MMA News

Harry Kettle - May 25, 2021

Ryan Hall vs Ilia Topuria is one of four new fights that have been announced as the UFC continues to build a stacked summer schedule. The promotion has already come flying out of the blocks to start 2021 and as we look ahead to the next few months, it appears as if they’ve got something similar in store with what could prove to be the UFC’s most important year since the triumph that was 2016.

Harry Kettle - May 25, 2021

Carla Esparza has issued a challenge to Rose Namajunas as she closes in on another shot at the UFC Strawweight Championship. Last Saturday night, Esparza firmly cemented her place as one of the division’s top contenders with a dominant TKO victory over Yan Xiaonan. It marked her fifth straight win and, in the eyes of many, has taken her to the doorstep of a title opportunity.

Drake Riggs - May 24, 2021

Eddie Alvarez has gone to war on numerous occasions throughout his legendary career. It now looks like two of his most notable opponents could square off next. Both of Alvarez’s encounters with fellow former Bellator lightweight king Michael Chandler were instant classics. The same can be said for his UFC 218 bout against Justin Gaethje. Now that both have suffered losses in their most recent title opportunities, UFC President Dana White seemingly still likes the idea of matching the two together.

Chris Taylor - May 24, 2021

Valerie Loureda has shared an injury update following her first career loss at Bellator 259, this while providing her haters with a booty shake. Loureda (3-1 MMA) had entered Friday’s bout with Hannah Guy (3-1 MMA) looking to build off her impressive knockout victory over Tara Graff from Bellator 243.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

Joshua Fabia, the former manager of MMA veteran Diego Sanchez, claims that the UFC legend threw his fight against Michael Chiesa at UFC 239. Sanchez lost a lopsided unanimous decision to Chiesa that night, but according to his former manager Fabia, the loss was in part because he was forced to throw the fight. Speaking to the “Behind the Scenes with Summer Helene” podcast, Fabia claimed that Sanchez was forced to throw the fight because, according to Fabia, the Nevada State Athletic Commission spoke to Sanchez and got into his head 30 minutes before the fight.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

UFC fan-favorite Kevin Lee reacted after his comeback fight against Sean Brady in the welterweight division was announced for UFC 264. Lee hasn’t fought since March 2020, when he was submitted by current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC Brasilia. For the past year, he has been out of action while healing up injuries, but he’s now ready to return to the Octagon this summer. Overall, Lee has lost three of his last four fights and he needs to get back in the win column, but the UFC matchmakers have done him no favors by matching him up with a very tough opponent in Brady in what should be an exciting fight that is set for UFC 264.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

UFC middleweight contender Jack Hermansson wants to fight Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, or the winner of Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till next. Hermansson is coming off of a big win over Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Vegas 27. After a tough start in the first round, Hermansson dominated the fight with his grappling in the second and third rounds to win unanimously on the judges’ scorecards with 29-27 scorecards (the last round was a 10-8). It was a tremendous performance by Hermansson and a much-needed victory for the Swede after losing to Marvin Vettori in his last outing.

Cole Shelton - May 24, 2021

The UFC was back at the Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night for UFC Vegas 27. In the main event, top-five bantamweight collided as Rob Font took on former champion, Cody Garbrandt. Font entered the fight coming off the biggest win of his career as he knocked out Marlon Moraes in the first round back in December. Garbrandt, meanwhile, returned to the win column with a highlight-reel KO over Raphael Assuncao.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

Joshua Fabia blasted Diego Sanchez following the pair’s split, suggesting that “Diego has clearly been taking advantage of me for two years.” It was last week that Sanchez announced that he has left Fabia after working with him over the last few years. The straw that broke the camel’s back seemed to be Sanchez getting released by the UFC last month and then a video that emerged of Fabia punching and kicking Sanchez in the head while he hung upside down. Fighters, fans, and media blasted Fabia for his training methods in the video, and a week later, Sanchez left him.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg wants to fight Cat Zingano next, but the promotion’s top executive Scott Coker is unsure. Cyborg picked up a fifth-round TKO win over Leslie Smith in the main event of Bellator 259 last Friday night to improve to a perfect 3-0 under the Bellator banner. Following the win, Cyborg requested that she fight Zingano next in a battle of former UFC fighters. Zingano is 2-0 in Bellator so far and has overall looked solid in the promotion, and it would be a fresh matchup for Cyborg if Bellator makes it. But at this point, it’s not a guarantee it’s booked.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

