MMA News

Adam Martin - July 18, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev released a statement following his submission win over Thiago Moises at UFC Vegas 31. Makhachev defeated Moises in the fourth round with a rear-naked choke in his first UFC five-round main event. It was the eighth win in a row for the Russian and he improved his overall UFC record to 9-1 in victory. At this point, Makhachev is clearly one of the top-10 lightweights in the sport and he might even be a top-five fighter right now. In fact, his friend and training partner, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, recently said that he believes Makhachev is the best fighter at 155lbs in the entire UFC.

Adam Martin - July 18, 2021

Thiago Moises reacted following a loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC Vegas 31, saying he “is an amazing fighter and he was the best guy tonight.” Moises came into the fight with Makhachev as a massive underdog and although he was able to survive the first three rounds of the fight, he lost in the championship rounds when Moises tapped him out in the fourth. For Moises, the loss snapped his three-fight winning skid, but the 26-year-old Brazilian is not upset about not getting his hand raised. For Moises, just the fact he got the opportunity to compete against one of the best lightweights on the UFC roster and got to have that experience means it was a winning night for him.

Cole Shelton - July 18, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 31, rising lightweight contenders met as Islam Makhachev took on Thiago Moises. Makhahcev entered the fight coming off a dominant third-round submission win over Drew Dober back at UFC 259. He has been called a future champion by his protégé Khabib Nurmagomedov and has looked like it so far. Moises, meanwhile, was coming off wins over Alexander Hernandez, Bobby Green, and Michael Johnson.

Adam D Martin - July 18, 2021

Miesha Tate issued a statement following her win over Marion Reneau at UFC Vegas 31, saying “there’s truly nothing quite like that feeling!!” Tate returned following a five-year layoff due to retiring from mixed martial arts. After starting a family, Tate decided that she wants to make another run for the UFC women’s bantamweight title that she once held. The promotion matched her up against Reneau in her opponent’s final retirement fight. Despite having not fought since 2016, Tate looked absolutely exceptional in the contest as he put away Reneau via third-round TKO.

Adam D Martin - July 18, 2021

Bellator star Dillon Danis offered to fight former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz following the news of his planned 2021 return. Ortiz this week announced that he will be returning to the cage sometime later this year. Danis saw Ortiz’s tweet and immediately responded to him, saying that he would be interested in taking on the legend in a fight later in 2021. Check out the exchange below.

Adam D Martin - July 18, 2021

Fan favorite Jessica-Rose Clark offered to fight UFC Vegas 31 winner Miesha Tate in November, saying that “it would be an honor.” Tate defeated Marion Reneau via third-round TKO at UFC Vegas 31 on Saturday night in her return to the Octagon after five years away from the sport. By defeating Reneau, Tate will take her spot in the UFC women’s bantamweight top-15 rankings as she looks to get close to earning another title shot at champion Amanda Nunes. But in order to get back to the top of the division and potentially earn a title shot, Tate has to get past some of the other top contenders in the division, and one of them in Clark specifically wants this fight.

Adam D Martin - July 18, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev called out Michael Chandler, saying that “you come from Bellator, I want to check your skills.” Makhachev defeated Thiago Moises in the main event of UFC Vegas 31 via fourth-round submission, and it was the type of statement win that should earn the No. 9 ranked lightweight in the UFC a step up in competition. Following his win over Moises, Makhachev took the mic and called out Rafael dos Anjos, the former UFC lightweight champion. But in his post-event interview with reporter Heidi Androl, Makhachev used it as an opportunity to call out Chandler, the former Bellator lightweight champion turned UFC fighter and analyst.

Adam D Martin - July 18, 2021

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov outlined the plan for Islam Makhachev to be named the 2021 fighter of the year in MMA. Makhachev defeated Thiago Moises via fourth-round submission at UFC Vegas 31 on Saturday in what was arguably his coming-out party. Makhachev now has a 9-1 record in the UFC with an eight-fight win streak and he is quickly emerging as one of the best fighters in the division in the post-Nurmagomedov world. In fact, his longtime friend and training partner is so confident in Makhachev’s abilities that he believes he has what it takes to be the fighter of the year in 2021, although he knows it will be an uphill battle.

