MMA News
Ike Villanueva plans to KO Vinicius Moreira in "do-or-die" fight for his UFC career: "This is my Game 7"
Cole Shelton - January 15, 2021
Ike Villanueva knows he enters his UFC Fight Island 8 fight in a must-win scenario. Villaneuva is currently 0-2 in the UFC, but his first loss against Chase Sherman should be overturned to a no-contest due to Sherman being flagged by USADA. However, Villaneuva knows he still lost that fight, and in his last one, lost by cut stoppage which was heartbreaking for him.
Brendan Fitzgerald reveals the under-the-radar fight he's looking forward to on Fight Island
Cole Shelton - January 15, 2021
The UFC is set to kick off 2021 with a bang as they will hold three-events in a week. The main events of the three cards see Max Holloway take on Calvin Kattar, Neil Magny vs. Michael Chiesa, and Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2. However, for UFC commentator, Brendan Fitzgerald, he knows those are good fights but says Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell has all the capabilities of being the best fight of the week.
Paul Craig returns to the Octagon against Jamahal Hill
Adam Martin - January 15, 2021
UFC light heavyweight contender Paul Craig returns to the Octagon when he takes on rising star Jamahal Hill. Craig and Hill are ranked right next to each other in the lower half of the top-15 in the UFC’s 205lbs division, with Craig No. 14 and Hill at No. 15, so this is the perfect fight when it comes to the rankings. MMAjunkie.com was the first to confirm that Craig will fight Hill on March 20. That’s the UFC Fight Night card featuring Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev in the main event. Craig vs. Hill figures to take a place on the evening’s main card, and could potentially even serve as the co-main.
Video | Former UFC fighter Eric Spicely brutally KOed in Abu Dhabi, Dana White in attendance
Adam Martin - January 15, 2021
Former UFC fighter Eric Spicely was brutally knocked out in vicious fashion in Abu Dhabi with UFC president Dana White sitting in attendance. In his first fight since being released by the UFC last summer for failing to make weight for a UFC Vegas event, Spicely took on Rinat Fakhretdinov at UAE Warriors 15. In his first fight since June 2019, Spicely suffered an absolutely brutal KO loss to Fakhretdinov. The Russian landed a massive overhand right that absolutely floored Spicely in a vicious fashion, with some calling it similar to Dan Henderson’s infamous KO blow over Michael Bisping at UFC 100. Watch the video below (h/t Caposa).
Dana White confirms Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar winner could earn title shot
Adam Martin - January 15, 2021
UFC president Dana White confirmed that the winner of Saturday’s main event between Max Holloway and Calvin Kattar could earn a title shot. Holloway and Kattar meet in the five-round headliner of UFC on ABC 1 in a battle between the No. 1 and No. 6 ranked fighters, respectively, at 145lbs. UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is set to take on Brian Ortega in his next title defense, but there are plenty of other contenders hot on his trails. According to White, both Holloway and Kattar will have the opportunity to earn the No. 1 contender spot in the featherweight division with a big win on Saturday.
Khabib Nurmagomedov would need to vacate title to fight GSP, says Dana White
Tom Taylor - January 15, 2021
UFC President Dana White says Khabib Nurmagomedov will need to vacate the UFC lightweight title if he wants to fight Georges St-Pierre. Nurmagomedov retired after his last fight, a submission win over Justin Gaethje, but White has been adamant that he’ll attempt to bring the undefeated Russian back for one more fight before all is said and done.
Cody Garbrandt names the three opponents on his hit list
Adam Martin - January 15, 2021
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt named the three fighters on his hit list, including the man who took his belt, TJ Dillashaw. Garbrandt is set to make his return to the Octagon in the next couple of months after missing the last six months of action due to injuries, not to mention a rough case of COVID-19. We last saw “No Love” at UFC 250, where he knocked out Raphael Assuncao. That win earned him a title shot at 125lbs, but he wasn’t able to make it to the fight, and the flyweight division looks very different now. That’s why Garbrandt has said that he plans on returning as a bantamweight in his comeback.
Video | Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dana White sit down for meeting
Tom Taylor - January 15, 2021
UFC President Dana White and undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov finally sat down for a long-awaited meeting on Friday. See the pair sitting down for their talk below:
MMA community reacts to UFC, USADA's new rules on marijuana
Tom Taylor - January 15, 2021
Yesterday afternoon, news surfaced that the UFC and the United States Anti-Doping Agency will no longer be penalizing fighters for marijuana use. While fighters are still subject to punishment from local athletic commissions, this news is widely viewed as a huge step in the right direction.
