MMA News
Israel Adesanya says he'll be fighting "just for fun" after losing middleweight title at UFC 293
Cole Shelton - September 20, 2023
Israel Adesanya will be fighting for fun now as he says the belt doesn’t matter to him. At UFC 293, Adesanya lost his middleweight title as he dropped a decision to Sean Strickland in a rather one-sided fight. It was a disappointing performance for Izzy, and since then, many have wondered what would be next for Adesanya, as there were talks of running it back.
Dillon Danis gets restraining order after no-showing Nina Agdal hearing
Cole Shelton - September 20, 2023
Dillon Danis did not show up for his hearing on Tuesday for the restraining order filed by Logan Paul’s fiancee Nina Agdal. According to MMAFighting, Danis didn’t show up which forced the judge to enforce its conditions. Also, Danis “and all persons in active concert or participation with him” are forbidden from posting “sexually explicit photographs” of Agdal without her permission, New Jersey federal judge Madeline Cox Arleo ordered.
Dana White to keep Mexican Independence Day tradition going: “I’ll go into an opposing arena and go head-to-head”
Zain Bando - September 20, 2023
Despite being on vacation, UFC CEO Dana White was plugged into the rematch between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko. Although the fight was declared a split draw, White, 54, is keen on seeing the trilogy in 2024. So much so that he is already planning future installments of Noche UFC in the years to come.
Bryce Mitchell declares himself the UFC's "cash cow" ahead of return fight against Dan Ige
Cole Shelton - September 20, 2023
Bryce Mitchell believes he’s the UFC’s cash cow and the biggest draw in the featherweight division. Mitchell is set to return to the Octagon in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 79 against Dan Ige. It’s his first fight since December when he lost to Ilia Topuria by second-round submission.
AEW's Jake Hager announces retirement from MMA: "Bellator was jerking me off, so I retired"
Josh Evanoff - September 20, 2023
Bellator heavyweight contender Jake Hager has announced his retirement from MMA. The former WWE champion famously signed with Bellator in November 2017. Now, a star for AEW, Jake Hager was previously a pretty great collegiate wrestler. He was an All-American at the University of Oklahoma and felt confident enough in his wrestling skills that he could step into the cage.
Patricio Pitbull interested in UFC signing as Bellator-PFL deal looms: "My career deserves it"
Josh Evanoff - September 20, 2023
Former Bellator two-weight champion Patricio Pitbull is interested in heading to the UFC. The Brazilian has been out of action since a short-notice clash with Chihiro Suzuki in July. Stepping up on just a few days’ notice at Bellator X RIZIN 2, Patricio Pitbull suffered a first-round knockout loss. The defeat was the second in a row for the champion, previously losing to Sergio Pettis in June.
Aljamain Sterling knows Dana White was happy to see him lose to Sean O'Malley: "The golden goose won"
Josh Evanoff - September 20, 2023
Aljamain Sterling is well aware that Dana White was happy to see him lose to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292. ‘The Funk Master’ and ‘Sugar’ faced off in the company’s return to Boston last month. They faced off in the main event of UFC 292, just months after Aljamain Sterling’s title defense against Henry Cejudo. Famously, he wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the idea of fighting Sean O’Malley after such a fast turnaround.
Dana White says Raul Rosas Jr. 'destroyed' Noche UFC on social media
Susan Cox - September 20, 2023
Dana White is saying that Raul Rosas Jr. ‘destroyed’ Noche UFC on social media. It was just this past weekend that saw Raul Rosas Jr. (8-1 MMA) defeat Terrence Mitchell (14-4 MMA) in a bantamweight bout via way of TKO at 0:54 of Round 1 (see that here).
UFC CEO Dana White confirms plans for Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko trilogy: “You have to do the rematch”
Susan Cox - September 20, 2023
UFC CEO, Dana White, is confirming plans for Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko trilogy match. It was just this past weekend that the main event featured flyweight champion Alexa Grasso (16-3 MMA) getting in the cage with Valentina Shevchenko (23-4 MMA) at Noche UFC. The result of the bout was a split draw, with judge Mike Bell’s 47-47 scorecard preventing a victor.
