MMA News
Conor McGregor says punching Miami Heat mascot was "all a skit," despite sending him to hospital
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2023
Conor McGregor has opened up on his altercation with the Miami Heat mascot. McGregor was in attendance for Game 4 of the NBA Finals and during a commercial break to promote a pain relief product, the Irishman punched the mascot and followed him to the ground and landed more shots. He then sprayed him with pain relief, but, McGregor ended up hurting the mascot as it was reported the person inside the costume suit was taken to the emergency room of a nearby hospital for treatment.
Scott Coker sends message to other MMA promotions: "We have as good or better fighters than other leagues, including the UFC"
Zain Bando - June 14, 2023
Bellator president Scott Coker has made his stance clear – his fighters are the cream of the crop. Ahead of Bellator 297 Friday night, which is headlined by two marquee title fights in Vadim Nemkov vs. Yoel Romero at light heavyweight and Sergio Pettis vs. Patricio Pitbull at bantamweight, Coker was adamant his three champions could challenge a whos-who, including the best the UFC has to offer. “We have as good or better fighters than other leagues, including the UFC,” Coker said. “And I think that everybody knows that now.”
Marvin Vettori open to Khamzat Chimaev fight after he beats Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 75: "Bring him"
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2023
Marvin Vettori is open to fighting Khamzat Chimaev. Vettori is set to headline UFC Vegas 75 against Jared Cannonier on Saturday night as he looks to extend his win streak to two after beating Roman Dolidze. Although Vettori is ranked third, he likely needs multiple wins to get a title shot, especially due to the fact he is 0-2 against Israel Adesanya.
WATCH | Vadim Nemkov has virtual face-off with Yoel Romero as 'Soldier of God' misses presser due to fear of heights
Josh Evanoff - June 14, 2023
Bellator light-heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov had a unique staredown with Yoel Romero today. The Russian has been out of the cage since his rematch with Corey Anderson last October. At Bellator 288, Vadim Nemkov scored a unanimous decision win over ‘Overtime’ to retain his light-heavyweight title. That was a huge win for the champion, as it set the record for most Bellator title defenses in the division, with three.
Patricio Pitbull expecting to dominate Sergio Pettis to win third Bellator championship: "Put him down"
Josh Evanoff - June 14, 2023
Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull expects to stop Sergio Pettis this weekend. The Brazilian has been out of action since a non-title clash with Kleber Koike Erbst last December. There, Patricio Pitbull scored a unanimous decision win, his third in a row. That April, he re-earned the featherweight title by avenging his prior loss to A.J. McKee, defeating ‘Mercenary’ by decision.
Boxing champion Regis Prograis reflects on sparring session with Nate Diaz: "We just beat each other up"
Josh Evanoff - June 14, 2023
WBC light welterweight champion Regis Prograis has discussed sparring with Nate Diaz. The Stockton slugger is set to return in August, in his first fight since leaving the UFC last September. However, this won’t be a fight in a cage. Instead, it’ll be Nate Diaz’s boxing debut, as he’s slated to face Jake Paul in August on DAZN pay-per-view. ‘The Problem Child’ is coming off a decision loss to Tommy Fury in February.
Conor McGregor reportedly has two days to enter USADA testing pool in order to fight in 2023
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2023
Time is running out on Conor McGregor if he wants to fight in 2023. Ever since it was announced McGregor would coach TUF 31 opposite Michael Chandler, many expect the two to fight at the end of the year. However, a major holdup has been that the Irishman is not in the USADA testing pool but last month, USADA came out and said McGregor would be back in the pool shortly.
Ian Machado Garry booked to return at UFC 292 opposite Geoff Neal
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2023
Ian Machado Garry will get the toughest test of his career at UFC 292 as he looks to break into the top 10 of the welterweight division. RTE Sport first broke the news that Garry is set to return to the Octagon at UFC 292 on August 19 in Boston, Massachusetts against Geoff Neal. The news was later confirmed by Garry on social media, who posted about the matchup. The main event of the pay-per-view card sees Aljamain Sterling defending his bantamweight title against Sean O’Malley.
