MMA News
Nate Diaz reacts after Dustin Poirier defeats Conor McGregor at UFC 264
Chris Taylor - July 15, 2021
Nate Diaz clearly tuned in to watch Conor McGregor square off with Dustin Poirier for a third time in the main event of UFC 264. The highly anticipated lightweight headliner served as a trilogy fight, as McGregor and Poirier had previously collided in the Octagon on two occasions in the past.
Conor McGregor nearly head kicked a security guard during his warmup for UFC 264 (Video)
Cole Shelton - July 15, 2021
Conor McGregor nearly landed a head kick on a security guard while Dustin Poirier was walking to the Octagon at UFC 264. While McGregor was in the cage and awaiting Poirier, he was staying loose throwing punches and kicks. Unfortunately, a security guard was standing in the middle of the Octagon and nearly got kicked in the face.
Exclusive: ONE Championship featherweight king Thanh Le wants Tonon, Nguyen or Lee next
Andrew Whitelaw - July 15, 2021
Thanh Le became the ONE Championship featherweight champion when he scored an impressive third round TKO against Martin Nguyen in October last year. The TUF 22 alumni is currently riding a streak of four straight finishes since he signed with the Singapore-based promotion back in 2019.
Islam Makhachev wants to "help" Tony Ferguson retire after UFC Vegas 31
Cole Shelton - July 15, 2021
Islam Makhachev is hoping to fight Tony Ferguson after UFC Vegas 31. Makhachev is set to headline the Fight Night card on Saturday against Thiago Moises. If the Dagestani native wins, it’s likely he will get a top-ranked opponent and he’s hoping to face Ferguson next time out so he can finally retire him.
Conor McGregor says he was injured before Dustin Poirier trilogy at UFC 264: "I had stress fractures in my leg going into that cage"
Adam D Martin - July 15, 2021
Conor McGregor says he was injured before the Dustin Poirier fight at UFC 264, as he “had stress fractures in my leg going into that cage.” McGregor broke his leg at the end of the first round, losing via TKO (doctor stoppage) against Poirier in the rival’s trilogy contest. Taking to his social media days following the leg break, the Irishman opened up about the injury, confirming what his coach John Kavanagh said in that he was injured heading into the contest with stress fractures in his leg.
Miles Johns expects to finish Anderson dos Santos in a "fan-favorite fight" at UFC Vegas 31
Cole Shelton - July 15, 2021
Miles Johns has a ton of confidence in himself coming off a highlight-reel KO win in his last fight. Johns last fought back on Halloween night where he knocked out Kevin Natividad. Following that, many thought he would get a quick turnaround, but nine months later, Johns will return which he says is later than he thought but still is good timing.
Joe Rogan comments on recent trend of injuries in the UFC: "People are getting good at breaking people's bones"
Adam D Martin - July 15, 2021
MMA analyst Joe Rogan commented on the recent trend of injuries in the UFC, saying that “people are getting good at breaking people’s bones.” UFC superstar Conor McGregor was stopped by rival Dustin Poirier in their trilogy match at this past Saturday’s UFC 264 pay-per-view card, and we later found out that the Irishman broke his leg in the fight. Back in April at UFC 261, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman broke his leg when it snapped on a checked kick by Uriah Hall. And at UFC 262 in May, veteran Jacare Souza had his arm snapped by Andre Muniz in their fight.
Cynthia Calvillo confident she has what it takes to beat Valentina Shevchenko, can't say the same about Lauren Murphy
Adam D Martin - July 15, 2021
Cynthia Calvillo is confident she has what it takes to beat the champ Valentina Shevchenko, but she can’t say the same about Lauren Murphy. Calvillo returns to the Octagon at UFC 266 when she takes on former title challenger Jessica Andrade, and on the same card, Shevchenko puts the UFC women’s flyweight title on the line against Murphy. It stands to reason that Calvillo could potentially earn the next title shot against the winner of Shevchenko vs. Murphy if she defeats Andrade. If you ask Calvillo, that is going to be Shevchenko, because she doesn’t see Murphy winning the fight.
Miesha Tate confident she can make another run for UFC women's bantamweight title despite long layoff
Adam D Martin - July 15, 2021
Former women’s 135lbs champ Miesha Tate is confident she can make another run for the UFC women’s bantamweight title despite her long layoff. Tate returns after a nearly five-year layoff this Saturday night when she takes on Marion Reneau in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 31. Despite Tate taking so much time off, she returns to the UFC at age 34 and to a division that is in fresh need of fresh challengers for UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Even though Tate hasn’t fought in forever and technically hasn’t won a fight since her upset win over Holly Holm at UFC 196 in March 2016, she is still confident that she has what it takes to wear UFC gold again.
