MMA News
Michelle Waterson confirms flyweight main event fight on May 8 against Marina Rodriguez
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2021
Michelle Waterson and Marina Rodriguez will headline UFC Vegas 26 on May 8, but the fight will take place at flyweight, Waterson revealed to BJPENN.com. After TJ Dillashaw was forced out of the headlining spot against Cory Sandhagen due to a nasty cut, the UFC reached out to Waterson and Rodriguez to step up on short notice to headline the card. Now, according to “The Karate Hottie” the fight is a done deal and the scrap will happen at 125lbs.
Derrick Lewis says he will KO Francis Ngannou in the "first exchange"
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2021
Derrick Lewis believes he will beat Francis Ngannou again, but this time will do it in a more dramatic fashion. Lewis and Ngannou first met in the co-main event of UFC 226. It was a highly anticipated heavyweight scrap as they are to KO artists. However, the fight was a lackluster one as Lewis was dealing with a bad back and Ngannou was coming off being dominated by Stipe Miocic so his confidence wasn’t there. It resulted in the two barely throwing any punches and Lewis edging out a boring decision.
Video | Israel Adesanya reacts to Chris Weidman’s horrible leg break at UFC 261
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2021
Israel Adesanya had a similar reaction to many others when Chris Weidman broke his leg at UFC 261. On the main card of the stacked pay-per-view, Weidman and Uriah Hall were having a rematch over 10 years in the making. It was a crucial fight for both men, but unfortunately, on the first strike of the fight, Weidman threw a leg kick that was checked and his leg completely snapped.
Dustin Poirier makes prediction for UFC 264 main event: "I'm going to finish Conor McGregor again"
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2021
Dustin Poirier is confident he will finish Conor McGregor again on July 10. In the main event of UFC 264, Poirier and McGregor are set for their trilogy bout in what will be a highly anticipated fight. They first met back in 2014 at featherweight with McGregor winning by KO. They then had their rematch in January and Poirier exacted his revenge with a second-round knockout.
Drakkar Klose not happy after being "injured on the job" following shove by Jeremy Stephens
Adam Martin - April 28, 2021
UFC lightweight Drakkar Klose is not happy that he was “injured on the job” following a shove by Jeremy Stephens before UFC Vegas 24. Klose and Stephens were set to meet in the co-main event of the UFC Vegas 24 card two weeks ago. However, the fight fell apart at the last second when Klose was unable to compete after being injured following a shove from Stephens at the weigh-ins on Friday. Klose was apparently feeling the affects of whiplash and he was unable to fight the next day. That meant that the fight was off, and though Klose was eventually paid his show money, he believes that the UFC should have given him his full win bonus, as well.
Photos | Francis Ngannou shares pictures of victory tour in Cameroon
Adam Martin - April 28, 2021
UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou shared photos of his victory tour as he headed back home to his native Cameroon with the heavyweight belt. Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic last month at UFC 260 to win the UFC heavyweight title for the first time. Following the victory, Ngannou has now gone back home to Cameroon. On Wednesday, “The Predator” took to his social media to share photos of the trip home.
Dustin Poirier thanks Conor McGregor for charitable donation: "Mission accomplished"
Adam Martin - April 28, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier thanked rival Conor McGregor for his charitable donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Acadiana. Poirier recently took to his social media to reveal that McGregor’s $500,000 donation to “The Good Fight Foundation” never came through despite his team suggesting the money had been sent. McGregor then put Poirier on blast for his comments and threatened to break apart their fight at UFC 264. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the fight remains intact. Still, there was that question about the charity money that McGregor promised floating out there. Now, we know McGregor has made good on his word.
Randy Brown says he and Alex Oliveira nearly fought backstage after weigh-ins, wants to return at UFC 264
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2021
Randy Brown knew he would finish Alex Oliveira, but did expect the fight to play out differently. Brown and Oliveira were the prelim headliner and early on in the scrap, the two exchanged punches and Brown knocked him down. After that, “Rude Boy” got ahold of his back and submitted the Brazilian with a one-arm rear naked choke.
Cody Stamann doesn't understand why he's an underdog against Merab Dvalishvili, says he will KO him: "I'm going to put him to sleep"
Cole Shelton - April 28, 2021
Cody Stamann doesn’t understand the hype around Merab Dvalishvili. Stamann and Dvalishvili are set to finally meet at UFC Vegas 25 after being scheduled two times previously. After the fight has fallen apart two times previously, Stamann says he had some reluctance to accept the fight for the third time until Dvalishvili started to train at his gym and some of his training partners told him he would be able to win the fight with ease.
Report | UFC 261 sold over 700k pay-per-view buys domestically in the United States
Harry Kettle - April 28, 2021
A recent report suggests that Saturday night’s UFC 261 event sold over 700,000 PPV buys domestically in the United States. The showcase featured three title fights and also marked the return of fans to the arena after more than a year of them not being able to attend.