Watch | Alex Pereira spooks unsuspecting fan during training session: “I thought I was going to die”
Susan Cox - June 14, 2023
Alex Pereira spooked an unsuspecting fan during an outdoor training session. The former UFC middleweight champion, Alex Pereira (7-2 MMA) is preparing to face UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz (29-9 MMA) in the co-main event at UFC 291.
Official main card lineup announced for next month’s UFC London event
Susan Cox - June 14, 2023
The official main card lineup for next month’s UFC London event has been announced. UFC London will take place on Saturday July 22nd at the O2 Arena in London, England.
Michael Chandler eyes rematch with “absolute savage” Charles Oliveira following UFC 289: “See you at the top”
Susan Cox - June 14, 2023
Michael Chandler is eyeing a rematch with ‘absolute savage’ Charles Oliveira following the former champ’s win at UFC 289. The lightweight co-main event at UFC 289 took place last Saturday, June 10th and saw Charles Oliveira (34-9 MMA) vs Beneil Dariush (22-5 MMA) with ‘do Bronx’ achieving victory by knockout at 4:10 of Round 1 (see that here).
Israel Adesanya believes Francis Ngannou’s split with the UFC will be short-lived: “The story's not over yet”
Susan Cox - June 14, 2023
Israel Adesanya believes Francis Ngannou’s split with the UFC will be short-lived. Ngannou and the UFC parted ways in January of this year after ongoing contract negotiations ultimately failed.
Julianna Pena believes she finishes on top of Amanda Nunes rivalry: “A finish is better than a scorecard”
Harry Kettle - June 14, 2023
Julianna Pena believes she has been able to get the edge on Amanda Nunes in their rivalry despite it being locked at 1-1. Last weekend, Amanda Nunes retired from professional mixed martial arts. She did so following her win over Irene Aldana, ensuring she walked away as a double champ. Julianna Pena, meanwhile, was in the crowd, heckling Nunes as she gave her retirement speech.
Nate Landwehr issues statement following loss to Dan Ige at UFC 289: “Ain’t no shame in my game man”
Harry Kettle - June 14, 2023
UFC fighter Nate Landwehr has issued a statement following his defeat to Dan Ige at UFC 289 last weekend. Any fans who have watched UFC in the last few years will know just how exciting Nate Landwehr is. The 35-year-old is the kind of fighter who never gives up, and he always wants to put on a show for the fans. Heading into his meeting with Dan Ige on Saturday night, he was riding a three-fight win streak with all three victories landing him a bonus.
Miranda Maverick reveals she received death threats and messages to commit suicide following loss at UFC 289: “It is insane”
Harry Kettle - June 14, 2023
UFC fighter Miranda Maverick has opened up on some of the disturbing messages she’s received since her fight last weekend. For a long time now, Miranda Maverick has been seen as an interesting prospect in the women’s flyweight division. At the age of just 25, she already has a great set of tools – and has many years ahead of her to continue developing them.
Watch | Jorge Masvidal attends Donald Trump’s post-arraignment gathering in Little Havana: “We got your back”
Harry Kettle - June 14, 2023
Jorge Masvidal has come out in support of former president Donald Trump following his post-arraignment gathering in Little Havana. While he may be retired from mixed martial arts, Jorge Masvidal is still pretty active in the media spotlight. From interviews to his business ventures, he still wants everyone to know he’s around. The former BMF title holder has several interests outside of fighting and as many of you know, one of them is politics.
Aspen Ladd plans to "start faster" at PFL 5 believing she needs "a first-round finish" to advance to playoffs
Cole Shelton - June 13, 2023
Aspen Ladd knows the stakes are high for her 2023 PFL 5 fight against Karolina Sobek. Ladd lost her season-opening fight by a majority decision to Olena Kolesnyk. It was a close fight that Ladd really took over late in the bout, so with that, she knows she needs to start faster and be aggressive out of the gate.
WATCH | Alex Pereira shares footage of sparring with former opponent Sean Strickland
Cole Shelton - June 13, 2023
Alex Pereira and Sean Strickland did end up sparring with one another. Pereira recently revealed that Strickland was going to Connecticut and the two were going to train and spar with one another. The Brazilian also planned to learn some trash talk and English from Strickland. Although the two are former opponents, both Pereira and Strickland seem kind to one another, and in the sparring video, the American made it clear to keep his hand up.