MMA News
Neil Magny takes aim at "little Irish kid" Ian Machado Garry after recent callout
Cole Shelton - June 26, 2023
Neil Magny is open to fighting Ian Machado Garry after the Irishman’s recent callout. After defeating Daniel Rodriguez by first-round TKO last month, Gary decided to callout Magny. However, ‘The Haitian Sensation’ was already booked to fight against Phil Rowe at UFC Jacksonville last Saturday, a contest which he ultimately won by decision.
Dricus Du Plessis plans to finish Robert Whittaker at UFC 290: “We’ll see who’s the biggest dog”
Cole Shelton - June 26, 2023
Dricus Du Plessis is confident he will finish Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Du Plessis is set for the toughest test of his career as he will take on Whittaker in a title eliminator bout with the winner set to take on Israel Adesanya in September. It’s an intriguing matchup but the oddsmakers have Whittaker as a sizeable betting favorite to get the job done.
PFL and UFC veteran Stevie Ray announces retirement from MMA
Josh Evanoff - June 26, 2023
PFL lightweight contender Stevie Ray has decided to hang up the gloves for a second time. ‘Braveheart’ is a name that is recognizable to most MMA fans. The Scottish fighter quickly found success in BAMMA, winning lightweight gold. By 2015, Stevie Ray was in the UFC, and racking up multiple high-profile wins. That year alone, he claimed three victories in the octagon.
Chael Sonnen believes Mark Zuckerberg vs. Elon Musk could do up to "25 million" pay-per-view buys
Cole Shelton - June 26, 2023
Chael Sonnen thinks Mark Zuckerberg vs. Elon Musk would be the biggest pay-per-view event of all time. Zuckerberg and Musk recently took aim at each other on social media and Dana White confirmed the two are serious about fighting and he is looking to make it happen. Part of the reason why White wants to make the fight is he thinks it would be one of the biggest pay-per-view events of all time and Sonnen agrees as he thinks it would do around 20-25 million buys.
Mark Zuckerberg denies Chael Sonnen's report about fighting Elon Musk at UFC 300
Josh Evanoff - June 26, 2023
Mark Zuckerberg has denied Chael Sonnen’s comments about him fighting Elon Musk at UFC 300. Over the last week, the battle of the billionaires has been the topic of conversation for many fans. On social media, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg teased that they would actually fight each other in the cage. For his part, Dana White later offered to book the contest inside the octagon.
Ilia Topuria down for Australia showdown with Alexander Volkanovski: "No f*cking problem!"
Josh Evanoff - June 26, 2023
UFC featherweight contender Ilia Topuria is down to fight Alexander Volkanovski anywhere. ‘El Matador’ is fresh off his return in the main event of UFC Jacksonville this past Saturday. There, he faced Josh Emmett in a five-round featherweight showcase. Leading into the contest, Ilia Topuria was vocal about his desire to get a title shot with a victory.
Arman Tsarukyan explains why he's the one to dethrone Islam Makhachev: "It’s going to be a tough fight"
Cole Shelton - June 26, 2023
Arman Tsarukyan believes he is going to be the one to dethrone UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Tsarukyan made his UFC debut on short notice at UFC St. Petersburg in July of 2019 against Makhachev. Tsarukyan entered the contest as a sizeable betting underdog, but was able to make the fight much closer than many expected. Makhachev ultimately got the unanimous decision win, but Arman proved he could hang with the division’s best.
PFL 6 Fighter salaries: Shane Burgos takes home $100k
Susan Cox - June 26, 2023
The PFL (Professional Fighters League) made it’s return this past Friday, and Shane Burgos was among the top earners. Burgos, 32, left the UFC in 2022 and subsequently signed on with the PFL .
Video | Sean Strickland agrees to spar with random dude from the street ahead of UFC Vegas 76
Susan Cox - June 26, 2023
Sean Strickland agreed to spar with a random dude from the street ahead of UFC Vegas 76. UFC Vegas 76 takes place this coming Saturday, July 1st at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The middleweight main event will feature Sean Strickland (26-5 MMA) vs Abusupiyan Magomedov (25-4 MMA).
What's next for Ilia Topuria and Josh Emmett after UFC Jacksonville?
