Natalia Silva, Steve Garcia, Cody Durden, and Yanal Ashmouz also secure victories at the MMA event

Jon Jones, US champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) responded to Russian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Islam Makhachev, who criticised promotion's ratings. "Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Criticism comes with territory. I want to encourage the young fighters to beat some of my records instead of using their lips. Now thats gangsta,” Jones wrote in a message posted on social media. Jones is the current UFC heavyweight champion. He tops the ranking of the promotion's best fighters regardless of weight categories (P4P). During his career, the fighter won 27 victories and suffered one loss. Another fight with his participation was declared invalid.

Jones and his fiancée share a romantic moment.

The UFC announces it will host a Fight Night event in London on 22 March.

It sounds like an oxymoron: “How to keep blood-sports interesting?” You’ve got blood and you’ve got sports, the term does its own advertising! And yet, fighting promotions rise and fall, where Pride and Strikeforce once reigned, now stand One and Bellator, but one promotion stands above all its competitors. The world of MMA knows one promotion which has clawed its way to the international top and established itself as the gold standard upon whose hallowed surface skulls are crushed and blood is poured. I’m talking about none other than the UFC.

Having established itself over the years as a beacon of both quality matches and consistent drama, the UFC attracts the lion’s share of international talent in the MMA world, and with it the eyes and ears of MMA fans everywhere. Having well and truly stroked the ego of the promotion, you might be wondering what on earth any of this has to do with writing or fantasy?

Well, does your world happen to feature prizefighting, ritual combat, or the eternally popular fantasy fixture called the gladiatorial arena? If so, there are a lot of writing and worldbuilding lessons you can learn from observing the biggest promotion in the biggest modern blood-sport of the world.

Continue reading Lessons from the UFC: How to Keep Blood-Sports Interesting at Mythic Scribes.

Debutant Tomar eked out a 30-27, 27-30, 29-28 split-decision win over Brazil's Rayanne dos Santos in the straw-weight (52kg) bout on Saturday

1. UFC 249: Reaction to Justin Gaethje’s TKO victory over Tony Ferguson  NEWS.com.au
2. UFC boss Dana White roundly praised as UFC 249 ushers in fan-free era of sport amid COVID-19  Wide World of Sports
3. Dana White reacts to epic Justin Gaethje vs. Tony Ferguson war | UFC 249 Post-Fight Press Conference  TheMacLife
4. UFC 249: Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson result, Henry Cejudo vs Dominik Cruz  NEWS.com.au
5. UFC 249 gets Mixed Martial Arts back underway behind closed doors in Florida  ABC News
6. View Full coverage on Google News

Российский боец смешанного стиля (MMA) Алексей Олейник одержал победу над бразильцем Фабрисиу Вердумом на турнира Абсолютного бойцовского чемпионата (UFC) в Джексонвилле. Поединок тяжеловесов продлился все три раунда. Судьи отдали победу Олейнику. Таким образом, 42-летний россиянин одержал вторую победу в UFC подряд.

Российский боец смешанного стиля (MMA) Алексей Олейник победил бразильского тяжеловеса Фабрисиу Вердума. Российский тяжеловес одержал победу раздельным судейским решением по итогам трех раундов. Для отечественного бойца успех стал вторым подряд в рамках UFC. Вердум — бывший чемпион UFC в тяжелом весе.

Французский и камерунский боец смешанного стиля (MMA) Фрэнсис Нганну, известный по прозвищу Хищник, нокаутировал суринамца Жарзинью Розенстрайка на турнире Абсолютного бойцовского чемпионата (UFC). 33-летний тяжеловес нокаутировал оппонента за 20 секунд. Суринамский тяжеловес потерпел первое поражение в карьере.

Американский боец смешанного стиля (MMA) Генри Сехудо одержал победу над соотечественником Домеником Крусом. Поединок стал со-главным в рамках турнира Абсолютного бойцовского чемпионата (UFC) в Джексонвилле, штат Флорида. Сехудо завершил бой во втором раунде, одержав победу техническим нокаутом.

Kicks, punches and grunts echoed through the empty arena

Justin Gaethje produces the best performance of his career to finish Tony Ferguson and win the UFC interim lightweight title at UFC 249.

Canadian Felicia (Feenom) Spencer's on-again off-again title challenge against UFC featherweight champion Amanda (Lioness) Nunes has been confirmed for UFC 250.

Justin Gaethje produces the best performance of his career to finish Tony Ferguson and win the UFC interim lightweight title at UFC 249.

