MMA News

Adam D Martin - November 25, 2021

MMA coach John Kavanagh joked that his pupil Conor McGregor has “got a hundred opponents lined up” for his upcoming UFC return in 2022. McGregor is coming off of back-to-back TKO losses to Dustin Poirier earlier this year, the second of which saw the Irishman suffer a nasty broken leg in his defeat. The hope is that McGregor will continue to make progress in his recovery from the broken leg and then return to fighting in 2022. When he does eventually step back into the Octagon, then his coach at SBG Ireland, Kavanagh, believes there will be no shortage of potential opponents.

Adam D Martin - November 25, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley reaffirmed his interest in fighting rising star Adrian Yanez, saying “that’s a sick fight.” O’Malley called out Yanez after his “Fight of the Night” victory over Davey Grant at UFC Vegas 43. Yanez, however, suggested that O’Malley wasn’t being serious about the callout. “Suga,” though, confirmed that he is in fact interested in this fight, and he is hoping the UFC sets this fight up for next March should O’Malley beat Raulian Paiva at UFC 269.

Adam D Martin - November 25, 2021

Former Bellator and UFC heavyweight contender Matt Mitrione explained why he is “done with MMA” following his three-fight losing skid. Mitrione recently was finished by Tyrell Fortune in Bellator for his third straight loss and his fifth fight without a win in the promotion. Bellator released Mitrione, and he now takes on Alexander Flores in Triad Combat. Speaking to MMAFighting.com’s The MMA Hour, Mitrione admitted that he is probably done with MMA now, and he explained exactly why.

Drake Riggs - November 24, 2021

Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane shared an awkward moment backstage at UFC 268. However, the undisputed champ doesn’t believe it happened naturally. When walking out to find his seat to enjoy the card, Ngannou would walk past Gane and his team who were there cornering Nassourdine Imavov. Clearly ignoring the interim champion and his former head coach, Ngannou shared his side of the viral clip.

Cole Shelton - November 24, 2021

Ex-UFC fighter, Anthony Rocco Martin was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada. A police report obtained by MMA Junkie among other outlets shows Martin was arrested on Nov. 20 for allegedly urinating on a casino floor and punching a security guard at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The arrest was first reported by 8 News Now Las Vegas.

Cole Shelton - November 24, 2021

Luis Pena has been arrested again, marking the third time he has been arrested since June. According to Broward County, Fla. online arrest records, which was brought to light by TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, the former UFC lightweight in Pena is facing four misdemeanor charges: battery, criminal mischief, battery causing bodily harm, and touching or striking battery or domestic violence. The 28-year-old is currently being held at Paul Rein Detention Center in Pompano Beach, Fla. No bond has been set.

Cole Shelton - November 24, 2021

Kamaru Usman entered his title fight rematch at UFC 268 against Colby Covington with a broken hand. Usman and Covington are heated rivals and the rematch was highly-anticipated due to how close the first fight was. However, the rematch was much different as both men were at different camps but the champ entered the fight with a major injury as he broke his hand three weeks before the scrap.

Adam D Martin - November 24, 2021

UFC legend Donald Cerrone got attacked by a swarm of bees at the BMF Ranch and he lived to tell the tale as he shared in a new vlog. Cerrone — a bonus machine who is one of the most exciting fighters in UFC history — posted a new video to his YouTube channel where he showed himself collecting honey from the two beehives he owns on the BMF Ranch. The problem was, the bees decided to fight back. Watch the video below and see how “Cowboy” gets stung by the attacking bees.

Adam D Martin - November 24, 2021

Former UFC middleweight contender Alan Belcher recently won his professional boxing debut at heavyweight for the Summit FC promotion. At age 37, Belcher made his professional boxing debut on November 6 at Summit FC 39 when he tough on Ryan Shough. Belcher ended up winning the fight in the second round by knockout, which was impressive. But even more impressive than actually winning the fight is Belcher’s incredible physique. Years after leaving the UFC due to a then-career-ending eye injury, Belcher looks to be in the absolute best shape of his life. Watch below as Belcher shows off his improved boxing skills with a brutal one-punch knockout of Shough.

