MMA News

Christopher Taylor - February 21, 2021

Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo continues to taunt Dana White by taking shots at some of the promotions champions. Cejudo (16-2 MMA) retired from mixed martial arts immediately following his second round TKO victory over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. The victory had marked Henry’s sixth in a row and first career defense of his bantamweight title.

Chris Taylor - February 21, 2021

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Conor McGregor’s best days are over following his TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. McGregor squared off with Poirier for a second time in the headliner of last month’s pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi. Despite promising another first round finish of ‘The Diamond’, things did not pan out as planned for the Irishman.

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

Former UFC fighter Markus Perez detailed a recent sparring session he had with Jake Paul ahead of his upcoming boxing match with Ben Asken. Perez was recently among the latest round of UFC roster cuts. Following his recent loss to Dalcha Lungiambula on Fight Island in January, Perez asked the UFC matchmakers to cut him and let him go back down to the minor leagues to work on his game. With a 2-5 record in the UFC and a three-fight losing skid to end his run in the Octagon, the matchmakers decided to release “Maluko” from the roster. But while he might not be on the UFC roster anymore, Perez has already landed a gig as a sparring partner for Paul. Check out the photo that Perez posted on Instagram after a recent sparring session with Paul in Florida.

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman revealed this father-in-law recently passed away, and the family is asking fans to help. According to his obituary, Vincent John Pecora passed away on February 17 at the age of 70 years old. His daughter, Marivi, is married to Weidman. In a lengthy statement posted on his Instagram, Weidman revealed that his father-in-law tragically died after he was hit by a truck in an intersection while crossing the street. Weidman said he knew the man since he was in the seventh grade when he met his daughter and future wife at a wrestling camp. Pecora became a huge part of Weidman’s life and one of his biggest supporters.

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos congratulated his fiancée Yana Kunitskaya on her upset win over Ketlen Vieira at UFC Vegas 19. Santos was in the corner of Kunitskaya as she defeated Vieira via unanimous decision in a fight that had somewhat controversial scorecards. Though it appeared that Vieira had done enough to control Kunitskaya on the mat from top position with her grappling that she would win the decision, the judges had other ideas. Instead, the three judges unanimously agreed that Kunitskaya had done enough to win the fight. Although Vieira had the takedowns and the control time on top, Kunitskaya was working the entire fight from the bottom, and she appeared to steal the fight in the final minute when she cut Vieira open.

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC women’s bantamweight contender Sijara Eubanks issued a statement following domestic violence allegations against ex-partner Lilly Ruiz. On Saturday, a video was posted to Eubanks’ own Twitter, allegedly showing her committing an act of domestic violence, reportedly in front of the couples’ child. Eubanks’ Twitter was later deleted, but the video remains on social media. According to the Twitter user “DatBoyLouu,” his mother-in-law is Eubanks’ ex-partner Ruiz, and he says he posted the video in order to get the media’s attention, saying Eubanks “needs to be stopped.”

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns continued to call out Colby Covington for his next fight after losing to Kamaru Usman at UFC 258. Burns was knocked out by Usman in the main event of last weekend’s UFC 258 pay-per-view card. It was a tough defeat for Burns, particularly since he had Usman rocked in the first 30 seconds of the fight before the momentum shifted to his opponent. In the end, Usman proved once again what an amazing champion he is in mixed martial arts, while for Burns it’s a lesson learned. Despite getting stopped in a devastating fashion, Burns has said that he’s confident he can still make a run for the UFC welterweight title. It all starts with getting another big win on his resume, and he hopes that it’s Covington.

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira explained why he turned down the chance to fight at UFC 259 for the backup role instead. The 41-year-old Teixeira is currently the No. 1 contender in the UFC light heavywight division following a submission win over Thiago Santos in his last fight. The Brazilian has won his last five straight fights and many analysts thought he should have been next in line to fight UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. Instead, the UFC decided to give the next title shot at 205lbs to Israel Adesanya. Blachowicz and Adesanya will now headline UFC 259 on March 6, with Teixeira flying to Las Vegas to serve as a backup for the fight.

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi says he received a new UFC contract after his opponent Drako Rodriguez missed weight before UFC Vegas 19. Zahabi was one of a number of underdogs who won in dominant fashion at UFC Vegas 19, as he was able to knock Rodriguez out in the first round with a vicious 1-2. What made the win even more impressive was the fact Rodriguez badly missed weight at the official weigh-ins on Friday, coming in at 140.5lbs for a 135lbs fight (plus the one-pound allowance). Because Rodriguez missed so badly, there were some whispers that Zahabi would decline the fight. However, Zahabi said that the UFC made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Adam D Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC featherweight Chas Skelly revealed the emotions that went through him when opponent Jamall Emmers did not enter the cage at UFC Vegas 19. Skelly was set to make his return to the Octagon for the first time since a decision win over Jordan Griffin in September 2019. Skelly missed all of 2020 due to injuries and was looking forward to returning to the cage against Emmers. Skelly had already made the walk to the Octagon and was awaiting Emmers to join him, but the fight was canceled at the last minute when Emmers suffered back spasms during his warmups. The fight was scratched, leaving Skelly with two straight canceled fights after a bout with Grant Dawson fell through at the last second in January 2020. Safe to say Skelly is frustrated by all of the bad luck.

