MMA News
Photo | Andrei Arlovski shows off nasty foot injury following submission loss to Tom Aspinall
Adam Martin - February 25, 2021
UFC heavyweight veteran Andrei Arlovski showed off a nasty foot injury that happened in his last fight at UFC Vegas 19 against Tom Aspinall. Arlovski was submitted in the second round by Aspinall when the young British prospect caught the former UFC heavyweight champion in a second-round rear-naked choke. It was a tough loss for “The Pitbull,” who had looked sharp as of late with a two-fight winning streak over Tanner Boser and Philipe Lins heading into the fight with Aspinall. Unfortunately for Arlovski, the fight did not go as planned for the veteran when he was finished. To make matters worse for Arlovski, he also hurt his foot in the fight.
Joe Rogan campaigns for UFC lightweight title fight between Dustin Poirier and Charles Oliveira
Tom Taylor - February 25, 2021
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan wants to see a lightweight title fight between top contenders Dustin Poirier and Charles Oliveira. The lightweight title will seemingly soon be up for grabs with the division’s longtime champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, poised to ride off into the sunset. If that’s indeed the way things shake out, the UFC will need to crown a new champ in Nurmagomedov’s stead.
Tyson Fury believes UFC's Conor McGregor would win trilogy fight Dustin Poirier
Tom Taylor - February 25, 2021
Heavyweight boxing superstar Tyson Fury is backing Conor McGregor to beat Dustin Poirier if the pair meet in the UFC’s Octagon for a third time. McGregor and Poirier first met at featherweight in 2014, with McGregor winning by first-round knockout. They then met in a rematch at UFC 257 last month, this time in the lightweight division. Poirier won that rematch by second-round knockout.
PFL announces new signings, including Gleison Tibau
Adam Martin - February 25, 2021
PFL announced several new additions to its upcoming season three rosters with former UFC fighter Gleison Tibau among the new signings. PFL’s third season is set to kick off in April. The promotion did not hold events during 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but looks to come back with a bang in 2021 on ESPN+. The promotion recently announced the mostly-complete rosters for the six weight classes it will hold tournaments for this year, but there were several noticeable spots on the roster that were labeled as “TBD.” The promotion is now ready to announce who will fill in those last few spots in the season three PFL tournaments. Check the signings out below.
Team Edson Barboza confirms the fan-favorite has signed a new deal with the UFC
Adam Martin - February 25, 2021
Team Edson Barboza confirmed the fan-favorite signed a new, multi-year deal with the UFC, keeping him with the world’s leading MMA promotion. Barboza only had one fight left on his current UFC contract following his last outing, a unanimous decision victory over Makwan Amirkhani at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen. The 35-year-old Brazilian expressed interest in re-signing on a new contract with the promotion following the conclusion of his current contract, but until now a deal had not been reached. Now that Barboza and the UFC have agreed on a new deal, he plans on making a run for the featherweight title. Barboza’s long-time agent Alex Davis first confirmed the news of him re-signing with the UFC to MMAFighting.com.
Video | Get to know PFL's Ray Sefo
Tom Taylor - February 25, 2021
Ray Sefo is both a legend of the kickboxing ring, and a key executive at The Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno flyweight title rematch set for June 12
Tom Taylor - February 25, 2021
A rematch between UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and top contender Brandon Moreno is set for June 12, according to Ariel Helwani of ESPN. The UFC flyweight title rematch between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno is set for June 12, per multiple sources.
Joe Rogan shares theory on why Conor McGregor lost to Dustin Poirier
Tom Taylor - February 25, 2021
Longtime UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has shared his thoughts on why Conor McGregor lost to Dustin Poirier last month. McGregor and Poirier met at lightweight in the main event of the blockbuster UFC 257 card in Abu Dhabi—a card Rogan wasn’t on commentary duty for. The bout was a rematch of a 2014 featherweight fight that McGregor won by first-round knockout.
UFC's Karolina Kowalkiewicz opens up on struggles with depression, suicidal ideation
Tom Taylor - February 25, 2021
Former UFC strawweight title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz says she has struggled with depression and suicidal ideation in the past. Kowalkiewicz, a native of Poland, is a member of the UFC strawweight roster. Speaking on Instagram on February 23, Poland’s Day of Combatting Depression, Kowalkiewicz opened up on her mental health struggles, and revealed that she’s battled depression and suicidal ideation previously.
Walt Harris and wife create foundation to help families with missing loved ones
Tom Taylor - February 25, 2021
UFC heavyweight Walt Harris and his wife, Angela, have launched a foundation to help families with missing loved ones. Aniah’s Heart Foundation—named after Angela and Walt’s daughter, who was kidnapped and killed in 2019—launched in 2020, and will teach self-defense and awareness training with the goal of preventing future tragedies.
Kevin Croom rips Nevada after having his UFC win overturned: “How can I bang a hooker here but I can’t smoke weed and fist fight”
Harry Kettle - February 25, 2021
UFC lightweight Kevin Croom has ripped into Nevada after his debut win in the UFC was overturned due to marijuana use. Croom stepped in on short notice to fight Roosevelt Roberts last September and managed to secure the submission victory with a standing guillotine choke.
Viral MMA practitioner starts GoFundMe following bathroom brawl with Oklahoma wide receiver
Harry Kettle - February 25, 2021
The viral MMA practitioner who got into a bathroom brawl with an Oklahoma wide receiver has started a GoFundMe for himself. Over the course of the last few days we’ve all seen the clip of Spencer Jones, from the University of Oklahoma, being beaten up by Walker Brown who is said to be “MMA trained”. While Jones seems to be the one who initiates the fight, Brown is certainly the one who finishes it.
Henry Cejudo responds after Dominick Cruz suggests the UFC is "just kind of laughing at him" over comeback talk
Christopher Taylor - February 24, 2021
Henry Cejudo was clearly not happy about former opponent Dominick Cruz suggesting the UFC is “just kind of laughing at him” over his comeback talk. Cejudo, the UFC’s former flyweight and bantamweight champion, announced his retirement from mixed martial arts immediately following his TKO victory over Cruz at UFC 249.
Dominick Cruz still believes Keith Peterson "100 percent" stopped Cejudo fight too early, will request to not have him ref his fights
Cole Shelton - February 24, 2021
Dominick Cruz is still unhappy with Keith Peterson. At UFC 249, Cruz made his return to the Octagon to battle Henry Cejudo for the bantamweight title. It was his first fight since December of 2016 when he lost to Cody Garbrandt. Although he was coming off a long layoff, Cruz has done that before but this time around, the fight didn’t go his way as he suffered a second-round TKO loss.
Max Holloway believes Calvin Kattar win was the "best performance" of his career
Cole Shelton - February 24, 2021
Max Holloway believes his Fight Island win over Calvin Kattar was the best of his career. In the main event of the card, Holloway was looking to snap his two-fight losing streak against the rising Kattar. Many pundits thought it would be a close fight but that was far from the case. The Hawaiian was the far superior striker and just picked apart Kattar for five rounds and came close to finishing the fight several times.
Report | Jake Paul vs Ben Askren set to take place in Atlanta
Cole Shelton - February 24, 2021
Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren has its fight location. On April 17, Paul will have his third professional boxing match as he takes on former ONE Championship and Bellator champion, Ben Askren. It’s a very intriguing matchup and one that has caught the attention of the combat sports world. Although the fight has been announced for a few weeks now, the location was still uncertain, but it has now been reported it will take place in Atlanta.
Alexander Hernandez expects to pick Thiago Moises apart and "dismantle" him
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.
UFC Vegas 20: Rozenstruik vs. Gane full betting odds
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.