MMA News
Vicente Luque vs. Rafael dos Anjos slated for UFC Vegas 78 main event in August
Josh Evanoff - May 26, 2023
UFC welterweight contenders Vicente Luque and Rafael dos Anjos have booked their returns. ‘The Silent Assassin’ has been out of the octagon since a clash against Geoff Neal last August. In that co-main event outing between ranked contenders, the Brazilian was dominated. Neal wound up scoring a third-round knockout over Luque, handing him his second straight loss. The Brazilian had previously lost to Belal Muhammad that April, kickstarting his losing streak.
Henry Cejudo confirms desire to be backup fighter for UFC 292: "Let's make an interim fight between me & Sean O'Malley"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 26, 2023
Henry Cejudo has confirmed UFC President Dana White’s claim. The UFC has booked a bantamweight title fight between 135-pound titleholder Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley. The bout is set to take place on August 19. As of late, Sterling and the UFC have been at odds. It stems from how the booking was handled, given that Sterling is coming off a five-round title fight against Cejudo. He still feels banged up.
Anthony Smith thinks Kamaru Usman is in for a "tough fight" against Khamzat Chimaev
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 26, 2023
Anthony Smith believes it could be tough sledding for Kamaru Usman in a showdown with Khamzat Chimaev. Usman, the former UFC Welterweight Champion, has been calling to fight Chimaev. “Borz” has responded, also expressing his desire for the matchup. The initial holdup appears to have been Usman wanting to make it a catchweight fight. With that said, UFC President Dana White insists “The Nigerian Nightmare” is pounding the table for the match.
Dana White happy to be on the same page with Paulo Costa ahead of UFC 291: "It's good to have him back"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 26, 2023
UFC President Dana White is pleased that Paulo Costa will be returning to action. Costa had been at odds with the UFC over his contract. At one point, “Borrachinha” teased making a move to the boxing world. Costa and the UFC ultimately came to terms on a new deal and the Brazilian bruiser’s team claims he’s now the highest paid fighter from Brazil.
Chael Sonnen believes the UFC brought back Henry Cejudo to “get rid of” Aljamain Sterling: “I have never seen a more disrespected world champion”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 26, 2023
Chael Sonnen believes that Aljamain Sterling has been disrespected more than any other UFC champion. Much has been made about the UFC’s treatment of its bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling. The promotion immediately booked Sterling for a bout with Sean O’Malley after the “Funk Master” had a grueling five-round title fight against Henry Cejudo at UFC 288. This had led to some beef between Sterling and UFC President Dana White, as the two have gone back and forth over the topic of mistreatment.
Khamzat Chimaev takes aim at “not good” Paulo Costa for accepting a fight with Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291: “He beat nobody”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 26, 2023
Khamzat Chimaev doesn’t think too highly of Paulo Costa’s skills inside the Octagon. Costa is scheduled to meet Ikram Aliskerov, a former opponent of Chimaev. The two will collide at UFC 291 on July 29 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Chimaev is not impressed by the matchup.
Bellator MMA plans to add a new division for the first time since 2014
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 26, 2023
Bellator MMA is rolling out a new division. MMAJunkie.com reports that Bellator is expected to introduce the men’s flyweight division soon. While a date hasn’t been revealed, the report noted that the launch will be taking place in “the coming days.”
Joe Pyfer reveals he may need surgery, still hopeful to rematch Dustin Stoltzfus next: "It's personal for me"
Cole Shelton - May 25, 2023
Joe Pyfer isn’t sure when he will be able to fight again. Pyfer is set to grapple Gerald Meerschaert – who he knocked out at UFC 287 – this Saturday night. However, he says he is using that grappling match as a chance to see if he needs surgery on his injury or if he can fight through it.
UFC star Conor McGregor responds to “little ginger sausage” Canelo Alvarez
Cole Shelton - May 25, 2023
Conor McGregor has taken aim at Canelo Alvarez. On Saturday night, McGregor was attending the Katie Taylor vs. Chantelle Cameron boxing match in Ireland where he was asked about boxing. To no surprise, the Irishman was quite confident in his skills and took aim at Alvarez saying he thinks he would beat him no problem.
