MMA News
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.
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.
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).
Conor McGregor and Dee Devlin announce birth of third child Rian
Adam D Martin - May 17, 2021
UFC lightweight superstar Conor McGregor announced the birth of his third child Rian in a social media post on Monday morning. McGregor and his fiancee Dee Devlin already have two children, four-year-old son Conor Junior and two-year-old daughter Croia. They have now welcomed their third child to the world as “Notorious” took to his Instagram to share a photo of his new son, Rian.
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.
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.
Beneil Dariush receives response from Tesla CEO Elon Musk following callout at UFC 262
Harry Kettle - May 17, 2021
Beneil Dariush has received a response from Tesla’s Elon Musk after an amusing callout at UFC 262 on Saturday night. Dariush enjoyed the biggest win of his career last weekend as he emphatically beat Tony Ferguson in a three-round battle down in Texas. It gives Dariush the boost he needs in the division, but it also leaves Ferguson with many questions regarding his future.
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.
Tyson Fury confirms heavyweight boxing match against Anthony Joshua for August 14 in Saudi Arabia
Adam Martin - May 16, 2021
Tyson Fury has confirmed that his heavyweight boxing title match against Anthony Joshua will take place on August 14 in Saudi Arabia. Fury took to social media on Sunday to make the announcement official. Promoter Eddie Hearn had already hinted at the fight taking place on either August 7 or August 14, but ultimately they settled on August 14 as the date. The fight will take place in Saudi Arabia.
Dana White says "nobody is going to force Jon Jones to fight" in the UFC again
Adam Martin - May 16, 2021
Speaking to the media following UFC 262, president Dana White said that “nobody is going to force Jon Jones to fight” in the Octagon again. White and Jones have been involved in very public contract negotiations for a potential showdown with UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Jones and Ngannou both want the fight, but Jones wants more than the promotion’s offer of $10 million, with suggestions that he could want $30 million for the fight. With White and the UFC not budging on their offer, the promotion went ahead and booked Ngannou against No. 1 contender Derrick Lewis. It leaves Jones on the sidelines once again, and while he could potentially fight the winner of Ngannou vs. Lewis 2, that’s not set in stone, either.
Charles Oliveira sleeps with the belt his first night as UFC lightweight champion
Adam Martin - May 16, 2021
Newly-crowned UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira slept with his belt the night after stopping Michael Chandler to win it at UFC 262. Oliveira knocked out Chandler in the second round of the UFC 262 headliner to become the promotion’s new champion at 155lbs. Oliveira has been in the UFC since 2010 so to win the title 11 years later after first making his organizational debut is quite an accomplishment. It’s proof that if you keep working hard and improve your game that anyone in this sport can become a champion. Finding the correct weight class also helps, as Oliveira has clearly been much more effective as a lightweight than he was while competing at featherweight.
Chris Weidman provides latest health update on broken leg: "Pain is getting way more tolerable while standing"
Adam Martin - May 16, 2021
UFC middleweight Chris Weidman provided a health update on his broken leg, saying “Pain is getting way more tolerable while standing.” Weidman broke his leg last month at UFC 261 when the first leg kick he threw against Uriah Hall was checked and resulted in Weidman’s right leg snapping in half. It was one of the most brutal injuries we have ever seen inside the Octagon and Weidman figures to have a long road to recovery from his ailment. “The All-American” has been regularly updating his fans on social media about the status of his leg, and on Sunday he posted a positive health update, where he also shared a picture of his good leg and his bad leg.
Islam Makhachev reacts after Charles Oliveira wins UFC lightweight title: "See you soon"
Adam Martin - May 16, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev reacted after Charles Oliveira defeating Michael Chandler at UFC 262, telling him “see you soon.” Oliveira pulled off an incredible win over Chandler at Saturday’s big UFC pay-per-view card when he was able to finish him with strikes in the second round for his ninth straight win. With UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov retiring from the sport a few months back and giving up his title, Oliveira is now the undisputed champion at 155lbs. It’s an incredible accomplishment and he deserves to take some time off to enjoy the belt. But there are plenty of contenders who are eagerly waiting to fight him, including Makhachev.
Tito Ortiz calls out Chuck Liddell: "We need to run it back"
Adam Martin - May 16, 2021
UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz called out fellow MMA legend Chuck Liddell for a fourth fight between the two, saying “we need to run it back.” Ortiz and Liddell have previously met three times. The first two times, Liddell was able to finish Ortiz with strikes at the height of his career in the UFC. The third time, these two met three years ago in their late 40s and this time, Ortiz got the last laugh when he was able to knock Liddell out. The series is 2-1 for Liddell, but Ortiz wants to even it up.