MMA Torch Rankings – February 2016
The following are the MMATorch staff rankings as of February 1, 2016. POUND FOR POUND 1 Jon Jones 2 Demetrious Johnson 3 Conor McGregor 4 Dominick Cruz 5 Luke Rockhold 6 Jose Aldo 7 T.J. […]
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Chris Leben coming out of retirement, signs with Bellator MMA for 2016 return
Bellator MMA has signed a second former UFC fighter this week, but it won’t have quite the impact of the Benson Henderson signing. Bellator MMA President Scott Coker announced on Friday night’s “Inside MMA” program […]
Yoel Romero, manager hint on social media that B sample test may exonerate him on USADA violation
Yoel Romero may be getting himself right back into the UFC Middleweight Title mix. According to a report from MMAFighting.com on Friday, Romero was awaiting results of his B sample after an out of competition […]
UFC Fight Night 82 weigh-ins feature on-stage proposal; Hendricks and Thompson hit the mark
Weigh-ins took place this afternoon for tomorrow’s UFC Fight Night 82 event, and all fighters hit their marks for the card. That includes Johny Hendricks, who hit 170 lbs. without issue after a disastrous weight […]
Jon Jones thinks Rafael dos Anjos likely to beat Conor McGregor at UFC 196
“It’s hard to say. I’m a big fan of [Conor] McGregor, I’m becoming a huge fan of [Rafael dos Anjos]. Based on [dos Anjos’] performances, I think I’m going to go with him. I’m not […]
UFC extends partnership with Cleveland Clinic and Professional Fighters Brain Health Study
The UFC is extending their partnership with the Cleveland Clinic and the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study. In a press release issued on Friday, the UFC revealed a $1 million contribution to the Lou Ruvo […]
“Wonderboy” gunning for title shot with win over Hendricks, thinks people want to see him fight Lawler
Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson meets former UFC Welterweight Champ Johny Hendricks on Saturday night in his second straight UFC main event, and he’s making his case for getting a title fight with a victory. In an […]
Cruz, Pettis among six reportedly receiving six-month medical suspensions out of UFC Fight Night 81
Six fighters from last month’s UFC Fight Night 81 event received six month medical suspensions from the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission, though the commission wouldn’t release any information regarding the nature of maladies suffered on […]
Jessica Aguilar reportedly meets Juliana Lima at UFC 198 in Brazil this May
Jessica Aguilar’s second fight in the UFC appears to be set, as Combate in Brazil reports that she’ll take on Juliana Lima on the May 14 UFC event in Brazil. Aguilar, leaving the World Series […]
Henderson on UFC’s champ-money offer: “What’s the point of having that stipulation if it’s beyond my control to earn it?”
“If your boss tells you that he’ll pay you a bunch more money if you become the champion but your boss is the one who decides whether or not you’ll ever get the chance to […]
MMATorch Podcast 2/4/16: Penick and Ennis on UFC main event changes, UFC on Fox 18, much more
In a brand new edition of the MMATorch Podcast, Torch Editor Jamie Penick and Torch Senior Columnist Shawn Ennis discuss some recent shakeups to the UFC main event scene, including a run down of the […]
Tim Means maintains innocence on USADA violation: “I’m losing sleep over this because I don’t know where it’s at”
Tim Means is maintaining his innocence in the wake of a potential drug testing violation under the USADA anti-doping policy, and insisted on Thursday that the violation must be from a lab error or a […]
Anderson Silva thinks Chris Weidman deserves rematch with Luke Rockhold: “I think it’s fair”
“I think it’s fair. He was the champion, had good wins on his last fights, defeated tough opponents, and deserves respect from everyone, especially the other middleweights. He deserves this immediate rematch against Rockhold… It […]
D. FOX: Preliminary card preview for UFC Fight Night 82 “Hendricks vs. Thompson”
I’ll applaud the UFC for their decision not to cancel this card outright and moving it to free TV (sort of) once they realized that fans weren’t going to pay for Johny Hendricks and Stephen […]
Nate Marquardt meets Thiago Santos at UFC’s planned May 14 event in Brazil
Nate Marquardt kept his career alive in the UFC in his last fight, snapping a two-fight losing streak when he knocked CB Dollaway out at UFC on Fox 17 on Dec. 19, and he’s now […]
UFC on Fox 19 reportedly adds rematch between Rose Namajunas and Tecia Torres
A significant women’s strawweight bout is reportedly heading to UFC on Fox 19 in April, as MMAFighting.com reports that Rose Namajunas and Tecia Torres are being targeted for a rematch on the card. The two […]
UFC adds three new fights to UFC Fight Night 86 event in Zagreb, Croatia
The UFC has added a few more fights to their April 10 Fight Night event in Croatia, though the event is still without a headliner. New fights announced this week see Mairbek Taisumov welcome Damir […]
“Cowboy” vs. “Cowboy” set for UFC Fight Night 83 as Alex Oliveira steps in against Donald Cerrone [UPDATED]
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone may have a new opponent set, as Combate in Brazil reports that Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira has agreed to step in on just over two weeks notice for the UFC Fight Night 83 […]
Dana White says Ronda Rousey likely to return in November against UFC 196’s Holly Holm vs. Miesha Tate winner
Heading into UFC 193 last fall, Ronda Rousey planned to pick up yet another win, then return at UFC 200. With her loss to Holly Holm, and several other commitments this spring delaying things, her […]
Benson Henderson says “intangibles” offered by Bellator bested “strong offer” from the UFC
“Ultimately, it’s what’s best for myself and my family. Bellator presented one heck of an offer you couldn’t say no to. They made it pretty easy on me. They opened up the red carpet, they […]
UFC’s May 14 event reportedly now UFC 198, Fabricio Werdum vs. Stipe Miocic title bout expected
With the UFC Heavyweight Championship off of this weekend’s event in Las Vegas, the UFC downgraded it to a Fight Night card, necessitating the addition of another pay-per-view event on the schedule this spring. Now, […]
Tim Means flagged for potential USADA violation, out of UFC Fight Night 83 main event bout with Donald Cerrone
Tim Means is out of a main event fight with Donald Cerrone later this month at UFC Fight Night 83, with the UFC revealing on Wednesday that he’s been flagged for a potential violation of […]
B.J. Penn says he’s fighting at UFC 196, Dennis Siver likely return opponent for featherweight bout
B.J. Penn is set on fighting again in the featherweight division, and to that end he is guaranteeing a return fight on March 5 at UFC 196. According to a report from Wednesday’s UFC Tonight […]
Dana White says Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman II coming at UFC 199 in June
Well, Luke Rockhold hasn’t exactly gotten his wish. UFC President Dana White revealed Wednesday evening on a live edition of “Garbage Time with Katie Nolan” on Fox Sports 1 that Rockhold’s first title defense will […]
Dana White says Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier II is “probably going to happen in April”
There’s still no official announcement on Jon Jones’ return fight against Daniel Cormier, but UFC President Dana White confirmed this week that it’s expected for April. That’s been the rumored location for the fight, originally […]