MMA News
Henry Cejudo issues hilarious response to latest jab from Petr Yan
Harry Kettle - May 18, 2021
Former UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo has issued an amusing response to Petr Yan as their war of words continues. Cejudo walked away from mixed martial arts last year in the prime of his career, with many wondering whether or not he’d ever return. The popular opinion is that he will at some point in the future but for the time being, Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan are the two top dogs in the incredibly stacked bantamweight division.
Charles Oliveira home video from 2009 proves dreams really do come true
Adam D Martin - May 18, 2021
A home video made by UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira from 2009 proves that dreams really do come true for some MMA fighters. After 11 years in the UFC, Oliveira has finally reached the pinnacle of the sport. This past Saturday night at UFC 262, Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler via second-round TKO to become the new UFC lightweight champion. After 28 fights in the Octagon, finally, the Brazilian is wearing gold around his waist. It has been an incredible journey for “Do Bronx” over the years since making his promotional debut back in 2010. But not only has it been an incredible journey for him inside the Octagon, but it’s also been a wild ride outside of it.
Daniel Cormier believes Islam Makhachev is receiving ‘Kamaru Usman treatment’ at lightweight: “Nobody wants to fight him”
Harry Kettle - May 18, 2021
Daniel Cormier believes that Islam Makhachev is receiving the “Kamaru Usman” treatment by suggesting nobody in the top 15 wants to fight him. Makhachev, who is currently riding a seven-fight win streak in the UFC, is set to fight Thiago Moisés this July in a bout that has left many fans confused. While Thiago is certainly a worthy opponent, the popular opinion seems to be that Makhachev could quite easily be booked against someone placed higher up in the 155-pound division.
Tony Ferguson has no plans of retiring following latest loss at UFC 262: "The way I see it... We’ve only just begun.”
Christopher Taylor - May 17, 2021
Tony Ferguson has no plans of retiring following his third consecutive loss at last Saturday’s UFC 262 pay-per-view event in Houston. ‘El Cucuy’ had entered his co-main event bout with Beneil Dariush looking to rebound from his recent setbacks to Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.
Jake Paul claims “there’s conversations happening” with the UFC
Cole Shelton - May 17, 2021
Jake Paul says he has been in talks with the UFC. Paul, the brash YouTuber turned boxer is 3-0 and coming off a first-round TKO over Ben Askren. After the fight, Dana White questioned the legitimacy of the bout, but there is no question Paul is currently one of the biggest prizefighters and he recently revealed he is a free agent and open to other opportunities.
Charles Oliveira gets hero's welcome in Brazil after winning lightweight title at UFC 262 (Video)
Cole Shelton - May 17, 2021
Charles Oliveira brought the UFC belt back home to Brazil and got a hero’s welcome in his return. In the main event of UFC 262, Oliveira fought Michael Chandler for the vacant lightweight title. Early on in the fight, the Brazilian had success as he had Chandler’s back, but late in the first, he got dropped and the American was landing heavy ground and pound but Oliveira ended up surviving.
Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua in jeopardy after an arbitrator rules Deontay Wilder is owed a third fight
Cole Shelton - May 17, 2021
Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua on August 14 is in jeopardy of not happening. On Sunday, Fury said his heavyweight unification fight was 100 percent official for August 14 in Saudi Arabia. However, on Monday, an arbitrator ruled Fury must face Deontay Wilder in a rematch by Sept. 15, ESPN learned.
Jon Jones believes there are “huge things” in his future despite Dana White’s recent comments
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2021
UFC superstar Jon Jones believes that there are still “huge things” in his future despite UFC president Dana White’s recent comments. Jones has been involved in very public contract negotiations over a potential superfight against UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Recently, White said that the UFC is moving on and giving the title shot to Derrick Lewis instead. The UFC has apparently approached Jones about the idea of fighting former champion Stipe Miocic, but he is uninterested in that fight, too. That led to White making comments following UFC 262 which suggested that the UFC doesn’t care whether or not Jones ever fights again.
Christos Giagos calls out Donald Cerrone following big win at UFC 262: "It'd be an honor to fight Cowboy"
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2021
UFC lightweight Christos Giagos called out veteran Donald Cerrone following his win at UFC 262, saying “It’d be an honor to fight Cowboy.” Giagos won a $75,000 bonus for “Performance of the Night” for his incredible second-round D’arce choke submission win over Sean Soriano in the opening fight of the UFC 262 card. Giagos was rocked by punches from Soriano in the first round but managed to compose himself and make it to the second round, where his grappling skills took over and he got the finish. It was an incredible performance by Giagos, an unranked UFC lightweight who improved to 5-4 overall in the Octagon. Now, he wants to fight his hero Cerrone next.
