MMA News
Ramona Pascual ushering in fresh start after return victory and environmental changes
Drake Riggs - June 16, 2021
Ramona Pascual continues to put Hong Kong on the map with her goal of reaching the UFC firmly in mind. This past Friday saw the 32-year-old return from a two-year layoff at iKON 7. In doing so, Pascual put her opponent away in two minutes and 50 seconds with an Americana – her first submission win.
Korean Zombie welcoming a "brawl" against Dan Ige, knows a loss ends his time as a title contender
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2021
Korean Zombie knows his UFC Vegas 29 main event against Dan Ige is do-or-die for his time as a featherweight title contender. Zombie enters the fight coming off a loss to Brian Ortega on Fight Island in October. Had he won, he likely could’ve gotten a title shot but instead, he will face Ige. According to Korean Zombie, he says he didn’t know who the Hawaiian was until he fought Calvin Kattar but he’s expecting a brawl on Saturday.
Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor 3 next is the ideal plan according to Diaz's coach
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2021
Nate Diaz is looking to fight again this year and is eyeing the trilogy with Conor McGregor his coach, Cesar Gracie revealed. At UFC 263, Diaz returned to the Octagon for the first time in over a year and dropped a decision to Leon Edwards. After the bout, Demian Maia called out the Stockton, native but according to Gracie, he says the fight doesn’t make sense.
Marlon Moraes vs. Merab Dvalishvili added to UFC 266
Adam D Martin - June 16, 2021
An exciting matchup between bantamweight contenders Marlon Moraes and Merab Dvalishvili has been added to the UFC 266 pay-per-view card. Ray Longo, Dvalishvili’s coach, broke the news on the Anik & Florian podcast that Moraes vs. Dvalishvili is going to take place this fall. The bout has been targeted to take place at UFC 266, which is set for September 25 at a location that has yet to be determined. The fight between Moraes vs. Dvalishvili features two of the top-10 ranked UFC bantamweights.
UFC Vegas 29: Korean Zombie vs. Ige full betting odds
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2021
Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 29 card featuring a battle of top-10 featherweights as Korean Zombie takes on Dan Ige. The UFC Vegas 29 main event sees Korean Zombie looking to return to the win column as he faces rising contender, Dan Ige. Korean Zombie is coming off a decision loss to Brian Ortega on Fight Island. Prior to that, he had back-to-back first-round knockouts over Frankie Edgar and Renato Moicano. Ige, meanwhile, is coming off a 22-second KO win over Gavin Tucker to get back into the win column after losing a decision to Calvin Kattar in the main event of a Fight Island card last July.
Steven Peterson ready to "make a run" at featherweight after Chase Hooper win, wants "loudmouth Nate Landwehr"
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2021
Steven Peterson is happy he beat Chase Hooper at UFC 263 but he did want the finish. Entering the fight, Peterson knew he could hang with Hooper on the ground and thought on the feet there would be a massive gap in skill. That ended up being the case as Peterson even had moments on the ground and just pieced up Hooper on the feet. For the Fortis MMA product, he says he’s pleased with his performance.
Vitor Belfort criticizes Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren for venturing into boxing: "I just think they are the worst representation of MMA"
Adam D Martin - June 16, 2021
Vitor Belfort criticized Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren for venturing into boxing, saying he thinks “they are the worst representation of MMA.” Belfort was supposed to make his return to boxing this weekend against YouTuber “The Real Tarzann” but the entire Triller Fight Club boxing event was pushed back to later this summer after headliner Teofimo Lopez tested positive for COVID-19. For Belfort, it was disappointing to hear the news that the fight was pushed back, but he is looking forward to stepping back into the boxing ring and showing everyone that MMA fighters can actually box, because as far as Belfort is concerned, what we’ve seen thus far hasn’t been pretty.
Matt Brown expecting to have a "great performance" against Dhiego Lima, eyes rematches with Lawler and Cerrone
Cole Shelton - June 16, 2021
Matt Brown is eager to step back into the Octagon. At UFC Vegas 29, Brown will face Dhiego Lima in what should be a very exciting fight. Although they are fighting in the middle of June, the fight was announced in early March which gives the veteran a ton of notice when he says he asked for.
UFC 263 rankings update: Israel Adesanya rockets back up P4P ranks
Adam D Martin - June 16, 2021
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya rocketed back up the pound-for-pound rankings following his win over Marvin Vettori at UFC 263. Following his unanimous decision win over Vettori, Adesanya moved up to No. 3 overall in the P4P rankings, bumping UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovskki down to No. 4. It is a bit surprising to see UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz down at No. 7 given he beat Adesanya at UFC 259 in March, but there’s no doubt that after beating Vettori for the second time that Adesanya has proven him to be among the sport’s elite.
