MMA News
Watch Salt Bae serve up a $1,000 gold steak to Conor McGregor
Harry Kettle - February 10, 2021
He may have lost to Dustin Poirier, but Conor McGregor is still enjoying life in the fast lane – as evidenced by his recent interaction with “Salt Bae”. The chef known as Salt Bae welcomed McGregor to his Nusr-Et Steakhouse Dubai restaurant where he quite literally fed him the Golden Tomahawk dish – a wagyu cut wrapped in a 24-karat gold leaf.
Ryan Bader won't be stripped of Bellator heavyweight title, says Scott Coker
Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021
Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader will not be stripped of his title, according to Bellator president Scott Coker at Tuesday’s presser. The promotion officially announced the eight-man, Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament. In one of the quarterfinal matchups, Bader takes on Lyoto Machida in a rematch. On paper, that’s a fun fight and having Bader included in the tournament is a good thing. However, while he competes to win back his old light heavyweight title in the bracket, Bader is temporarily holding up heavyweight. He’s still the champion and has no plans to give up his belt.
Britain Hart on post-fight comments after Paige VanZant win: 'It came out a little crazy'
Drake Riggs - February 9, 2021
This past Friday night at BKFC: KnuckleMania, Paige VanZant had her bare-knuckle boxing debut spoiled by the promotional veteran, Britain Hart. What immediately followed was one of the more talked about post-fight interviews in recent memory. Taking to the mic, Hart described herself as not a person but “a f*cking feeling.” Then proceeded to tell viewers and spectators alike that they were all going to feel what’s coming.
Drew Dober believes most of Islam Makhachev's 'hype comes from Khabib Nurmagomedov'
Drake Riggs - February 9, 2021
Islam Makhachev is finally set to make his highly anticipated return. Welcoming him back to the Octagon will be the streaking Nebraskan, Drew Dober. At 18-1 and training the majority of his career alongside the undefeated lightweight king, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev has garnered a lot of attention in his own right. However, Dober believes that can mostly be attributed to his connection with “The Eagle.”
Nate Diaz uninterested in Jake Paul fight right now, but believes it will "for sure" happen
Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021
Nate Diaz appears open to a fight with Jake Paul down the line. After Paul knocked out Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard he called out several MMA fighters. Among those he called out were Ben Askren, Dillon Danis, Conor McGregor, and Nate Diaz.
Ian Heinisch expects to finish Kelvin Gastelum in "spectacular fashion" at UFC 258
Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021
Ian Heinisch wasn’t too surprised he was the one facing Kelvin Gastelum. After Heinisch was supposed to face Brendan Allen in November before getting COVID-19, he knew a big opportunity would be coming to him. He saw how the UFC was pushing new talent up the middleweight ranks in Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland and knew he was next.
Yoel Romero reacts after booking Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson in first round of Bellator light heavyweight tournament
Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021
Yoel Romero is excited to face Anthony Johnson in his Bellator debut. It was revealed at Bellator’s press conference that both Romero and Johnson would be apart of the grand prix and face one another on April 16. It is a fight the fans wanted to see and Romero is eager for the fight to happen.
Bellator MMA announces move to Showtime, reveals eight-man light heavyweight tournament bracket
Adam Martin - February 9, 2021
Bellator MMA announced that it will be moving to Showtime, and the promotion revealed multiple fights for its upcoming schedule. Bellator MMA will return to action on Friday nights in April and it will do so on a new network as the promotion will now air exclusively on Showtime, with president Stephen Espinoza confirming the news in a press conference. That’s the same network Bellator president Scott Coker had plenty of success with back in the day when he ran Strikeforce. The hope is that this move takes the MMA organization to the next level. Watch the official announcement below.
UFC 258 loses main card bantamweight fight between Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
The upcoming UFC 258 card has lost an intriguing bantamweight fight between Pedro Munhoz and Jimmie Rivera. UFC 258 goes down this Saturday in Las Vegas. Munhoz and Rivera were scheduled to meet on the event’s main card, in a rematch of a 2015 fight that Rivera won by split decision.
