MMA News
Mike Jackson among two fighters removed from UFC roster
Cole Shelton - January 9, 2023
Mike Jackson, who once fought CM Punk, has been removed from the UFC roster. Twitter account, UFC Roster Watch, which tracks who is added or removed from the UFC roster has revealed Mike Jackson and Leah Letson are no longer on the roster.
Adrian Yanez warns Rob Font of thinking he is a tune-up fight: "It's going to be far more than a tune-up, he has to be ready for war"
Cole Shelton - January 9, 2023
Adrian Yanez was glad to finally be booked against Rob Font. After Yanez knocked out Tony Kelley in June at UFC Austin, a month later he was in discussions to fight Rob Font at Madison Square Garden. Yet, it never came to fruition, and Yanez was offered some different opponents but those too never happened.
Valentina Shevchenko has sights set on super fight with Zhang Weili or Amanda Nunes: "I’m definitely ready for Amanda and Weili"
Lewis Simpson - January 9, 2023
UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is having a tough time getting matched with willing contenders. Shevchenko made the seventh consecutive defence of her gold strap with a controversial split decision win over Taila Santos at UFC 275. It was the first time anyone had seen the champion tested since her second meeting with Amanda Nunes in 2017.
Kelvin Gastelum issues statement after being forced to withdraw from UFC Vegas 67 main event
Josh Evanoff - January 9, 2023
Middleweight contender Kelvin Gastelum has released a statement after being forced out of UFC Vegas 67. The former UFC title challenger has been out of action since a decision loss to Jared Cannonier in August 2021. That defeat was a brutal one, as it set him back to 1-5 in his last six contests. He previously lost to names such as Robert Whittaker, and Darren Till in that stretch.
Kelvin Gastelum forced out of UFC Vegas 67, Sean Strickland vs. Nassourdine Imavov now headlines the event
Cole Shelton - January 9, 2023
Sean Strickland will be headlining back-to-back UFC events. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Strickland is set to replace the injured Kelvin Gastelum against Nassourdine Imavov and will headline UFC Vegas 67. With Strickland taking the fight on short notice, the scrap will be held at light heavyweight, according to the report.
Former UFC champion Jose Aldo and his wife reportedly caught up in scandal involving government handouts
Josh Evanoff - January 9, 2023
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo is now once again back in hot water. ‘Junior’ retired from MMA following a loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278 last August. Prior to the bout, the Brazilian stated that he would retire if he loses, as he was disinterested in fighting for anything but titles. After UFC 278, he kept his word and retired.
Bryce Mitchell claps back at Sean O’Malley following his recent troll job: “Your making it real personal. Talking about my family and money”
Josh Evanoff - January 9, 2023
UFC featherweight contender Bryce Mitchell is seemingly unhappy with Sean O’Malley. ‘Thug Nasty’ is fresh off his return at UFC 282 against Ilia Topuria last month. Heading into the contest, Mitchell was riding a 15-fight winning streak, having recently defeated Edson Barboza that March. However, he would suffer his first career defeat to ‘El Matador’ that night in Las Vegas.
Dustin Poirier still hopeful Michael Chandler will be "honest" about what he did at UFC 281: "I don’t want an apology. It doesn’t mean anything to me"
Cole Shelton - January 9, 2023
Dustin Poirier wants Michael Chandler to tell the truth. At UFC 281, Poirier and Chandler fought in a highly-anticipated bout that lived up to expectations. It was a back-and-forth war but in the third round, Poirier got the submission which he was pleased with.
Former UFC and Bellator fighter Cain Carrizosa arrested for multiple charges including third-degree domestic violence
Susan Cox - January 9, 2023
Former UFC and Bellator fighter Cain Carrizosa has been arrested for multiple charges including third degree domestic violence. What is going on with 2023 in the MMA world? Dana White started it off with a ‘smack’ on New Year’s Eve, former UFC fighter Phil Baroni got charged with murdering his girlfriend in Mexico and now Cain Carrizosa has also been arrested.
