MMA News
Anthony Smith says Mark Zuckerberg presence at UFC Vegas 61 “can only do good things” for the sport of MMA
Susan Cox - October 5, 2022
Anthony Smith believes that Mark Zuckerberg’s presence at UFC Vegas 61 ‘can only do good things’ for the sport of MMA. Zuckerberg and his wife did have ringside seats at UFC Vegas 61, which took place last Saturday, October 1st, in an otherwise empty Apex arena, as White closed the event to fans and media.
Sike! Conor McGregor runs back Michael Bisping trash talk: "I was simply acting"
Ryan Harkness - October 5, 2022
Conor McGregor has just revealed that his latest outburst directed at former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping was nothing more than an impressive display of his acting prowess. McGregor recently got his first taste of proper Hollywood acting when he starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the upcoming Road House remake set to drop on Amazon Prime sometime in 2023. ‘The Notorious’ spent several weeks in the Dominican Republic working with director Doug Liman, best known for his work on Swingers, The Bourne Identity, and Edge of Tomorrow.
Kevin Holland ends 'retirement,' will fight Stephen Thompson in December: "I'm not f***ing retired any more"
Ryan Harkness - October 5, 2022
Kevin Holland’s surprise retirement has ended before it even got a chance to begin. The charismatic welterweight shocked the MMA world when he followed up on a quick loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279 by announcing he was done fighting.
Shavkat Rakhmonov bumps Jorge Masvidal from the welterweight top 10 in latest UFC rankings update
Harry Kettle - October 5, 2022
Jorge Masvidal has fallen out of the UFC’s welterweight top 10 rankings, being replaced by Shavkat Rakhmonov. Over the course of the last few years, Jorge Masvidal hasn’t quite enjoyed the success he did upon breaking out into the mainstream in 2019. He lost consecutive title bouts to Kamaru Usman and, most recently, was handily beaten by rival Colby Covington in what proved to be a fairly one-sided affair.
Conor McGregor dubs Nate Diaz as the toughest opponent he’s ever faced
Harry Kettle - October 5, 2022
Conor McGregor has named arguably his most notable rival, Nate Diaz, as the toughest opponent he’s ever faced. A lot of fans are currently wondering if, and when, Conor McGregor will return to the Octagon for the first time since falling to Dustin Poirier last summer. He seems to have recovered from his broken leg fairly well and appears to be training as hard as he has been in a long time.
Henry Cejudo takes issue with Dustin Poirier being added to the men’s pound-for-pound rankings: “There is no way you can put guys that have been knocked out and submitted”
Harry Kettle - October 5, 2022
Henry Cejudo has taken exception to Dustin Poirier featuring in the UFC’s pound for pound rankings. While he may not currently be an active member of the roster, the fact that Henry Cejudo is back in the USADA testing pool indicates that he’ll be ready to return to action sooner rather than later. Even if he wasn’t, though, the man known as ‘Triple C’ is still able to offer a fascinating insight on mixed martial arts, as he’s been doing ever since he retired.
Bo Nickal walks back on previous comments about never fighting on the UFC prelims
Jeffrey Walter - October 4, 2022
Bo Nickal is walking back on his previous comments about never fighting on the UFC prelims. Nickal has gone a perfect 3-0 to start his mixed martial arts journey with all three wins coming by first round finishes. ‘The Allen Assassin’ most recently competed at last month’s Dana White Contender Series 56 event, submitting Donovan Beard with a triangle choke in just 52 seconds (see that here).
Conor McGregor confirms welterweight is “definitely” next, shares prediction for Oliveira vs. Makhachev
Cole Shelton - October 4, 2022
Conor McGregor will be focusing on fighting at welterweight when he returns to the UFC. McGregor hasn’t fought since July of 2021 when he suffered a broken leg during his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier. Since then, he has been rehabbing his leg and training for his “legendary comeback”. When he does return the Irish star says he will “definitely” be competing at welterweight.
A.J. McKee down for trilogy fight with Patricio Pitbull after "horrible" title defense at Bellator 286: "There ain't no respect for that dude"
Josh Evanoff - October 4, 2022
Former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee would like to run it back with Patricio Pitbull. ‘Mercenary’ returned at Bellator 286 last Saturday night opposite UFC veteran Spike Carlyle. The bout was the first time the former featherweight champion competed up at 155-pounds. The matchup was a thrilling one, that saw McKee win by unanimous decision.
