MMA News
Judge Sal D'Amato explains 10-8 scorecard for Michael Chandler in Charles Oliveira title fight at UFC 262
Adam D Martin - May 21, 2021
Veteran MMA judge Sal D’Amato explained why he scored a 10-8 scorecard for Michael Chandler in the Charles Oliveira title fight at UFC 262. Oliveira didn’t need the judges to come into the equation because he knocked Chandler out in the second round to win the vacant UFC lightweight belt. But the fact the first round was scored 10-8 for Chandler by Sal D’Amato and Chris Lee despite the fact Oliveira had back control on Chandler during the round is troubling. The correct scorecard according to most fans was a 10-9 Chandler card, but instead, we somehow got two 10-8 rounds instead. That led to UFC commentator Daniel Cormier taking the judges to town for their cards.
Christos Giagos blasts commentary team for being bias towards Sean Soriano, doubles down on Donald Cerrone callout
Cole Shelton - May 21, 2021
Christos Giagos wasn’t a fan of the UFC 262 commentary team. Opening up the card, Giagos fought short-notice replacement, Sean Soriano. Soriano is one of Michael Chandler’s main training partners. Throughout the fight, Giagos believes the commentary team was biased towards his opponent and they weren’t mentioning anything he was doing well.
UFC Vegas 27 weigh-in results: Rob Font and Cody Garbrandt official for headliner
Adam D Martin - May 21, 2021
The official weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 27 took place on Friday in Las Vegas and all but one fighter scheduled to compete has made weight. The main event of UFC Vegas 27 sees top-five ranked bantamweights battle it out as Rob Font takes on Cody Garbrandt. Font has won his last three fights in a row, including a KO win over Marlon Moraes in his last outing, while Garbrandt is coming off of a ridiculous highlight-reel KO over Raphael Assuncao. Both men hit very hard and this should be an exciting fight for as long as it lasts, with someone likely getting brutally knocked out here.
Anderson Silva praises longtime rival Vitor Belfort as both MMA legends transition into boxing
Adam D Martin - May 21, 2021
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva praised his longtime rival Vitor Belfort as both MMA legends make the transition into boxing. Silva makes his return to boxing next month when he takes on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in his first boxing match since 2005. At age 46, Silva was released by the UFC last year after getting knocked out by Uriah Hall, but he has moved quickly to re-establish himself in the world of boxing. Like many older fighters, Silva is using his name to cash in on the current boxing craze that was started by older fighters such as Mike Tyson returning to the ring.
UFC Vegas 27 loses fight after Raulian Paiva hospitalized after brutal weight cut
Adam D Martin - May 21, 2021
UFC Vegas 27 has lost one of its fights after flyweight Raulian Paiva fell ill during a tough weight cut and had to be hospitalized. MMAFighting.com’s Damon Martin first reported that Paiva got sick during his weight cut and was pulled from the card. His scheduled flyweight bout against fellow top-15 ranked contender David Dvorak will not go on as planned any longer. Right now, UFC Vegas 27 still has 12 fights scheduled, though it’s possible something else could happen during weigh-ins. Hopefully, this is the only fight that gets scratched and we go on with 12 fights.
Carla Esparza wants rematch with Rose Namajunas with win over Yan Xiaonan at UFC Vegas 27
Adam D Martin - May 21, 2021
UFC women’s strawweight contender Carla Esparza wants a rematch with champion Rose Namajunas with a win over Yan Xiaonan at UFC Vegas 27. Esparza meets Xiaonan in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 27 this Saturday night. Esparza is the No. 4 ranked women’s strawweight while Xiaonan is ranked No. 3, so the winner of this fight will put themselves in a tremendous position to challenge Namajunas, who recently beat No. 1 ranked contender Weili Zhang at UFC 262 to win the 115lbs belt.
Luke Rockhold says no one in the UFC middleweight top-15 wants to fight him
Adam D Martin - May 21, 2021
Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold says that no one in the current UFC middleweight top-15 wants to have a fight against him. Rockhold hasn’t fought since a KO loss to current UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239 in July 2019. He has been dealing with injuries ever since then, including a shoulder injury, that has resulted in him having had an extended layoff. However, he has been back in the gym recently and has made it clear that he is hoping to return to the Octagon later this summer or sometime in the fall. And when he does return to the cage, Rockhold has made it clear that he desires a top-15 opponent in his return.
UFC 262 Medical Suspensions: Shane Burgos out indefinitely following scary loss to Edson Barboza
Harry Kettle - May 21, 2021
The official list of UFC 262 medical suspensions have been released with Shane Burgos and Jacare Souza being suspended indefinitely. The pay-per-view last weekend was hailed by many as a success with the majority of fans watching at home feeling as if they were able to get a good night of fights under their belt. However, we also saw some pretty nasty finishes, which is why there’s always bound to be some notable medical suspensions after the fact.
