MMA News

Adam D Martin - May 25, 2021

New UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira says he is “happy” to be the betting underdog against Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Oliveira won the UFC’s vacant 155lbs belt when he knocked out Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in Houston, Texas. It was an incredible win by Oliveira, who has now won his last nine straight fights in the Octagon. After spending most of the first decade of his UFC career as essentially a gatekeeper at 145lbs and 155lbs, something changed with Oliveira over the last few years as he has transformed into one of the best lightweight fighters in the UFC.

Adam D Martin - May 25, 2021

UFC bantamweight Cody Garbrandt got emotional following his loss to Rob Font, saying that “I’m trying to fight my heart out for you guys.” Grabrandt dropped a five-round unanimous decision to Font in the main event of this past weekend’s UFC Vega 27 card. For Garbrandt, it was a tough loss as it’s his fourth defeat in his last five fights. In a stacked UFC bantamweight division, a loss like this one really hurts him as he looks to make another run for the UFC bantamweight title that he once held.

Adam D Martin - May 25, 2021

UFC welterweight superstar Nate Diaz has been taking full advantage of the UFC’s marijuana policy change ahead of his return to the Octagon. Diaz returns to the Octagon at UFC 263 on June 12 for a five-round welterweight bout against top contender Leon Edwards. The two were supposed to fight at UFC 262 last month, but the fight was forced back a month after Diaz suffered a minor injury during his training camp. Ahead of his fight with Edwards, Diaz has been taking full advantage of the UFC’s marijuana policy change, as weed is no longer something that will get fighters in trouble with the promotion or with USADA. With the fight against Edwards taking place in Arizona and not in Nevada, where they still test for marijuana, Diaz should be good to go.

Adam D Martin - May 25, 2021

Former UFC champion Tyron Woodley is heavily featured in singer and recording artist Mai Lee’s sexy new music video for the song Redd (Swim). Lee is an R&B singer from St. Louis, which is of course Woodley’s hometown. The two starred together in a new music video, which you can watch below on Lee’s YouTube.

Adam D Martin - May 25, 2021

UFC legend Daniel Cormier reflected on his mauling of Dan Henderson at UFC 173, saying that “I love my boy Hendo, but this was crazy.” In what was his fourth UFC bout at the time, and his second fight at 205lbs, Cormier took on Henderson in the co-main event of UFC 173: Barao vs. Dillashaw in May 2014. In what was a complete mauling, Cormier was able to throw Henderson to the floor with an incredible slam. Seven years after the fight and Cormier posted a throwback video on his social media where he reminisced about one of the best victories of his MMA career.

Harry Kettle - May 25, 2021

Ryan Hall vs Ilia Topuria is one of four new fights that have been announced as the UFC continues to build a stacked summer schedule. The promotion has already come flying out of the blocks to start 2021 and as we look ahead to the next few months, it appears as if they’ve got something similar in store with what could prove to be the UFC’s most important year since the triumph that was 2016.

Harry Kettle - May 25, 2021

Carla Esparza has issued a challenge to Rose Namajunas as she closes in on another shot at the UFC Strawweight Championship. Last Saturday night, Esparza firmly cemented her place as one of the division’s top contenders with a dominant TKO victory over Yan Xiaonan. It marked her fifth straight win and, in the eyes of many, has taken her to the doorstep of a title opportunity.

Drake Riggs - May 24, 2021

Eddie Alvarez has gone to war on numerous occasions throughout his legendary career. It now looks like two of his most notable opponents could square off next. Both of Alvarez’s encounters with fellow former Bellator lightweight king Michael Chandler were instant classics. The same can be said for his UFC 218 bout against Justin Gaethje. Now that both have suffered losses in their most recent title opportunities, UFC President Dana White seemingly still likes the idea of matching the two together.

