MMA News

Adam Martin - February 28, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev wants to get a top-five opponent after picking up six sixth straight win at UFC Vegas 20. Ankalaev defeated Nikita Krylov via unanimous decision in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 20 card. Although he wasn’t able to get the finish, Ankalaev was mostly able to impose his will in the striking and wrestling following a quick start by Krylov. It was a solid performance by Ankalaev, who figures to take over Krylov’s No. 8 spot in the UFC light heavyweight rankings. Ankalaev is 6-1 overall in the UFC and has won his six fights in a row. He appears to be a serious contender and in a wide-open division, is likely only one or two more wins away from getting a title shot at 205lbs.

Adam Martin - February 28, 2021

UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa claimed that he drank too much wine the night before his title fight with Israel Adesanya at UFC 253. The then-undefeated Costa was considered a live dog to defeat the champion Adesanya, but he proved to be an easy night at the office for the champion, who picked him apart with strikes from the outside before knocking Costa out. It was a fantastic performance by Adesanya, for sure, but it was still hard to believe Costa couldn’t offer more resistance. And now, the Brazilian is speaking out and explaining just why he performed so poorly, blaming it on a night of drinking, a decision that Costa surely wishes he hadn’t made.

Adam Martin - February 28, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Pedro Munhoz released a statement after his “Fight of the Night” war with Jimmie Rivera at UFC Vegas 20. Munhoz and Rivera went a hard 15 minutes against each other, with Munhoz emerging as the winner via unanimous decision due to all the damage he did with his calf kicks. There were numerous points during the fight that Rivera looked to be on his last legs, but somehow he kept on chugging on. Munhoz, meanwhile, continued to smash Rivera’s legs and his face with some heavy hooks as the two exchanged leather for three rounds. Both men were later rewarded by the UFC with the “Fight of the Night” bonus for $50,000 each.

Adam Martin - February 28, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal says a title matchup with champion Kamaru Usman is being targeted for September. There have been plenty of rumors about Masvidal fighting Usman again in a rematch after he stepped up last year at UFC 251 and lost a unanimous decision on short notice. Despite the loss, Usman handpicked Masvidal as his next opponent, and the two are likely hoping they sell another million-plus PPVs for their rematch. Speaking to Boxing Express, Masvidal confirmed that his rematch with Usman is being targeted to take place in September.

Adam D Martin - February 28, 2021

UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane issued a statement following his “great performance overall” against Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Vegas 20. Gane won a clear-cut unanimous decision over Rozenstruik in the main event of Saturday’s UFC card, with all three judges scoring the bout 50-45 in favor of the Frenchman. Gane was content to stay at distance and outstrike Rozenstruik with his jab and low kicks from the outside, while also mixing in a few takedowns and submission attempts to rack up points. Though it was overall a masterful performance by Gane, the lack of a finish and aggressiveness to hurt Rozenstruik frustrated some of the fans who were watching and led to Gane being criticized by UFC president Dana White, as well.

Adam D Martin - February 28, 2021

UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal revealed he will be back in action either August or September and “Somebody is getting baptized in my realm.” Masvidal has not stepped into the Octagon since last summer at UFC 251 on Fight Island when he lost a unanimous decision to Kamaru Usman for the UFC welterweight title. To Masvidal’s credit, he took that fight on very short notice and managed to go the full 25 minutes against Usman, who knocked out Colby Covington and Gilbert Burns. The fact Masvidal was able to go the distance on short notice and sell a huge amount of pay-per-views is part of the reason why Usman wants to fight Masvidal again so badly. There have been rumors pointing to these two potentially fighting but so far there is nothing concrete.

Adam D Martin - February 28, 2021

On Saturday night, former UFC title challenger John Moraga suffered a TKO loss to Marc Castro on the Canelo Alvarez boxing undercard. Moraga, a former UFC fighter, took on Castro in a short-notice boxing match on the undercard of the Alvarez card. Moraga fared poorly in the fight right from the opening bell, as he was dropped by a jab just seven seconds into the fight. Although Moraga managed to get back to his feet, he was dropped two more times in the second round, and eventually, the referee was forced to stop the fight. The loss to Castro dropped Moraga’s professional boxing record to just 1-3. Check out highlights from the bout (via DAZN).

Adam D Martin - February 28, 2021

UFC welterweight veteran Matt Brown taunted Dan Hardy by sharing his direct messages with UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby regarding the two. Hardy recently revealed that he wants to return to the Octagon in 2021, and he mentioned Brown as a potential opponent. The two veterans were originally supposed to fight back in 2013 but Hardy was not cleared to fight due to medical issues. In fact, he has not fought since 2012 due to his issue with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW). However, Hardy has continued to train the whole time and has promised fans that he will step into the Octagon one more time before it’s all said and done. And if he does fight again, Hardy wants to fight someone who will stand and trade with him just like Brown would want to.

Adam D Martin - February 28, 2021

UFC heavyweight Tanner Boser defended Ciryl Gane from fan backlash following an uneventful fight with Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC Vegas 20. Gane won a unanimous decision over Rozenstruik in Saturday night’s min event, but the fight was not very exciting, which led to UFC president Dana White criticizing Gane for his performance. That being said, the Frenchman still did enough to get the win in the fight, and that’s why Boser doesn’t understand the fan criticism towards him for his showing.

Adam D Martin - February 28, 2021

UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou scoffed at the comments made by Jon Jones during last night’s UFC Vegas 20 main event broadcast. Jones, who will be moving up to heavyweight later this year, was critical of the performance by Ciryl Gane and Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the main event of UFC Vegas 20. Though Gane won a 50-45 decision on the scorecards, it was not an exciting fight for the fans. That led to Jones tweeting something about the fight, which ended up making the broadcast during the main event. Ngannou, in turn, saw Jones’ tweet on the broadcast and decided to chime in himself and get in on the fun. Check out the back and forth below between Jones and Ngannou on social media from Saturday night (via ESPN).

Adam D Martin - February 28, 2021

UFC heavyweight contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik issued an apology to his fans after a poor performance against Ciryl Gane at UFC Vegas 20. With two of the UFC’s top-10 heavyweights locked inside the Octagon, many fans were hoping to see a slugfest from Rozenstruik and Gane. However, the fight did not play out anything like that. Gane chose to stay on the outside and use his jab to win on points, while Rozenstruik was content to just stand there and get picked apart. It was a smart gameplan by Gane, though one that UFC president Dana White later criticized. As for Rozenstruik, it was very difficult to watch him stand there like a statue and rarely throw his hands. Overall, it was a frustrating matchup and now Rozenstruik is apologizing for it.

Christopher Taylor - February 27, 2021

Dana White was not thrilled with the performance that undefeated heavyweight Ciryl Gane delivered in tonight’s UFC Vegas 20 main event. Gane (8-0 MMA) took to the Octagon for the fifth time on Saturday night for a pivotal heavyweight collision with Jairzinho Rozenstruik (11-2 MMA).

Christopher Taylor - February 27, 2021

The Octagon remained in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 20 event, a nine-bout fight card headlined by heavyweights Ciryl Gane and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The highly anticipated heavyweight fight proved to be a lopsided contest, but not one that was very fan friendly. Ciryl Gane seeminly had his way with Jairzinho Rozenstruik for five straight rounds but never really put “Bigi Boy” in any danger of being finished. With that said, it takes two to tango and Rozenstruik did not provide much for his part.

Chris Taylor - February 27, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 20 event was headlined by a key heavyweight bout featuring Jairzinho Rozenstruik taking on surging contender Ciryl Gane. Gane (8-0 MMA) was returning to the Octagon for the first time since earning a second round TKO victory over former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos this past December at UFC 256. The Frenchman had gone a perfect 4-0 in the UFC prior to tonight’s event headliner.

Chris Taylor - February 27, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 20 event is headlined by a key heavyweight bout featuring Jairzinho Rozenstruik taking on undefeated contender Ciryl Gane. Gane (7-0 MMA) will be stepping foot in the Octagon for the first time since earning a second round TKO victory over former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos this past December at UFC 256. The Frenchman has gone a perfect 4-0 since making his UFC debut in August of 2019.

Chris Taylor - February 27, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 20 event was co-headlined by a key light heavyweight bout featuring Magomed Ankalaev taking on Nikita Krylov. Ankalaev (14-1 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since earning a first round knockout over Ion Cutelaba at UFC 254 in October. That victory had marked the Russian’s fifth in a row and third straight stoppage win.

Chris Taylor - February 27, 2021

Michael Bisping showed off his ability to multitask during tonight’s UFC Vegas 20: ‘Rozenstruik vs. Gane’ event broadcast on ESPN. The former UFC middleweight champion, Bisping (30-9 MMA), is on commentary duties for the promotion this evening in Nevada. Despite that, ‘The Count’ was still able to find time to unload on a fight fan who suggested he was knocked out by Anderson Silva 5 years ago today.

Chris Taylor - February 27, 2021

Khabib Nurmagomedov is back in the United States of America and has issued a statement on the past twelve months he’s spent abroad. Over the past year ‘The Eagle’ has experienced both highs and lows. Khabib tragically lost his father Abdulmanap in July of 2020 due to complications spawning from the global pandemic.