MMA News
Mauricio Rua names the three toughest opponents he ever fought in the UFC
Adam D Martin - August 19, 2021
Mixed martial arts legend Mauricio Rua aka “Shogun” named the three toughest opponents he ever fought in the UFC in a recent interview. Rua is one of the most legendary MMA fighters of all time, having been a former PRIDE and UFC champion. Now 39 years old, Shoun has spoken openly about retiring in the next year or two. He is coming off of a brutal TKO loss to Paul Craig in his last outing and considering he turns 40 years of age later this year, the future UFC Hall of Famer knows that his time in the sport is nearing its end. Although he still has another fight or two in him, it’s starting to become the time where Shogun is looking back at his MMA career and reminiscing on it.
Jorge Masvidal books Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva to headline Gamebred Fighting Championship 2 event
Harry Kettle - August 19, 2021
Jorge Masvidal has announced that Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva will headline the second Gamebred Fighting Championship event. In recent months Masvidal, who is coming off the back of consecutive defeats to Kamaru Usman, has opted to kickstart his own bare-knuckle promotion to run alongside his mixed martial arts career. Bare-knuckle is where “Gamebred” first cut his teeth in the combat sports realm and now, he wants to give fighters a chance to do the same.
Tresean Gore forced to withdraw from TUF 29 finale fight with Bryan Battle
Harry Kettle - August 19, 2021
UFC president Dana White has confirmed that Tresean Gore has been ruled out of his Ultimate Fighter 29 finale fight against Bryan Battle due to an unfortunate knee injury. Gore was tipped to be the big star coming out of the 29th edition of the show and had managed to make it all the way through to the final of the middleweight bracket. Alas, such is the unpredictable nature of mixed martial arts, we will now not see him go up against the last pick Bryan Battle for the right to win the contract.
Georges St-Pierre reveals how Dana White tried to make up for blocking Oscar De La Hoya boxing match
Drake Riggs - August 18, 2021
Georges St-Pierre was open to the idea of yet another comeback — just not in an MMA cage. Widely considered one of the greatest fighters of all time, if not the greatest, St-Pierre is now 40-years old and hasn’t fought since his middleweight title capturing against Michael Bisping at UFC 217 in 2017. However, when boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya announced his comeback, “GSP” was looked at as the first opponent before the eventual Vitor Belfort matchup was finalized.
Anthony Smith "would love" to fight Jiri Prochazka: "It just looks like it’s so much fun"
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2021
Anthony Smith thinks fighting Jiri Prochazka would be a ton of fun. Prochazka is the former RIZIN light heavyweight champion and has made good so far in his UFC career. In his debut, he knocked out Volkan Oezdemir and followed that up with a highlight-reel KO over Dominick Reyes. He will now serve as the backup for the title fight, but Smith says that is a fight he would like to have.
Kevin Lee blasts Mike Perry for turning him down: "I lost a lot of respect for the man"
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2021
Kevin Lee doesn’t understand why Mike Perry turned him down. After Sean Brady was forced out of his August 28 fight against Kevin Lee, “The Motown Phenom” said to BJPENN.com he wanted to remain on the card and that is the case. Lee will now face a short-notice replacement, Daniel Rodriguez.
Dustin Poirier won't wait for Conor McGregor but not ruling out a fourth fight: "If it makes sense, we’ll do it again"
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2021
Dustin Poirier wouldn’t be surprised if he faces Conor McGregor again. At UFC 264 in July, Poirier and McGregor had their highly-anticipated trilogy and Poirier won the fight after the Irishman broke his leg at the end of the first round. It was a disappointing ending and for Poirier, he says the second fight back at UFC 257 was much better for him as it was a definitive ending.
Sean O'Malley won't become a UFC champion, says TJ Dillashaw: "He's got too many holes"
Adam D Martin - August 18, 2021
Bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley won’t become a UFC champion, said former 135lbs champ TJ Dillashaw, who thinks “he’s got too many holes.” Dillashaw knows what it takes to be a UFC champion because he was the promotion’s 135lbs champion on two separate occasions. Speaking to Submission Radio in a recent interview, Dillashaw was asked what he thinks about O’Malley, who is quickly rising up the ranks and is turning into a household name. When asked if he thinks “Suga” has what it takes to be a UFC champion, Dillashaw said that he doesn’t have the complete MMA game.
Vinc Pichel plans to "whoop" Austin Hubbard after changing camps to Factory X: "I'm looking to end it pretty quick"
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2021
Vinc Pichel is excited to show off how much better he has gotten since changing camps to Factory X. Pichel has been training in California for years now, but he recently decided to move to Colorado and train at Factory X. For Pichel, he says he immediately clicked with head coach, Marc Montoya and the team.