Jon Jones explains why he is “not worried about cardio” ahead of UFC heavyweight debut
Harry Kettle - January 15, 2021
UFC legend Jon Jones has explained why he isn’t particularly concerned about cardio playing a negative role when he moves up to heavyweight. The former light heavyweight king has vacated his throne at 205 pounds, and now, he’ll be attempting to achieve something that very few other fighters have achieved—he will try and win a world title at two separate weight classes.
Video | Conor McGregor’s new diamond watch also showcases some R-rated content
Harry Kettle - January 15, 2021
UFC star Conor McGregor knows how to make a statement – and he’s certainly done just that with his new watch. Over the course of the last few years McGregor hasn’t been afraid to splash the cash, and it’s not exactly hard to understand why after the insane wealth he has been able to accumulate courtesy of his ventures and achievements both in and outside of the Octagon.
UFC Fight Island 7 weigh-in results: Headliners on point
Tom Taylor - January 15, 2021
On Saturday, the UFC will return to our screens for the first time this year with the stacked UFC Fight Island 7 card in Abu Dhabi. The card will be headlined by a compelling featherweight clash between the division’s former champion Max Holloway and No. 6-ranked contender Calvin Kattar. The bout will be Holloway’s opportunity to rebound from back-to-back losses to reigning featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, while Kattar will look to burst into title contention with the biggest win of his career.
Max Holloway: '80 to 90 percent of the world thought I won' the Alexander Volkanovski rematch
Drake Riggs - January 14, 2021
Max Holloway is set to fight in his first non-title fight since 2016. As he anticipates the bout, he’s not too upset about the result of his last fight. UFC 251 in July 2020 acted as the first UFC event to take place on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, UAE. In the co-main event of the evening, the former champ in Holloway attempted to reclaim his title against the man who dethroned him — Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski.
With the title out of mind, Chan Sung Jung just wants two wins in 2021
Drake Riggs - January 14, 2021
“The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung was on the cusp of a title shot heading into his highly anticipated clash with Brian Ortega. Now he’s back to square one. Jung’s first and only crack at UFC gold came in 2014 when he took on Jose Aldo at UFC 163. Unfortunately for one of Korea’s finest, a dislocated shoulder spelled his demise in round four. After that, Jung did his service in the Korean army before returning to MMA in 2017.
Georges St-Pierre says Khabib Nurmagomedov fight "freaking excites me"
Adam Martin - January 14, 2021
UFC legend Georges St-Pierre admitted in a new interview that a matchup against Khabib Nurmagomedov “freaking excites me.” Nurmagomedov will meet with UFC president Dana White this week in Abu Dhabi to talk about his fighting future. It’s expected that White will try and convince him to return to the Octagon fight Conor McGregor in a rematch should he beats Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. However, Nurmagomedov has said in the past that his one dream fight in MMA is a superfight with the legend GSP. White has also admitted that he likes that fight, though it ultimately comes down to both men signing the contract.
Jon Jones sends a warning to other fighters ahead of UFC heavyweight debut
Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021
Jon Jones has sent a warning to fighters ahead of his heavyweight debut. Jones vacated the light heavyweight title in the summer as “Bones” made it clear he wanted to move up to heavyweight. He has since been posting photos of him bulking up and waiting for the fight but now he has sent a message to future opponents.
Tyson Nam expects to KO Matt Schnell to become a top-10 flyweight
Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021
Tyson Nam wasn’t surprised the UFC booked him against Matt Schnell for the third time. Nam and Schnell were supposed to fight on September 12 and December 19 but a botched weight cut by Schnell and Schnell pulling out canceled both of those fights. However, Nam knows the UFC likes the matchup and is eager to share the Octagon with him.
Conor McGregor claims Khabib Nurmagomedov "didn't want the fight"
Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021
Conor McGregor wanted to rematch Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020, however, the Irishman claims the lightweight champ didn’t want the fight. Entering 2020, McGregor had a plan of a three-fight season that started with Donald Cerrone and ended with the rematch with Nurmagomedov. However, due to a variety of reasons, it did not come to fruition. Now, it appears the rematch may never happen and McGregor says that is on Nurmagomedov.