MMA News

Frankie Edgar
Frankie Edgar

Derek Brunson doesn’t want to see Frankie Edgar compete in MMA anymore following UFC 268

Harry Kettle - November 8, 2021

UFC middleweight Derek Brunson has joined those calling for Frankie Edgar to consider retiring from mixed martial arts. At UFC 268 on Saturday night, Frankie Edgar was knocked out by Marlon Vera in their bantamweight clash – marking the fourth time he’s been KO’d in the last four years. It was another worrying sign for a veteran who, in the eyes of many, has the potential to become a UFC Hall of Famer one day.

Marlon Vera, Frankie Edgar, UFC 268
Frankie Edgar

Dana White unsure what the future holds for Frankie Edgar following his knockout loss to Marlon Vera

Harry Kettle - November 8, 2021

UFC president Dana White hasn’t ruled out the idea of Frankie Edgar returning to the Octagon after his UFC 268 defeat. As part of UFC 268’s main card, Frankie Edgar went toe to toe with Marlon Vera in what proved to be a pretty tense bantamweight affair. Edgar seemed to be faring pretty well for long spells but ultimately, it was a front kick that proved to be the difference maker as Vera walked away with the knockout win.

Marlon Vera, UFC 268, Frankie Edgar, UFC
Marlon Vera

Marlon Vera explains why he flipped off Frankie Edgar at UFC 268

Christopher Taylor - November 7, 2021

Marlon Vera picked up the biggest win of his career last night at MSG, finishing Frankie Edgar in the third round of their fight at UFC 268. The victory came by way of a stunning front kick, a strike which sent the former lightweight champion crashing to the Octagon canvas (see that here).

TUF 20 finale
Dana White

Dana White not ready to give Carla Esparza a title shot following UFC 268: "We have an option"

Christopher Taylor - November 7, 2021

Dana White is not ready to proclaim Carla Esparza as the next strawweight title challenger, this despite Rose Namajunas’ win at UFC 268. Esparza (18-6 MMA), the promotions former strawweight champion, is currently on a five-fight winning streak and seemingly has the best case for a title shot when compared to any of the other divisions contenders.

zhang-weili-henry-cejudo
UFC

Henry Cejudo praises Weili Zhang following hard-fought loss at UFC 268

Adam Martin - November 7, 2021

Former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo praised Weili Zhang following her hard-fought loss in the main event at UFC 268 on Saturday night. Zhang had been training with Cejudo and the gang at Fight Ready MMA ahead of her UFC women’s strawweight title rematch against Rose Namajunas, which co-headlined UFC 268. One of the reasons Zhang switched her camp for this fight was because of the disastrous result of the first fight with Namajunas at UFC 261 that saw her lose via head kick KO.

Mike Winkeljohn, Jon Jones
UFC

Jon Jones says he "definitely won't be going back" to Team Jackson-Wink after recent ban from gym

Adam Martin - November 7, 2021

Former UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones says he “definitely won’t be going back” to Team Jackson-Wink after his recent ban from the gym. Jones was involved in a domestic battery incident in Las Vegas in September, and last month, his former coach Mike Winkeljohn admitted that he kicked Jones out of the gym. The reason Winkeljohn gave Jones the boot from his longtime gym is twofold. One, because Winkeljohn is a husband and father of daughters himself and he felt conflicted continuing to train Jones while the domestic issue is looming over him. And two, Jones’ issues with alcohol. Jones has admitted that he has a problem with alcohol, and Winkeljohn wants him to get the help he needed before coming back to the gym.

Ciryl-Gane-Francis-Ngannou
Francis Ngannou

Francis Ngannou completely ignores Ciryl Gane backstage at UFC 268 (Video)

Adam Martin - November 7, 2021

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou completely ignored interim champion Ciryl Gane when they encountered each other backstage at UFC 268. Gane won the interim heavyweight title back at UFC 265 in August when he knocked out Derrick Lewis in the third round of the fight. Remember, the UFC had originally booked Ngannou against Lewis in that fight, but the promotion created an interim title after Ngannou was not able to defend his title in August. Instead of Ngannou facing Lewis for the undisputed heavyweight title, it was Gane who went in there and beat Lewis.

Dana White, Aidan White
Dana White

Dana White reveals he bet $100,000 on Canelo Alvarez to knock out Caleb Plant

Adam Martin - November 7, 2021

UFC president Dana White revealed he bet $100,000 on Canelo Alvarez to knock out Caleb Plant, winning over $41,000 when he got the job done. Alvarez fought Plant in Las Vegas on Saturday night, and on the other side of the country, UFC 268 took place in New York City. While White was busy overseeing UFC 268 and sitting cageside during the event, he also had the Alvarez vs. Plant fight on his monitor in front of his desk outside of the Octagon. The reason he was so interested in the Alvarez vs. Plant fight? While White is a massive boxing fan, it wasn’t just because he was so interested in watching the fight, but also because he had a $100,000 bet on Alvarez.

Sean-Strickland
Sean Strickland

Sean Strickland takes a shot at Luke Rockhold after teammate Chris Curtis pulls off upset at UFC 268

Adam Martin - November 7, 2021

UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland took a shot at rival Luke Rockhold after his teammate Chris Curtis pulled off an upset at UFC 268. Strickland was originally set to take on Rockhold in a high-profile middleweight bout on the UFC 268 pay-per-view card. However, Rockhold was forced to pull out of the fight with an injury, and the UFC decided against booking Strickland against another opponent on the same card. Instead, the promotion had an open slot on the card, and, crazy enough, the open slot was given to Strickland’s teammate Curtis, who took on Phil Hawes. Hawes vs. Curtis was supposed to happen last month in Las Vegas, but Hawes wanted more time to prepare for his opponent. With Strickland/Rockhold off, there was a spot open at UFC 268, and so Strickland decided to make the trip to New York and support Curtis.

Chris-Barnett
UFC

Chris Barnett reacts after landing incredible spinning wheel kick KO on Gian Villante at UFC 268

Adam Martin - November 7, 2021

UFC heavyweight Chris Barnett reacted after landing an incredible spinning wheel kick KO on Gian Villante at Saturday’s UFC 268 event. Barnett was making his second UFC appearance after losing by submission to Ben Rothwell earlier this year. At 5’9″ and weighing in around the 265lbs heavyweight limit, Barnett is far from the most physically-imposing heavyweight on the UFC roster. But just because someone doesn’t have a six-pack doesn’t mean that they can’t fight. On Saturday night at UFC 268, Barnett picked up the first win of his UFC career when he landed an absolutely astonishing spinning wheel kick KO on Villante. It was an absolutely insane knockout and the fact that Barnett of all people landed the kick was beyond incredible.

Justin Gaethje
Michael Chandler

Justin Gaethje reacts following Fight of the Night war with Michael Chandler at UFC 268

Adam Martin - November 7, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje reacted following his Fight of the Night war with Michael Chandler at Saturday’s UFC 268 card. Gaethje and Chandler went to war for 15 minutes in what was the best fight of the night at UFC 268. Both Gaethje and Chandler stool in the center of the Octagon and traded punches and kicks for three full rounds. Incredibly, both men had the toughness and durability to actually make it the distance even despite throwing everything including the kitchen sink at each other’s heads. It was an absolutely phenomenal fight, but at the end of the three rounds, it was Gaethje who got his hand raised by unanimous decision.

Marlon Vera, Frankie Edgar, UFC 268
Marlon Vera

Marlon Vera reacts after knocking out Frankie Edgar at UFC 268: "This is a dream come true"

Adam Martin - November 7, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera reacted after knocking out MMA legend Frankie Edgar at UFC 268, saying “this is a dream come true.” Vera knocked out Edgar with a front kick late in the third round of their UFC 268 main card bantamweight fight. It was a phenomenal victory by Vera, who is now poised to enter the top-10 rankings in the stacked UFC 135lbs weight class. For Vera, this knockout over Edgar represents by far the biggest win of his career on paper, and he did it in style, too, winning a $50,000 bonus for “Performance of the Night” for his incredible knockout.

