MMA News
Rachael Ostovich explains decision to rematch Paige VanZant in BKFC: “Money talks”
Harry Kettle - July 22, 2021
Former UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich has explained her decision to take on former foe Paige VanZant in BKFC. While VanZant has already made an appearance in the promotion, Ostovich is set to step into the ring for the first time tomorrow night when she takes on PVZ in a rematch of their January 2019 bout in the UFC. It’ll mark the first combat appearance for Ostovich since losing to Gina Mazany back in November 2020, after which she was released from her UFC contract.
Gilbert Burns and Jake Shields get into heated exchange following the Brazilian's callout of Nate Diaz
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021
Gilbert Burns and Jake Shields got into a heated argument on social media after the Brazilian called out Nate Diaz. Burns, who returned to the win column with a decision win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 264 is looking to find his next opponent. He called out several welterweights like Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. Yet, Shields, who is a longtime teammate of Diaz didn’t think kindly of Burns’ callout.
Justin Gaethje blasts Michael Chandler over his recent comments: "This f****r is slandering my name"
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021
Justin Gaethje has responded to Michael Chandler’s recent comments. On Tuesday, Chandler spoke on an Instagram Live where he made it clear that he wanted to fight Gaethje next. He said one of them would add the other to their highlight reel, but the former Bellator champ claimed “The Highlight” had turned him down a couple of times already.
TJ Dillashaw says Cory Sandhagen fight is the "real title fight," expects to "erase" PED controversy with his performance
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021
TJ Dillashaw believes his fight against Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Vegas 32 is the real title fight. Dillashaw, the former bantamweight champion, is set to make his return to the Octagon after a two-year USADA suspension. It’s an intriguing matchup and due to the fact he never lost his belt inside the cage, he believes his scrap against Sandhagen is a title fight.
Maycee Barber explains move to Team Alpha Male: "I’m not going to sit around and wait for people or beg them to come on this journey with me"
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021
Maycee Barber has been training at a new camp for her UFC Vegas 32 fight against Miranda Maverick. After Barber lost her second fight in a row to Alexa Grasso at UFC 258, she decided to change camps and had to California to train at Team Alpha Male. “The Future” has already been at several gyms like Factory X, Roufusport, JacksonWink, and in Chicago under Mike Valle among others. However, the reason why she made the switch to Team Alpha Male for this fight was due to COVID-19 restrictions among other reasons.
Randy Costa ecstatic for "fun" fight against Adrian Yanez, expects to "open a lot of people's eyes"
Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021
Randy Costa and Adrian Yanez have one of the weirder fight bookings in recent memory. After Yanez picked up his second UFC win, many on MMA Twitter called for him to face Costa. After the Massachusetts native didn’t respond to fans asking if he’d take the fight, some said he was scared. However, “Zohan” quickly responded saying he’s not scared and he likes Adrian but took a shot at Dr. Pepper which is Yanez’s drink of choice. The Texan dumped on Reese’s which Costa likes and the fight was born.
Miesha Tate praises "awesome and inspiring" Marion Reneau following retirement fight at UFC Vegas 31
Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021
UFC women’s bantamweight Miesha Tate praised the “awesome and inspiring” Marion Reneau following her retirement fight at UFC Vegas 31. Tate finished Reneau in the third round of their women’s 135lbs bout at last weekend’s UFC Vegas 31 card. For Tate, it was her comeback to MMA after a five-year layoff where she started a family, while for Reneau, she had announced before the fight that it would be the final walk of her MMA career. Following the loss, which was Reneau’s fifth straight defeat in the Octagon, she lived up to her word and left her gloves in the center of the Octagon.
UFC Vegas 31 rankings update: Islam Makhachev moves to No. 4, Conor McGregor drops to No. 9
Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021
The UFC Vegas 31 rankings update has dropped, and lightweight Islam Makhachev moved to No. 4 at 155lbs while Conor McGregor dropped to No. 9. Makhachev was the No. 9 ranked lightweight going into his main event matchup against No. 14 ranked Thiago Moises at last weekend’s UFC Vegas 31 event. After defeating Moises in the fourth round by submission to pick up his eighth straight win, the rankers rewarded the Russian for his long winning streak by bumping him up five spots all the way to No. 4 in the division. With Makhachev moving way up the rankings, someone else had to be bumped down. Tony Ferguson moved down to No. 6, Rafael dos Anjos moved to No. 7, and McGregor dropped all the way to No. 9. There was also a small swap at the bottom of the rankings as Arman Tsarukyan went to No. 14 and Moises fell down to the No. 15 spot.
