MMA News
Ali Abdelaziz lashes out at John Kavanagh for suggesting McGregor vs. Poirier 2 should be for a title
Cole Shelton - December 28, 2020
Ali Abdelaziz has responded after John Kavanagh suggested Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2 should be for the vacant belt. After Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Justin Gaethje and retired, many wondered why the belt never became vacant. With McGregor returning on January 23, many believed by the time the fight rolled around, the fight would be for the belt. Kavanagh, however, doesn’t understand why it isn’t.
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov rematch "wouldn't be a close fight" according to Dillon Danis
Cole Shelton - December 28, 2020
Dillon Danis is hoping Conor McGregor can get a rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov to prove he is the better fighter. At UFC 229, McGregor returned to the Octagon after two years away and suffered a fourth-round submission loss. However, after the fight, the Irishman claimed he wasn’t focused on the fight and fought with a broken foot.
Gaethje, Chandler "slightly easier" fight for Conor McGregor than Poirier, says coach
Tom Taylor - December 28, 2020
Coach John Kavanagh believes Dustin Poirier is a tougher opponent for Conor McGregor than Justin Gaethje or Michael Chandler. Kavanagh has long served as McGregor’s head coach. During a recent interview with TheMacLife, he rated McGregor’s next opponent, Poirier, against two other top lightweights in Gaethje and Chandler.
Brandon Moreno makes his pick for 2020 Fight of the Year: "Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk should win"
Tom Taylor - December 28, 2020
Brandon Moreno was involved in one of the best fights of 2020, but he doesn’t believe he’s the most deserving candidate of Fight of the Year honors. Moreno dropped jaws earlier this month, when he battled UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo to a thrilling draw in the main event of UFC 256. While the two flyweight stars deserve plenty of credit for that incredible contest, Moreno himself feels Fight of the Year honors should go to another UFC championship war: Zhang Weili’s March defeat of Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Amanda Nunes reacts after being named Female Fighter of the Year
Adam Martin - December 28, 2020
UFC women’s superstar Amanda Nunes reacted after being named Female Fighter of the Year at the 12th Fighters Only World MMA Awards. Nunes was the recipient of the honor from the World MMA awards from Fighters Only on Sunday night. She was up against several other tough competitors in a star-studded field of elite women’s MMA fighters, including Bellator’s Cris Cyborg, PFL’s Kayla Harrison, and fellow UFC champions Valentina Shevchenko and Weili Zhang.
Calvin Kattar sends piece of advice to opponent Max Holloway: "To overlook me would be a mistake"
Tom Taylor - December 28, 2020
Rising UFC featherweight contender Calvin Kattar has a piece of advice for his upcoming opponent, the division’s former champion Max Holloway. Kattar and Holloway are slated to collide in the main event of a January 16 card on Fight Island. Heading into the matchup, Kattar has some advice for the former champion: Don’t overlook the challenge at hand.
Claressa Shields explains why she signed with PFL over UFC
Tom Taylor - December 28, 2020
Three-division boxing champion Claressa Shields has explained why she decided to sign with the Professional Fighters League instead of the UFC. Shields, one of the best female boxers ever, has been plotting a move to MMA for some time. She’ll finally make that transition in the PFL cage in 2021–contrary to some interest from the UFC.
Colby Covington questions Jorge Masvidal's "BMF" status amid stalled negotiations
Tom Taylor - December 28, 2020
Colby Covington is questioning Jorge Masvidal’s status as the UFC’s “BMF” champion amid the stalled negotiations for their potential matchup. Covington and Masvidal, former friends turned mortal enemies, have been linked to a fight for months. As of yet, however, the matchup has failed to come to fruition.
Israel Adesanya reacts after being voted ‘Fighter of The Year’ for 2020
Harry Kettle - December 28, 2020
UFC middleweight king Israel Adesanya has reacted to being named Fighter of the Year in the Fighters Only World MMA Awards. Adesanya managed to register two big wins in 2020, and while his victory over Yoel Romero may have been controversial, the success against Paulo Costa was as emphatic as it gets.
Ben Askren says Jake Paul has gone silent ever since he accepted his fight offer: “He’s a coward”
Harry Kettle - December 28, 2020
Ben Askren has taken aim at YouTuber Jake Paul for “going silent” after Askren accepted his recent offer for a boxing fight. Paul has been picking fights with just about everyone since his knockout win over Nate Robinson, and while the majority have dismissed him as little more than a hype artist, nobody can deny the intrigue that comes with seeing him compete in the ring.
