The MMA community was left disappointed on Friday morning when Deiveson Figueiredo missed weight for his vacant flyweight title against Joseph Benavidez. Benavidez meets Figueiredo on Saturday night in the main event of UFC Norfolk, but the vacant UFC flyweight title will only be on the line for Benavidez in the bout. That’s because Figueiredo
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Feb 25, 2020 For many years, UFC flyweight Joseph Benavidez kept an old 4-inch-by-6-inch photograph of a UFC championship belt on his mantel. Keeping the spot warm until the real belt could take its place. But a few years ago, Benavidez and his wife moved to a new home in Las Vegas, and the photograph
Image Credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images UFC strawweight Jessica Penne’s fighting career doesn’t have to end now as initially feared. Penne hasn’t competed since April 2017. Injuries have plagued Penne but she was also dealing with a potential career-ending situation. The 115-pounder was facing a four-year suspension from USADA following her second
Will Joseph Benavidez become the new flyweight champion? Or will the too-heavy Deiveson Figueiredo prevail and keep the 125-pound title vacant? We’ll find out in the UFC Fight Night 169 main event, airing exclusively on ESPN+ this Sat. night (Feb. 29, 2020) from inside Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The UFC Fight Night 169 co-headliner
(James Goyder is the owner/editor of AsianMMA.com) ONE: King of the Jungle took place behind closed doors because of concerns over the coronavirus in Singapore. So UFC veteran Yoshihiro Akiyama found himself performing in front of an empty stadium. The 44-year-old scored his first win since 2014 by stopping Sherif Mohamed. The Egyptian sensed the
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira expects to end his legendary career at UFC 250 when he has his trilogy fight against Shogun Rua. Nogueira hasn’t fought since he was knocked out by Ryan Spann back at UFC 237. The 43-year-old Brazilian legend is just 4-6 in his last 10, so he says this fight against Rua will
9:25 PM ET Tito Ortiz‘s next fight appears to be against the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). The UFC Hall of Famer’s Dec. 7 win over former WWE champion Alberto “Del Rio” Rodriguez at Combate Americas 51 was overturned by the TDLR last month to a no contest (or no decision), and sources
Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Joseph Benavidez sees the good in not having to deal with Henry Cejudo’s antics. This Saturday night (Feb. 29), Benavidez will share the Octagon with Deiveson Figueiredo. The bout will be contested for the vacant UFC flyweight title. Benavidez vs. Figueiredo will headline UFC Norfolk inside
Welcome to Midnight Mania! Fresh off his main event war with Paul Felder (see it), Dan Hooker is looking to get himself into another bloody scrap. With Justin Gaethje potentially occupied by Conor McGregor, Hooker has readjusted his aim towards a different Lightweight contender: “The Diamond” Dustin Poirier. Poirier was last seen inside the Octagon
USADA announced on Thursday that Isabela de Padua, of Sao Paulo, Brazil, has accepted a two-year sanction for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy after testing positive for a prohibited substance. De Padua, 28, tested positive for 19-norandrosterone (19-NA), the main urinary metabolite of nandrolone (19-nortestosterone) and other 19-norsteroids following an in-competition test on November
Image via @umar_nurmagomedov on Instagram Another member of the Nurmagomedov family is joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship ranks, and it’s Umar Nurmagomedov, cousin of current and undisputed promotion’s lightweight belt-holder, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Just like his cousin, Umar is still undefeated in his professional mixed martial arts career, holding a record of 12 victories and no
8:08 AM ET Jeff Wagenheim Joseph Benavidez was in the midst of a TV interview backstage in Las Vegas, wearing the cruel facial evidence that he had just been in a scrap. Through bloodied lips, he reflected on his split-decision victory over Henry Cejudo, and when the subject of his immediate future came up, Benavidez’s
Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Deiveson Figueiredo has pulled out his crystal ball and he sees retirement looming for Joseph Benavidez. This Saturday night (Feb. 29), Figueiredo and Benavidez will share the Octagon for the vacant UFC flyweight championship. The title was vacated after it became clear that Henry Cejudo would stay
Sprinkle in a couple of zombies, and maybe one or two border patrol agents in HazMat suits, and you’ve got yourself a pretty good movie, with reigning UFC strawweight champion, Weili Zhang, cast in the lead role. “Magnum” was training in Beijing during the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak. Then the shit hit the
Former UFC title challenger and current Bellator fighter Cat Zingano recently opened up about her struggles with breast implant illness and her ultimate decision to have her breast implants removed. Posting a photo from her first shoot after having her breast implants removed, Zingano accompanied the picture with a lengthy comment. Her statement explains her
Zabit Magomedsharipov knows he doesn’t have the best cardio out there. Magomedsharipov was hounded on his cardio after he appeared to fade in the middle of the second round against Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar, which are his past two fights. Yet, the Russian knows he doesn’t have the best endurance but says he still
12:50 PM ET Khabib Nurmagomedov has made no secret of his lack of desire to fight Conor McGregor again. In an interview with TMZ on Wednesday, the UFC lightweight champion doubled down. Nurmagomedov said fans only want a rematch between him and McGregor to see a continuation of “what happened last time.” In the lead-up
Image Credit: John McCoy/Getty Images UFC color commentator Joe Rogan is impressed by the change in strategy Tyson Fury made for his rematch with Deontay Wilder. This past Saturday night (Feb. 22), Wilder put the WBC heavyweight title on the line against Fury once again. Fury wanted to ensure the rematch wasn’t in the hands