Billy Quarantillo plans on celebrating "Fight of the Night" award at UFC Vegas 31 by making a "Billy Junior" on his honeymoon
Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021
Billy Quarantillo plans on celebrating his recent “Fight of the Night” award at UFC Vegas 31 by making a ‘Billy Junior’ on his honeymoon. In one of the best fights of the year, Quarantillo and Gabriel Benitez went back-and-forth for nearly the full three rounds before Quarantillo was able to get the TKO late in the final stanza. For Quarantillo, this was a very important win because he recently had a long winning streak snapped in his last fight with a loss to Gavin Tucker. By beating Benitez in impressive fashion, not only is Quarantillo now back into the win column, but he is also $50,000 richer thanks to earning the event’s coveted “Fight of the Night” bonus award.
Gilbert Burns reiterates callouts to Leon Edwards, Jorge Masvidal, and Nate Diaz
Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns reiterated his callouts to divisional rivals Leon Edwards, Jorge Masvidal, and Nate Diaz. Earlier this month at UFC 264, Burns defeated Stephen Thompson via unanimous decision, and then used his post-fight interview as an opportunity to call out Edwards, Masvidal, and Diaz. It’s been a few weeks since then and we haven’t heard any of these other fighters say they will accept Burns’ callout. That’s why “Durinho” took to his social media on Wednesday and once again called out Edwards, Masvidal, and Diaz for an upcoming fight.
Anthony Smith blasts Conor McGregor for making excuses following loss to Dustin Poirier: "We are all injured"
Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021
Fellow UFC fighter Anthony Smith blasted Conor McGregor for making excuses following his loss to Dustin Poirier, saying “we are all injured.” McGregor lost via first-round TKO (doctor stoppage) to Poirier in their trilogy match at UFC 264, and afterwards, it has come out that he had a leg injury heading into the fight. Speaking on Sirius XM’s Fight Nation, Smith was asked about the reports of McGregor being hurt coming into the fight. For Smith, being injured is something that all MMA fighters have to deal with, and he believes that it’s not a valid excuse for McGregor.
Brandon Moreno promises not to become a jerk now that he is a UFC champion: "I don't want to be that guy"
Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021
UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno promises not to become a jerk now that he is a UFC champion, saying that “I don’t want to be that guy.” Moreno defeated rival Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263 last month in a rematch to claim the promotion’s 125lbs title. In the lead-up to the fight, Moreno was not complimentary towards Figueiredo, who he accused of changing as a person once he became the champion. Now that Moreno himself is holding UFC gold around his waist, he is promising the fans that he will not change and, in his words, turn into what he calls an “asshole.”
Andre Ewell says he saved friend's life while stopping a moving car with his hand: “Planted it. You literally see my handprint on the hood”
Harry Kettle - July 21, 2021
UFC bantamweight Andre Ewell has told the story of how he saved his friend’s life by stopping a moving car. We tend to hear plenty of crazy stories within the world of mixed martial arts because, well, that’s just the nature of the sport. Some of them are negative but we also get some truly inspiring tales that restore our faith in combat sports as a whole – and the fighters within it.
Michael Chandler claims Justin Gaethje turned him down three or four times, still wants the fight: "Be prepared to make a highlight or be made a highlight"
Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021
MMichael Chandler is aiming to fight Justin Gaethje in his next fight. After Chandler suffered a second-round TKO loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 for the vacant lightweight title, many thought he should face Gaethje next time out.
TJ Dillashaw sends a message to the bantamweight division: "Daddy's home"
Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021
TJ Dillashaw is finally set to return on Saturday night in the main event of UFC Vegas 32 against Cory Sandhagen. After Dillashaw suffered a quick TKO loss to Henry Cejudo for the flyweight title, he was flagged and suspended by USADA for two years for a positive drug test. After the news came public, Dillashaw was honest with what he did and accepted the suspension.
Jeremy Stephens calls out Conor McGregor after latest loss: "The true fight to make is me and Conor"
Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021
Jeremy Stephens believes the fight to make is him vs. Conor McGregor. Stephens and McGregor have a history at the UFC 205 press conference where Stephens said he would be the toughest fight because he’s the real hardest hitter at 145lbs. Of course, the Irishman followed it up with the famous, “who the f**k is that guy line” which went viral.
Ian Heinisch plans to finish Nassourdine Imavov after training at Sanford MMA to show he's "a force to be reckoned with"
Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021
Ian Heinisch wanted a quick turnaround after he lost to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 258, but that didn’t come to fruition. Following the loss to Gastelum, Heinisch moved down to Florida to start training at Sanford MMA full-time. After a short time there, he was offered to fight Jacare Souza at UFC 262 in Houston. However, he turned it down as Henri Hooft wanted him to just focus on training.
Kyler Phillips plans to finish Raulian Paiva and get a ranked opponent next: "I'm going to grab that belt"
Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021
Kyler Phillips wasn’t too mad when Raphael Assuncao was forced out of their fight and was replaced by Raulian Paiva. After Phillips beat Song Yadong at UFC 259, many expected him to get a ranked opponent next. That ended up being the case as he was set to meet Raphael Assuncao at UFC Vegas 32. Unfortnately, Assuncao got injured which was disappointing news. However, for Phillips, he said his mindset didn’t change at all.