MMA News
Damir Ismagulov eyes future clash with former UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje: “I'll play with him like a little kitten”
Harry Kettle - June 29, 2023
Damir Ismagulov is interested in the idea of fighting fellow lightweight Justin Gaethje at some point in the future. Right now, the UFC’s lightweight division is still one of the most stacked in all of mixed martial arts. Islam Makhachev is the champion, but there are still many contenders out there – as well as a few big featherweights threatening to move up.
Sean Strickland goes off on Israel Adesanya and Dricus du Plessis in bizarre rant
Harry Kettle - June 29, 2023
UFC middleweight Sean Strickland has lashed out at Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya as he prepares to return to the Octagon. The middleweight division is certainly heating up right now. Israel Adesanya is the champion once again and while he’s wiped out a lot of contenders, there are still some interesting challengers on the horizon. Next month, Dricus du Plessis will attempt to book his ticket to a title shot when he goes head to head with Robert Whittaker.
Grant Dawson reveals he and Damir Ismagulov have sparred and rolled with one another in the past: "Both of us know what the other person is trying to do"
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2023
Grant Dawson is quite familiar with his UFC Vegas 76 opponent Damir Ismagulov. Dawson is coming off a submission win over Mark O. Madsen back in November and since then, he has been trying to get a fight. However, Dawson says multiple top-15 opponents have turned him down which has been frustrating as he wants to be more active.
Dana White announces Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Kelvin Gastelum for co-main event of UFC Mexican Independence Day card
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2023
Shavkat Rakhmonov will be returning to the Octagon in September. Dana White took to social media to announce the UFC is holding a Mexican Independence Day card on September 16th at the T-Mobile Arena and Rakhmonov will take on Kelvin Gastelum in the co-main event. The main event of the card sees Alexa Grasso defending her flyweight title against Valentina Shevchenko in a rematch.
UFC middleweight Sean Strickland believes America needs to take women out of the workforce: “We need to put women back in the kitchen”
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2023
Sean Strickland believes women need to be removed from the workforce. Strickland has always been known for his brash words and controversial ideas which have caused many people to be offended by his comments. That trend has continued ahead of his UFC Vegas 76 main event against Abus Magomedov, as Strickland took aim at women saying they should be out of the workforce and just stay in the kitchen.
Sean Strickland reveals how Abus Magomedov fight was booked: "No idea who the f*ck he was"
Josh Evanoff - June 28, 2023
UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland still isn’t entirely sure who Abus Magomedov is. ‘Tarzan’ has been out of the cage since a short-notice clash with Nassourdine Imavov in January. That bout took place just a few weeks after Sean Strickland suffered a split-decision loss to Jared Cannonier. However, the middleweight contender was undeterred, scoring a decision win over ‘The Sniper’ earlier this year.
Corey Anderson downplays Jamahal Hill's UFC title after harsh back and forth: "Who has he beat?"
Josh Evanoff - June 28, 2023
Bellator light-heavyweight contender Corey Anderson has fired more shots at UFC champion Jamahal Hill. ‘Overtime’ returned to the cage earlier this month at Bellator 297 against Phil Davis. There, the light-heavyweight contender scored a split-decision win over ‘Mr. Wonderful’, an important win for Corey Anderson. However, he didn’t have much time to celebrate, as he started going back and forth with Jamahal Hill.
Alexander Volkanovski calls for future fight with Ilia Topuria: "Bring it on"
Josh Evanoff - June 28, 2023
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski welcomes a future fight with Ilia Topuria. ‘The Great’ is slated to return next month at UFC 290 against Yair Rodriguez. The featherweight title defense will be his first in almost a year, having last competed at lightweight in February. That month at UFC 284, Alexander Volkanovski came up short against Islam Makhachev in a bid for double-champion status.
Gordon Ryan blasts Dillon Danis for claiming to be a BJJ World Champion: “The biggest farce”
Susan Cox - June 28, 2023
Gordon Ryan has taken aim at Dillon Danis for claiming to be a BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) World Champion. Dillon ‘El Jefe’ Danis is claiming to be a four-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion.
Wife of Cris Lencioni provides update on Bellator fighter as medical bills reach over $300k
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2023
Marca Lencioni, the wife of Bellator fighter Cris Lencioni has provided an update on her husband. Lencioni recently had a medical issue while he was training and lost consciousness. His family later confirmed that he suffered cardiac arrest while training jiu-jitsu and was in the ICU, but not many details were revealed.
Daniel Cormier doesn’t believe UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones should win the 2023 ESPY award for best MMA fighter
Susan Cox - June 28, 2023
Daniel Cormier doesn’t believe UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones should win the 2023 ESPY award for best MMA fighter. Jon Jones (27-1 MMA) has been nominated for the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly award along with other notables including lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, welterweight champion Leon Edwards, and recently retired dual champion Amanda Nunes.
Michael Bisping slams Paulie Malignaggi for suggesting Jake Paul could beat Conor McGregor in MMA: “He's just an absolute goddamn fool”
Susan Cox - June 28, 2023
Michael Bisping has slammed Paulie Malignaggi for suggesting that Jake Paul could beat Conor McGregor in an MMA fight. Paulie Malignaggi is a former WBA welterweight champion turned commentator.
Matt Brown sounds off on proposed Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg UFC fight: “I’m asking the MMA community to be more intelligent than this”
Harry Kettle - June 28, 2023
UFC fighter Matt Brown has voiced his outrage at the proposed UFC fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. If you’re a UFC fan, it’s hard not to root for Matt Brown. He’s a veteran in mixed martial arts and over the years, he’s provided us with some truly incredible moments. Most of them, as you can imagine, have been vicious knockouts.
Ilia Topuria's girlfriend admits she “felt really bad” for Josh Emmett at UFC Jacksonville: “Baby, you should have a little bit of mercy”
Harry Kettle - June 28, 2023
Ilia Topuria’s girlfriend has admitted that she felt bad for Josh Emmett during their featherweight main event last weekend. Last Saturday night, Ilia Topuria made a real statement. He battered Josh Emmett throughout the course of their five-round collision, with many fans and pundits wondering how Emmett was able to survive. Alas, he did survive, and he even made a valiant effort to battle his way back into the contest in the fifth round.
Report | UFC was able to cut fighter expenses by 32.8 million in 2022 from 2021
Harry Kettle - June 28, 2023
The UFC reportedly managed to cut the money paid out to fighters by over 30 million dollars last year, despite the company’s profits going up. One of the hot topics of the last few years in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been fighter pay. Some feel they aren’t getting enough, whereas others are just happy to be in the big dance. UFC president Dana White, as you can imagine, isn’t a big fan of the debate.
Alex Volkanovski views UFC 290 opponent Yair Rodriguez as a “much bigger threat” than Ilia Topuria
Harry Kettle - June 28, 2023
Alex Volkanovski has explained why he considers Yair Rodriguez to be a bigger threat than Ilia Topuria as the division continues to heat up. Next month at UFC 290, Alex Volkanovski will defend his UFC featherweight championship against Yair Rodriguez. It will serve as a unification bout, given that Rodriguez is currently the interim champ.
Cub Swanson announces return to featherweight to face Hakeem Dawodu in August
Cole Shelton - June 27, 2023
Cub Swanson will be returning to the featherweight division. Swanson took to Instagram to announce he is set to return on August 12 at a Fight Night card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada against Hakeem Dawodu. The main event of the card sees Vicente Luque take on Rafael dos Anjos at welterweight.
Josh Emmett and Ilia Topuria among seven fighters to be medically suspended indefinitely after UFC Jacksonville
Cole Shelton - June 27, 2023
Josh Emmett was among seven fighters to be medically suspended indefinitely following UFC Jacksonville on Saturday. Emmett was headlining the card against Ilia Topuria in a crucial fight for the featherweight division, as the winner could receive the next title shot. Ultimately, it was Topuria who won a lopsided decision as he dominated Emmett for all five rounds and even picked up a rare 10-7 round. Although Topuria dominated Emmett, both of them received indefinite medical suspensions for their five-round scrap.