MMA News
Israel Adesanya condemned by New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson for rape joke
Adam D Martin - March 25, 2021
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was condemned by New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson after making a rape joke. Adesanya had made a comment on an Instagram story, suggesting that he would rape fellow UFC fighter Kevin Holland, who had recently criticized him for losing to Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. “Bro, I’ll f*cking rape you,” the now-deleted story read. Although Adesanya did delete the story, it was already widely viewed by that point, and “The Last Stylebender” has been getting criticized online for the comments. Not only are fans not happy about his comments, but neither is Robertson, NZ’s Deputy Prime Minister.
Khabib Nurmagomedov "would be a huge star" for the WWE, says Drew McIntyre
Adam D Martin - March 25, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov “would be a huge star” for the WWE, says professional wrestler Drew McIntyre. Nurmagomedov officially announced last week that he is retiring from MMA and from the UFC. It was no surprise that “The Eagle” decided to walk away, considering he first mentioned the possibility of retirement following his win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last October. But after spending the last six months pondering his future in the sport, Nurmagomedov ultimately made the decision to hang up his gloves. He cited the fact he wanted to spend more time with his mother as one of the reasons why he walked away.
Modestas Bukauskas plans to finish Michal Oleksiejczuk in "spectacular fashion" at UFC 260
Cole Shelton - March 25, 2021
Modestas Bukauskas was eagerly anticipating his next fight after coming up short last time out. Back on Fight Island in October, Bukauskas suffered a first-round TKO loss to Jimmy Crute. In just his second UFC fight, he fought a very tough and dangerous Crute who is now in the rankings and could be in the top-10 after his next fight. Although the loss was disappointing for Bukauskas, he says it helped him grow as he hired a sports psychologist and started to focus more on the strategy for his fights.
Photo | Kamaru Usman looks absolutely massive ahead of UFC 261 rematch with Jorge Masvidal
Harry Kettle - March 25, 2021
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman appears to be in the best shape of his career heading into his UFC 261 rematch against Jorge Masvidal. “The Nigerian Nightmare” was able to defeat “Gamebred” last summer on Fight Island to retain his belt in a short-notice fight, and now, they’ll be locking horns again in an absolutely vital fight for the welterweight division.
Miesha Tate gunning for rematch with Amanda Nunes: "I’d love to run that one back"
Adam D Martin - March 25, 2021
Miesha Tate is coming out of retirement and her goal is to land a rematch with UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Tate announced on Wednesday that she is ending her nearly-five year retirement from MMA and is returning to the Octagon this summer when she takes on Marion Reneau. Following a 2016 loss to Raquel Pennington at UFC 205, Tate decided to hang up her gloves and start a family. She also worked for ONE Championship during that time. However, once COVID-19 hit, Tate moved her family back to Las Vegas. It appears as though being around the fight game in Vegas got her fighting spirit back and now she’s coming back.
Neil Magny shuts down Khamzat Chimaev’s request to fight in July
Adam D Martin - March 25, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Neil Magny shut down Khamzat Chimaev’s request to fight in July, saying that Chimaev should get healthy first. Chimaev announced this week that he will be returning to the Octagon this summer, and he’s already been busy calling out Magny again. Chimaev is hoping to get a fight with someone ranked near the top-10 and Magny is available. Hopefully, Chimaev has been ill with COVID-19 for the last few months and he hasn’t been able to fight. Now that there is light at the end of the tunnel and he plans on making his return this summer, he’s looking to make a splash in his comeback, and beating a veteran like Magny qualifies as doing that.
Dan Hardy fears misconception from Dana White could prevent reconciliation with the UFC
Harry Kettle - March 25, 2021
Former UFC fighter & commentator Dan Hardy is concerned that a misconception from Dana White could prevent him from returning to the promotion. “The Outlaw” departed from the company after a disagreement with one of the company’s employees on Fight Island at the start of the year. It follows another incident last summer in which he visibly got into an argument with referee Herb Dean.
Sean O'Malley on Casey Kenney-Megan Anderson comments: 'You can't let someone else's words effect how you feel emotionally'
Drake Riggs - March 24, 2021
Ahead of Casey Kenney’s last fight with Dominick Cruz, he made some controversial remarks about Megan Anderson on Sean O’Malley’s podcast. Getting ready to get back in action himself this weekend at UFC 260, O’Malley briefly reflected on the incident that happened on his show.
