MMA News
Steve Cunningham defeats Frank Mir (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - April 17, 2021
Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir makes his professional boxing debut against Steve Cunningham at tonight’s Triller: ‘Askren vs. Paul’ event. Mir (19-3 MMA) was originally slated to meet Antonio Tarver at tonight’s event, however the Georgia commission would not allow the former boxing champion to compete.
Drakkar Klose suffered a cervical sprain of the neck and a concussion as a result of push from Jeremy Stephens
Christopher Taylor - April 17, 2021
Drakkar Klose suffered multiple injuries as a result of a hard push from Jeremy Stephens at Friday’s UFC Vegas 24 weigh-ins. Klose and Stephens were expected to collide in a highly anticipated lightweight bout this evening in Nevada. Unfortunately for fight fans, just minutes prior to the commencement of tonight’s event, UFC officials announced that the scheduled co-headliner had been called off due to injuries suffered by the Michigan native in Klose.
Drakkar Klose issues statement on injury that forced him out of UFC Vegas 24 fight with Jeremy Stephens
Christopher Taylor - April 17, 2021
Drakkar Klose has issued a statement regarding the injury that forced him out of tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 co-main event with Jeremy Stephens. Klose and Stephens were expected to collide in a highly anticipated lightweight bout this evening in Nevada. Unfortunately for fight fans, just minutes prior to the commencement of tonight’s event, promotional officials announced that the scheduled co-headliner had been called off due to an injury suffered by the Michigan native in Klose.
Report | Injury that forced Drakkar Klose out of UFC Vegas 24 was caused due to Jeremy Stephens push at weigh-ins
Chris Taylor - April 17, 2021
Tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 event was supposed to be co-headlined by a lightweight bout between Drakkar Klose and Jeremy Stephens. Unfortunately for fight fans, news broke just minutes ago that the highly anticipated co-main event had been called off due to an injury suffered by Klose.
'Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren' Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - April 17, 2021
Jake Paul squares off with former MMA champion Ben Askren in the headliner of tonight’s Triller event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Paul, a YouTube star turned professional boxer, and Askren, a former MMA champion, are slated to meet in an eight-round contest this evening in Georgia.
UFC Vegas 24: 'Whittaker vs. Gastelum' Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - April 17, 2021
The Octagon remains in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 event, an eleven-bout fight card headlined by Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker was initially slated to fight Paulo Costa at tonight’s event, but the Brazilian was forced to withdraw from the contest due to a severe case of the flu.
Video | Roland Dunlap scores KO of the year contender with violent slam finish at LFA 104
Chris Taylor - April 16, 2021
Roland Dunlap returned to the cage for the first time in over two years this evening at LFA 104 for a middleweight bout with Obinwa Ikebunna. The contest resulted in ‘knockout of the year’ contender finish, as in the opening round Dunlap (2-0 MMA) managed to pick up and slam Ikebunna (2-2 MMA) down to the canvas, sending him into a state of unconsciousness. The brutal Rampage Jackson-like slam was followed by a series of seemingly unnecessary elbows until the referee finally got in there to stop the fight.
Bellator 257 Results: Vadim Nemkov defeats Phil Davis
Chris Taylor - April 16, 2021
Tonight’s Bellator 257 event is headlined by a light heavyweight rematch between current champion Vadim Nemkov and former title holder Phil Davis. Nemkov (12-2 MMA) and Davis (22-5 MMA) originally collided at Bellator 209 in November of 2018, with the Russian emerging victorious by way of split decision.
Bellator 257 Results: Corey Anderson TKO's Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (Video)
Chris Taylor - April 16, 2021
Tonight’s Bellator 257 event is co-headlined by a light heavyweight quarterfinal fight featuring Corey Anderson taking on Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov. Anderson (14-5 MMA), a former TUF winner, made his Bellator debut this past November where he scored a second round TKO victory over veteran Melvin Manhoef. That win was preceded by a knockout loss to reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz.
