MMA News
Muhammad Mokaev reveals medical diagnosis after withstanding brutal kneebar attempt at UFC 286
Josh Evanoff - March 24, 2023
UFC flyweight prospect Muhammad Mokaev will be spending some time out of the octagon. ‘The Punisher’ made his return to the cage over the weekend at UFC 286. The flyweight prospect faced UFC newcomer Jafel Filho in the prelims and got much more than he bargained for. In the contest, Mokaev was the victim of one of the most brutal submission attempts in a long time.
Israel Adesanya reveals the lessons he learned in UFC middleweight title loss to Alex Pereira
Lewis Simpson - March 24, 2023
Israel Adesanya has revealed the lessons he’s learned since being dethroned as middleweight king of the UFC by Alex Pereira. Next month, at UFC 287 in Miami, Adesanya will face his long-time rival Pereira for a fourth time in a combat setting. Pereira holds two victories over Adesanya in kickboxing and one in MMA. Despite falling short on three occasions, Adesanya enters his UFC 287 headliner with no pressure on his shoulders and a ‘nothing to lose’ mindset.
Jorge Masvidal reacts after Joe Rogan suggests he is better than a prime Georges St-Pierre: “That’s a real life notch for me right there”
Josh Evanoff - March 24, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal has reacted to Joe Rogan’s recent praise. ‘Gamebred’ is currently slated to return at UFC 287 in Miami next month against Gilbert Burns. The bout will be the former title challenger’s first in over a year. Masvidal has famously been out of action since his decision defeat to Colby Covington last March at UFC 272.
Rafael dos Anjos reveals plans to retire at the end of his current UFC contract: "Martial arts changed my life"
Josh Evanoff - March 24, 2023
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos has revealed his retirement plans. The Brazilian has been out of action since his clash with Bryan Barberena in December. In that outing at UFC Orlando, dos Anjos secured the win by second-round submission. The victory was a big one for the former champion, as it was his third in his last four octagon appearances. Dos Anjos had previously defeated Paul Felder and Renato Moicano in that stretch.
Jack Shore "really happy" with his UFC 286 submission win over Makwan Amirkhani, eyes return at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2023
Jack Shore knew he had a ton of pressure on him heading into his fight at UFC 286. Shore was moving up to featherweight after suffering his first career loss to Ricky Simon at bantamweight. After that loss and a knee injury, Shore decided the time was right to make the move to featherweight.
Paulo Costa now the highest paid fighter from Brazil with his new UFC contract
Susan Cox - March 24, 2023
Paulo Costa is now the highest paid fighter from Brazil with his new UFC contract. ‘Borrachinha’ (14-2 MMA) last fought in August of 2022 at UFC 278 where he defeated Luke Rockhold (16-6 MMA) via unanimous decision.
Jorge Masvidal shoots down the idea of boxing Jake Paul: “That ship has sailed now that he lost that 0”
Susan Cox - March 24, 2023
Jorge Masvidal has shot down the idea of boxing Jake Paul. Apparently now that ‘The Problem Child’ is no longer undefeated, Masvidal has no interest in fighting him in the boxing ring.
UFC San Antonio: ‘Vera vs. Sandhagen’ Weigh-in Results: One Fight Cancelled
Susan Cox - March 24, 2023
UFC San Antonio kicks off with fighter weigh-ins which took place today, Friday, March 24, 2023, at 10 AM ET. UFC Fight Night will depart the APEX and take place at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, March 25th. UFC San Antonio will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+.
Cory Sandhagen doesn’t believe Henry Cejudo deserves a title shot: ‘It’s pretty lame to me’
Zain Bando - March 23, 2023
UFC San Antonio headliner, Cory Sandhagen, is less than pleased with former double-champion, Henry Cejudo, and his immediate title shot post-retirement. Cejudo last fought in May 2020, announcing his retirement after finishing inaugural bantamweight champion, Dominick Cruz, at UFC 249. The belt lineage then saw Yan fight Sandhagen for the interim belt as Aljamain Sterling and Yan had their two-fight spree in the midst of it.
