MMA News
Pro fighters make their picks for Yair Rodriguez vs. Brian Ortega 2
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2024
Cory Sandhagen open to rebooking Umar Nurmagomedov fight as long as "he looks good" on March 2
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2024
Cory Sandhagen is open to fighting Umar Nurmagomedov his next time out. Sandhagen and Nurmagomedov were supposed to headline UFC Nashville last August, but an injury knocked the Dagestani fighter out of the fight. Sandhagen ended up getting a lopsided decision win over Rob Font on that card and hasn’t fought since. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, is set to return to the Octagon on March 2 against UFC newcomer Bekzat Almakhan.
Johnny Eblen's girlfriend threatens to leave him with potential loss at PFL vs. Bellator: "I'm out"
Josh Evanoff - February 22, 2024
Bellator middleweight champion Johnny Eblen has high stakes heading into his return this weekend. ‘The Human Cheat Code’ is widely viewed as one of the greatest fighters outside of the UFC today. Last September, Johnny Eblen moved to 14-0 with a dominant knockout win over Fabian Edwards in the Bellator cage. Following the victory, he traded words with his opponent’s brother, Leon Edwards, in a moment that quickly went viral.
Aljamain Sterling previews future matchup against UFC champion Ilia Topuria: "That's not an easy fight"
Josh Evanoff - February 22, 2024
Aljamain Sterling is well aware that it’s going to take a lot to defeat UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. ‘Funk Master’ has been out of action since a knockout loss to Sean O’Malley last August at UFC 292. The defeat ended Aljamain Sterling’s historic bantamweight title reign in spectacular fashion. After the defeat, he called for a rematch with ‘Sugar’, but Dana White and company instead booked the champion against Marlon Vera.
Jorge Masvidal opens up on plans for boxing return, potential Nate Diaz rematch
Josh Evanoff - February 22, 2024
Former UFC title challenger Jorge Masvidal wants to show boxing the respect it deserves. ‘Gamebred’ officially came out of retirement earlier this year. Now, that didn’t come as a huge shock, given the fact that Jorge Masvidal has teased a return to fighting for a while now. Last April, the former UFC title challenger retired after a lopsided unanimous decision defeat to Gilbert Burns in Miami.
WATCH | Former UFC champion Sean Strickland chokes out fan on snowy mountain
Josh Evanoff - February 22, 2024
Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland just can’t help but fight. ‘Tarzan’ is fresh off his first title defense at UFC 297 last month in Toronto. For Sean Strickland, the fight was his first since his stunning upset win over Israel Adesanya in September. For his first title defense, he faced the rising South African, Dricus du Plessis. ‘Stillknocks’ previously earned the championship opportunity with a knockout win over Robert Whittaker.
Francis Ngannou announces return fight in MMA after Anthony Joshua boxing match
Cole Shelton - February 22, 2024
Francis Ngannou will be returning to MMA and make his PFL debut. Following Ngannou becoming a free agent, he signed with PFL but said he would be exploring boxing fights first. He ended up getting a boxing match against Tyson Fury, which he lost by split decision, and will return to the boxing ring on March 8 in Saudi Arabia against Anthony Joshua.
Michael Chandler responds to critics suggesting he should walk away from Conor McGregor fight: “I have way too many assurances”
Harry Kettle - February 22, 2024
UFC star Michael Chandler has explained why he doesn’t want to walk away from the Conor McGregor fight. For the longest time now, Michael Chandler has been pushing for a fight against Conor McGregor. After their season of coaching The Ultimate Fighter, it seemed like just a matter of time before an official announcement was made. Alas, up to this point, nothing has been confirmed by the promotion.
Matched up! Who has the better lineup, UFC 299 or UFC 300?
Harry Kettle - February 22, 2024
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has two major PPVs coming up – UFC 299 and UFC 300. But which is better? Over the years, the UFC has established itself as the leading promotion in mixed martial arts. We’ve all known that to be the case for a long time, but it’s always nice when they remind us with some blockbuster events. Thankfully for casual and hardcore fans alike, we have two huge pay-per-views coming up in March and April.
Video | Alex Pereira is training with Steven Seagal ahead of UFC 300
Harry Kettle - February 22, 2024
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira has been seen training with Steven Seagal heading into UFC 300. In the main event of UFC 300, Alex Pereira will defend his UFC light heavyweight championship against Jamahal Hill. While it’s a contest many have been waiting a long time to see, some are surprised to see it in the headline slot for such a blockbuster pay-per-view.
