MMA News
Islam Makhachev heavily favored to defeat Dan Hooker at UFC 267
Adam D Martin - October 1, 2021
Top-ranked UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev is heavily favored to defeat divisional rival Dan Hooker at UFC 267 later this month. Makhachev was supposed to fight Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 267, but RDA was forced to pull out of the fight with an injury. In his place steps Hooker, who is fresh off of a decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 last weekend. With the UFC in a tough situation in regards to finding a suitable opponent to fight Makhachev, Hooker stepped up on short notice. The two lightweights will now meet later this month at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi.
Alex Oliveira tells opponent Niko Price to 'get a vasectomy'
Andrew Whitelaw - October 1, 2021
Alex ‘Cowboy’ Oliveira is a father of 11 and he just told Niko Price, soon-to-be father of 6 to ‘get a vasectomy.’ The pair will go head to head at UFC Fight Night 192 with both men looking to return to winning ways.
OK's title win vs Christian Lee upheld by ONE Championship competition committee
Andrew Whitelaw - September 30, 2021
Ok Rae Yoon can rest easy – he’ll remain the newly-crowned ONE Championship lightweight title holder after his win over Christian Lee was upheld. The Korean scored a unanimous decision win against Christian Lee at ONE Championship: ‘Revolution’ last weekend, but the result was called into question. Immediately after the fight, Lee said the decision was ‘bulls**’ and asked for it to be reviewed.
Vicente Luque says he's earned title showdown with Kamaru Usman
Andrew Whitelaw - September 30, 2021
Vicente Luque believes he deserves a title shot against Kamaru Usman. Having signed with the UFC in 2015, the Brazilian has proven himself to be one of the most exciting fighters in the division. In 16 fights, Luque has earned Performance of the Night bonuses on four occasions and four Fight of the Night bonuses. The 29 year old finds himself in some of the best form of his career. Currently ranked a #4 in the welterweight division, he’s riding a four fight winning streak including back-to-back submission victories over Michael Chiesa and former champion, Tyron Woodley.
Kevin Holland takes a swipe at Luke Rockhold, claims the former UFC champ is only returning because he's "broke as a f*ck"
Christopher Taylor - September 30, 2021
Kevin Holland claims that the reason former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is returning to the Octagon is because he’s flat broke. Holland (21-7 MMA) is set to return to action this weekend at UFC Vegas 38 when he squares off with the #14 ranked Kyle Daukaus.
Joe Rogan says Nick Diaz 'didn’t do that bad' at UFC 266 but believes he needed more time to prepare
Cole Shelton - September 30, 2021
Joe Rogan was impressed with Nick Diaz’s performance at UFC 266 against Robbie Lawler despite the long layoff. Diaz made his return to the Octagon for the first time since 2016 in a rematch against Lawler. In the lead-up to the fight, many didn’t know how Diaz would look, yet for Rogan, he said the Stockton native did better than he expected, but still lost but third-round TKO. However, the UFC commentator doesn’t think Diaz had enough time to properly prepare for his fight.
Dan Hooker steps up on short notice, faces Islam Makhachev at UFC 267
Adam Martin - September 30, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker has decided to step up on short notice, and he will face Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 next month. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to break the news that Hooker is fighting Makhachev at UFC 267. That’s according to UFC president Dana White, who confirmed the fight is set.
Wanderlei Silva calls out Vitor Belfort for rematch in boxing
Adam Martin - September 30, 2021
MMA legend Wanderlei Silva called out fellow Brazilian mixed martial artist Vitor Belfort for a rematch in the boxing ring. Silva and Belfort have never seen eye-to-eye. The pair first met way back at UFC Brazil in October 1998, with Belfort finishing Silva with a first-round knockout. The two then coached TUF Brazil in 2012 and were supposed to fight in a rematch, but the fight was canceled due to injuries. But even a decade later, these two do still not like each other and they continue to take shots at each other whenever they are able to get the chance to.
Lauren Murphy explains why she nearly pulled out of UFC 266 title fight with Valentina Shevchenko
Adam Martin - September 30, 2021
Lauren Murphy explained why she nearly pulled out of her UFC 266 title fight with UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. Murphy fought Shevchenko in the co-main event of this past Saturday’s UFC 266 PPV card, and she ended up losing the fight via fourth-round TKO. It was not a good performance by Murphy, but she says one of the reasons for that is because she didn’t have her head coach, Alex Cisne, in her corner for the fight. Her coach tested positive for COVID-19 just days before the fight and Murphy was forced to fight Shevchenko without her coach.
