MMA News
BKFC champion Hector Lombard calls out Jake Paul for bareknuckle fight
Andrew Whitelaw - June 29, 2021
Ever since he decided to try his hand at boxing, Jake Paul has had no shortage of suitors looking to teach him a lesson, the latest being Hector Lombard. The former Bellator middleweight champion took to instagram to make an intriguing offer and wrote,
Chael Sonnen reflects on TUF Brazil skirmish with Wanderlei Silva
Drake Riggs - June 29, 2021
Believe it or not, Chael Sonnen’s epic rivalry with Anderson Silva wasn’t his most volatile. However, due to the Silva saga, Sonnen made no alleys when it came to fighters from Brazil — Wanderlei Silva included. “The American Gangster” began singling out “The Ax-Murderer” on multiple occasions after heading from middleweight to light heavyweight in 2013. The most notable being his callout after defeating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
Tatiana Suarez targeted to make UFC flyweight debut at UFC 266 opposite former title challenger Roxanne Modafferi
Cole Shelton - June 29, 2021
Tatiana Suarez will finally make the walk to the Octagon again. Suarez, who many pegged as a future UFC champion, has not competed since she beat Nina Nunes at UFC 238 in June of 2019. Since then, she has been dealing with neck injuries but has recently been cleared. The plan was for her to also move up in weight to flyweight.
Georges St-Pierre explains why he believes Conor McGregor will KO Dustin Poirier at UFC 264
Cole Shelton - June 29, 2021
Georges St-Pierre believes it will be Conor McGregor getting his hand raised at UFC 264. McGregor is set for his trilogy match against Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 264 on July 10. They had their rematch back in January where “The Diamond” scored a second-round TKO. In the lead-up to the trilogy, Poirier has said he will finish McGregor again, but St-Pierre believes it will be the Irishman winning early by KO.
UFC Vegas 30 rankings update: Julia Avila among winners on the move upwards following big win
Adam D Martin - June 29, 2021
The official UFC rankings have been updated following UFC Vegas 30, and women’s bantamweight contender Julia Avila is among those moving up. Avila submitted Julija Stoliarenko in a women’s 135lbs bout on the preliminary card. After two close rounds which actually had the judges split heading into the third and final round, Avila put a stamp on the victory by catching a rear-naked choke submission late in the final stanza. It was a tremendous performance by Avila, and she afterward took to social media to vent that she wasn’t one of the card’s $50,000 bonus winners. Regardless of whether or not she got a bonus, Avila looked good and is now the No. 14 ranked fighter at 135lbs.
Sean O'Malley needs new opponent after Louis Smolka withdraws from UFC 264
Adam D Martin - June 29, 2021
UFC bantamweight star Sean O’Malley is in need of a new opponent after Louis Smolka withdrew from their scheduled upcoming bout at UFC 264. O’Malley and Smolka were set to meet on the main card of UFC 264, which is scheduled to take place on July 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, the fight is now off, according to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani. He confirmed the news that Smolka has withdrawn from the fight following a cryptic tweet from O’Malley suggesting a change.
Chael Sonnen reacts after Jon Jones blocks him on Twitter
Adam D Martin - June 29, 2021
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen reacted after one of his longtime rivals, UFC superstar Jon Jones, blocked him on Twitter. Sonnen took to social media on Tuesday to reveal that Jones hit the block button and no longer will see Sonnen’s tweets, to which “The West Linn Gangster” wrote the following.
Conor McGregor "didn't give Dustin the respect he deserved" at UFC 257, but will KO him in round one at UFC 264, says Artem Lobov
Cole Shelton - June 29, 2021
Artem Lobov believes Conor McGregor overlooked Dustin Poirier back in January at UFC 257. Although Lobov says McGregor was focused on the fight, he says he was also preparing to box Manny Pacquiao which was a done deal. With that, Lobov says McGregor didn’t give Poirier the respect he deserved as he expected to be able to walk through him.
Ali Abdelaziz says Kayla Harrison is "Ronda Rousey 6.0."
Adam D Martin - June 29, 2021
MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz says that his client, PFL women’s lightweight star Kayla Harrison, is “Ronda Rousey 6.0.” Harrison is currently running through the field in the PFL season three women’s lightweight tournament and looks to be one of the best female fighters in the sport right now. A former Olympic gold medalist in judo, Harrison’s MMA career has always — fairly or unfairly — been compared to Rousey’s since she was also an Olympic gold medal judoka before turning over to mixed martial arts. Since making the transition to MMA in 2018, Harrison is a perfect 10-0 in MMA with eight wins by stoppage. She has been dominating everyone in her weight class, and she doesn’t appear to be on the verge of losing any time soon.