Chris Duncan vows to KO Manuel Torres and "silence" the Mexican crowd at UFC Mexico City: "I'm hunting for the finish"
Cole Shelton - February 21, 2024
Chris Duncan is ready to silence the crowd at UFC Mexico City. Duncan is set to face Manuel Torres at UFC Mexico City on Saturday, in his first fight since July. He was supposed to return in October against Terrance McKinney but a visa issue knocked him out of their fight, which was heartbreaking for him.
Yair Rodriguez says he doesn't want to just fight Ilia Topuria but wants to "f**k him up"
Cole Shelton - February 21, 2024
Yair Rodriguez is happy Ilia Topuria became the featherweight champion, as he wants to hurt the Georgian-Spaniard to win the title. Before Topuria fought Alexander Volkanovski for the title at UFC 298, he and Rodriguez had been taking shots at one another as the two clearly don’t see eye to eye. Topuria also said he wouldn’t give Rodriguez a title shot, which added some fuel to their rivalry.
Brian Ortega doesn't think Alexander Volkanovski looked "like the same Volk" against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298
Cole Shelton - February 21, 2024
Brian Ortega doesn’t think Alexander Volanovski looked like his usual self in his UFC 298 title fight against Ilia Topuria. Volkanovski was coming off a KO loss to Islam Makhachev back in October for the lightweight title and was making a fairly quick turnaround to face the undefeated challenger. Heading into the fight, Volkanovski was a slight betting favorite, but Topuria was confident he would KO the champ.
Jorge Masvidal eyeing future 'BMF against BMF' fight with Justin Gaethje: "I will break his f*cking orbital"
Josh Evanoff - February 21, 2024
Retired UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal really wants to fight the new ‘BMF’ titleholder Justin Gaethje. ‘Gamebred’ famously retired from MMA following a unanimous loss to Gilbert Burns last April. In the process, Jorge Masvidal vacated the symbolic ‘BMF’ championship. The Miami native won the gold with a 2019 stoppage win over Nate Diaz, but never defended it. Months later, the UFC announced plans to put the title on the line for Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier 2.
Alex Pereira reveals Jamahal Hill fight is first of new eight-fight UFC contract: "Very grateful"
Josh Evanoff - February 21, 2024
Light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira won’t be leaving the UFC for quite a while. ‘Poatan’ is fresh off a battle for vacant light-heavyweight gold in November at UFC 295. In the main event of the New York card, Alex Pereira faced Jiri Prochazka. ‘Denisa’ never lost the title himself, but vacated it due to injury in late 2022. In his first fight back, he lost to the Brazilian by second-round knockout.
Brandon Royval admits he accepted UFC Mexico City backup spot for free vacation: "For sure I want that!"
Josh Evanoff - February 21, 2024
UFC flyweight Brandon Royval wasn’t really expecting to fight Brandon Moreno this Saturday night. ‘Raw Dawg’ is fresh off a title shot against Alexandre Pantoja in December at UFC 296 in December. The bout took place over two years after their first bout, which saw ‘The Cannibal’ win by second-round submission. While Brandon Royval put forth a better performance last year, he still suffered a unanimous decision loss.
Dana White reveals Vladimir Putin gifts to Khabib Nurmagomedov after Conor McGregor win: "Whatever he wanted"
Josh Evanoff - February 21, 2024
Dana White has opened up on the aftermath of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s win over Conor McGregor at UFC 229. Over five years removed from UFC 229, the card is still the highest-grossing in MMA history. At the top of the billing, were lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Conor McGregor. Leading into the event, the two stars were in a heated feud, that would continue for years beyond that night in 2019.
Chael Sonnen shares advice for Robert Whittaker & Paulo Costa following UFC 298: "You got to compete"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 21, 2024
Chael Sonnen has some advice for Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa following UFC 298. Whittaker and Costa went one-on-one inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on February 17. It was a hard-fought three-round fight, and “The Reaper” ended up taking a unanimous decision over “Borrachinha.” Now that the dust has settled, Sonnen believes there is a key piece of advice both Whittaker and Costa should follow.
MMA legend Demetrious Johnson doesn't think Israel Adesanya is ready to fight Dricus Du Plessis: "I don't like that fight for Izzy"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 21, 2024
Demetrious Johnson thinks Israel Adesanya needs more time to prepare for Dricus Du Plessis. There has long been bad blood between Adesanya and the current UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. While such a fight figures to be quite lucrative, “Mighty Mouse” doesn’t believe now is the time for “The Last Stylebender” to jump into a title fight with “Stillknocks.”