MMA News
What's next for the stars of UFC 256?
Cole Shelton - December 14, 2020
In the main event of UFC 256, Deiveson Figueiredo was looking to defend his belt for the second time in three weeks against Brandon Moreno. The co-main event saw Tony Ferguson return to the Octagon against Charles Oliveira. In the end, Figueiredo and Moreno had an absolute war that ended in a majority draw. The co-main, meanwhile, saw Oliveira pull off the betting upset as he dominated Ferguson to win a clear decision.
Mackenzie Dern issues statement after UFC 256 win
Tom Taylor - December 14, 2020
Rising UFC strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern has issued a statement after her decision victory over Virna Jandiroba on the UFC 256 main card. Despite being two of the best jiu jitsu players in women’s MMA, Dern and Jandiroba spent the majority of their three-round strawweight contest slugging it out on the feet. In fact, had the UFC 256 main event between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno—an all-time great fight—gone differently, Dern and Jandiroba almost certainly would have received $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses.
Marvin Vettori makes case for 2020's Fighter of the Year honors
Tom Taylor - December 14, 2020
Italian middleweight contender Marvin Vettori believes he should receive Fighter of the Year honors for 2020. As we prepare to close our 2020 calendars, debates about the year’s top fighter are already roiling. Vettori is certainly in the conversation, but so are several other fighters, such as his fellow middleweight contender Kevin Holland.
Conor McGregor saves Irish MMA gym from closing due to pandemic
Tom Taylor - December 14, 2020
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has stepped in to prevent an Irish MMA gym from closing its doors due to the pandemic. Earlier this month, SBG Portarlington was forced to shut down due to the financial strains caused by the pandemic. McGregor, who is a long-time friend and training partner of the gym’s owner, decided to intervene.
Brandon Moreno reveals he suffered a shoulder injury during UFC 256 war with Deiveson Figueiredo
Harry Kettle - December 14, 2020
UFC flyweight contender Brandon Moreno has revealed that he suffered a shoulder injury during the UFC 256 main event. The Flyweight Championship bout between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno on Saturday night exceeded all expectations with Figueiredo holding onto the belt after an absolute war.
Khabib Nurmagomedov predicted Tony Ferguson was "finished" prior to being dominated by Charles Oliveira at UFC 256
Christopher Taylor - December 13, 2020
A clip of Khabib Nurmagomedov claiming that Tony Ferguson was “finished” as a fighter immediately began circulating the internet following UFC 256. The UFC’s former interim lightweight champion, Ferguson (25-5 MMA), returned to the Octagon in last night’s pay-per-view co-headliner against surging division contender Charles Oliveira (30-8 MMA).
Cody Garbrant calls out Henry Cejudo to fight on March 6, 'Triple C' responds
Christopher Taylor - December 13, 2020
Cody Garbrandt called out fellow former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo following last night’s UFC 256 event in Las Vegas. Yesterday’s pay-per-view fight card was headlined by a flyweight title fight featuring reigning champion Deiveson Figueiredo taking on challenger Brandon Moreno. The result was one of the greatest fights in promotional history, as Figueiredo and Moreno went to absolute war for twenty-five straight minutes.
Video | UFC drops 'Poirier vs McGregor 2: Ready for War’ promo
Adam Martin - December 13, 2020
The UFC has officially dropped the promo video for UFC 257: Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor, titling it “Ready for War.” On January 23, 2021, at UFC 257 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, Poirier and McGregor meet for the second time nearly seven years since their first bout at UFC 178 in September 2014, back when both men fought as featherweights. McGregor won that fight by knockout and went on to become the featherweight champion, and later the lightweight champion, not to mention a global superstar. Poirier, meanwhile, has continued to be a top contender in the lightweight division in the years since then.
Jason Herzog responds to backlash from UFC 256 main event point reduction
Adam Martin - December 13, 2020
Referee Jason Herzog responded to the backlash from fans after taking a point from Deiveson Figueiredo in the main event of UFC 256. In the third round of the epic title fight between Figueiredo and Moreno, the champ connected on a vicious low blow that caused Moreno a considerable amount of pain. Figueiredo had also committed a lesser foul earlier in the fight with an accidental eye poke, and Herzog decided that it was time to take a point. The referee, wanting to get the fight under control, deducted one point from Figueiredo for the low blow foul.
Deiveson Figueiredo opens as big favorite for rematch with Brandon Moreno
Adam Martin - December 13, 2020
The online sportsbooks have spoken as Deiveson Figueiredo opened as a big favorite for his rematch with Brandon Moreno. Figueiredo and Moreno fought 25 minutes tooth-and-nail to a majority draw in the main event of UFC 256. It was an incredible fight between the two best flyweights in the world, but even five rounds couldn’t determine a clear winner. With the end result being so controversial, and with the fight being so good to watch, UFC president Dana White has confirmed that there will be a rematch in 2021 for the UFC flyweight title.
