MMA News

Harry Kettle - December 7, 2021

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has booked three notable fights across three divisions, including the return of Michelle Waterson. While the UFC can look back and be proud of what they’ve produced so far in 2021, it’s always important to look ahead to the future – especially when you have as many events as they do. Across the next few months the groundwork is going to be laid for a string of high-profile bookings and in the last couple of days, the following three bouts have been set in stone for three different women’s divisions.

Christopher Taylor - December 6, 2021

Ciryl Gane has warned fight fans not to expect the same style out of Francis Ngannou at UFC 270. Gane (10-0 MMA), the promotions current interim heavyweight title holder, and Ngannou (16-3 MMA) the UFC’s reigning heavyweight champion, are set to collide in a title unification bout on January 22.

Christopher Taylor - December 6, 2021

John Kavanagh has named six opponents that his star pupil Conor McGregor could fight in his highly anticipated UFC return. McGregor (22-6 MMA) has not competed since suffering a broken leg during his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier this past July. That setback marked the Irishman’s second loss in a row and third in his past four fights overall.

Cole Shelton - December 6, 2021

Jake Paul has made it clear there is nothing in the contracts saying his opponent can’t knock him out. Back in August, Tyron Woodley rocked Paul badly but didn’t throw anything of substance after that to finish the job. To no surprise, after the fight, Dillon Danis claimed Woodley had a no knockout rule in his contract which Paul says is not true. Instead, he offered Woodley a $500k bonus if he does knock him out in their rematch on December 18.

Cole Shelton - December 6, 2021

Conor McGregor believes Khabib Nurmagomedov was good but not great as a fighter. Nurmagomedov retired at 29-0 and is considered arguably the greatest lightweight of all time, as well as being one of the best fighters ever. He was dominant during his UFC run which included a fourth-round submission win over McGregor, yet for the Irishman, a variety of reasons hinders Nurmagomedov’s legacy.

Cole Shelton - December 6, 2021

Rashad Evans will be fighting again. Evans, who retired following his KO loss to Anthony Smith at UFC 225 in June of 2018, will be coming out of retirement to compete on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC’s U.S. debut on January 28. The news was reported by Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports, but Evans’ opponent is not yet known.

Cole Shelton - December 6, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 44, top-five bantamweights threw done as Rob Font took on Jose Aldo in a pivotal matchup. Aldo entered the fight on a two-fight winning streak after beating Pedro Munhoz and Marlon Vera after losing three straight including a TKO loss to Petr Yan for the vacant belt. Font, meanwhile, was riding high after a decision win over Cody Garbrandt.

Susan Cox - December 6, 2021

Colby Covington has no remorse about labeling Brazil as a country filled with “filthy animals” in the lead up to his fight with Rafael dos Anjos. The UFC’s former interim welterweight champion, Covington (16-3 MMA), turned heel back in 2017 after scoring a unanimous decision victory over Demian Maia in São Paulo.

Susan Cox - December 6, 2021

Tyron Woodley has reacted after finally booking his much desired rematch with Jake Paul. Yes, after eventually getting the “I love Jake Paul” tattoo, Woodley now has his coveted rematch scheduled with Paul.

Susan Cox - December 6, 2021

Tyron Woodley will get the chance to settle the score with Jake Paul, this after Tommy Fury was forced to withdraw from his fight with boxings “problem child”. Woodley (0-1) and Paul (4-0) originally collided back in August, with Jake emerging victorious by way of a split decision.

Harry Kettle - December 6, 2021

UFC star Khamzat Chimaev has explained why he rejected the offer of going on Mike Tyson’s Hotboxin’ podcast. It’s safe to say that throughout his time in combat sports, Mike Tyson has been a polarising figure. From his stint in jail to some of his actions in boxing itself, he’s been on a rollercoaster ride that has left him with many critics to go alongside his large fanbase.

Harry Kettle - December 6, 2021

UFC middleweight Dusko Todorovic has revealed details of a gruesome foot injury he suffered earlier this year. This past Saturday night, Dusko Todorovic took his pro mixed martial arts record to 11-2 with a nice ground and pound win over Maki Pitolo. The success broke a two-fight losing streak that came from setbacks against Punahele Soriano and Gregory Rodrigues, both of which took place this year.

Adam Martin - December 5, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Jimmy Crute issued a statement following his brutal KO loss to Jamahal Hill at UFC Vegas 44. Hill needed just 48 seconds to drop Crute and knock him out with follow-up punches on the ground. For Hill, it was a huge bounceback win after getting finished by Paul Craig in devastating fashion in his last outing. For Crute, meanwhile, it was a brutal KO loss, and his second straight defeat via stoppage after losing via TKO to Anthony Smith in his last fight. To make matters worse, Crute appeared to suffer damage around the eye area of his face.

Christopher Taylor - December 5, 2021

Scott Coker says that Bellator is not currently interested in signing free agent Kevin Lee following his UFC release. The former interim lightweight title challenger, Lee (18-7 MMA), was let go by Dana White and company last week after suffering setbacks in four of his past five Octagon appearances.

Christopher Taylor - December 5, 2021

Former TUF Brazil 2 winner Leonardo Santos has issued a statement after suffering the first submission loss of his MMA career to Clay Guida. The lightweight veterans, Santos (18-5-1 MMA) and Guida (37-18 MMA), collided on the main card of last night’s UFC Vegas 44 event.

Christopher Taylor - December 5, 2021

UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev claims his undefeated record dates back to grade five when he beat up an eleventh grader. Chimaev (10-0 MMA) most recently competed at October’s UFC 267 event, where he scored a first round TKO victory over ranked welterweight Li Jingliang. The Russian-Swede is now 4-0 under the UFC banner, earning finishes in all four of those wins.

Adam Martin - December 5, 2021

UFC bantamweight champion Jose Aldo issued a statement following his dominant unanimous decision win over Rob Font at UFC Vegas 44. Aldo earned a unanimous decision victory by landing the bigger shots against Font and also controlling him for longer periods of time on the ground and moving into several dominant positions when he was on the mat. For Aldo, it was his third straight victory at 135lbs following previous victories in the division over Pedro Munhoz and Marlon Vera. At age 35, Aldo is once again looking like a legitimate title contender. Indeed, he believes that he can make one more title run in the UFC bantamweight division despite his advanced age.

Adam Martin - December 5, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight contender Cheyanne Vlismas celebrated in Las Vegas following her “Fight of the Night” victory at UFC Vegas 44. Vlismas lost her UFC debut earlier this year to Montserrat Ruiz, but she has since bounced back in a big way. In her last fight, Vlismas (then known as Cheyanne Buys) knocked out Gloria de Paula with a head kick to win $50,000 for “Performance of the Night.” Against Martin at UFC Vegas 44, Vlismas put on a show for the fans as she put on a striking clinic. In what was mostly a standup fight between the two women, the UFC decided that it was the best fight of the evening and awarded both women $50,000 each for “Fight of the Night.” More importantly, however, Vlismas has now improved to 2-1 overall in the UFC.