Adam D Martin - July 18, 2021

Miesha Tate responded to the rematch request from former rival Holly Holm following her win over Marion Reneau at UFC Vegas 31. Tate got back into the win column for the first time in over five years on Saturday night when she defeated Reneau via third-round TKO. For Tate, this was a fantastic win after such a long layoff over a quality opponent in Reneau who was ranked in the top-15 of the UFC women’s bantamweight division. For Tate, the former champion, this is the type of big win she needs in order to start drawing the attention of the other big names in the division, including Holm, who apparently would like the chance to step in the cage with Tate again.

Chris Taylor - July 17, 2021

Islam Makhachev is hoping to resolve the unfinished business of his mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov following his win over Thiago Moises at UFC Vegas 31. Makhachev (20-1 MMA) and Moises (15-5 MMA) squared off in the headliner of tonight’s UFC event in Las Vegas. The result was an eighth straight victory for the Russian standout, who submitted Thiago with a rear-naked choke midway through the fourth of their fight.

Chris Taylor - July 17, 2021

The Octagon remained in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 31 event, a 10-bout fight card headline by Islam Makhachev vs. Thiago Moises. The highly anticipated lightweight main event resulted in Makhachev’s eighth win in a row, as the Russian standout was able to finish Moises with a submission in round four.

Chris Taylor - July 17, 2021

UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens squared off with Mateusz Gamrot in a lightweight contest on the main card of tonight’s UFC Vegas 31 event. Stephens (28-19 MMA) was returning to the promotions 155lbs division in hopes of ending a four-fight losing skid. During that rough stretch, ‘Lil Heathen’ had suffered featherweight losses to Jose Aldo, Zabit Magomedsharipov, Yair Rodriguez and Calvin Kattar.

Chris Taylor - July 17, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 31 event is headlined by a key lightweight bout between perennial division contenders Islam Makhachev and Thiago Moises. Makhachev (19-1 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since UFC 259, where he scored a third round submission victory over Drew Dober. The Russian standout has gone a perfect 7-0 since suffering his first career loss back at UFC 192 in October of 2015.

Chris Taylor - July 17, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 31 co-headliner saw former women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate return to action against fellow veteran Marion Reneau. Tate (19-7 MMA) was returning to the Octagon for the first time since UFC 205 in November of 2016, where she had dropped a unanimous decision loss to Raquel Pennington. ‘Cupcake’ had earned her most recent victory back in March of 2016, when she submitted Holly Holm at UFC 196 to capture the promotions 135lbs title.

Chris Taylor - July 17, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 31 co-headliner sees former women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate return against fellow veteran Marion Reneau. Tate (18-7 MMA) will be returning to the Octagon for the first time since UFC 205 in November of 2016, where she dropped a unanimous decision loss to Raquel Pennington. ‘Cupcake’ earned her most recent victory in March of 2016, when she submitted Holly Holm at UFC 196 to capture the promotions 135lbs title.

Chris Taylor - July 17, 2021

A lightweight bout featuring Jeremy Stephens squaring off with Mateusz Gamrot took place on tonight’s UFC Vegas 31 main card. Stephens (28-19 MMA) was returning to the promotions 155lbs division in hopes of ending a four-fight losing skid. During that rough stretch, ‘Lil Heathen’ suffered losses to Jose Aldo, Zabit Magomedsharipov, Yair Rodriguez and Calvin Kattar.

Chris Taylor - July 17, 2021

The Octagon remains in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 31 event, a ten-bout fight card headlined by Islam Makhachev vs. Thiago Moises. Makhachev (19-1 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since UFC 259, where he scored a third round submission victory over Drew Dober. The Russian standout has gone a perfect 7-0 since suffering his first career loss back at UFC 192 in October of 2015.

Chris Taylor - July 17, 2021

Darren Till reignited his feud with Marvin Vettori on Saturday, sharing a ‘Lord Of The Rings’ photo that was modified to include ‘The Italian Dream’. Till (18-3-1 MMA) and Vettori (17-5-1 MMA) were slated to collide in the headliner of UFC Vegas 23 this past April. However, the Liverpool native suffered a broken collarbone in training and was thus unable to compete.