Khabib Nurmagomedov says Dana White and the UFC still want him to fight again
Adam D Martin - June 29, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov says UFC president Dana White and co. still want him to fight in the Octagon again. Nurmagomedov first revealed his intentions to retire from MMA following his submission win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last October. After taking several months to consider his future, Nurmagomedov vacated his title earlier this year and retired from the sport. However, even though “The Eagle” is no longer flying, it isn’t stopping White and the rest of the UFC’s top executives from trying to convince the Russian to fight one more time.
Gilbert Burns breaks down upcoming matchup with Stephen Thompson at UFC 264: "We have a very different style"
Adam D Martin - June 29, 2021
Gilbert Burns broke down his upcoming matchup with Stephen Thompson at UFC 264, saying that “we have a very different style.” Burns and Thompson meet in the co-main event of next weekend’s UFC 264 pay-per-view blockbuster event. This is a very important fight at 170lbs as both Burns and Thompson are ranked in the top-five of the division and looking to get closer to a title shot. Burns, of course, lost in his chance to become the UFC welterweight champion earlier this year when he was knocked out by Kamaru Usman at UFC 258, but Thompson hasn’t fought the champ yet and knows a win over Burns could get him where he wants to go. It’s a very fun fight between two fighters who are among the very best the 170lbs weight class has to offer.
Ciryl Gane calls Jon Jones the GOAT, interested in future heavyweight fight with "Bones"
Adam D Martin - June 29, 2021
UFC heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane called Jon Jones the GOAT, and says he is interested in a future heavyweight fight with “Bones.” Gane defeated Alexander Volkov via unanimous decision last weekend to improve to 9-0 in MMA and 6-0 overall in the UFC. The win was so impressive to UFC president Dana White and the promotion’s top executives that Gane was given an interim title shot against Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 this summer with Francis Ngannou out. The Gane vs. Lewis winner will likely be in line to face Ngannou sometime later this year for the undisputed title. Of course, there’s one other factor in the heavyweight equation, and that’s Jones.
Sarah Alpar starts GoFundMe for next fight camp expenses, 'I cannot do it without you'
Drake Riggs - June 28, 2021
UFC flyweight Sarah Alpar is calling for some help from the fans ahead of her sophomore appearance in the promotion. Alpar is set to compete against top debuting prospect Erin Blanchfield on September 18. But before that, “Too Sweet” took to Instagram to share her current GoFundMe campaign.
Pros react after Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane is announced as interim heavyweight title fight at UFC 265
Christopher Taylor - June 28, 2021
Dana White shocked fight fans this afternoon when he announced that Derrick Lewis would be fighting Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 265. After weeks of the UFC President insinuating that a rematch with ‘The Black Beast’ would be next for reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto announced that Lewis vs. Gane was official for August 7 in Houston.
Dana White claps back at Francis Ngannou's manager: "This dude is so full of sh*t!”
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2021
Dana White is clearly not a fan of Francis Ngannou’s management as he took to social media and let the whole world know about it. On Monday, it was revealed the UFC booked Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane to headline UFC 265 on August 7 for the interim heavyweight title. Immediately, Ngannou and his team vented their frustration and said they were surprised by the news, which White says shouldn’t have been the case.
GSP’s coach Firas Zahabi says Nate Diaz is the 'scariest street fighter in MMA'
Andrew Whitelaw - June 28, 2021
As coach of arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time, Firas Zahabi is well-placed to judge what makes a good fighter. In this case, the Canadian heaped praise on the resilience of Nate Diaz. Speaking in a Q&A on the Tristar Gym YouTube channel, Zahabi said,
Khabib Nurmagomedov makes prediction for Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 at UFC 264
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2021
Khabib Nurmagomedov has given his prediction for the trilogy bout between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. McGregor and Poirier fought back in January where Poirier exacted his revenge with a second-round TKO win over the Irishman. After the fight, both men called for the trilogy and it will headline UFC 264 from the T-Mobile Arena on July 10. According to Nurmagomedov, who fought and beat both of them, believes if McGregor can’t finish Poirier in the first round he will lose the fight.
Ciryl Gane opens as heavy favorite to defeat Derrick Lewis at UFC 265
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2021
Ciryl Gane has opened as a sizeable favorite over Derrick Lewis for the interim heavyweight title. The hope for the UFC was to have Ngannou defend his heavyweight title for the first time at UFC 265 on August 7 against Lewis. Yet, the timing didn’t work so the promotion went to an interim belt between Gane and Lewis and the undefeated Frenchman has opened as a sizeable favorite.