MMA News
The UFC parts ways with three more fighters
Christopher Taylor - October 19, 2022
The UFC has parted ways with another three fighters according to recent reports from @UFCRosterWatch on ‘Twitter’. It should also be noted that it has not been confirmed if all of these moves were outright releases or simply contracts which were not renewed.
Former UFC champion Dominick Cruz not a fan of self-appointing himself as the bantamweight GOAT: "My results speak for themselves"
Josh Evanoff - October 19, 2022
Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz isn’t a fan of calling himself the GOAT. This Saturday at UFC 280, the bantamweight title will be on the line in the co-main event. While the reigning champion Aljamain Sterling is on his road to creating a great legacy, he’s not yet in the greatest of all-time discussion. The other half of the title fight certainly is.
T.J. Dillashaw explains EPO use that cost him his bantamweight title: "I was a shell of a man"
Ryan Harkness - October 19, 2022
T.J. Dillashaw continues to take a lot of heat over a failed NYSAC drug test in 2019 for the performance enhancing drug EPO. Even after a two-year USADA suspension and another year and a half away getting knee surgery, MMA fans continue to hound Dillashaw with accusations that he was and probably still is a cheater. Dillashaw is currently set to face Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight belt at UFC 280. It’s the same belt that Dillashaw held until his failed drug test. And in a new interview with BT Sport, Dillashaw explained how that EPO ended up in his system and why he took it.
Ben Askren believes "journeyman bum" Jorge Masvidal should appreciate him for stardom: "He needs to send me a Christmas card"
Josh Evanoff - October 19, 2022
Years after their fight, Ben Askren and Jorge Masvidal still appear to not be on good terms. At UFC 239 in July 2019, ‘Funky’ and ‘Gamebred’ met in a key welterweight clash. At the time, Askren was 1-0 in the UFC and was undefeated in his career. It was just months after his trade to the promotion, and he was looking to make a splash against the resurging Masvidal.
Petr Yan downplays comparisons between his fight with Sean O'Malley and Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo: "He is a UFC project and Conor wannabe"
Josh Evanoff - October 19, 2022
Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan isn’t a big fan of comparisons to UFC 194’s main event. ‘No Mercy’ returns to action this Saturday night against Sean O’Malley. It’ll be Yan’s first bout since his rematch with Aljamain Sterling in April. In that outing, the Russian lost his interim bantamweight strap by a hard-fought split decision.
Aljamain Sterling provides clarity on his statements about Andrew Tate ahead of UFC 280 return: "Why would I ever blame the victim?"
Josh Evanoff - October 19, 2022
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has provided clarity on his comments about Andrew Tate. ‘Funk Master’ returns this weekend at UFC 280 against T.J. Dillashaw. The bout will be his first since his rematch with Petr Yan in April. In that outing, Sterling used his wrestling and grappling to ensure a split-decision victory to retain his title.
Islam Makhachev shares his strategy to surpass Khabib: "More title defenses"
Ryan Harkness - October 19, 2022
Islam Makhachev has been toiling in the shadow of his friend and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov since arriving in the UFC. On Saturday at UFC 280, he’ll have a chance to establish his own championship reign with a win over Charles Oliveira. There’s clearly no rivalry between Islam and Khabib. The Two have known each other since childhood, and have trained under Khabib’s father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov for many years. Khabib recently said Islam Makhachev was one of his father’s top students, which is high praise indeed given the quality of fighters that have come through Abdulmanap’s gym.
Charles Oliveira wants back-to-back fights with Alexander Volkanovski at 155 and 145
Ryan Harkness - October 19, 2022
Alex Volkanovski has made it no secret that he’s on the hunt for the lightweight title most recently held by Charles Oliveira. But did he know that Charles Oliveira is after his featherweight belt? During a UFC 280 media day interview in Abu Dhabi, ‘Do Bronx’ was asked about Volkanovski’s insistence that he be the backup fighter for Oliveira vs. Makhachev. That’s likely earned him a shot at the winner on Saturday night. Would Charles be willing to fight Alexander ‘The Great’ in Australia or would he prefer fighting him on home turf in Brazil?
Sean O'Malley vs Yan could be 'Suga's' McGregor vs Aldo moment - Dana White
Andrew Whitelaw - October 19, 2022
Sean O’Malley is one of the biggest stars in the UFC. At UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi this weekend, he has an opportunity to take his shine to the next level when he takes on the former champion, Petr Yan.
