MMA News

Adam D Martin - July 22, 2021

Rafael dos Anjos says he wants to beat Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 and then get the rematch with his teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov. Dos Anjos and Nurmagomedov fought back in 2014, with Nurmagomedov winning the fight via unanimous decision. However, in a twist of fate, Nurmagomedov suffered an injury following that fight, and dos Anjos actually got the chance to fight for the UFC lightweight belt before him, defeating Anthony Pettis to take home the title in 2015. Dos Anjos would lose the belt in 2016 to Eddie Alvarez, and Nurmagomedov finally claimed it himself in 2018 when he defeated Al Iaquinta. Although Nurmagomedov is now retired from MMA, dos Anjos still wants this rematch one day in order to avenge his earlier career defeat.

Adam D Martin - July 22, 2021

Sean Strickland believes that a win over Uriah Hall at UFC Vegas 33 and then one more after that could earn him a middleweight title shot. Strickland returns to the Octagon next Saturday in his first five-round UFC main event when he takes on Hall in the headliner of UFC Vegas 33. For Strickland, he has looked quite exceptional since returning to the Octagon last year following a motorcycle accident in 2018 that left his career in question. Since making his comeback, “Tarzan” has looked absolutely phenomenal inside the Octagon with wins over Jack Marshman and Brendan Allen. Since moving up to 185lbs, Strickland appears to be a serious contender, especially now that he is not forced to cut a ton of weight in order to make welterweight.

Adam D Martin - July 22, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington explained why TJ Dillashaw will lose against Cory Sandhagen at this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 32 event. Dillashaw returns from a 30-month layoff this weekend when he takes on his former training partner Sandhagen in a potential No. 1 contender bout at 135lbs. Remember, Dillashaw never lost his belt in a fight, but rather gave it up when he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Dillashaw has been open about why he used PEDs before his fight with Henry Cejudo, but Covington doesn’t stand for anyone that cheats in MMA.

Adam D Martin - July 22, 2021

New UFC 155lbs champion Charles Oliveira is predicting that he gets a submission finish over Dustin Poirier for the UFC lightweight title. Oliveira knocked out Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in May to become the new UFC lightweight champion after former belt holder Khabib Nurmagomedov relinquished his title earlier this year. After knocking out Chandler and winning the belt, Oliveira is now poised to fight Poirier for the belt later this year after “The Diamond” stopped Conor McGregor in their trilogy fight earlier this month at UFC 264. The plan from the UFC is to have Oliveira and Poirier meet up later this year with the lightweight belt of “Do Bronx” on the line.

Harry Kettle - July 22, 2021

Former UFC fighter Rachael Ostovich has explained her decision to take on former foe Paige VanZant in BKFC. While VanZant has already made an appearance in the promotion, Ostovich is set to step into the ring for the first time tomorrow night when she takes on PVZ in a rematch of their January 2019 bout in the UFC. It’ll mark the first combat appearance for Ostovich since losing to Gina Mazany back in November 2020, after which she was released from her UFC contract.

Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021

Gilbert Burns and Jake Shields got into a heated argument on social media after the Brazilian called out Nate Diaz. Burns, who returned to the win column with a decision win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 264 is looking to find his next opponent. He called out several welterweights like Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz. Yet, Shields, who is a longtime teammate of Diaz didn’t think kindly of Burns’ callout.

Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021

Justin Gaethje has responded to Michael Chandler’s recent comments. On Tuesday, Chandler spoke on an Instagram Live where he made it clear that he wanted to fight Gaethje next. He said one of them would add the other to their highlight reel, but the former Bellator champ claimed “The Highlight” had turned him down a couple of times already.

Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021

TJ Dillashaw believes his fight against Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Vegas 32 is the real title fight. Dillashaw, the former bantamweight champion, is set to make his return to the Octagon after a two-year USADA suspension. It’s an intriguing matchup and due to the fact he never lost his belt inside the cage, he believes his scrap against Sandhagen is a title fight.

Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021

Maycee Barber has been training at a new camp for her UFC Vegas 32 fight against Miranda Maverick. After Barber lost her second fight in a row to Alexa Grasso at UFC 258, she decided to change camps and had to California to train at Team Alpha Male. “The Future” has already been at several gyms like Factory X, Roufusport, JacksonWink, and in Chicago under Mike Valle among others. However, the reason why she made the switch to Team Alpha Male for this fight was due to COVID-19 restrictions among other reasons.

Cole Shelton - July 21, 2021

Randy Costa and Adrian Yanez have one of the weirder fight bookings in recent memory. After Yanez picked up his second UFC win, many on MMA Twitter called for him to face Costa. After the Massachusetts native didn’t respond to fans asking if he’d take the fight, some said he was scared. However, “Zohan” quickly responded saying he’s not scared and he likes Adrian but took a shot at Dr. Pepper which is Yanez’s drink of choice. The Texan dumped on Reese’s which Costa likes and the fight was born.

Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021

UFC women’s bantamweight Miesha Tate praised the “awesome and inspiring” Marion Reneau following her retirement fight at UFC Vegas 31. Tate finished Reneau in the third round of their women’s 135lbs bout at last weekend’s UFC Vegas 31 card. For Tate, it was her comeback to MMA after a five-year layoff where she started a family, while for Reneau, she had announced before the fight that it would be the final walk of her MMA career. Following the loss, which was Reneau’s fifth straight defeat in the Octagon, she lived up to her word and left her gloves in the center of the Octagon.

Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021

The UFC Vegas 31 rankings update has dropped, and lightweight Islam Makhachev moved to No. 4 at 155lbs while Conor McGregor dropped to No. 9. Makhachev was the No. 9 ranked lightweight going into his main event matchup against No. 14 ranked Thiago Moises at last weekend’s UFC Vegas 31 event. After defeating Moises in the fourth round by submission to pick up his eighth straight win, the rankers rewarded the Russian for his long winning streak by bumping him up five spots all the way to No. 4 in the division. With Makhachev moving way up the rankings, someone else had to be bumped down. Tony Ferguson moved down to No. 6, Rafael dos Anjos moved to No. 7, and McGregor dropped all the way to No. 9. There was also a small swap at the bottom of the rankings as Arman Tsarukyan went to No. 14 and Moises fell down to the No. 15 spot.

Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021

Billy Quarantillo plans on celebrating his recent “Fight of the Night” award at UFC Vegas 31 by making a ‘Billy Junior’ on his honeymoon. In one of the best fights of the year, Quarantillo and Gabriel Benitez went back-and-forth for nearly the full three rounds before Quarantillo was able to get the TKO late in the final stanza. For Quarantillo, this was a very important win because he recently had a long winning streak snapped in his last fight with a loss to Gavin Tucker. By beating Benitez in impressive fashion, not only is Quarantillo now back into the win column, but he is also $50,000 richer thanks to earning the event’s coveted “Fight of the Night” bonus award.

Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns reiterated his callouts to divisional rivals Leon Edwards, Jorge Masvidal, and Nate Diaz. Earlier this month at UFC 264, Burns defeated Stephen Thompson via unanimous decision, and then used his post-fight interview as an opportunity to call out Edwards, Masvidal, and Diaz. It’s been a few weeks since then and we haven’t heard any of these other fighters say they will accept Burns’ callout. That’s why “Durinho” took to his social media on Wednesday and once again called out Edwards, Masvidal, and Diaz for an upcoming fight.

Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021

Fellow UFC fighter Anthony Smith blasted Conor McGregor for making excuses following his loss to Dustin Poirier, saying “we are all injured.” McGregor lost via first-round TKO (doctor stoppage) to Poirier in their trilogy match at UFC 264, and afterwards, it has come out that he had a leg injury heading into the fight. Speaking on Sirius XM’s Fight Nation, Smith was asked about the reports of McGregor being hurt coming into the fight. For Smith, being injured is something that all MMA fighters have to deal with, and he believes that it’s not a valid excuse for McGregor.

Adam D Martin - July 21, 2021

UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno promises not to become a jerk now that he is a UFC champion, saying that “I don’t want to be that guy.” Moreno defeated rival Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263 last month in a rematch to claim the promotion’s 125lbs title. In the lead-up to the fight, Moreno was not complimentary towards Figueiredo, who he accused of changing as a person once he became the champion. Now that Moreno himself is holding UFC gold around his waist, he is promising the fans that he will not change and, in his words, turn into what he calls an “asshole.”

Harry Kettle - July 21, 2021

UFC bantamweight Andre Ewell has told the story of how he saved his friend’s life by stopping a moving car. We tend to hear plenty of crazy stories within the world of mixed martial arts because, well, that’s just the nature of the sport. Some of them are negative but we also get some truly inspiring tales that restore our faith in combat sports as a whole – and the fighters within it.

Cole Shelton - July 20, 2021

MMichael Chandler is aiming to fight Justin Gaethje in his next fight. After Chandler suffered a second-round TKO loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 262 for the vacant lightweight title, many thought he should face Gaethje next time out.