MMA News

Cole Shelton - February 24, 2021

Dominick Cruz has no problem fighting on the UFC 259 prelims. Cruz is set to return to the Octagon on March 6 against Casey Kenney in a crucial fight for his career. Although Cruz is the former bantamweight champion and used to being on pay-per-views or headlining shows that will not be the case in this fight. Instead, he will be the prelim headliner, which is a spot Cruz actually liked.

Cole Shelton - February 24, 2021

Alexander Hernandez is extremely confident he will extend his winning streak to two on Saturday night. On the prelims of UFC Vegas 20, Hernandez is set to return to the Octagon against Thiago Moises. It’s an intriguing matchup but it did come as a surprise that “The Great” didn’t get a ranked opponent. However, Hernandez says he didn’t want a ranked foe.

Adam Martin - February 24, 2021

Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 20 card featuring Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Ciryl Gane in the main event. The headliner sees two of the UFC’s top-10 heavyweights go at it for five rounds or less as Rozenstruik takes on Gane. Rozenstruik is 5-1 overall in the UFC and he is coming off of a big KO win over Junior dos Santos in his last outing. Gane, meanwhile, is also coming off of a TKO win over dos Santos and overall he has a 4-0 record in the UFC. Both men are dangerous with their striking but what really sets Gane apart in this matchup is his grappling. He has the rare ability for a heavyweight to take the fight to the ground and lock up a variety of submissions there. But, of course, he will have to watch the power of Rozenstruik in the meantime.

Tom Taylor - February 24, 2021

UFC commentator Joe Rogan was not on duty for last Saturday’s UFC Vegas 19 card, but he was seemingly tuned in for the event. UFC Vegas 19 was headlined by a heavyweight showdown between two top-5 contenders, as Curtis Blaydes took on Derrick Lewis. While Lewis entered the cage as a significant underdog, he ended up winning the fight via brutal one-punch knockout, cementing himself as one of the division’s top contenders.

Adam Martin - February 24, 2021

The betting odds have been released for the upcoming UFC 261 women’s flyweight title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade. This long-rumored battle between elite women’s flyweight fighters will finally take place on April 24 at UFC 261, though the location and venue are yet-to-be-determined. What we do know is that Shevchenko and Andrade, the champion and the No. 1 contender in the UFC women’s flyweight division, will square off with UFC gold on the line. With the fight booked, the sportsbooks have released the betting odds for this matchup (h/t BetOnline).

Adam Martin - February 24, 2021

James Krause says the UFC matchmakers twice declined his offer to fight Joaquin Buckley, and he thinks the matchup’s “dead in the water” now. Krause and Buckley have had tension for quite a while now due to previous issues at gyms in the Kansas City area, and both men have expressed interest in potentially fighting each other for several months. Calls for the fight became especially loud after Buckley knocked out Impa Kasanganay last fall with an insane head kick. However, the UFC did not book the fight between Buckley and Krause, instead choosing to match up Buckley with other opponents such as Jordan Wright and Alessio Di Chirico in an effort to build him into a contender at middleweight. Those efforts shot up into flames when Buckley himself was the victim of a brutal KO by di Chirico.

Tom Taylor - February 24, 2021

UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko is set to defend her title against No. 1 contender Jessica Andrade at UFC 261 on April 24. UFC President Dana White announced this matchup through ESPN, the promotion’s official broadcast partner.

Tom Taylor - February 24, 2021

ONE Championship has announced the eight-woman lineup for its anticipated Atomweight World Grand Prix. ONE has been teasing its Atomweight World Grand Prix for quite some time, and on Wednesday, finally revealed the eight woman that will compose the tournament lineup.

Tom Taylor - February 24, 2021

Dominick Cruz doesn’t believe UFC President Dana White cares about Henry Cejudo’s comeback talk. Cejudo, the former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion, announced his retirement after defending the bantamweight belt with a TKO win over Cruz in 2020. Despite his retirement announcement, he continues to tease a comeback, most commonly campaigning for a fight with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Tom Taylor - February 24, 2021

Anthony Johnson has a message for anybody who believes Bellator is inferior to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Johnson, who fought for the UFC from 2007 to 2017 and competed for the light heavyweight title two times in the stretch, migrated to Bellator to much fanfare earlier this year.

Tom Taylor - February 24, 2021

ONE Championship’s Sage Northcutt is finally slated to return to action. The former UFC star will take on Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki at ONE on TNT 4 on April 28. News of this matchup, which will occur in ONE’s 170-pound lightweight division, was given to ESPN by ONE officials. The promotion has since confirmed the fight on social media.

Adam Martin - February 24, 2021

Kevin Lee believes that UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov should make the decision to vacate his title and walk away from MMA. Lee is one of the top-15 lightweights in the world and is one of the fighters striving to hold the belt that Nurmagomedov currently wears around his waist. However, with “The Eagle” openly talking about retiring, Lee wants him to give up his title and let the rest of the division be able to fight for it again. Speaking to SCMP MMA, Lee said he hopes the UFC lets Nurmagomedov retire in peace and encouraged him to give up his belt.

Harry Kettle - February 24, 2021

Former UFC star Ben Askren has responded to Jake Paul’s latest MMA Chronicles skit in the build-up to their boxing fight on April 17. The two unlikely foes are set to meet inside the squared circle with Paul attempting to use this fight as a springboard towards an even bigger contest – potentially against Nate Diaz or Conor McGregor.

Harry Kettle - February 24, 2021

Daniel Cormier has given his thoughts on the upcoming Light Heavyweight Championship bout between Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya. The two men will meet at UFC 259 in a fight that will see Blachowicz defend his newly won belt for the very first time. Adesanya, on the other hand, will be attempting to join an elite group of fighters to hold two belts in the UFC at the very same time.

Drake Riggs - February 23, 2021

In the typical fashion of a Zuluzinho fight, especially in 2021, there was some weirdness. Taking place in Russia, the PRIDE FC vet earned his 10th career loss. At AMC Fight Nights: Sochi after three rounds of action against unbeaten 5-0-1 Yusup Shuaev, the 400-pounder connected with a big punch to drop his opponent. Immediately celebrating, little did Zuluzinho know that the fight hadn’t been stopped.

Cole Shelton - February 23, 2021

Michael Chandler has offered his support to Dan Hooker. Hooker recently posted on social media that he is back in New Zealand but in quarantine. He shared a photo of him behind the fence with his wife and daughter looking at him. It was a sad photo and what made it worse is the fact he still has another 12 days to go in quarantine, despite already being away from his family for 44 days.

Cole Shelton - February 23, 2021

Jairzinho Rozenstruik has heard all the talk about Ciryl Gane being a future UFC heavyweight champion. Rozenstruik and Gane were originally supposed to be the co-main event on March 13 but were moved to the main event this weekend. It’s an intriguing matchup and for Rozenstruik fighting two weeks earlier isn’t that big of a deal.

Adam D Martin - February 23, 2021

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes released a statement following his nasty knockout loss to Derrick Lewis at Saturday’s UFC Vegas 19. Blaydes was a massive betting favorite heading into the UFC Vegas 19 main event against Lewis, and for the first round at least, he appeared to be the better fighter. Blaydes didn’t even need to use his wrestling in the first round as he was able to outstrike Lewis and take the first round. However, the second round would prove to be a different beast. After attempting a takedown, Lewis connected on a gigantic uppercut which knocked his opponent to the floor, where he landed two follow-up shots before the referee stepped in.