Israel Adesanya named Fighter of the Year at World MMA Awards, full list of winners revealed
Adam Martin - December 27, 2020
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was named winner of the Charles “Mask” Lewis Fighter of the Year award at the World MMA Awards. Adesanya took home the top prize of the night in being voted as the best fighter of the year, and he was among a number of deserving award winners at the 12th World MMA Awards. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 12th edition of the Fighters Only World MMA Awards took place remotely on December 27, 2020. It should be noted the awards timeline for inclusion stretched from January 2019 to July 2020. Check out the full list of this edition’s winning fighters below (via MMAjunkie.com).
Sean O'Malley explains the only way he would fight Marlon Vera again
Adam Martin - December 27, 2020
UFC bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley recently explained the only way he would accept a rematch against his bitter rival Marlon Vera. O’Malley and Vera met back at UFC 252 in August, and the Ecuadorian fighter pulled off the upset when he finished O’Malley in the first round with strikes. O’Malley injured his ankle in that fight and Vera took advantage of his ailment by putting him away via TKO. But in the months since that fight took place, O’Malley has refused to accept that it was a legitimate loss. After Vera lost a unanimous decision to Jose Aldo at UFC Vegas 17, O’Malley used it as an opportunity to scoff at his rival Vera.
Dustin Poirier praises "incredible" Charles Oliveira, calls Michael Chandler a "good fighter"
Adam Martin - December 27, 2020
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier praised divisional rivals Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler for their recent performances. Oliveira has won eight straight fights and, back at UFC 256, he picked up the biggest win of his career when he defeated Tony Ferguson via lopsided decision. As for Chandler, he is set to make his UFC debut in 2021 after the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion signed with the world’s leading MMA promotion as a free agent this year. Oliveira is a ranked fighter and Chandler will soon join him in the top-15 of what UFC president Dana White says is the UFC’s strongest division.
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Manel Kape re-booked for potential flyweight title eliminator
Adam Martin - December 27, 2020
Alexandre Pantoja and Manel Kape have been re-booked for a potential flyweight title eliminator against each other for early next year. Pantoja vs. Kape was originally scheduled to take place at UFC Vegas 17 on December 19 in Las Vegas, but the bout fell apart after Pantoja withdrew from the bout. The UFC then pulled Kape from the card as well and tabbed him to be the backup fighter to the UFC 256 main event between UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno. However, both Figueiredo and Moreno made weight and Kape never ended up making his UFC debut after all at UFC 256.
Ryan Bader could get rematch with Vadim Nemkov, says Scott Coker
Adam Martin - December 27, 2020
Ryan Bader could get a rematch with Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov in 2021, according to Bellator president Scott Coker. Bader saw his eight-fight unbeaten streak snapped in emphatic fashion back at Bellator 244 in August when he suffered a vicious head kick TKO loss to Nemkov to lose the light heavyweight belt. Bader is still the Bellator heavyweight champion as well, and many thought his next fight would be a title defense of the heavyweight belt, but it now looks like there is a chance that Bader will remain down at 205lbs.
Dustin Poirier believes Conor McGregor rematch "could potentially be" for a belt
Adam Martin - December 27, 2020
UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier believes that his upcoming rematch with Conor McGregor at UFC 257 “could potentially be” for a belt. The status of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is up in the air at the moment. After defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from MMA. However, UFC president Dana White says that he will be meeting with the lightweight champ in January in Abu Dhabi in order to convince him to fight one more time. With Nurmagomedov’s current status in limbo, some have called for him to vacate his title or for an interim belt to potentially be created.
Julianna Pena vs. Sara McMann added to UFC 257
Adam Martin - December 27, 2020
An important women’s bantamweight bout between Julianna Pena and Sara McMann has been added to the upcoming UFC 257 pay-per-view card. Pena vs. McMann was originally set to take place at UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Kattar, but the fight was pushed back a week to UFC 257 instead. The bout will now take place on January 23 on the undercard of the Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2 pay-per-view. With Pena and McMann both being ranked in the top-15 at women’s 135lbs, this is an important fight for both women as they look to move close to a bantamweight title shot.
Joaquin Buckley makes return to the Octagon against Alessio Di Chirico
Adam Martin - December 27, 2020
UFC middleweight Joaquin Buckley is set to make his return to the Octagon against Alessio Di Chirico early next year on UFC Fight Island. MMAjunkie.com was the first to confirm that Buckley vs. Di Chirico will take place on January 16, 2021, on the undercard of the UFC Fight Night: Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar event. That is the UFC’s first event of the new year, so the promotion is looking to keep Buckley busy after his star-making year in 2020. After scoring back-to-back knockouts in his last two fights, Buckley looks poised for a monster year in 2021, as well.