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz go back and forth in heated exchange: “I should’ve never gave you a rematch”
Susan Cox - September 20, 2023
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz are going back and forth in a heated exchange on social media. The Irishman has not fought in the Octagon in over two years, but he’s been very active on social media during that same timeframe.
Impassioned Stamp Fairtex chases third world title at ONE Fight Night 14: 'I'm determined to make history'
BJPENN.COM Staff - September 20, 2023
Stamp Fairtex has reached the pinnacle of success in two disciplines under the ONE Championship banner — Muay Thai and kickboxing. Now, the Thai superstar has her sights on making history yet again. The top-ranked contender is booked to face second-ranked Ham Seo Hee for the ONE Interim Atomweight MMA World Title.
UFC Rankings Update: Sean O’Malley continues to climb the pound-for-pound ladder
Harry Kettle - September 20, 2023
UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has made a small climb up the ladder of the promotion’s pound-for-pound rankings. For the last month, Sean O’Malley has been living the dream. He has quickly become one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts as a result of his TKO win over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. Of course, some would argue he already was, but he’s certainly taken his game to a whole new level.
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker weighs in on the Noche UFC main event controversy: “I probably would have scored it in Shevchenko’s favor”
Harry Kettle - September 20, 2023
Robert Whittaker has given his thoughts on the Noche UFC main event controversy between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko. Last weekend, Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko battled it out over the UFC flyweight championship. It was a tight and tense affair but in the end, the contest was ruled a split draw, with Grasso therefore retaining the belt.
Dana White weighs in on the controversial Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2 result: ‘“There is no way in hell that was a 10-8 round”
Harry Kettle - September 20, 2023
UFC president Dana White has given his thoughts on the 10-8 scorecard from Alexa Grasso vs Valentina Shevchenko 2. Last weekend, Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko went to war in the main event of Noche UFC. They battled it out over the UFC flyweight championship and in the end, the result was a split draw. Many felt the outcome itself wasn’t controversial, but instead, they took issue with judge Mike Bell’s 10-8 that he awarded to Grasso in the fifth round of the contest.
Ciryl Gane opens up on "traumatizing" home robbery that occurred during his UFC Paris fight
Cole Shelton - September 19, 2023
Ciryl Gane has opened up on his house being robbed during his UFC Paris fight against Serghei Spivac. As Gane was headlining the event earlier this month, a robber broke into Ciryl’s house and stole items totaling over $150,000 Euros. Some of the items the robber took included jewelry and a Rolex watch. It was difficult to process for Gane who didn’t hear about the robbery until after his TKO win.
Valentina Shevchenko reveals she's set to undergo surgery for injury sustained during Alexa Grasso fight
Cole Shelton - September 19, 2023
Valentina Shevchenko will be going under the knife. Shevchenko took to X on Tuesday evening to reveal she fractured her hand during the first round of her Noche UFC fight against Alexa Grasso. The injury will require surgery, and according to Damon Martin, it will take three months before she can use it for contact again.
Tyson Fury explains why he thinks Tom Aspinall is the only person who can beat Jon Jones
Cole Shelton - September 19, 2023
Tyson Fury believes if anyone can defeat UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones it is his fellow Brit Tom Aspinall. Fury and Aspinall have trained together in the past and have become close friends. Aspinall will be working with Fury for his boxing match against Francis Ngannou, and for years, ‘The Gypsy King’ has said he thinks Aspinall could do quite well in boxing.
Gilbert Burns explains why 'super underrated' Leon Edwards will beat Colby Covington: "Win any day of the week"
Josh Evanoff - September 19, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns has given his thoughts on Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington. ‘Rocky’ and ‘Chaos’ are currently awaiting their fight announcement. In March, Leon Edwards returned to the cage to secure his second-straight win over Kamaru Usman. Following the victory, he had words with Colby Covington, who was sitting cageside.