MMA News
Volkan Oezdemir issues statement after suffering first KO loss of his career to Jiri Prochazka
Chris Taylor - July 12, 2020
Volkan Oezdemir welcomed former RIZIN light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka to the Octagon at last night’s UFC 251 event. The highly anticipated light heavyweight bout served as the featured prelim of last night’s event on Fight Island.
Conor McGregor rips Nate Diaz for suggesting Max Holloway was robbed at UFC 251
Christopher Taylor - July 12, 2020
Former two-division champion Conor McGregor was not happy with Nate Diaz proclaiming that Max Holloway was “robbed” at UFC 251. Holloway squared off with Alex Volkanovski in last night’s co-headliner, serving as a rematch from their initial confrontation at UFC 245.
Petr Yan says Cody Grabrandt is "dumb" and has "no chin"
Adam Martin - July 12, 2020
New UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan took to social media to blast his divisional rival Cody Garbrandt, saying he is “dumb” and has “no chin.” Yan defeated Jose Aldo to win the bantamweight title that was recently vacated by former champ Henry Cejudo. It was a dominant showing by Yan, who beat Aldo to a bloody pulp in the fifth round in a poor display of officiating by referee Leon Roberts. With Yan now as the champion, it sets him up for a number of big fights in one of the UFC’s most stacked division, with contenders like Aljamain Sterling, Marlon Moraes, and Garbrandt out there.
Nate Diaz says Max Holloway "was robbed" against Alex Volkanovski
Adam Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC welterweight superstar Nate Diaz says that Max Holloway “was robbed” by the judges in his loss to Alex Volkanovski in the co-main event of UFC 251. Volkanovski won a controversial split decision over Holloway to retain the UFC featherweight championship with scores of 47-48, 48-47, and 48-47. Many fans, media, and fellow fighters thought that Volkanovski had done enough to win the fight, not to mention UFC president Dana White, but two of the three people that truly matter when it comes to handing down the decision believed that Volkanovski deserved the win.
Jose Aldo issues statement following TKO loss to Petr Yan at UFC 251
Christopher Taylor - July 12, 2020
Jose Aldo squared off with Petr Yan for the UFC’s vacant bantamweight title on the main card of last night’s UFC 251 event from Fight Island. The result was a thrilling scrap which saw both men have their respective moments. However, Yan was able to turn the tide in his favor in the later rounds and ultimately scored a TKO finish after landing a plethora of ground and pound on the Brazilian.
UFC 251 bonuses: Jiri Prochazka earns $50k for incredible KO win over Volkan Oezdemir
Adam Martin - July 12, 2020
Light heavyweight contender Jiri Prochazka was among the four fighters who earned $50,000 bonus awards for their performances at UFC 251. The UFC announced the bonus awards following the event. The UFC handed out two “Performance of the Night” bonuses to Prochazka and bantamweight Davey Grant, while “Fight of the Night” went to former women’s strawweight champions Rose Namajunas and Jessica Andrade for their exciting rematch on the main card.
Aljamain Sterling challenges Dana White to "cut the games" and give him a 135lbs title shot
Adam Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling challenged Dana White to “cut the games” and give him a title shot at 135lbs against new champion Petr Yan. It was thought all along that Sterling would be next in line to fight the winner of Yan vs. Aldo at UFC 251, and when Yan won the fight, fans were immediately salivating at the possibility of a Yan vs. Sterling matchup for the belt. In fact, White himself said that Sterling would be next in line for the belt after he dispatched of Cory Sandhagen in devastating fashion at UFC 250 back in June.
The Korean Zombie vows to finish “shameful” featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski following UFC 251
Adam Martin - July 12, 2020
The Korean Zombie vowed to finish a “shameful” Alex Volkanovski after he won a controversial split decision over Max Holloway at UFC 251. Volkanovski won a split decision over Holloway to keep the UFC featherweight title, but it was a razor-thin fight that many thought he should have lost. Ultimately, the judges sided with Volkanovski, giving him the belt back with 47-48, 48-47, and 48-47 scorecards, though many fans, media, and even UFC president Dana White disagreed with the scores.
Dana White rips referee for “horrible” stoppage in Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo fight
Adam Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC president Dana White ripped referee Leon Roberts for a “horrible” stoppage in the Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo vacant bantamweight title fight. After Yan and Aldo split the first two rounds, Yan started to pull away as he won the third and fourth rounds, and then in the fifth, he made it clear who the superior fighter was as he beat Aldo to a pulp. It was hard to watch as Yan rained down hundreds of punches on Aldo’s head, only to see the referee Roberts refuse to stop the fight. Fans, media, and fighters on social media were upset about the stoppage, and rightfully so, and it appeared that the fight could have been stopped far sooner and Aldo could have been saved damage.
