MMA News
Dana White hints at "very fun fight" between Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
UFC president Dana White called a matchup between UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade a “very fun fight.” A dominant Shevchenko defeated challenger Jennifer Maia via unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 255. The win improved Shevchenko’s UFC flyweight record to a perfect 6-0, and she is quickly running out of new challenges in the division. One fighter that has emerged as a potential contender, however, is Jessica Andrade. The former UFC women’s strawweight champion knocked out Katlyn Chookagian in her flyweight debut and she looks poised to challenge Shevchenko for the title sometime in 2021.
Petr Yan explains why Aljamain Sterling title fight was scrapped, confident "the fight will happen" soon
Cole Shelton - November 23, 2020
Petr Yan has explained why he won’t be fighting Aljamain Sterling on Dec. 12 at UFC 256. Yan and Sterling were set to headline the year-end pay-per-view but on Sunday it was revealed the fight was off.
Sean O’Malley says he is returning to the Octagon at UFC 258
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
UFC bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley says he will be returning to the Octagon at UFC 258, though he didn’t reveal his next opponent. O’Malley is coming off of a devastating first-round TKO loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252 that halted his progression up the bantamweight rankings. O’Malley was coming off of an incredible one-punch KO win over Eddie Wineland at UFC 250 and the promotion rewarded him with a high-profile spot on the UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier III card. Unfortunately for O’Malley, he suffered an ankle injury early in the fight and Vera took advantage of it as he finished O’Malley with strikes, handing him his first career loss.
Michael Chandler reveals signing with the UFC was "a competition thing" as it wasn't the most lucrative offer
Cole Shelton - November 23, 2020
Michael Chandler reveals the UFC did not offer him the most amount of money during his free agency. Following Chandler’s first-round KO over Benson Henderson, the former Bellator lightweight champion headed to free agency which is something he wanted to do. When he became a free agent, “Iron” admits he wanted to sign with the UFC but it needed to make financial sense.
UFC 255 medical suspensions: Alex Perez facing long break
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
The medical suspensions for last Saturday’s UFC 255 card are in, and Alex Perez is facing a lengthy suspension after his loss in the main event. Perez challenged Deiveson Figueiredo for the UFC flyweight title in the UFC 255 main event, and lost via first-round submission. While the loss didn’t look particularly damaging, Perez could be out for some time with a hand injury, pending the result of an X-ray.
Deiveson Figueiredo makes bold prediction for Brandon Moreno fight
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
Despite picking up big wins at UFC 255 last weekend, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno are already slated to fight again—against each other. Figueiredo, the UFC flyweight champion, and Moreno, the division’s No. 1 contender, are set to collide at UFC 256 next month. And when the cage door closes, the champ is expecting a decisive and violent victory.
Ray Sefo says PFL has no interest signing Anderson Silva
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
PFL president Ray Sefo says that his organization has no interest in signing former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Silva recently became a free agent when the UFC released him following a knockout loss to Uriah Hall on Halloween. Silva is now 45 years old and he has lost his last three fights, but he has vowed to continue to fight. “The Spider” recently took to social media and exclaimed that he finally feels free after being fully released by the UFC. It seems like Silva will soon be testing the free-agent market and see what is out there for him.
Rob Wilkinson hopes struggle to find fights ends with Bellator title run
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
Former UFC middleweight Rob Wilkinson, who now competes at light heavyweight, has not had an easy time finding fights since his time with the Las Vegas-based promotion came to an end. He’s hoping that changes soon.
Kayla Harrison says weight cutting sends a bad message to kids, but 145lbs was only option
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
Women’s MMA star Kayla Harrison trashed weight cutting and said it sets a bad example for kids, but her only option was fighting at 145lbs. Harrison is a former Olympic judoka who made the move to MMA in 2018. She began her mixed martial arts career in the PFL, where she won the promotion’s season two lightweight tournament and several non-tournament bouts along the way. But with PFL not holding any events in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the promotion allowed Harrison to take a fight in Invicta FC, with the only difference being fighting at 145lbs.
Dana White responds to rumors of Nevada combat sports shutdown
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
UFC President Dana White has responded to rumors that Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak is considering shutting down combat sports events in the state amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. Nevada is currently enduring a spike of COVID-19 cases, and amid widespread fears of overflowing hospitals and overworked medical staff, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has reported that Governor Sisolak is considering implementing new restrictions—restrictions that could affect the operations of the UFC and Top Rank Boxing in the state.
