UFC's prolonged silence on coronavirus speaks volumes | Opinion
(https:)Just two weeks ago, President Donald J. Trump’s take on coronavirus was that “it’s going to disappear. One day, like a miracle, it’s going to disappear.”
Less than a week ago, the sports executive with the closest public ties to Trump, UFC president Dana White, blithely declared “I don’t give a (expletive) about the coronavirus” in an interview with TSN...
Joanna Jedrzejczyk gives update on hematoma, will undergo surgery in Poland
(https:)Joanna Jedrzejczyk has given a positive update after the epic battle she endured in her last fight.
Jedrzejczyk was narrowly edged out by UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili at this past weekend’s UFC 248 in Las Vegas, suffering a split-decision loss in a five-round thriller. The damaged she suffered was visually evident, including a massive hematoma on her head, leaving her with some serious swelling on her face.
Apology accepted, but Chan Sung Jung tells Brian Ortega 'I'll see you in the octagon'
(https:)There might be only one way for Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega to settle their beef once and for all.
After going back-and-forth for months, with “The Korean Zombie” accusing Ortega of ducking him, their rivalry reached new heights when Ortega was escorted out of the arena for slapping Jung’s manager, rapper Jay Park, during this past weekend’s UFC 248 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Ortega subsequently issued a brief apology and then followed it up with a more lengthy statement, addressing both Park and Jung.
Jung (16-5 MMA, 6-2 UFC) then took to Instagram to respond to Ortega (14-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), issuing an apology of his own, but making it very clear that he would like their previously scheduled UFC on ESPN+ 23 bout rebooked once he’s able to return from eye surgery.
Forrest Griffin reacts to UFC naming community service award after him
(https:)The UFC’s newest award has been named for Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin.
The Las Vegas-based promotion recently launched the Forrest Griffin Community Award in honor of the former UFC light heavyweight champion and season one winner of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The award recognizes UFC athletes who do volunteer and charity work in efforts to better their community.
For his part, Griffin was humble about the idea of having an award named in his honor.
Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till targeted for UFC Dublin
(https:)It took a little longer than expected, but Robert Whittaker and Darren Till finally got their booking.
The former middleweight champ and the one-time welterweight title challenger have agreed to a headliner at UFC Dublin, which takes place Aug. 15 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. ESPN.com first reported the matchup, and a person with knowledge of the targeted middleweight booking confirmed the news to MMA Fighting.
UFC Dublin is expected to stream on ESPN+. Currently, no other fights have been announced for the card.
Brian Ortega, coach Rener Gracie issue apologies to Jay Park, 'Korean Zombie' over UFC 248 slap
(https:)It appears Brian Ortega has changed his tune from his initial statement.
Ortega was unhappy with some of the things Park had said when translating Jung’s words, accusing Ortega of ducking him when he pulled out of their UFC on ESPN+ 23 headliner due to a knee injury late last year.
So when Ortega saw Park at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, he confronted him by slapping him in the face while Jung was at the bathroom. Ortega issued a statement after the altercation, giving a backhanded apology that he later deleted.
Park hasn’t pressed charges and said he likely won’t, which would spare Ortega from any legal issues. On Tuesday night, Ortega took to Twitter to issued what he called an official apology to Park, telling Jung that he’ll be waiting for him until he’s recovered from his eye injury.
Ortega’s jiu-jitsu coach and mentor, Rener Gracie, also issued an apology over social media to Jung, who attended one of his seminars a few years ago in Korea. Jung was unhappy with Gracie’s comment when he defended Ortega’s actions for “slapping an instigator.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov refuses to take a jab at Tony Ferguson over his mental health
(https:)Ahead of their clash at UFC 249 in April, Nurmagomedov and Ferguson traded verbal barbs during a pre-fight press conference last week in Las Vegas. During the question and answer session, a reporter brought up Ferguson’s mental health after reports surfaced last year that his wife filed a restraining order against him while asking that he undergo a psychiatric evaluation for his alleged behavior.
Ferguson fired back as he shut down the question by shouting “f*ck you” and leaving the subject closed.
While not nearly as animated as his upcoming opponent, Nurmagomedov seems to agree with Ferguson on mental health and the issues he dealt with at home one year ago.
PFL champ Kayla Harrison targets Sarah Kaufman fight ahead of 2020 season
(https:) Kayla Harrison might now be a millionaire, but don’t think for a moment it’s changed her approach – or her desire to win – ahead of the next PFL season.
Reigning 2019 women’s lightweight tournament champion Harrison (7-0 MMA, 7-0 PFL) talked to MMA Junkie at this past Saturday’s Dominance MMA media day in Las Vegas and said nothing has changed since her $1 million-winning performance, and explained she’s chomping at the bit to get back into competitive action.
Harrison was expected to face Sarah Kaufman in the finale this past New Year’s Eve, but after the Canadian lost to Larissa Pacheco in the semifinals, it meant arguably the biggest female matchup in the PFL fell by the wayside. But it remains a matchup the two-time Olympic judo gold medalist would love to take on.
Valentina Shevchenko thinks Zhang Weili lost at UFC 248, expects title reign to end next fight
(https:)Valentina Shevchenko became educated on Zhang Weili after watching UFC 248, and she came away with mixed reviews.
Shevchenko (19-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC), the UFC women’s flyweight champion, previously stated she hadn’t seen enough of Weili (21-1 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in four prior bouts to know what the UFC’s first Chinese titleholder was truly all about. She got five rounds of thrilling action in the “Fight of the Night” on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but it ended in a tight result. The champion retained by split decision over Joanna Jedrzejczyk, who Shevchenko believes, along with at least one judge, should have won the fight.
Stipe Miocic: Eye injury ‘getting better,’ summer return a possibility
(https:)UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic doesn’t expect himself to be out of action for much longer.
Miocic told TMZ Sports that recovery from the eye injury he suffered in his rematch with Daniel Cormier at UFC 241 is progressing well. The injury was severe enough that Miocic had to undergo surgery following the August 2019 bout.
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