MMA News

Adam D Martin - September 6, 2021

Former UFC champion Anderson Silva called the Tito Ortiz boxing match “a tough fight,” but he believes his technique will prevail. Silva takes on Ortiz this Saturday night on the Triller Fight Club card headlined by Evander Holyfield vs. Vitor Belfort. The fight will be contested at a catchweight of 195lbs, meaning Silva will be going up 10lbs from his regular 185lbs weight class in MMA, while Ortiz will be cutting down 10lbs from his normal weight class of 205lbs. Although the Ortiz vs. Silva booking still seems a little bizarre on the surface, it is still a somewhat intriguing matchup between two legends of mixed martial arts, only this time it’s taking place in the ring.

Adam D Martin - September 6, 2021

UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping explained why fellow British-born MMA fighter Darren Till should move back down to welterweight. Till lost his second straight fight and suffered his fourth loss in his last five fights overall with a third-round rear-naked choke defeat to veteran Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 36. While Till did hurt Brunson at one point on the feet, he spent the majority of the fight on his back being controlled by Brunson and getting his face smashed in with ground and pound before the veteran sunk in the finishing choke in the third round. For Till, this was a tough loss that essentially shuts down any notion of him being a middleweight title contender anytime soon. Although he’s only 28, he needs to get back in the win column.

Adam D Martin - September 6, 2021

UFC and MMA stars Jorge Masvidal, Andrei Arlovski, and Junior Dos Santos crashed the latest AEW event with ATT owner Dan Lambert. Lambert, who founded and owns American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, has always been a huge pro wrestling fan, and ever since AEW was founded, he has become somewhat of a star himself for his tremendous mic skills. On Sunday night, Lambert was at the latest AEW event, and he brought with him three of ATT’s top fighters in Masvidal, the former BMF champ, and the former UFC heavyweight champions, Arlovski and Dos Santos. Although the fighters didn’t get a speaking role, they all received a nice introduction from Lambert a pop from the fans, with Masvidal getting the most cheers of any of the fighters.

Cole Shelton - September 6, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 36, top-10 middleweights collided as Derek Brunson took on Darren Till who was returning after more than a year away. Brunson entered the fight on a four-fight winning streak and coming off a dominant decision victory over Kevin Holland. Prior to that, he TKO’d Edmen Shahbazyan in another dominant performance. His other wins were decision victories over Ian Heinisch and Elias Theodorou. Till, meanwhile, was coming off a decision loss to Robert Whittaker and was dealing with a collarbone injury.

Adam D Martin - September 6, 2021

Modestas Bukauskas told UFC fans to cut Khalil Rountree some slack, affirming “that kick was all good, it was my job to defend it.” Rountree landed a brutal oblique kick on Bukauskas in the second round of their light heavyweight bout at UFC Vegas 36 that caused a stop to their fight. It was an absolutely brutal low kick and one of the first instances in MMA where we have seen the oblique kick end a fight. Although UFC legend Jon Jones has utilized the move for his whole career, he was never able to finish a fight with the technique, which makes Rountree’s win even more impressive. However, the highlight-reel stoppage came at a cost as Bukauskas’ leg was badly damaged. While we don’t know the full extent of the damage yet, there is a good chance that something was seriously injured and that he will be out for a while recovering.

Harry Kettle - September 6, 2021

Mike Perry has explained why he regrets having a beef with Jake Paul – whilst simultaneously putting forward a challenge to J’Leon Love. There are few characters out there as unpredictable as Mike Perry and while many enjoy his antics, others just want to make sure he’s okay and at peace in his life. Whether or not he returns to a UFC cage, in many ways, isn’t even the point.

Harry Kettle - September 6, 2021

UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has hit back at Justin Gaethje for claiming his title win made the division a “laughing stock” earlier this year. While Oliveira may have won the title fair and square against Michael Chandler at UFC 262, many felt as if it wasn’t a legitimate undisputed championship fight due to the absence of Dustin Poirier. Gaethje has made it crystal clear in the last few months that he didn’t really understand the booking, and after taking another shot at Oliveira, “Do Bronx” has decided to fire back.

Andrew Whitelaw - September 5, 2021

The ONE Atomweight Women’s World Grand Prix quarter-finals went down on Friday in Singapore with UFC veteran Seo Hee Ham (24-8) getting the split decision win over Denice Zamboanga (8-1). The result provoked a wave of angry comments online as fans voiced their disbelief at the decision. ONE Championship CEO, Chatri Sityodtong has said that the judges verdict is now under ‘formal review’ by the ONE competition committee.

Christopher Taylor - September 5, 2021

UFC star Nate Diaz and Octagon girl Arianny Celeste have addressed the recent ring girl comments made by Khabib Nurmagomedov. ‘The Eagle’ had recently made headlines when he dubbed ring girls as being “useless” in mixed martial arts.