American Justin Gaethje scored a surprise technical knockout victory over Tony Ferguson to win the interim lightweight title at UFC 249.

The DML News App offers the best in news reporting.

The post REPORT: UFC bout dropped from card after fighter tests positive appeared first on Dennis Michael Lynch.

1. UFC 249: Justin Gaethje halts the Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov storyline  Hindustan Times
2. UFC 249 news: Khabib Nurmagomedov tweets immediately after Tony Ferguson loses to Justin Gaethje  GIVEMESPORT
3. Twitter Salutes Tony Ferguson After Surviving a Barrage of Attacks From Justin Gaethje  Essentially Sports
4. UFC 249: ‘He is epitome of an athlete,’ Justin Gaethje full of praise for opponent Tony Ferguson  Hindustan Times
5. Justin Gaethje batters Tony Ferguson to win UFC interim lightweight title  ESPN India
6. View Full coverage on Google News

Source: ftw.usatoday.com - Saturday, May 09, 2020
Justin Gaethje put on a show in front of zero fans Saturday night at UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Fla., winning the interim lightweight belt with a fifth-round TKO victory over the legendary Tony Ferguson after referee Herb Dean called the fight with just over a minute to go. But when it was time to get the belt from UFC boss Dana White, Gaethje wanted nothing to do with the impressive hardware as he quickly tossed it aside before talking to Joe Rogan in the Octagon. Why would he do that? Because interim belts in the UFC are pretty silly and Gaethje doesn’t want to waste his time celebrating an accomplishment that now sets him up to fight for the real lightweight belt against Khabib Nurmagomedov who still owns the belt and is one of the greatest fighters of all time. Look at how Gaethje treated his belt: Justin Gaethje tossed aside the interim lightweight title belt he won at #UFC249 "I'll wait for the real one." pic.twitter.com/GBxD1RUemj — ESPN (@espn) May 10, 2020 Seriously, he wanted nothing to do with that thing. He evenly let his coach leave Octagon with it: . @Justin_Gaethje truly wants no part of that interim belt. His head coach Trevor Wittman had to carry it out of the octagon. #UFC249 | More: https://t.co/N8mXceTwxO pic.twitter.com/MBDvMIHG1h — MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) May 10, 2020 Now that is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in the fight game for quite some time. Sure, we haven’t seen fighting in quite some time, eithe

Source: www.androidcentral.com - Saturday, May 09, 2020
After being delayed back in April due to the coronavirus, UFC 249 is back on and we have all the details on how you can watch the highly anticipated event online or on TV in the U.S., Canada, UK and Australia. UFC 249 was originally scheduled to take place in Brooklyn, New York but the UFC had to relocate the event to the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. However, while the event is back on, there won't be any fans in attendance for Saturday's fights for safety reasons. The venue may have changed and fans won't be crowded around the octagon but many of the fights originally scheduled for UFC 249 will be included on the new card. The biggest change though is that Tony Ferguson will now be taking on Justin Gaethje in the Interim UFC Lightweight Championship as Khabib Nurmagomedov is unable to leave his home country of Russia due to its coronavirus travel restrictions. Ferguson is known for his incredible cardio and pressure while Gaethje's kill or be killed mentality sets himself apart from the pack. Ferguson also hasn't lost a match since May 2012 and in that time, he's won 12 fights and defeated Kevin Lee, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone and more. Gaethje on the other hand is on a three fight winning streak following back-to-back losses. In addition to the interim lightweight championship, Henry Cejudo will go up against Dominick Cruz for the UFC bantamweight championship. Elsewhere on the card, Francis Nga

Source: www.mmafighting.com - Friday, May 08, 2020
Check out video reaction to breaking news that UFC middleweight Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza has tested positive for coronavirus and is out of his UFC 249 fight against Uriah Hall .

Trump’s taped message was played during a broadcast of the UFC 249 undercard.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday became the first major American sporting event held since the US coronavirus outbreak, with President Donald Trump congratulating the promoter.