Daniel Cormier comes to the defense of Joe Rogan following recent criticism
Adam D Martin - September 30, 2021
UFC analyst Daniel Cormier came to the defense of his broadcasting partner Joe Rogan following recent criticism directed towards him. Rogan has been one of the UFC’s stalwarts for over 20 years during its pay-per-view broadcasts, but he was absent from UFC 266 this past weekend as he already had a hunting trip planned for the same date. With Rogan off the card, Cormier worked inside the commentary booth with Paul Felder and Jon Anik, and it turned out to be a very good broadcast team as fans and media praised all three for their work inside the booth.
Joe Solecki says Jared Gordon fight has the potential to be the 'Fight of the Night'
Cole Shelton - September 30, 2021
Joe Solecki didn’t think Jared Gordon would be his next opponent but he is eager for the challenge he presents. Solecki is 3-0 in the UFC and coming off a decision win over Jim Miller. After the win, many thought he would be near the rankings but for Solecki, he says he’s in no rush and will fight anyone the UFC offers him and that continues with Gordon at UFC Vegas 38.
Petr Yan blasts Aljamain Sterling, says he doesn't have 'the balls to enter the Octagon with me again'
Cole Shelton - September 30, 2021
Petr Yan wasn’t surprised when he heard Aljamain Sterling pulled out of their rematch at UFC 267. Yan and Sterling were supposed to have their highly-anticipated rematch in Abu Dhabi at UFC 267 in an intriguing matchup. They first fought back at UFC 259 in March where Sterling became the new champion due to Yan throwing an illegal knee and being DQ’d.
Dan Hooker on a potential scrap with Nate Diaz: “It’s definitely not a difficult fight for him to get”
Adam D Martin - September 30, 2021
UFC lightweight Dan Hooker opened up on a potential scrap with Nate Diaz, saying “it’s definitely not a difficult fight for him to get.” Hooker is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 this past Saturday night in Las Vegas, a win that snapped a two-fight losing skid for “The Hangman.” Now that Hooker is back in the win column, he knows that he can start calling out higher-ranked fighters and bigger-name fighters, and it doesn’t get much bigger than Diaz. Following his big win over Haqparast last weekend, Hooker said that he’s open to fighting Diaz and that all the Stockton native has to do is simply request the fight.
BKFC President Dave Feldman confirms the future of Paige VanZant is “up in the air”
Adam D Martin - September 30, 2021
BKFC President Dave Feldman confirmed that the future of women’s fighter Paige VanZant is “up in the air” following two straight losses. VanZant signed a lucrative free-agent contract with BKFC last year after her UFC contract expired, but so far, things have not gone to plan for her. VanZant began her BKFC career with a decision loss to Britain Hart earlier this year, before losing to Rachael Ostovich in her second BKFC fight. It now looks like with those two losses that VanZant believes that her heart might not be in the BKFC game and she is considering going back to MMA.
Dan Hardy shares the nasty DMs he received from former UFC champ Tyron Woodley
Harry Kettle - September 30, 2021
Former UFC fighter and commentator Dan Hardy has shared some of the direct messages he’s received from Tyron Woodley on social media. Over the course of the last few days we’ve seen a strange rivalry emerge between Dan Hardy and Tyron Woodley, largely focusing on Woodley’s loss to Jake Paul – countered by “The Chosen One” mocking the “Outlaw” for never winning a UFC title.
Johnny Walker shares plans to become the UFC’s next two-division champion
Harry Kettle - September 30, 2021
UFC light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker is gearing up to try and make a run at becoming the UFC’s latest two-division champion. While he may have been through his fair share of ups and downs throughout his time in the UFC, there’s no denying just how exciting Johnny Walker is. From his fight style to his personality to his look and beyond, there’s a lot of star potential there – so long as he can begin to piece it all together.
Michael Bisping reacts to "insanely strange" trend of fight fans knocking Joe Rogan: "I watch him and learn every time"
Christopher Taylor - September 29, 2021
Former middleweight champion Michael Bisping is perplexed by the trend of fight fans knocking Joe Rogan over his UFC commentating. Rogan has been criticized for is fight commentating, or lack their of, during his recent stints behind the booth. While some fight fans believe the longtime UFC commentator is no longer a valuable asset on the broadcast, Michael Bisping believes otherwise.
Dominick Cruz returns at UFC 269 against top-10 bantamweight Pedro Munhoz
Cole Shelton - September 29, 2021
Dominick Cruz will be returning to the Octagon in December but not against Sean O’Malley. O’Malley has been hinting that he will be fighting in December and called out Cruz but according to MMAFighting, the former bantamweight champion will return on December 11 at UFC 269 against Pedro Munhoz. The event is expected to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.