MMA News

Adam D Martin - July 19, 2021

Former UFC women’s bantamweight contender Marion Reneau issued a statement following her retirement from mixed martial arts. Reneau lost via third-round TKO to Miesha Tate at this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 31 card, and following the event, she made her retirement from MMA official. The 44-year-old American officially ends her career with a 9-8-1 record, which includes notable wins over Jessica Andrade and Sara McMann. Check out the lengthy statement that Reneau shared on her social media following her official announcement that she has retired from MMA.

Adam D Martin - July 19, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker says he “got bored” watching Islam Makhachev fight Thiago Moises in the main event of UFC Vegas 31. Hooker is the No. 8 ranked lightweight in the UFC and right behind him at No. 9 is Makhachev, who defeated Moises via fourth-round submission in the headliner of this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 31 card. Speaking to Submission Radio following Makhachev’s win, Hooker was asked if he is interested in facing Makhachev next. While Hooker knows this fight is possible just based on the rankings, Hooker says he was “bored” watching Makhachev fight against Moises and can’t imagine what his New Zealand fans would think if they ever fought on his home soil, unlike someone who is a striker such as Paul Felder.

Harry Kettle - July 19, 2021

Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw has claimed he didn’t benefit from his previous PED use. Back in 2019, Dillashaw was stripped of his 135-pound title and suspended after testing positive for recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO). It came in the midst of his UFC flyweight title defeat to Henry Cejudo, with many questioning whether Dillashaw would even return after his suspension was complete.

Cole Shelton - July 19, 2021

Maycee Barber wasn’t surprised when she was offered Miranda Maverick as her next fight. After Maverick beat Gillian Robertson at UFC 260, Barber saw all the posts about how fans wanted to see the fight happen. However, given they are two of the up and comers at flyweight, some thought it didn’t make sense. Yet, for Barber, she says she likes the fight and is eager for it.

Adam Martin - July 18, 2021

YouTuber-turned-boxer Logan Paul revealed that he had a recent phone conversation with UFC president Dana White ahead of last week’s UFC 264. Logan Paul and his brother Jake were both recently in attendance at UFC 264 and they had great seats to the event, thanks to White. Speaking on a recent edition of the IMPAULSIVE podcast, the older Paul revealed that he received a phone call from White the day of the Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 card that was quite surprising, to say the least.

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

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced that UFC 266 will serve as International Fight Week, including a two-day fan experience. UFC 266 takes place on Saturday, September 25 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the card is headlined by featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega. The co-main event sees women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko take on top contender Lauren Murphy and Nick Diaz returns from a six-year layoff when he faces off against fan-favorite Robbie Lawler in a rematch between two MMA legends.

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

UFC lightweight Drakkar Klose trashed his former rival Jeremy Stephens following his fifth straight loss at UFC Vegas 31. Stephens was submitted in the first round by Mateusz Gamrot when he was taken down to the mat and tapped out with a kimura. For Stephens, this was his fifth straight loss in the UFC. With a No Contest mixed in the losing skid, Stephens is officially on a six-fight winless skid. It’s a bad look for a fighter who has been a mainstay of the UFC roster for nearly the past 15 years, and for the first time in his UFC career it seems like there is a chance that Stephens could be at risk of losing his job, and Klose made sure that he knows just that.

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

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 31 event was headlined by a key lightweight bout between perennial division contenders Islam Makhachev and Thiago Moises. Makhachev (20-1 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since UFC 259, where he had scored a third round submission victory over Drew Dober. The Russian standout was riding a seven fight unbeaten streak into tonight’s headliner.

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.