MMA News
Mackenzie Dern aims for end of year title fight, 'I'm ready for the top girls'
Drake Riggs - April 12, 2021
Top strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern picked up the biggest victory of her career against Nina Nunes at UFC Vegas 24. Now, she’s ready to go all the way to the top. With three big wins in 2020, Dern extended her winning streak to a strong four in a row, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt now envisions fighting for gold at the end of 2021.
Georges St-Pierre believes Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou are both scared to fight each other
Drake Riggs - April 12, 2021
A potential fight between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones has everyone excited these days. Including Georges St-Pierre who sees both fighters experiencing fear after talk of Jones being the “scared” one out of the two. Immediately after Ngannou was crowned as the new UFC heavyweight champion of the world at UFC 260 on March 27, UFC President Dana White planted a seed in the post-fight press conference. Teasing the possibility of Jones being scared to fight a guy as impressive as Ngannou has become. St-Pierre recently countered that sentiment.
Dustin Poirier reacts after Conor McGregor claims their UFC 264 fight is off
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2021
Dustin Poirier was just as surprised as the rest of us when Conor McGregor announced their UFC 264 fight is off. After Poirier went to social media to say McGregor never donated the $500k to his charity as promised, the Irishman went on a rampage on Twitter. After taking some shots at “The Diamond” he claimed their trilogy fight on July 10 was off, and Poirier sent a clever video McGregor’s way in a reply on Twitter.
Tony Ferguson explains how his two recent losses were “the best thing that was for me and my family”
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2021
Tony Ferguson went nearly a decade without losing and then in 2020, “El Cucuy” went 0-2, but he believes those losses were the best thing to ever happen to him. Ferguson first fought Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title in May, which served as the first event back for the UFC from the pandemic. Unfortunately, Ferguson suffered a fifth-round TKO loss. El Cucuy then took a short notice fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 256 and lost a clear-cut decision in a fight he was dominated in.
Jake Paul promises to finish Ben Askren in "six minutes or less" in their boxing match on April 17
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2021
Jake Paul is confident he will finish Ben Askren within two rounds in their boxing match on Saturday night. Paul, the brash YouTuber, is set for his third professional bout against Askren in Atlanta, Georgia which is a fascinating fight.
Julian Marquez reveals he nearly threw up before fighting Sam Alvey due to nerves: "I grew up watching him"
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2021
Julian Marquez was in no rush to return after his UFC 258 win over Maki Pitolo, but a short notice fight against Sam Alvey came up that Marquez jumped on. Originally, Alvey was set to drop down to middleweight to face Zak Cummings, who is Marquez’s teammate. Unfortunately, Cummings was forced out of the bout and when he told the team, “The Cuban Missile Crisis” knew it was a good fight for him.
Francis Ngannou praises Herb Dean for stoppage in Stipe Miocic rematch at UFC 260
Adam D Martin - April 12, 2021
UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou praised referee Herb Dean for his stoppage in the Stipe Miocic rematch that took place at UFC 260. Ngannou knocked Miocic down in the second round with a powerful punch that saw the former champ fall to the canvas in a scary fashion as his leg was bent backward. Thankfully, Dean was able to rush in and stop the fight, but not after Ngannou landed a huge hammer fist on his downed opponent that knocked him out cold. Some fans were critical of Dean as they believed that he way late in stopping the fight, but as far as Ngannou goes — the man who knows better than anyone — Dean did a good job.
Conor McGregor's manager blasts Dustin Poirier for "low move" of going public about donation money, "The Diamond" responds
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2021
Audie Attar, the manager of Conor McGregor, has blasted Dustin Poirier for going public about McGregor not donating to the Good Fight Foundation. Ahead of McGregor and Poirier’s rematch at UFC 257, the Irishman confirmed he would be donating $500k to Poirier’s charity. However, on Sunday night, “The Diamond” revealed on social media that McGregor never donated. Yet, for the Irishman, he claims he never heard of where the money would be going.
Julia Budd expects to earn rematch with Cris Cyborg after Bellator 257, knows fight "would be a different outcome"
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2021
Julia Budd believes she can earn a rematch with Cris Cyborg if she beats Dayana Silva at Bellator 257. On Friday night, Budd will welcome the Contender Series veteran to Bellator in an interesting fight. The Canadian is set for her second fight since losing her belt to Cyborg and thought about holding out for a title shot but is eager to fight again.
Conor McGregor says "the fight is off" with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264: "I'm going to fight someone else"
Adam D Martin - April 12, 2021
UFC superstar Conor McGregor trashed Dustin Poirier in a Twitter post and said that their fight at UFC 264 is not going to happen now. On Sunday night, Poirier took to his social media to reveal that Team McGregor never made good on its promise of a $500,000 donation to “The Good Fight Foundation.” In January, McGregor agreed to pay the money after their fight at UFC 257, and McGregor’s manager even confirmed the money was sent. Poirier, however, says his team never saw the money, and McGregor later said that he didn’t send the cash because they wanted a detailed list of where the money would go before sending it. Poirier, in turn, alleges that Team McGregor ghosted him and stopped responding to his emails about the money.
