MMA News
Joe Rogan explains why fighters who feel effects from CTE still continue to compete: “It's so above and beyond normal life experiences”
Harry Kettle - January 10, 2023
UFC commentator Joe Rogan has explained why he believes fighters carry on competing despite feeling the extreme effects. The impact of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) has been well documented across the last decade and beyond. Whether it be in the NFL or combat sports, a parade of athletes have been posthumously diagnosed with the condition that impacts the brain.
Kevin Lee explains how he would be “hurting” his “leverage” by returning to the UFC right now
Harry Kettle - January 10, 2023
Kevin Lee has explained how returning to the Ultimate Fighting Championship right now would hurt his leverage. It’s been a while since we saw Kevin Lee in the UFC. The former lightweight title challenger left the company in late 2021 after suffering a loss to Daniel Rodriguez. Ever since then, he’s only had one fight – defeating Diego Sanchez in Eagle FC last March.
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.
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.
Terrance McKinney calls to face Paddy Pimblett next: "The way he blocked Jared's punches with his chin was impressive"
Josh Evanoff - January 9, 2023
UFC lightweight prospect Terrance McKinney would like to face ‘The Baddy’ next. ‘T Wrecks’ has been out of action since his submission victory over Erick Gonzalez in August. That victory helped spring the 28-year-old back into the win column after suffering his first promotional loss to Drew Dober last March.
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.
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.
Josh Thomson shares the one fighter capable of dethroning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev: “He's the only one”
Susan Cox - January 9, 2023
Josh Thomson is sharing the one fighter he feels is capable of dethroning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Islam Makhachev (23-1 MMA) is set to battle it out with featherweight title holder Alexander Volkanovski (25-1 MMA) on Saturday, February 11th at UFC 284. The lightweight main event title bout will take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
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.
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.
The UFC’s parent company Endeavor listed as one of three possible buyers of the WWE
Harry Kettle - January 9, 2023
Endeavor, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, have been listed as a potential buyer for WWE. While some fans may not like it, WWE and UFC have a lot in common. They aren’t directly linked in the combat sports space but they’ve certainly had crossovers before.
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.
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.
Henry Cejudo “beats Aljamain and destroys Sean O’Malley” according to UFC veteran Matt Brown
Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 8, 2023
Henry Cejudo will defeat Aljamain Sterling and dismantle Sean O’Malley if UFC veteran Matt Brown’s prediction comes true. Sterling, the reigning UFC Bantamweight Champion, has said that a showdown with Cejudo is likely to take place in March. Cejudo’s manager told MMAFighting that the bout was a done deal.