MMA News
Justin Gaethje refutes rumor that he's considering retirement
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2021
Justin Gaethje has refuted any rumors that he’s considering walking away from the UFC and mixed martial arts. After Gaethje suffered a submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title at UFC 254 he said he wanted a quick turnaround. However, that has yet to be the case as “The Highlight” is still sitting on the sidelines and a recent Instagram DM from a training partner of Gaethje hinted that the former interim champ was thinking about retirement.
Claressa Shields says women's MMA is marketed better than in boxing, 'It's fair'
Drake Riggs - June 14, 2021
Claressa Shields made a successful MMA debut this past Thursday night at PFL 4. The 26-year old Flint, Michigan native is 11-0 as a professional boxer with two Olympic gold medals to her name. Shields now comfortably gets ready to build some momentum in her new sport.
Dana White on working with RIZIN in future: 'I'm not saying I would but I'm not saying I wouldn't'
Drake Riggs - June 14, 2021
UFC President Dana White and RIZIN FF Founder Nobuyuki Sakakibara go way back. During the rise of the UFC in the early 2000s, PRIDE FC was doing its thing over in Japan. 15 years later and two most prolific MMA bosses reunited recently.
Paulo Costa responds to Marvin Vettori's callout: "I could fight this Moron"
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2021
Paulo Costa seems open to fighting Marvin Vettori next time out. Costa was supposed to headline a Fight Night card on August 21 against Jared Cannonier. However, the Brazilain withdrew from the fight after he had concerns over his pay and claimed he never signed the contract. After that, many expected him to be away from the Octagon for quite some time but after UFC 263, Vettori called him out.
Askar Askarov vs. Alex Perez set for UFC Vegas 33
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2021
Askar Askarov will face Alex Perez in a potential number one contender bout at UFC Vegas 33. Multiple sources have informed BJPENN.com that Askarov and Perez will fight one another on July 31 at the UFC Apex in Nevada. Contracts for the fight have already been signed, the sources revealed.
Stipe Miocic should get immediate trilogy fight against Francis Ngannou, confident he'd "get his belt back," says teammate
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2021
Aleksa Camur, a longtime teammate of Stipe Miocic is confident the former heavyweight champ can reclaim his title. At UFC 260, Miocic lost by second-round KO to Francis Ngannou to lose his heavyweight title. Although he got finished, he had moments in the fight and even rocked Ngannou. With that, Camur says Miocic deserves the trilogy bout, but if not, a scrap against Jon Jones makes sense.
Dana White comments on potential long-term health care for UFC fighters: "I don’t know about health care forever"
Adam D Martin - June 14, 2021
UFC president Dana White commented on potential long-term health care for UFC fighters, saying “I don’t know about health care forever.” White recently suggested on Instagram that the UFC would “soon” be introducing long-term health benefits to its fighters in a reply to a fan who asked him about it. However, White admitted this past week that he accidentally replied to the wrong fan, and he confirmed that nothing is imminent. It was disappointing news for the fighters, who seemed like they were about to get improved health care, but as of right now there is nothing new to report. However, White said the UFC is still working on other things.
Demian Maia calls out Nate Diaz for final fight of UFC career: "You’re a great fighter who also represents Jiu Jitsu and you’re real"
Adam D Martin - June 14, 2021
Demian Maia called out Nate Diaz for the final fight of his UFC career, telling Diaz “you’re a great fighter who also represents jiu-jitsu.” Maia lost a unanimous decision to Belal Muhammad on the UFC 263 main card, and Diaz lost a decision to Leon Edwards in the very next fight. Following the event, UFC president Dana White said that Maia’s UFC contract is up and he doesn’t see the legend fighting in the promotion anytime soon. But for the 43-year-old Maia, he says he still has one more fight left in him. And he says if he wants anyone for the final walk, he wants it to be Diaz.
What's next for the stars of UFC 263?
Cole Shelton - June 14, 2021
The UFC was back in front of a full capacity crowd in Glendale, Arizona for UFC 263. The card saw two titles on the line as Israel Adesanya fought Marvin Vettori, Deiveson Figueiredo rematched Brandon Moreno and Nate Diaz returned against Leon Edwards in a five-round non-title fight. The event ended up being a good one as Adesanya dominated the Italian in their rematch winning every round to defend his belt. Moreno, meanwhile, became the new flyweight champ as he submitted Figueiredo in a great performance. Finally, it was Edwards winning a clear-cut decision over Diaz but the final minute is what most will remember.
