MMA News
Zac Pauga plans to "test" Jordan Wright's cardio at UFC Vegas 69, expects to "redeem" himself after KO loss: "He's a super dangerous fighter"
Cole Shelton - February 15, 2023
Zac Pauga wasn’t sure if he would get to make his UFC debut. Pauga competed on TUF 30 and lost in the finale by KO to Mohammed Usman. Although before the fight, Pauga signed a contract should he win or lose the contest, he still wasn’t guaranteed to get a UFC bout.
Jon Jones refutes notion that Ciryl Gane will be the toughest striker he’s ever faced: “I fought many guys who were nasty on their feet”
Cole Shelton - February 15, 2023
Jon Jones doesn’t believe Ciryl Gane will be the toughest striker he has ever faced. Jones is set to take on Gane in the main event of UFC 285 on March 4 for the vacant heavyweight title. It’s an intriguing matchup as it will be Jones’ heavyweight debut and many believe Gane will pose a lot of problems on the feet for Jones which he doesn’t think is true.
Michael Chandler still hopeful Conor McGregor fight happens at welterweight despite Dana White's comments: "I'm not even close to 155 right now"
Cole Shelton - February 15, 2023
Michael Chandler still wants his upcoming fight against Conor McGregor to be at welterweight. Chandler is set to coach TUF against McGregor and the two will then fight later this year. When the news first dropped, reports came out that the scrap would be at welterweight, and Chandler later confirmed that. Yet, Dana White said on Pat McAfee’s show the fight would be at lightweight, which the former Bellator lightweight champ isn’t a fan of.
Jon Jones backs Daniel Cormier to commentate his UFC 285 title fight against Ciryl Gane: “I trust that you would be non-biased”
Cole Shelton - February 15, 2023
Jon Jones is open to his longtime rival Daniel Cormier commentating his UFC 285 title fight. In the main event of the pay-per-view card from Las Vegas on March 4, Jones is set to move up to heavyweight to face Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight title. It’s a massive fight but ahead of the scrap, many fans wondered if Cormier should be allowed to commentate the fight due to his rivalry with Jones.
Alexander Hernandez feeling happy about return to lightweight after brutal featherweight weight cut: "Dude, my d*ck didn't even work in the morning"
Josh Evanoff - February 15, 2023
UFC lightweight contender Alexander Hernandez is grateful to be back at 155-pounds. ‘The Great Ape’ has been out of action since his clash with Billy Quarantillo last December. The bout was an important one for Hernandez, as it was his promotional debut at 145-pounds. Sadly, the featherweight debut didn’t go the way the 30-year-old had hoped.
Bo Nickal believes he matches up perfectly with both Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya: "It wouldn’t go well for them"
Josh Evanoff - February 15, 2023
UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal feels confident against anyone in the division. ‘The Allen Assassin’ has been out of action since his bout with Donovan Beard at Dana White’s Contender Series 56. In his second appearance on the show, Nickal dominated. He quickly earned a first-round submission victory, earning a UFC contract in the process.
John Kavanagh believes Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler "could resemble" the Chad Mendes fight
Cole Shelton - February 15, 2023
John Kavanagh thinks Conor McGregor’s return fight against Michael Chandler could play out similarly to his scrap against Chad Mendes. McGregor is set to coach TUF against Chandler and the two will then fight later this year. It’s a massive fight, and many expect it to be a striking fight. However, Kavanagh believes Chandler could try and wrestle McGregor early as Mendes previously did at UFC 189. But, even if Chandler does wrestle, Kavanagh is confident McGregor will get his hand raised.
Power Slap's Jon Kennedy becomes first competitor to be suspended after testing positive for cocaine
Josh Evanoff - February 15, 2023
Power Slap light-heavyweight Jon Kennedy has made history as the first-ever fighter to be suspended. The experimental slapping league started by Dana White last year has suffered controversy after controversy. Before the show could even air, the promoter was seen slapping his wife in a nightclub in Mexico. White later declined to punish himself, stating that his punishment is that people have lost respect for him. TBS later postponed the show’s debut by a week due to the incident.
Ariel Helwani believes USADA’s reputation is at stake following latest accusations from Dan Hooker: “We need to figure this out”
Susan Cox - February 15, 2023
Ariel Helwani believes that USADA’s reputation is at stake following the latest accusations from Dan Hooker. It was this past weekend at UFC 284 that Dan Hooker was in attendance at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia to witness and cheer for Alexander Volkanovski (25-2 MMA) taking on Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA) for the lightweight title. The result was a unanimous decision win for Makhachev.
