MMA News
UFC parts way with four more fighters as roster trimming continues
Chris Taylor - August 21, 2021
The UFC continued to trim its roster this weekend as four more fighters have parted ways with the worlds leading mixed martial arts organization. The latest roster moves are not necessarily considered “releases”, but the promotion opted against renewing the contracts of the following fighters.
Petr Yan reacts after booking Aljamain Sterling rematch for UFC 267: "Time to return what’s mine. No games with my prey this time."
Chris Taylor - August 21, 2021
Former bantamweight champion Petr Yan has reacted after officially booking a rematch with Aljamain Sterling for UFC 267 this October. Sterling (20-3 MMA) captured the promotions bantamweight championship this past March after Yan (15-2 MMA) was disqualified from their fight due to an illegal knee in round four. Prior to the fight-ending strike, the Russian appeared to well on his way to earning his first career title defense.
UFC Vegas 34: 'Cannonier vs. Gastelum' Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - August 21, 2021
The Octagon returns to Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 34 event, a twelve-bout fight card headlined by Jared Cannonier vs. Kevlin Gastelum. Cannonier (13-5 MMA) will be looking to return to the win column this evening, this after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Robert Whittaker in his most recent effort. Prior to that setback, ‘The Killa Gorilla’ had put together a three-fight win streak, which included TKO victories over David Branch, Anderson Silva and Jack Hermansson.
Conor McGregor fires back at "big zombie" Anthony Smith: "Are you stupid?"
Chris Taylor - August 21, 2021
Conor McGregor has fired back at Anthony Smith, this after ‘Lionheart’ suggested the Irishman had gone “way too far” with his social media antics. McGregor (22-6 MMA) has engaged heated words with a number of UFC fighters as of late, in particular Daniel Cormier, Michael Bisping and Dustin Poirier.
Conor McGregor slams Khabib Nurmagomedov for talking down on Jose Aldo: "Your father, god rest his soul, could not believe his eyes the way I beat Cerrone"
Chris Taylor - August 21, 2021
Conor McGregor has come to bat for Jose Aldo, this after Khabib Nurmagomedov suggested the Brazilian is not having a UFC career revival. Earlier this week Nurmagomedov made headlines when downplayed Aldo’s recent two fight winning streak.
Nate Diaz says Conor McGregor did not even the score in their second fight, 'Notorious' responds
Chris Taylor - August 21, 2021
Nate Diaz claims Conor McGregor did not even the score in their second fight UFC 202, suggesting the Irish star is “still far behind”. Diaz and McGregor of course have a long and storied history having fought two times in the past at UFC 196 and UFC 202. In the pairs first encounter, ‘The Stockton Native’ weathered an early storm from the Irishman before turning tide and putting Conor away with a rear-naked choke in round two.
Raufeon Stots has "nothing left" but title shot, explains possibility to make teammate title fight work
Joe McDonagh - August 20, 2021
Raufeon Stots says there is “nothing left” but a title shot and discusses options for a potential fight against teammate Sergio Pettis.
Woman recounts Brendan Schuab's heroic efforts following fatal wrong way crash
Joe McDonagh - August 20, 2021
Former UFC fighter and now comedian, Brendan Schuab, spoke on the “The Fighter and the Kid” podcast earlier this week where he detailed a terrifying story of saving 3 children from a massive car accident. It did not take long for the story to make major headlines, and Rita Campos to notice that this story was all too real for her, as she was a member of the incident.
Khabib Nurmagomedov says Tony Ferguson should retire: "Tell me how he can make a comeback?"
Cole Shelton - August 20, 2021
Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t think Tony Ferguson can turn his career around and believes “El Cucuy” should retire from MMA due to his losing streak. Ferguson is on a three-fight losing streak and has been dominated in all three fights. However, he still has only lost to the best in the lightweight division and is the sixth-ranked lightweight. Yet, for Khabib Nurmagomedov, due to the fact Ferguson has been dominated in three straights fights and taken so much damage, the former lightweight champ believes El Cucuy needs to retire.
UFC Vegas 34 weigh-in results: Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum make weight, one fighter misses
Adam D Martin - August 20, 2021
The official weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 35 took place on Friday in Las Vegas, and 23 of the 24 fighters scheduled to compete made weight. The main event of UFC Vegas 34 features top-10 ranked middleweights Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum going at it for five rounds or less. Cannonier successfully weighed in on his first attempt on the scale, coming in at 185lbs. Gastelum, meanwhile, had an early scale scare as he weighed in at 186.25lbs on his first attempt on the scale. However, he was able to make it to 186lbs on his second attempt and the main event is still on.
