MMA News

Christopher Taylor - July 26, 2021

TJ Dillashaw made his highly anticipated Octagon return in last weekend’s UFC Vegas 32 main event for a bantamweight scrap with Cory Sandhagen. Dillashaw (17-4 MMA) had not competed since January of 2019, where he suffered a first round knockout loss to then flyweight champion Henry Cejudo and was handed a two year suspension due to his use of the banned substance EPO.

Drake Riggs - July 26, 2021

Urijah Faber isn’t itching to return to the Octagon — but now that TJ Dillashaw is back, the possibility is there. Dillashaw made a successful return to action this past Saturday after a two-year USADA suspension. His split decision win over Cory Sandhagen topped a card that saw Faber corner three of his Team Alpha Male trained fighters. Ever since Dillashaw removed himself from Faber’s tutelage, things haven’t quite been the same between the two.

Christopher Taylor - July 26, 2021

Conor McGregor was clearly fired up this evening as he sent out multiple tweets including a message directed at Dustin Poirier’s wife, Jolie. McGregor and Poirier collided for a third time earlier this month in the main event of UFC 264.

Andrew Whitelaw - July 26, 2021

Chan Sung Jung, AKA ‘The Korean Zombie’ is a fan favorite in the UFC. So is Nate Diaz. Both fighters have enjoyed storied careers in the Octagon, with TKZ’s eight performances bonuses the joint-most in featherweight history. Speaking on his YouTube channel, TKZ hailed the importance of antagonists in the UFC and name-checked Diaz as having a crucial part to play in generating interest.

Cole Shelton - July 26, 2021

Joe Rogan has explained why he decided to interview Conor McGregor after his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. In the lead-up to the fight, McGregor had a lot of harsh words for Poirier and continued after the fight. In the opening round, of the scrap, McGregor had some moments but Poirier took him down and controlled him until with seconds left they got back to their feet and when the Irishman threw a punch he broke his leg. After the result of the fight was read, Rogan went over to McGregor and interviewed him which many criticized, especially after what the Irishman said.

Cole Shelton - July 26, 2021

Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington will be running it back at UFC 268 in November. Ever since Usman scored a fifth-round TKO over Covington back at UFC 245, “Chaos” has made it clear he wanted to get the rematch. Now, UFC president, Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto the fight will take place at UFC 268. The date of the event is not set, nor the location but the hope is it will be at Madison Square Garden. It’s also not clear if this fight will serve as the main event of the card.

Adam D Martin - July 26, 2021

Paige VanZant reacted after losing her BKFC fight to rival Rachael Ostovich, saying that “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” VanZant lost a unanimous decision to Ostovich in their rematch that headlined this past weekend’s BKFC 19 card in Tampa, Florida. Although VanZant was the betting favorite heading into the fight, Ostovich surprised a lot of onlookers as she showed improved boxing as she was able to outstrike VanZant and take home the decision on the judges’ scorecards. The rivals are now 1-1 overall in their all-time series, with VanZant holding a previous win over Ostovich by submission in the UFC. With Ostovich now beating VanZant in their rematch in BKFC, it’s possible we could see a trilogy fight between them one day.

Adam D Martin - July 26, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns understands the recent criticism from Dana White, saying that “he wants my fight to be a banger.” Burns defeated Stephen Thompson in the co-main event of UFC 264 earlier this month, but White criticized his performance, suggesting that it wasn’t an exciting fight. At the end of the day, Burns did what he needed to do to get his hand raised. While it wasn’t the standup war that apparently White had hoped for, Burns fought a smart game plan as he took down a superior striker and controlled him on the mat for a unanimous decision victory.

Adam D Martin - July 26, 2021

UFC bantamweight Cory Sandhagen admitted that his recent split decision loss to TJ Dillashaw was a “coin toss” on the judges’ scorecards. Sandhagen and Dillashaw fought tooth and nail for 25 hard minutes, but at the end of the five rounds, the judges awarded Dillashaw with the split decision nod. It was a very close fight that could have gone either way, as many of the rounds were decided by razor-thin margins. In the end, the judges sided with Dillashaw and Sandhagen has a loss on his record, though he has already said the UFC matchmakers aren’t going to punish him for it.