Alex Volkanovski details the one trait Petr Yan must avoid in fight with Sean O’Malley: “I think that would be a bad idea to do this with Sean”
Harry Kettle - October 19, 2022
Alex Volkanovski has given his thoughts on what Petr Yan needs to try and avoid when he battles Sean O’Malley at UFC 280. This Saturday night at UFC 280, Sean O’Malley will attempt to register the biggest win of his career when he meets Petr Yan at the Etihad Arena. It’s the kind of match-up that came out of nowhere, and it’s one that could prove crucial for O’Malley’s career.
Dana White praises TJ Dillashaw for owning up to his past PED use: “He handled it like a man”
Harry Kettle - October 19, 2022
UFC president Dana White has praised TJ Dillashaw for the way in which he handled being suspended due to his EPO use. In the wake of his loss to Henry Cejudo back in January 2019, TJ Dillashaw was handed a two-year suspension from mixed martial arts by USADA due to a positive drug test that indicated he had been using EPO.
TJ Dillashaw says the UFC struggled to make a highlight tape for Aljamain Sterling: “Because he has no f***ing highlights!”
Harry Kettle - October 19, 2022
TJ Dillashaw has lashed out at Aljamain Sterling‘s fight style ahead of their UFC 280 collision this weekend. In the co-main event of UFC 280 on Saturday night, TJ Dillashaw will attempt to become a three-time UFC bantamweight champion when he challenges Aljamain Sterling for the gold. It’s no secret that these two men haven’t had the nicest of things to say about one another but even with that being the case, there still seems to be some level of respect for each other’s games.
Petr Yan plans to "extinguish" Sean O'Malley's "hype" at UFC 280
Cole Shelton - October 18, 2022
Petr Yan believes he will derail the hype of Sean O’Malley at UFC 280. O’Malley is one of the biggest stars in the UFC and is set for the toughest test of his career as he will face Yan on the main card of UFC 280. If O’Malley wins, it’s likely he will get the next title shot, but Yan has no plans of allowing that to happen.
Tony Ferguson responds after longtime rival Khabib Nurmagomedov urges him to retire from MMA
Jeffrey Walter - October 18, 2022
Tony Ferguson has responded after his longtime rival Khabib Nurmagomedov urged him to retire from mixed martial arts. It was just last week that ‘The Eagle’ shared his belief that the only reason ‘El Cucuy’ continues to fight is because he needs the money. In addition, Nurmagomedov suggested that Ferguson’s time had clearly passed and there is no way of him getting it back.
TJ Dillashaw believes Aljamain Sterling is "willing to give up", plans to make him "quit" at UFC 280
Cole Shelton - October 18, 2022
TJ Dillashaw thinks Aljamain Sterling is willing to quit and he plans to make that happen at UFC 280. Dillashaw is set to fight in the co-main event of the pay-per-view card on Saturday in Abu Dhabi as he’s looking to reclaim his belt against Sterling who’s the current champ. In the lead-up to the fight, both men have taken shots at one another which has only added to the excitement of the bout, and now Dillashaw is expecting Sterling to quit.
Brendan Schaub believes T.J. Dillashaw's drug test history is overblown heading into UFC 280: "The guys that he was fighting were also on some s**t"
Josh Evanoff - October 18, 2022
Brendan Schaub believes fans shouldn’t hold T.J. Dillashaw’s PED history against him. The former bantamweight champion has been out of action since his win over Cory Sandhagen last July. That victory was an important one for Dillashaw, as he hadn’t won a fight since 2018. The reasoning was that he was on the sidelines due to a drug test failure.
Henry Cejudo contemplating retirement after missing out on Alexander Volkanovski clash: "I'm full with my career"
Josh Evanoff - October 18, 2022
Former dual-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo is once again considering retirement. ‘Triple C’ has been out of action since his win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 in May 2020. Following the victory, Cejudo laid down his gloves in the octagon and stated he wanted to retire. The retirement seemed legitimate for most fans, until he gave his post-fight press conference.
Jiri Prochazka reveals he recently spent three days in a dark room without food to prepare for Glover Teixeira rematch: "There you can work with your demons"
Josh Evanoff - October 18, 2022
UFC light-heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka is willing to do anything to retain his gold. At UFC 282 in December, ‘Denisa’ is expected to meet Glover Teixeira in his first title defense. The bout will be a rematch of their ‘Fight of the Year’ contender in June. In that back-and-forth fight, Prochazka won the light-heavyweight championship by fifth-round submission.