MMA News
Joe Rogan believes Stipe Miocic may retire after UFC 260 KO loss: "It could be the end of a long and storied career"
Cole Shelton - March 29, 2021
Joe Rogan thinks there is a chance UFC 260 was the final time Stipe Miocic competes. In the main event of the pay-per-view card, Miocic fought Francis Ngannou three years after he dominated the first fight to defend his heavyweight title. However, in the rematch, Ngannou showed off his improved takedown defense and sprawling abilities. On the feet, he was landing heavy shots and in the second round, after dropping Miocic, he landed a clean shot that put the heavyweight champ out cold.
Sean O'Malley praised for "masterpiece" by Dana White
Adam Martin - March 29, 2021
UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley was praised by UFC president Dana White for his “masterpiece” of a performance at UFC 260. O’Malley put on another fantastic performance as he finished Thomas Almeida in the third round with punches to bounce back from a TKO loss to Chito Vera in his last fight. O’Malley hurt Almeida badly in the first round with strikes only for his opponent to somehow get up and stay in the fight. However, O’Malley continued to pepper Almeida with shots until eventually taking him out in the third round with an “unnecessary” knockout blow.
Bellator releases inaugural rankings, Patricio Pitbull and Cris Cyborg top P4P lists
Adam Martin - March 29, 2021
Bellator released its inaugural rankings and Patricio Pitbull and Cris Cyborg have topped the promotion’s pound-for-pound rankings lists. Bellator announced the first-ever edition of its promotional fighter rankings on Monday. 17 media members voted on the Bellator rankings, and you can see them all below.
Jon Jones asks the UFC to "please just cut me already"
Adam Martin - March 29, 2021
UFC superstar Jon Jones took to social media on Monday afternoon and asked the world’s leading MMA promotion to release him from his deal. Jones and the UFC are currently going head-to-head over a potential Francis Ngannou superfight. Jones announced last summer that he would be moving up to heavyweight in 2021, and UFC president Dana White teased that he would be next in line to fight the winner of Ngannou vs. Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, which turned out to be Ngannou. However, after the event was over, White insinuated that Jones was scared of moving up to heavyweight to fight Ngannou and instead suggested he move down to middleweight.
Paddy Pimblett signs with UFC
Adam D Martin - March 29, 2021
Former Cage Warriors featherweight champion Paddy Pimblett has officially signed a new free-agent contract with the UFC. Pimblett first appeared on the UFC fan rankings last week, which hinted that he could be signing with the promotion soon. Sure enough, the UFC has inked the former Cage Warriors star to a new deal. On Monday, the UFC officially announced on its social media pages that Pimblett has signed a contract to fight in the Octagon. Check it out below.
What's next for Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic after UFC 260?
Cole Shelton - March 29, 2021
In the main event of UFC 260, Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic had their rematch three years in the making for the heavyweight title. Miocic entered the fight coming off of his trilogy fight against Daniel Cormier to reclaim and defend his heavyweight title. He also dominated Ngannou for five rounds using his wrestling to win the fight. Ngannou, meanwhile, was on a four-fight winning streak with all four wins coming by first-round KO and the longest fight going 71 seconds.
Bellator debuts of Anthony Johnson and Yoel Romero delayed
Adam D Martin - March 29, 2021
The Bellator debuts of Anthony Johnson and Yoel Romero have been delayed until May as the promotion shuffled up its upcoming schedule. Bellator’s Light Heavyweight Grand Prix begins in April with eight of the world’s best 205lbers going at it for the chance to win $1 million and the belt. On April 9 at Bellator 256, the tournament begins when Ryan Bader and Lyoto Machida have a rematch. The two previously met in the UFC back in 2012 with Machida winning the fight by knockout. Nine years later and they meet again under the Bellator banner. The co-main event for that card was supposed to feature Corey Anderson vs. Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradv, but that fight has now been pushed back to Bellator 257 on April 16. That means that the fight between Johnson and Romero, which was originally targeted for that date, has been rescheduled.
Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 close to being official for UFC 264
Adam D Martin - March 29, 2021
The trilogy fight between UFC superstar Conor McGregor and rival Dustin Poirier is close to being made official for UFC 264 this summer. We have known for a few weeks now that the UFC plans on booking McGregor vs. Poirier 3 in the wake of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement from MMA, but it’s getting closer to the point of both men putting ink to paper. We heard recently that the July 10 date for the fight seemed likely, and now we have a name for the event as UFC 264 is what it will be called. According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the trilogy between McGregor and Poirier is close to being booked and could be finalized this week.
Matt Mitrione forced out of Bellator 255 fight with Tyrell Fortune
Adam D Martin - March 29, 2021
Bellator heavyweight contender Matt Mitrione has been forced out of his upcoming fight against Tyrell Fortune this Friday at Bellator 255. Mitrione vs. Fortune was set to be the main card opener of Friday’s Bellator 255 show, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Unfortunately, Mitrione is now off the card as he pulled out from the Bellator 255 event for undisclosed reasons. MMAjunkie.com’s Nolan King was the first to report that Mitrione fell off the card. With Mitrione now off the card, Bellator is targeting a rematch between Fortune and Jack May on short notice. They fought to a No Contest last year after low blows ended the fight.
