MMA News

Cole Shelton - July 27, 2021

Chuck Liddell is interested in fighting again and wants it to be in bare-knuckle. At BKFC 19 last weekend, Liddell was part of an alternative commentary with his podcast partners from the Drinkin’ Bros network. During the fights, they asked him if he’d be interested in fighting in BKFC and floated a purse of $100k. Although Liddell scoffed at the $100k, he did say he would be interested in fighting sans gloves.

Adam D Martin - July 27, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera said that Dominick Cruz and Jimmie Rivera declined to fight him, and he is interested in Urijah Faber. Vera took to his social media this week to say that Cruz declined to fight him, this coming a few weeks after Vera publicly called him out. With Vera ranked No. 13 at 135lbs and with Cruz at No. 9, “The Dominator” has said that he only wants to fight up in competition, so even though Vera would be a great fight, you can understand why Cruz wants a top-10 foe.

Adam D Martin - July 27, 2021

The official UFC rankings have been updated following UFC Vegas 32, and former champ TJ Dillashaw re-entered the bantamweight ranks at No. 2. Dillashaw outpointed Cory Sandhagen to take home a split decision in the main event of this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 32 event. It was a close fight that could have gone either way, but the judges sided with the former UFC bantamweight champion, and it helped him out in the rankings. After not being ranked for the past two years, Dillashaw re-entered the UFC bantamweight rankings at No. 2, with everyone else below him falling one spot. Sandhagen, the man that Dillashaw beat, now stands at No. 3 in the 135lbs weight class. Kyler Phillips, who lost a decision to Raulian Paiva, dropped out of the top-15, as well.

Adam D Martin - July 27, 2021

Stephen Thompson criticized the UFC after giving Colby Covington a title shot, saying “they’re just throwing the same guys at Kamaru Usman.” The UFC announced this week that Usman vs. Covington 2 will take place at UFC 268, which is targeted to take place on November 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. Covington got the title shot over several other top contenders in the UFC welterweight division, including Leon Edwards, who is unbeaten over his last 10 fights. Despite Edwards having such a long winning streak, UFC president Dana White wanted Covington to get the title shot next despite “Chaos” losing to Usman just two fights ago.

Adam D Martin - July 27, 2021

Ahead of his fight against Uriah Hall, UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland told the story about the time he almost killed a man. Strickland and Hall meet in the main event of this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 33 event. For Strickland, it’s a big opportunity for him to fight a top-10 ranked fighter and a big name in Hall and take his spot in the rankings. Strickland has been looking sharp as of late as he is currently riding a four-fight win streak, including a perfect 3-0 mark in the UFC middleweight division. He recently said he believes that a big win over Hall this weekend and then another notable win over another top-ranked fighter could get him a title shot.

Adam D Martin - July 27, 2021

UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber commented on his former pupil TJ Dillashaw using EPO, saying that “everybody knows what he was doing.” Dillashaw defeated Cory Sandhagen via split decision in the main event of this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 32 event. It was the first fight for Dillashaw in 30 months since being suspended in January 2019 after testing positive for EPO. The suspension was for two years and he also was forced to vacate his 135lbs belt, so Dillashaw paid a hefty price for cheating before the Henry Cejudo fight. But if you ask Faber, his former coach at Team Alpha Male, Dillashaw had been using EPO for a lot longer than when he had been caught.

Cole Shelton - July 27, 2021

Maycee Barber knew she beat Miranda Maverick when the fight went to the scorecards. Entering her fight at UFC Vegas 32, Barber was on a two-fight losing skid and was in a new gym at Team Alpha Male. She was also set to fight a very dangerous opponent in Maverick, but Barber knew they had a game plan to get the win.

Adam D Martin - July 27, 2021

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou blasted MMA judges for robbing fighters of half their money, saying “something needs to be done.” Ngannou recently came to the support of UFC women’s flyweight prospect Miranda Maverick, who universally was regarded as being robbed by the judges against Maycee Barber at this past weekend’s UFC Vegas 32 event. Because Maverick lost on the scorecards, she dropped one spot below Barber in the UFC rankings, but most importantly, she didn’t get half of her money. In MMA, most contracts include both “show money” and “win money.” Since Maverick lost on the scorecards, she only got her show money.

