MMA News

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.

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,

Chris Taylor - June 28, 2021

Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane have reacted after being booked in a interim heavyweight title fight at UFC 265. After weeks of Dana White insinuating that a rematch with ‘The Black Beast’ would be next for reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, the promotion shocked fight fans today with the announcement of Lewis vs. Gane.

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.

Cole Shelton - June 28, 2021

Francis Ngannou isn’t too thrilled the UFC is creating an interim heavyweight title. Ngannou won the heavyweight title back at UFC 260 at the end of March with a KO win over Stipe Miocic. The plan was for him to face Jon Jones, but the promotion couldn’t come to an agreement with “Bones” and then shifted to Derrick Lewis. Yet, Ngannou’s timeframe didn’t work for August so the promotion booked an interim title fight between Lewis and Gane at UFC 265.

Cole Shelton - June 28, 2021

Derrick Lewis will be fighting for UFC gold on August 7 in Houston, it just won’t be for the undisputed belt. Lewis was reportedly set to face Francis Ngannou in the main event of UFC 265 for the heavyweight title. Yet, the promotion couldn’t come to terms with Ngannou on the timeframe and now the UFC is set for an interim title. According to UFC president, Dana White, who told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Lewis will face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title in the main event of UFC 265.

Adam D Martin - June 28, 2021

Former Bellator fighter and GLORY kickboxer Joe Schilling brutally knocked out a patron at a bar in a video going viral on social media. The video of Schilling knocking a man out has been making the rounds. Watch the video below and see what you think for yourself. In the video, it appears as though Schilling and a man bump into each other, the man says something, then he gets knocked out cold.

Adam D Martin - June 28, 2021

UFC heavyweight contender Ben Rothwell roasted a fan on social media after being criticized for having “haymakers and jiggling tits.” Rothwell is coming off of a second-round submission win over Chris Barnett in his last outing, and he has won three of his last four fights overall. The 39-year-old American has been on the UFC roster since 2009 and is known as being one of the most durable and tough fighters in the UFC heavyweight division. He’s called “Big Ben” due to his massive size — 6’4″ and 265lbs — not to mention his trademark knockout power. But while those attributes have helped Rothwell achieve a long and successful career in mixed martial arts, apparently what he’s doing isn’t good enough for one particular fan who went after him.

Adam D Martin - June 28, 2021

The future betting odds have been released for a potential fight between UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and challenger Ciryl Gane. Gane defeated Alexander Volkov in the main event of UFC Vegas 30 this past Saturday to improve to 9-0 in MMA including a 6-0 mark in the Octagon. Following the fight, Gane said that he intends to sit out and wait for a title shot against Ngannou, who is slated to take on Derrick Lewis in a rematch in his first UFC heavyweight title defense. The UFC has not confirmed the Ngannou vs. Gane fight by any means, but with this matchup a future possibility, the oddsmakers have opened the odds for a potential fight between the two.

Cole Shelton - June 28, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 30, Ciryl Gane put his undefeated record on the line in his toughest test to date against the perennial contender, Alexander Volkov. Gane entered the fight coming off his first main event where he won a lackluster decision over Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Volkov, meanwhile, was riding back-to-back TKO wins over Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris.

Adam D Martin - June 28, 2021

Heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko could fight Josh Barnett, Junior dos Santos, or Alistair Overeem, says Bellator president Scott Coker. It was revealed last week that Emelianenko will be returning to action on October 23 when he headlines Bellator’s first-ever event in Moscow, Russia. Although “The Last Emperor” is now 44 years old — and he will be 45 by the next time he fights — he is still one of the most accomplished and respected mixed martial artists of all time, and anytime he fights, it’s a big deal. Although Emelianenko will return to the cage this fall, we do not know his opponent yet. However, we now have an idea of who could potentially be for him next.

