MMA News
Luke Rockhold claims Khamzat Chimaev declined to fight him in a main event: "I thought he would fight anyone"
Cole Shelton - June 23, 2021
Luke Rockhold was offered a UFC main event in August against Khamzat Chimaev but he claims the undefeated fighter turned it down. Rockhold has talked about a return to the Octagon for quite some time and wanted a top-ranked middleweight. Yet, the former UFC middleweight champion revealed he was offered to headline the August 28 Fight Night card but Chimaev turned it down. He was also offered a three-round fight against Chimaev at UFC 265 on August 7, but that too was declined by the Swede, Rockhold revealed to Ariel Helwani.
Tim Johnson passed up waiting for Ryan Bader for interim title fight, expects a decision win over Valentin Moldavsky
Cole Shelton - June 23, 2021
Tim Johnson could’ve waited for a title shot against Ryan Bader. After Johnson earned a split decision win over Cheick Kongo last October he cemented himself as the number one contender at heavyweight. The plan was for the UFC veteran to face Ryan Bader in the first quarter of 2021 for the heavyweight title. Yet, Bader went into the light heavyweight grand prix and instead of waiting, Johnson will face Valentin Moldavsky in the main event of Bellator 261 for the interim heavyweight title.
Renato Moicano plans to prove he belongs among lightweight best with win over Jai Herbert
Cole Shelton - June 23, 2021
Renato Moicano was hoping to get some ranked opponents when he moved up to lightweight, but that hasn’t happened. The Brazilian was a top-10 featherweight but when he moved up he fought Damir Hadzovic and won by submission. In his next fight, he suffered a TKO loss to Rafael Fiziev. He will now face Jai Herbert at UFC Vegas 30.
Khaos Williams eyes fall return but won't give "anyone extra clout" by calling them out: "I'll let my hands do the talking"
Cole Shelton - June 23, 2021
Khaos Williams was happy he got back into the win column on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 29. Williams broke onto the UFC scene with two sub-30 second KOs over Alex Morono and Abdul Razak Alhassan. In his third fight, he suffered a close decision loss to Michel Pereira, but on Saturday he earned a hard-fought decision win over Matt Semelsberger which Williams was happy about.
Leon Edwards fires back at Gilbert Burns for suggesting he “wasn’t hungry” in fight with Nate Diaz: “You got knocked out with a jab”
Adam D Martin - June 23, 2021
Leon Edwards fired back at Gilbert Burns for suggesting he “wasn’t hungry” in the Nate Diaz fight, saying “you got knocked out with a jab.” Edwards won a unanimous decision over Diaz at UFC 263 earlier this month, but he wasn’t able to get the finish and nearly got stopped himself during a crazy fifth round of action. Although Edwards got his hand raised, UFC president Dana White stopped short of committing to giving him the next title shot despite being on a 10-fight unbeaten streak at the moment. White instead said that Colby Covington is next in line to fight UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. But one has to wonder if Edwards was able to go out there and finish Diaz if he would have been granted the title shot instead of Covington.
Colby Covington slams welterweight “joke” Stephen Thompson: “He should probably just retire”
Adam D Martin - June 23, 2021
UFC welterweight Colby Covington slammed divisional rival Stephen Thompson, calling him a “joke” and saying “he should probably just retire.” Covington is set to face UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a rematch later this year for the 170lbs gold, but Thompson is hopeful that he will jump past Covington in the title queue with a win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 264 next month. As the highest-ranked fighter who hasn’t fought Usman yet, Thompson believes that a big win over Burns could help him jump past Covington and Leon Edwards when it comes to the title shot order.
Nate Diaz unloads on “amateur” Gilbert Burns following his criticism of Leon Edwards' performance at UFC 263
Adam D Martin - June 23, 2021
UFC welterweight superstar Nate Diaz unloaded on “amateur” Gilbert Burns following his criticism of Leon Edwards’ performance at UFC 263. Edwards won a unanimous decision over Diaz at UFC 263 earlier this month. After winning the first four rounds of the fight, Diaz rocked Edwards in the fifth round with a Stockton slap followed by a straight left, and that’s the moment of the fight that most fans seem to remember about the match. Instead of Edwards going 10 straight fights without losing and earning a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, many fans were disappointed that Edwards wasn’t able to go out there and put the finishing touches on Diaz, and there are some people who think that Edwards’ stock actually went down.
Randy Couture surprised Jake Paul leading charge on fighter pay reform in MMA, thinks Conor McGregor should have done more
Adam D Martin - June 23, 2021
Randy Couture says he is surprised Jake Paul is leading the charge on fighter pay reform in MMA, and he thinks Conor McGregor should have done more. Paul has been banging on the drum to get UFC fighters (and MMA fighters in general) paid more money, especially as he continues to roll in huge paydays in boxing. During a recent press conference, Paul went on an expletive-filled rant and said that UFC president Dana White should be paying his fighters more money, and saying “f*ck Dana White.”
