MMA News
Javier Mendez explains how money and fame “one hundred percent” changed Khabib Nurmagomedov
Adam D Martin - August 15, 2021
AKA head trainer Javier Mendez explained how money and fame “one hundred percent” changed former UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov retired earlier this year from MMA with a perfect 29-0 record in the sport, including a 13-0 mark in the Octagon alone. The Russian started off at the bottom of the UFC when he first joined the promotion back in 2012 before quickly making a name for himself in the Octagon. By 2018, Nurmagomedov was fighting UFC superstar Conor McGregor in a superfight and making a lot of money doing so. In addition to the money that Nurmagomedov made inside the Octagon, he also made a lot of money outside of it from business ventures to speaking appearances. He’s been an incredible success story and it’s proof that if you are talented and work hard in this world that good things can happen.
Joe Rogan responds to fans suggesting Nate Diaz should have "gone after" Leon Edwards at UFC 263: "You don’t know what the f*ck you are talking about"
Christopher Taylor - August 14, 2021
Joe Rogan harped on fans suggesting that Nate Diaz dropped the ball by not going after Leon Edwards after he hurt ‘Rocky’ at UFC 263. Diaz (20-13 MMA) and Edwards (19-3 MMA) collided in a five-round welterweight bout at June’s UFC 263 event in Arizona.
Santiago Ponzinibbio wants to beat up Belal Muhammad so he learns to "keep his mouth shut"
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
UFC welterweight Santiago Ponzinibbio is looking to score a fight with Belal Muhammad for his next Octagon appearance. Ponzinibbio (28-4 MMA) was last seen in action at June’s UFC Vegas 28 event, where he earned a unanimous decision victory over Miguel Baeza. That win moved the Argentine back into the win column, as he had previously suffered a knockout loss to Li Jingliang back in January.
CFFC 99 bout temporarily halted due to a giant moth in the cage (Video)
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
A giant moth temporarily halted the action during a middleweight bout between Nah-Shon Burrell and Khetag Pliev at tonight’s CFFC 99 event. Burrell and Pliev collided in the co-headliner of Saturday’s Cage Fury Fighting Championships event which aired exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.
Jorge Masvidal calls out Gilbert Burns and Leon Edwards, 'Durinho' responds
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
Jorge Masvidal is interested in fighting Leon Edwards or Gilbert Burns next and the latter is definitely down for a future UFC showdown with ‘Gamebred’. Despite having suffered consecutive losses to reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, Masvidal (35-15 MMA) has made it clear that he has not lost his lust for UFC gold.
Paige VanZant told Austin Vanderford she "didn’t want to live anymore" following loss at BKFC 19
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
Paige VanZant (8-5 MMA, 0-2 BKF) was in a dark place following her loss to Rachael Ostovich at last months BKFC 19 event. The former UFC standouts, VanZant and Ostovich, collided for a second time on July 23, this after ‘PVZ’ had earned a submission victory in the pairs first encounter.
UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov inks professional football deal with FC Legion Dynamo
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
Former UFC lightweight kingpin Khabib Nurmagomedov is taking his talents to the football pitch after signing a contract with FC Legion Dynamo. After scoring a submission victory over Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 254, Khabib officially retired from mixed martial arts, citing the death of his father as his reason for hanging up the gloves.
Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 reportedly pushed back until 2022
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
The highly anticipated UFC middleweight title fight rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker has reportedly been pushed back until 2022. Dana White and company were originally looking to book Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 for the main event of UFC 268 on November 6 at Madision Square Garden in New York. However, the States new pandemic-related restrictions have forced the promotion to make a change of plans.
Jake Paul releases his eight-man hit list following fight with Tyron Woodley
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
Jake Paul has a big task ahead of him in the form of former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, but that hasn’t stopped the YouTuber from looking towards the future. Paul (3-0) and Woodley (0-0) are set to square off in a boxing match on August 29 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
Bellator 264 Results: Gegard Mousasi defeats John Salter via TKO (Video)
Joe McDonagh - August 13, 2021
Bellator Middleweight Champion Gegard Mousasi met the “Salty Dog” in the headliner of tonight’s Bellator 264 event. Mousasi (47-7-2) is one of the most dominant fighters on the Bellator roster to date. The Middleweight champion is 5-1 with the promotion and coming off a massive win over former welterweight champion Douglas Lima back in 2020.