Brian Kelleher expects to finish Domingo Pilarte and call for a spot on the MSG card, eyes Sean O'Malley as future opponent
Cole Shelton - August 18, 2021
BBrian Kelleher wasn’t too surprised he is fighting Domingo Pilarte at UFC Vegas 34. After Kelleher lost a decision to Ricky Simon at UFC 258, he knew he would have to fight someone below him in the rankings. That is exactly what is happening as he is facing Pilarte, which is a rebooking as the two were supposed to fight one another at UFC 230 back in 2018.
Vitor Belfort wants rematch with Anderson Silva in boxing a decade after infamous front kick KO
Adam D Martin - August 18, 2021
Vitor Belfort wants a rematch with former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in boxing a decade after the infamous front kick KO. In the main event of UFC 126 in February 2011, Silva landed one of the most incredible knockouts in MMA history when he landed a front kick to the jaw of Belfort and put him out cold with punches. It was an amazing finish by “The Spider” and for years, Belfort has talked about wanting to have a rematch with his Brazilian rival, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Bi Nguyen feels better than ever ahead of Jenelyn Olsim fight: "I have the skill to be the champion"
Tom Taylor - August 18, 2021
ONE Championship atomweight star Bi Nguyen feels like she’s entering the prime of her fighting life. Nguyen fights Filipina prospect Jenelyn Olsim at ONE: Battleground III this Friday in Singapore. The Vietnamese-American striking specialist will enter the fight with arguably the biggest win of her career in the rear-view mirror: a hard-fought decision triumph over Indian wrestling sensation Ritu Phogat.
TJ Dillashaw "would like to fight Jose Aldo" but wants UFC bantamweight title shot first
Adam D Martin - August 18, 2021
TJ Dillashaw “would like to fight Jose Aldo” but wants the former champion wants a crack at the UFC bantamweight title shot first. Dillashaw recently made his return to the Octagon after over two years away, and he defeated Cory Sandhagen via split decision to once again emerge as a top contender for the 135lbs title. The next bantamweight title fight takes place at UFC 267 in October when Aljamain Sterling defends his belts against Petr Yan in a rematch, and Dillashaw is hoping that he gets to fight the winner of that title match. However, the former featherweight champ Aldo called out Dillashaw after his latest win over Pedro Munhoz, and now fans are excited about the prospect of two former UFC champions going at it down at 135lbs.
Conor McGregor believes his sons will follow his footsteps and become fighters one day
Adam D Martin - August 18, 2021
UFC superstar Conor McGregor believes that his sons, Conor Jr. and Rian, will follow in his footsteps and become fighters one day. McGregor is the biggest name in mixed martial arts and he and his partner Dee Devlin have three children together, young boys Conor Jr. and Rian, and daughter, Croia. Asked in a recent Q&A session by a fan if he sees his two boys following their father’s footsteps into the world of combat sports, “Notorious” replied affirmatively, saying that he does see them testing their skills in martial arts one day. However, McGregor also pointed out that he will not force his sons to become MMA fighters. If they want to, though, he will support them.
Colby Covington explains how Dustin Poirier helped forced his exit from American Top Team
Adam D Martin - August 18, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington explained how former teammate Dustin Poirier helped forced his exit from American Top Team. Covington and Poirier do not like each other, that much we know for sure. The two have had numerous back-and-forths over the last few years, and it ultimately reached a boiling point where the two could no longer be teammates at American Top Team. That led to Covington eventually leaving ATT and joining MMA Masters, while Poirier continues to be one of the big names at Covington’s old gym. In a recent interview with The Daily Wire, Covington explained how Poirier’s dislike for him led to him being forced out of ATT.
Charles Oliveira says he understands why Dustin Poirier is chasing money fights over the UFC lightweight title
Adam D Martin - August 18, 2021
UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira says he understands why No. 1 contender Dustin Poirier is chasing money fights over the belt. Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler via second-round TKO at UFC 262 in May to become the new UFC lightweight champion. After Poirier defeated Conor McGregor in their trilogy fight at UFC 264 in July, the initial plan was that “The Diamond” would be taking on “Do Bronx” near the end of the year for the 155lbs strap. However, Poirier has been far more busy taking to social media as of late and calling out the likes of Nate Diaz for money fights.
Fan favorite Yancy Medeiros reacts following UFC release
Harry Kettle - August 18, 2021
Yancy Medeiros has taken some time to reflect after his release from the Ultimate Fighting Championship was confirmed. Medeiros has competed against some big names across multiple weight classes in the UFC and Strikeforce including Dustin Poirier, Donald Cerrone, Gregor Gillespie and Jim Miller. In that time he’s rarely failed to entertain the crowd, but unfortunately, his time at the top has come to an abrupt end following a four-fight losing streak.
Kayla Harrison says she'll need 'life-changing money' to stay with PFL in 2022
Drake Riggs - August 17, 2021
The 2021 PFL season could be Kayla Harrison’s last. A two-time Olympic Judo gold medalist, Harrison has had no issues whatsoever transitioning the world of MMA. Even before she amassed a 10-0 record, fans and pundits alike pondered what it might be like seeing her take on the very best the sport has to offer – perhaps next year could be when we find out.