Drake Riggs - May 24, 2021

Daniel Cormier doesn’t like the idea of Georges St-Pierre getting into the boxing scene for a match with Oscar De La Hoya. Unfortunately for St-Pierre, the UFC has put an end to any of those hopes of making the match happen – at least for the time being. The former UFC dual-division champion in Cormier ultimately views that as a good thing as he believes the risk outweighs the reward when it comes to the Canadian icon’s legacy.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

Joshua Fabia, the former manager of MMA veteran Diego Sanchez, claims that the UFC legend threw his fight against Michael Chiesa at UFC 239. Sanchez lost a lopsided unanimous decision to Chiesa that night, but according to his former manager Fabia, the loss was in part because he was forced to throw the fight. Speaking to the “Behind the Scenes with Summer Helene” podcast, Fabia claimed that Sanchez was forced to throw the fight because, according to Fabia, the Nevada State Athletic Commission spoke to Sanchez and got into his head 30 minutes before the fight.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

UFC fan-favorite Kevin Lee reacted after his comeback fight against Sean Brady in the welterweight division was announced for UFC 264. Lee hasn’t fought since March 2020, when he was submitted by current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC Brasilia. For the past year, he has been out of action while healing up injuries, but he’s now ready to return to the Octagon this summer. Overall, Lee has lost three of his last four fights and he needs to get back in the win column, but the UFC matchmakers have done him no favors by matching him up with a very tough opponent in Brady in what should be an exciting fight that is set for UFC 264.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

UFC middleweight contender Jack Hermansson wants to fight Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa, or the winner of Derek Brunson vs. Darren Till next. Hermansson is coming off of a big win over Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC Vegas 27. After a tough start in the first round, Hermansson dominated the fight with his grappling in the second and third rounds to win unanimously on the judges’ scorecards with 29-27 scorecards (the last round was a 10-8). It was a tremendous performance by Hermansson and a much-needed victory for the Swede after losing to Marvin Vettori in his last outing.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

UFC women’s featherweight Felicia Spencer reacted following her loss to Norma Dumont at UFC Vegas 27, saying “I didn’t turn the switch on.” Spencer lost a split decision to Dumont on the UFC Vegas 27 main card, with the judges scoring the bout 30-27, 28-29, and 29-28 in favor of the Brazilian. For Spencer, the loss to Dumont gives her the first two-fight losing skid of her career after getting smashed by Amanda Nunes in her previous outing at UFC 250. Overall, Spencer is 2-3 in the UFC now, and with the future of the promotion’s 145lbs division very much in the air, it will be interesting to see what’s next for “The FeeNom” following what was a very tough loss.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

Joshua Fabia blasted Diego Sanchez following the pair’s split, suggesting that “Diego has clearly been taking advantage of me for two years.” It was last week that Sanchez announced that he has left Fabia after working with him over the last few years. The straw that broke the camel’s back seemed to be Sanchez getting released by the UFC last month and then a video that emerged of Fabia punching and kicking Sanchez in the head while he hung upside down. Fighters, fans, and media blasted Fabia for his training methods in the video, and a week later, Sanchez left him.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg wants to fight Cat Zingano next, but the promotion’s top executive Scott Coker is unsure. Cyborg picked up a fifth-round TKO win over Leslie Smith in the main event of Bellator 259 last Friday night to improve to a perfect 3-0 under the Bellator banner. Following the win, Cyborg requested that she fight Zingano next in a battle of former UFC fighters. Zingano is 2-0 in Bellator so far and has overall looked solid in the promotion, and it would be a fresh matchup for Cyborg if Bellator makes it. But at this point, it’s not a guarantee it’s booked.

Adam D Martin - May 24, 2021

UFC superstar Conor McGregor congratulated former lightweight divisional rival Paul Felder on the recent announcement of his MMA retirement. Felder broke the news during the UFC Vegas 27 card that he is officially stepping away from the sport and retiring at age 36. Fans, media, and fighters soon took to their social media to say kind words about “The Irish Dragon,” and McGregor was among them. Taking to his Twitter on Sunday, McGregor congratulated Felder on his fantastic UFC career.

Harry Kettle - May 24, 2021

Paul Felder has gone into more detail regarding his decision to retire from mixed martial arts, as he announced on Saturday night. Felder made the revelation during the UFC Vegas 27 broadcast, insisting that while it was a tough decision to make, it was the right thing for him and his family. The 37-year-old walks away from the sport with a 17-6 record, with his last Octagon appearance being a split decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos back in November.

Chris Taylor - May 23, 2021

Former UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones says that he is about to give birth to something big, suggesting that it is also out of the ordinary. Jones (26-1 MMA) was expected to make his heavyweight debut this summer, but failed contract negotiations with Dana White and company have halted those plans for the time being.