 Year in Review
- February 2018 Year in Review
- March 2018 Year in Review
- April 2018 Year in Review
- May 2018 Year in Review
Top June Stories
6/4/2018 – Miesha Tate gave birth to a baby girl, Amania after a long labor. The baby’s father is fighter Johnny Nunez.
6/13/2018 – Dana White pushed the idea of a Jon Jones-Brock Lesnar fight to TMZ. Jones was still suspended under a USADA violation and Lesnar had yet to re-enter the testing pool following his 2016 retirement.
6/13/2018 – Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo in a rematch was announced for UFC 227 on Aug. 4.
6/13/2018 – Cris Cyborg was fined $398 for punching Angela Magana at a UFC Fighter Summit the year prior.
6/15/2018 – Longtime UFC cutman Leon Tabbs passed away at 86.
6/20/2018 – Josh Barnett was released after an 18-month battle with UFC and USADA over a drug-test failure.
6/25/2018 – Johny Hendricks announced his retirement from MMA.
6/25/2018 – Rashad Evans announced his retirement from MMA.
How did things turn out?
-Miesha Tate is now in an executive position with ONE Championship.
-Jones was eventually cleared to fight and is scheduled to fight Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 on Dec. 29. Lesnar has yet to officially announce his intention to fight but is in the USADA testing pool.
-Cejudo defeated Johnson, who was later traded to ONE Championship.
-Johny Hendricks fought the following November for the World Bareknuckle Fighting Federation.
Key fight results
6/1/2018 – Marlon Moraes knocked out Jimmie Rivera in :32 with a head kick at UFC Fight Night Utica.
6/9/2018 – UFC 225 saw the return of CM Punk. He lost a pitiful decision to Mike “The Truth” Jackson in a fight that was panned by Dana White and fans alike. Also on the card, Robert Whittaker retained the middleweight championship over Yoel Romero in a thrilling five-round decision and Colby Covington won the interim welterweight championship over Rafael dos Anjos.
6/12/2018 – Former NFL Defensive End Greg Hardy debuted on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender’s Series and scored a 57-second win over Austen Lane.
6/23/2018 – Leon Edwards won a unanimous decision over Donald Cerrone at UFC Fight Night 132.
Leave a Reply