MMA News
Dustin Poirier responds after Conor McGregor suggests he signed up for “a donation, not a debt”
Adam D Martin - April 12, 2021
UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier responded after Conor McGregor suggested that the superstar signed up for “a donation, not a debt.” On Sunday night, Poirier made the stunning revelation that Team McGregor had not donated money to his “Good Fight Foundation” as was previously reported. In January, Team McGregor said that $500,000 was on the way to Poirier’s wife Jolie. However, Poirier claimed that the team never received the money, and after taking social media to reveal that, McGregor piped back by confirming that the money was indeed not sent, with the Irishman suggesting that he signed up for “a donation, not a debt.”
Daniel Rodriguez explains Joe Schilling's request to throw a kick they practiced “on mushrooms” during fight with Mike Perry
Harry Kettle - April 12, 2021
Daniel Rodriguez has explained cornerman Joe Schilling’s request to throw a kick that the pair had done when they were “on mushrooms”. Rodriguez returned to action this past weekend and put down a dominant performance against Mike Perry, easily winning via unanimous decision on the scorecards. Many felt as if Perry had a decent chance of coming away with a win on Saturday night, but Rodriguez soon should that theory down.
Conor McGregor reacts after Dustin Poirier claims he didn't follow through on promised charitable donation
Christopher Taylor - April 11, 2021
Conor McGregor has reacted after Dustin Poirier accused him of not following through on a promised charitable donation following their rematch at UFC 257. McGregor and Poirier collided for a second time on January 24 in Abu Dhabi. The pair had originally met in a featherweight contest at UFC 178, with the Irishman emerging victorious by way of first round knockout.
Dustin Poirier suggests Team Conor McGregor didn’t follow through with promise of charitable donation after UFC 257
Adam Martin - April 11, 2021
UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier suggested Team Conor McGregor didn’t follow through with their promise of a charitable donation after UFC 257. Before agreeing to a rematch at UFC 257, both McGregor and Poirier had temporarily discussed a charity MMA fight outside of it, where McGregor was to donate money to Poirier’s “The Good Fight Foundation.” In January, McGregor Sports & Entertainment CEO Alan Geraghty confirmed that Team McGregor made a $500,000 donation. At the time, Team McGregor told MMAjunkie.com they reach out to Poirier’s wife Jolie to transfer the money. However, it appears as though Team Poirier may not have seen the check.
Ali Abdelaziz praises Coach Khabib Nurmagomedov: "He's one of the best coaches I've ever seen"
Adam Martin - April 11, 2021
Ali Abdelaziz praised fighter-turned-coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, saying that “he’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever seen.” Nurmagomedov recently retired from mixed martial arts, leaving the competitive aspect of the sport with a pristine 29-0 record. Now that Nurmagomedov is no longer an active competitor, he is transitioning into coaching fighters. We have seen him in the corner at recent UFC and Bellator events, cornering fighters such as Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov, as he looks to succeed in this next stage of his career in combat sports.
Ryan Bader issues statement after smashing Lyoto Machida at Bellator 256
Adam Martin - April 11, 2021
Bellator light heavyweight contender Ryan Bader issued a statement after smashing Lyoto Machida in the main event of Bellator 256. Bader is part of the eight-man Bellator World Light Heavyweight Grand Prix bracket. In the first fight in the tournament quarterfinals, Bader took on Machida in the Bellator 256 headliner. It was a rematch of the pair’s first fight back at UFC on FOX 4: Shogun vs. Vera in August 2012, a fight that Machida won via KO. This time around, however, the fight was completely dominant for his opponent as Bader won a clear unanimous decision. Though Machida did well in the first round with his striking and won that round on the judges’ scorecards, he was outwrestled the rest of the way as he lost four rounds to one.
Kevin Holland says he will work on his wrestling with Daniel Cormier at AKA
Adam Martin - April 11, 2021
UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland says that he will work on his wrestling with Daniel Cormier at American Kickboxing Academy. For the second straight fight, Holland was taken down and wrestled as the blueprint to defeat “Trailblazer” is obvious at this point. After losing a unanimous decision to Derek Brunson last month, Holland tried to capitalize on a short-notice opportunity by fighting Mervin Vettori on short notice at UFC Vegas 23. But just like the Brunson fight, the Vettori matchup once again displayed Holland’s weakness in his takedown defense. As gifted as he is with his hands and his submissions, his wrestling is the biggest hole in his game.
Daniel Rodriguez issues statement following lopsided win over Mike Perry at UFC Vegas 23
Adam Martin - April 11, 2021
UFC welterweight Daniel Rodriguez issued a statement following his lopsided win over the durable Mike Perry at UFC Vegas 23. In what was arguably the best performance of his UFC career to date, Rodriguez was able to outstrike Perry for 15 minutes and bloody and batter his face as he took home a clear-cut unanimous decision. Though Perry landed some good shots of his own and even had a couple of takedowns mixed in, it was essentially all one-way traffic for Rodriguez in this fight. He controlled the striking range with his jab as his southpaw stance proved far too difficult to overcome. The end was result was a win for D-Rod and another loss for Perry.
What's next for Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland after UFC Vegas 23?
Cole Shelton - April 11, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 23, Marvin Vettori was looking to extend his winning streak against short-notice replacement, Kevin Holland. Vettori entered the fight coming off a dominant decision win over Jack Hermansson in December to put him in title contention. He was supposed to fight Darren Till, but after Till was forced out of the bout, Holland stepped up. Holland was coming off a disappointing loss to Derek Brunson just three weeks ago.
