MMA News
Ben Askren on potential MMA return: "Never say never"
Tom Taylor - November 24, 2020
Former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder Ben Askren isn’t ruling out a return to mixed martial arts. Askren retired from competition last year, after a knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal and a submission loss to Demian Maia in the UFC. Once his retirement was confirmed, he underwent a complete hip replacement.
Dustin Poirier: Conor McGregor rematch "isn't about getting even"
Tom Taylor - November 24, 2020
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier claims his upcoming rematch with Conor McGregor is not about revenge. After months of rumors and negotiations, Poirier is officially slated to take on McGregor in the main event of UFC 257 on January 23. The bout will mark the second time they’ve met, after McGregor knocked Poirier out in the featherweight division back in 2014.
Khabib Nurmagomedov awarded with ‘Best Mom’ medal in Dagestan
Harry Kettle - November 24, 2020
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has been awarded an amusing “Best Mom” medal in Dagestan following his retirement. “The Eagle” decided to hang up his gloves in the wake of his recent win over Justin Gaethje, taking his official record to 29-0. He did so after a discussion with his mother in which he promised to end his mixed martial arts career after the Gaethje bout.
Henry Cejudo takes aim at Ariel Helwani for suggesting Deiveson Figueiredo saved the flyweight division
Harry Kettle - November 24, 2020
Former UFC two-weight world champion Henry Cejudo has taken a shot at ESPN’s Ariel Helwani for comments he made about Deiveson Figueiredo. Figueiredo is coming off the back of a strong submission win against Alex Perez at UFC 255, and now, he’s already preparing to defend the Flyweight Championship once again next month when he locks horns with top contender Brandon Moreno.
Petr Yan explains why Aljamain Sterling title fight was scrapped, confident "the fight will happen" soon
Cole Shelton - November 23, 2020
Petr Yan has explained why he won’t be fighting Aljamain Sterling on Dec. 12 at UFC 256. Yan and Sterling were set to headline the year-end pay-per-view but on Sunday it was revealed the fight was off.
Sean O’Malley says he is returning to the Octagon at UFC 258
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
UFC bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley says he will be returning to the Octagon at UFC 258, though he didn’t reveal his next opponent. O’Malley is coming off of a devastating first-round TKO loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252 that halted his progression up the bantamweight rankings. O’Malley was coming off of an incredible one-punch KO win over Eddie Wineland at UFC 250 and the promotion rewarded him with a high-profile spot on the UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier III card. Unfortunately for O’Malley, he suffered an ankle injury early in the fight and Vera took advantage of it as he finished O’Malley with strikes, handing him his first career loss.
Michael Chandler reveals signing with the UFC was "a competition thing" as it wasn't the most lucrative offer
Cole Shelton - November 23, 2020
Michael Chandler reveals the UFC did not offer him the most amount of money during his free agency. Following Chandler’s first-round KO over Benson Henderson, the former Bellator lightweight champion headed to free agency which is something he wanted to do. When he became a free agent, “Iron” admits he wanted to sign with the UFC but it needed to make financial sense.
Rashad Coulter plans to "derail" Viddal Riley's career with KO win and earn his ticket back to the UFC
Cole Shelton - November 23, 2020
Rashad Coulter believes he is being brought in to lose this weekend. On the main card of Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr., former UFC heavyweight Rashad Coulter is taking on one of boxing’s brightest prospects in Viddal Riley. The Englishman is signed to Mayweather promotions and was the head coach of KSI for his fight against Logan Paul, so Coulter knows the boxing world wants Riley to be a star.
Deiveson Figueiredo makes bold prediction for Brandon Moreno fight
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
Despite picking up big wins at UFC 255 last weekend, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno are already slated to fight again—against each other. Figueiredo, the UFC flyweight champion, and Moreno, the division’s No. 1 contender, are set to collide at UFC 256 next month. And when the cage door closes, the champ is expecting a decisive and violent victory.
