MMA News
Mike Perry explains how he would fight differently than Tyron Woodley in a boxing match
Adam D Martin - September 1, 2021
UFC welterweight Mike Perry explained how he would fight differently than Tyron Woodley did in his boxing match against Jake Paul. Perry is currently in the midst of a tough stretch in the UFC Octagon as he’s lost four of his last five fights and appears to be at a crossroads in his career. During this past weekend’s Paul vs. Woodley match, Perry took to his social media during the fight to suggest that he wants to try his hand at boxing and he even suggested a fight against Tommy Fury.
Dana White explains why he gave losing fighter on Contender Series a UFC contract
Adam D Martin - September 1, 2021
UFC president Dana White explained why he gave a losing fighter on the Contender Series a UFC contract, the first time he has done so. On Tuesday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, the fifth season of DWCS began and the card was fantastic as there were four fights and five contracts handed out. The big winners on the night were AJ Fletcher, a Dustin Poirier training partner who scored a crazy flying knee KO; Azamat Murzakanov, who scored a first-round KO; and Joanderson Brito, who showed off incredible submission defense in a technical decision win over Diego Lopes.
Maycee Barber returns at UFC 269 against Montana De La Rosa
Cole Shelton - September 1, 2021
Maycee Barber will face another rising prospect in her next fight. Barber will return to the Octagon on December 11 at UFC 269 against Montana De La Rosa. De La Rosa announced the fight on an Instagram Live with MMAJunkie on Wednesday. UFC 269 is currently without a location but the plan is to have it at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Darren Stewart released by the UFC
Adam D Martin - September 1, 2021
UFC light heavyweight fighter Darren Stewart was released by the world’s leading MMA promotion following his latest loss in the Octagon. Stewart was brutally finished with strikes by Dustin Jacoby in the first round of their light heavyweight bout at UFC Vegas 35 this past weekend. It was Stewart’s second straight loss following a unanimous decision defeat to Eryk Anders in June, and overall he is winless in his last four fights with a No Contest against Anders earlier this year and a split decision defeat to Kevin Holland last year. Overall in the UFC dating back to his debut in the promotion in 2016, Stewart holds just a 5-7, 2 NC record while fighting inside the Octagon.
Mario Yamasaki says he finally might be done with MMA: "I don't know if I'll still referee again"
Adam D Martin - September 1, 2021
Former UFC official Mario Yamasaki says that he finally might be done with MMA, suggesting that “I don’t know if I’ll still referee again.” Yamasaki was one of the most-used referees by the UFC for 20 years before UFC president Dana White banned him from officiating events his company promoted following a controversial late stoppage in the Valentina Shevchenko vs. Priscila Cachoeira fight in February 2018. Since then, Yamasaki has not refereed at any UFC events. Last year, however, he announced that he was going to make a comeback and was in the process of re-training to become an MMA official. However, it looks like the ref has changed his mind.
Ben Askren reacts to Jake Paul defeating Tyron Woodley
Adam D Martin - September 1, 2021
Former UFC fighter Ben Askren reacted to Jake Paul defeating his longtime friend and teammate Tyron Woodley in their recent boxing match. Askren, of course, fought Paul back in April and he was TKOed quickly in the first round. Following that fight, Woodley — Askren’s longtime teammate — got into a rivalry with Paul that culminated in them fighting this past Sunday in Cleveland, Ohio, with Paul taking home a narrow split decision over the former UFC welterweight champion. While most thought Paul did enough to win the fight, Askren believes that Woodley deserved the nod.
Sean O’Malley accuses TJ Dillashaw of turning down SUG fight
Harry Kettle - September 1, 2021
UFC prospect Sean O’Malley has accused TJ Dillashaw of turning down a fight against him in Submission Underground. It’s no secret that O’Malley is one of the most intriguing rising stars the UFC has right now and in equal measure, it’s also not a surprise that many of his fellow bantamweights aren’t big fans of him.
Dana White praises Laura Sanko after first night on Contender Series commentary team
Drake Riggs - August 31, 2021
UFC President Dana White isn’t always the easiest critic to satisfy. Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series officially got underway on Tuesday night and it made history in multiple ways. Concluding with five UFC contracts handed out despite there only being four fights, fan-favorite broadcaster Laura Sanko also made her commentary debut on a UFC program.
Justin Gaethje says the lightweight division became 'the laughingstock of the UFC' after Oliveira and Chandler fought for the belt
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2021
Justin Gaethje wasn’t a fan of the Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler fighting for the vacant lightweight title. When Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov were lightweight champions, the division was never hotter as it was considered the best division in the UFC. However, when Nurmagomedov announced his retirement and vacated his belt, the promotion booked Oliveira vs. Chandler, which Gaethje thinks was a big mistake.
