MMA News

Adam D Martin - September 6, 2021

UFC legend BJ Penn shared his take on MMA’s lightweight GOAT, saying that he believes Khabib Nurmagomedov walked away too early. Many fans would consider Nurmagomedov the No. 1 lightweight of all time after going 29-0 in his MMA career, including a perfect 13-0 record in the UFC alone. However, some critics of Nurmagomedov have pointed out the fact he only had three title defenses as reasons as to why he might not be the run-away GOAT, with others such as Penn in the conversation.

Adam D Martin - September 6, 2021

Modestas Bukauskas told UFC fans to cut Khalil Rountree some slack, affirming “that kick was all good, it was my job to defend it.” Rountree landed a brutal oblique kick on Bukauskas in the second round of their light heavyweight bout at UFC Vegas 36 that caused a stop to their fight. It was an absolutely brutal low kick and one of the first instances in MMA where we have seen the oblique kick end a fight. Although UFC legend Jon Jones has utilized the move for his whole career, he was never able to finish a fight with the technique, which makes Rountree’s win even more impressive. However, the highlight-reel stoppage came at a cost as Bukauskas’ leg was badly damaged. While we don’t know the full extent of the damage yet, there is a good chance that something was seriously injured and that he will be out for a while recovering.

Harry Kettle - September 6, 2021

Mike Perry has explained why he regrets having a beef with Jake Paul – whilst simultaneously putting forward a challenge to J’Leon Love. There are few characters out there as unpredictable as Mike Perry and while many enjoy his antics, others just want to make sure he’s okay and at peace in his life. Whether or not he returns to a UFC cage, in many ways, isn’t even the point.

Harry Kettle - September 6, 2021

UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has hit back at Justin Gaethje for claiming his title win made the division a “laughing stock” earlier this year. While Oliveira may have won the title fair and square against Michael Chandler at UFC 262, many felt as if it wasn’t a legitimate undisputed championship fight due to the absence of Dustin Poirier. Gaethje has made it crystal clear in the last few months that he didn’t really understand the booking, and after taking another shot at Oliveira, “Do Bronx” has decided to fire back.

Christopher Taylor - September 5, 2021

UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar shared disturbing videos of a hospital altercation and police stand-off on Saturday afternoon. The former light heavyweight standout, Bonnar (15-9 MMA), has not competed since suffering split-decision loss to Tito Ortiz in 2014.

Christopher Taylor - September 5, 2021

UFC star Nate Diaz and Octagon girl Arianny Celeste have addressed the recent ring girl comments made by Khabib Nurmagomedov. ‘The Eagle’ had recently made headlines when he dubbed ring girls as being “useless” in mixed martial arts.

Joe McDonagh - September 5, 2021

Paddy Pimblett stock rose higher than ever with his KO victory at UFC Vegas 36. Pimblett was hit, and hurt, but withstood the punishment to victory, receiving a performance bonus in his UFC debut. It was a long time coming for ‘The Baddy’, seeing as he denied the UFC numerous times before finally signing with the major promotion. You often hear the saying, “don’t throw all your eggs in one basket.” When the UFC brass come calling, it is not an easy decision to deny the chance at fame and fortune. Most regional fighters are making next to nothing, working multiple jobs on top of training, and have been waiting for the call most of their life. It isn’t an easy decline to make.

Adam Martin - September 5, 2021

Daniel Rodriguez called out Belal Muhammad after breaking into the UFC welterweight top-15 rankings following his recent win in the Octagon. The fighter affectionately known as “DRod” burst onto the scene last year with a short-notice submission win over Tim Means in February 2020. In the last 18 months, Rodriguez has competed seven times inside the Octagon, compiling an impressive 6-1 record during that time. He has quickly become a fan favorite as he likes to stand and trade on his feet, and after beating Kevin Lee in his last fight, fans are starting to realize how good he is.

Adam Martin - September 5, 2021

Jiri Prochazka is in phenomenal shape ahead of his backup role in the upcoming UFC 267 light heavyweight title fight. Prochazka joined the UFC last summer on Fight Island and picked up a beautiful knockout win over former title challenger Volkan Oezdemeir in his UFC debut. He then returned to the Octagon back in May and he finished Dominick Reyes in an amazing fight that won him both “Fight of the Night” and “Performance of the Night.” Despite Prochazka looking absolutely amazing so far in the UFC, the promotion already had Glover Teixeira as the No 1 contender at 205lbs and had to give him the title shot first. So the UFC booked light heavyweight champ Jan Blachowicz against Teixeira at UFC 267 in October. But just in case anything happens to either fighter, Prochazka has officially been named as the backup.

