MMA News
Robert Whittaker up next for Israel Adesanya, confirms Dana White
Adam Martin - June 13, 2021
Robert Whittaker is up next for UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in his next title defense, confirmed UFC president Dana White. Whittaker was expected to be next in line to fight Adesanya following three straight wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier, and Kelvin Gastelum, but he had to turn down the title shot against Adesanya at UFC 263 for several reasons. According to Whittaker, the turnaround following the Gastelum fight in April was too soon for him to fight again in June, especially since he needed to quarantine once he got home to Australia. With Whittaker not being able to take the fight for June 12, the UFC instead got Marvin Vettori to fight Adesanya, and the champ defended his title with a unanimous decision victory at UFC 263.
Drew Dober reacts after "Fight of the Night" defeat to Brad Riddell at UFC 263
Adam Martin - June 13, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Drew Dober reacted after his “Fight of the Night” defeat to Brad Riddell on the preliminary card at UFC 263. Dober and Riddell went to war in the most exciting fight of the night at UFC 263, a match that saw both men stand and bang for 15 minutes with each other and win $50,000 each for “Fight of the Night” for putting on a show for the fans. For Dober, it was a disappointing loss against a talented, albeit unranked opponent in Riddell. Following the fight, Dober took to his social media to react to the loss to Riddell and thank the fans for all of their support.
Nate Diaz wants to fight again in three or four months following loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 263
Adam Martin - June 13, 2021
UFC fan favorite Nate Diaz wants to fight again in three or four months following his unanimous decision loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 263. Diaz dropped a hard-fought decision to Edwards in a five-round fight at UFC 263. After clearly losing the first four rounds of the fight, Diaz nearly made a comeback late in the fifth round when he rocked Edwards in the final minute of the bout, but ultimately, he came up short and lost 49-46 unanimously on all three judges’ scorecards. But while he didn’t get his hand raised against Edwards, Diaz is hoping to get back into the Octagon soon.
Jamahal Hill praises "warrior" Paul Craig following brutal submission loss at UFC 263
Adam Martin - June 13, 2021
UFC light heavyweight Jamahal Hill praised “warrior” opponent Paul Craig following his brutal submission loss at UFC 263. Hill had his arm dislocated by a first-round armbar submission attempt by Craig in their UFC 263 pay-per-view fight. Craig pulled guard and was able to grab a hold of Hill’s arm, and he was able to dislocate it with a nasty submission. However, referee Al Guinee didn’t see the arm dislocate, and he also missed Hill tapping out, and the fight continued for a few more seconds, with Paul pounding Hill out with hammer fists and winning via TKO. It was an absolutely brutal submission and it temporarily cost Hill the use of his arm. Fortunately, the arm wasn’t broken, but he lost the fight as the favorite nonetheless.
Chase Hooper issues statement following loss at UFC 263: "I always give it my all and leave everything in the cage"
Adam Martin - June 13, 2021
UFC featherweight Chase Hooper issued a statement following his loss at UFC 263: “I always give it my all and leave everything in the cage.” Just 21 years of age, Hooper is one of the youngest fighters on the UFC roster, but he entered his UFC 263 fight against Steven Peterson with a 2-1 record in the promotion. A talented Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, Hooper defeated Daniel Teymur in his UFC debut via TKO and also submitted Peter Barrett via heel hook in his last outing, which sandwiched a unanimous decision loss to Alex Caceres in between. With Hooper being super young and improving his game, he entered the fight with Peterson as a very slight favorite to win. However, the fight did not go his way, and Peterson ended up winning a clear decision.
Nate Diaz is "going to be asking us for a six-round fight next time,” says Dana White following UFC 263
Adam Martin - June 13, 2021
UFC president Dana White reacts to Nate Diaz’s performance at UFC 263, saying “he’s going to be asking us for a six-round fight next time.” Diaz went the full five rounds with Leon Edwards at UFC 263 and dropped a unanimous decision at the end of the 25 minutes. However, while he lost the first four rounds of the fight, Diaz came on strong in the fifth round and nearly knocked Edwards out in the final minute of the fight. Diaz has always been known for his legendary cardio, which is one of the reasons why he wanted this fight to be scheduled for five rounds, and the UFC obliged and booked this fight against Edwards for 25 minutes, which nearly changed the result.
Dana White open to booking Leon Edwards vs. Jorge Masvidal following UFC 263
Adam Martin - June 13, 2021
UFC president Dana White says he is open to booking a welterweight matchup between Leon Edwards and Jorge Masvidal following UFC 263. Edwards defeated Nate Diaz via unanimous decision at UFC 263 to extend his unbeaten streak to 10 fights in a row (9-0, 1 NC). However, White has remained adamant that the next title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman will go to Colby Covington next, not Edwards. With Edwards not being next in line for a title shot, that means that Edwards could potentially take another fight instead of waiting around. And if that’s the case, then one fighter that is available for a fight could be his rival Masvidal.
Lauren Murphy not guaranteed next title shot against Valentina Shevchenko, says Dana White
Adam Martin - June 13, 2021
UFC president Dana White says he is not committed to giving Lauren Murphy a title shot against flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko next. Murphy defeated Joanne Calderwood via split decision on the UFC 263 preliminary card for her fifth win in a row, and she wants to fight for the belt next. Murphy hasn’t fought the champion Shevchenko yet so it would be a fresh fight, and based on her five-fight win streak it’s hard to ignore what she has been doing in the division. But as far as the UFC bossman White is concerned, he isn’t sure what he wants to do yet with Murphy.
