MMA News

Adam D Martin - May 31, 2021

UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo is confident he will finish Brandon Moreno at UFC 263, saying “I’m going to knock this guy out.” Figueiredo and Moreno meet in a rematch at next weekend’s UFC 263 with 125lbs gold on the line. The two rivals previously met at UFC 256 in December, with the pair fighting to a majority draw after a low blow cost Figueiredo one point on the judges’ scorecards. The hope is that the two will now be able to settle their differences at UFC 263 and the winner of the fight will prove beyond a doubt they are the best active flyweight on the UFC roster.

Cole Shelton - May 31, 2021

Sean Woodson is looking to remind UFC fans that he’s a problem in the featherweight division. Woodson came into the UFC at 6-0 after winning a flying knee KO over Terrance McKinney on the Contender Series. In his debut, he earned a decision win over Kyle Bochniak. In his second appearance, he took on short-notice replacement Julian Erosa. Early on, he had success but in the third round he lost by submission for his first career loss. Although it was disappointing, he says it was a good learning experience.

Cole Shelton - May 31, 2021

Montana De La Rosa knows she has a clear path to victory over Ariane Lipski on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 28. De La Rosa is making a quick turnaround after her draw against Mayra Bueno Silva in February. For the 26-year-old, she still thinks she won the fight but wanted a quick turnaround after the result.

Adam D Martin - May 31, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards is confident that he will finish Nate Diaz at UFC 263, suggesting that “he’s not no invincible man.” Edwards and Diaz meet in a five-round fight on the UFC 263 main card, which takes place on June 13 in Phoenix, Arizona. The two welterweights were supposed to meet last month at UFC 262, but the fight was postponed due to a minor training injury suffered by Diaz. Thankfully, the UFC was able to get the fight re-booked quickly and we’ll see it in just two weeks. On paper, it’s a great fight and the winner could very well be in line for a title shot.

Adam D Martin - May 31, 2021

Boxing superstar Teofimo Lopez praised UFC welterweight Jorge Masvidal, saying that he’s a big fan of the way “Gamebred” conducts himself. Lopez puts his lightweight belt on the line in June when he takes on George Kambosos Jr. With a 16-0 record as a professional boxer and coming off of an upset win over Vasyl Lomachenko, Lopez’s star has never been brighter. Ahead of his upcoming fight, Lopez was a guest on the “1, 2 with James and Kendrick” podcast and he was asked what he thinks about MMA fighters. Speaking to the hosts, Lopez was quick to point out that he’s a big fan of Masvidal, the UFC fighter who exploded into a true superstar over the last few years.

Adam D Martin - May 31, 2021

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski believes COVID-19 symptoms may still be affecting cardio as he prepares for his next fight. Volkanovski is currently set to coach The Ultimate Fighter 29 opposite divisional rival Brian Ortega. The show begins airing on June 1, and the coaches’ fight is expected to happen this fall. However, it is worth noting that this fight was originally set to take place at UFC 260 in March. The fight didn’t end up happening because Volkanovski got COVID-19 and the fight had to be canceled, so the UFC went ahead and had the two coach TUF while he got better.

Adam D Martin - May 31, 2021

Brandon Moreno trashed UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo ahead of their UFC 263 rematch, saying that “man, the guy’s so ugly.” Moreno and Figueiredo met in the main event of UFC 256 last December for the 125lbs title. In one of the best fights of 2020, the Mexican Moreno and the Brazilian Figueiredo went toe-to-toe for the full 25 minutes, with the fight being scored a draw at the end of the five rounds after a point deduction to the champ for a low blow cost him the decision. The UFC decided that the fight was so good and so competitive that an immediate rematch was necessary, and the two will meet in the co-main event of UFC 263 on June 13 in Phoenix.

Adam D Martin - May 31, 2021

Joanna Jedrzejczyk has shot down the idea of a title fight rematch between Carla Esparza and UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas. Jedrzejczyk hasn’t fought since UFC 248 in March 2020, when she lost a spirited split decision to former champ Weili Zhang in one of the best fights of last year. Since then, the Polish fighter hasn’t stepped back into the Octagon, but she is hoping to return to the cage later this year, and she has been adamant that she fights for the belt when she returns. However, Esparza’s recent TKO win over Yan Xiaonan would indicate she’s next in line.

Adam Martin - May 30, 2021

UFC welterweight superstar Jorge Masvidal reacted after the first-ever Gamebred Fighting Championship event was officially announced. Masvidal last month announced that he would be launching Gamebred FC, which is a bare-knuckle MMA promotion. We have seen bare-knuckle fighting make a rise in popularity over the last few years with organizations such as BKFC at the forefront, but we haven’t seen a bare-knuckle MMA promotion really take off. With Masvidal leading the way, the hope is that this first Gamebred FC event is the first of many events for the UFC welterweight star.

