MMA News

Kennedy-Nzechukwu
UFC

Sayif Saud shares inspirational story of Kennedy Nzechukwu following incredible comeback win at UFC 259

Adam Martin - March 7, 2021

Fortis MMA head coach Sayif Saud shared an inspirational story of Kennedy Nzechukwu following his incredible comeback win at UFC 259. Nzechukwu, a former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor, was a big underdog against Carlos Ulberg on the UFC 259 preliminary card. Ulberg, a teammate of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, entered the UFC with a ton of hype following a KO win on the Contender Series last summer. In the fight, Ulberg absolutely dominated Nzechukwu in the first round, battering his opponent with a variety of strikes. The second round, however, proved to be Ulberg’s downfall, as he would eventually tired out, leading to an upset KO win by Nzechukwu. Statistically speaking, it was an all-time best comeback.

UFC 267, Aljamain Sterling, Petr Yan
Petr Yan

Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling renew UFC 259 battle on social media

Adam Martin - March 7, 2021

New UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling and former champ Petr Yan renewed their UFC 259 battle on social media the day after their fight. Sterling and Yan had an incredible fight at UFC 259, one of three title fights on the card. Both men had their moments in the fight, but it appeared as though Yan was pulling away late when he made a huge error and illegally kneed Sterling in the head while he was a downed opponent. Referee Mark Smith deemed the foul intentional and was forced to wave off the fight on the advice of the cage-side doctor, who said Sterling couldn’t continue. Yan then became the first fighter in UFC history to lose his belt via DQ (disqualification).

Jan Blachowicz
Jan Blachowicz

Jan Blachowicz opens as a rare betting favorite over Glover Teixiera

Adam Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz opened up as a rare betting favorite for his upcoming title defense against Glover Teixeira. Blachowicz defended the 205lbs strap for the first time with a unanimous decision victory over Israel Adesanya in the main event of UFC 259. Blachowicz was the underdog for the Adesanya fight, the 13th time in the UFC that he has been an underdog, and the ninth time he has won a fight as an underdog. It’s been an incredible run for Blachowicz in recent years, having won nine of his last 10 fights overall, and after beating Adesanya, it sets the Pole up with an upcoming title defense against Teixeira sometime later this year.

Petr Yan, Aljamain Sterling
Petr Yan

Betting odds released for rematch between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling

Adam Martin - March 7, 2021

Petr Yan opened up as the clear betting favorite for a potential rematch later this year against UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Sterling and Yan put on a great fight for as long as it lasted, with both men having success throughout the first three rounds, and the fight was a tossup on the judges’ scorecards at that point. However, the fourth round saw Yan really start to take over and begin to hurt Sterling. He then made one of the worst decisions in a UFC fight ever when he kneed Sterling in the head while he was a downed opponent. Sterling defeated Yan via DQ after the Russian kneed him in the head illegally and the fight was called off by the referee.

Dana White, Daniel Cormier, Joe Pyfer
Dominick Cruz

Dana White responds to Dominick Cruz’s UFC 259 post-fight comments about Monster Energy’s Hans Molenkamp

Adam Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC president Dana White responded to Dominick Cruz’s UFC 259 unusual post-fight comments about Monster Energy’s Hans Molenkamp. Cruz defeated Casey Kenney via a split decision on the UFC 259 preliminary card, then called out Molenkamp, a Monster Energy drink executive, for a charity MMA fight.  Speaking to reporters following UFC 259, White spoke about the UFC’s relationship with Monster and praised the brand for giving the fighters financially-lucrative sponsorships.

Henry Cejudo, Dana White, Valentina Shevchenko, Ali Abdelaziz
Henry Cejudo

Henry Cejudo breaks down Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan, apologizes to ‘Funkmaster’

Christopher Taylor - March 7, 2021

Former ‘champ champ’ Henry Cejudo has shared his breakdown of last night’s UFC 259 bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. Sterling and Yan squared off on last night’s pay-per-view main card and the fight delivered as many expected. After a strong opening round for Sterling, the Russian champion seemingly began to change the tide in round two. By round four it appeared Yan was on route to a possible finish, however an illegal knee spelt an end to the fight and Petr’s title reign.