Islam Makhachev reacts after being denied top spot in UFC P4P rankings
Susan Cox - February 15, 2023
Islam Makhachev is reacting after being denied top spot in the UFC P4P rankings. It was just last weekend at UFC 284 that Islam Makhachev (24-1 MMA) defeated Alexander Volkanovski (25-2 MMA) via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46). It was the Russian’s first lightweight title defense and with the victory he retained the belt.
Chael Sonnen scolds “coward” judges for not providing Alexander Volkanovski with the “industry standard” at UFC 284
Harry Kettle - February 15, 2023
MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has joked that the judges should’ve given Alexander Volkanovski the win at UFC 284. Last weekend, Alexander Volkanovski put in a fantastic effort against Islam Makhachev. Alas, while he gave it his all, ‘The Great’ came up short with Makhachev getting the nod on the judges’ scorecards.
Israel Adesanya not worried about the belt or keeping score in Alex Pereira rematch at UFC 287: “I don’t keep score, I settle them”
Harry Kettle - February 15, 2023
UFC star Israel Adesanya has given his thoughts on his upcoming rematch against Alex Pereira at UFC 287. Last November at Madison Square Garden, Alex Pereira shocked the world. After a competitive fight, he knocked Israel Adesanya out to become the new UFC middleweight champion.
Watch Israel Adesanya and Dan Hooker's live reaction to Alexander Volkanovski's loss at UFC 284 (Video)
Harry Kettle - February 15, 2023
Israel Adesanya has released footage of his and Dan Hooker’s reaction to Alexander Volkanovski’s UFC 284 defeat. Last weekend, Israel Adesanya and Dan Hooker were in attendance for UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. In addition to that, the likes of Tai Tuivasa, Robert Whittaker and Kai Kara-France were also present.
Austin Trout plans to be a champion in boxing and BKFC, vows to KO Diego Sanchez at KnuckleMania 3: "Shoutout to him for signing up to take this ass-whooping"
Cole Shelton - February 14, 2023
Austin Trout surprised many when he signed with BKFC. Trout is the former WBA light middleweight champion and still a top-five contender and many expected him to try and get a title shot this year. The former champ has fought the likes of Canelo Alvarez and the Charlo twins, but he wanted to be more active so inked a deal with BKFC.
Tyson Pedro reveals he had "extreme diarrhea and vomiting" prior to UFC 284 loss: "When the UFC bus came, I was still on the toilet"
Cole Shelton - February 14, 2023
Tyson Pedro had a tough 24 hours before his UFC 284 fight. Pedro was fighting at home at against Modestas Bukauskas in a fight he was a sizeable betting favorite in. Pedro entered the fight on a two-fight winning streak having won both fights by KO, but he suffered a decision loss to Bukauskas in a competitive fight. However, according to Pedro, the night before the fight up until when he left for the arena, he was vomiting and had diarrhea.
Mateusz Gamrot replaces Dan Hooker, set to fight Jalin Turner at UFC 285
Cole Shelton - February 14, 2023
Mateusz Gamrot is stepping up on less than a month’s notice. According to FanSided’s Amy Kaplan, Gamrot has agreed to step up on short notice to take on Jalin Turner at UFC 285. Turner was originally supposed to face Dan Hooker but the Kiwi was forced out of the bout due to a broken hand. UFC 285 goes down on March 4 in Las Vegas, with Jon Jones vs. Ciryl Gane serving as the main event for the vacant heavyweight title.
Yair Rodriguez admits Josh Emmett knocked him out in round one sequence: "I went into automatic mode, I don’t remember much after that"
Josh Evanoff - February 14, 2023
UFC interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez had to go through a lot to win the gold. ‘El Pantera’ returned to the octagon over the weekend in the co-main event of UFC 284. Standing opposite the Mexican star was Josh Emmett, who was riding a five-fight winning streak. During that stretch, ‘The Fighting Falmer’ defeated names such as Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige.
Aljamain Sterling reiterates confidence in possible fight against Alexander Volkanovski: "He does his homework, but I believe I’d get him"
Josh Evanoff - February 14, 2023
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling still feels confident in a possible fight with Alexander Volkanovski. ‘Funk Master’ has been out of action since his title defense against T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280 last October. In the opening moments of the fight, the challenger’s shoulder dislocated as a result of a pre-existing injury. Sterling wound up closing the show by stoppage in round two.