MMA News
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.
Pro-fighter Ali Expansion Act to be brought before U.S. Senate in 2023
Josh Evanoff - December 20, 2022
The Ali Expansion Act will be reintroduced to the U.S. Senate next year. Over the last few years, the conversation around fighter pay, amongst other issues, has gotten louder. Thanks to figures such as UFC veteran Nate Quarry, and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, the issue has made it to the mainstream.
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.
Robert Whittaker reacts after losing out on Paulo Costa fight at UFC 284: “This is very upsetting”
Susan Cox - December 20, 2022
Robert Whittaker is reacting after losing out on the Paulo Costa fight at UFC 284. It was to be Robert Whittaker (24-6 MMA) vs Paulo Costa (14-2 MMA) in a middleweight bout at UFC 284 on February 12, 2023, at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
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.
Former UFC featherweight Zabit Magomedsharipov teases possible end of retirement: "Contracts are no longer the same"
Josh Evanoff - December 19, 2022
Former UFC featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov could return to the octagon after all. The Russian has been out of action since a November 2019 decision victory over Calvin Kattar. The victory was the biggest of Magomedsharipov’s career to that point and moved him to 18-1 as a professional. Sadly, that was his last time competing in the octagon.
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.
Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa off UFC 284
Cole Shelton - December 19, 2022
Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa will not be fighting at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. The UFC announced the fight on social media, but for weeks, Costa has said he has yet to sign the contract and he wouldn’t be fighting Whittaker. The former champ, meanwhile, thought Costa was just trolling and the fight would happen but now according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the fight between Whittaker and Costa is off. There is no news on whether or not Whittaker will remain on the card or who he will fight.
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.
Anthony Smith reveals plans to serve as the backup fighter for ‘Teixeira vs. Hill’ at UFC 283 in Brazil: “I’ll be there to step in”
Susan Cox - December 19, 2022
Anthony Smith has revealed his plans to serve as the backup fighter for ‘Teixeira vs. Hill’ at UFC 283. It will be Glover Teixeira (33-8MMA) and Jamahal Hill (11-1 MMA) facing off in the light heavyweight main event at UFC 283 on Saturday, January 21st at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.