Rampage Jackson reflects on The Ultimate Fighter coaching experience: "That door did not deserve that"
Josh Evanoff - May 25, 2023
14 years later, Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson admitted the door didn’t deserve it. The former UFC star famously coached The Ultimate Fighter 7, as well as the tenth season. That latter season was the most successful in the history of the show, especially in terms of ratings. Most of the tenth season’s success was thanks to the rivalry and trash talk between Rashad Evans and Jackson.
Robert Whittaker explains why he's "so happy" he's fighting Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290
Cole Shelton - May 25, 2023
Robert Whittaker is pleased he got matched up with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290. Whittaker is set for a title-eliminator fight against Du Plessis in a very intriguing middleweight scrap. Although Israel Adesanya called out Du Plessis, Whittaker says he likes the way the South African is handling his career by taking the toughest fights possible.
Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford announced for July 29th in Las Vegas
Josh Evanoff - May 25, 2023
Errol Spence Jr. vs. Terence Crawford is finally going down in Las Vegas. ‘The Truth’ and ‘Bud’ have long been viewed as the two greatest in the welterweight division. Despite that, a boxing match between the two has failed to come to fruition. That’s not for a lack of effort, as Crawford even left his promoter, Top Rank, in late 2021 to make the clash happen.
Francis Ngannou says UFC played "dirty games" to keep him under contract, reveals shocking pay before he became champ
Cole Shelton - May 25, 2023
Francis Ngannou believes the UFC used dirty tactics to keep him under contract for longer than he wanted. Ngannou and the UFC first had contract disputes long before he was a champion as he was vocal about wanting to fight out his deal so he could go to free agency. However, Ngannou claims the UFC never offered him fights – despite what Dana White said – and kept him on the shelf hoping he would need the money and eventually sign a new deal.
Tyson Fury dismisses UFC fight against Jon Jones: "It's got to be under boxing rules"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 25, 2023
Don’t expect Tyson Fury vs. Jon Jones to headline a UFC event. Fury and Jones have had some banter on social media recently. This was sparked when Fury, the WBC heavyweight titleholder, slammed UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. Fury’s beef stemmed from an episode of Rogan’s podcast. Rogan claimed if Fury and Jones were locked in a room and had to fight to get out, Fury wouldn’t have a chance of making it out.
Dana White reveals work on UFC comedy series with Adam Sandler is underway
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 25, 2023
Dana White says a UFC comedy series is being worked on and Adam Sandler is involved. The UFC boss recently appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” and dropped some details on the UFC’s future plans for a behind-the-scenes documentary and a new comedy series. The topic was brought up when the success of the Conor McGregor docuseries, “McGregor Forever” on Netflix, was mentioned.
UFC star Khamzat Chimaev unfollows Dana White and Darren Till on social media
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 25, 2023
Could Khamzat Chimaev be at odds with UFC President Dana White and Darren Till? Chimaev hasn’t fought since September 2022 when he submitted Kevin Holland. “Borz” and White have since disagreed over what the holdup has been in terms of his next fight. The boss claimed that Chimaev hasn’t been seen in action since due to personal issues. Chimaev has denied this.
UFC star Mackenzie Dern accuses estranged husband of repeated physical and emotional abuse
Harry Kettle - May 25, 2023
In documents obtained by MMA Fighting, Mackenzie Dern has accused her estranged husband Wesley Santos of abuse. According to the records in question, Dern has accused Santos of “repeated” physical and emotional abuse. She said that he slammed a door on her leg and dragged her through the house, and even filed a domestic violence restraining order. In addition, she claimed that he “threw my phone, water bottles, pillows and bedding while harassing/intimidating me verbally”.
Chael Sonnen claims Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic has gone “up in flames” and the UFC is now targeting ‘Bones’ vs. Sergei Pavlovich
Cole Shelton - May 24, 2023
Chael Sonnen has heard rumors of an interesting main event for UFC 293 in Australia. When the card was announced, many expected the main event to be Israel Adesanya defending his middleweight title against the winner of Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus Du Plessis. However, according to Sonnen, he says the winner of that fight may not be ready so instead, he’s heard that the main event will be Jon Jones defending his heavyweight title for the first time against Sergei Pavlovich.