MMA News
Laura Sanko explains why she "actually liked" Sean Strickland fighting Dricus Du Plessis in the crowd at UFC 296: "I actually prefer guys have physical fights than do this s**t"
Chris Taylor - January 6, 2024
Laura Sanko has weighed in on all the drama surrounding this month’s Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis title fight at UFC 297. Strickland (28-5 MMA) will be looking to defend his newly acquired UFC middleweight championship for the first time when he squares off with Du Plessis (20-2 MMA) in the main event of UFC 297 on January 20 in Toronto, Canada.
UFC flag ban still applies to one country: "They said no"
Chris Taylor - January 6, 2024
The UFC flag ban still applies to at least one country according to bantamweight fighter Farid Basharat. Basharat (11-0 MMA) is set to compete against Taylor Lapilus on next weekend’s UFC Vegas 84 fight card. ‘Ferocious’ has gone 2-0 inside of the Octagon thus far, scoring wins over Da’Mon Blackshear (decision) and Kleydson Rodrigues (submission).
Tom Aspinall responds after Stipe Miocic preaches patience amidst calls for undisputed title fight
Chris Taylor - January 6, 2024
UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has responded after being told to remain patient by Stipe Miocic. Aspinall (14-3 MMA) claimed the promotion’s interim heavyweight title at November’s UFC 295 event after scoring a first-round knockout victory over Sergei Pavlovich (see that here). Following his spectacular performance, the British champion made his case for a crack at reigning heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones.
Pro fighters react after Francis Ngannou books boxing match with Anthony Joshua
Chris Taylor - January 6, 2024
Several pro fighters have reacted after news broke that Francis Ngannou will be boxing Anthony Joshua this coming March. It was just yesterday afternoon when MMA journalist Ariel Helwani announced that the former UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou (0-1), had booked his second professional boxing bout against former WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (27-3).
Opening odds released for Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua
Cole Shelton - January 5, 2024
The opening odds have been released for the boxing fight between Francis Ngannou and Anthony Joshua. On Friday afternoon, MMA journalist, Ariel Helwani through Turki Alashikh, announced that Ngannou would return to the boxing ring against Anthony Joshua on March 9. The fight will be ten rounds and will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The two will also have a press conference in London to start the promotion of the boxing match.
Belal Muhammad vows to not let anyone, even Conor McGregor, skip the line as champion: "Here to make a legacy"
Josh Evanoff - January 5, 2024
UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad doesn’t care if it’s Conor McGregor or anyone else, he wants to be a defending champion. ‘Remember The Name’ has been out of action since a title eliminator with Gilbert Burns in May. That night saw Belal Muhammad dominate the Brazilian, en route to a unanimous decision victory. The win moved him to a 10-fight undefeated streak and became a prime candidate to face welterweight champion, Leon Edwards.
Stipe Miocic responds to Tom Aspinall over recent Jon Jones comments: "Let's talk to unify the belts"
Josh Evanoff - January 5, 2024
Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is down to face Tom Aspinall after Jon Jones. The British heavyweight famously won interim gold in November, with a knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich. While Tom Aspinall was first quiet about Jon Jones and his future, he’s been heavily targeting ‘Bones’ over the last few weeks. Famously, the undisputed heavyweight champion was slated to face Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 last year.
Michael Chandler vows to retire Conor McGregor in June: "It's been a great career"
Josh Evanoff - January 5, 2024
UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler believes he will be the final opponent of Conor McGregor’s career. The long-awaited bout between ‘Iron’ and ‘The Notorious’ received something of a fight date earlier this month. Taking to social media, Conor McGregor announced plans to face Michael Chandler on June 29th, at International Fight Week. As of now, the fight is yet to be confirmed by the promotion, or Dana White, however.
Francis Ngannou vs. Anthony Joshua boxing match reportedly a "done deal"
Cole Shelton - January 5, 2024
Francis Ngannou has his second pro boxing fight set. According to MMA journalist, Ariel Helwani through Turki Alashikh, Ngannou will return to the boxing ring against Anthony Joshua on March 9. The fight will be ten rounds and will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The two will also have a press conference in the coming weeks in London to officially announce and start the promotion for the boxing match.