CM Punk officially informs UFC of retirement from MMA as he returns to pro wrestling
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2021
CM Punk won’t be competing in MMA anymore. Punk, the former WWE star, turned to MMA in 2016 and made his UFC debut at UFC 203 in Cleveland. It was a massive debut due to his star status in wrestling but he got submitted in the first round to Mickey Gall.
Nate Diaz claims Khabib and Poirier are scared to fight, spawns online feud with Conor McGregor
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2021
Nate Diaz has taken shots at Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier, and Conor McGregor on social media on Tuesday. Diaz took to Twitter and blasted Nurmagomedov and Poirier for being scared to fight him. Of course, he and Poirier were supposed to fight at UFC 230, but the fight never came to fruition, and both men claim the other pulled off the bout first.
Nate Diaz seemingly accepts Vicente Luque's callout
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2021
Nate Diaz appears to have accepted Vicente Luque’s callout. After Luque’s past couple of wins, he has said he wanted to fight Diaz next but the Stockton, native has yet to respond. However, the Brazilian continues to call his shot as he says it’s a fight that makes sense and a scrap he wants.
Alex Morono eyes third-round knockout of David Zawada at UFC Vegas 36: 'I'm looking to do as much damage as possible'
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2021
Alex Morono was hoping he would get a quick turnaround after he knocked out Donald Cerrone in the first round, but that wasn’t the case. In May, Morono stepped up on short notice to face Cerrone and he scored a first-round TKO. After that, he was hoping to return in June or July but that didn’t happen. He has now jumped at the chance to face David Zawada on Saturday at UFC Vegas 36, despite it being on short notice.
Paddy Pimblett will be 'very disappointed' if he doesn't finish Luigi Vendramini in the first, plans to 'steal the show'
Cole Shelton - August 31, 2021
Paddy Pimblett is ready to finally make his UFC debut. Pimblett was offered UFC contracts when he was 21 and 23 but he turned them down as he didn’t feel he was ready. Now, he believes he is ready to compete and make a run to the top of the lightweight division. The fan-favorite will make his Octagon debut at UFC Vegas 36 on Saturday against Luigi Vendramini. Although Vendramini has fought a couple of times in the UFC, Pimblett says he didn’t know who he was.
UFC Vegas 35 rankings update: Daniel Rodriguez breaks into the welterweight top-15
Adam D Martin - August 31, 2021
The UFC’s official rankings have been updated following this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 35 event, and Daniel Rodriguez broke into the top-15. Rodriguez defeated Kevin Lee this past weekend at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada in an impressive performance that announced “DRod” as a top contender at 170lbs. Since joining the UFC in February 2020, Rodriguez is 6-1 overall in the Octagon and he is currently riding a three-fight winning streak. He deserved to be ranked after beating Lee, though it comes at the expense of longtime veteran Robbie Lawler falling out of the ranks.
Conor McGregor still believes he can become a three-division champion in the UFC
Adam D Martin - August 31, 2021
Mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor still believes that he can accomplish his goal and become a three-division champion in the UFC. McGregor is the former UFC featherweight and UFC lightweight champion. In addition to competing at 145lbs and 155lbs during his career, he has also competed at 170lbs, where he holds a 2-1 record with wins over Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone and a loss to Diaz. Despite the fact that McGregor is now getting a bit older and coming off of a horrendous leg break injury against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, the Irishman remains convinced that he has what it takes to become a UFC champion still and in a third division this time around.
Rafael dos Anjos believes Daniel Cormier is hyping up Islam Makhachev too much
Adam D Martin - August 31, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Rafael dos Anjos believes that UFC analyst Daniel Cormier is hyping up his teammate Islam Makhachev too much. Dos Anjos meets Makhachev at UFC 267 in October in what could be a No. 1 contender fight in the UFC lightweight division. For RDA, he’s been scheduled to fight Makhachev twice previously, so he’s looking forward to finally getting the chance to fight his rival and prove that he’s hyped up too much. Speaking to AG Fight ahead of their matchup, dos Anjos explained why he believes Makhachev is getting too much hype. As far as dos Anjos is concerned, his teammate at Kings MMA in Beneil Dariush isn’t getting the respect that he deserves because he doesn’t have AKA’s Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov hyping him.
Jake Paul, Tyron Woodley bank $2 million each for boxing match
Adam D Martin - August 31, 2021
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley banked $2 million each for their recent pro boxing match. MMAjunkie.com first reported the official salaries for the recent Paul vs. Woodley card, getting the numbers from the Ohio Athletic Commission. Check out the purses for the card below. Some of the numbers might surprise you, but some of them won’t. See below.