Claressa Shields returns to the PFL cage in August
Adam D Martin - June 23, 2021
Boxer-turned-MMA fighter Claressa Shields returns to the PFL cage in August when she competes for the second time in mixed martial arts. Shields made her MMA debut earlier this month when she finished Brittany Elkin via third-round TKO for a successful first foray into mixed martial arts. It wasn’t an easy fight for Shields, who struggled with her takedown defense for the first two rounds of the fight as Elkin dominated her on the mat. However, Shields was able to conserve her gas tank, and when Elkin started to get tired in the third round of the fight, Shields started to unload massive ground and pound on her opponent and pick up the first win of her MMA career.
Nate Diaz responds after Stephen Thompson suggests he should drop back down to lightweight
Harry Kettle - June 23, 2021
Nate Diaz has issued his response following a suggestion from Stephen Thompson that he should go back down to lightweight. It’s well known that “Wonderboy” is one of the nicest guys in mixed martial arts but beneath that exterior, he’s also one of the most dangerous welterweights on the planet – and he’s been proving that for years now.
Leon Edwards calls Belal Muhammad a “clown” for his rematch request, ‘Remember the Name’ returns fire with multiple insults
Harry Kettle - June 23, 2021
Belal Muhammad hasn’t taken kindly to being called a “clown” by Leon Edwards after Muhammad asked for a rematch. The two men squared off earlier this year with an unfortunate eye poke bringing proceedings to an early end. Ever since then, Edwards has been able to get in the win column against Nate Diaz with Muhammad also picking up a win against Demian Maia.
Coach: Nick Diaz return bout possibly wouldn't be in UFC, 'Nick is very open' to box
Drake Riggs - June 22, 2021
Nick Diaz has once again teased a potential comeback. The elder Diaz brother hasn’t fought since his no-contest with Anderson Silva at UFC 183 in 2015. Now 37, Diaz has an idea of when he’d like to return, according to his coach – and it’s not guaranteed to be in the UFC or MMA.
Anthony Smith: 'Jon Jones failed every drug test the entire week leading up to our fight'
Drake Riggs - June 22, 2021
Anthony Smith and Jon Jones have had a more heated rivalry after their UFC 235 clash than they did before it. Smith rebounded from his unanimous decision title loss to Jones with a fourth-round submission of Alexander Gustafsson. Afterward, Smith came up short in a wild affair with Glover Teixeira. This ultimately led to some shots being taken by Jones as Smith was a victim of a home invasion incident and didn’t take too kindly to the then champion’s comments.
Kamaru Usman responds to criticism from Nate Diaz: “I see you 209. If you really want this 187 then call your boy Hunter”
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2021
Kamaru Usman has responded to Nate Diaz after his recent criticism. Diaz took to social media on Tuesday to blast the welterweight champ for only fighting opponents he already beat and knocked out. Usman was criticized for the rematch due to the fact he dominated Masvidal less than a year prior.
Nate Diaz criticizes Kamaru Usman's fight booking
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2021
Nate Diaz isn’t a fan of Kamaru Usman and the opponents he is facing. At UFC 261, Usman rematched Jorge Masvidal not even a year after dominating him on Fight Island to defend his belt. Yet, “Gamebred” took the fight on just six days’ notice and had to fly around the world. Usman wanted the chance to prove how much better he was and did so in dramatic fashion as he KO’d Masvidal out cold, yet for Diaz, he isn’t impressed.
Stephen Thompson says he's a "bad matchup" for Kamaru Usman
Adam D Martin - June 22, 2021
Stephen Thompson says he’s a “bad matchup” for UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman if the two ever end up fighting inside the Octagon. Thompson is the No. 4 ranked welterweight in the UFC and he returns to the cage this summer when he takes on Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of UFC 264 next month. Thompson has made it clear that he wants to fight for the belt should he get past Burns, and considering he’s the highest-ranked fighter who the champion hasn’t fought yet, there is certainly a good chance that “Wonderboy” could be fighting for the belt should he get past Burns in July. If Thompson gets his shot at Usman, he believes he can win the belt.
Sean Strickland trashes keyboard warriors following incident with Orlando Sanchez
Adam D Martin - June 22, 2021
UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland trashed keyboard warriors following his much-publicized incident in training with Orlando Sanchez. Strickland, one of the top-15 ranked middleweights in the UFC, is currently training for his fight this summer against Uriah Hall. As part of his camp, he was working pummel drills with Sanchez, a BJJ world champion who attempted a standing armlock on Strickland. “Tarzan” was not happy about it and the video of him arguing with Sanchez went viral.
Artem Lobov expecting a "Fight of the Year candidate" in bare-knuckle fight against Olympic silver medalist Denys Berinchyk
Cole Shelton - June 22, 2021
Artem Lobov is eager to face Denys Berinchyk on July 24. In the main event of Mahatch FC, Lobov will face the current undefeated WBO international lightweight champ boxer in Berinchyk. He’s also an Olympic silver medalist, winning the medal in 2012. His résumé speaks for itself which is why Lobov is excited about the fight.