MMA News
Anderson Silva praises longtime rival Vitor Belfort as both MMA legends transition into boxing
Adam D Martin - May 21, 2021
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva praised his longtime rival Vitor Belfort as both MMA legends make the transition into boxing. Silva makes his return to boxing next month when he takes on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in his first boxing match since 2005. At age 46, Silva was released by the UFC last year after getting knocked out by Uriah Hall, but he has moved quickly to re-establish himself in the world of boxing. Like many older fighters, Silva is using his name to cash in on the current boxing craze that was started by older fighters such as Mike Tyson returning to the ring.
Jared Vanderaa predicts "spinning wheel kick KO" over Justin Tafa at UFC Vegas 27
Cole Shelton - May 21, 2021
Jared Vanderaa is looking to get his first UFC win in a big way. On the main card of UFC Vegas 27, Vanderaa is set to return to the Octagon against Justin Tafa. In his promotional debut, Vanderaa suffered a TKO loss to Sergey Spivak, but before the fight, “The Mountain” says he was super nervous and nearly puked prior to walking out.
UFC Vegas 27 loses fight after Raulian Paiva hospitalized after brutal weight cut
Adam D Martin - May 21, 2021
UFC Vegas 27 has lost one of its fights after flyweight Raulian Paiva fell ill during a tough weight cut and had to be hospitalized. MMAFighting.com’s Damon Martin first reported that Paiva got sick during his weight cut and was pulled from the card. His scheduled flyweight bout against fellow top-15 ranked contender David Dvorak will not go on as planned any longer. Right now, UFC Vegas 27 still has 12 fights scheduled, though it’s possible something else could happen during weigh-ins. Hopefully, this is the only fight that gets scratched and we go on with 12 fights.
Carla Esparza wants rematch with Rose Namajunas with win over Yan Xiaonan at UFC Vegas 27
Adam D Martin - May 21, 2021
UFC women’s strawweight contender Carla Esparza wants a rematch with champion Rose Namajunas with a win over Yan Xiaonan at UFC Vegas 27. Esparza meets Xiaonan in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 27 this Saturday night. Esparza is the No. 4 ranked women’s strawweight while Xiaonan is ranked No. 3, so the winner of this fight will put themselves in a tremendous position to challenge Namajunas, who recently beat No. 1 ranked contender Weili Zhang at UFC 262 to win the 115lbs belt.
UFC 262 Medical Suspensions: Shane Burgos out indefinitely following scary loss to Edson Barboza
Harry Kettle - May 21, 2021
The official list of UFC 262 medical suspensions have been released with Shane Burgos and Jacare Souza being suspended indefinitely. The pay-per-view last weekend was hailed by many as a success with the majority of fans watching at home feeling as if they were able to get a good night of fights under their belt. However, we also saw some pretty nasty finishes, which is why there’s always bound to be some notable medical suspensions after the fact.
Ray Borg announces comeback, returns to MMA action on June 19
Adam D Martin - May 21, 2021
Former UFC flyweight title challenger Ray Borg has announced his comeback to the cage, and he returns to MMA action on June 19. Borg will next take on Canadian MMA veteran Jesse Arnett at UAE Warriors on June 19. MMAjunkie.com was the first to report the bout, with Borg’s manager Ali Abdelaziz confirming the booking. It will be Borg’s first MMA fight in over a year since he was released from the UFC after several failed weigh-in attempts that frustrated the promotion.
Dana White claims he has “absolutely moved on” from the idea of Jon Jones fighting at heavyweight
Adam D Martin - May 21, 2021
UFC president Dana White claims that he has “absolutely moved on” from the idea of former 205lbs champion Jon Jones fighting at heavyweight. It was last summer that Jones vacated the UFC light heavyweight title and made his intentions known that he was moving up to heavyweight in 2021. He has spent the last year bulking up to get stronger, and he was widely expected to fight the winner of the UFC 260 main event between Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic, which Ngannou won via second-round knockout. However, after going through a very public contract negotiation with White for his move up to heavyweight, it appears that move is not on the table.
Diego Sanchez following split with Joshua Fabia: "Sometimes you have to look hard in the mirror to see yourself clearly"
Christopher Taylor - May 20, 2021
It sounds like former TUF 1 winner Diego Sanchez did a lot of soul searching following his recent release from the UFC. Sanchez (30-13 MMA) was expected to have his final fight with the Ultimate Fighting Championship earlier this month at UFC Vegas 26 against fellow veteran Donald Cerrone. However, that fight was scrapped just ten days prior to the event after Diego’s coach and mentor Joshua Fabia had a confrontation with promotional officials. The incident also resulted in Diego Sanchez’s release from the organization.
