MMA News
'You have to fight for your life' says Jiri Prochazka after being left unimpressed by Blachowicz vs Ankalaev
Andrew Whitelaw - December 20, 2022
Jiri Prochazka could only watch as Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev fought for the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 282. The Czech was scheduled to compete in the main event and defend the strap in a rematch with Glover Teixeira. But ‘Denisa’ was forced to vacate the belt after suffering a chronic shoulder injury in the lead-up to the bout.
Brendan Schaub slams Khabib Nurmagomedov over his Islam Makhachev prediction
Andrew Whitelaw - December 20, 2022
Brendan Schaub doesn’t think much of Khabib Nurmagomedov saying Islam Makhachev should have five or six title defences and then ‘leave’ the sport. The fighter-turned-comedian believes it would be a ‘weak’ move to merely hang up the gloves after suffering a first loss as champion. The former UFC heavyweight criticised that thinking from ‘The Eagle’ when speaking on the Schaub Show.
Sean O'Malley reveals that he's doing nothing but grappling in preparation for UFC title shot: "I know I need to improve"
Josh Evanoff - December 20, 2022
UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley has been hitting the mats lately. ‘Sugar’ is fresh off his outing with Petr Yan at UFC 280 in October. Despite ‘No Mercy’ coming in as a substantial favorite, O’Malley brought the fight to him. The bout was back and forth and saw the former champion lose by a split decision.
After brawl with Jake Shields, Mike Jackson reveals former UFC champion is challenging him to a fight: "Take your old a*s to sleep"
Josh Evanoff - December 20, 2022
UFC welterweight Mike Jackson has a lot of MMA legends coming after him lately. ‘The Truth’ has been out of action since a loss to Pete Rodriguez in October. The defeat set Jackson back, as he was previously riding a two-fight unbeaten streak. However, the part-time fighter wouldn’t be out of action for long, as he ran into Jake Shields last week.
Erin Blanchfield reveals Taila Santos clash is on in February: "I know I can beat anyone in the world"
Josh Evanoff - December 20, 2022
UFC women’s flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield has a big name for her return next year. ‘Cold Blooded’ is fresh off her return at UFC 281 in November. Standing opposite Blanchfield was the fan-favorite Brit, Molly McCann. ‘Meatball’ was riding a three-fight winning streak heading into the event, but didn’t have much success in New York.
Bryce Mitchell was contemplating retirement in the immediate aftermath of his loss at UFC 282 (Video)
Cole Shelton - December 20, 2022
Bryce Mitchell contemplated retirement right after his UFC 282 loss to Ilia Toupria. Mitchell opened up the UFC 282 pay-per-view against Topuria in a crucial fight for the featherweight division. The winner would be in the mix to likely get a top-10 or even a top-five opponent next time out.
Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor trilogy seems inevitable as the stars continue to trade barbs on social media
Susan Cox - December 20, 2022
The Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor trilogy seems inevitable as the stars continue to trade barbs on social media. The two UFC rivals have once again engaged in a barrage of tweets on ‘Twitter’ over the weekend.
Tony Ferguson removed from the UFC lightweight rankings for the first time in over a decade
Susan Cox - December 20, 2022
Tony Ferguson, the former interim lightweight champion, has been removed from the UFC lightweight rankings for the first time in over a decade. The UFC recently updated its official rankings following the UFC Vegas 66 fight card last Saturday night, December 17th, 2022.
Sean O’Malley discusses Bobby Green’s recent accusations against Islam Makhachev: “They don't know what the f**k they're taking”
Susan Cox - December 20, 2022
Sean O’Malley is discussing Bobby Green’s recent accusations against Islam Makhachev. ‘King’, 36, recently accused his former opponent, Makhachev, of using PED’s during fights.
