MMA News

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.

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.

Christopher Taylor - March 7, 2021

Newly crowned UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is interested in fighting Henry Cejudo in his first attempt at a title defense. Sterling captured the promotions 135lbs title in controversial fashion yesterday evening at UFC 259, emerging victorious over Petr Yan due to a disqualification from an illegal knee in the fourth round.

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.

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.

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.

Adam D Martin - March 7, 2021

UFC president Dana White reacted to the controversial ending in the Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling bantamweight title bout at UFC 259. Yan nailed Sterling in the head while he was on the ground with an illegal knee, leaving Sterling unable to continue in the contest. Though Yan was slightly ahead on the scorecards at the time of the foul, referee Mark Smith deemed the illegal knee was done on purpose and he disqualified Yan, which led to Sterling now holding the belt. It was a super controversial moment and call as it was the first time in the UFC we’ve ever seen a title change hands via DQ. Following the event, White spoke to reporters about the fight.

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).

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.

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.

Adam D Martin - March 7, 2021

Multiple pro fighters are accusing UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling of acting to take home the belt at UFC 259 against Petr Yan. Sterling and Yan met in one of three title fights at UFC 259. The two bantamweights went back-and-forth in the fight, but it appeared as though Yan was starting to take over in the later rounds. However, Yan made a huge mistake when he kneed Sterling in the head when his opponent was downed. After the doctor said Sterling could not continue, referee Mark Smith waved the contest off, declaring Sterling the winner by DQ. Yan became the first fighter in UFC history to lose his championship title off of a disqualification ruling.

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.

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.

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.

Christopher Taylor - March 6, 2021

Megan Anderson entered tonight’s UFC 259 co-main event with hopes of playing spoiler against consensus women’s GOAT Amanda Nunes. Anderson (11-5 MMA) was returning to action this evening for the first time since February of 2020, where she earned a first round knockout victory over Norma Dumont. That victory had served as the Aussie’s second in a row, as Anderson had previously defeated Zarah Fairn Dos Santos by submission at UFC 243.

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!”.

Christopher Taylor - March 6, 2021

Tonight’s UFC 259 main card featured a men’s bantamweight title fight between reigning champion Petr Yan and top contender Aljamain Sterling. Yan (15-2 MMA) had captured the promotions vacant bantamweight title at UFC 251 after scoring a fifth round TKO victory over MMA legend Jose Aldo. That win had marked the Russian’s tenth in a row and seventh straight under the UFC banner.

Chris Taylor - March 6, 2021

Former light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones was clearly watching tonight’s UFC 259 main event between Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya. Jones (26-1 MMA) had vacated the promotions 205-pound title in August of 2020 in order to make a run at heavyweight gold.