Dana White admits he was surprised Brandon Moreno beat Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263: "I was wrong"
Adam D Martin - June 14, 2021
UFC president Dana White admitted that he was surprised Brandon Moreno beat Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263, further admitting “I was wrong.” Moreno submitted Figueiredo in the third round with a rear-naked choke to become the new UFC flyweight champion. The two rivals previously met in the main event of UFC 256 last December, and they fought to a majority draw after the referee deducted a point from Figueiredo for a low blow. The rematch at UFC 263, however, proved to be decisive for the challenger as he dethroned the champion by taking him out in the third round by submission. It was an incredible performance by Moreno, and one White didn’t see coming.
Marvin Vettori calls out Paulo Costa following loss at UFC 263: "I'd like to really destroy this drunk guy"
Adam D Martin - June 14, 2021
UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori called out Paulo Costa following his loss at UFC 263, saying “I’d like to really destroy this drunk guy.” Vettori lost a unanimous decision to UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in their rematch that served as the main event of UFC 263. For Vettori, this was a tough loss because it’s his second defeat to the champ, which means that he won’t be fighting for the title anytime soon unless Adesanya loses it to someone else or moves up to 205lbs permanently. With the belt not in his grasp anytime soon, Vettori is already looking ahead at some of the other top contenders in the UFC middleweight division for his next fight, and the one name who is has zeroed in on is Paulo Costa, the No. 2 ranked middleweight.
Video | Bigfoot Silva suffers TKO loss in return to MMA
Adam D Martin - June 14, 2021
Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Bigfoot Silva suffered a TKO loss in his return to MMA this past weekend in Serbia. Silva traveled to Sabac, Serbia to take on Quentin Domingos at Megdan Fighting 9. For Silva, this was his first MMA fight since 2017 when he was knocked out by Vitaly Minakov in Russia. Since then, he has competed for GLORY kickboxing and BKFC, losing by knockout to Rico Verhoeven and Gabriel Gonzaga, respectively. But after taking the last two years off to rest up, Silva was feeling confident heading into this fight that he could get back into the win column. Unfortunately for Silva, the fight ended like many of his fights do, with him getting stopped with strikes by his opponent, though some have questioned this stoppage.
Deiveson Figueiredo admits he had bad weight cut, wants trilogy fight with Brandon Moreno after UFC 263
Adam D Martin - June 14, 2021
Former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo reacted after losing his belt to Brandon Moreno by third-round submission at UFC 263. Figueiredo entered the rematch with Moreno as the champion after they fought to a draw in a 2020 “Fight of the Year” candidate at UFC 256 last December. But after struggling on the scale to make weight on Friday, Figueiredo looked slow in the fight and wasn’t able to get anything going. On the other hand, Moreno looked fast and sharp and he put together the most complete performance of his MMA career to date when he finished Figueiredo in the third round with a rear-naked choke. It was an absolutely phenomenal performance by Moreno to steal Figueiredo’s title away from him, and now he’s the new champion.
Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals he is considering a move to football after receiving offers from “a lot of clubs”
Harry Kettle - June 14, 2021
Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has revealed that he is contemplating a move over to association football. After his win over Justin Gaethje last year, Khabib officially retired from mixed martial arts and left with a 29-0 unbeaten record. “The Eagle” is considered to be the greatest lightweight of all time and while some may dispute that, it’s hard to argue with what he’s accomplished.
Tyron Woodley takes the high road following recent criticism from Dana White
Harry Kettle - June 14, 2021
Tyron Woodley has issued his response after Dana White’s recent remarks regarding his shift from mixed martial arts to boxing. It was announced recently that Woodley will be taking on Jake Paul in an exhibition boxing match on August 28, with many hoping Tyron can be the one to put an end to Jake’s rise to prominence in combat sports.
Henry Cejudo praises former training partner Brandon Moreno after winning flyweight title at UFC 263
Adam Martin - June 13, 2021
Henry Cejudo praised his former training partner Brandon Moreno after winning the UFC flyweight title from Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 263. Moreno finished Figueiredo in the third round with a rear-naked choke to become the new UFC flyweight champion. Following the event, Moreno ran into Cejudo backstage and the former UFC flyweight champ congratulated Moreno on his victory. The two were former training partners and Moreno even helped Cejudo prepare for his fights with Demetrious Johnson and Jussier Formiga. Cejudo was nothing but happy for his longtime friend.
Marvin Vettori issues statement following unanimous decision loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 263
Adam D Martin - June 13, 2021
UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori issued a statement following his unanimous decision loss to champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 263. Vettori was confident he had the skillset to beat Adesanya in a rematch after they fought to a split decision three years ago, but the champion proved why he’s the best middleweight in the world with a clear unanimous decision victory.
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.