Renato Moicano attempts to lure Paddy Pimblett into accepting a fight at UFC 286 in London
Harry Kettle - December 20, 2022
Renato Moicano has attempted to lure Paddy Pimblett into accepting a fight against him at UFC 286 in London. While he may not always be consistent, Renato Moicano is one of the most entertaining lightweights in the world. In addition to his eccentric personality, the Brazilian also has a fantastic fight style.
Jiri Prochazka explains how he injured his shoulder, says TJ Dillashaw impacted his decision to pull out of the fight
Cole Shelton - December 19, 2022
Jiri Prochazka says TJ Dillashaw influenced his decision to pull out of UFC 282. Prochazka was set to headline the card as he was looking to defend his light heavyweight title for the first time in a rematch with Glover Teixeira. Yet, just weeks before the fight, Prochazka suffered a shoulder injury that forced him out of the bout and vacated the belt. Now, he has detailed how the injury happened.
Ariel Helwani shares suggestions for next year’s 30-year anniversary UFC event
Zain Bando - December 19, 2022
Ariel Helwani teased some interesting ideas about what direction the UFC might take for its 30-year anniversary event, scheduled for Nov. 2023. The UFC has just completed its 282nd pay-per-view event Dec. 10 with 11-13 additional events to occur in 2023, inching much closer to another triple-extravaganza with UFC 300 in 2024.
Laura Sanko disagrees with Nick Diaz's recent callout of Israel Adesanya: "I wouldn't want to see him fight Izzy"
Josh Evanoff - December 19, 2022
UFC analyst Laura Sanko hopes that Nick Diaz’s callout of Israel Adesanya doesn’t come to fruition. The Stockton native has been out of action since his rematch with Robbie Lawler in September 2021. The bout ended a six-year hiatus for the former Strikeforce champion, as he hadn’t competed since his no-contest with Anderson Silva in January 2015.
Jiri Prochazka reveals USADA visits are less frequent after vacating championship: "Thank you, please keep that"
Josh Evanoff - December 19, 2022
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has had fewer visits from USADA recently. ‘Denisa’ has been out of action since June at UFC 275. In the main event in Singapore, Prochazka and then-light-heavyweight titleholder Glover Teixeira put on a show. While the contest was back and forth, it was the challenger who pulled off the win by fifth-round submission.
Paulo Costa reacts to the news that his UFC 284 fight against Robert Whittaker is off: "They should stop being petty"
Cole Shelton - December 19, 2022
Paulo Costa has reacted after it was revealed his UFC 284 fight against Robert Whittaker is off. The UFC announced Costa would be going down to Perth, Australia to fight the local fighter in Whittaker. However, for weeks, Costa had been vocal on social media saying he hasn’t signed a contract and wouldn’t, as he had one fight left on his deal and wanted more money.
What's next for Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland after UFC Vegas 66?
Cole Shelton - December 19, 2022
In the main event of UFC Vegas 66, a middleweight bout between Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland headlined the card. Cannonier was coming off a lackluster decision loss to Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title back in July. Prior to that, he knocked out Derek Brunson at UFC 271 to earn the shot at the belt. Meanwhile, Strickland was coming off a KO loss to Alex Pereira in a title eliminator bout that snapped his six-fight win streak.
Jake Shields reacts to latest comments and accusations from Mike Jackson: “He's just getting more racist and deranged”
Susan Cox - December 19, 2022
Jake Shields is reacting to the latest comments and accusations from Mike Jackson. Mike Jackson (1-2 MMA) spoke to ‘MMA Fighting’ about the altercation he had with Jake Shields (33-11 MMA) at the UFC Performance Institute last Friday saying:
Conor McGregor hints at the middleweight division being his new home upon his return to MMA
Lewis Simpson - December 19, 2022
Conor McGregor once strongly stated he wanted “all the belts”. The Irishman attained two world titles at featherweight and lightweight, but he may have his sights set on a new division. It wouldn’t be your average UFC Fight Night event without McGregor posting several tweets and then deleting them later. While middleweight Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland went toe-to-toe at UFC Vegas 66, McGregor claimed he would “100 percent” compete at 185 pounds at some stage.