Derrick Lewis calls Ciryl Gane a "boring" fighter ahead of UFC 265
Adam D Martin - July 15, 2021
UFC heavyweight title contender Derrick Lewis called his upcoming opponent Ciryl Gane a “boring” fighter ahead of their UFC 265 title fight. Lewis and Gane meet in the main event of UFC 265, which is scheduled to take place on August 7 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, and the interim heavyweight strap will be on the line when “The Black Beast” and “Bon Gamin” throw down. While Lewis was originally set to take on UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou for the undisputed belt, things changed and he is now set to take on Gane for the interim belt instead.
Khabib Nurmagomedov explains why he was the #1 pound for pound fighter and not Jon Jones: “I was mauling everybody”
Harry Kettle - July 15, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has explained why he believes he was the pound-for-pound king ahead of Jon Jones. While he may have retired almost a year ago now, Khabib is still the name on everyone’s lips when it comes to the lightweight division. The former king at 155 pounds was able to dispatch everyone who came before him and he did so in the kind of dominant fashion that has left many believing he’s the best lightweight of all time.
Luke Rockhold has a message for the UFC: “Give me something that excites my fans. Otherwise, f*ck off and let me go”
Harry Kettle - July 15, 2021
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has come out firing with an ultimatum for the promotion. Throughout the course of his tenure in the UFC, and mixed martial arts in general, Rockhold has been able to establish himself as one of the most exciting middleweights on the planet. He’s been to a decision just twice throughout his 21 professional fights and while his last two bouts have been knockout defeats, he’s still a dangerous man whether it be at 185 or 205.
Jeremy Stephens jokes about Drakkar Klose incident: "When I shove people, they don't f*****g move"
Cole Shelton - July 14, 2021
Jeremy Stephens seems to have a light-hearted approach to his canceled fight against Drakkar Klose back in April. At the faceoffs following weigh-ins, Stephens shoved Klose and it ended up injuring Klose and the fight was canceled. Since then, the UFC has made a rule that if you touch someone during their faceoff you are pulled from the fight so Stephens had to make a little joke about the situation.
Khabib Nurmagomedov says Dustin Poirier beats Conor McGregor 100 times out of 100 after he mauled him at UFC 264
Cole Shelton - July 14, 2021
Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Dustin Poirier mauled Conor McGregor at UFC 264 and says “The Diamond” would win 100 times out of 100. Poirier and McGregor had their highly-anticipated trilogy match on Saturday in the main event of UFC 264. It was a pivotal fight for both of their legacies and the division. Early on, the Irishman had success but after Poirier got him to the mat, he landed some heavy ground and pound and clearly won the round.
UFC Vegas 31: Makhachev vs Moises full betting odds
Cole Shelton - July 14, 2021
Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 31 card featuring a lightweight bout between Islam Makhachev and Thiago Moises. In the main event of UFC Vegas 31, Islam Makhachev will headline his first UFC card as the top-10 contender will battle 14th ranked, Thiago Moises. Makhachev is coming off a submission win over Drew Dober and is riding a seven-fight winning streak. The Dagestani native is 8-1 in the UFC and holds notable wins over Arman Tsaryukan, Davi Ramos, and Gleison Tibau. Moises, meanwhile, is on a three-fight winning skid as he’s coming off back-to-back decision wins over Alexander Hernandez and Bobby Green. The former RFA lightweight champ also holds notable wins over Michael Johnson and Kurt Holobaugh.
Conor McGregor criticized by Paul Felder for death threats against Dustin Poirier's family
Adam D Martin - July 14, 2021
UFC superstar Conor McGregor went too far by making death threats against Dustin Poirier and his family following UFC 264, says Paul Felder. McGregor made the threats against Poirier following his TKO loss at UFC 264 last Saturday night. The comments have been criticized by many fans and media, who believe that the Irishman went too far by bringing up Poirier’s family, and now Felder is speaking out against the comments that McGregor made in the wake of his technical knockout loss.
Billy Quarantillo expects to finish Gabriel Benitez at UFC Vegas 31 after getting much-needed eye surgery
Cole Shelton - July 14, 2021
Billy Quarantillo expects to be a much better fighter on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 31 when he faces Gabriel Benitez. Quarantillo is coming off his first career UFC loss back at UFC 256 against Gavin Tucker. Following the loss, the rising featherweight contender got married and got eye surgery which he says was much-needed.
Report | UFC 264 is the second biggest PPV in promotional history
Adam D Martin - July 14, 2021
According to a new report from the Sports Business Journal, last Saturday’s UFC 264 is officially the second biggest PPV in UFC history. John Ourand of the SBJ shared the numbers on his social media page, noting that UFC 264 sold 1.8 million pay-per-views around the world, including 1.3 million in the United States.