It's been nearly two months since the last UFC show, but now the biggest MMA promotion is back with a stacked card and a world title double-header at the top of the bill. Follow our live updates throughout the night.
Read Full Article at RT.com

The welterweight battle between Vicente Luque and Niko Price was marked out by many as a potential Fight of the Night candidate at UFC 249 and it didn't disappoint, though it left one of the combatants with a horrific-looking eye.
Read Full Article at RT.com

United States President Donald Trump sent a message of congratulations to Dana White and the UFC for being the first major sports league to return to action following the Covid-19 shutdown.
Read Full Article at RT.com

In the 73rd fight of his professional career, Russia's Alexey Oleynik swapped grappling for striking as he threw caution to the wind, and defeated former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC 249 in Jacksonville.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou was already frustrated not to have been given his second shot at the UFC heavyweight title, and he took that frustration out on undefeated former kickboxer Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 249.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Justin Gaethje could be forgiven for being in celebratory mood after capturing the UFC interim lightweight title at UFC 249, but "The Highlight" insisted his work was far from done, and he wants to face Khabib Nurmagomedov next.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Justin Gaethje produced the performance of a lifetime to demolish Tony Ferguson and win the interim lightweight title at UFC 249, and one man distinctly impressed was Khabib Nurmagomedov - the fighter he will likely face next.
Read Full Article at RT.com

Justin Gaethje put on a striking masterclass to score a surprise knockout victory over Tony Ferguson and win the interim lightweight title at UFC 249, which took place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday.

Kicks, punches and grunts echoed through the empty arena. Coaches, commentators and camera clicks resonated like never before. Blood, sweat, swollen eyelids and face masks signaled the return of UFC, the first major sporting event to resume since the coronavirus shuttered much of the country for nearly two months.

Kicks, punches and grunts echoed through the empty arena. Coaches, commentators and camera clicks resonated like never before. Blood, sweat, swollen eyelids and face masks signaled the return of UFC, the first major sporting event to resume since the coronavirus shuttered much of the country for nearly two months.

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre will be inducted to UFC's Hall of Fame, it was announced on Saturday.

Saturday's UFC 249 featured postfight interviews in the Octagon, a departure from safety protocols that were announced earlier this week.

Henry Cejudo defended his bantamweight title for the first time on Saturday night with a second-round TKO of Dominick Cruz, then he shocked the MMA world moments later by announcing his retirement at age 33.

In a brilliant performance, Justin Gaethje dominated Tony Ferguson in a fifth-round TKO victory to win the UFC interim lightweight title Saturday at UFC 249.

Brett Okamoto plays matchmaker after UFC 249.

Justin Gaethje put on a striking masterclass to score a surprise knockout victory over Tony Ferguson and win the interim lightweight title at UFC 249, which took place at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday.Ferguson, who came into the fight on a 12-win streak, suffered damage as Gaethje chopped at his legs and landed thunderous hooks before referee Herb Dean stepped in to end the fight late in the fifth round.

UFC 249 served as the first major sporting event to take place since the global pandemic shut down much of the country nearly eight weeks ago. It was originally scheduled for 18 April in New York, but was postponed in hopes of helping slow the spread of COVID-19.

Henry Cejudo, 33, surprisingly called time on his UFC career following Saturday's second-round TKO against Dominick Cruz.

Jacksonville, May 10: Henry Cejudo announced his shock retirement after retaining his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. Cejudo scored a contentious second-round TKO over Cruz as the UFC returned behind closed doors in Jacksonville, Florida on Saturday

Moments after defending his bantamweight title, Henry Cejudo has announced shock retirement from UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship). Cejudo defeated Dominick Cruz in a second round TKO in the co-main event of UFC 249 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Justin Gaethje sent a message to Khabib Nurmagomedov with a merciless performance against Justin Ferguson on Saturday.

Jacksonville, May 10: Justin Gaethje produced a brutal display in a final-round stoppage against Tony Ferguson to become the new interim lightweight champion at the highly anticipated UFC 249. UFC made its long-awaited return behind closed doors in Jacksonville, Florida

Justin Gaethje turned his attention to the UFC's unbeaten lightweight champion after Saturday's stunning victory.

Jacksonville, May 10: Justin Gaethje is eyeing a Khabib Nurmagomedov clash, insisting there is "no other challenge I want right now" after crushing Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. Gaethje became the interim lightweight champion after scoring a brutal final-round stoppage

Canadian Georges St-Pierre, who ruled the UFC welterweight division before putting a bow on a glittering career by winning the middleweight title in his final outing, is headed to the UFC Hall of Fame.

Spencer, a native of Montreal who trains in Orlando, Fla., joins Canadians Alexis (Ally-Gator) Davis and Valerie (Trouble) Letourneau in challenging for UFC women's titles.

The UFC is returning after an involuntary eight-week break in what will be the U.S.’s first major sporting event since the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the world two months ago.