Julianna Pena
Dana White

Dana White interested in Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena UFC women's bantamweight title fight

Adam Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC president Dana White says he is interested in having Amanda Nunes fight Julianna Pena next for the UFC women’s bantamweight title. Nunes got through Megan Anderson with relative ease at UFC 259, as she tapped her opponent out for her second defense of the UFC women’s featherweight title. At this point, there aren’t any new challenges for Nunes at 145lbs and she is likely going to return down to 135lbs for her next fight. Although “The Lioness” has beaten many of the top contenders at bantamweight already, there are still a couple of fresh fights out there or the champ at 135lbs. One of those potential opponents is Pena, who previously called Nunes out. Both women have expressed interest in a potential fight, and it seems like White likes it, too.

Dana White
Dana White

Dana White shares his thoughts on a Cris Cyborg van being parked outside of UFC 259 venue

Adam D Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC president Dana White shared his thoughts on a Cris Cyborg van being parked outside of UFC 259 venue in Las Vegas on Saturday night. Cyborg was knocked out by Amanda Nunes back in 2018, and the two have been connected to a rematch ever since. With Nunes being in the co-main event of UFC 259 against Megan Anderson, Cyborg was of course watching the fight. Just as the massive betting line expected her to do, Nunes went in there and dominated the fight right from the bell, taking Anderson to the ground and defeating her on the floor via submission. It was another fantastic performance by Nunes, and of course, Team Cyborg was lurking nearby watching closely. There was a van parked near T-Mobile Arena with Cyborg’s logo on it.

Dan Hardy
UFC

Report | Dan Hardy responds after reports of him being fired by UFC an BT Sport over alleged incident emerge

Adam Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC analyst Dan Hardy was reportedly relieved of his commentating duties by the UFC and BT following an alleged incident on Fight Island. Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of his newsletter that Hardy was allegedly involved in an incident with a female employee on Fight Island. According to Meltzer, the respected longtime wrestling and mixed martial arts journalist, Hardy has been fired by both the UFC and BT Sport (h/t The MMA Opinion).

Dana White, UFC 249
Israel Adesanya

Dana White reacts to Jan Blachowicz defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 259

Adam D Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC president Dana White reacted to UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz defeating Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision at UFC 259. Blachowicz won a unanimous decision by being the more well-rounded mixed martial artist over Adesanya, who moved up to 205lbs for the first time in his UFC career. Although Adesanya had some success early on with his striking, Blachowicz was the bigger, stronger man, and he had the better cardio, too. The Pole used his striking and grappling in totality to take home the decision and prove to everyone that he’s the best 205lber in the world.

Thiago Santos
Thiago Santos

Thiago Santos issues statement following tough loss to Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 259

Adam Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos released a statement following his unanimous decision loss to Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 259. Santos and Rakic went three rounds in the pay-per-view opener at UFC 259, with Rakic edging out a unanimous decision at the end of 15 minutes. It wasn’t a great fight, as the former training partners at American Top Team didn’t seem to have any urgency to hurt each other. Although the striking totals pointed to Santos edging Rakic out on the feet in terms of volume, the judges felt Rakic landed the harder shots and he took the decision.

Aljamain Sterling
Petr Yan

Aljamain Sterling responds to Petr Yan following criticism over DQ at UFC 259: "The fight was statistically close"

Adam Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling responded to Petr Yan following his controversial DQ at UFC 259, suggesting the fight was close. Sterling and Yan put on a great fight for as long as it lasted. The first round was close, as Sterling was landing more volume on the feet until Yan dropped him with a strong right hand to take it back. In the second round, Yan appeared to be taking over with his striking, and it was the same thing in the third round. The judges had the fight 29-28 Yan, 29-28 Yan, and 29-28 Sterling heading into the fourth round. In the fourth round, it appeared that the tide of the fight was starting to change in Yan’s favor and that he would win.