Brandon Moreno issues statement after war with Deiveson Figueiredo: "Yesterday's fight is why I dedicate myself to this"
Adam Martin - December 13, 2020
Brandon Moreno issued a statement after his war with Deiveson Figueiredo, saying “Yesterday’s fight is why I dedicate myself to this.” Moreno had the biggest fight of his life on Saturday night at UFC 256, going all-out for 25 minutes in a crazy war with Figueiredo. It was an extremely close fight to call, and the judges ultimately ended up scoring the bout as a draw. Regardless, it was an incredible fight and both men need to be commended for their epic performances. For Moreno, especially, it was a great showing for him considering he was a big underdog heading into the fight. But he showed in this matchup that he’s an elite UFC flyweight.
Dana White says he thought Deiveson Figueiredo beat Brandon Moreno at UFC 256
Adam Martin - December 13, 2020
UFC president Dana White says he thought that UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo beat challenger Brandon Moreno at UFC 256. Figueiredo and Moreno fought tooth-and-nail for five rounds in the main event of UFC 256. It was an incredible fight between two warriors who badly wanted to win, and at the end of 25 minutes, it was difficult to know just exactly how the judges would score the bout. Although it appeared that Figueiredo had the upper hand, an untimely point deduction cost him in the end. Ultimately, the judges scored the bout a majority draw after one judge scored it 48-46 for Figueiredo and two had it 47-47 for a draw.
Photo | See the UFC 256 scorecards for Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno
Adam Martin - December 13, 2020
Following their main event of UFC 256, the official judges’ scorecards were released for the Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno war. The UFC 256 headliner turned out to be one of the greatest fights of the year, the greatest flyweight fight of all time, and one of the best fights in UFC history, period. Both Figueiredo and Moreno went to the well for the full 25 minutes and the fight went down to the wire as both men had their moments. As well, a point deduction from referee Jason Herzog also had to be factored in. At the end of the five rounds, most fans and media were unsure about who the judges would ultimately side with.
Ali Abdelaziz took a jab at Tony Ferguson’s jiu-jitsu skills following UFC 256 loss to Charles Oliveira
Adam D Martin - December 13, 2020
MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz took a jab at Tony Ferguson’s jiu-jitsu skills following his lopsided UFC 256 loss to Charles Oliveira. Ferguson was completely dominated for 15 minutes by Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 256, with the majority of the bout being contested on the ground. Oliveira was not able to score the submission victory but he was able to control the positions on the mat and was able to nearly tap Ferguson with an armbar in the first round. Even without the finish, Oliveira showed that he is the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu player in MMA once again in the fight, while Ferguson showed massive holes in his grappling defense.
UFC 256 bonus report: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno war wins "Fight of the Night"
Adam Martin - December 13, 2020
The bonus awards for UFC 256 have been handed out, and Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno won “Fight of the Night” for their crazy war. Figueiredo and Moreno went five hard rounds in the main event of UFC 256, fighting to a majority draw at the end of 25 minutes. Both men threw everything they had at each other in the best flyweight fight ever, and one of the greatest fights in UFC history, in general. It was an epic contest between two amazing fighters at the top of their game and fans were lucky they were treated to such an incredible contest.
Video | Kevin Holland issues a challenge to Khamzat Chimaev
Adam D Martin - December 13, 2020
UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland has issued a challenge to Khamzat Chimaev, challenging him to a fight at next week’s UFC Vegas 17. Holland is one of the most active fighters on the UFC roster. Since May, Holland has fought five times in the Octagon, winning all five of those fights, including a brutal KO win over Ronaldo Souza at UFC 256 that should cement his place in the top-15 of the UFC middleweight division. Not surprisingly considering how often Holland likes to fight, he used his post-fight interview after the win over Souza as an opportunity to call out another fighter who likes to step into the cage as often as possible in Chimaev.
Charles Oliveira issues statement following lopsided win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 256
Adam D Martin - December 13, 2020
UFC lightweight contender Charles Oliveira issued a statement following his lopsided unanimous decision win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 256. Oliveira picked up the best win of his UFC career to date when he defeated one of the best lightweights of all time in Ferguson in a blowout. Oliveira was able to land big strikes early in the fight before reverting to his grappling, which allowed him to absolutely dominate the fight. At the end of three rounds, all three judges scored the bout in favor of the Brazilian, who now has an amazing eight-fight win streak going.
Dana White discusses the future of Junior dos Santos following fourth consecutive TKO loss at UFC 256
Adam D Martin - December 13, 2020
UFC president Dana White discussed the future of Junior dos Santos following his fourth consecutive TKO loss at UFC 256. Dos Santos suffered yet another brutal knockout loss, this time to Ciryl Gane at UFC 256 in the main card PPV opener. After getting outstruck in the first round, dos Santos was nailed with an elbow behind the ear in the second round and knocked out. It’s the fourth straight TKO defeat for the former UFC heavyweight champion after having lost to Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Curtis Blaydes, and Francis Ngannou previously. At age 36, it’s hard to know how much dos Santos has left in the tank after yet another TKO loss.