Rafael dos Anjos explains what makes Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev different fighters
Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos explained what makes Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev different fighters. Dos Anjos steps back into the Octagon on October 30 in Abu Dhabi when he faces off against Makhachev at UFC 267. This is a fight that the UFC tried to book twice in 2020 but was unable to do so due to COVID-19 and other injuries. Now that both fighters are fully healthy, dos Anjos and Makhachev will meet this fall in what is a potential No. 1 contender bout for the belt that Makhachev’s teammate Nurmagomedov held at this point a year ago.
Vicente Luque explains why he will be the one who will dethrone Kamaru Usman
Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021
One of the top contenders at 170lbs, Vicente Luque explained why he will be the one who will dethrone UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Luque submitted Michael Chiesa with a D’Arce choke to move into the top-five rankings at 170lbs. “The Silent Assassin” has now won his last four fights in a row — all by stoppage — and he is closing in on a title shot against Usman. The odds are that Leon Edwards will get the title shot before Luque since he has a head-to-head win over him, but Luque believes that his ability to put on exciting fights and be a fresh new contender for Usman puts him ahead of Edwards. In fact, he also believes that he has more weapons to challenge the champion. Speaking to Combate, Luque explained why he is the man to beat Usman.
Paulo Costa explains why he got drunk the night before Israel Adesanya fight at UFC 253
Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021
Paulo Costa explains why he got drunk the night before his UFC middleweight title fight against champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 253. Costa was knocked out by Adesanya at UFC 253 in what was an uncompetitive fight from the Brazilian. Although Costa was unbeaten heading into the Adesanya fight and looking every bit the part of a legitimate title contender, he had a lackluster outing against “Stylebender” and was put to sleep for his efforts. After the fight, Costa admitted that he was drunk on wine the night before and that it played a role in his poor performance that night. Speaking to ESPN in a recent interview, Costa elaborated on what happened to him.
Stevie Ray ending retirement, in talks with Bellator and Brave CF
Cole Shelton - August 13, 2021
Former UFC lightweight, Stevie Ray will be ending his retirement. Ray retired from MMA in September of 2020 which he said at the time was due to knee injuries. However, he told BJPENN.com this week that there was much more to it, and it was due to the UFC forcing him out of the organization and making him retire.
Chris Weidman shares latest health update after undergoing second surgery on broken leg suffered at UFC 261
Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021
Former UFC champion Chris Weidman shared his latest health update after undergoing a second surgery on the broken leg he suffered at UFC 261. Weidman suffered one of the most horrific injuries we have ever seen inside the Octagon back in April when his leg snapped on a checked kick against Uriah Hall. Weidman immediately went down in pain and was rushed to the hospital to undergo emergency surgery on the broken limb. The initial thought was that the surgery was successful, and Weidman even started getting back into the gym, but he suffered a setback in his recovery, and “The All-American” was forced to undergo a second surgery on the shattered limb.
Yoel Romero set to make Bellator MMA debut against former champion fighter Phil Davis
Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021
Former UFC title challenge Yoel Romero is set to make Bellator MMA debut against former Bellator light heavyweight champ fighter Phil Davis. Ariel Helwani of Substack was the first to report the Romero vs. Davis fight. According to Helwani, the bout is expected to serve as the headliner of the Bellator MMA card set for September 18, which is tentatively slated to be called Bellator 266. The card is expected to take place in San Jose, California, and Romero vs. Davis will be the evening’s main event.
Jake Paul says Conor McGregor’s ego won’t allow him to accept that “it’s over”
Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul says that UFC superstar Conor McGregor’s ego won’t allow him to accept that “it’s over,” meaning his career. McGregor lost via first-round TKO when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier back at UFC 264 in July. That was his second straight defeat following a TKO loss to Poirier earlier this year at UFC 257. When looking at McGregor’s MMA record, he is just 1-3 over his last four fights, plus he has a loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in boxing during that stretch, as well. Other than a quick TKO win over Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 last year, McGregor has not looked like his old self, and the man who was a double UFC champ is now long gone.
Fedor Emelianenko specifically chose Tim Johnson for Bellator Moscow bout, says Scott Coker
Drake Riggs - August 12, 2021
Tim Johnson is the last person the MMA community expected as the next opponent of Fedor Emelianenko in Bellator’s debut in Russia. On Oct. 23 in Moscow, Emelianenko and Johnson will lock horns. The announcement revealed a few weeks back gave fans and the fighters alike time to fantasize about possible matchups with Josh Barnett, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, and even Anderson Silva. So what happened?