MMA News
Watch | Jake Paul and Ben Askren get physical at pre-fight face off
Cole Shelton - March 26, 2021
Jake Paul and Ben Askren came face-to-face for the first time, and to no surprise, the two got physical with one another. Paul and Askren are set to box on April 17 in a very intriguing fight given Paul will face a real fighter for the first time, while Askren will make his boxing debut. In the lead-up to the fight, Triller put on a press conference on Friday and had a face off between the two which ended in Askren shoving Paul and the YouTube star shoving him right back.
Aljamain Sterling doesn't understand why Petr Yan is getting "rewarded with a rematch"
Cole Shelton - March 26, 2021
Aljamain Sterling doesn’t understand why Petr Yan is getting a rematch. At UFC 259, Sterling fought Yan for the bantamweight title and it was a high-action fight. However, entering the championship rounds, Yan was starting to take over but in the fourth round, Yan landed an illegal knee and the fight was over and Sterling became the new champ by DQ.
Jorge Masvidal makes surprise virtual appearance at Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren press conference
Thomas Taylor - March 26, 2021
Jorge Masvidal made a surprise virtual appearance at Friday night’s Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren pre-fight press conference. Paul, a YouTube star turned boxer, and Askren, an MMA veteran, are slated to meet in an eight-round pro boxing match on April 17.
Aljamain Sterling responds to criticism from veteran referee John McCarthy
Adam D Martin - March 26, 2021
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling responded to criticism from veteran referee John McCarthy about the Petr Yan illegal knee. Sterling won the UFC’s 135lbs belt at UFC 259 earlier this month in controversial fashion after Yan landed a knee to the head of a downed opponent and was disqualified. Referee Mark Smith deemed the knee intentional and gave Yan the DQ when Sterling was unable to continue. Afterward, Sterling came under heavy criticism online from fans, media, fellow fighters, and even officials when McCarthy questioned his desire not to continue. Of course, McCarthy is a podcast host these days, but he is arguably the most notable MMA referee of all time. So when he criticized Sterling for the knee incident, people listened to him.
Ticket holders warned that attending UFC 261 could result in severe and permanent damage to their health
Adam D Martin - March 26, 2021
Ticket holders have warned that attending UFC 261 could result in severe and permanent damage to their health, according to the disclaimer. The UFC will have fans back in the crowd for the first time in over a year when the promotion heads to Jacksonville, Florida on April 24 for UFC 261: Usman vs. Masvidal 2. The card is stacked with three title fights. In the main event, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman puts his belt on the line for a second time when he faces rival Jorge Masvidal. The two met last summer on Fight Island, with Usman winning a unanimous decision in a short-notice fight. Nine months later and they are running the fight back.
UFC 260 weigh-in results: Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou make weight, two fighter miss
Adam D Martin - March 26, 2021
The official weigh-ins for UFC 260 took place on Friday, and both Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou made weight for their title fight. In the main event of the evening, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic puts his title on the line for the second time against Francis Ngannou in a high-profile fight between two elite talents. Miocic is coming off of back-to-back wins over Daniel Cormier to win their trilogy 2-1, while Ngannou is riding into this fight off the strength of four straight victories by first-round knockout. Both Miocic and Ngannou successfully made weight for the fight, with Miocic coming in at 234lbs, and with Ngannou coming in at 263lbs.
Stipe Miocic is the greatest MMA heavyweight of all time, says Dana White
Adam D Martin - March 26, 2021
UFC president Dana White said that UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic is the greatest MMA fighter to ever compete in his weight division. Miocic defends the heavyweight crown once again this weekend when he faces off against rival Francis Ngannou in a rematch that headlines UFC 260. Ahead of his fight, 3News’ Jim Donovan spoke to White about the Cleveland native, and the UFC president couldn’t hold back his praise, telling Donovan that he believes Miocic is the best MMA heavyweight ever.
UFC 261 sells out in minutes, breaks arena gate record in Jacksonville
Cole Shelton - March 26, 2021
UFC 261 will be the first event since the pandemic began with a sold-out crowd. Dana White recently revealed the promotion is heading back to Jacksonville for the stacked UFC 261 card and will have full capacity. To no surprise, the event sold out in minutes and White revealed it was one of the fastest sellouts in UFC history. The event will also set the gate record for the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.
Belal Muhammad tells Leon Edwards to "sign the contract"
Cole Shelton - March 26, 2021
Belal Muhammad is still campaigning to rematch Leon Edwards. At UFC Vegas 21, Muhammad stepped up on short notice to fight Edwards in a very intriguing welterweight bout. The fight served as a big step up in competition for Muhammad while it was Edwards’ highly-anticipated return to the Octagon.