Colby Covington rips Leon Edwards following Nate Diaz fight at UFC 263: "That fight was definitely not of importance to the division"
Adam D Martin - June 16, 2021
Colby Covington ripped Leon Edwards following the Nate Diaz fight at UFC 263, saying it “was definitely not of importance to the division.” Edwards won a unanimous decision over Diaz at UFC 263, but he had to survive a frantic fifth round after he got rocked and wobbled with a Stockton slam followed by a Diaz straight left. Edwards managed to hang on and win the fight, giving him a 10-fight unbeaten streak at the moment, and he wants to fight for the title in his next fight against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. But UFC president Dana White has already said Covington is next in line, and “Chaos” agrees that he’s the rightful No. 1 contender.
Eddie Alvarez was "surprised" Dustin Poirier knocked out Conor McGregor at UFC 257, but says "The Diamond" deserves all of his success
Adam D Martin - June 16, 2021
Eddie Alvarez was “surprised” Dustin Poirier knocked out Conor McGregor at UFC 257, but says that “The Diamond” deserves all of his success. Poirier and McGregor met earlier this year on Fight Island in the rematch between the two longtime rivals. After their first meeting in September 2014 ended with McGregor knocking Poirier out in the first round, many fans thought that the Irishman would get the job done again in the rematch. However, Poirier pulled off the upset when he was able to knock McGregor out in the second round with punches. The two will now meet at UFC 264 this summer in Las Vegas in what is one of the biggest trilogies the UFC has ever put on.
Belal Muhammad claims he “would have broke” Leon Edwards in Round 5 at UFC 263
Harry Kettle - June 16, 2021
Belal Muhammad believes he would’ve broken Leon Edwards in the fifth round if they’d have fought at UFC 263. The two men had a brief bout earlier this year that ended abruptly when an accidental eye poke from Edwards rendered Muhammad unable to continue. Ever since then, Muhammad has been protesting for another shot at Edwards who he now seems to have a legitimate beef with.
Zhang Weili shares that she's begun training for next fight, 'Champion Rose is very strong'
Drake Riggs - June 15, 2021
Former UFC strawweight champion Zhang Weili is already getting back to work for her return to action. China’s Zhang (21-2) suffered defeat to Rose Namajunas in her last time out at UFC 261 in April. She recently took to Instagram to hint at a potential rematch on the horizon as she begins training for her next fight.
Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder have an intense faceoff lasting nearly 6 minutes ahead of their trilogy bout (Video)
Cole Shelton - June 15, 2021
Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder had an intense faceoff on Tuesday following their press conference for their trilogy fight on July 24. Fury and Wilder first met in December of 2018 where they fought to a split draw. After both picked up wins they had their highly-anticipated rematch in February where Fury won by seventh-round TKO. Now, they will have their trilogy bout on July 24 in Las Vegas, but it isn’t as hyped up as the rematch which Fury believes due to the fact Wilder isn’t mentally, physically, or emotionally prepared.
Israel Adesanya explains why he turned down coaching TUF opposite Darren Till
Cole Shelton - June 15, 2021
Israel Adesanya had an opportunity to coach The Ultimate Fighter but the middleweight champ said no. When Dana White and the UFC announced TUF would be coming back many were eager to see who the coaches would be. It ultimately ended up being Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega. Yet, according to Adesanya, he was offered to coach the show against Till but he said no for a couple of reasons.
Angela Hill vs. Tecia Torres the latest addition to UFC 265
Adam D Martin - June 15, 2021
A women’s strawweight rematch between Angela Hill and Tecia Torres is the latest addition to this summer’s UFC 265 pay-per-view event. MMA DNL was the first to report the news of the Hill vs. Torres fight for UFC 265. This is actually a rematch after the two previously met at UFC 188 in Mexico City, Mexico in June 2015. Torres won a unanimous decision that night, and now Hill will be looking to get revenge in the rematch this summer. UFC 265 takes place on August 7 and is rumored to take place at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The planned main event is set to feature UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou against Derrick Lewis in a rematch, while UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes also takes on Julianna Pena on the card.
Dan Ige eyes stoppage win over Korean Zombie in a "statement" win: "He can't take damage from me"
Cole Shelton - June 15, 2021
Dan Ige called his shot and got his wish as he’ll headline UFC Vegas 29 against Korean Zombie on Saturday. After Ige scored a 22-second KO win in March he called out Korean Zombie. Immediately after the callout, Ige was told the UFC liked the fight and they were quick to book it for the main event.
Michael Bisping stumps for Jorge Masvidal vs. Leon Edwards: "That has to be the fight"
Adam D Martin - June 15, 2021
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping is stumping for a welterweight bout next between rivals Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal. Edwards defeated Nate Diaz via unanimous decision at UFC 263, while Masvidal is coming off of back-to-back losses to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. With Colby Covington next in line to fight Usman for the belt, Edwards will likely have to fight someone else in the meantime, and UFC president Dana White suggested that it could be Masvidal. The two have beef stemming from the “three-piece and a soda” incident at UFC London.