Adam Martin - May 30, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez explained why the proposed Mackenzie Dern fight isn’t happening in July as was expected. Rodriguez is coming off of a big win over Michelle Waterson in her last outing and beat Amanda Ribas by knockout before that, so she’s one of the hottest fighters at 115lbs right now. Similarly, Dern has been red hot as of late with a four-fight win streak including a submission over Nina Nunes in her last fight. With both Rodriguez and Dern ranked in the top-10 of the division, UFC president Dana White recently said that the promotion was planning on having these two women headline a UFC Fight Night card on July 21.

Adam Martin - May 30, 2021

UFC lightweight Gregor Gillespie is open to fighting Islam Makhachev fight down the road, suggesting the Russian could be ranked even higher. Gillespie is currently the No. 10 ranked lightweight in the UFC after going 7-1 overall in the promotion, including a stoppage win over Diego Ferreira that recently won him $100,000 in bonuses. One of the top grapplers in the UFC lightweight division, Gillespie is now looking for his next opponent, and one of the suggestions from fans has been Makhachev, who is ranked one spot ahead of Gillespie at No. 9 in the UFC. Makhachev is slated to fight Thiago Moises in July in his next fight, but Gillespie is keeping an eye on him for the future.

Adam D Martin - May 30, 2021

Former UFC heavyweight Bigfoot Silva is excited for his MMA comeback after four years away, saying “Pezao from 10 years ago will return.” Bigfoot hasn’t fought in MMA since June 2017, when he was knocked out by Vitaly Minakov in Russia. He has competed in Glory Kickboxing and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship since then but he lost to Rico Verhoeven and Gabriel Gonzaga by brutal knockout. Overall, Bigfoot has lost his last five MMA fights dating back to 2015, with his last victory coming against Soa Palelei all the way back at UFC 190: Rousey vs. Correia in August 2015.

Adam D Martin - May 30, 2021

UFC president Dana White explained why the upcoming Nate Diaz vs. Leon Edwards welterweight bout at UFC 263 was scheduled for five rounds. For the first time in UFC history, a fight other than a title bout or main event will be scheduled for 25 minutes when Diaz takes on Edwards on June 12 at UFC 263. The fight was originally slated as the co-main event for UFC 262 and was set for five rounds, but even after the fight was moved to UFC 263, which already has two five-round title fights set to take place, the fight between Edwards and Diaz was kept for the five rounds.

Adam D Martin - May 30, 2021

UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo sent a warning to Henry Cejudo and Demetrious Johnson, promising that he would finish them both. Figueiredo returns at UFC 263 next month when he takes on Brandon Moreno in a rematch for the UFC flyweight title. While his focus is solely on his opponent Moreno right now, Figueiredo can’t help but look forward should he get past his opponent. If that’s the case, then Figueiredo is hoping that he gets a fight with the former champ Cejduo at 135lbs.

Adam D Martin - May 30, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight contender Carla Esparza hopes the UFC gives her the next title shot against Rose Namajunas, saying “Come on Dana.” Esparza is coming off of an incredible TKO win over Yan Xiaonan at UFC Vegas 27 last weekend that was the statement she needed to make in order to earn a title shot with Namajunas. Esparza has now won her last five fights in a row, including notable victories over the likes of Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson during that stretch, and she’s hoping that the win over Yan in such devastating fashion will earn her the next title shot.

Adam D Martin - May 30, 2021

Movie star Sylvester Stallone believes that Dustin Poirier has a “big-time advantage” over Conor McGregor in their trilogy fight at UFC 264. Stallone, the star of “Rocky,” spoke to TMZ Sports and was asked about who he believes will take the trilogy fight between Poirier and McGregor at UFC 264 in July. The two rivals are 1-1 so far in their first two fights, with McGregor knocking out Poirier at UFC 178 in September 2014, and Poirier returning the favor at UFC 257 with a knockout of his own. The two will now meet for the third and final time for all the marbles, but if you ask Stallone, one of the two fighters in this particular matchup has the upper hand in the fight.

Adam D Martin - May 30, 2021

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman shared a video of himself walking on his own for the first time since breaking his leg. Weidman suffered one of the most brutal injuries we’ve ever seen in the Octagon when he shattered his right leg on the first kick he threw against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 in April. Immediately after breaking his leg, Weidman was rushed to the hospital and he had surgery on his leg. It was a terrible injury for “The All-American” but he has been working hard during his rehab and recovery in order to not only walk again but return to the UFC.

Chris Taylor - May 29, 2021

Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping says the Conor McGregor of old doesn’t exist anymore and won’t be seen again. According to Bisping (30-9 MMA) the Irishman has achieved far too much in life to ever revert back to the trash-talking version of ‘Mystic Mac‘ that UFC fans originally met back in 2013.