Beneil Dariush says Zhang Weili has 'terrible excuse' for Rose Namajunas loss
Drake Riggs - May 20, 2021
Zhang Weili and Beneil Dariush had mixed results in their most recent outings. However, they both were on the receiving end of negative crowd reactions. Dariush now finds himself sitting at the No. 3 ranked contender spot at lightweight after a dominant win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 262 this past weekend. The event was the second for the UFC to host a full crowd since the global pandemic.
UFC 263: ‘Adesanya vs Vettori 2’ Fight Card and Start Times
Christopher Taylor - May 20, 2021
The Octagon returns to Arizona for next month’s UFC 263 event, a fifteen-bout fight card headlined by Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori 2. Adesanya (20-1 MMA) and Vettori (17-4-1 MMA) originally collided in April of 2018, with the promotions reigning middleweight champion emerging victorious by way of split decision.
UFC 262 reportedly does 300,000 pay-per-views buys in the United States
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2021
The pay-per-view buy rate for UFC 262 is reportedly in. According to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, UFC 262 sold 300,000 PPV buys on ESPN+ in the United States. That number does not include international buys, as it is domestic buys only.
Luke Rockhold claims "Feminine shins" resulted in Chris Weidman breaking his leg at UFC 261
Chris Taylor - May 20, 2021
Luke Rockhold believes “feminine shins” are to blame for Chris Weidman’s horrific leg break against Uriah Hall at UFC 261. Rockhold (16-5 MMA) and Weidman (15-6 MMA) have had a long standing rivalry ever since ‘Rocky’ dethroned the ‘All American’ in brutal fashion back at UFC 194.
Diego Sanchez terminates professional relationship with Joshua Fabia
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2021
Diego Sanchez has cut his ties with Joshua Fabia. The UFC Hall of Famer told MMAFighitng he has ended his professional relationship with his former coach and manager in Fabia. Sanchez would not comment any further and said he would release something next week on his decision.
Dana White comments after Derrick Lewis stops attempted carjacking: "He slammed him on his head and knocked him out"
Adam Martin - May 20, 2021
UFC president Dana White commented after Derrick Lewis stopped an attempted carjacking, saying Lewis slammed the thief down and KOed him. Lewis shared on social media this week the news that he had stopped a would-be thief from breaking into his car with a screwdriver. Appearing on “Big Night Breaks” podcast (h/t MMA Crazy), White reacted to Lewis stopping the burglar from breaking into his car.
Jose Aldo vs. Pedro Munhoz added to UFC 265
Adam D Martin - May 20, 2021
An intriguing bantamweight bout between two of the best fighters in the division takes place at UFC 265 when Jose Aldo meets Pedro Munhoz. Combate’s Ana Hissa and Raphael Marinho first reported the Aldo vs. Munhoz fight for UFC 265, which takes place on August 7. The card currently does not have its main event set, but Amanda Nunes is expected to defend the UFC women’s bantamweight title in the co-main event or as the third title fight on what could be a stacked card. As well, a middleweight bout between Uriah Hall and Sean Strickland takes place on this card.
UFC Vegas 27: Font vs. Garbrandt full betting odds
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2021
Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 27 card featuring a pivotal bantamweight bout between Rob Font and Cody Garbrandt. The UFC Vegas 27 main event sees top-four bantamweight collide as Rob Font takes on Cody Garbrandt. Font is riding a three-fight winning streak and coming off a first-round TKO over Marlon Moraes in December for the biggest win of his career. Garbrandt, meanwhile, returned to the win column last time out with a highlight-reel KO over Raphael Assuncao in June. Prior to that, he lost three straight fights by KO to Pedro Munhoz, and TJ Dillashaw twice to lose his belt.
Yancy Medeiros knows UFC Vegas 27 fight is do-or-die for his UFC career, wants Michael Johnson next
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2021
Yancy Medeiros is returning to the Octagon on Saturday for the first time in over a year. Medeiros enters his UFC Vegas 27 scrap against Damir Hadzovic on a three-fight losing streak and on the last fight of his contract. After the Hawaiian lost to Lando Vannata, he realized he needed to make some changes to his team and that is exactly what he did.
Brett Johns explains his decision to part ways with the UFC for Bellator: “They weren’t willing to pay the money”
Adam D Martin - May 20, 2021
Bantamweight Brett Johns explained his decision to part ways with the UFC for Bellator, saying that “they weren’t willing to pay the money.” Johns went 5-2 overall in the UFC from 2016 to 2020, and he finished off his run in the Octagon with back-to-back wins over Montel Jackson and Tony Gravely. He is a very good bantamweight fighter and considering he is just 29 years old, the Wales native still has a ton of untapped potential and upside in the sport. By all accounts, this looks to be a tremendous signing for Bellator, and it’s a wonder why the UFC let Johns get away.