MMA News
Full betting odds for UFC Vegas 17: Thompson vs. Neal
Adam Martin - December 17, 2020
The full betting odds have been released for the 14 fights scheduled to take place at Saturday’s UFC Vegas 17: Thompson vs. Neal. The main event sees former UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson take on surging contender Geoff Neal. Thompson last fought at UFC 244 in November 2019, taking home “Fight of the Night” in his unanimous decision win over Vicente Luque. As for Neal, he is 5-0 in the UFC and is coming off of a head kick TKO win over Mike Perry at UFC 245. However, Neal has not been able to fight so far this year due to some health issues.
Dave Leduc responds to callouts from Simon Marcus, Yohan Lidon
Tom Taylor - December 17, 2020
As “The King of Lethwei,” Dave Leduc is well accustomed to receiving callouts from prospective opponents keen to usurp his throne. This month, however, has been particularly busy for the French Canadian Lethwei legend.
Oddsmakers largely favor Conor McGregor in potential Jake Paul boxing match
Drake Riggs - December 16, 2020
If the world ends up getting to see the fantasy boxing matchup between former UFC champion Conor McGregor and YouTube star Jake Paul, the odds lean heavily toward the Irishman. After an entirely one-sided war of words between McGregor and Paul, those words coming from the latter, oddsmakers have now revealed the betting numbers for several possibilities. Unsurprisingly, each category supports the MMA veteran. (via MyBookie.ag)
Kevin Holland has an interesting motive for wanting to beat up Derek Brunson
Drake Riggs - December 16, 2020
At UFC 256, middleweight contender Kevin Holland scored his biggest win yet. Now he’s expressed his interest in beating up Derek Brunson… but not for any reason you might assume. Throughout Holland’s still young career, he’s become somewhat of a knockout artist with 11 of his 21 victories coming via that finishing variation. By watching him in action, one can undeniably see he’s a striking showman.
Anthony Johnson reveals the one fight that got away during his time in the UFC
Adam Martin - December 16, 2020
Following his exit from the UFC, former light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Johnson revealed the one fight that got away from him. Johnson recently left the UFC to sign a free-agent contract with Bellator. Considering his last fight took place in 2017, it was surprising to see Johnson announce his comeback with Bellator seemingly out of nowhere. UFC president Dana White recently said that he would let Johnson explain why he left the promotion, and he did just that in an interview with ESPN on Wednesday. He also was asked if he had any regrets about his time with the UFC.
Jose Canseco challenges Logan Paul to fight after YouTuber breaks up with daughter Josie
Adam Martin - December 16, 2020
Former MLB slugger Jose Canseco challenged Logan Paul to a boxing match after the YouTuber broke up with Canseco’s daughter Josie. Canseco is a former MLB all-star who was a feared home run hitter for many years in the big leagues. He’s also a former mixed martial artist, famously fighting Hong Man Choi in Japan. His daughter Josie is a model from Los Angeles who reportedly was dating Paul since 2020. However, Paul recently shared the news that the couple has broken up.
Anthony Johnson shares his thoughts on a potential scrap with Yoel Romero
Cole Shelton - December 16, 2020
Anthony Johnson isn’t sure where Yoel Romero got his information from that it is 90 percent likely they will fight one another in their debuts. Both Johnson and Romero parted ways with the UFC and signed with Bellator this month and both men will fight at light heavyweight. Immediately, fans called for them to fight one another and even Romero said it is likely. “Rumble,” however, hasn’t heard any of that talk but is open to the fight.
Rob Font expects to put the bantamweight division on notice with a KO win over Marlon Moraes
Cole Shelton - December 16, 2020
Rob Font didn’t expect to be fighting Marlon Moraes in his return fight. Font is on a two-fight winning streak but has not fought since last December when he defeated Ricky Simon by decision. Rob has been sidelined with injuries but at UFC Vegas 17 he will return to the Octagon against Moraes.
Marlon Vera expects to KO Jose Aldo and "let the division know I’m going to be a world champion"
Cole Shelton - December 16, 2020
Marlon Vera is expecting to get into a slugfest on Saturday night. In the co-main event of UFC Vegas 17, Vera is set to battle Jose Aldo in a fight that was supposed to happen at both UFC 255 and 256. However, due to visa issues, the fight was delayed but for “Chito” he is just glad the fight got made.