Dillon Danis
Dillon Danis

Dillon Danis reportedly removed from UFC 268 after being slapped by Ali Abdelaziz

Adam D Martin - November 7, 2021

Bellator fighter Dillon Danis was reportedly removed from Saturday’s UFC 268 event after being slapped by MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz. According to MMAjunkie.com’s John Morgan, Danis and Abdelaziz met backstage at UFC 268, and apparently, Abdelaziz slapped Danis in the face, which was seen by several witnesses. However, even though it was Danis who was the one who was reportedly slapped in the face, it was actually Danis who was the one who was removed from the arena. Abdelaziz also declined to comment on what exactly happened between them.

Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington
Jorge Masvidal

Colby Covington tells Jorge Masvidal to pull out of his fight with Leon Edwards: “Let’s run in the first quarter of the first part of the year”

Adam D Martin - November 7, 2021

Colby Covington told Jorge Masvidal to pull out of his fight with Leon Edwards: “Let’s run in the first quarter of the first part of (2022).” Covington fought his archrival, Kamaru Usman, in the main event of UFC 268 and came away on the losing end of a unanimous decision at the end of the 25 minutes. Although Covington had his moments in the fight, he wasn’t able to do enough damage to the champ, and he didn’t utilize enough effective wrestling to win the decision. While it was a close fight and Covington proved that he’s an elite welterweight by taking Usman to the brink of defeat, once again it was the champ who pulled off the victory over Covington.

Rose Namajunas, UFC 237
UFC

Rose Namajunas discusses the trash talking that was taking place during her rematch with Zhang Weili at UFC 268

Adam D Martin - November 7, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight champ Rose Namajunas discussed the trash-talking that was taking place during her rematch with Zhang Weili at UFC 268. Namajunas and Zhang met in the co-main event of UFC 268 in what was a highly-anticipated rematch between the current 115lbs women’s champ and the former champion. These two previously met back at UFC 261 in April, and it was Namajunas who landed a perfect head kick on Zhang and finished her with strikes. The rematch this time around was a much closer fight as both women had their moments in the bout. But ultimately it was the judges who sided with Namajunas winning the fight unanimously.

Weili Zhang
UFC

Weili Zhang issues statement following split decision loss to Rose Namajunas at UFC 268

Adam D Martin - November 7, 2021

Weili Zhang issued a statement following her split decision loss to UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas at UFC 268. Zhang fought as hard as she could over the course of 25 minutes, but ultimately it was Namajunas who edged out a narrow split decision on the judges’ scorecards. For Zhang, it is her second straight defeat to Namajunas after losing via head kick KO earlier this year at UFC 261. This second fight was much closer, and some fans even thought that Zhang deserved to win, but ultimately it was Namajunas who edged out the split decision win.

Colby-Covington
Kamaru Usman

Colby Covington reacts following loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 268: “He’s a cheating coward. I have no respect for that guy”

Adam D Martin - November 7, 2021

Colby Covington reacted following his loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 268, saying that “he’s a cheating coward. I have no respect for that guy.” Usman and Covington went five hard rounds in the main event of UFC 268. It was an incredible fight between both men as they showed they are the best two welterweights on the planet. However, just like in their first meeting two years ago at UFC 245, it was Usman who once again got his hand raised, this time by unanimous decision. However, Covington doesn’t think it was a legitimate win and complained about Usman after it.

Nate Diaz
Kamaru Usman

Nate Diaz throws shade at UFC 268’s Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington main event

Adam D Martin - November 7, 2021

UFC welterweight Nate Diaz threw shade at UFC 268’s main event headliners Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington following last night’s PPV card. Diaz was watching Saturday’s UFC 268 card along with the rest of the MMA community. In the main event, it was Usman who defended the UFC welterweight championship with a unanimous decision over Covington. It was a razor-close fight, but Usman did more damage in the early rounds and it ended up giving him the victory at the end of the five rounds. But Diaz used the fight as an opportunity to take a shot at Usman and Covington.