Ray Sefo says PFL has no interest signing Anderson Silva
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
PFL president Ray Sefo says that his organization has no interest in signing former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Silva recently became a free agent when the UFC released him following a knockout loss to Uriah Hall on Halloween. Silva is now 45 years old and he has lost his last three fights, but he has vowed to continue to fight. “The Spider” recently took to social media and exclaimed that he finally feels free after being fully released by the UFC. It seems like Silva will soon be testing the free-agent market and see what is out there for him.
Rob Wilkinson hopes struggle to find fights ends with Bellator title run
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
Former UFC middleweight Rob Wilkinson, who now competes at light heavyweight, has not had an easy time finding fights since his time with the Las Vegas-based promotion came to an end. He’s hoping that changes soon.
Coach claims Jon Jones is following in Israel Adesanya's footsteps
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
Coach Eugene Bareman claims Jon Jones has followed in the footsteps of his star pupil Israel Adesanya — and not the other way around. While Jones has been in the UFC far longer than Adesanya has, Bareman notes that Jones only decided to move from light heavyweight to heavyweight when Adesanya began considering a move from middleweight to light heavyweight.
Dana White responds to rumors of Nevada combat sports shutdown
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
UFC President Dana White has responded to rumors that Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak is considering shutting down combat sports events in the state amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. Nevada is currently enduring a spike of COVID-19 cases, and amid widespread fears of overflowing hospitals and overworked medical staff, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has reported that Governor Sisolak is considering implementing new restrictions—restrictions that could affect the operations of the UFC and Top Rank Boxing in the state.
What's next for the stars of UFC 255?
Cole Shelton - November 23, 2020
In the main event of UFC 255, Deiveson Figueiredo was looking for his first title defense when he took on Alex Perez. The co-main event saw Valentina Shevchenko defending her belt against Jennifer Maia. In the end, both champions defended their belts as Figueiredo submitted Perez in the first while Shevchenko won a clear-cut decision.
Dana White weighs in on Mike Perry's future after UFC 255
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
UFC President Dana White has shared his thoughts on what the future holds for “Platinum” Mike Perry after last weekend’s UFC 255 event. Perry returned to the Octagon on the UFC 255 main card, where he lost a competitive decision to short-notice replacement opponent Tim Means. With this loss, Perry is now 7-7 since joining the UFC roster. When you combine that less-than-stellar record with his numerous troubles outside the cage and his recent struggles with the scale, his future in the sport seems quite uncertain.
Ariane Lipski releases statement after UFC 255 loss, reveals serious injuries
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
UFC flyweight prospect Ariane Lipski has released a lengthy statement following her UFC 255 defeat at the hands of Antonina Shevchenko. Lipski took on Shevchenko on the UFC 255 undercard, and was soundly out-grappled en route to a second-round TKO loss.
Katlyn Chookagian responds to critics suggesting that she is just a “point fighter”
Harry Kettle - November 23, 2020
UFC flyweight Katlyn Chookagian has issued a response to a critic who suggested she is just a point fighter. Chookagian fought for the fourth time in 2020 this past weekend and managed to comprehensively defeat Cynthia Calvillo via unanimous decision. The win took her record this year to 2-2 and 2-1 since her Flyweight Championship defeat to Valentina Shevchenko back in February. Unfortunately, her performance was not particularly popular among fans.
Anderson Silva criticizes Dana White and the UFC "after an attempt to force my retirement"
Adam Martin - November 22, 2020
UFC legend Anderson Silva criticized UFC president Dana White and the world’s top MMA promotion “after an attempt to force my retirement.” Silva suffered a knockout loss to Uriah Hall at UFC Vegas 12 on Halloween and after the fight, White said that the UFC would not be offering him another fight. Indeed, Silva has since then been formally released by the promotion. White has gone on record saying that he believes that the 45-year-old Silva should hang up his gloves and retire. However, “The Spider” has not made up his mind either way and ultimately it’s his choice to make.