MMA News
Javier Mendez reveals Cain Velasquez's return to AKA in coaching capacity: "I'm blessed to him there"
Josh Evanoff - June 2, 2023
Javier Mendez has revealed that Cain Velasquez is back home at the American Kickboxing Academy. The former UFC heavyweight champion has had a rough few years to put it lightly. Velasquez last competed in February 2019, facing Francis Ngannou. In that outing, ‘The Predator’ defeated the former champion by first-round knockout. Following the loss, Velasquez opted to retire.
Justin Gaethje praises Dustin Poirier's recent wins over Conor McGregor: "Love to see that dude get broken"
Josh Evanoff - June 2, 2023
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has no bad blood with Dustin Poirier. The two are slated to headline UFC 291 in July, for the vacant ‘BMF’ championship. The ceremonial title was vacated following Jorge Masvidal’s retirement earlier this year. Given Gaethje and Poirer’s history, there’s no better term to identify them.
Ben Askren offers a prediction for 'actually not bad' Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz boxing match
Josh Evanoff - June 2, 2023
Former UFC welterweight contender Ben Askren didn’t actually expect Jake Paul to be good at boxing. ‘Funky’ has been retired since an April 2021 clash against ‘The Problem Child’. The boxing match was the first of Askren’s career, and will likely go down as the last. The former Bellator champion was predictably knocked out in the first round by Paul.
Justin Gaethje believes a win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 earns him a lightweight title shot
Cole Shelton - June 2, 2023
Justin Gaethje expects to fight for UFC gold again should he gets past Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 291. Gaethje and Poirier are set to rematch for the vacant BMF belt in a pivotal scrap for the lightweight division. Currently, Islam Makhachev doesn’t have his next fight booked – although should Beneil Darisuh beat Charles Oliveira at UFC 289 next Saturday, he seems likely to get that fight.
Jim Miller receives new opponent for Saturday’s UFC Vegas 74 event after Jared Gordon was forced to withdraw
Harry Kettle - June 2, 2023
Jim Miller has received a brand new opponent this weekend after Jared Gordon was forced to withdraw from their contest. When it comes to legendary figures in mixed martial arts, Jim Miller is up there with the best of them. He’s been around the block more than a few times, holding several records along the way. The 39-year-old has the most wins in UFC history and in addition to that, has fought for the promotion more so than anyone else.
Renato Moicano was not impressed with Nate Jennerman crying on the very first episode of TUF 31: “He ain’t about the life”
Harry Kettle - June 2, 2023
UFC fighter Renato Moicano has ripped into Nate Jennerman for crying on the first episode of the new Ultimate Fighter season. The 31st season of The Ultimate Fighter is upon us as Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler battle it out as head coaches. Conor will be leading a group of prospects, whereas Chandler will be coaching the veterans. On the first episode, Roosevelt Roberts kicked off proceedings by knocking out Nate Jennerman in just 10 seconds.
Justin Gaethje says UFC 291 fight against Dustin Poirier will be "25 minutes of hell"
Cole Shelton - June 1, 2023
Justin Gaethje knows his UFC 291 fight against Dustin Poirier for the BMF belt won’t be easy. Gaethje and Poirier are set to rematch in the main event of UFC 291 and although ‘The Highlight’ lost the first time around by fourth-round stoppage, he says he won’t be watching the first fight. ‘The Highlight‘ believes both he and ‘The Diamond’ have evolved as fighters since that first encounter five years ago and thus watching the old tape won’t do him any favors. However, he’s still preparing for an all-out war on July 29, as he knows their rematch will be a dog fight.
Daniel Pineda expects to KO Alex Caceres in the "first or second round" at UFC Vegas 74
Cole Shelton - June 1, 2023
Daniel Pineda wasn’t sure if he was going to fight again after his UFC San Antonio win. The fight was Pineda’s last on his contract and he admits he said he thought about retiring if the UFC didn’t pay him what he wanted. However, just days after his win, the UFC offered him a new five-fight deal which he was pleased to sign.
UFC returns to Sao Paulo, Brazil for Fight Night card with Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida as the main event
Cole Shelton - June 1, 2023
The UFC is returning to Sao Paulo, Brazil in November and the promotion has its main event. According to MMAJunkie, the UFC will return to Sao Paulo on November 4 for a Fight Night card which is set to be headlined by a pivotal heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes and Jailton Almeida. The report states that verbal agreements are in place with contracts expected to be issued in the coming days. The last time the UFC was in Sao Paulo was in 2019 when Jan Blachowicz beat Jacare Souza in the main event.
