MMA News
Oscar De La Hoya out of Vitor Belfort boxing match, Evander Holyfield steps in
Adam D Martin - September 3, 2021
Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya has been deemed out of the Vitor Belfort boxing match, and Evander Holyfield is expected to step in instead. TMZ Sports first reported the news that De La Hoya is out of the Belfort fight, which was scheduled to take place on September 11. Instead, Belfort will fight Holyfield now, although the fight has not been officially sanctioned yet. Either way, De La Hoya is out of the fight and on Friday afternoon he announced to his fans he the reason he is out is due to COVID-19. According to De La Hoya, he is fully vaccinated but still contracted the coronavirus.
Diego Sanchez expected to sign with BKFC and have some "really exciting matchups"
Adam D Martin - September 3, 2021
Former longtime UFC veteran Diego Sanchez is expected to sign with BKFC and have some “really exciting matchups” with the promotion. Sanchez was released by the UFC a few months ago after his former coach and mentor, Joshua Fabia, got into a dispute with the promotion regarding Sanchez’s medicals. Sanchez has since left Fabia to be on his own, but it doesn’t appear a return to the UFC is in the cards. Instead, it appears as though BKFC will likely be the next promotion for Sanchez.
UFC Vegas 36 weigh-in results: Darren Till and Derek Brunson on weight for main event, one fighter misses
Adam D Martin - September 3, 2021
The official weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 36 took place on Friday in Las Vegas, and 19 of the 20 fighters scheduled to compete made weight. In the headliner, both Derek Brunson and Darren Till successfully made weight for their middleweight clash. Both Brunson and Till are top-10 ranked fighters in the UFC middleweight division and the winner of this fight should be close to getting a title shot at 185lbs. Brunson successfully made weight at 186lbs, while Till made weight at 185.5lbs.
Rafael dos Anjos says Islam Makhachev fight at UFC 267 is his last chance to earn a title shot
Adam D Martin - September 3, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos say that the Islam Makhachev fight at UFC 267 is his last chance to earn a title shot. Now 36 years old, it has been five years now since dos Anjos lost the UFC lightweight title to Eddie Alvarez. However, after beating Paul Felder in his last fight to cement himself as one of the top-10 lightweights in the world, dos Anjos believes he still has something inside of him to make one more run at the UFC lightweight title, and it all starts with a win over the much-hyped Makhachev at UFC 267 in October.
Amanda Nunes opens up as massive betting favorite for Julianna Pena fight at UFC 269
Adam D Martin - September 3, 2021
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes opened up as a massive betting favorite for the Julianna Pena title fight at UFC 269. The UFC officially announced that Nunes vs. Pena will fight at UFC 269, which is set to take place on December 11. The fight was originally supposed to take place back at UFC 265 in August but Nunes tested positive for COVID-19 and the fight was postponed until December. With the fight now rescheduled, the betting odds have been opened back up.
Gable Steveson thanks former UFC champions Daniel Cormier and Henry Cejudo for recent praise
Adam D Martin - September 3, 2021
Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson thanked former UFC champions Daniel Cormier and Henry Cejudo for their recent praise of him. Steveson won the gold medal in Tokyo this summer in men’s freestyle wrestling (125kgs division). Not only did Steveson dominate the tournament with his powerful wrestling skills, but he also became a bit of a media sensation because of his look and personality. There are a lot of people who now believe that Steveson should make the move to either MMA or to WWE. Both of them would be natural transitions for Steveson, who would be following in the footsteps of other former Olympians such as Cejudo and Cormier, among others.
Darren Till explains why "you need to have thick skin in the sport" when it comes to trash-talking in MMA
Adam D Martin - September 3, 2021
UFC middleweight Darren Till explained why “you need to have thick skin in the sport” when it comes to trash-talking in MMA. Till is one of the better trash-talkers in the game, but he himself has also been the victim of trash-talking from his past and future opponents. Speaking to the media ahead of his UFC Vegas 36 main event against Derek Brunson, Till explained why he believes fighters should know what they are getting themselves into when it comes to trash talk in this sport. As far as Till goes, there is absolutely nothing off-limits when it comes to that.
Mike Tyson says Jake Paul deserved boxing win over Tyron Woodley: "Jake Paul won"
Adam D Martin - September 3, 2021
Boxing legend Mike Tyson says that Jake Paul deserved his boxing win over Tyron Woodley last weekend, stating that “Jake Paul won.” If there is someone who knows a thing or two about boxing, it’s Tyson, arguably the most popular boxer of the last 30 years. At last weekend’s big boxing event in Cleveland, Ohio, Paul was awarded a split decision nod over Woodley on the judges’ scorecards. While it seemed like most observers thought Paul did enough to edge out the win, there are some, however, who believe that Woodley deserved the nod. Tyson, though, disagrees.