Dricus Du Plessis reacts to Sean Strickland’s emotional interview with Theo Von: “I’m glad he cried and he got it out”
Susan Cox - January 5, 2024
Dricus Du Plessis is reacting to Sean Strickland’s emotional interview with Theo Von on the ‘This Past Weekend’ podcast. It was during the interview that ‘Tarzan’ opened up about his own childhood trauma growing up with an abusive father.
Sean O’Malley challenges Ilia Topuria to bet on their upcoming PPV numbers: “100k cash whoever’s PPV is bigger”
Susan Cox - January 5, 2024
Sean O’Malley is challenging Ilia Topuria to bet on their upcoming PPV numbers. The current UFC bantamweight champion, O’Malley (17-1 MMA) is preparing to defend his title in a rematch against Marlon Vera (23-8 MMA) at UFC 299 which takes place on Saturday, March 9th at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Sean Strickland reacts after former US President Bill Clinton is named in new Jeffrey Epstein documents: “Bring back the rope”
Susan Cox - January 5, 2024
Sean Strickland is reacting after former US President Bill Clinton is named in the new Jeffrey Epstein documents. Epstein, a millionaire known for his associations with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and academic stars, became the subject of a police investigation in Palm Beach, Florida back in 2005. Epstein was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex.
Michael Bisping reminds Sean Strickland why “all bets are off” in trash talk with Ian Machado Garry
Harry Kettle - January 5, 2024
MMA analyst Michael Bisping has weighed in on Sean Strickland’s recent war of words with Ian Machado Garry. Over the course of the last few weeks, Sean Strickland and Ian Machado Garry have somewhat become rivals. It started with Strickland offering his thoughts on the speculation surrounding Machado Garry’s wife, with the Irishman obviously not being too pleased about that. The two had a run-in at the UFC PI, with Strickland making it clear that he’d be willing to fight him – even though he wasn’t overly interested in doing so.
Chael Sonnen shuts down talks of Jorge Masvidal fighting Leon Edwards at UFC 300, names the only opponent ‘Gamebred’ will take
Harry Kettle - January 5, 2024
MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has given his thoughts on who Jorge Masvidal could face at UFC 300. Earlier this week, Jorge Masvidal took to social media and appeared to announce that he was coming out of retirement. While there’s been no confirmation as to what exactly that means, many are speculating that he could be doing so in order to compete at UFC 300. It would make sense, given that he’s a blockbuster name in mixed martial arts, and the promotion clearly wants to make UFC 300 as stacked as possible.
Mayra Bueno Silva shares honest take on upcoming UFC 297 title bout with Raquel Pennington: “Nobody wants to watch this fight”
Harry Kettle - January 5, 2024
Mayra Bueno Silva has given her honest take on her upcoming UFC 297 title showdown with Raquel Pennington. In the co-main event of UFC 297, Mayra Bueno Silva will battle Raquel Pennington for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship. It will mark the dawn of a new era following the retirement of Amanda Nunes last year.
Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira 3 rumors swirl after ‘Stylebender’ shares photo of his updated physique
Harry Kettle - January 5, 2024
The rumor mill is in full swing after UFC star Israel Adesanya posted a photo of his new physique on social media. Following his loss to Sean Strickland, Israel Adesanya made it clear that he planned on taking some time off. He’d been one of the most active champions in mixed martial arts, and at the age of 34, it made sense for him to give his body a break. Either way, regardless of whether you love him or hate him, the UFC is a better place with Israel Adesanya being a consistent presence.
Demetrious Johnson explains why 'King of Violence' Mike Perry was the best fighter of 2023
Josh Evanoff - January 4, 2024
ONE Championship titleholder Demetrious Johnson believes that BKFC’s Mike Perry was the greatest fighter of 2023. Given that the year recently came to a close, there’s naturally been a lot of reflecting. Naturally, names such as Sean Strickland, Islam Makhachev, and more, were in the ‘Fighter of the Year’ discussion. The World MMA Awards handed out the award to one Leon Edwards last month. ‘Rocky’ notched two wins this year, over Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington.
Sean O'Malley details plan to finish this year as biggest star in sports: "I will be as big as Conor"
Josh Evanoff - January 4, 2024
UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley believes that he will end this year as the biggest name in sports. ‘Sugar’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since his first career title shot in August, at UFC 292. Facing longtime bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, he scored a second-round knockout victory. After years of hype, it seems that Sean O’Malley has finally arrived.