Adam D Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall called for a fight against fellow heavyweight prospect Chris Daukaus following his big win at UFC Vegas 19. Aspinall picked up the biggest win of his career on Saturday night when he submitted former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski via rear-naked choke in the second round. It was by far the biggest win of Aspinall’s career to date and it should land him a ranked opponent in his next fight. Although Arlovski is a quality veteran fighter who is respected around the fight game, he wasn’t in the top-15. After finishing him by second-round submission, Aspinall is hoping to fight someone ranked next, and it just so happens that the perfect opponent also fought on Saturday night. That would be Daukaus.

Adam D Martin - February 21, 2021

Featherweight prospect Steven Nguyen defended his brutal knockout at LFA 100 after online outrage due to a late punch he landed after the KO. Nguyen, a former Contender Series fighter, brutally finished Jorge Juarez just 30 seconds into the fight with strikes. After landing a gigantic right hand that knocked Juarez to the floor, it appeared as though Juarez was knocked out cold. Nguyen followed it up with a brutal ground strike that led to fans online saying he took a cheap shot at his opponent. Despite the fact that the referee hadn’t officially stepped in and waved off the fight at that point, some fans believe that Nguyen should have shown better sportsmanship towards Juarez. Despite the backlash, however, Nguyen says that everyone has it all wrong.

Adam D Martin - February 21, 2021

Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski issued a statement following his submission loss to prospect Tom Aspinall at UFC Vegas 19. Arlovski was riding a two-fight win steak into this bout against Aspinall, a 27-year-old British heavyweight prospect who many believe is the future of the division. Though Aspinall was a considerable favorite entering the bout, there were many out there who thought Arlovski had a good chance to pull off the upset after he defeated Tanner Boser and Philipe Lins as an underdog in his last two fights. However, Aspinall is a much different beast from those two. The young heavyweight outstruck Arlovski in the first round and in the second round finished the fight with a surprising rear-naked choke submission victory.

Adam D Martin - February 21, 2021

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz said in a recent interview that he wants to catch COVID-19, so that way he can fight it. Ortiz has been very vocal about his distrust in the COVID-19 pandemic and everything related to it on social media and as part of his role on the Huntington Beach city council. He has even been criticized by fellow politicians for not wearing masks inside buildings, as he doesn’t believe in them. In Ortiz’s mind, the virus is not all that serious, and in a recent interview, he actually said that he wants to get COVID-19 so that his body can fight it.

Adam D Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan and rival Aljamain Sterling engaged in a heated online feud, with Kevin Holland coming to the rescue. Yan and Sterling meet on March 6 in the co-main event of UFC 259, with Yan’s bantamweight belt on the line. The two rivals have been going back-and-forth on their social media accounts for seemingly the last year or so, and they will finally be able to put an end to their bitter feud next month. In the meantime, they continue to go after each other on Twitter. Only this time, a familiar face stopped by to lend a helping hand.

Christopher Taylor - February 20, 2021

Derrick Lewis referenced The Undertaker in an attempt to explain his extra punches after dropping Curtis Blaydes at UFC Vegas 19. Lewis (25-7 MMA) extended his current win streak to four in a row this evening by scoring a spectacular second round knockout victory over Blaydes.

Chris Taylor - February 20, 2021

The Octagon remained in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 19 event, a twelve-bout fight card headlined by Derrick Lewis vs. Curtis Blaydes. The highly anticipated heavyweight fight proved to be a tale of two rounds. Curtis Blaydes seemingly dominated the opening round landing a barrage of punches and kicks on Derrick Lewis. However, in round two ‘The Black Beast’ was able to once again showcase his power by flooring Blaydes with an uppercut, spelling an end to the fight.

Chris Taylor - February 20, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 19 event was headlined by a key heavyweight bout between perennial division contenders Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. Blaydes (14-3 MMA) was stepping foot in the Octagon for the first time since defeating Alexander Volkov by unanimous decision this past June. ‘Razor’ had entered tonight’s headliner on a four-fight win streak, as he had previously scored victories over Justin Willis, Shamil Abdurakhimov and Junior dos Santos.