Daniel Cormier says “the same thing” would happen to Jorge Masvidal against Kamaru Usman on a full camp
Adam D Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier says the “same thing” would happen to Jorge Masvidal if he fought Kamaru Usman again with a full training camp. Masvidal took the fight against Usman on just six days’ notice after No. 1 Gilbert Burns tested positive for COVID-19. Although Masvidal’s training partners such as Dustin Poirier said that Masvidal was putting in the work at American Top Team just in case the opportunity to fight Usman on short notice came up, he did struggle through a brutal weight cut of 20lbs during fight week and it showed during the fight, as Masvidal appeared to tire badly from all the grappling after a strong opening round on the feet.
Alex Volkanovski reveals USADA woke him up the night before UFC 251
Adam D Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC featherweight champion Alex Volkanovski says that USADA woke him up the night before his UFC 251 main event against Max Holloway. Volkanovski defended his title via split decision in a highly-competitive battle between two of the best featherweights in the game. The judges scored the bout 47-48, 48-47, and 48-47 in favor of Volkanovski, allowing the champ to retain his title. Although it was not his best performance in the Octagon, the win improved Volkanovski’s career record to 22-1, including a 19-fight win steak a perfect 9-0 mark in the UFC.
Dwayne Johnson reacts to Kamaru Usman defeating Jorge Masvidal at UFC 251
Christopher Taylor - July 12, 2020
Dwayne Johnson was watching last night’s UFC 251 main event with keen interest as his friend Jorge Masvidal squared off with Kamaru Usman. If you recall, ‘The Rock’ was the man who presented the BMF Title to ‘Gamebred’ following his TKO victory over Nate Diaz at UFC 244.
Photos | Scorecards revealed for Masvidal - Usman and Holloway - Volkanovksi 2
Adam D Martin - July 12, 2020
The judges’ scorecards have been revealed for the UFC 251 title fights between Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal and Alex Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway. In the main event of the evening, Usman won a unanimous decision over Masvidal by utilizing a strong wrestling game. Although Masvidal had some nice moments early on, Usman dominated Masvidal in the clinch and when he was able to get takedowns he controlled the fight on the mat as well, leading to him scoring a unanimous decision.
Paige VanZant issues statement following submission loss to Amanada Ribas at UFC 251
Christopher Taylor - July 12, 2020
Fan favorite Paige VanZant made her long awaited return to the Octagon yesterday evening at UFC 251 for a flyweight bout with Amanda Ribas. VanZant (8-5 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since scoring a submission victory over Rachael Ostovich in January of 2019.
Dana White on Max Holloway vs. Alex Volkanovksi 2: “We have some bad judging”
Adam D Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC president Dana White slammed the judges at UFC 251 for their scorecards in the co-main event between Alex Volkanovski and Max Holloway. Volkanovski and Holloway met in a rematch after their first fight last December at UFC 245, where Volkanovski won a unanimous decision to capture the featherweight title in an upset. The rematch at UFC 251 went different, as Holloway was able to make the necessary adjustments and fight a far more competitive battle. Although many fans, media, and fighters though Holloway won the fight, the judges ended up giving it to Volkanovski, who retained the belt with scores of 47-48, 48-47, and 48-47.
Former rivals Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson traded shots during last night’s UFC 251 broadcast
Adam D Martin - July 12, 2020
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping and long-time rival Dan Henderson traded shots on social media during the UFC 251 broadcast on Saturday. Saturday marked 11 years to the day since UFC 100 when Henderson scored one of the most iconic KOs in MMA history when he flatlined Bisping. The pair rematched seven years later at UFC 204, with Bisping winning a competitive unanimous decision to tie the score between the two at one each. Following the second fight with Bisping, Henderson retired from the sport, and Bisping followed him out the door soon after.
Video | Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman agree to “run it back” immediately following round five of UFC 251 main event
Adam D Martin - July 12, 2020
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and his rival Jorge Masvidal agreed to run it back immediately following their main event fight at UFC 251. Usman won a unanimous decision over Masvidal in the Fight Island headliner, with scores of 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46. Although Masvidal had his moments in the bout, it was mostly a dominant performance by Usman, who used his wrestling to dictate where the bout took place, allowing him to roll to a decision victory.
Jorge Masvidal reacts followng loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 251
Christopher Taylor - July 12, 2020
Jorge Masvidal came up short in his quest to dethrone reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi. ‘Gamebred’ had accepted a title fight with ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ on extremely short notice after Usman’s originally slated opponent Gilbert Burns was forced off the card due to a positive test for Covid-19.