Bellator's Scott Coker provides update on Fedor Emelianenko retirement fight, reveals hope for Ryan Bader rematch: "He wants a revenge fight"
Josh Evanoff - October 4, 2022
Bellator president Scott Coker has revealed who Fedor Emelianenko could fight next. ‘The Last Emperor’ has been out of action since his knockout victory over Tim Johnson in October 2021. The bout moved Emelianenko to a two-fight winning streak, as he had previously finished Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson in Japan in December 2019.
Tito Ortiz predicts former foe Anderson Silva will easily defeat Jake Paul: "he thinks him being 47 is going to make a difference?"
Josh Evanoff - October 4, 2022
Tito Ortiz believes that Jake Paul is in for a rude awakening against Anderson Silva. ‘The Problem Child’ has been out of action since his rematch with Tyron Woodley last December. In that outing, Paul scored a highlight-reel knockout victory over the former UFC welterweight champion. Since that time, the YouTuber has had two canceled returns against Tommy Fury and Hasim Rahman Jr.
Brendan Schaub hits back at Joe Rogan after stating he needs a handler over Dana White feud: "I'm not the one playing grab a*s with Mark Zuckerberg"
Josh Evanoff - October 4, 2022
Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub has hit back at commentator Joe Rogan. Last month, the card of UFC 279 saw a dramatic last-second change. After Khamzat Chimaev badly missed weight for the main event, the promotion got creative. The UFC decided to evaluate Tony Ferguson as the headliner for a bout with Nate Diaz.
Kevin Holland confirms he's retired from fighting unless "something super-duper magical pops up"
Cole Shelton - October 4, 2022
Kevin Holland is indeed retiring from MMA. After Holland’s UFC 279 first-round submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev, ‘Trailblazer’ shockingly announced his retirement from MMA. The news came just a few days after his tough loss, so many people didn’t think he was being serious, including Dana White. Yet, Holland on his podcast confirmed he is retired.
Anthony Smith reveals health complications following leg surgery have postponed his UFC return
Susan Cox - October 4, 2022
Anthony Smith is revealing health complications he suffered following leg surgery. Smith, (36-17 MMA) last fought in July of this year at UFC 277 where he went down to defeat against Magomed Ankalaev (17-1 MMA).
Joe Rogan discusses what "changed everything" for Charles Oliveira and turned him into a "ferocious assassin"
Susan Cox - October 4, 2022
Joe Rogan is discussing what ‘changed everything’ for Charles Oliveira and turned him into a ‘ferocious assassin’. It will be Charles Oliveira (33-8 MMA) vs Islam Makhachev (22-1 MMA) battling it out at UFC 280 for the vacant lightweight throne. UFC 280 takes place on Saturday, October 22nd at the Etihad Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Ariel Helwani says “good sources” have informed him that Mark Zuckerberg did not rent out the UFC Apex last Saturday
Susan Cox - October 4, 2022
Ariel Helwani is saying that ‘good sources’ have informed him that Mark Zuckerberg did not rent out the UFC Apex last Saturday, October 1st. It is true that UFC Dana White did close UFC Vegas 61 off to media and fans alike and billionaire CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife did attend the event cageside.
Henry Cejudo shares his prediction for a hypothetical crossover fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Patricio Pitbull
Harry Kettle - October 4, 2022
Henry Cejudo has given his thoughts on a potential crossover match-up between Patricio Pitbull and Alex Volkanovski. It’s no secret that Alex Volkanovski is widely considered to be one of the best mixed martial artists in the world, largely due to the incredible record he’s been able to string together on his way to becoming the UFC featherweight champion.
Mark Hunt says he still gets nightmares about his “piece of s**t” father after suffering years of child abuse
Harry Kettle - October 4, 2022
Former UFC star Mark Hunt has released an emotional Facebook post highlighting the issues he still has with his father. While it may have been quite some time since we’ve seen Mark Hunt compete inside the Octagon, he still holds a special place in the hearts of fans who watched him transform into the heavyweight sensation that he became with the promotion.