Austin Lingo expecting a "firefight" against Nate Landwehr at UFC San Antonio: "It will be a great striking fight"
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2023
Austin Lingo wasn’t sure when he was going to fight again. After Lingo got injured in 2022 and had to pull out of two fights, he was booked to face Ricardo Ramos at UFC Las Vegas on March 11. Yet, on weigh-in day, Ramos missed weight by eight pounds and the fight was scrapped which was frustrating for Lingo.
Daniel Pineda frustrated he was suspended for taking Adderall, vows to finish Tucker Lutz on final fight of his deal at UFC San Antonio
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2023
Daniel Pineda doesn’t understand why he was suspended for taking Adderall which was prescribed by his doctor. After Pineda fought Andre Fili at UFC Vegas 30 in June of 2021, he was notified he was flagged for a positive drug test and would be suspended. Yet, Pineda wasn’t sure why he was getting suspended as he told the commission that he took Adderall which is prescribed to him, and the commission didn’t say anything about it.
Jorge Masvidal explains how he will know when it's his time to retire: "I don't want to be a stepping stone for nobody"
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2023
Jorge Masvidal doesn’t plan on being any fighter’s stepping stone. Masvidal is currently 38-years-old and is on a three-fight losing skid and set to take on Gilbert Burns at UFC 287 on April 8. Although he has lost three in a row, he says he isn’t thinking about retiring as he is still holding his own in the gym. But, once he starts losing the rounds in the gym to other pro fighters he says that is when he will know he needs to retire.
Jorge Masvidal feels Gilbert Burns is "tailor-made" for a highlight-reel knockout: "He makes a lot of mistakes"
Josh Evanoff - March 23, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal is expecting a big knockout win in his return. ‘Gamebred’ has been out of action since his clash with Colby Covington at UFC 272. In their five-round welterweight main event last March, ‘Chaos’ earned a win by unanimous decision. Weeks following the incident, Masvidal reportedly assaulted Covington outside a Miami steakhouse.
Cory Sandhagen hoping for Sean O'Malley clash after Marlon Vera fight: "One of the most exciting fights in the 135 division"
Josh Evanoff - March 23, 2023
UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen already has a callout set for this weekend. ‘The Sandman’ has been out of action since his clash with Song Yadong last September. In that outing, Sandhagen scored a fourth-round stoppage win over ‘The Kung Fu Kid’. That victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for the former title challenger, as he previously suffered losses to T.J. Dillashaw and Petr Yan.
Dan Hardy discusses "depressing" atmosphere being at UFC event for first time since release: "It's very much Putin's Russia in there right now"
Josh Evanoff - March 23, 2023
Former UFC commentator Dan Hardy had a couple of thoughts after attending UFC 286 last weekend. The card was headlined by a welterweight trilogy title clash between Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman. Ultimately, it was ‘Rocky’ who picked up the victory by majority decision. Other excellent performances across the main card saw wins by names such as Justin Gaethje, Gunnar Nelson, and more.
Jiri Prochazka warns Khamzat Chimaev he will show him "his true power" in the cage after the Swede claims he beat up 'Denisa' in training
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2023
Jiri Prochazka and Khamzat Chimaev are having a back-and-forth on how their previous training sessions went years ago. On Wednesday, Chimaev was on The MMA Hour and said he used to train with Prochzka, this while claiming he would submit him and beat him up. He also noted that he was surprised the UFC signed Prochazka, as Chimaev didn’t think he was very good.
Jorge Masvidal shuts down talk of a Colby Covington title shot: “I just got some insider information”
Susan Cox - March 23, 2023
Jorge Masvidal is shutting down talk of a Colby Covington title shot. Seemingly ‘Gamebred’ is casting shade on the idea of Colby Covington (17-3 MMA) getting the next title shot against Leon Edwards (21-3 MMA).
Khamzat Chimaev believes Jake Paul would defeat Nate Diaz in potential boxing match: “Too weak, too old”
Susan Cox - March 23, 2023
Khamzat Chimaev believes Jake Paul would defeat Nate Diaz in a potential boxing match. Jake Paul signed a deal with the PFL (Professional Fighters League) earlier this year and spoke about an MMA fight/boxing match with Diaz in the near future.