Austin Vanderford expects to drag Fabian Edwards into the "deep waters," believes a win puts him into title contention
Cole Shelton - May 17, 2021
Austin Vanderford is eager to share the cage with Fabian Edwards at Bellator 259 on Friday night. Vanderford is 10-0 and coming off a decision win over Vinicius de Jesus in his third fight in Bellator. Vanderford is currently the third-ranked middleweight while Edwards is ranked fourth. Although they are both up and comers in the division, Vanderford believes the fight makes sense now.
Khabib Nurmagomedov trashed Tony Ferguson's "completely mediocre upbringing" in 2019 autobiography
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov trashed his rival Tony Ferguson’s upbringing in his autobiography from 2019. Though “#Khabibtime” came out two years ago, it wasn’t until this past weekend where passages of Nurmagomedov’s book began floating around online where he threw some serious shade towards Ferguson, his longtime rival who he never ended up fighting in the Octagon. Check out some of the comments he made (h/t SmeshJitsuOnly for passages and Tim Bissell of BloodyElbow.com for quotes).
Darren Till vs. Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier vs. Paulo Costa betting odds released
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2021
The opening betting odds have been released for two upcoming UFC fights, Darren Till vs. Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier vs. Paulo Costa. The UFC recently revealed that Till vs. Brunson will headline the promotion’s Fight Night card on August 14, while Cannonier vs. Costa will headline a Fight Night card on August 21. With both fights coming up in just a few months from now, the oddsmakers were quick to get out the opening odds for both matchups. See the odds below (via BestFightOdds).
Jiri Prochazka in talks about being backup fighter for Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira title fight at UFC 266
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2021
UFC light heavyweight Jiri Prochazka is in talks about being the backup fighter for the Jan Blachowicz vs. Glover Teixeira title fight. Prochazka is coming off of an incredible knockout win over Dominick Reyes at UFC Vegas 25 to emerge as one of the top light heavyweight contenders in the UFC. Next up, UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz battles Glover Teixeira at UFC 266 in September, we know that as much. But according to Prochazka, he is in talks with the UFC about potentially being the backup fighter for that fight just in case someone falls out of it.
Giga Chikadze teases upcoming UFC fight announcement: "I’m fighting one of the fighters I called out next"
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2021
UFC featherweight Giga Chikadze teased an upcoming fight announcement, saying that “I’m fighting one of the fighters I called out next.” Chikadze is coming off of the best win of his UFC career to date when he knocked out Cub Swanson a few weeks back at UFC Vegas 25. It was Chikadze’s sixth win in a row in the Octagon and his second straight win by a finish. Because he finished a quality veteran like Swanson, Chikadze jumped up big time in the UFC featherweight rankings as he is now a top-10 ranked fighter in the division. It wasn’t long after he beat Swanson that Chikadze began calling out some of the division’s top fighters for his next appearance in the Octagon.
UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira opens as underdog in potential fights with Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier
Harry Kettle - May 17, 2021
Charles Oliveira has opened up as a betting underdog in potential future fights against Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. This past Saturday night at UFC 262, Oliveira confirmed his status as one of the best in the world when he beat Michael Chandler to capture the UFC Lightweight Championship. In doing so, he completed a decade-long UFC journey that ended with him finally winning the big one in front of a capacity crowd in Texas.
Dana White reacts after Las Vegas goes Mask Off and Lifts Social Distancing Rules, commends Florida and Texas for “leading the way”
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2021
Dana White reacted after Las Vegas goes mask off and life social distancing Rules, commending Florida and Texas for “leading the way.” The UFC president is a Las Vegas resident and he’s excited to get back home where he doesn’t have to wear a mask now and where social-distancing rules will be lifted. Taking to his social media on Sunday evening, White reacted to Las Vegas lifting its rules, while commending the states of Florida and Texas for leading the way about these changes.
Tony Ferguson reacts following lopsided loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 262
Adam D Martin - May 16, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson issued a statement following his lopsided unanimous decision loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 262. Ferguson was taken down at will and controlled on the ground by Dariush for nearly the entire 15 minutes of the fight. At age 37, “El Cucuy” appears to have lost a serious step in his MMA game. He has now lost three straight fights to Dariush, Charles Oliveira, and Justin Gaethje, and he lost every single round in all three of those fights. While it wasn’t that long ago that Ferguson was one of the best lightweights in the world, it appears as though he is on a decline and is no longer the championship-level fighter he once was.
Shane Burgos issues statement following scary KO loss to Edson Barboza at UFC 262: "This sport can bring the highest highs of highs and the lowest of lows"
Adam Martin - May 16, 2021
UFC featherweight contender Shane Burgos issued a statement following his scary KO loss to Edson Barboza at UFC 262. Burgos and Barboza opened up the main pay-per-view card at UFC 262 and put on the “Fight of the Night” as the two 145lbers slugged it out for the two-plus rounds the fight lasted, earning $75,000 each in the process. It seemed like the fight was on its way to being a spirited three-round decision, but early in the third round, Barboza landed an overhand right that rocked Burgos and led to him having a delayed-reaction knockout. It was a scary sight to witness, but thankfully, it appears that Burgos is going to be okay.