Stipe Miocic says Francis Ngannou "won’t be champ until I’m done"
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021
Stipe Miocic expects to defend his belt once again against Francis Ngannou. In the main event of UFC 260, Miocic and Ngannou will rematch three years after the champ dominated ‘The Predator’ at UFC 220. Entering the fight, the talk was Ngannou would knock Miocic out early, but the champ used his wrestling to control and dominate the fight and win a decision.
Tyron Woodley plans to go "out on top" despite recent skid: "I’m a better fighter than all of them"
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021
Tyron Woodley knows he is better than all three of the fighters he has lost to in his last three fights. During his skid, Woodley lost his belt to Kamaru Usman by decision and then suffered a decision loss to Gilbert Burns and a fifth-round TKO loss to Colby Covington. However, Woodley believes he hasn’t been performing to the best of his ability but still plans on retiring on top of the welterweight division.
Sean O'Malley says he has "no issues losing" but still considers himself undefeated
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021
Sean O’Malley believes he is entering his UFC 260 main card fight against Thomas Almeida undefeated. O’Malley suffered his first career loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252 last August. Although on his record it says he lost via first-round TKO, in the fight, “Suga” rolled his ankle several times. It eventually gave out and Vera jumped on top of him, landed some ground and pound and the fight was over.
Khamzat Chimaev eyes July return against Neil Magny, plans to train with alligators
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021
Khamzat Chimaev is planning to return to the Octagon in July and will have a unique training style in preparation for it. After Chimaev was forced out of his March 13 main event against Leon Edwards due to lingering COVID-19 effects, he announced his retirement from the sport. However, on Tuesday, he revealed he is coming back. He also wants Neil Magny in his return, according to his manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
Miesha Tate ends retirement, meets Marion Reneau on July 17
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021
Miesha Tate is back. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion is ending her retirement to fight Marion Reneau on July 17. The event does not have a name and no location was announced. ESPN was the first to report the news of the booking. It’s uncertain if Tate will make another run or of this will be a one-off fight.
Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier set for commentary booth at UFC 260
Adam Martin - March 24, 2021
Joe Rogan and former UFC champion Daniel Cormier will join Jon Anik in the booth for this Saturday night’s UFC 260 pay-per-view event. Rogan and Cormier have both sat alongside Anik during the last couple of pay-per-view cards, so it’s no surprise to see them both back in the booth alongside the stalwart UFC commentator Anik. Both Rogan and Cormier are two of the most popular commentators the UFC has and the promotion likes having this three-man booth alongside Anik for PPV cards.
Alonzo Menifield gets new opponent after William Knight pulled from UFC 260
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021
Alonzo Menifield will remain on UFC 260 but he won’t fight William Knight. Menifield and Knight were supposed to fight on February 27 but Menifield tested positive for COVID-19 and the fight was postponed to this Saturday’s UFC 260. However, the UFC announced that Knight is out of the fight and has been rebooked to fight Da-un Jung on April 10. Menifield, meanwhile, will remain on UFC 260 and he will face LFA light heavyweight champion Fabio Cherant.
UFC 260 | Pro fighters make their picks for Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021
In the main event of UFC 260, Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou are set to rematch three years after their first fight. Heading into the bout, Miocic is a +100 underdog while the challenger is a -120 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are torn on this but the slight majority believe Ngannou beats Miocic this time around.
Justin Gaethje upset he was passed over for title shot, says he's everything Dana White wants in a fighter
Adam D Martin - March 24, 2021
UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje is upset that he was passed over for a title shot, saying that he’s everything Dana White wants in a fighter. The UFC recently announced that Michael Chandler will take on Charles Oliveira for the vacant title at UFC 262 on May 15 in Houston, Texas. Although Chandler and Oliveira are tremendous fighters and deserving of fighting for the belt, many fans and media were surprised when Gaethje was passed over. After all, Gaethje was the interim champ not that long ago, and his only recent loss came against UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. Gaethje is ranked higher than Chandler and Oliveira, so many figured that he would be in the running to fight for the title shot. But the UFC chose to go in another direction instead.
Ronaldo Souza returns to the Octagon at UFC 262 against Andre Muniz
Adam D Martin - March 24, 2021
An intriguing middleweight matchup between former Strikeforce champion Ronaldo Souza and Andre Muniz has been added to the UFC 262 PPV card. UFC 262 takes place on May 15 in Houston, Texas with a full crowd of fans. The main event for the evening sees the vacant UFC lightweight title up for grabs between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira. In addition to Oliviera, another grappling ace will compete on the pay-per-view card as Souza returns to the Octagon when he takes on Muniz, a Dana White’s Contender Series veteran who has looked sharp so far in the UFC with two victories. The Souza vs. Muniz fight was first reported by Raphael Marinho of Combate.