Dana White shares concerns for Miesha Tate’s nose ahead of UFC comeback
Adam D Martin - March 26, 2021
UFC president Dana White shared his concerns for Miesha Tate’s nose ahead of her comeback fight in the UFC this summer against Marion Reneau. Tate announced this week that she is coming out of a five-year retirement to face Reneau this summer, in what will ironically be Reneau’s retirement fight. The last time we saw Tate in the cage was at UFC 205 in November 2016 when she lost a decision to Raquel Pennington, just a few months after losing the UFC women’s bantamweight title to Amanda Nunes at UFC 200. After losing to Pennington, Tate retired from MMA. She has since started a family, but the itch to compete has come back and she’s now back with the UFC.
Robert Whittaker believes Kelvin Gastelum is one of his "hardest fights to date"
Cole Shelton - March 26, 2021
Robert Whittaker is well aware Kelvin Gastelum is a very tough fight for him. In the main event of UFC Vegas 24 on April 17, Whittaker is finally set to fight Gastelum. The No. 8 ranked middleweight is taking the fight on short notice after Paulo Costa was forced out of the scrap due to illness. It’s a very intriguing matchup given Gastelum was supposed to challenge Whittaker for the middleweight title a couple years ago. However, on the day of the fight, the champ was forced out of the matchup.
Israel Adesanya dropped by BMW following rape joke
Adam D Martin - March 26, 2021
BMW has cut ties with UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya after he recently made a rape joke about Kevin Holland on social media. “Bro, I will f*ckin rape you,” Adesanya said about Holland in the now-deleted Instagram story that has resulted in the UFC superstar coming under heavy criticism. New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson condemned Adesanya for his comments, and Adesanya later took to his social media to release an apology. While it was good for him to get on top of things and issue a public statement, it appears it wasn’t enough to save his new role as an ambassador with BMW. Instead, he has lost his job for his comments.
Tyron Woodley explains why loss to Colby Covington hurt more than his other setbacks
Adam D Martin - March 26, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Tyron Woodley explained why his loss to Colby Covington hurt more than his other setbacks inside the Octagon. Woodley and Covington were once training partners, but the men turned into bitter rivals over the last few years. Their rivalry culminated in their fight last September, where Colby Covington beat Woodley down until finishing him via TKO (injury) late in the fifth round. It was the third loss in a row for Woodley, and it hurt even more because he lost to Covington, someone who he used to train with and who he saw coming up the ladder.
SNL star Pete Davidson rounds out commentary team for Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren match
Drake Riggs - March 25, 2021
Triller isn’t messing around when it comes to the commentary team for Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren. Adding to the list of stars is Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson. Already set to have a plethora of entertainment acts taking place throughout the April 17 event, it was announced on Thursday (h/t MMA Junkie) that the commentary team was finalized. Joining the likes of Snoop Dogg, Al Bernstein, Mike Coppinger, and Ray Flores will be Pete Davidson, Taylor Hill, Mario Lopez, Dixie D’Amelio, and Charli D’Amelio.
Randy Couture on Jon Jones at heavyweight: 'You’ve got to approach them differently'
Drake Riggs - March 25, 2021
Randy Couture knows a thing or two about fighting at light heavyweight and heavyweight at the highest level. Jon Jones looks to do the same. After relinquishing his 205-pound title in 2020, Jones declared that he’s finally going to make the jump up to heavyweight – something fans have been anticipating for nearly a decade.
Dana White: "I'm thinking about doing Julianna Pena and Amanda Nunes"
Adam Martin - March 25, 2021
UFC president Dana White confirmed that he is thinking about booking UFC women’s bantamweight championship Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena. Nunes is coming off of a quick submission win over Megan Anderson at UFC 259 in a 145lbs title defense, and the promotion is looking to turn her back around quickly in a 135lbs title fight. The one fighter in the women’s bantamweight division who has been the most vocal about getting the fight with Nunes is Pena, the former “The Ultimate Fighter” winner. Pena is coming off of a submission win over Sara McMann and she believes that win should be enough to get her the title shot in what is a shallow division in terms of fresh contenders.
Stipe Miocic expects to "extinguish" Francis Ngannou again at UFC 260
Cole Shelton - March 25, 2021
Stipe Miocic is confident he will defend his heavyweight title again on Saturday night. In the main event of UFC 260, Miocic and Ngannou are set to rematch three years after Miocic dominated the first fight. In January of 2018, Ngannou was young and inexperienced and after the first round, he gassed himself out and Miocic used his wrestling to win the fight. Now, ahead of the rematch, Miocic expects to extinguish Ngannou again.
Dustin Poirier is doing the smart thing by taking Conor McGregor trilogy over title fight, says Dana White
Cole Shelton - March 25, 2021
Dana White is not surprised Dustin Poirier is taking the trilogy fight with Conor McGregor over the vacant lightweight title fight. After the UFC officially confirmed Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement, the promotion booked Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler for the vacant title. Many fans were confused as to why Poirier wasn’t involved in it, but White revealed “The Diamond” was offered a title fight but turned it down to get the McGregor trilogy which White likes.