Cole Shelton - July 26, 2021

Chris Daukaus didn’t expect that he would be fighting Shamil Abdurakhimov. Daukaus, who joined the UFC in August of 2020, is already 3-0 in the promotion with three first-round knockouts. After his last win over Aleksei Oleinik in February, he expected he would get another ranked opponent next, and was unsure if it would be in the top-10.

Adam D Martin - July 26, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns believes that Jake Paul will prove to be a difficult boxing matchup for Tyron Woodley. Paul and Woodley meet on August 29 in a highly-anticipated professional boxing matchup between the YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul and the former UFC welterweight champion Woodley. One man who will be tuning into watch this fight is Burns, who last year defeated Woodley via unanimous decision in the UFC. If there’s anyone who knows Woodley well it’s the man who spent 25 minutes in the cage with him, and when you ask Burns about how the Woodley vs. Paul boxing match will go, he’s not confident in Woodley (via TMZ Sports).

Adam D Martin - July 26, 2021

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou sent a message of support to Miranda Maverick after getting robbed by the judges at UFC Vegas 32. In one of the most controversial decisions of the year, the judges awarded Maycee Barber a split decision win over Maverick following their main card battle at UFC Vegas 32. Most fans and media thought that Maverick had done enough to win the first two rounds of the fight and therefore take home a 29-28 decision on the scorecards after Barber won the last round. But somehow, two of the three judges scoring the fight sided with Barber instead.

Harry Kettle - July 26, 2021

Rafael dos Anjos has responded to being labelled a grandpa by Islam Makhachev as their war of words continues. Makhachev and dos Anjos have been booked to fight one another on two separate occasions but due to COVID-19 and an injury setback, the bout hasn’t actually taken place. The two lightweights are viewed by many as great contenders in their own right, although there’s an argument to be made that RDA is the “past” and Makhachev is the future – based on the trajectory of their careers, that is.

Christopher Taylor - July 25, 2021

Former UFC fighters Hector Lombard and Tyron Woodley got into a heated confrontation during Friday’s BKFC 19 event in Florida. Lombard, a former Bellator champion and current BKFC title holder, apparently had a score to settle with the former UFC welterweight champion and decided to confront Woodley at the event.

Adam Martin - July 25, 2021

UFC welterweight Colby Covington trashed “loser” Leon Edwards after beating Nate Diaz, saying “there’s no honor in beating a guy like that.” Edwards defeated Diaz via unanimous decision at UFC 263 in June, but while the Brit clearly won the first four rounds of the fight, most fans only remember the fifth round where Diaz rocked “Rocky” with a big punch and nearly finished him. In the end, Edwards was awarded the win and he is now officially on a top-10 fight unbeaten streak, which is why he believes he should be next in line to fight UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. However, Covington is confident that he is deserving of being next for the belt.

Adam Martin - July 25, 2021

BKFC stars Joey Beltran and Britain Hart recently announced that they were married before this past Friday’s BKFC 19 event in Tampa, Florida. Beltran, a former UFC heavyweight fighter who is the current BKFC heavyweight champion, took to his social media to announce that he tied the knot with Britain, a women’s fighter for BKFC who earlier this year defeated Paige VanZant in an upset. The two combat sports stars posted a number of photos from them tying the knot in the days before BKFC 19.

Adam Martin - July 25, 2021

Cody Garbrandt wants to fight “great human being” Brandon Moreno next, suggesting that it would be a favorable stylistic matchup for him. Garbrandt is coming off of a unanimous decision loss to Rob Font in his last fight, and since then he has made it clear that he is interested in moving down to flyweight next. Remember, Garbrandt was actually supposed to make his 125lbs last year against former champion Deivieson Figueiredo, but he was forced to pull out of the fight due to COVID-19. Now that he’s healthy and active again, Garbrandt’s next move is to cut down an extra 10lbs and make the flyweight limit, and he wants to get his hands on Moreno’s belt.

Cole Shelton - July 25, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 32, former bantamweight champ, TJ Dillashaw made his return to the Octagon against Cory Sandhagen. Dillashaw and Sandhagen were supposed to meet in May but a cut above Dillashaw’s eye forced the scrap to be postponed to now. The former champ was also coming off a two-year USADA suspension for EPO use. Sandhagen, meanwhile, was coming off back-to-back highlight-reel KO wins over Frankie Edgar and Marlon Moraes.