Islam Makhachev, Dillon Danis, Kevin Lee
Tony Ferguson

Islam Makhachev shares his “dream fight” following dominant victory at UFC 259

Adam D Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev shared his dream fight inside the Octagon following his dominant win over Drew Dober at UFC 259. Makhachev dominated Dober with his grappling skills on the UFC 259 pay-per-view card, controlling Dober on the mat until finding a submission in the third round with the arm-triangle choke. It was the seven straight win for Makhachev, who improved to 8-1 overall in the UFC with the victory. By beating a respected veteran such as Dober in the fashion that he did, Makhachev likely earned himself a step up in competition against someone in the top-10 of the stacked UFC lightweight division. He even has a name in mind.

Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker
Jon Jones

Israel Adesanya putting a potential Jon Jones fight on hold following first career loss at UFC 259

Adam D Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is putting a potential Jon Jones fight on hold following his loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. Adesanya lost a unanimous decision to Blachowicz in the main event of UFC 259. The striking battles were closely fought, but Blachowicz utilized his entire mixed martial arts skillset to win the fight. The Pole was able to take Adesanya down and control him on the floor for the last couple of rounds to take home the decision and hand Adesanya his first career defeat. It’s a tough loss for Adesanya, who lost his bid to become a two-division UFC champion, but despite losing to Blachowicz, he is still the UFC middleweight champion.

Jan Blachowicz, UFC Prague
Jan Blachowicz

Jan Blachowicz says he will be taking a lengthy layoff after UFC 259, wants Glover Teixeira upon return

Adam D Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz said he wants a long layoff after beating Israel Adesanya and called for Glover Teixeira next. Blachowicz pulled off a big upset when he was able to win a unanimous decision over Adesanya in the main event of UFC 259. Blachowicz was counted out by so many people once again leading into this matchup, but he proved he’s the superior mixed martial artist by putting on an absolutely dominant performance over the course of 25 minutes. The win over Adesanya’s marks Blachowicz’s first UFC title defense, with his second likely coming later this year. He just wants to take a break first after going five rounds with Adesanya.

Merab-Dvalishvili-Aljamain-Sterling
Petr Yan

Photo | Petr Yan responds after photo of Aljamain Sterling holding UFC belt and smiling emerges

Adam D Martin - March 7, 2021

Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan responded after a photo of Aljamain Sterling holding the belt was shared on social media. Yan and Sterling fought in one of three title fights at UFC 259, and it was a heck of a fight for as long as it lasted. After a strong start by Sterling in the first round, Yan dropped him with a straight right. Tasting the power of the Russian turned the course of the fight, and gave Yan all the momentum. Though Sterling had his moments, Yan appeared to take over in rounds two, three, and four. In the fourth, Yan was cruising to another title defense until he made the bonehead mistake of landing an illegal knee in the fourth round to the head of a downed opponent. Sterling couldn’t continue, and the fight was called off due to DQ.

Kai Kara-France
Jan Blachowicz

UFC 259 Bonus Report: Kai Kara-France nets an extra $50k

Chris Taylor - March 6, 2021

The Octagon remained in Las Vegas for tonight’s UFC 259 event, a fifteen-bout fight card headlined by Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya. The highly anticipated light heavyweight title fight proved to be a thrilling back and forth affair. Israel Adesanya was able to find success in the early rounds in the standup, but it was Jan Blachowicz who proceeded to dominate the later rounds on the canvas. After twenty-five minutes of hard fought action it was pretty clear to most watching that Blachowicz had done enough to get his hand raised. The judges in attendance ultimately agreed and Bruce Buffer announced “And Still!”.

Israel Adesanya, Dan Hardy, UFC rankings
Jan Blachowicz

Israel Adesanya reacts following loss to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259

Christopher Taylor - March 6, 2021

Israel Adesanya was hoping to become a two-division champion when he squared off with Jan Blachowicz in the main event of UFC 259. ‘Stylebender’ had entered tonight’s highly anticipated headliner sporting a perfect professional record of 20-0, his latest being a second round TKO victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 253.