MMA News

Cole Shelton - October 13, 2021

Jon Jones denies ever hitting his fiancée. In late September after the Hall of Fame ceremony, Jones was charged with battery, domestic violence, and injuring and tampering with a vehicle. Police audio then came out where the security officer at the hotel called police to report the domestic. The audio detailed that Jones allegedly pulled her hair and hit her, as she had a bleeding mouth.

Adam Martin - October 13, 2021

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones issued a statement after being kicked out of his gym, Jackson-Wink MMA. On Wednesday, Jones’ longtime striking coach Mike Winkeljohn spoke to The MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani and revealed that “Bones” had been booted from Team Jackson-Wink after his latest arrest. According to Winkeljohn, it was a difficult decision for him to make, but one that he had to do as he is a father of three and a husband himself. After learning of Jones’ arrest in Las Vegas last month for domestic battery, Winkeljohn had no choice but to tell Jones to stop drinking and to stay away from the gym until he turns his life around.

Adam D Martin - October 13, 2021

Conor McGregor insulted Dagestan with suggestions of inbreeding, sparking a heated feud with Ali Abdelaziz: “When you die, I celebrate.” McGregor and Abdelaziz have gotten into it on social media and in interviews before, so clearly there is no love lost between these two. McGregor, of course, was longtime rivals with Abdelaziz’s client Khabib Nurmagomedov. Even though “The Eagle” is retired from MMA these days, McGregor continues to take shots at him whenever he can. On Wednesday, McGregor fired a shot at Nurmagomedov and Abdelaziz replied back. That led to a bit of a flaming war between McGregor and Abdelaziz, as you can see below.

Adam D Martin - October 13, 2021

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been kicked out of the Jackson-Wink MMA gym following his latest arrest in Las Vegas. Jones has been a staple at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico for over the past decade. However, after his latest arrest in Las Vegas for alleged domestic battery, Jones’ coaches at Jackson-Wink MMA had no choice but to tell him he is no longer allowed at the gym until he gets his act together. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Jones’ longtime striking coach Mike Winkeljohn confirmed that Jones is no longer welcome at the gym until he gets his act together. Winkeljohn also told Jones to stop drinking.

Adam D Martin - October 13, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje expressed his disdain for welterweight Colby Covington but admitted that “he’s a good fighter.” Gaethje is set to take on Michael Chandler at UFC 268 next month in an important fight between two of the top-five ranked lightweights in the world. In the main event of the card, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman fights Covington in a rematch. For Gaethje, he is teammates with Usman training under coach Trevor Wittman. So Gaethje is invested in this main event between Usman and Covington more than most people are.

Adam D Martin - October 13, 2021

Former top-10 ranked UFC lightweight Paul Felder, who is currently working as a commentator for the promotion, is teasing a UFC comeback. Felder retired from MMA back in May, saying that he was focusing on his work as an analyst with the UFC. However, just four months later, it appears that Felder misses the sport and he wants to get back into the cage. Speaking to UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald following Tuesday night’s Dana White’s Contender Series, Felder admitted that he is considering a comeback, though he stopped short of 100% confirming his return.

Adam D Martin - October 13, 2021

Current UFC champion Kamaru Usman is the greatest welterweight of all time, and not Georges St-Pierre, says Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz. Usman is set to take on Colby Covington next month at UFC 268 in a grudge match between the two rivals. If Usman wins, it would cap off a remarkable year where he has already finished Gilbert Burns and Jorge Masvidal by knockout. With all of his impressive wins as of late, Usman has stormed to the top of the UFC’s P4P rankings. And in the eyes of his manager, he has also surpassed GSP as being the greatest welterweight of all time.

Adam D Martin - October 13, 2021

UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad responded after Sean Strickland threatened to “backhand” him the next time they cross paths. Strickland was set to fight former UFC middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold, in a grudge match next month at UFC 268 in New York City, but the fight is not happening anymore after Rockhold pulled out with an injury. With Strickland now without an opponent, other fighters are now calling him out. For example, middleweight prospect Brendan Allen called out Strickland for a rematch, and Muhammad also offered to step up to 185lbs and fight him. However, Strickland shot down the Muhammad fight, saying that he would “backhand” him if they ever crossed paths again in person after the public callout.

Harry Kettle - October 13, 2021

UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz has revealed that he wasn’t particularly surprised by the recent arrest of Jon Jones. Ever since Jones departed the 205-pound division, Jan Blachowicz has been the main man at the top of the mountain. He beat Dominick Reyes for the strap before successfully defending it against Israel Adesanya and at the end of this month, he’ll take his talents to Fight Island where he will defend the gold against fellow veteran Glover Teixeira.