UFC superstar Conor McGregor congratulated former lightweight divisional rival Paul Felder on the recent announcement of his MMA retirement. Felder broke the news during the UFC Vegas 27 card that he is officially stepping away from the sport and retiring at age 36. Fans, media, and fighters soon took to their social media to say kind words about “The Irish Dragon,” and McGregor was among them. Taking to his Twitter on Sunday, McGregor congratulated Felder on his fantastic UFC career.

Harry Kettle - May 24, 2021

City Kickboxing has released a statement confirming the death of amateur MMA fighter Fau Vake after a week in critical condition. Vake was admitted to hospital due to injuries suffered from an assault last Sunday morning in Auckland, with his teammates and coaches all being by his side in the days since – including Eugene Bareman and Israel Adesanya.

Chris Taylor - May 23, 2021

Former UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones says that he is about to give birth to something big, suggesting that it is also out of the ordinary. Jones (26-1 MMA) was expected to make his heavyweight debut this summer, but failed contract negotiations with Dana White and company have halted those plans for the time being.

Christopher Taylor - May 23, 2021

The camera was rolling as former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley attempted to enter shark-infested waters off the coast of Hawaii. Woodley (19-7-1 MMA) was on vacation earlier this month in the Aloha State and decided to get adventurous under the watchful eye of Ocean Outfitters Hawaii.

Adam Martin - May 23, 2021

A women’s strawweight battle between Amanda Ribas and Angela Hill has been scratched from UFC Vegas 28 along with two other scheduled fights. Marcel Dorff of MMA DNA was the first to report the changes. According to the report, Ribas vs. Hill has been taken off of the UFC Vegas 28 card that is set to take place on June 5. Additionally, a featherweight bout between Nate Landwehr and Makwan Amirkhani is off after Landwehr withdrew from the fight. Similarly, a middleweight bout between Dusko Todorovic and Maki Pitolo is also off after Pitolo was forced to pull out of the matchup. The UFC announced during the UFC Vegas 27 broadcast on Saturday that Pitolo was out.

Adam Martin - May 23, 2021

UFC superstar Conor McGregor suggested that Diego Sanchez fight Joshua Fabia under the McGregor Sports and Entertainment banner. Sanchez this week revealed that he has officially split with Fabia, just a few weeks after the former Ultimate Fighter winner was cut by the UFC. Part of the reason he was cut was because of an argument that Fabia had with UFC executives on Fight Island last year. The UFC was also not happy that Fabia was asking about Sanchez’s medical records. Ultimately, the decision was made for the UFC to cut Sanchez. And now, not long after a bizarre video emerged of Fabia “training” with Sanchez was released, Sanchez has cut ties with Fabia.

Adam D Martin - May 23, 2021

UFC middleweight prospect Edmen Shahbazyan has released a statement following his unanimous decision loss to Jack Hermansson at UFC Vegas 27. After losing to Derek Brunson via TKO in his last outing, most fans assumed that Shahbazyan would get a step down in competition for his next fight considering he’s just 23 years old and is someone who will likely have a long career in the Octagon. However, the UFC booked him against Hermansson in another tough matchup against a grappler. Although Shahbazyan had success in the first round with his striking, he began to tire after the first five minutes as he struggled to deal with the heavy grappling attack of Hermansson. In the end, Hermansson won a unanimous decision with 29-27 scorecards.

Adam D Martin - May 23, 2021

YouTuber-turned-boxer Logan Paul, the brother of boxing superstar Jake Paul, says that he wants to compete in an MMA fight at least once. Paul returns to the boxing ring next month when he takes on Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition boxing match. Paul has fought once as a professional, dropping a split decision to KSI in November 2019. Since then, he has been supporting his brother Jake as he makes his own run up the ladder in boxing. But when the opportunity to fight Mayweather came up it was easy for Paul to say yes to the match because he stands to make big bucks.