Dan Hooker blasts "p***y" Charles Oliveira, explains why Brazilian isn't a top contender
Cole Shelton - December 16, 2020
Dan Hooker still doesn’t believe Charles Oliveira is a legit contender at lightweight. At UFC 256, Oliveira picked up the biggest win of his career as he dominated Tony Ferguson to win a decision. Following the win, many claimed the Brazilian should be one-half of a vacant title fight if Khabib Nurmagomedov is truly done. However, Hooker still doesn’t view Oliveira that highly.
Israel Adesanya will get light heavyweight title shot before Glover Teixeira, confirms Dana White
Adam Martin - December 16, 2020
UFC president Dana White confirmed that Israel Adesanya will get the next light heavyweight title shot before Glover Teixeira does. Adesanya knocked out Paulo Costa in the main event of UFC 253 in September to defend the UFC middleweight title, and in the co-main event of that card, Jan Blachowicz knocked out Dominick Reyes to win the vacant UFC light heavyweight title. Following UFC 253, White surprised a lot of fans and media when he said the promotion liked the idea of seeing Adesanya move up to 205lbs to take on Blachowicz in a bid to become a double champion.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega targeted for February, says Dana White
Adam Martin - December 16, 2020
The upcoming match between UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega is being targeted for February, says Dana White. Volkanovski is coming off of a controversial split decision win over Max Holloway back at UFC 251 in July on Fight Island, which was his 19th straight win overall. The UFC thought about booking a trilogy fight with Holloway after two close decisions, but after Ortega shut out The Korean Zombie on the scorecards in October, “T-City” stole the title shot back. White previously confirmed that Ortega was the new No. 1 contender for the belt but until now we didn’t have a date for the bout. We now have a better idea of when it will happen.
Diego Sanchez targeting "OG fight" after recent battles with "real killers"
Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020
UFC legend Diego Sanchez is planning on retiring after his next fight, and he has a few opponents in mind for that final walk to the Octagon. After taking on rising prospects like Michel Pereira and Jake Matthews, Sanchez, who won the very first season of The Ultimate Fighter, is hoping to close out his career by battling somebody of his vintage, like one of the Diaz brothers or Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
Yoel Romero explains what led to "completely unexpected" UFC release
Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020
Former UFC middleweight contender Yoel Romero has opened up on the events that led to his release from the promotion, calling the ordeal “completely unexpected.” Romero was a member of the UFC roster from 2013 until just a few weeks ago. For the majority of his time with the promotion, he stood at out as one of the top middleweights in the world.
Curtis Blaydes reveals Derrick Lewis bout is likely to be rescheduled for February 20
Adam Martin - December 16, 2020
UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes has revealed the targeted date for the rebooked UFC heavyweight fight against rival Derrick Lewis. Blaydes and Lewis were set to headline the UFC Vegas 15 card on November 28, but the fight fell apart at the last minute after Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19. The original plan from the UFC was to rebook the match after Blaydes did his two-week quarantine and recovered, but the UFC was not able to make it happen before the end of 2020. Instead, the promotion is now targeting the fight to take place in early 2021. The problem is, the UFC still wants it as a main event fight and there are not many dates available right now.
Jake Paul slides into Conor McGregor's DMs: "Take the fight p*ssy"
Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020
Jake Paul is not giving up on his desired fight with former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor, and has now boldly slid into the Irishman’s DMs. After scoring a brutal knockout win over former NBA star Nate Robinson at the recent Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. even, Paul has been ceaselessly campaigning for a fight with McGregor.
Mark Hunt loses boxing match with Paul Gallen, issues statement
Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020
Heavyweight combat sports legend Mark Hunt returned to the ring this week, but the fight didn’t go the way he planned. Hunt, who spent the most recent chapter of his career competing in the UFC heavyweight division, parted ways with the promotion in 2018 amid a heated legal dispute. After a period of inactivity, the 46-year-old legend signed on for a professional boxing match with rugby star Paul Gallen at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney, Australia.
Pros react to potential Diaz bros vs Paul bros boxing event
Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020
Several members of the combat sports community are drooling over a potential boxing card pitting YouTube stars Logan and Jake Paul against MMA legends Nick and Nate Diaz. The Paul bros have become the talk of the combat sports world after Logan landed himself an exhibition boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Jake knocked out former NBA star Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard, and neither one is letting their time in the limelight go to waste. Jake has become a particularly loud voice inside the combat sports bubble, calling out a host of top fighters like Conor McGregor, Dillon Danis, Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren.