MMA News
Daniel Cormier heaps praise on undefeated UFC featherweight contender Ilia Topuria: “He is the evolution of mixed martial arts”
Harry Kettle - June 27, 2023
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has praised Ilia Topuria as a breakout star at featherweight following his win over the weekend. Last Saturday night, Ilia Topuria made a real statement. He battered and bruised Josh Emmett, coming away with the biggest win of his career so far. It proved he can go five rounds, it proved he can mix things up, and it proved he’s a genuine contender at 145 pounds.
Elon Musk accepts training offer from former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre: “Let’s do it”
Harry Kettle - June 27, 2023
Elon Musk has seemingly accepted a training offer from former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre for his rumored fight with Mark Zuckerberg. Over the course of the last week or so, combat sports fandom has been a strange place to be. The reason, obviously, is that people can’t stop talking about a potential fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
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.
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.
Alexander Volkanovski reflects on deep Brian Ortega guillotine choke: "His arms will gas out or I die"
Josh Evanoff - June 26, 2023
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski’s mindset was otherworldly against Brian Ortega. ‘The Great’ is currently slated to return next month at UFC 290 against Yair Rodriguez. The bout will be the featherweight champion’s first since February. That month at UFC 284, Alexander Volkanovski came up short against Islam Makhachev in a bid for lightweight gold.
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.
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 .
Henry Cejudo’s coach suggests Ronda Rousey should return to UFC at featherweight: “Save the weight class"
Susan Cox - June 26, 2023
Henry Cejudo’s coach is suggesting Ronda Rousey should return to the UFC at featherweight. Ronda ‘Rowdy’ Rousey (12-2 MMA), former UFC bantamweight champion officially retired from the UFC in 2018. The now 36 year old had won 12 in a row in the Octagon before having back-to-back defeats against Holly Holm (15-6 MMA) in November of 2015 and Amanda Nunes (23-5 MMA) in December of 2016. The loss to Nunes would be Rousey’s last fight in the Octagon.
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.
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.
Chris Avila refutes Esquiva Falcao’s claim that Nate Diaz “looked like he was dying” during sparring session: “That guy got f**ked up”
Harry Kettle - June 26, 2023
Chris Avila has hit back at Esquiva Falcao for his claims that Nate Diaz didn’t look good during their recent sparring session. Earlier this month, boxing star Esquiva Falcao trained and sparred alongside Nate Diaz. In the eyes of Falcao, though, things didn’t go all too well, as he claimed Diaz was struggling throughout the course of their session.
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.
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.
Raush Manfio's manager slams PFL over regular season suspension: "Just a bad look"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 25, 2023
Raush Manfio’s manager is none too pleased with the PFL’s decision to suspend his fighter and Natan Schulte from the 2023 regular season. Much has been made over the recent PFL 6 bout between Raush Manfio and Natan Schulte. The two went one-on-one during the preliminary portion of the card. Fight fans got very little action with this one, and it was quite clear that both men hesitated. As it turns out, Raush Manfio and Natan Schulte have a close friendship. Schulte also happens to be the godfather of Manfio’s daughter.