Jake Paul reacts to the fights at UFC 263, claims he will knock out Nate Diaz after he KOs Tyron Woodley
Adam D Martin - June 13, 2021
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul reacted to the fights at UFC 263, claiming that he will knock out Nate Diaz after he KOs Tyron Woodley. Paul has become one of the biggest names in combat sports these days after winning several boxing matches over the likes of Ben Askren and Nate Robinson, and this summer he takes on the former UFC welterweight champion Woodley. Paul has often been tweeting during the UFC cards as of late, and it was no different this weekend at UFC 263. Following the fight between Diaz and Leon Edwards, Paul took to his social media to claim that he will knock Diaz out, once he gets through with Woodley after their boxing match on August 28.
John McCarthy scolds referee Al Guinee for failing to notice that Jamahal Hill had dislocated his arm in UFC 263 fight with Paul Craig
Adam D Martin - June 13, 2021
John McCarthy scolded referee Al Guinee for failing to notice that Jamahal Hill had dislocated his arm in UFC 263 fight with Paul Craig. The UFC headed to Glendale, Arizona for UFC 263, and the athletic commission hired Guinee, a local referee on the regional circuit there, to handle several of the fights on the UFC 263 pay-per-view card. One of the fights that Guinee was assigned to was the Hill vs. Craig light heavyweight bout that opened up the card. However, the referee made a major blunder when he failed to notice that Hill had dislocated his arm against Craig and didn’t stop the fight immediately. He also failed to notice that Hill had indicated a tap, which led to the fighter taking far more damage than he needed to take, and McCarthy wasn’t happy.
Dana White provides update on his relationship with Paulo Costa: “He said some nutty sh*t and I straightened it out”
Adam D Martin - June 13, 2021
UFC president Dana White provided an update on his relationship with Paulo Costa, saying “he said some nutty sh*t and I straightened it out.” Costa recently blasted the UFC over fighter pay, suggesting that he never signed a contract to fight Jared Cannonier this summer because he wanted to get paid more for the fight. Costa compared UFC fighters to YouTubers-turned-boxers such as Jake Paul, who are making huge money these days. In response to those comments from Costa, White quipped that Costa should have started a YouTube channel when he was a teenager.
Dana White slams Tyron Woodley ahead of boxing match Jake Paul: “He hasn't won a fight in 3 years in something that he's actually supposed to be good at”
Adam D Martin - June 13, 2021
UFC president Dana White slammed Tyron Woodley ahead of the Jake Paul boxing match, saying that he hasn’t won an MMA fight in three years. Woodley recently concluded his UFC contract following four straight losses to Vicente Luque, Colby Covington, Gilbert Burns, and Kamaru Usman. Not long after this contract expired, Woodley agreed to terms with Paul for a boxing match later this summer. The two will now meet on August 28 in a highly-anticipated boxing match between the YouTuber Paul and the former UFC welterweight champion Woodley. But while the fight seems destined to be a pay-per-view blockbuster, it doesn’t appear as though White is a fan of it.
Israel Adesanya reveals what he told Marvin Vettori after escaping his rear-naked choke at UFC 263
Christopher Taylor - June 13, 2021
Israel Adesanya had a brief scare in tonight’s rematch with Marvin Vettori at UFC 263, this after getting caught in a rear-naked choke. After seemingly cruising through the opening two rounds of his rematch with Vettori, Adesanya was taken down in the early moments of round two. ‘The Italian Dream’ quickly transitioned to the champs back and proceeded to lockup a rear-naked choke. However, ‘Stylebender’ miraculously broke free from the hold and instantly transitioned into top position.
Nate Diaz reacts following loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 263: "In a real fight in a real world, that fight's a wrap. He was sleepwalking!"
Christopher Taylor - June 12, 2021
Nate Diaz returned to the Octagon for the first time in over a year and a half this evening at UFC 263 for a welterweight bout with Leon Edwards. Diaz (20-13 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since suffering a TKO loss to Jorge Masvidal in November of 2019. Prior to that setback, ‘The Stockton Slugger’ had earned a unanimous decision victory over former lightweight title holder Anthony Pettis.
Jon Jones reacts to Israel Adesanya defeating Marvin Vettori at UFC 263
Christopher Taylor - June 12, 2021
Former light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones was clearly watching tonight’s UFC 263 main event rematch between Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori. Jones (26-1 MMA) and Adesanya (21-1 MMA) have become bitter rivals over the past couple of years, so it was no surprise to see that ‘Bones’ tuned in for tonight’s headliner.
UFC 263 Bonus Report: Brandon Moreno earns bonus for title-earning finish of Deiveson Figueiredo
Chris Taylor - June 12, 2021
The Octagon returned to Arizona for tonight’s UFC 263 event, a fourteen-bout fight card headlined by a rematch between Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori. The middleweight title fight proved to be a dominant showing from Adesanya. The champ was able to seemingly stifle the grappling of Marvin Vettori, which left the Italian standing in Izzy’s wheelhouse. Although ‘Stylebender’ did not deliver on the finish that he promised, he won every round on all three of the judges scorecards.
Pros react to Israel Adesanya defeating Marvin Vettori at UFC 263
Chris Taylor - June 12, 2021
Israel Adesanya was looking to earn his third middleweight title defense when he rematched Marvin Vettori in tonight’s UFC 263 main event. Adesanya (21-1 MMA) and Vettori (17-5-1 MMA) had originally collided in April of 2018, with the promotions reigning middleweight champion emerging victorious by way of split decision.
UFC 263 Results: Israel Adesanya defeats Marvin Vettori (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - June 12, 2021
Israel Adesanya will attempt to earn his third middleweight title defense when he rematches Marvin Vettori in tonight’s UFC 263 main event. Adesanya (20-1 MMA) and Vettori (17-4-1 MMA) originally collided in April of 2018, with the promotions reigning middleweight champion emerging victorious by way of split decision.