MMA News

Sean O'Malley
Sean O'Malley

Sean O’Malley claims a “drunk” Luke Rockhold pestered his father in Montana

Harry Kettle - August 9, 2021

Sean O’Malley has claimed that a drunk Luke Rockhold mocked him during a recent interaction with O’Malley’s father. There are many rising figures within the sport of mixed martial arts but you could argue few are as unique as Sean O’Malley. From his fight style to the manner in which he carries himself, he really does stand out amongst the pack at bantamweight.

Rafael-Fiziev
Rafael Fiziev

Rafael Fiziev criticizes Khabib Nurmagomedov's fighting style: "I was never his fan"

Adam Martin - August 8, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev explained why he did not enjoy watching Khabib Nurmagomedov fight, saying that “I was never his fan.” Fiziev is one of the top strikers in the UFC lightweight division and he just put on a show against veteran Bobby Green at UFC 265. In a three-round war, Fiziev outpointed Green to take home the decision and improve to 4-1 in the UFC. The pair of fighters also took home $50,000 each for “Fight of the Night.” The talented Fiziev is quickly closing in on the top-15 of the UFC lightweight division and could potentially make an even bigger push should he be able to get a fight against one of the top dogs in the division. And even though he’s retired now, there’s no bigger fish in the sea than the former champion Nurmagomedov.

Vicente-Luque-Michael-Chiesa
UFC

Vicente Luque reacts after submitting Michael Chiesa with a D'Arce choke at UFC 265

Adam Martin - August 8, 2021

Top-ranked welterweight title contender Vicente Luque reacted after submitting Michael Chiesa with a D’Arce choke at UFC 265. Luque was coming into this fight against Chiesa off of a D’Arce choke victory over Tyron Woodley in his last fight, and he went back to his signature move here against Chiesa at UFC 265. After Luque was able to thwart off an early rear-naked choke submission attempt by Chiesa, he then locked him up with the D’Arce choke for the victory. It was the fourth win in a row for “The Silent Assassin,” and his 10th win in his last 11 fights inside the Octagon. With the victory over Chiesa, Luque improved to 14-3 in the UFC with 13 finishes.

Stephen Thompson
UFC

Stephen Thompson believes he can make another UFC title run despite loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 264

Adam Martin - August 8, 2021

Despite losing by unanimous decision to Gilbert Burns at UFC 264, Stephen Thompson still believes he can make another welterweight title run. The 38-year-old Thompson was coming into UFC 264 off of back-to-back wins over Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal, but his striking attack was thwarted by Burns, who was able to take “Wonderboy” down to the ground and control him for the duration of the bout. It was not the most exciting fight, and UFC president Dana White admitted he wasn’t a fan of it. But at the end of the day, Burns got his hand raised and Thompson saw his win streak snap.

Gilbert Burns
UFC

Gilbert Burns says he will never fight his "brother" Vicente Luque in the UFC

Adam Martin - August 8, 2021

Top-ranked UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns says that he will never fight his “brother” Vicente Luque inside the Octagon. Burns defeated Stephen Thompson last month at UFC 264 to solidify his spot in the top-five at 170lbs, while Luque submitted Michael Chiesa at UFC 265 to announce that he is a top contender, too. Naturally, with both Burns and Luque coming off of big wins and being ranked in the top-five of the stacked UFC welterweight division, there are some fans who would like to see this matchup next. However, with Burns and Luque being good friends and training partners, “Durinho” says he will never fight against “The Silent Assassin.”

Francis Ngannou
Derrick Lewis

Francis Ngannou says Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis were fighting for the No. 2 contender spot at UFC 265

Adam Martin - August 8, 2021

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou said that Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis were fighting for the No. 2 contender spot at UFC 265. Ngannou is the UFC heavyweight champion and he was initially unhappy that Dana White booked this interim title fight between Gane and Lewis for UFC 265 given that he just beat Stipe Miocic back in March to win the title. In any case, Ngannou knows that the winner of Gane vs. Lewis will be next up for the belt, and so he watched the fight on Saturday night. Before the fight started, he shared a video where he made the joke that Gane and Lewis were fighting not for a real UFC belt, but rather for the No. 2 contender spot in the UFC heavyweight rankings, since Miocic is still technically the No. 1 contender in the division.

