MMA News
Nick Diaz targeted to make Octagon return in September in a rematch against Robbie Lawler
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2021
Nick Diaz is back. According to UFC president, Dana White who told TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, Diaz will return against Lawler in a co-main event in September.
Nevada will no longer discipline UFC fighters for using marijuana
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
The Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that starting Wednesday, it will no longer discipline UFC fighters for using marijuana. While USADA took marijuana off of its list of banned substances a while ago, and while states like Florida also previously made the decision to unban pot, Nevada has still been one of the states that have been holding out. Because Nevada has been holding out on changing its marijuana rules, the state still tests athletes for it, and we have seen UFC fighters such as Misha Cirkunov and Gillian Robertson recently test positive for marijuana.
Dustin Poirier "the calmest" he's been ahead of Conor McGregor fight, expects another stoppage win, says coach
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2021
DPhil Daru, Dustin Poirier’s strength and conditioning coach, says “The Diamond” is the calmest he’s ever been before a fight. In the main event of UFC 264, Poirier is set for his trilogy match against McGregor in a highly-anticipated fight. For Daru, he says ever since the first fight he has been game planning on how to train Poirier for the trilogy. However, he says they have been cautious to not overtrain The Diamond and they believe he’s in perfect condition for the fight on Saturday.
Max Griffin says Carlos Condit fight at UFC 264 is "a dream come true," expects to "take his soul"
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2021
Max Griffin had no hesitation to accept his UFC 264 fight against Carlos Condit. After Griffin scored a one-punch KO over Song Kenan he knew he would be getting a big fight. He had back-to-back vicious KO’s as prior to that he TKO’d Ramiz Brahimaj where he nearly tore his ear off with an elbow. When he got a call to face Condit, he said it was an immediate yes but there was some hesitation on the former interim champs side.
Dana White interested in booking Leon Edwards vs. Jorge Masvidal: "That's probably the fight to make"
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
UFC president Dana White says he is interested in booking Leon Edwards vs. Jorge Masvidal, suggesting “that’s probably the fight to make.” Edwards is unbeaten over his last 10 fights and wants to get the next title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, but White has already said that Colby Covington is next in line for the champ. That means that Edwards will have to wait on the sidelines, potentially for the rest of the year, while Usman and Covington prepare for their rematch. Considering Edwards has only fought once in the last two years, having the Brit sit out on the sidelines following his recent win over Nate Diaz at UFC 263 seems like a bad idea.
Emil Meek among seven fighters no longer on UFC roster
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
Welterweight fighter Emil Meek is among the seven fighters who are no longer on the UFC roster as the promotion makes changes to its roster. MMAjunkie.com confirmed that the following seven fighters are no longer on the UFC roster: Meek, Roque Martinez, Alexander Yakovlev, Lara Procopio, Christian Aguilera, Stefan Sekulic, and Joe Ellenberger.
Bruce Buffer shares his list of the greatest UFC fighters of all time
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
A member of the UFC organization for over 25 years, Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer shared his list of the greatest UFC fighters of all time. Buffer has been the man with the mic dating all the way back to 1996, so he’s seen many fighters come and go over the years, and some of them have been great. Speaking to Tom Taylor of Maxim, Buffer shared his list of the greatest UFC fighters of all time. Check it out.
Georges St-Pierre shares prediction for Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley boxing match
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre shared his prediction for the upcoming Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley boxing match later this summer. Paul meets Woodley on August 28 in a professional boxing match that figures to be one of the biggest combat sports events of the summer. Paul has won all three of his pro boxing matches so far and is coming off of a TKO win over former UFC fighter Ben Askren in his last outing. As for Woodley, he lost four straight fights in the UFC which led to his release, but he is the former UFC welterweight champion and a big name in the sport. It’s an intriguing matchup and you can count St-Pierre among those who will be watching it.
Dana White justifies creating interim title for UFC 265's Ciryl Gane vs. Derrick Lewis
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
UFC president Dana White justified creating an interim heavyweight title for UFC 265’s main event between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis. The main event of August’s UFC 265 pay-per-view was expected to feature UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou vs. Lewis for the undisputed title. However, Ngannou was not ready to go on August 7 in Houston, Texas, and with Houston native Lewis still on the card, White and the UFC went ahead and booked Gane for an interim title fight, despite the fact Ngannou just beat former champion Stipe Miocic back in March.
Sean O'Malley reacts to matchmaking critics ahead of UFC 264: "People are mad. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to tell them”
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
Sean O’Malley reacted to the critics of his matchmaking, saying “people are mad. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to tell them.” O’Malley was set to fight Louis Smolka in the main card opener at this Saturday’s UFC 264 pay-per-view event, but that fight was scratched when Smolka was forced off the card due to a staph infection. In his place will be UFC newcomer Kris Moutinho, who is stepping up on short notice to fight O’Malley. When this fight was announced, many fans were scratching their heads wondering why the UFC wasn’t able to get someone more established to fight O’Malley. “Suga” hears the critics, and speaking to The Schmo, he explained why fans need to stop going after him because they question the matchmaking.
Max Griffin issues bold claim ahead of UFC 264 fight with Carlos Condit
Harry Kettle - July 7, 2021
UFC welterweight Max Griffin has made a bold statement heading into his UFC 264 showdown with Carlos Condit. Griffin, who is riding a two-fight win streak, has been waiting a while to lock horns with Condit – and his big moment has finally arrived. The two men will square off in a highly anticipated prelim encounter that should, you would think, be one of the fights of the night in Las Vegas.
Former UFC title challenger Chad Mendes says “the itch” to return is “getting stronger”
Harry Kettle - July 7, 2021
Former UFC featherweight title contender Chad Mendes has said the itch to return to the Octagon is “getting stronger”. Mendes, to this day, is widely considered to be one of the best featherweights of all time in the UFC – despite never getting his hands on the gold. In addition to some big wins over the likes of Cub Swanson and Ricardo Lamas, he’s also fought for a UFC world title three times, including memorable wars against the likes of Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor.
Sean O'Malley plans to KO Kris Moutinho with something "never before done"
Cole Shelton - July 6, 2021
Sean O’Malley is looking to end his UFC 264 fight in highlight-reel fashion. O’Malley was supposed to face Louis Smolka but the Hawaiian was forced out of the fight due to a staph infection. Several ranked bantamweights called him out but he will face short-notice replacement Kris Moutinho.
Dustin Poirier responds after Colby Covington releases video of him dropping a sparring partner
Cole Shelton - July 6, 2021
Dustin Poirier has responded after Colby Covington released the video of “The Diamond” dropped a sparring partner. Over the past couple of weeks, Covington revealed he had a video of Poirier dropping an amateur sparring partner in the lead-up to the Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Conor McGregor sends a message to "silly hillbilly" Dustin Poirier ahead of UFC 264
Adam D Martin - July 6, 2021
UFC superstar Conor McGregor sent a message to “silly hillbilly” Dustin Poirier ahead of their upcoming trilogy bout this Saturday at UFC 264. McGregor and Poirier meet for the third and presumably final time this weekend in the main event of UFC 264. Ahead of their upcoming third meeting, McGregor sent a message to Poirier on social media, though it was a little bit unorthodox. Taking advantage of voice-to-text, McGregor sent Poirier a warning ahead of their encounter this Saturday night.
Colby Covington shares video of Dustin Poirier dropping amateur during sparring, Jorge Masvidal reacts
Adam D Martin - July 6, 2021
Colby Covington shared a video of Dustin Poirier dropping an amateur fighter during sparring, and rival Jorge Masvidal reacted to it. Covington recently said that Poirier isn’t as nice of a guy as people think he is, and he revealed that he had footage of Poirier hurting an amateur in sparring while preparing for the Khabib Nurmagomedov fight back at UFC 242. Take a look at the video of Poirier dropping his training partner and then saying “and new” after knocking him down.
Dan Hardy says Conor McGregor is a "better martial artist" than Dustin Poirier
Adam D Martin - July 6, 2021
Former UFC welterweight Dan Hardy said that Conor McGregor is a “better martial artist” than Dustin Poirier ahead of their trilogy at UFC 264. McGregor and Poirier meet this Saturday night in the main event of UFC 264 as the two bitter rivals look to finally put a conclusion to their longstanding feud. Ahead of this weekend’s blockbuster fight, Hardy spoke to Submission Radio and was asked to give his expert opinion on the fight. The longtime analyst is a fan of both fighters, but it’s the opinion of “The Outlaw” that McGregor is actually the superior martial artist of the two.
Daniel Cormier back in commentary booth alongside Joe Rogan for UFC 264
Adam D Martin - July 6, 2021
Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier is back in the commentary booth alongside color commentator Joe Rogan for Saturday’s UFC 264 pay-per-view. Cormier and Rogan will be joined by UFC play-by-play man Jon Anik in the three-man commentary booth for this weekend’s blockbuster pay-per-view. That’s according to MMAjunkie.com, which has the full list of assignments for this weekend’s event.