Adam D Martin - November 24, 2021

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling trolled his rival Petr Yan with his latest injury news, joking that “doc says back in 2023.” Sterling defeated Yan at UFC 259 earlier this year via fourth-round DQ after the Russian was disqualified for throwing an illegal knee to the head of a grounded opponent. It was the first time in UFC history that a belt changed hands following a disqualification, with Sterling being crowned the new UFC bantamweight champion after Yan lost his belt. The two were then supposed to fight at UFC 267 in October in a rematch, but Sterling was forced to pull out of the fight due to an injury. Instead of Yan vs. Sterling, the UFC called upon top contender Cory Sandhagen to step up on short notice. Yan ended up beating Sandhagen via unanimous decision in what was the “Fight of the Night” at UFC 267.

Adam D Martin - November 24, 2021

Dustin Poirier says he will “probably go to 170” if he defeats UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira for the 155lbs strap at UFC 269. Poirier is set to return to the Octagon next month when he takes on Oliveira for the UFC’s 155lbs belt. Despite being the challenger, Poirier is actually the betting favorite on paper heading into the fight to win the title. Should that happen, then there is speculation that Poirier might decide to walk away from the sport just because he would have accomplished so much at that point. But according to Poirier, he has no plans on hanging up his gloves. If anything, Poirier says, he would want to challenge himself by moving up to 170lbs instead.

Adam D Martin - November 24, 2021

MMA coach John Kavanagh says that he wants to see top welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev fight against his pupil Gunnar Nelson next. Kavanagh, who is of course the longtime head coach of UFC superstar Conor McGregor, took to his social media on Tuesday to make a matchmaking suggestion to the UFC. As far as the coach goes, he believes that a fight between Chimaev and Nelson would make a lot of sense. With the UFC rumored to be holding an event in London in March, Kavanagh believes this would be the ideal situation to hold this potential fight between Chimaev and Nelson. Take a look below at what the coach said about this potential welterweight fight.

Adam D Martin - November 24, 2021

Colby Covington claims that his rival Kamaru Usman told Dana White “I don’t know how much more I got left in this sport” after UFC 268. Covington gave Usman all he could handle when the pair met earlier this month in their rematch that headlined UFC 268. Much like their first encounter back at UFC 245 two years ago, this rematch was a competitive fight that saw both men have their moments. However, it was Usman who was awarded the decision on the judges’ scorecards following the match, and he is now a perfect 2-0 against Covington. Despite Usman having the superior record head-to-head against his rival, Covington still wants to fight him again.

Drake Riggs - November 24, 2021

Kyoji Horiguchi is a man on a mission. The current RIZIN FF 135-pound bantamweight king recaptured the title he never officially lost on New Year’s Eve 2020 and hasn’t fought since. Now, Horiguchi has signed with Bellator in a rare deal that sees him remain the RIZIN champ and seeks the other title he relinquished when sidelined in all of 2020 recovering from an ACL tear.

Drake Riggs - November 23, 2021

Aoriqileng may not have come out on top at UFC Vegas 43 this past Saturday, but his opponent in Cody Durden did himself no favors following the victory. When speaking to Daniel Cormier for his post-fight interview Durden finished off by saying, “I knew he was gonna be tough, but I had to send him back to China where he came from.”

Drake Riggs - November 23, 2021

Donovan Salvato will have to learn that biting isn’t okay in or out of the cage. The same goes with attacks to the groin… combine those two things and you truly have a recipe for disaster. A Nashville police report recently revealed that 3-1 amateur MMA fighter Donovan Salvato was arrested for an alleged testicle biting incident as a result of an argument with his roommate, Abel Sosa. Salvato was held in the Metro Nashville Jail for 12 hours as police claimed Sosa suffered a 2.5-inch laceration on his scrotum along with multiple bruises, swelling on his head, and a busted lip. Salvato’s charge is for “domestic assault with bodily injury.”

Cole Shelton - November 23, 2021

Dustin Poirier is hoping to test Charles Oliveira’s grit and will when they meet in the main event of UFC 269 on December 11. Oliveira is set to defend his lightweight title against Poirier in an intriguing scrap. Both men have proven to be the best at lightweight and heading into the fight, “The Diamond” is hoping to bring this fight to the deep waters to see who wants the fight more.

Cole Shelton - November 23, 2021

UFC 268, headlined by a welterweight title fight at Madison Square Garden, did fairly well on pay-per-view. According to the Sports Business Journal, UFC 268 sold 700,000 pay-per-view buys in the United States. Those numbers are from ESPN+ buys only and do not reflect buys from other countries like Canada. UFC 268 is the fourth highest-selling PPV of the year behind UFC 257 (1.6 million), UFC 264 (1.5 million), and UFC 269 (800,000). UFC 261, which Usman also headlined also came in at 700,000 showing he is a PPV draw.