What's next for the stars of UFC 255?
Cole Shelton - November 23, 2020
In the main event of UFC 255, Deiveson Figueiredo was looking for his first title defense when he took on Alex Perez. The co-main event saw Valentina Shevchenko defending her belt against Jennifer Maia. In the end, both champions defended their belts as Figueiredo submitted Perez in the first while Shevchenko won a clear-cut decision.
Dana White weighs in on Mike Perry's future after UFC 255
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
UFC President Dana White has shared his thoughts on what the future holds for “Platinum” Mike Perry after last weekend’s UFC 255 event. Perry returned to the Octagon on the UFC 255 main card, where he lost a competitive decision to short-notice replacement opponent Tim Means. With this loss, Perry is now 7-7 since joining the UFC roster. When you combine that less-than-stellar record with his numerous troubles outside the cage and his recent struggles with the scale, his future in the sport seems quite uncertain.
Aljamain Sterling reacts to news that his UFC title fight with Petr Yan has been postponed
Harry Kettle - November 23, 2020
UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling has reacted to the news that his title fight with Petr Yan is off the upcoming UFC 256 event. The bout between the two rivals for the Bantamweight Championship was set to go down next month after endless spats over social media. Now, however, due to undisclosed reasons, the fight will be pushed back to early 2021 with February being touted as a possibility.
Katlyn Chookagian responds to critics suggesting that she is just a “point fighter”
Harry Kettle - November 23, 2020
UFC flyweight Katlyn Chookagian has issued a response to a critic who suggested she is just a point fighter. Chookagian fought for the fourth time in 2020 this past weekend and managed to comprehensively defeat Cynthia Calvillo via unanimous decision. The win took her record this year to 2-2 and 2-1 since her Flyweight Championship defeat to Valentina Shevchenko back in February. Unfortunately, her performance was not particularly popular among fans.
Anderson Silva criticizes Dana White and the UFC "after an attempt to force my retirement"
Adam Martin - November 22, 2020
UFC legend Anderson Silva criticized UFC president Dana White and the world’s top MMA promotion “after an attempt to force my retirement.” Silva suffered a knockout loss to Uriah Hall at UFC Vegas 12 on Halloween and after the fight, White said that the UFC would not be offering him another fight. Indeed, Silva has since then been formally released by the promotion. White has gone on record saying that he believes that the 45-year-old Silva should hang up his gloves and retire. However, “The Spider” has not made up his mind either way and ultimately it’s his choice to make.
Jennifer Maia releases statement following loss to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 255
Adam Martin - November 22, 2020
Women’s flyweight contender Jennifer Maia released a statement following her unanimous decision loss to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 255. Maia proved to be a worthy adversary for the champion as she managed to go the full 25-minute distance against Shevchenko, even taking the second rounds on the judges’ scorecards. Ultimately, though, Maia dropped a 49-46 unanimous decision on all three judges’ scorecards, with Shevchenko once again defending the UFC women’s flyweight title. Win the win, Shevchenko moved to 6-0 at 125lbs, while Maia is 3-3 in the UFC.
Lauren Murphy makes case for getting next UFC title shot against Valentina Shevchenko
Adam Martin - November 22, 2020
UFC women’s flyweight contender Lauren Murphy made her case for getting the next UFC title shot against 125lbs champion Valentina Shevchenko. On Saturday night at UFC 255, Shevchenko once again defended the UFC women’s flyweight title when she defeated challenger Jennifer Maia by unanimous decision. Now we await what is next for the champion and there are several fighters who have a legitimate claim to getting the next title shot at 125lbs against her, including Murphy. The long-time veteran of the women’s divisions believes that she has the strongest resume of the bunch.
Cynthia Calvillo releases statement following loss to Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 255
Adam Martin - November 22, 2020
UFC women’s flyweight contender Cynthia Calvillo released a statement following her unanimous decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 255. Calvillo was a heavy favorite to defeat Chookagian according to the oddsmakers, but the fight proven to be a tough matchup for her. Calvillo was not able to get the fight to the floor and instead she was picked apart at range by Chookagian en route to a decision loss. Although Calvillo is still one of the top-ranked flyweights in the UFC, the loss to Chookagian was a big setback, especially coming off such a big win over Jessica Eye.