MMA News

Joe Lauzon | Thomas Lakes, MMA Fighting If there’s one thing that Joe Lauzon and Dana White can agree on, it’s that his performance at UFC on ESPN 6 would be a hell of a high to go out on. It might also be a head-scratcher to keep on going. Lauzon, the 43-fight veteran who has long been a proud representative of Massachusetts MMA, put on a vintage performance on Friday at TD Garden in Boston, tying Octagon newcomer Jonathan Pearce up on the mat and finishing him with a torrent of punches in the first round. Given Lauzon’s experience, and the fact that he entered the bout on a three-fight losing streak, there was a question of whether this could be the last time Lauzon made the walk to… Read more »

Greg Hardy and Ben Sosoli | Thomas Lakes, MMA Fighting When Greg Hardy broke out an inhaler after the second round of his fight with Ben Sosoli, there was mass confusion on the UFC on ESPN 6 broadcast. That sentiment only seemed to grow stronger when it was later announced that Hardy’s win over Sosoli would be overturned to a no-contest. UFC president Dana White is as befuddled as anyone. Shortly after the conclusion of Friday’s card in Boston, the promotion announced that Hardy’s use of an inhaler mid-bout was illegal unless pre-approved by the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission. Unsurprisingly, White was asked about the situation at the evening’s post-fight presser, and he recalls there being an immediate uproar as the events unfolded. “It was crazy,” White said. “Everybody started… Read more »

Thomas Lakes, MMA Fighting Chris Weidman definitely didn’t get the result he wanted in his light heavyweight debut, and now there are plenty of questions about his future in the sport. The former middleweight champion made the move up to 205 pounds and immediately jumped into a fight against a top-five ranked contender in Dominick Reyes. It took Reyes less than two minutes to deny Weidman a successful debut. He dropped the ex-champ with a staggering left hand and followed with a pair of hammer fists that earned him a first-round TKO. Afterwards, Weidman was hesitant to say much about his plans other than promising that he would return stronger in his next fight. Unfortunately, Weidman has now lost five of his past six fights with all five losses coming… Read more »

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Wearing sunglasses and a dour expression, heavyweight Greg Hardy felt a little bit of deja vu after his UFC on ESPN 6 fight against Ben Sosoli. Again, a night that was supposed to move him up the UFC ladder – and prove to the world he was more than a headline sideshow – had ended in controversy. A Ventolin albuterol inhaler he used between rounds to curb what he said was lifelong exercise-induced asthma was, in fact, illegal. As a result, the UFC announced his lackluster win over Ben Sosoli was overturned to a no-contest. “It clears the airway so I’m able to breathe,” Hardy said of the breathing aid. “It doesn’t help me breathe better. It helps me breathe just like… Read more »

Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens | Thomas Lakes, MMA Fighting BOSTON — With UFC on ESPN 6 in the books, MMA Fighting’s Jose Youngs and FloCombat’s Mike Heck break down the top storylines from an action-packed night in Massachusetts. Read more »

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting Colby Covington doesn’t want Dana White wrapping the welterweight title around his waist with a win over Kamaru Usman at UFC 245, and the UFC president is getting tired of Covington’s talk. A few days ago, the outspoken former interim champion was asked about his tumultuous relationship with White and the prospect that the UFC president would wrap the title around his waist with a victory in December. “I can tell you who’s not wrapping it around my waist, and that will not be Dana White,” Covington told Submission Radio. “If he tries to wrap it around my waist, I’m gonna take the belt from him and slap him in the face with it.” Following UFC on ESPN 6 on Friday night in Boston, White was… Read more »

Thomas Lakes, MMA Fighting Story updated at 2:51 p.m. ET to reflect clarification on WADA policy on albuterol. Greg Hardy’s win at UFC on ESPN 6 has been overturned to a no contest after he used an inhaler between the second and third rounds during his fight against Ben Sosoli, the promotion announced on Friday night. Unless pre-approved by the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission, the use of an inhaler is illegal. At the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White said Hardy’s corner and coach Din Thomas told him a ringside inspector gave Hardy the OK when he asked to use the medicine between rounds. “I think if you watch it, you can understand how it happened,” White said. “I don’t even know what to say.” Hardy also claimed the… Read more »

Jeremy Stephens and Yair Rodriguez | Thomas Lakes, MMA Fighting With the bad blood behind them, Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens can celebrate a thrilling three-round fight and an extra $50,000 in each of their pockets. Rodriguez defeated Stephens in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 6 on Friday in Boston and afterwards, the two embraced, seemingly putting an end to their feud that began last month at UFC Mexico City when their headlining bout at that show ended in 15 seconds due to Rodriguez accidentally poking Stephens’s eye. The two were quickly re-booked for UFC on ESPN 6 and they didn’t disappoint as they engaged in a back-and-forth battle that earned them the evening’s Fight of the Night award. It is the sixth such award for Stephens and… Read more »