Joe Rogan praises amazing fights at UFC 261: "The night was really magic"
Adam Martin - April 28, 2021
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan reacted to the amazing fights at this past weekend’s UFC 261 card, saying that “the night was really magic.” Rogan was cageside alongside former UFC champion Daniel Cormier and veteran play-by-play man Jon Anik for last Saturday’s UFC 261 card. Welcoming fans back for the first time in over a year, the fighters put on an absolute show for the sold-out crowd in Jacksonville, Florida. The card was full of incredible moments, from Kamaru Usman knocking out Jorge Masvidal in the main event to Rose Namajunas finishing Weili Zhang with a head kick in the co-main event. Following the card, Rogan took to his social media to react to the event.
Derrick Lewis says he has accepted Francis Ngannou fight: "Jon Jones is out of the picture"
Adam Martin - April 28, 2021
UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis says he has accepted a fight with Francis Ngannou and he believes Jon Jones is out of the running. After Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 to become the UFC heavyweight champion, most thought that Jones would be next in line to fight “The Predator.” However, Jones and the UFC are now involved in a public pay dispute and there is no guarantee that Jones gets the fight. Instead of “Bones” getting the title shot, UFC president Dana White pointed to Lewis fighting Ngannou in a rematch instead, and it appears that fight is next.
Paige VanZant vs. Rachael Ostovich 2 targeted for BKFC fight
Adam Martin - April 28, 2021
A rematch between former UFC fighters Paige VanZant and Rachael Ostovich is being planned for a BKFC event that will take place this summer. On Tuesday, BKFC announced that it has signed Ostovich to a new contract, and immediately there were rumors that she could be paired up in a rematch against VanZant in a battle between two of the promotion’s most marketable fighters. Indeed, according to MMAFighting.com, BKFC is targeting VanZant vs. Ostovich 2 for a summer matchup, either in June or July. The venue and location of that matchup have yet-to-be determined.
Kamaru Usman says Khabib Nurmagomedov matchup "would be the biggest fight in UFC history," but he's lost faith in it happening
Adam Martin - April 28, 2021
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman believes that a matchup against Khabib Nurmagomedov would be the biggest fight in UFC history. Usman picked up his 14th straight win this past Saturday night when he knocked out Jorge Masvidal in the main event of UFC 261. It was another incredible performance by Usman, who continues to show improvements to his game and evolution to his skill set every time we see him step into the Octagon. At this point, he’s nearly cleaned out the UFC welterweight division as he’s beaten nearly everyone in the top-five rankings. Though Usman seems destined for a rematch with Colby Covington next, he’s already beaten him, too, so you can see why he is considering what other sort of challenges there are out there.
Video | Francis Ngannou celebrates UFC title win with fans in his native Cameroon
Harry Kettle - April 28, 2021
Francis Ngannou has returned to his native Cameroon to celebrate his recent UFC heavyweight title victory. Last month, “The Predator” challenged Stipe Miocic for the second time in an attempt to become champion. In the first meeting he was dominated in a five-round decision, but in the second, Ngannou was the one in control as he secured a vicious second-round knockout over Stipe.
With TJ Dillashaw out vs. Cory Sandhagen, UFC looking at Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson as new UFC Vegas 26 main event
Drake Riggs - April 27, 2021
UFC Vegas 26 is going to have a new main event. As of right now, it looks to be a top strawweight clash between Marina Rodriguez and Michelle Waterson. It was revealed on Tuesday that former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw was going to have to put his comeback on hold. A headbutt in training caused a nasty laceration over his right eye forcing his removal from his fight with Cory Sandhagen. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani now reports that Marina Rodriguez vs. Michelle Waterson is likely to be the new headliner of the May 8 UFC event.
Stipe Miocic eyes Francis Ngannou trilogy: "I want to get back what's mine"
Cole Shelton - April 27, 2021
Stipe Miocic is looking to have his trilogy fight with Francis Ngannou. Miocic and Ngannou had their rematch at UFC 260 and in the first round, the challenger had success stuffing the takedowns. He landed some shots but Miocic ate them and kept coming forward.
TJ Dillashaw reportedly out of his main event fight against Cory Sandhagen
Cole Shelton - April 27, 2021
TJ Dillashaw will not be making the walk the Octagon on May 8. In the main event of UFC Vegas 26, Dillashaw was set to return from a two-year USADA suspension to take on rising contender, Cory Sandhagen. It was a very intriguing bantamweight bout with the winner likely getting the next title shot. It was also set to be Dillashaw’s first fight since he lost to Henry Cejudo by TKO for the flyweight title before being suspended.