MMA News
Jimmie Rivera claims Chad Mendes turned him down for their BKFC debuts: "I can't blame him, I wouldn't want to fight Jimmie Rivera either"
Cole Shelton - June 23, 2022
Jimmie Rivera says his BKFC debut was originally supposed to be against Chad Mendes. Rivera is set to be the co-main event of BKFC 26 against Howard Davis but that was not always the plan. Instead, he says he was offered Mendes in both of their BKFC debuts but ‘Money’ turned the fight down.
Adrian Yanez claims UFC staff members told him to “f**k up” Tony Kelley prior to their fight in Austin
Susan Cox - June 23, 2022
Adrian Yanez is claiming UFC staff members told him to ‘f**k up’ Tony Kelley prior to their fight in Austin, Texas. It was Yanez (16-3 MMA) vs Kelley (8-3 MMA) last Saturday, June 18th in a bantamweight bout. The result was a devastating first-round knockout loss for Kelley and another check in the win column for Yanez.
Shavkat Rakhmonov plans to make a statement against Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 57: “I’m ready to show that I’m better than anyone in the division”
Susan Cox - June 23, 2022
Shavkat Rakhmonov plans to make a statement against Neil Magny at UFC Vegas 57. It will be Rakhmonov (15-0 MMA) vs Magny (26-9 MMA) in the co-main welterweight bout this weekend, Saturday, June 25th at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Neil Magny plans to “dominate” Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC Vegas 57: “I’m going to go out there and show him that there’s some levels to this game”
Harry Kettle - June 23, 2022
Neil Magny plans on dominating Shavkat Rakhmonov this weekend as the two prepare to meet at UFC Vegas 57. With a 7-2 record across his last nine fights, Neil Magny has spent the last few years proving that he’s still a force to be reckoned with in the welterweight division. The 34-year-old veteran is willing to take on any and all comers and even though many don’t think he’ll make it into title contention at this stage of his career, he’s still a valued and important member of the division.
Henry Cejudo tells Aljamain Sterling to sign the contract: “I’ll put my gold medal around you so you know what it’s like to feel like a Real Champ”
Harry Kettle - June 23, 2022
Henry Cejudo has told Aljamain Sterling to sign the contract as he continues to push for a UFC bantamweight title shot. Ever since vacating the championship following his retirement from mixed martial arts two years ago, Henry Cejudo has made it clear that he’s still open to the idea of competing if the offer is right – and he made that even more obvious by stating he will be re-entering the USADA testing pool to officially end his time away from the sport.
Jack Hermansson training with Khamzat Chimaev ahead of Darren Till fight: "Getting some rounds in with the wolf"
Jeffrey Walter - June 22, 2022
Fans were a bit perplexed to see Khamzat Chimaev training alongside Jack Hermansson as the Swede prepares to fight Darren Till. Hermansson (22-7 MMA) and Till (18-4-1 MMA) are set to collide in a middleweight bout on July 23 at UFC London. It is a pivotal contest that sees both fighters looking to rebound from recent losses.
Julianna Pena rips Amanda Nunes for firing her "entire team" ahead of UFC 277: "You got embarrassed"
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2022
Julianna Pena doesn’t understand why Amanda Nunes wants her to trash talk more. Pena and Nunes are set to rematch in the main event of UFC 277 for the bantamweight title in an intriguing matchup. Back at UFC 269, it was Pena who won by submission to become the new champion and she shocked the world in doing so.
Robert Whittaker hits back at Israel Adesanya after the champ suggests he should move up to 205
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2022
Robert Whittaker believes there is a reason why Israel Adesanya wants him to move up to light heavyweight. Recently, Adesanya came out and said he recommended Whittaker to move up to light heavyweight. To many, the move makes sense given Whittaker is 0-2 against Adesanya and the chances of getting another title shot seems unlikely for now. But, for the Aussie, he believes there is another reason why Adesanya wants that to happen.
PFL's Anthony Pettis not looking to retire anytime soon: "I don't think about an exit plan"
Josh Evanoff - June 22, 2022
PFL lightweight Anthony Pettis has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. ‘Showtime’ is set to return at PFL 5 this Friday against UFC-veteran Stevie Ray. The return will be his first fight since his submission victory against Myles Price at PFL 3 last month. If Pettis scores a win over Ray, he will book himself a spot in the PFL playoffs.