Alex Pereira to make his UFC debut at UFC 268, squares off against Andreas Michailidis
Alfredo Zullino - September 3, 2021
The only man who has been able to knock out current Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya is about to make his promotional debut, as former kickboxing star Alex Pereira locks horns with Andreas Michailidis in a 185-pound clash. The fight will take place at PPV event UFC 268, on November 6, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation informed BJPENN.com. The sources asked for anonymity since the news hasn’t been officially announced. The fight will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
Derek Brunson says Darren Till has “earned” his hype when compared to fighters like Sean O’Malley
Harry Kettle - September 3, 2021
UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson believes Darren Till has earned the hype he receives in comparison to the likes of Sean O’Malley. This Saturday night in Las Vegas, both Brunson and Till will hope to move a step closer to a UFC middleweight title shot against Israel Adesanya. Brunson is riding a nice four-fight win streak whereas Till, even though he’s coming off the back of a loss to Robert Whittaker, could vault himself right back into contention with an impressive win at the weekend.
Aljamain Sterling says 'go f*ck yourself' to the haters
Drake Riggs - September 2, 2021
Aljamain Sterling isn’t putting up with the B.S. from MMA fans anymore. The current UFC bantamweight champion won his title at UFC 259 in March when challenging Russia’s Petr Yan. However, Sterling’s win came uniquely as he became the first fighter to become champion off of a disqualification.
Zhang Weili to train in Arizona with Henry Cejudo and Patricio Pitbull ahead of UFC 268
Drake Riggs - September 2, 2021
Zhang Weili is changing things up ahead of her next fight. ESPN has confirmed with one of Zhang’s coaches, Pedro Jordao, that the first and only Chinese champion in UFC history will be doing things differently in her big rebound training camp.
Sean O'Malley shares prediction for Frankie Edgar Vs. Marlon Vera at UFC 268
Joe McDonagh - September 2, 2021
The “Suga Show” Sean O’Malley has shared a prediction for the upcoming fan delight of Marlon Vera Vs. former champion Frankie Edgar. The Madison Square Garden return is set, headlined by welterweight phenom, Kamaru Usman Vs. the outspoken American Colby Covington. In addition, Vera vs Edgar is slated to take place at the event.
Anderson Silva believes Israel Adesanya is unbeatable at middleweight: 'I don’t see anybody that can win'
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2021
Anderson Silva thinks Israel Adesanya will be the UFC’s middleweight champion for the foreseeable future. Adesanya is coming off a decision victory over Marvin Vettori to defend his middleweight title for the third time. However, in the fight before he did lose to Jan Blachowicz by decision for the light heavyweight belt. Yet, for Silva, he says Adesanya is too skilled and doesn’t see anyone beating him in the weight class.
Darren Till plans to 'punch a f******g hole' in Derek Brunson's head at UFC Vegas 36
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2021
Darren Till is confident he will beat Derek Brunson in the main event of UFC Vegas 36 and he has violent plans for him. Till is coming off a decision loss to Robert Whittaker last July and since then he has been recovering from an injury. With a win, the Englishman says he’s going to get a title shot and not just plans to win, but win in style against Brunson.
Jorge Masvidal is 'not ducking anyone' says manager, meeting with UFC planned
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2021
Jorge Masvidal is looking to return to the Octagon soon and his manager has made it clear, “Gamebred” is not ducking anyone. Masvidal is coming off a KO loss to Kamaru Usman for the belt and after the loss, many wondered would be next for him. Recently, he said he would be open to fighting Gilbert Burns and Leon Edwards. Yet, for his manager, Malki Kawa, he says Masvidal is not ducking anyone, but for him, the goal is to earn a title shot.
Conor McGregor thanks Anderson Silva for advice on dealing with broken leg
Adam D Martin - September 2, 2021
UFC superstar Conor McGregor thanked former middleweight kingpin, Anderson Silva, for his advice on dealing with his broken leg. McGregor broke his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 and he is expected to be out for the next year as he recovers from the broken limb. Silva, of course, famously broke his leg against Chris Weidman at UFC 168 in December 2013. So if there is anyone who knows how to come back from a broken leg in order to have a successful career, it’s Silva.
Julian Erosa plans to wrestle Charles Jourdain and make it an MMA fight: 'If I wrestle with Jourdain for 15 minutes, I win every time'
Cole Shelton - September 2, 2021
Julian Erosa didn’t think he would actually get the Charles Jourdain fight. Erosa was offered the Jourdain matchup nearly three weeks ago but he said he would only do it at 150-pounds. Two weeks went by and he had no response but finally about a week-and-a-half before the event, he got told the fight was on.