MMA News
Tim Elliott says he bet a "significant amount of money" on himself against Jordan Espinosa, believes loser gets cut
Cole Shelton - March 5, 2021
Tim Elliott always wanted to fight Jordan Espinosa. Elliott and Espinosa have been linked to one another for quite some time and at UFC 259 the two will finally share the Octagon. They were supposed to fight on January 16, but it was pushed back to March 6, which Elliott is fine with as long as he got the chance to fight Espinosa.
Photo | Leon Edwards looking ripped ahead of long-awaited return
Tom Taylor - March 5, 2021
No. 3-ranked UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards is looking absolutely shredded ahead of his anticipated return to the Octagon. Edwards has not fought since a July, 2019 fight with Rafael dos Anjos, which he won by unanimous decision. However, his lengthy layoff is hardly his fault.
Roy Jones Jr. challenges Anderson Silva to "dream" boxing match
Adam Martin - March 5, 2021
Roy Jones Jr. called for a “dream” boxing match against former UFC superstar Anderson Silva and broke down how the potential fight would go. Jones and Silva have been connected to a fight for many years, but the fight was never possible because UFC president Dana White would not let Silva out of his UFC contract to do boxing. White also said he would refuse to promote a boxing matchup between the two. Now that the 45-year-old Silva has been released for the UFC, he’s able to sign with any promoter, whether it be in MMA or boxing. If he’s open to going back to the boxing ring, where he previously competed last in 2015, then the 52-year-old Jones is all over it.
UFC 259 weigh-in results: Blachowicz and Adesanya hit marks, one fighter misses
Tom Taylor - March 5, 2021
On Saturday night, the UFC will returned to our screens with the stacked UFC 259 card—easily the biggest event of the year so far. UFC 259 will be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between reigning champion Jan Blachowicz and challenger Israel Adesanya, who holds the promotion’s middleweight title. Blachowicz will be looking for the first defense of his title reign, while Adesanya will look to join the short list of fighters to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously.
Polyana Viana responds to rumors of relationship with Colby Covington: "We're just friends"
Tom Taylor - March 5, 2021
UFC strawweight contender Polyana Viana has dispelled rumors that she’s romantically involved with welterweight contender Colby Covington. On Thursday, Covington posted a photo of himself and Viana to social media, which prompted speculation that they might be dating.
Dana White: "There's still a chance" Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight again
Tom Taylor - March 5, 2021
UFC President Dana White believes “there’s still a chance” Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight again before all is said and done. Nurmagomedov, the UFC lightweight champion, announced his retirement after he submitted Justin Gaethje in October.
Israel Adesanya promises to “definitely” return to middleweight after defeating Jan Blachowicz
Harry Kettle - March 5, 2021
UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya has promised that he will return to the 185-pound division after he fights Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259. Adesanya is gearing up to meet Blachowicz in the main event this Saturday night with the winner walking away with the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship. Adesanya is feeling pretty confident that he’s going to get the job done but if he does, it raises questions about his future at middleweight.
Dana White would “love” to have Jon Jones in attendance for UFC 260
Harry Kettle - March 5, 2021
UFC president Dana White has said he’d love to have new heavyweight contender Jon Jones in attendance at the upcoming UFC 260 card. The event in question at the end of the month will play host to Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou 2. The fight will be contested for the UFC Heavyweight Championship, with the expectation being that Jones will be thrust into an immediate title shot against whoever comes out victorious.
Dana White shares his thoughts on the UFC's release of heavyweights Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos
Christopher Taylor - March 4, 2021
UFC President Dana White has shared his thoughts on the promotions recent release of heavyweight standouts Alistair Overeem and Junior dos Santos. Earlier this week fight fans were left shocked after news broke that the Ultimate Fighting Championship had parted ways with two of it’s biggest heavyweight draws in ‘The Reem’ and ‘JDS’.