Adam D Martin - June 28, 2021

Diego Sanchez says he is interested in bare-knuckle boxing for BKFC, adding that he “never really liked the gloves in the UFC anyway.” Sanchez was the longest-tenured fighter on the UFC roster until he was released following a dispute with the promotion and his former manager Joshua Fabia. Sanchez eventually fired Fabia and there is still a slight crack in the door for him to potentially fight in the UFC again, but at this moment he is a free agent and has been shopping around his services since he was cut by UFC president Dana White. So far, we haven’t heard of Sanchez officially signing with any promotion, but it appears there could be a frontrunner for them.

Adam D Martin - June 28, 2021

Tyron Woodley roasted Jake Paul over his failed Father’s Day joke: “You wouldn’t know nothing about getting strapped up. Only strap ons.” Paul recently posted a collage of photos of a number of his rivals — including his last opponent Ben Askren and his next opponent in Woodley — mostly in vulnerable situations. In Woodley’s photo, he looks emotional, and Paul was clearly trying to get in his head with the image. But it didn’t work, as Woodley said that he wasn’t emotional in the photo because he lost a fight, but rather that he was getting rewarded with his black belt. As far as Woodley is concerned, having a black belt is something that Paul knows nothing about. Check out what “The Chosen One” wrote in his response to Paul’s Father’s Day joke.

Adam Martin - June 27, 2021

The upcoming 205lbs title fight between champion Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira has been delayed and now headlines UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi. Blachowicz vs. Teixeira was originally set to take place at UFC 266 on September 5, and then the fight was later shifted to September 26. However, the fight has now been delayed yet again. Instead of taking place at UFC 266 as originally intended, the fight will now take place at UFC 267, which is set for October 30 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. AG Fight was the first to confirm the news that the Blachowicz vs. Teixeira bout has been shifted.

Adam Martin - June 27, 2021

UFC heavyweight Tanner Boser fired back at the “dummies” accusing him of fence grabbing against Ovince Saint Preux at UFC Vegas 30. Boser fought OSP in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 30 card. The Canadian won the first round with his striking and appeared to be in control of the fight, but OSP landed a body lock clinch takedown in the second round and appeared to be going to work on the ground. However, Boser was able to stand back up to his feet and land the knockout blow on OSP soon after. UFC commentator Daniel Cormier said that Boser grabbed the fence, but replays showed it was inconclusive and that it was more than likely Boser using his knuckles to push off the fence, which is legal since he didn’t have his fingers through them. Either way, OSP said he plans on filing an appeal regarding the result of the fight.

Adam Martin - June 27, 2021

UFC women’s bantamweight Julia Avila was confused by her 50k bonus snub after UFC Vegas 30: “I don’t know what else to do to get that bonus.” Avila submitted Julija Stoliarenko late in the third round with a rear-naked choke to pick up her third win in the UFC in what was a back-and-forth fight between two very durable and talented fighters. Avila is now 3-1 overall in the UFC and is one of the top-15 ranked flyweights in the promotion. However, despite finishing Stoliarenko in devastating fashion in a fight that the judges actually had tied up leading into the third round, “Raging Panda” was once again not given a bonus for her finish, just as she wasn’t last year when she knocked out Gina Mazany in 22 seconds. At this point, Avila says she doesn’t know what she has to do in order to get a bonus, because she was not one of the lucky 50k recipients.

Adam Martin - June 27, 2021

Top-ranked UFC heavyweight contender Ciryl Gane issued a statement following his wide decision win over Alexander Volkov at UFC Vegas 30. Gane won a decision after outstriking Volkov over the course of 25 minutes in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 30 card. For Gane, it was yet another win in MMA as he improved to 9-0 as a pro including a perfect 6-0 mark in the Octagon alone. It was another fantastic performance for Gane, and he’s hoping that he fights for the belt next, which is currently held by his former training partner, UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

Adam Martin - June 27, 2021

UFC heavyweight Alexander Volkov reacted after losing a decision to Ciryl Gane at UFC Vegas 30, saying “I have a lot to grow and work on.” Volkov lost a unanimous decision to Gane in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 30 event. Although the striking statistics saw Gane officially only outland Volkov 135 to 115 in significant strikes, the Frenchman won a very wide decision on the judges’ scorecards, with the three cage-side judges scoring the bout 50-45, 50-45, and 49-46 in favor of Gane.