Tommy Fury confirms he's fighting Jake Paul on August 6th at MSG: "The fight is on"
Josh Evanoff - June 22, 2022
It seems that Tommy Fury and Jake Paul will fight in August after all. ‘The Problem Child’ and ‘TNT’ were set to square off in a pay-per-view headliner last December. However, weeks before the matchup was set to go down, Fury pulled out citing a broken rib. In turn, Paul faced Tyron Woodley in a rematch of their fight from August 2021.
Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier responds to Sean O'Malley's claim that he wants him to lose: "I don't care enough about him to care if he wins"
Josh Evanoff - June 22, 2022
Former dual-weight champion Daniel Cormier doesn’t care if Sean O’Malley wins or loses. Last week, ‘Sugar’ made headlines when he discussed his relationship with ‘DC’. Following an appearance on the DC & RC podcast, O’Malley went on his own podcast to discuss the situation. The UFC bantamweight stated he felt like Cormier wants him to lose.
Christos Giagos plans to hit Thiago Moises with "something big and make him fold" at UFC Vegas 57, eyes Grant Dawson next
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2022
Christos Giagos believes he will finally show just how good he is at UFC Vegas 57 on Saturday. Giagos will return to the Octagon against Thiago Moises in what will be his second fight at Sanford MMA. Giagos made the move to Sanford last camp, but before he could even get accustomed to the gym and have a full camp, he was offered a short-notice fight against Arman Tsarukyan. Unfortnately for Giagos, it didn’t go his way and he says he just wasn’t himself in there.
Jorge Masvidal reacts after Leon Edwards claims he will grant him a title shot if victorious at UFC 278: "See that's another intangible"
Susan Cox - June 22, 2022
Jorge Masvidal is reacting after Leon Edwards claimed he will grant him a title shot if victorious at UFC 278. It will be Kamaru Usman (20-1 MMA) defending his welterweight title against Leon Edwards (19-3 MMA) in the main event on August 20th at UFC 278 in the Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Danny Sabatello says he hates Leandro Higo, plans to "torture" him at Bellator 282: "I want him to have scars on his face for the rest of his life"
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2022
Danny Sabatello is excited to fight and punish Leandro Higo at Bellator 282 on Friday. Sabatello and Higo are set to meet in the quarter-finals of the bantamweight grand prix in an intriguing matchup. When the bracket was set up, Sabatello was pleased he would get the chance to face Higo as he says he truly dislikes him due to the fact he has missed weight multiple times.
Ciryl Gane wants another interim title shot with a win over Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris
Susan Cox - June 22, 2022
Ciryl Gane is looking for another interim title shot with a win over Tai Tuivasa at UFC Paris. It will be Gane (10-1 MMA) vs Tuivasa (15-3 MMA) in the heavyweight main event at the Accor Arena in Paris, France on September 3rd, 2022.
Josh Emmett cracks the featherweight Top 5 following win over Calvin Kattar at UFC Austin
Susan Cox - June 22, 2022
Josh Emmett has cracked the featherweight Top 5 in the UFC Austin rankings update. Emmett (18-2 MMA) defeated Calvin Kattar (23-6 MMA) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday June 18th, 2022 in a split decision victory (47-48, 48-47, 48-47).
Greg Hardy says UFC officials left the door open for an eventual return: “I look forward to going back one day”
Harry Kettle - June 22, 2022
Greg Hardy has suggested that UFC officials have left the door open for him to potentially return to the promotion one day. At the age of 33, Greg Hardy has already had a pretty eventful career in mixed martial arts with a 7-5 (1) record to his name. The former NFL star was always viewed as something of a controversial figure in the sport but now that he’s been released by the UFC, he’s ready to explore some new options – including a run in bare-knuckle boxing with BKFC.
Dana White gives Alex Volkanovski the green light to fight for the UFC lightweight title: “That guy can do whatever he wants to do”
Harry Kettle - June 22, 2022
UFC president Dana White has confirmed he wouldn’t stand in the way of Alex Volkanovski moving up to lightweight. In less than two weeks, Alex Volkanovski will attempt to finally put an end to his historic rivalry with Max Holloway. The two will battle it out over the UFC featherweight title for the third time and with Volkanovski 2-0 up in the series, it’s no surprise that a lot of fans are favouring him to retain the strap – establishing himself, arguably, as the greatest 145-pound champion in UFC history.