Harry Kettle - October 13, 2021

UFC president Dana White has spoken about the UFC release of Luis Pena and whether something similar could happen to Jon Jones. Just a few days ago Luis Pena was arrested on charges of domestic violence, just a few months removed from being arrested for robbery, battery, and criminal mischief. While the outcome of his case has yet to be determined, the UFC acted swiftly by releasing Pena from his contract with the promotion.

Christopher Taylor - October 12, 2021

UFC President Dana White shared his thoughts on last weekend’s Tyson Fury vs. Deontay Wilder trilogy following tonight’s Contender Series event. Fury put his WBO and The Ring heavyweight titles on the line last Saturday in Las Vegas, when he squared off with Wilder for a third time.

Drake Riggs - October 12, 2021

Benson Henderson knows a thing or two about being a champion in the 155-pound lightweight division. The former WEC and UFC titleholder secured four total title defenses throughout his illustrious career which puts him right in the mix with some of his fellow greats such as BJ Penn and Khabib Nurmagomedov. When it comes to who deserves the top spot as all-time best, “Smooth” has some thoughts.

Cole Shelton - October 12, 2021

Sean Strickland is not a fan of Belal Muhammad and he says he wants to smack him. After Luke Rockhold was forced out of his UFC 268 fight against Strickland, several fighters including Muhammad called him out. Although Muhammad competes at welterweight he said Strickland isn’t a big middleweight and wants to beat him up as he “hates that piece of trash.” To no surprise, that did not sit well for the seventh-ranked middleweight.

Cole Shelton - October 12, 2021

Raulian Paiva believes his UFC 269 opponent in Sean O’Malley wimps out when the going gets tough and put under pressure. Paiva is coming off a decision win over Kyler Phillips in a hard-fought fight and will now fight O’Malley at UFC 269. It’s an intriguing matchup but for the Brazilian, he says he plans to pressure “Suga” from the get-go and make it a difficult fight for him.

Adam D Martin - October 12, 2021

The UFC rankings have been updated following UFC Vegas 39, and notably, Joanna Jedrzejczyk moved up women’s P4P rankings. Notably, Jedrzejczyk didn’t even compete at UFC Vegas 39. In fact, the main event saw fellow strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez fight against Mackenzie Dern in the main event and defeat her via unanimous decision in a breakthrough performance. As expected, Rodriguez moved up in the 115lbs rankings. She moved from No. 6 to No. 4, with Dern dropping down to No. 6 and with Yan Xiaonan at No. 5. As well, Rodriguez debuted at No. 10 overall in the women’s P4P rankings. It is a well-deserved ranking given how good she has looked in her last three fights, wins over Dern, Michelle Waterson, and Amanda Ribas.

Adam D Martin - October 12, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker is only showing up for the paycheck against Islam Makhachev, says manager Ali Abdelaziz. Hooker filled in on short notice against Makhachev at UFC 267 later this month after Rafael dos Anjos pulled out with an injury. Hooker admitted that the UFC paid him a lot of money in order to take the fight, and as far as Abdelaziz goes, that’s the only reason why he took the fight. Speaking to MMAjunkie.com, Abdelaziz accused Hooker of taking the fight with Makhachev only because he will get paid hadnsomely not because he can actually win it.

Adam D Martin - October 12, 2021

Dustin Poirier is the best lightweight in the world, not UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, says his coach Mike Brown. Poirier takes on Oliveira at UFC 269 in December with the 155lbs belt on the line. Oliveira won the vacant title when he knocked out Michael Chandler back at UFC 262 in May. But despite being the UFC lightweight champion and holding the belt, there are still a number of people in the MMA community who think that he isn’t the best lightweight in the sport. After all, Poirier turned down the title shot to fight Conor McGregor in a trilogy match. So it’s the opinion of some, including Brown, that Poirier is actually the true No. 1 lightweight.

Adam D Martin - October 12, 2021

Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader shared his thoughts on Jon Jones’ recent arrest, suggesting Jones’ legal issues are “a habit.” Jones was arrested last month in Las Vegas after reportedly putting his hands on his fiancee, Jessie Moses, and also damaging a police vehicle. This is far from the first time that Jones has gotten in trouble with the law, though it’s the first time he has been accused of domestic violence. Jones’ arrest sent shockwaves through the MMA community and everyone seems to have an opinion about it. One of those fighters who has an opinion is Jones’ former UFC rival, Bader. The two were at one point the top two light heavyweight prospects in the UFC, but Jones submitted Bader a decade ago and became the champ. Jones would go on to become a UFC legend, while Bader became a champ in Bellator.