Cole Shelton - June 26, 2023
In the main event of UFC Jacksonville, top-10 featherweights threw down as Ilia Topuria took on Josh Emmett. Topuria entered his first UFC main event coming off a one-sided submission win over Bryce Mitchell back in December. He also entered the scrap being a perfect 13-0 in MMA and 5-0 in the UFC. Emmett, meanwhile, was coming off a submission loss to Yair Rodriguez for the interim featherweight title back in February.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Jared Cannonier? UFC middleweight Brendan Allen pleads the fifth
Harry Kettle - June 26, 2023
UFC middleweight Brendan Allen has hinted at Khamzat Chimaev vs Jared Cannonier being booked in the near future. Following his win over Marvin Vettori earlier this month, Jared Cannonier made it clear that he still wants to pursue the UFC middleweight championship. However, there wasn’t a clear route back to the top for him, even with the Vettori win.
Chatri Sityodtong declares ONE Championship’s Anatoly Malykhin as the best MMA heavyweight on the planet
Harry Kettle - June 26, 2023
ONE Championship chairman Chatri Sityodtong believes Anatoly Malykhin is the best heavyweight in mixed martial arts. Last week, Anatoly Malykhin went head to head with Arjan Bhullar in a heavyweight title unification bout. From beginning to end, the Russian sensation seemed to have the upperhand, eventually managing to finish Bhullar via strikes.
David Onama explains why he “celebrated like Izzy” after knocking out Gabriel Santos at UFC Jacksonville
Harry Kettle - June 26, 2023
UFC fighter David Onama has explained why he celebrated like Israel Adesanya following his knockout win in Jacksonville over the weekend. On Saturday night, David Onama set out to make a statement down in Florida. He went head to head with Gabriel Santos, knowing he needed to get back on track following a loss to Nate Landwehr last summer. In addition, he also had to move gyms as a result of the investigation into James Krause’s controversies.
Robert Whittaker shares theory on Dricus du Plessis' UFC success: "I do believe that is one of the major reasons"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 25, 2023
Robert Whittaker thinks he knows why Dricus du Plessis has been nabbing some key wins in the UFC. Dricus du Plessis is riding a seven-fight winning streak. He hasn’t been defeated since October 2017 when he was knocked out by Roberto Soldić. Du Plessis has beaten the likes of Derek Brunson and Darren Till. At UFC 290 on July 8, Dricus du Plessis will take on former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker. A win would almost guarantee du Plessis a shot at the current 185-pound titleholder Israel Adesanya.
Maycee Barber on Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko UFC rematch: "It's a toss-up"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 25, 2023
Maycee Barber has chimed in on the rematch between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko reportedly being in the works. Barber is coming off perhaps the biggest showing of her pro MMA career. In a bloody UFC Jacksonville scrap, Maycee Barber finished Amanda Ribas via second-round TKO. The win earned Barber a “Performance of the Night” bonus.
Eddie Hearn reacts to Canelo Alvarez leaving Matchroom Boxing for PBC: "We were asked to make the Bivol fight that wasn't possible"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 25, 2023
Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn has spoken on losing Canelo Alvarez to Premier Boxing Champions (PBC). Hearn had been promoting most of Canelo’s recent outings. Canelo fought under Eddie Hearn’s banner in six of his last seven outings. While Hearn seemingly enjoyed his time working with the Mexican star, it was time for a change. Canelo has signed a multifight deal with PBC, where he can fight the likes of Jermall Charlo and David Benavidez.
Luke Rockhold confident he would make quick work of Alex Pereira: “If I can get ten seconds on the ground, I'll f*king kill that motherf**ker”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 25, 2023
Luke Rockhold believes he’d be a problem for former UFC Middleweight Champion Alex Pereira. Alex Pereira quickly burst onto the MMA scene with impressive finishes inside the Octagon. He even defeated his fierce rival Israel Adesanya to capture the 185-pound gold. “The Last Stylebender” got his revenge, knocking Alex Pereira out cold in their rematch. Pereira has decided to move up to the light heavyweight division. He’ll be taking on former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291.
Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio receive suspensions from PFL for substandard performance in Atlanta
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 25, 2023
The PFL has suspended two fighters from the 2023 season. Natan Schulte and Rush Manfio were in action for PFL 6 this past Friday (June 23). The two shared the cage on the preliminary portion of the card. It was a bizarre fight with very little action. Schulte won the bout via unanimous decision.