Dana White, UFC, Tony Ferguson, Jon Jones, UFC on ESPN 12
MMA News

Dana White says he has "abandoned all hope" of Khabib Nurmagomedov ever fighting in the UFC again

Adam Martin - August 8, 2021

UFC president Dana White says that he has “abandoned all hope” of former lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov ever fighting in the UFC again. Nurmagomedov first made mention of wanting to retire last October after he finished Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. At the time, Nurmagomedov’s father Abdulmanap had just passed away due to complications from COVID-19, and so White told the champ to take a few months off before making any final decision about his future. However, Nurmagomedov decided that he was at peace with his career and made the call to walk away in his prime with a perfect 29-0 record in MMA. But because he is still in his early 30s and has never lost, White has been holding out hope that he would change his mind about his retirement.

Jose Aldo
Pedro Munhoz

Jose Aldo releases statement following victory over "very tough guy" Pedro Munhoz at UFC 265

Adam D Martin - August 8, 2021

UFC bantamweight star Jose Aldo released a statement following his victory over his opponent, the “very tough guy” Pedro Munhoz, at UFC 265. Aldo won a unanimous decision over Munhoz in the co-main event of the UFC 265 pay-per-view. The Brazilian was able to outstrike his fellow countryman for the majority of the three rounds and take home a clear verdict on the judges’ scorecards. For Aldo, it was his second straight win after defeating Marlon Vera by decision in his last fight. He has won two straight fights now after having lost three straight fights. Despite being 34 years old and about to turn 35, Aldo seems to actually be improving and getting better as a fighter.

Ciryl-Gane
Derrick Lewis

Ciryl Gane reacts after knocking out Derrick Lewis to win heavyweight title at UFC 265

Adam D Martin - August 8, 2021

Newly-minted world titleholder Ciryl Gane reacted after knocking out Derrick Lewis to win the interim heavyweight title at UFC 265. Gane stopped Lewis with strikes in the third round of their heavyweight title fight that served as the main event of UFC 265. The Frenchman absolutely dominated Lewis in the fight from bell to bell as he utilized superior striking technique to piece apart “The Black Beast” and then score the finish in the third round with strikes. The win improved the UFC record of “Bon Gamin” to a perfect 7-0 and he’s 10-0 overall in mixed martial arts. At this point, Gane looks like he can give a really tough test to UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, and the two former teammates seem destined for a future title unification bout.

Karolina-Kowalkiewicz
UFC

Video | Karolina Kowalkiewicz breaks down in tears following UFC 265 loss: "I need to maybe find a new passion in life, and that hurts”

Adam D Martin - August 8, 2021

Karolina Kowalkiewicz broke down in tears following her UFC 265 loss, saying that “I need to maybe find a new passion in life and that hurts.” Kowalkiewicz, who was once the No. 1 contender in the UFC women’s strawweight division, has really fallen on hard times in her MMA career over the last few years. She entered Saturday night’s fight against fellow veteran Jessica Penne on a four-fight losing skid, and that skid is now five straight fights after Penne submitted Kowalkiewicz with an armbar in the first round of their fight. Kowalkiewicz has now lost five straight fights, and taking to her social media following UFC 265, the Pole hinted that she could be finished with MMA.

Jon Jones
Jon Jones

Dana White confirms Jon Jones will not fight again until 2022

Adam D Martin - August 8, 2021

UFC president Dana White confirmed that former UFC light heavyweight champion-turned-heavyweight Jon Jones will not fight again until 2022. Jones vacated the UFC’s 205lbs belt title last summer while announcing that he would be making the move up to the UFC heavyweight division in 2021. However, Jones got into a contract dispute with the promotion earlier this year in regards to a UFC heavyweight title fight against champion Francis Ngannou. The fight never ended up getting made and instead, it looks like the possibility of Jones vs. Ngannou is something that may not even happen now. That’s because, at UFC 265, Ciryl Gane defeated Derrick Lewis to become the interim UFC heavyweight champion, and now he will be next in line to fight Ngannou.

Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor, UFC
Jose Aldo

Conor McGregor praises “real legend” Jose Aldo following his win at UFC 265

Adam D Martin - August 8, 2021

UFC superstar Conor McGregor praised his former rival, the “real legend” Jose Aldo, following his big win over Pedro Munhoz at UFC 265. McGregor and Aldo previously met at UFC 194 in December 2015, with the Irishman knocking the Brazilian out in the first round to become the new UFC featherweight champion. While there were many fans who thought that Aldo might be on the decline after McGregor sparked him, it’s now over five years later and yet Aldo is still winning fights. Not only is he still getting his hand raised, but he’s doing it at a different weight class, having committed himself to the UFC’s 135lbs division for the last two years. Considering Aldo has been in the UFC for over a decade, what he is doing is quite unparalleled in many ways.

Vince McMahon, Dana White
Dana White

Dana White on future Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane title fight: "F*cking Vince couldn’t have wrote a better script for this"

Christopher Taylor - August 8, 2021

Dana White claims Vince McMahon couldn’t have wrote a better script for the UFC’s future heavyweight title unification bout between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane. Gane (10-0 MMA) captured the promotions interim heavyweight title at tonight’s UFC 265 event in Houston by scoring a third round TKO victory over Derrick Lewis. It was a dominant performance from the Frenchman and one that has now set him up on a collision course with Francis Ngannou.

Michael Chiesa, Colby Covington
UFC

Michael Chiesa issues statement following first round submission loss to Vicente Luque at UFC 265

Christopher Taylor - August 7, 2021

Michael Chiesa has issued a statement after suffering a first round submission loss to Vicente Luque at tonight’s UFC 265 event in Houston. Chiesa (18-5 MMA) had entered tonight’s bout sporting a four-fight winning steak, his latest being a drubbing of Neil Magny in January. ‘Maverick’ had most previously tasted defeated at the hands of Anthony Pettis in a lightweight scrap in November of 2018.

Ciryl-Gane
Derrick Lewis

UFC 265 Bonus Report: Six fighters awarded bonuses

Chris Taylor - August 7, 2021

The Octagon returned to Houston for tonight’s UFC 265 event, a thirteen-bout fight card headlined by heavyweights Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane. The highly anticipated interim heavyweight title fight proved to be a one-sided affair. Ciryl Gane was able to utilize some fancy footwork and technical striking to seriously outpoint Derrick Lewis through the opening ten minutes of the fight. Then, in round three, the Frenchman put ‘The Black Beast’ away for good after landing a plethora of knees and punches.

Francis Ngannou
Derrick Lewis

Francis Ngannou reacts after Ciryl Gane is crowned interim heavyweight champion at UFC 265

Christopher Taylor - August 7, 2021

Reigning heavyweight kingpin Francis Ngannou tuned in to watch the promotion crown a interim title holder at tonight’s UFC 265 event in Houston. Despite the fact that Ngannou had just captured the UFC heavyweight title back in March, Dana White and company decided a interim title fight was required for tonight’s event headliner in Texas.

Derrick Lewis, Ciryl Gane
Derrick Lewis

Pros react after Ciryl Gane defeats Derrick Lewis at UFC 265

Chris Taylor - August 7, 2021

Tonight’s UFC 265 event in Houston was headlined by a interim heavyweight title fight between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane. Lewis (25-8 MMA) had entered tonight’s main event with Gane (10-0 MMA) sporting a four-fight winning streak. In his most previous effort this past February, ‘The Black Beast‘ had scored a spectacular second-round knockout victory over Curtis Blaydes.

Ciryl Gane, Derrick Lewis
Derrick Lewis

UFC 265 Results: Ciryl Gane stops Derrick Lewis (Video)

Chris Taylor - August 7, 2021

Tonight’s UFC 265 event in Houston is headlined by a interim heavyweight title fight featuring Derrick Lewis taking on Ciryl Gane. Lewis (25-7 MMA) will enter tonight’s main event with Gane (9-0 MMA) sporting a four-fight winning streak. In his most recent effort this past February, ‘The Black Beast‘ scored a sensational second-round knockout victory over perennial division contender Curtis Blaydes.