Mackenzie Dern issues statement after submitting Nina Nunes at UFC Vegas 23
Adam D Martin - April 12, 2021
UFC women’s strawweight standout Mackenzie Dern has issued a statement following her submission win over Nina Nunes at UFC Vegas 23. Dern was facing the toughest test of her career to date in the form of Nunes when she fought her at this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 23. Though Dern was the betting underdog heading into the fight, she showed the odds were completely wrong as she was able to quickly get the fight to the ground and grab the arm of Nunes and finish her by submission. With the win, Dern improved to 11-1 overall in MMA including a 6-1 record in the Octagon.
Photos | Ben Askren reveals "boxer or pimp" walkout robe for Jake Paul boxing match
Adam D Martin - April 12, 2021
Former UFC fighter-turned-boxer Ben Askren has revealed what his walkout robe will look like this Saturday for the Jake Paul boxing match. Askren makes the walk to the boxing ring for the first time this weekend when he takes on Paul in the main event of a blockbuster pay-per-view event promoted by Triller. For Askren, he’s guaranteed a seven-figure payday to take on Paul, who in his last fight for Triller brutally knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson. Askren vs. Paul promises to be one of the biggest boxing matches of the year based on name value alone, and lots of eyes will be on them. So of course, the fighters want to look good during their walkout.
Dustin Poirier responds after Conor McGregor suggests he signed up for “a donation, not a debt”
Adam D Martin - April 12, 2021
UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier responded after Conor McGregor suggested that the superstar signed up for “a donation, not a debt.” On Sunday night, Poirier made the stunning revelation that Team McGregor had not donated money to his “Good Fight Foundation” as was previously reported. In January, Team McGregor said that $500,000 was on the way to Poirier’s wife Jolie. However, Poirier claimed that the team never received the money, and after taking social media to reveal that, McGregor piped back by confirming that the money was indeed not sent, with the Irishman suggesting that he signed up for “a donation, not a debt.”
Daniel Rodriguez explains Joe Schilling's request to throw a kick they practiced “on mushrooms” during fight with Mike Perry
Harry Kettle - April 12, 2021
Daniel Rodriguez has explained cornerman Joe Schilling’s request to throw a kick that the pair had done when they were “on mushrooms”. Rodriguez returned to action this past weekend and put down a dominant performance against Mike Perry, easily winning via unanimous decision on the scorecards. Many felt as if Perry had a decent chance of coming away with a win on Saturday night, but Rodriguez soon should that theory down.
Conor McGregor reacts after Dustin Poirier claims he didn't follow through on promised charitable donation
Christopher Taylor - April 11, 2021
Conor McGregor has reacted after Dustin Poirier accused him of not following through on a promised charitable donation following their rematch at UFC 257. McGregor and Poirier collided for a second time on January 24 in Abu Dhabi. The pair had originally met in a featherweight contest at UFC 178, with the Irishman emerging victorious by way of first round knockout.
Dustin Poirier suggests Team Conor McGregor didn’t follow through with promise of charitable donation after UFC 257
Adam Martin - April 11, 2021
UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier suggested Team Conor McGregor didn’t follow through with their promise of a charitable donation after UFC 257. Before agreeing to a rematch at UFC 257, both McGregor and Poirier had temporarily discussed a charity MMA fight outside of it, where McGregor was to donate money to Poirier’s “The Good Fight Foundation.” In January, McGregor Sports & Entertainment CEO Alan Geraghty confirmed that Team McGregor made a $500,000 donation. At the time, Team McGregor told MMAjunkie.com they reach out to Poirier’s wife Jolie to transfer the money. However, it appears as though Team Poirier may not have seen the check.
Ali Abdelaziz praises Coach Khabib Nurmagomedov: "He's one of the best coaches I've ever seen"
Adam Martin - April 11, 2021
Ali Abdelaziz praised fighter-turned-coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, saying that “he’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever seen.” Nurmagomedov recently retired from mixed martial arts, leaving the competitive aspect of the sport with a pristine 29-0 record. Now that Nurmagomedov is no longer an active competitor, he is transitioning into coaching fighters. We have seen him in the corner at recent UFC and Bellator events, cornering fighters such as Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov, as he looks to succeed in this next stage of his career in combat sports.
Ryan Bader issues statement after smashing Lyoto Machida at Bellator 256
Adam Martin - April 11, 2021
Bellator light heavyweight contender Ryan Bader issued a statement after smashing Lyoto Machida in the main event of Bellator 256. Bader is part of the eight-man Bellator World Light Heavyweight Grand Prix bracket. In the first fight in the tournament quarterfinals, Bader took on Machida in the Bellator 256 headliner. It was a rematch of the pair’s first fight back at UFC on FOX 4: Shogun vs. Vera in August 2012, a fight that Machida won via KO. This time around, however, the fight was completely dominant for his opponent as Bader won a clear unanimous decision. Though Machida did well in the first round with his striking and won that round on the judges’ scorecards, he was outwrestled the rest of the way as he lost four rounds to one.