Adam Martin - September 5, 2021

UFC women’s flyweight Molly McCann released a statement following her “Fight of the Night”-winning performance at UFC Vegas 36. McCann was coming into this fight off of two straight losses, so she badly needed a win to cement her place on the UFC roster. Not only did McCann win the fight against Ji Yeon Kim, but she also put on a “Fight of the Night”-winning performance in the process. The fight was an absolute war between the two flyweights, with McCann eventually earning a narrow decision win on the scorecards with 29-28 scores across the board for the British fighter.

Adam Martin - September 5, 2021

The upcoming Vitor Belfort vs. Evander Holyfield Triller boxing event was shifted to Florida after California refused to sanction the fight. Belfort was expected to fight Oscar De La Hoya next weekend, but the former boxing champ was forced to withdraw from the fight after contracting COVID-19. Rather than scrapping the entire event, the promotion was able to get a short-notice replacement in the form of Evander Holyfield to step in and take the fight against Belfort. However, because Holyfield is 58 years old, the California State Athletic Commission refused to sanction the fight to take place in the state. Instead, Triller will move the entire event to Florida.

Adam D Martin - September 5, 2021

UFC light heavyweight Modestas Bukauskas says he broke his leg following a brutal oblique kick from Khalil Rountree at UFC Vegas 36. Rountree’s back was up against the wall heading into this fight after losing his last two outings, and he made good on that with one of the best performances of his UFC career. For the first round of the fight, Rountree was constantly beating Bukauskas to the punch the whole time, and then in the second round, he began lighting up his opponent with low kicks. At the 2:30 mark of the second round, Rountree landed an absolutely brutal oblique kick that knocked Bukauskas to the floor and forced referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.

Adam D Martin - September 5, 2021

UFC middleweight Derek Brunson is open to fighting the Paul brothers or Jared Cannonier, but ideally, he wants a title shot at 185lbs. Brunson defeated Darren Till in the main event of UFC Vegas 36 on Saturday night to pick up his fifth straight win inside the Octagon. Now 37 years old, Brunson knows that if he is going to make a run for the title currently owned by UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, that he will have to fight for the belt soon. With five straight victories, Brunson knows that he has all the momentum in the world and he doesn’t want to squander it.

Adam D Martin - September 5, 2021

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold shared his thoughts on Jake Paul, saying “he’s not a real fighter. He’s a tough kid.” Paul has become one of the bigger names in combat sports over the last few years. The YouTuber-turner-boxer has turned heads with a 4-0 professional boxing record, which includes back-to-back wins over former UFC fighters Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren. Still, not everyone is sold on him becoming some sort of champion boxer or MMA fighter. If you ask Rockhold, while there’s a lot to like about Paul, he’s still a very flawed fighter.

Adam D Martin - September 5, 2021

UFC analyst Michael Bisping advised promotional superstar Conor McGregor to ‘take a tune-up fight’ next, and he named his ideal opponent. McGregor broke his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July in what was the trilogy fight between the two rivals. Following the fight, which was McGregor’s second straight TKO defeat to Poirier, the Irishman has had harsh words to say about Poirier, his wife, and his team. Clearly, McGregor is gunning for a fourth fight whenever he is able to return from his broken leg in 2022, but if you ask Bisping, he should take another fight before Poirier.

Adam D Martin - September 5, 2021

UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira sent Darren Till a motivational message following his tough loss to Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 36. Till lost via third-round submission to Brunson in the main event of UFC Vegas 36. It was Till’s second straight loss and his fourth defeat over his last five tries, which puts him at a crossroads in his MMA career. Although Till is only 28 years old, it seems clear that right now, he is not an elite fighter at either 185lbs or 170lbs. Having said that, he still has a chance to turn things around in his career, especially when he compares himself to the likes of Oliveira, who at one point looked like he would be nothing more than a gatekeeper.

Adam D Martin - September 5, 2021

Manager Ali Abdelaziz revealed his client Derek Brunson was injured and could “barely drive his car” ahead of his UFC fight with Darren Till. Brunson used his wrestling, ground-and-pound, and finally, his submission skills to take out Till in the third round of their UFC Vegas 36 main event on Saturday. Don’t look now, but Brunson is on a five-fight winning streak and is closing in on the top of the UFC middleweight division. However, according to his manager Abdelaziz, there was a chance that Brunson was not even going to be able to make it into the cage against Till.

Chris Taylor - September 4, 2021

A number of pro fighters have called for the banning of oblique kicks following Khalil Rountree’s nasty TKO victory at UFC Vegas 36. Rountree (9-5 MMA) squared off with fellow light heavyweight Modestas Bukauskas (11-5 MMA) on the main card of today’s Fight Night event in Las Vegas. Both men had entered the contest looking to rebound from two-fight losing skids.