Khamzat Chimaev became "depressed" and "frightened" after coughing up blood, details brother
Adam Martin - March 4, 2021
The brother of UFC welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev says the Russian star became “depressed” and “frightened” after coughing up blood. Chimaev was one of the UFC’s breakout stars in 2020. The former BRAVE CF prospect joined the UFC on Fight Island last summer and proceeded to pick up three finishes over John Phillips, Rhys McKee, and Gerald Meerschaert. He was set to fight top-ranked Leon Edwards in a potential No. 1 contender bout earlier this year, but the fight was pushed back after Chimaev contracted COVID-19. The UFC pushed the fight back to March, but it was scratched a few weeks ago when Chimaev’s COVID-19 issues were not getting any better. Instead, Edwards now takes on Belal Muhammad on the March 13 UFC card.
Dana White uncertain about Khamzat Chimaev's fighting future: "I don't know what he's going to do"
Cole Shelton - March 4, 2021
Dana White doesn’t know what Khamzat Chimaev’s fighting future looks like. This past week, Chimaev took to Instagram where he appeared to announce his retirement from MMA. He still has lingering effects from COVID-19 and has thought he was going to die several times. However, after he posted the now-deleted message, White revealed Chimaev would still fight again, but now, he is uncertain about that.
Dana White believes Poirier loss put Conor McGregor in a "good place," trilogy targeted for summer
Cole Shelton - March 4, 2021
Dana White says Conor McGregor wants the Dustin Poirier trilogy as soon as possible and the promotion is targeting for it to happen in the summer. In the main event of UFC 257, McGregor made his return to the Octagon against Poirier in a rematch of a fight nearly seven years in the making. Unfortunately, for the Irishman, the fight did not go his way as he lost by second-round TKO.
Amanda Nunes lays out bold prediction for finishing Megan Anderson at UFC 259
Cole Shelton - March 4, 2021
Amanda Nunes not only expects to finish Megan Anderson on Saturday night but is confident she will do so early on. In the co-main event of UFC 259, Nunes is looking to defend her featherweight title for the second time when she faces Anderson. Although the Brazilian is a massive favorite, and many believe she will win, the challenger does pose some problems. She will have a size and reach advantage, but for Nunes, she expects to finsih the fight early.
Dana White hoping to move UFC 260 to Texas with a soldout crowd
Cole Shelton - March 4, 2021
Dana White is looking to move UFC events to Texas as soon as possible. Recently, the Texas governor announced the state is open again and everything can begin going back to 100 percent capacity. That immediately caught the attention of the UFC and Dana White who has made it clear he is looking to have soldout crowds in the very near future.
Drew Dober knows he will get taken down by Islam Makhachev but confident he will "find his chin"
Cole Shelton - March 4, 2021
Drew Dober always had his eye on Islam Makhachev. On the main card of Saturday’s stacked UFC 259 event, Dober is set to return against Makhachev. Although not many were interested in fighting the Russian, Dober was the one who asked for this fight.
Petr Yan wants "cheater" TJ Dillashaw next because it will be a "punishment" for him
Cole Shelton - March 4, 2021
Petr Yan is hoping to be active in 2021. In 2020, Yan only got to step foot in the Octagon once, but he made good of that one time as he scored a fifth-round TKO win over Jose Aldo to become the new bantamweight champion. After the fight, it was clear Aljamain Sterling would be next in line, and months later the fight has been made.
Amanda Nunes "okay with it" if UFC shuts down women's featherweight division
Tom Taylor - March 4, 2021
Amanda Nunes isn’t against the UFC cutting its long-struggling women’s featherweight division after Saturday night’s UFC 259 card. Nunes currently holds the UFC women’s bantamweight and featherweight titles, and will attempt to defend the latter against Megan Anderson in one of three title fights on the UFC 259 bill.
Video | Cody Garbrandt kicked off flight over mask issue, confrontation with staff
Tom Taylor - March 4, 2021
Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt was allegedly kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight after a confrontation with a flight attendant. According to Garbrandt, the issue in question occurred when Southwest Airlines staff took issue with his two-year-old son not wearing a mask on the flight. See the video, which Garbrandt shared on Instagram, below: