MMA News

Josh Evanoff - May 18, 2023

PFL heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou is still hoping to box Tyson Fury. ‘The Predator’ famously ended his lengthy free agency earlier this week. In January, Ngannou made history as the first champion to leave the UFC since BJ Penn did so in 2004. At the time, the heavyweight stated that restrictive contracts, as well as a lack of an ability to box, forced his move.

Josh Evanoff - May 18, 2023

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has reacted to Alex Pereira’s fight booking. ‘The Last Stylebender’ and ‘Poatan’ faced off at UFC 287 last month in Florida. The bout was the fourth time that they had faced off, with the Brazilian scoring two wins in the kickboxing ring. In their initial MMA fight last November, Pereira scored a fifth-round knockout win to win the gold.

Lewis Simpson - May 18, 2023

Ben Askren has an issue with the UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones following his recent remarks directed at Francis Ngannou. Following the announcement that Ngannou would sign a record-breaking deal with the PFL, Jones quickly poked jabs at the former UFC heavyweight champion. Earlier this year, Ngannou revealed he wouldn’t re-sign with the UFC and would test the waters of free agency.

Lewis Simpson - May 18, 2023

Israel Adesanya has weighed in on the upcoming middleweight title eliminator fight between Robert Whittaker and Dricus du Plessis. The fight is set to feature on the main card of the upcoming UFC 290 International Fight Week event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July.8.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 18, 2023

UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling has a supporter in Colby Covington. Sterling may be the 135-pound ruler, but some feel the “Funk Master” hasn’t gotten the respect he deserves. Count former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub in the camp of people who don’t believe Aljo has been given his due, as he mentioned during “The Schaub Show” (via MMA Knockout).

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 18, 2023

Boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is none too pleased with UFC color commentator Joe Rogan’s recent comments. Rogan recently told comedian Andrew Schultz that if Fury and UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones were fighting in a room, there’s no way “The Gypsy King” would stand a chance of making it out of that room. Rogan said Fury’s only realistic opportunity would be to catch Jones with one punch, and he doesn’t believe that would happen.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 18, 2023

In the mind of Francis Ngannou, his move from the UFC to PFL is nothing personal, just business. Ngannou was the reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion from March 2021 to early 2023. “The Predator” and the UFC parted ways back in January. This was after the two sides couldn’t come to terms on a new deal. Since that time, Jon Jones has become the UFC titleholder at heavyweight, while Ngannou recently announced he has put pen to paper with PFL.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 18, 2023

A former world boxing champion has put newly-signed PFL fighter Francis Ngannou on blast for thinking he can box. Ngannou has made headlines after ending his free agency period. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion inked a deal with PFL. He will serve as the Chairman of PFL Africa, receive equity in the company, and will be allowed to have boxing matches outside the organization.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 18, 2023

The UFC will be making its way back to Australia later this year. UFC President Dana White made it official in a video posted on the UFC’s official Twitter ANZ page. It’s good news for fight fans down under, as the promotion is set to run events in the territory through 2027.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 18, 2023

A slew of PFL fighters have been popped for banned substances. All of the failed drug tests stem from the fighters’ first 2023 regular season bouts. Here is a list of the fighters who were flagged by the Nevada Athletic Commission:

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 18, 2023

Angela Hill has had just about enough of the UFC rankings system. Hill is scheduled to be in action this Saturday night (May 20). She will headline UFC Vegas 73 opposite Mackenzie Dern inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s a chance for Hill to jump from her number 14 spot on the official UFC strawweight rankings. After all, Dern is the eighth-ranked UFC strawweight. Hill isn’t optimistic about her standing.

Cole Shelton - May 17, 2023

Cody Stamann plans to appeal his loss to Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Charlotte. In the first round with just under two minutes, Stamann got a takedown and as he was on the ground, de Andrade landed an illegal up-kick. The ref then called time to make sure Stamann was okay, but instead of resetting the position or taking a point, the ref stood them up and de Andrade went on to win the first round.

Cole Shelton - May 17, 2023

Conor McGregor has proof that he broke his toes just three weeks prior to his bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov. After McGregor lost to Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 by fourth-round submission, he claimed his foot was a balloon which many thought was an excuse. Since the loss, he has also doubled down on having suffered a foot injury just three weeks prior to the fight.

Cole Shelton - May 17, 2023

Ian Garry got a new tattoo following his KO win over Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Charlotte. Garry was set for the toughest test of his career on the main card of UFC Charlotte as he was taking on Rodriguez who was ranked 15th at welterweight. When the fight was booked, many thought it would be a tough fight for Garry, but the Irishman got the win with ease as he landed a head kick and finished Rodriguez with ground-and-pound in the first round.

Josh Evanoff - May 17, 2023

UFC women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern has had a rough path to her return. The Brazilian has been out of the cage since her main event outing against Yan Xiaonan last October. In that outing, ‘Fury’ scored a majority decision victory over the jiu-jitsu ace. The defeat dropped Dern to two losses in her three most recent octagon appearances.

Cole Shelton - May 17, 2023

Ray Longo, the head coach of Aljamain Sterling, says the UFC prematurely announced his fighter’s title defense against Sean O’Malley at UFC 292. After Sterling defended his bantamweight title for the third time at UFC 288 with a decision victory over Henry Cejudo, O’Malley came into the cage to faceoff with the champ. Following the staredown, O’Malley said he wanted to get the fight done as soon as possible while Sterling said he was dealing with a few injuries and wanted September.

Josh Evanoff - May 17, 2023

UFC light-heavyweight contender Anthony Smith isn’t going anywhere. ‘Lionheart’ returned to the octagon over the weekend against Johnny Walker at UFC Charlotte. There, Smith suffered his second straight loss by unanimous decision. The former title challenger had previously lost by second-round knockout to Magomed Ankalaev last July at UFC 277.

Josh Evanoff - May 17, 2023

PFL’s Jake Paul has sent a challenge to the UFC after the promotion’s signing of Francis Ngannou. Earlier this week, ‘The Predator’ ended his lengthy free agency period. Ngannou famously left the UFC in January, making history as the first champion to leave the company since BJ Penn in 2004. For months, fighters and fans alike wondered where the heavyweight contender would land.