Fabricio Werdum, Kayla Harrison highlight PFL heavyweight and women's lightweight brackets
Adam Martin - February 9, 2021
Fabricio Werdum and Kayla Harrison are among the fighters in the upcoming PFL season three men’s heavyweight and women’s lightweight brackets. PFL’s third season kicks off in April and the promotion has been busy in the last week releasing the rosters for its light heavyweight, welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight rosters. On Tuesday, PFL released the rosters for heavyweight and women’s lightweight. Among the participants in these tournaments are former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum and women’s star Kayla Harrison.
Anthony Smith returns to the Octagon at UFC 261 against Jimmy Crute
Adam Martin - February 9, 2021
A pair of light heavyweight contenders will meet at UFC 261 as Anthony Smith is set to take on Jimmy Crute, who recently lost his opponent. Crute was originally set to take on Johnny Walker at UFC 260, but Walker was forced to withdraw from that fight due to a torn pectoral muscle. Instead, Crute is now shifted back a month but he gets to take on a higher-ranked fighter instead when he meets Smith at UFC 261, which takes place on April 24. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to break the news that Smith would be fighting Crute.
Former Invicta FC fighter Sarah Patterson passes away at 36
Adam Martin - February 9, 2021
Former Invicta FC featherweight fighter Sarah Patterson has passed away at age 36, the promotion announced late Monday. Invicta released the following statement on its Twitter following the passing of Patterson. No details have been given about the cause of death at this time.
Conor McGregor trolls Nate Diaz over ESPN interview: "Look out, we got a bad ass"
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
It didn’t take long for Conor McGregor to respond to Nate Diaz’s Tuesday morning interview with ESPN. Diaz and McGregor have fought twice previously. They first met at welterweight in March, 2016, with Diaz submitting McGregor in round two. The pair then met in an immediate rematch in August of the same year. In that fight, McGregor evened the score with a hard-fought majority decision victory.
Bellator reportedly plotting 8-man LHW tournament featuring Romero, Rumble, Anderson
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
Bellator MMA is reportedly plotting an eight-man light heavyweight tournament featuring former UFC stars Yoel Romero, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Corey Anderson, and more. Bellator’s light heavyweight division has been quite strong for awhile now, as the home of fighters like Phil Davis, Ryan Bader, and reigning champion Vadim Nemkov. After the promotion signed former UFC contenders like Romero, Rumble and Anderson, however, its light heavyweight division is better than ever—debatably even better than the UFC’s.
Nate Diaz says he created blueprint for Floyd Mayweather's win over Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
Nate Diaz says he created the blueprint for defeating Conor McGregor, and that Floyd Mayweather followed that blueprint in his boxing match with the Irishman. Diaz defeated McGregor by second-round submission in a welterweight fight in 2016. It was McGregor’s first setback in the UFC.
Maycee Barber expects to dominate and finish Alexa Grasso and fight Joanne Calderwood next
Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021
Maycee Barber plans to remind the world just how good she is. In the co-main event of UFC 258, Barber is set to return after her first career loss and a torn ACL to battle Alexa Grasso. It’s a very intriguing matchup but many fans are surprised this is the fight because both Barber and Grasso are two up and comer prospects.
RIZIN boss responds to Spike Carlyle, lays out plans for featherweight GP
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
RIZIN CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara has responded to some recent comments from Spike Carlyle, and laid out plans for a Featherweight Grand Prix. Carlyle was recently released by the UFC after going 1-2 in the promotion’s featherweight division. After his release, he expressed interest in migrating to RIZIN because he’s always wanted to fight in Japan, where the promotion is based.
Nate Diaz explains what Conor McGregor did wrong against Dustin Poirier
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
Nate Diaz has shared his thoughts on what Conor McGregor did wrong in his recent TKO loss to Dustin Poirier. McGregor and Poirier met in the main event of UFC 257 last month, in a rematch of a 2014 featherweight fight that the former won by first-round knockout. In their UFC 257 rematch, Poirier evened the score, mangling McGregor’s lead leg with calf kicks, and stopping him with punches in round two.