KC Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill respond to challenge from UFC’s Julian Marquez
Adam D Martin - April 11, 2021
Kansas City Chiefs superstars Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Tyreek Hill responded to the challenge received from UFC’s Julian Marquez. Marquez defeated Sam Alvey in a violent fashion when he choked his opponent out cold in the second round of their UFC Vegas 23 middleweight bout. The last time we saw Marquez win a fight, he asked Miley Cyrus out on a date after he submitted Maki Pitolo at UFC 258. This time around, Marquez used his post-fight speech as an opportunity to call out the KC Chiefs star trio of Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill, to a game of badminton or pickleball. Marquez, born and raised in Kansas City, is training at Glory MMA in KC under James Krause, and the players all responded to him.
Rose Namajunas takes political jab at Weili Zhang ahead of UFC 261: “Better dead than red”
Adam D Martin - April 11, 2021
Rose Namajunas took a political jab at UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang ahead of UFC 261, saying “Better dead than red.” Namajunas steps back into the Octagon on April 24 when she takes on Zhang with the 115lbs belt on the line. Ahead of the fight, “Thug” spoke to the Lithuanian National Radio and Television about the fight with Zhang. Namajunas suggested that because of her background as an American – Lithuanian and Zhang’s background as a Chinese fighter, there is extra motivation going into this matchup at UFC 261.
Dominick Cruz breaks down TJ Dillashaw vs. Cory Sandhagen
Adam D Martin - April 11, 2021
Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz broke down the upcoming fight pitting TJ Dillashaw vs. Cory Sandhagen. Cruz recently returned to the Octagon with a split decision win over Casey Kenney at UFC 259 last month. He’s one of the top contenders in the 135lbs division, and one fight that he has his eyes closely fixed on is the upcoming 135lbs bout between his rival Dillashaw and the top contender Sandhagen, which goes down on May 8. Speaking to James Lynch ahead of this big bantamweight fight, Cruz broke down the matchup between Dillashaw and Sandhagen, explaining how he thinks Dillashaw has to game plan for him to get the win.
Anderson Silva gets choked up following news DMX has died: "DMX is part of my life... I'm very sad"
Adam D Martin - April 11, 2021
UFC legend Anderson Silva got choked up following the death of his friend DMX, explaining how devastated he is by his death. DMX, real name Earn Simmons, died at age 50 on Friday, April 9, a week after being administered to the hospital due to a drug overdose seven days earlier. DMX was on life support for the past week after suffering from a heart attack, and ultimately, the doctors could not save him. Since his passing, which has been mourned by millions of his fans all over the world, a number of MMA athletes took to their social media to share their memories of the legendary rapper. One of the fighters who his death has hit the most is Silva, who used to walk out to his music. They were good friends and this death hurts him.
Petr Yan shares Marlon Moraes knockout in latest jab at Aljamain Sterling: “Actor fought 4 months after that KO”
Adam D Martin - April 11, 2021
UFC bantamweight Petr Yan shared the Marlon Moraes knockout in his latest jab at Aljamain Sterling: “Actor fought 4 months after that KO.” Yan illegally kneed Sterling in the head while he was a downed opponent in a fight he was dominating at UFC 259. With the knee hurting Sterling badly enough to the point he could not continue, the fight was stopped and declared a DQ win for Sterling by referee Mark Smith. The call was controversial, as it was the first time in UFC history that a title has changed hands via disqualification. Based on the rules, it was a fair call made by the referee. However, Sterling winning the belt instead of Yan has affected the 135lbs title picture.
Henry Cejudo introduces new nickname following Demetrious Johnson’s knockout loss at ONE on TNT
Adam D Martin - April 11, 2021
Henry Cejudo introduced a new nickname to his former UFC flyweight rival Demetrious Johnson following his knockout loss at ONE on TNT. Cejudo and Johnson had two memorable fights in the UFC. The pair first met back at UFC 197 in April 2016, with Johnson knocking out Cejudo with knees to the body to defend the UFC flyweight title. They then rematched at UFC 227 in August 2018, this time with Cejudo besting Johnson via split decision. There have always been talks of a potential rematch between these two rivals, but with Johnson now in ONE Championship and with Cejudo retired, we haven’t heard much back-and-forth between these two in a few years now.
Darren Till sends sincere offer to Mike Perry: "I would more than be willing to accommodate him and his family"
Christopher Taylor - April 10, 2021
Darren Till has extended an offer to Mike Perry, this after ‘Platinum’ suffered his fourth loss in his past five fights at UFC Vegas 23. Perry (14-8 MMA) squared off with Daniel Rodriguez in the opening bout of today’s main card from Las Vegas. While the Florida native once again showcased his toughness, he proved no match for the striking of ‘D-Rod’.
Darren Till critical of Marvin Vettori's performance at UFC Vegas 23: "I would of hurt this man for five rounds on the feet"
Chris Taylor - April 10, 2021
Darren Till clearly tuned in to watch Marvin Vettori take on fellow middleweight Kevin Holland at today’s UFC Vegas 23 event. Till (18-3-1 MMA) was initially slated to meet ‘The Italian Dream’ in today’s event headliner, but was ultimately forced to withdraw from the contest due to injury.
Sean O'Malley calls out Dominick Cruz while taking shots at a number of UFC bantamweights
Christopher Taylor - April 10, 2021
Sean O’Malley called out former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz while taking shots a number of the divisions top fighters. O’Malley (13-1 MMA) returned to the Octagon at last months UFC 260 event where he successfully rebounded from the first loss of his career by knocking out Thomas Almeida in the third round.