MMA News
Felicia Spencer eyes first-round stoppage over Noma Dumont, uncertain what her future holds in featherweight division
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2021
Felicia Spencer is just looking to fight and isn’t worried about what happens next. On May 22, Spencer returns to the Octagon against Norma Dumont after she was originally supposed to face Danyelle Wolf. Although she has an opponent change, there was never a time when she thought she wasn’t going to fight.
Rob Font plans to frustrate Cody Garbrandt and force him to make a mistake en route to a KO win
Cole Shelton - May 18, 2021
Rob Font is ecstatic to be headlining his first UFC show. In the main event of UFC Vegas 27 on Saturday night, Font is set to take on former UFC bantamweight champion, Cody Garbrandt. After Font knocked out Marlon Moraes in the first round in December, he called out TJ Dillashaw and Jose Aldo, as he thought Garbrandt would be going down to flyweight. But, when he was offered this fight, it was an immediate yes for the New England Cartel member.
UFC 262 rankings update: Beneil Dariush soars while Tony Ferguson continues to plummet
Adam D Martin - May 18, 2021
Following UFC 262, the promotion’s official rankings were updated and Beneil Dariush soared at lightweight while Tony Ferguson plummeted. Beneil Dariush absolutely dominated Ferguson for 15 minutes in the UFC 262 co-main event with his grappling en route to a lopsided unanimous decision win. Dariush has now won his last seven fights in a row and appears to be a serious title contender at 155lbs. The UFC rankings panelists have noticed his run, too, as following the win over Ferguson, Dariush made a huge jump in the promotion’s official rankings. He jumped up six spots in the ranking and now sits firmly entrenched in the top-five of 155lbs, ranked at No. 3 now.
Michael Chandler issues video statement following TKO loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 262: "The best is still yet to come"
Adam D Martin - May 18, 2021
Michael Chandler issued a video statement following his TKO loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 262, saying that “The best is still yet to come.” Chandler, the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, took on Oliveira in the main event at this past Saturday’s UFC 262 pay-per-view event. After a strong start in the first round, which even saw him earn two 10-8 scorecards from the judges, Chandler started to tire and was knocked out by Oliveira early in the second round. It was Chandler’s first loss in the UFC after beating Dan Hooker in his promotional debut earlier this year, and this one hurt because he lost his chance to be the UFC champion, which is his dream. However, Chandler remains positive and promises his fans that he will still hold the gold one day.
Daniel Cormier scolds Texas judges for their scoring of Chandler vs. Oliveira fight: “How in the world are you scoring that 10-8”
Adam D Martin - May 18, 2021
Daniel Cormier scolded the Texas judges for their scoring of the Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira fight for two 10-8 rounds. Cormier was sitting Octagon-side along with UFC commentator Jon Anik and analyst Joe Rogan at UFC 262 this past Saturday night in Houston, Texas. The main event of the evening saw Oliveira knock out Chandler in the second round to become the new UFC lightweight champion, but he’s fortunate he was able to finish the fight and now have the judges involved. After the fight was over, it was revealed that two of the three judges gave 10-8 to Chandler in the first round despite Oliveira having his back during the round.
Dana White signs two new fighters to the UFC following Fury FC 46 event in Houston
Adam D Martin - May 18, 2021
UFC president Dana White signed two new fighters to the UFC following the Fury FC 46 event in Houston that took place on Sunday evening. White was in Houston for UFC 262 and the next night he was in attendance at Fury FC 46: Lookin’ For a Fight where he was scouting future UFC talent. According to Nolan King of MMAjunkie.com, the UFC leader found several fighters that he was interested in. In fact, White signed two of the event’s winners and invited another to the Contender Series.
Daniel Cormier weighs in on Tony Ferguson’s future following latest loss: “Ferguson, as a top-level mixed martial artist, is done”
Adam D Martin - May 18, 2021
Daniel Cormier weighed in on Tony Ferguson’s future following his last loss, saying “Ferguson, as a top-level mixed martial artist, is done.” Ferguson is coming off of a lopsided loss to Beneil Dariush at UFC 262 this past weekend, his third straight loss following a unanimous decision defeat to Charles Oliveira in his last fight and a TKO defeat to Justin Gaethje before that. While Ferguson had a 12-fight winning streak heading into 2020, he has since gone 0-3 and has lost his last 11 rounds in a row. It feels like Ferguson has really lost a step, and there are some suggestions he might be completely done. Cormier is one of those who believes that he has nothing left.
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
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.
Miesha Tate roasts internet troll for Ronda Rousey comment
Andrew Whitelaw - May 17, 2021
Miesha Tate recently announced that she will be making a surprise return to the Octagon where she’ll take on Marion Reneau in the main event at UFC Vegas 31. Since retiring, Tate has maintained a strong media presence and is often asked for her opinion on MMA news topics.
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.
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.
After being "disrespected" by Dana White, Danny Sabatello expects to "maul" Brett Johns and "make him quit"
Cole Shelton - May 17, 2021
Danny Sabatello thought he was for sure going to get a UFC contract after his dominant performance over Taylor Moore on the Contender Series in November. Sabatello landed three of four takedowns and had 14:06 of ground control and won the fight 30-24, 30-25, 30-26. It was a dominant performance and for the now 28-year-old he thought he was a shoo-in for the contract.
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.
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).