Jorge Masvidal calls Conor McGregor a "very small, fragile dude"
Adam D Martin - August 20, 2021
UFC welterweight superstar Jorge Masvidal called Conor McGregor a “very small, fragile dude” following his recent leg break loss at UFC 264. McGregor suffered a leg break injury against Dustin Poirier in his trilogy fight last month at UFC 264, but it hasn’t stopped the Irishman from taking to his social media and talking trash about a ton of potential opponents. One potential foe for McGregor inside the Octagon is Masvidal, as the two are big names who have been connected to a money fight in the past. This fight has never been booked, and if you ask Masvidal, it won’t be happening anytime soon because “Gamebred” is just a bigger man than “Notorious.”
Jose Aldo says he will "never" rematch Conor McGregor in the UFC
Adam D Martin - August 20, 2021
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo says he will “never” have a rematch against his former rival Conor McGregor in the Octagon. Aldo and McGregor met in the main event of UFC 194 in December 2015, with McGregor knocking Aldo out in 13 seconds to become the new UFC 145lbs champion. In the years since then, we have heard some chatter about a potential rematch between these two, but if you ask the Brazilian, he has no interest in fighting the Irishman again. As far as Aldo is concerned, McGregor is fighting at 155 and 170lbs now, while Aldo is established at 135lbs. Speaking to MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz, Aldo shot down a McGregor rematch.
Dana White provides update on Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane UFC title bout: "We're working on it right now"
Adam D Martin - August 20, 2021
UFC president Dana White provided an update on the Francis Ngannou vs. Ciryl Gane heavyweight bout, saying “we’re working on it right now.” Ngannou defeated former champ Stipe Miocic back at UFC 260 in March to claim the promotion’s heavyweight championship. However, the UFC created an interim belt to be fought for between Gane and Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 in August, and Gane ended up winning that fight via third-round TKO to earn a title unification bout against Ngannou.
Video | MMA fighter gets KO’d by his opponent and then choked out by the referee
Adam D Martin - August 20, 2021
During a recent fight believed to have taken place in Russia, an MMA fighter got KO’d by his opponent and then choked out by the referee. There isn’t a ton of information available on the incident, which has become a viral video on the internet, but it’s an ugly one. During a recent MMA fight that allegedly took place in Russia involving unknown fighters, a fighter was brutally knocked out. When the referee went to stop the fight, the dazed fighter began to grapple with the referee, which is not uncommon in instances where a fighter is knocked out cold as we’ve seen this happen in the UFC before. However, in this case, the referee was not able to get the fighter off of him and instead resort to putting the already-KO’d fighter into a standing guillotine choke.
Kelvin Gastelum credits Henry Cejudo for knowledge gained ahead of Jared Cannonier fight at UFC Vegas 34
Adam D Martin - August 20, 2021
UFC middleweight Kelvin Gastelum credited Henry Cejudo for the knowledge he has gained ahead of the Jared Cannonier fight at UFC Vegas 34. Gastelum returns to the Octagon on Saturday night in the main event of UFC Vegas 34 when he squares off with Cannonier in a battle between top-10 ranked middleweights. Both fighters are coming off of decision losses to No. 1 contender Robert Whittaker, so it makes all the sense in the world that these two are fighting now as they look to bounce back into the win column. It’s a huge fight for both fighters’ careers in the UFC, but it’s especially important for Gastelum, who enters this fight having lost four of his last five fights overall.
Michael Bisping scoffs at Colby Covington’s champ-champ aspirations: “What reality are we living in here, buddy?”
Adam D Martin - August 20, 2021
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping scoffed at Colby Covington’s champ-champ aspirations, saying, “what reality are we living in here, buddy?” Covington is set to take on his rival, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, in a rematch at UFC 268 in November for 170lbs glory. Although Covington already has a tough matchup right in front of him, “Chaos” has spoken about moving up to 185lbs at some point and taking the belt at that weight class from UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Bisping heard the comments that Covington made about winning a second UFC title, and, on his podcast “Believe You Me,” he took a shot at Covington for his optimism.
Rory MacDonald issues statement following PFL loss to Ray Cooper lll
Harry Kettle - August 20, 2021
Rory MacDonald has issued a statement following his PFL semi-final defeat to Ray Cooper III last week. MacDonald, who was also beaten by Gleison Tibau in a controversial split decision defeat just two months ago, has been on quite the rollercoaster ride ever since leaving the UFC and joining Bellator – and then PFL.
JayJay Wilson misses weight for 3rd time in 4 fights, forced off Bellator 265 card
Joe McDonagh - August 19, 2021
This weekend was set to feature a probable number one contenders match for who would challenge new champion AJ McKee Jr. in the near future. Adam Borics (17-1) currently ranked #3 vs. JayJay Wilson (8-0) at #5 in the division. The fight is now off due to a major weight miss by the undefeated Wilson this morning. Wilson missed weight by over 4lbs. Now missing weight is never ideal, or professional, but at times it happens in this gruesome sport. Missing weight twice is a problem, but 3 times in your last 4 appearances is more than alarming for the Bellator product.