Joe McDonagh - September 5, 2021

Paddy Pimblett stock rose higher than ever with his KO victory at UFC Vegas 36. Pimblett was hit, and hurt, but withstood the punishment to victory, receiving a performance bonus in his UFC debut. It was a long time coming for ‘The Baddy’, seeing as he denied the UFC numerous times before finally signing with the major promotion. You often hear the saying, “don’t throw all your eggs in one basket.” When the UFC brass come calling, it is not an easy decision to deny the chance at fame and fortune. Most regional fighters are making next to nothing, working multiple jobs on top of training, and have been waiting for the call most of their life. It isn’t an easy decline to make.

Adam Martin - September 5, 2021

Daniel Rodriguez called out Belal Muhammad after breaking into the UFC welterweight top-15 rankings following his recent win in the Octagon. The fighter affectionately known as “DRod” burst onto the scene last year with a short-notice submission win over Tim Means in February 2020. In the last 18 months, Rodriguez has competed seven times inside the Octagon, compiling an impressive 6-1 record during that time. He has quickly become a fan favorite as he likes to stand and trade on his feet, and after beating Kevin Lee in his last fight, fans are starting to realize how good he is.

Adam Martin - September 5, 2021

UFC light heavyweight Khalil Rountree issued a statement after his leg kick TKO win at UFC Vegas 36, saying “fighting is f*cking dangerous.” Rountree landed a devastating oblique kick against the left kick of Modestas Bukauskas at UFC Vegas 36 on Saturday night, which unfortunately left his opponent with a broken leg. It was a very brutal finish to the fight, but we have seen a lot of legs broken in 2021, which once again reminds everyone of the very risks that the fighters go through inside the Octagon. Following the win over Bukauskas, Rountree took to his social media to remind everyone that although MMA is a sport, it can also be extremely dangerous at times.

Adam Martin - September 5, 2021

UFC women’s flyweight Molly McCann released a statement following her “Fight of the Night”-winning performance at UFC Vegas 36. McCann was coming into this fight off of two straight losses, so she badly needed a win to cement her place on the UFC roster. Not only did McCann win the fight against Ji Yeon Kim, but she also put on a “Fight of the Night”-winning performance in the process. The fight was an absolute war between the two flyweights, with McCann eventually earning a narrow decision win on the scorecards with 29-28 scores across the board for the British fighter.

Adam Martin - September 5, 2021

The upcoming Vitor Belfort vs. Evander Holyfield Triller boxing event was shifted to Florida after California refused to sanction the fight. Belfort was expected to fight Oscar De La Hoya next weekend, but the former boxing champ was forced to withdraw from the fight after contracting COVID-19. Rather than scrapping the entire event, the promotion was able to get a short-notice replacement in the form of Evander Holyfield to step in and take the fight against Belfort. However, because Holyfield is 58 years old, the California State Athletic Commission refused to sanction the fight to take place in the state. Instead, Triller will move the entire event to Florida.

Adam D Martin - September 5, 2021

UFC light heavyweight Modestas Bukauskas says he broke his leg following a brutal oblique kick from Khalil Rountree at UFC Vegas 36. Rountree’s back was up against the wall heading into this fight after losing his last two outings, and he made good on that with one of the best performances of his UFC career. For the first round of the fight, Rountree was constantly beating Bukauskas to the punch the whole time, and then in the second round, he began lighting up his opponent with low kicks. At the 2:30 mark of the second round, Rountree landed an absolutely brutal oblique kick that knocked Bukauskas to the floor and forced referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.

Adam D Martin - September 5, 2021

Deiveson Figueiredo says flyweight champ Brandon Moreno is “running away” from their trilogy fight, saying “he doesn’t want to lose the belt.” Figueiredo and Moreno fought to a majority draw last December at UFC 256 in a fight that Figueiredo was the champ heading into it. Most people thought that Figueiredo did enough to win, but with a point deduction for a low blow, the fight was ruled a majority draw. The UFC decided to run back the rematch immediately, and this time around, Moreno pulled off the upset with a third-round rear-naked choke of Figueiredo back at UFC 263 in June.

Adam D Martin - September 5, 2021

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold shared his thoughts on Jake Paul, saying “he’s not a real fighter. He’s a tough kid.” Paul has become one of the bigger names in combat sports over the last few years. The YouTuber-turner-boxer has turned heads with a 4-0 professional boxing record, which includes back-to-back wins over former UFC fighters Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren. Still, not everyone is sold on him becoming some sort of champion boxer or MMA fighter. If you ask Rockhold, while there’s a lot to like about Paul, he’s still a very flawed fighter.

Adam D Martin - September 5, 2021

UFC analyst Michael Bisping advised promotional superstar Conor McGregor to ‘take a tune-up fight’ next, and he named his ideal opponent. McGregor broke his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July in what was the trilogy fight between the two rivals. Following the fight, which was McGregor’s second straight TKO defeat to Poirier, the Irishman has had harsh words to say about Poirier, his wife, and his team. Clearly, McGregor is gunning for a fourth fight whenever he is able to return from his broken leg in 2022, but if you ask Bisping, he should take another fight before Poirier.