Jake Paul explains how Nate Diaz "played" his brother Logan in negotiations for boxing match
Josh Evanoff - June 1, 2023
According to Jake Paul, Logan Paul vs. Nate Diaz was never in the works. ‘The Problem Child’ is slated to face the Stockton native in August on DAZN pay-per-view. The fight has been long in the works, with Diaz even appearing for Paul’s win over Anderson Silva last October. The two camps nearly got into a brawl, sparking rumors of a potential boxing match.
Joe Rogan praises Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler's Ultimate Fighter dynamic: 'It's amazing"
Josh Evanoff - June 1, 2023
UFC commentator Joe Rogan seemingly enjoyed the first episode of the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. The show premiered earlier this week, with one of the biggest seasons in years. The reason why the show has a lot more excitement is likely tied to the return of Conor McGregor. A former coach on the show in the past, ‘The Notorious’ has been out of the cage since a July 2021 loss to Dustin Poirier.
Sean Strickland explains why he's fighting "no name" Abus Magomedov: "UFC, that's f****d up"
Cole Shelton - June 1, 2023
Sean Strickland has opened up on why he is fighting unranked Abus Magomedov in the main event of a Fight Night card on July 1. Strickland is coming off a decision win over Nassourdine Imavov and is currently ranked seventh at 185lbs. However, his next bout will come against the unranked fighter who has just one fight and win inside of the Octagon. When he was offered Magomedov, Strickland says he had no idea who he was and thought he was a no-name.
Randy Couture hopes the PFL doesn't "protect" Jake Paul when he eventually makes his MMA debut
Cole Shelton - June 1, 2023
Randy Couture is hoping that when Jake Paul does compete in MMA it won’t just be a walkover fight for him. Paul surprised many when he signed with the PFL as an ambassador and said he would fight in MMA down the line. At this moment, ‘The Problem Child’ is still focused on boxing, as he is set to face Nate Diaz on August 5.
Dustin Poirier disagrees with Justin Gaethje’s assessment that the BMF belt is stupid: “I like it”
Susan Cox - June 1, 2023
Dustin Poirier disagrees with Justin Gaethje’s assessment that the ‘BMF’ belt is stupid. Poirier (29-7 MMA) and Gaethje (24-4 MMA) will meet in a five-round main event on Saturday, July 29th at UFC 291 which take place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The two will be fighting for the ‘BMF’ (Baddest Motherf**ker) belt.
Daniel Cormier shares his picks for Top 5 contestants in TUF history
Susan Cox - June 1, 2023
Daniel Cormier is sharing his picks for the Top 5 contestants in TUF history. TUF 31 premiered on ESPN this past Tuesday, May 30th with Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA) and Michael Chandler (23-8 MMA) serving as opposing coaches.
Mackenzie Dern details how she utilized her personal struggles as motivation in win over Angela Hill: “I was unleashing anger”
Susan Cox - June 1, 2023
Mackenzie Dern is detailing how she utilized her personal struggles as motivation in last month’s win over Angela Hill. It was on Saturday, May 20th in Las Vegas that Mackenzie Dern (13-3 MMA) faced Angela Hill (15-13 MMA) in the women’s strawweight main event. The outcome was a unanimous decision win for the 30-year-old Dern.
Chael Sonnen discusses the UFC’s heavyweight landscape following Francis Ngannou’s departure to PFL: “Francis has never drawn”
Harry Kettle - June 1, 2023
Chael Sonnen has given his thoughts on the UFC heavyweight division after Francis Ngannou’s move to PFL was confirmed. As we now all know, Francis Ngannou has signed a deal to fight for PFL. He’ll make his debut at some point in 2024, and in the meantime, he’s set to venture into the world of professional boxing.
Michael Chandler says the UFC cut out his reply to Conor McGregor in viral “You’ll do what you're told” clip on TUF 31
Harry Kettle - June 1, 2023
Michael Chandler has claimed that the UFC cut out his reply to Conor McGregor during their opening exchange on The Ultimate Fighter. Earlier this week, the first episode of The Ultimate Fighter officially aired. It begins the TUF journey for McGregor and Chandler, with the expectation being that the two will collide towards the end of the year. When they do, it will mark Conor’s first appearance inside the Octagon for over two years.