Adrian Yanez happy Sean O'Malley never came to fruition last year, expects to face 'Suga' for the belt: "We are two strikers, we are not going to shoot in for the takedown"
Cole Shelton - January 9, 2023
Adrian Yanez and Sean O’Malley both agreed to fight one another last year, but the bout never came to fruition. Yanez had called out O’Malley after his win, and ‘Suga’ had said Yanez would be next, but the scrap never happened. Instead, O’Malley had a No-Contest against Pedro Munhoz and then defeated Petr Yan by split decision, which surprised many but not Yanez as he thought O’Malley was capable of winning that fight.
Michael Bisping reacts after Jake Paul extends PFL contract offer to Nate Diaz: “It’s the same old story, isn’t it?”
Susan Cox - January 9, 2023
Michael Bisping is reacting after Jake Paul extended a PFL contract offer to Nate Diaz. Jake Paul, spoke on his YouTube channel about his newly inked contract with the PFL saying:
Dustin Poirier fires back at Beneil Dariush after being told to retire
Lewis Simpson - January 9, 2023
UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier responded to Beneil Dariush after he suggested that Poirier should hang up the gloves. The former UFC interim lightweight champions’ latest outing occurred at UFC 281 in November at Maddison Square Garden against Michael Chandler. After enduring the early storm from Chandler, Poirier recuperated, eventually latching onto a rear-naked choke in the third round. The back-and-forth brawl cemented itself in the history books.
Henry Cejudo jokes that he’s ready to fight Dana White’s wife: “She can get it too”
Harry Kettle - January 9, 2023
Henry Cejudo has joked that he’s ready to fight Dana White’s wife in a controversial comment posted to social media. We all know that Henry Cejudo can be a controversial figure. The man known as ‘Triple C’ has spent the last few years forming a brand new persona for himself. As opposed to being a humble flyweight, he now comes out with some outrageous remarks with the aim of keeping the spotlight on himself.
Chael Sonnen explains why Cain Velasquez is "the scariest fighter in MMA history"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 8, 2023
Chael Sonnen has his pick for the scariest fighter in MMA history, and his name is Cain Velasquez. Velasquez is a former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion. Velasquez was renowned for his wrestling abilities and his conditioning. He’s beaten the likes of Junior dos Santos, Brock Lesnar, and Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira.
MMA legend Jose Aldo expected to make pro boxing debut on February 10
Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 8, 2023
It looks like Jose Aldo will be stepping inside the boxing ring sooner than anticipated. At first, it appeared Aldo would be putting on the boxing gloves in March. Anatoliy Sulyanov, the founder of Hardcore Boxing, claimed that Aldo was highly likely for one of its events in Dubai.
Dustin Poirier on UFC's ban on fighters betting: "I'm glad it happened"
Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 8, 2023
Former interim UFC Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier has weighed in on the fighter betting situation. Former UFC fighter-turned-coach, James Krause, became embroiled in controversy after his fighter, Darrick Minner, suffered a first-round TKO loss to Shayilan Nuerdanbieke at UFC Vegas 64. Minner was a slight underdog going into the fight but suddenly Nuerdanbieke became a -420 favorite. News of Minner’s leg injury was allegedly leaked by his team.
UFC 286 adds three new fights including Marvin Vettori vs Roman Dolidze
Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 8, 2023
The card for UFC’s return to London has some additions. UFC 286 will emanate from The O2 Arena in London, England on March 18. The UFC’s most recent trip to London took place back in March 2022. Headlining that show was a heavyweight collision between Curtis Blaydes and Tom Aspinall.
Former UFC fighter Phil Baroni moved to State prison, facing 30-50 years if found guilty of murder
Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 8, 2023
Former UFC and PRIDE fighter Phil Baroni has been moved to State prison after allegedly murdering his girlfriend in Mexico. The Tribuna De La Bahia reported that Baroni was arrested over the alleged crime, which stemmed from an argument with his girlfriend. The report noted that Baroni had been on alcohol and drugs.