MMA News
Ben Askren says "bet the house" after opening as betting underdog to Jake Paul
Adam Martin - December 23, 2020
Former UFC welterweight Ben Askren says to “bet the house” after opening up as the betting underdog to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Askren confirmed on Tuesday to BJPenn.com that he has accepted a boxing match with Paul that is scheduled to take place on March 28 in Los Angeles. Askren later took to his social media to release a video explaining why he accepted Paul’s callout, admitting he took the fight because he views it as easy money. Even though he’s a wrestler by trade and not a striker, Askren believes that he has the upper hand because he is a professional athlete who has competed at the highest levels of combat sports for nearly 20 years.
Scott Coker: "I already know who’s gonna win" Ben Askren vs. Jake Paul fight
Tom Taylor - December 23, 2020
Bellator MMA President Scott Coker believes he knows how a rumored boxing match between Ben Askren and Jake Paul will go down. Askren claims that he’s in talks to fight Paul in March. While he previously reigned as the Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder and is a decorated wrestler, he’s never been much of a striker, and is widely expected to be at a disadvantage in a boxing match against the YouTube star turned pro boxer, Paul.
Anthony Johnson is "definitely down" for Bellator light heavyweight Grand Prix
Tom Taylor - December 23, 2020
Anthony Johnson is “definitely down” to participate in a light heavyweight Grand Prix tournament in the Bellator MMA cage. Johnson, who previously challenged for the UFC light heavyweight title, recently signed with Bellator, where he will put an anticipated end to his longstanding retirement from competition.
Tyron Woodley is "working on getting his motivation back," says coach
Tom Taylor - December 23, 2020
Coach Duke Roufus says former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is currently attempting to rekindle his motivation to compete. Woodley is widely considered one of the greatest welterweights in MMA history, but he’s recently fallen on tough times. After defending the welterweight title against Darren Till in late 2018, he then lost the title to Kamaru Usman in 2019, before losing back-to-back decisions to Gilbert Burns and Colby Covington this year.
Video | Maskless Tito Ortiz accused of making “out of line” comments during City Council meeting
Harry Kettle - December 23, 2020
Tito Ortiz has been accused of making out of line comments during a recent Huntington Beach City Council meeting. After becoming an elected official, the former UFC and Bellator star has caused quite a bit of controversy due to his views on public health and COVID-19 in general. As a result, clips from his appearances in City Council meetings have spread far and wide.
Paige VanZant describes bare-knuckle boxing as 'sport for only the toughest of the tough'
Drake Riggs - December 22, 2020
Paige VanZant is no longer an MMA fighter… for the time being. And that means it’s off to the ring to prove herself in bare-knuckle boxing. VanZant signed with the Bare-Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) after becoming a free agent in Summer 2020. During her time with the UFC, the 26-year old would go 5-4 and take on several notable names such as an eventual champion in Rose Namajunas.
Scott Coker sees an Anthony Pettis vs. Michael 'Venom' Page fight as 'a lot of fun'
Drake Riggs - December 22, 2020
Going into UFC Vegas 17 this past Saturday, former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis knew that he was heading into free agency. As of Tuesday, “Showtime” took to social media to declare that he will, in fact, be departing from the promotion that he’s spent the last 10 years of his career in. Prepared to test the waters of free agency, many in the MMA community have already begun speculating where he could be headed and who some new matchups could be.
Anthony Pettis announces he has parted ways with the UFC to explore free agency
Adam Martin - December 22, 2020
Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis has announced he has parted ways with the UFC in order to explore free agency. Pettis fought out the final bout of his UFC contract this past weekend when he won a unanimous decision over Alex Morono at UFC Vegas 17. Following the bout, Pettis said that he planned on exploring free agency, but also said that his top choice would be to re-sign with the UFC and get a rematch with Tony Ferguson. Well, it appears that rematch won’t be happening anytime soon as Pettis is now officially on the free-agent market.
Callum Bisping roasts Deron Winn following Twitter beef with his father Michael
Cole Shelton - December 22, 2020
Callum Bisping has roasted Deron Winn after the AKA fighter took a shot at his father, Michael Bisping. Although Winn beat Antonio Arroyo at UFC Vegas 17 many were critical of his performance. He was hit with some heavy shots but ultimately turned to his wrestling to win the final two rounds in the fight.