Dana White claims he has “absolutely moved on” from the idea of Jon Jones fighting at heavyweight
Adam D Martin - May 21, 2021
UFC president Dana White claims that he has “absolutely moved on” from the idea of former 205lbs champion Jon Jones fighting at heavyweight. It was last summer that Jones vacated the UFC light heavyweight title and made his intentions known that he was moving up to heavyweight in 2021. He has spent the last year bulking up to get stronger, and he was widely expected to fight the winner of the UFC 260 main event between Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic, which Ngannou won via second-round knockout. However, after going through a very public contract negotiation with White for his move up to heavyweight, it appears that move is not on the table.
Diego Sanchez following split with Joshua Fabia: "Sometimes you have to look hard in the mirror to see yourself clearly"
Christopher Taylor - May 20, 2021
It sounds like former TUF 1 winner Diego Sanchez did a lot of soul searching following his recent release from the UFC. Sanchez (30-13 MMA) was expected to have his final fight with the Ultimate Fighting Championship earlier this month at UFC Vegas 26 against fellow veteran Donald Cerrone. However, that fight was scrapped just ten days prior to the event after Diego’s coach and mentor Joshua Fabia had a confrontation with promotional officials. The incident also resulted in Diego Sanchez’s release from the organization.
Brendan Schaub confirms that he knew Jake Paul would interrupt his Dillon Danis interview
Drake Riggs - May 20, 2021
Brendan Schaub almost saw a brawl of sorts break out on his Food Truck Diaries set between Jake Paul and Dillon Danis. Paul’s drive-by water balloon and toilet paper attack on Danis was speculated as staged by many. Now several months removed from the December episode of Below the Belt’s Food Truck Diaries, Schaub reveals he at the very least knew something was bound to go down.
Beneil Dariush says Zhang Weili has 'terrible excuse' for Rose Namajunas loss
Drake Riggs - May 20, 2021
Zhang Weili and Beneil Dariush had mixed results in their most recent outings. However, they both were on the receiving end of negative crowd reactions. Dariush now finds himself sitting at the No. 3 ranked contender spot at lightweight after a dominant win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 262 this past weekend. The event was the second for the UFC to host a full crowd since the global pandemic.
UFC 262 reportedly does 300,000 pay-per-views buys in the United States
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2021
The pay-per-view buy rate for UFC 262 is reportedly in. According to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, UFC 262 sold 300,000 PPV buys on ESPN+ in the United States. That number does not include international buys, as it is domestic buys only.
Luke Rockhold claims "Feminine shins" resulted in Chris Weidman breaking his leg at UFC 261
Chris Taylor - May 20, 2021
Luke Rockhold believes “feminine shins” are to blame for Chris Weidman’s horrific leg break against Uriah Hall at UFC 261. Rockhold (16-5 MMA) and Weidman (15-6 MMA) have had a long standing rivalry ever since ‘Rocky’ dethroned the ‘All American’ in brutal fashion back at UFC 194.
Jacare Souza no longer on UFC roster after submission loss at UFC 262
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2021
Jacare Souza is no longer a member of the UFC roster. At UFC 262, Souza was fighting fellow Brazilian grappling ace, Andre Muniz. The bout also served as Souza’s final fight on his contract where he suffered a submission loss. According to ESPN, the former Strikeforce champ is now a free agent.
Diego Sanchez terminates professional relationship with Joshua Fabia
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2021
Diego Sanchez has cut his ties with Joshua Fabia. The UFC Hall of Famer told MMAFighitng he has ended his professional relationship with his former coach and manager in Fabia. Sanchez would not comment any further and said he would release something next week on his decision.
Jose Aldo vs. Pedro Munhoz added to UFC 265
Adam D Martin - May 20, 2021
An intriguing bantamweight bout between two of the best fighters in the division takes place at UFC 265 when Jose Aldo meets Pedro Munhoz. Combate’s Ana Hissa and Raphael Marinho first reported the Aldo vs. Munhoz fight for UFC 265, which takes place on August 7. The card currently does not have its main event set, but Amanda Nunes is expected to defend the UFC women’s bantamweight title in the co-main event or as the third title fight on what could be a stacked card. As well, a middleweight bout between Uriah Hall and Sean Strickland takes place on this card.
UFC Vegas 27: Font vs. Garbrandt full betting odds
Cole Shelton - May 20, 2021
Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 27 card featuring a pivotal bantamweight bout between Rob Font and Cody Garbrandt. The UFC Vegas 27 main event sees top-four bantamweight collide as Rob Font takes on Cody Garbrandt. Font is riding a three-fight winning streak and coming off a first-round TKO over Marlon Moraes in December for the biggest win of his career. Garbrandt, meanwhile, returned to the win column last time out with a highlight-reel KO over Raphael Assuncao in June. Prior to that, he lost three straight fights by KO to Pedro Munhoz, and TJ Dillashaw twice to lose his belt.