Christopher Taylor - July 26, 2021

TJ Dillashaw made his highly anticipated Octagon return in last weekend’s UFC Vegas 32 main event for a bantamweight scrap with Cory Sandhagen. Dillashaw (17-4 MMA) had not competed since January of 2019, where he suffered a first round knockout loss to then flyweight champion Henry Cejudo and was handed a two year suspension due to his use of the banned substance EPO.

Drake Riggs - July 26, 2021

Urijah Faber isn’t itching to return to the Octagon — but now that TJ Dillashaw is back, the possibility is there. Dillashaw made a successful return to action this past Saturday after a two-year USADA suspension. His split decision win over Cory Sandhagen topped a card that saw Faber corner three of his Team Alpha Male trained fighters. Ever since Dillashaw removed himself from Faber’s tutelage, things haven’t quite been the same between the two.

Christopher Taylor - July 26, 2021

Conor McGregor was clearly fired up this evening as he sent out multiple tweets including a message directed at Dustin Poirier’s wife, Jolie. McGregor and Poirier collided for a third time earlier this month in the main event of UFC 264.

Andrew Whitelaw - July 26, 2021

Chan Sung Jung, AKA ‘The Korean Zombie’ is a fan favorite in the UFC. So is Nate Diaz. Both fighters have enjoyed storied careers in the Octagon, with TKZ’s eight performances bonuses the joint-most in featherweight history. Speaking on his YouTube channel, TKZ hailed the importance of antagonists in the UFC and name-checked Diaz as having a crucial part to play in generating interest.

Cole Shelton - July 26, 2021

Joe Rogan has explained why he decided to interview Conor McGregor after his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. In the lead-up to the fight, McGregor had a lot of harsh words for Poirier and continued after the fight. In the opening round, of the scrap, McGregor had some moments but Poirier took him down and controlled him until with seconds left they got back to their feet and when the Irishman threw a punch he broke his leg. After the result of the fight was read, Rogan went over to McGregor and interviewed him which many criticized, especially after what the Irishman said.

Cole Shelton - July 26, 2021

Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington will be running it back at UFC 268 in November. Ever since Usman scored a fifth-round TKO over Covington back at UFC 245, “Chaos” has made it clear he wanted to get the rematch. Now, UFC president, Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto the fight will take place at UFC 268. The date of the event is not set, nor the location but the hope is it will be at Madison Square Garden. It’s also not clear if this fight will serve as the main event of the card.

Adam D Martin - July 26, 2021

Paige VanZant reacted after losing her BKFC fight to rival Rachael Ostovich, saying that “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” VanZant lost a unanimous decision to Ostovich in their rematch that headlined this past weekend’s BKFC 19 card in Tampa, Florida. Although VanZant was the betting favorite heading into the fight, Ostovich surprised a lot of onlookers as she showed improved boxing as she was able to outstrike VanZant and take home the decision on the judges’ scorecards. The rivals are now 1-1 overall in their all-time series, with VanZant holding a previous win over Ostovich by submission in the UFC. With Ostovich now beating VanZant in their rematch in BKFC, it’s possible we could see a trilogy fight between them one day.

Adam D Martin - July 26, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns understands the recent criticism from Dana White, saying that “he wants my fight to be a banger.” Burns defeated Stephen Thompson in the co-main event of UFC 264 earlier this month, but White criticized his performance, suggesting that it wasn’t an exciting fight. At the end of the day, Burns did what he needed to do to get his hand raised. While it wasn’t the standup war that apparently White had hoped for, Burns fought a smart game plan as he took down a superior striker and controlled him on the mat for a unanimous decision victory.

Adam D Martin - July 26, 2021

UFC bantamweight Cory Sandhagen admitted that his recent split decision loss to TJ Dillashaw was a “coin toss” on the judges’ scorecards. Sandhagen and Dillashaw fought tooth and nail for 25 hard minutes, but at the end of the five rounds, the judges awarded Dillashaw with the split decision nod. It was a very close fight that could have gone either way, as many of the rounds were decided by razor-thin margins. In the end, the judges sided with Dillashaw and Sandhagen has a loss on his record, though he has already said the UFC matchmakers aren’t going to punish him for it.

Cole Shelton - July 26, 2021

Chris Daukaus didn’t expect that he would be fighting Shamil Abdurakhimov. Daukaus, who joined the UFC in August of 2020, is already 3-0 in the promotion with three first-round knockouts. After his last win over Aleksei Oleinik in February, he expected he would get another ranked opponent next, and was unsure if it would be in the top-10.