Marvin Vettori plans to "smash" Darren Till next year
Cole Shelton - December 22, 2020
Marvin Vettori is looking to fight Darren Till in 2021. Vettori picked up the biggest win of his career earlier this month as he beat Jack Hermansson by decision. The Italian stepped up on short notice to face Hermansson in his first UFC main event and had success. He dropped the Swede early and clearly won four rounds.
Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker verbally agreed to for UFC 257
Adam Martin - December 22, 2020
An exciting lightweight bout between Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker is the latest addition to January’s UFC 257 pay-per-view. Stuff.co.nz confirmed on Tuesday that Chandler vs. Hooker has been verbally agreed to for UFC 257 by both parties and both men have begun their training camps already, according to reporter Jackson Thomas. The UFC is expected to make this fight official in the next couple of days, according to the report. Chandler vs. Hooker will likely be the co-main event behind the UFC 257 between lightweight contender Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Hooker previously called Chandler out, and now he will get his wish of fighting him.
Report | Jake Paul to box Ben Askren in March of 2021
Cole Shelton - December 22, 2020
Jake Paul and Ben Askren are set to box in March of next year. In the lead-up to Paul’s fight against Nate Robinson, the YouTuber had called out Askren among several other UFC fighters. After Paul won, the callouts only increased and now, according to Chael Sonnen, the fight is happening.
Mike Jackson, former CM Punk opponent, reportedly set for UFC return against Dean Barry
Tom Taylor - December 22, 2020
Mike Jackson, one of the two men to fight pro wrestling legend CM Punk, is reportedly set to return to the UFC’s Octagon. According to Mike Heck of MMA Fighting, Jackson has been tasked with welcoming Ireland’s Dean Barry to the Octagon. The fight will reportedly go down on January 20 on Fight Island.
Michael Chiesa, Neil Magny slated for January 20 fight, could "serve as backup" for Edwards vs. Chimaev
Tom Taylor - December 22, 2020
Ranked welterweight contenders Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny have reportedly agreed to fight on January 20 on Fight Island. While this is a big fight for the welterweight division in its own right, either of the two men could apparently get the call to step in should Leon Edwards or Khamzat Chimaev fail to make it to the cage for the card’s main event.
Angela Hill makes gingerbread house inspired by Conor McGregor's bus attack
Tom Taylor - December 22, 2020
UFC strawweight contender Angela Hill got creative with her gingerbread house this year, drawing inspiration from one of the most infamous moments in recent UFC history. In reality, Hill’s gingerbread house is actually more of a gingerbread bus, accompanied by gingerbread versions of Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dana White and Artem Lobov.
Shana Dobson reacts after officially pulling off biggest UFC upset of 2020
Adam Martin - December 22, 2020
UFC women’s flyweight Shana Dobson reacted after officially pulling off the biggest betting upset in the Octagon during 2020. Back in August, Dobson pulled off the upset in UFC history according to the odds when she defeated top prospect Mariya Agapova via second-round TKO at UFC Vegas 7. While upsets such as Matt Serra beating Georges St. Pierre or Holly Holm defeating Ronda Rousey might be bigger upsets due to their name value, the +1150 underdog odds on Dobson made her the biggest underdog winner ever in the UFC, and one of the biggest ever all-time in MMA.
Daniel Cormier believes Anthony Pettis will part ways with UFC, sign with Bellator MMA
Tom Taylor - December 22, 2020
Daniel Cormier believes that former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will soon take his services to the Bellator MMA cage. Pettis last fought on the undercard of UFC Vegas 17 last weekend, when he picked up an impressive, decision triumph over the rising Alex Morono. With that win, Pettis fulfilled the final obligation on his latest UFC contract.
Aleksandar Rakic vs. Thiago Santos UFC 259 opening betting odds released
Adam Martin - December 22, 2020
The opening betting odds have been released for the upcoming light heavyweight bout between Aleksandar Rakic and Thiago Santos at UFC 259. In a battle between two of the top-five light heavyweights in the UFC, Rakic meets Santos in a three-round fight on the undercard of UFC 259 on March 6 in Las Vegas. We do not yet have an official main event for this card, but whispers are that Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngnannou may headline the event. The promotion also recently added UFC women’s featherweight champion Amanda Nunes vs. Megan Anderson as the co-main event.