Derek Brunson suggests Stipe Miocic move to 205lbs
Adam D Martin - March 29, 2021
UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson suggested that former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic make the move down to light heavyweight. Miocic was knocked out in brutal fashion by Francis Ngannou in a failed bid to capture the title in the main event of UFC 260. After surviving a tough first round, Ngannou finished the job in the second with heavy strikes. What was interesting about this fight was the weight difference. Ngannou tipped the scales at 263lbs, while Miocic weighed in at just 234lbs, which was far lighter than the 246lbs that he came in during the first fight at UFC 220. The low weight of 234lbs has led some to wonder if he could potentially even cut down to 205.
Chael Sonnen lists reasons for Derrick Lewis deserving the next UFC heavyweight title shot, this while trashing Jon Jones
Harry Kettle - March 29, 2021
Chael Sonnen listed the reasons why Derrick Lewis deserves the next shot at the UFC heavyweight title – while taking a shot at Jon Jones. We now all know that at UFC 260, Francis Ngannou finally ascended to the top of the mountain and beat Stipe Miocic to claim the heavyweight crown. In doing so, he also avenged his defeat to Miocic from UFC 220 back in 2018.
Dana White weighs in on the future of Stipe Miocic following his UFC 260 title loss to Francis Ngannou
Christopher Taylor - March 28, 2021
Dana White is not sure what the future holds for Stipe Miocic following his title loss to Francis Ngannou at last night’s UFC 260 event. Miocic (20-4 MMA) and Ngannou (16-3 MMA) squared off for a second time yesterday evening on pay-per-view. The pair had originally collided at UFC 220, with the Cleveland native emerging victorious by way of unanimous decision.
Khamzat Chimaev reveals he thought he had cancer when he coughed up blood
Adam Martin - March 28, 2021
UFC welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev revealed he thought he had cancer when he coughed up blood after a training session in Las Vegas. Chimaev was supposed to fight Leon Edwards in March but he was forced out of the fight due to a severe battle with COVID-19, a battle that left him coughing up blood and thinking his career was over. Speaking to RT Sport in a recent interview, Chimaev revealed that his initial instinct was to think he had cancer after seeing himself cough up blood into the sink.
Dominick Cruz wants Sean O'Malley next, says Chael Sonnen
Adam Martin - March 28, 2021
Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is interested in stepping into the Octagon to fight Sean O’Malley, according to Chael Sonnen. O’Malley knocked out Thomas Almeida in brutal fashion in the third round of their UFC 260 main card fight, and it was the kind of high-profile win on a big card that will surely get him the attention of the top-15 fighters at 135lbs. One of those fighters is apparently Cruz, the longtime UFC bantamweight kingpin who recently defeated Casey Kenney via split decision at UFC 259. Kenney is a teammate of O’Malley at The MMA LAB and it looks like Cruz is now interesting in fighting his teammate O’Malley in what would be a terrific scrap.
Jon Jones: Still time to save Francis Ngannou fight, expects fight proposal next week
Adam Martin - March 28, 2021
UFC superstar Jon Jones says that he is supposed to be seeing a fight proposal from the world’s leading MMA organization next week. Jones was widely expected to fight the winner of UFC 260’s main event between Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic, which turned out to be Ngannou after he knocked the former champ out in brutal fashion in the second round to take home the title. However, following the event UFC president Dana White said that Jones won’t be getting the next title shot and that it would be Derrick Lewis who will fight Ngannou next. White also insinuated that Jones should move down to 185lbs given how dominant Ngannou was against Miocic.
Jorge Masvidal takes a shot at Ben Askren: "The individual I buried does not represent MMA"
Adam Martin - March 28, 2021
UFC welterweight superstar Jorge Masvidal took a shot at former Octagon rival Ben Askren, saying that he doesn’t represent MMA. Askren returns to combat sports on April 17 when he fights Jake Paul on the latest Triller boxing card. Askren retired from the UFC in late 2019 following a submission loss to Demian Maia. That loss came on the heels of a brutal flying knee KO loss to Masvidal at UFC 239. In that fight, “Gamebred” needed just five seconds to rush across the Octagon and nail Asken right on the chin, and it put him out cold. It’s considered by many to be one of the best knockouts in MMA history and will be on the highlight-reel for years to come.
Dana White believes going back to sold out arenas is "the right thing to do"
Cole Shelton - March 28, 2021
Dana White is looking forward to having UFC events in different cities with sold-out crowds. At UFC 261 on April 24, the Las Vegas-based promotion will be heading to Jacksonville, Florida for a full capacity event that has already sold out. It’s a decision that many have mixed opinions about. However, the UFC appears to be done with pay-per-view events at the UFC Apex after UFC 260 which White is glad about.
Justin Gaethje could be backup for Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier trilogy, says Dana White
Adam Martin - March 28, 2021
UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje could be the backup fighter for the upcoming trilogy match between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. Gaethje has been extremely vocal lately about his displeasure with the UFC passing him over for a potential vacant lightweight title shot at UFC 262. Instead of Gaethje getting the fight, Michael Chandler is fighting Charles Oliveira for the vacant title in May, and Gaethje wasn’t happy about it. “The Highlight” recently said in an emotional interview that he believes he’s done everything that UFC president Dana White wanted of him, and he was sad to hear that the promotion passed on giving him the title shot over Chandler instead.