MMA News
Coach is confident that former UFC champion Cody Garbrandt can return to title contention: “If it comes GSP style, awesome”
Susan Cox - June 3, 2023
Coach Dewey Cooper is confident that former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt can return to title contention. Cody Garbrandt (13-5 MMA) most recently defeated Trevin Jones (13-10 MMA) in March of this year at UFC 285. The unanimous decision victory was a much-needed win after having lost 5 of his last 6 fights coming into the match with ‘5 Star’.
Ben Askren scoffs at Conor McGregor’s claim that he plans on fighting 3 or 4 times in the next year: “That’s crazy talk”
Susan Cox - June 3, 2023
Ben Askren has scoffed at Conor McGregor’s claim that he plans on fighting 3 or 4 times in the next year. The Irishman, 34, has not fought in the Octagon since his TKO loss to Dustin Poirier (29-7 MMA) in July of 2021 at UFC 264.
UFC 289 takes another hit as Chris Daukaus is forced to withdraw due to injury
Susan Cox - June 3, 2023
UFC 289 has taken another hit as Chris Daukaus has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight due to injury. It will be on Saturday, June 10th that the Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to Canada with UFC 289, taking place at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Randy Couture shares the favorite memory from his legendary MMA career
Cole Shelton - June 3, 2023
Randy Couture is the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion and has tons of memories from his career, yet one stands out from the rest. In Couture’s career, he was one of the biggest stars and fought the who’s who of his time from Chuck Liddell to Tito Ortiz, to Brock Lesnar, and Vitor Belfort. Although fighting the best was what everyone did, Couture says he is happy he never shielded away from any challenge.
Sean Strickland jokes about canceled sparring session with Mike Jackson: "Would be like f*cking up a child"
Josh Evanoff - June 2, 2023
UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland really likes to spar, but only capable opponents. ‘Tarzan’ has been out of action since his main event against Nassourdine Imavov in January. In that outing, Strickland scored a unanimous decision win over ‘Russian Sniper’. That victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for the contender, having previously lost to Alex Pereira and Jared Cannonier.
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.
Dustin Poirier reacts to UFC 291 being on the same night as Errol Spence vs. Terence Crawford: “I think fans might buy both”
Harry Kettle - June 2, 2023
Dustin Poirier has given his thoughts on UFC 291 taking place on the same night as Errol Spence Jr. vs Terence Crawford. On July 29, Dustin Poirier will return to the Octagon. When he does so, he’ll go head to head with Justin Gaethje for the vacant BMF championship. The hope for ‘The Diamond’ is that a victory could vault him back into the title conversation at lightweight.
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.
Dustin Poirier confident he'll finish Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 to win BMF belt: "I'm going to be brilliant"
Cole Shelton - June 1, 2023
Dustin Poirier believes he will finish Justin Gaethje again at UFC 291. Poirier and Gaethje fought back in 2018 in arguably the best fight of the year with ‘The Diamond’ winning by fourth-round TKO. Ever since they fought, many fans have clamored for a rematch and the two will now meet again in the main event of UFC 291 on July 29 in Salt Lake City, Utah for the BMF belt.
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.
Belal Muhammad sees similarities between Khamzat Chimaev and Conor McGregor: “He wants the attention”
Susan Cox - June 1, 2023
Belal Muhammad says he sees similarities between Khamzat Chimaev and Conor McGregor. Khamzat Chimaev has not been beat in the Octagon, but the fighter has not fought since September of 2022 when he defeated Kevin Holland (24-9 MMA) by submission at 2:13 of round 1.
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.