Bellator 257 Results: Paul Daley KO's Sabah Homasi (Video)
Chris Taylor - April 16, 2021
A fun catchweight fight between rivals Paul Daley and Sabah Homasi takes place on the main card of tonight’s Bellator 257 event. Daley (42-17-2 MMA) will enter the grudge match on a two-fight winning streak, this after earning victories over Erick Silva and Saad Awad in his most recent appearances. ‘Semtex’ has earned 31 of his 42 career victories by way of knockout / TKO.
Frank Mir weighs-in 70-pounds heavier than Steve Cunningham ahead of pro boxing debut
Cole Shelton - April 16, 2021
Frank Mir will have a size advantage on Saturday night in his pro boxing debut. Originally, the former UFC heavyweight champion was set to fight Antonio Tarver, where he would’ve been at least 50-pounds heavier. However, the Georgia commission wouldn’t clear him and he was replaced by former IBF cruiserweight champion, Steve Cunningham.
Nate Diaz responds after Conor McGregor suggests the UFC make two belts for his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier
Christopher Taylor - April 16, 2021
Nate Diaz has responded after his longtime rival Conor McGregor told the UFC to make two new belts for his upcoming trilogy with Dustin Poirier. McGregor and Poirier are set to collide for a third time on July 10 at UFC 264, this after splitting their first two encounters.
Francis Ngannou to return favor, will corner Kamaru Usman at UFC 261
Cole Shelton - April 16, 2021
Francis Ngannou will be in Kamaru Usman’s corner at UFC 261 on April 24. When Ngannou had his rematch against Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, he added Usman to his corner for some wrestling advice. It ended up working as Ngannou stuffed the takedown attempts and had some nice scrambles and went on to KO Miocic in the second.
Ben Askren and Jake Paul face off before their big boxing match (Video)
Adam Martin - April 16, 2021
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and his rival, former MMA fighter Ben Askren, stared off at the final weigh-in ahead of their boxing match. After months of anticipation, Paul and Askren meet this weekend in a huge boxing match. The paydays were released on Friday, with Askren set to take home at least $500,000 for this fight and Paul set to take home a minimum of $690,000. Later in the day, the two fighters made weight, with Paul coming in at 191.5lbs and Askren weighing in at 190lbs. After both fighters made weight, they had their final staredown before Saturday’s fight.
Ben Askren guaranteed $500,000 to fight Jake Paul in boxing as full card salaries revealed
Adam D Martin - April 16, 2021
Former UFC and Bellator star Ben Askren is guaranteed to make $500,000 when he fights Jake Paul on Saturday night in their boxing match. Triller Fight Club is promoting another huge event for this Saturday, one that features Askren and Paul in the main event in a boxing grudge match. We knew they were both about to make some serious coin for the fight, and now we have the disclosed salaries. According to MMAFighting.com, Askren is guaranteed a purse of $500,000, while Paul is getting at least $690,000 for this fight. And that’s just the guaranteed portion, as they will both likely be in line for pay-per-view bonus points depending on how well the show does.
UFC Vegas 24 weigh-in results: Headliners on point, but two fighters miss weight
Adam D Martin - April 16, 2021
The official weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 24 took place on Friday, and Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum made weight for the main event fight. In the headliner, Whittaker and Gastelum meet with a potential middleweight title shot on the line. Whittaker, the former champion, is coming off of back-to-back wins over Darren Till and Jared Cannonier to jump back into title contention after losing his belt to Israel Adesanya in 2019. As for Gastelum, he recently snapped a three-fight win streak with a unanimous decision win over Ian Heinisch at UFC 258. After Paulo Costa fell out of the fight with an illness, Gastelum volunteered to step in on short notice and the UFC gave him the opportunity. The winner of this bout will surely figure into the title discussions at 185lbs.
Jorge Masvidal explains why he can't get behind Ben Askren in boxing: "He really disrespected striking" during his MMA career
Adam D Martin - April 16, 2021
Jorge Masvidal explained why he can’t get behind Ben Askren in boxing, suggesting “he really disrespected striking” during his MMA career. On Saturday, Askren makes his pro boxing debut when he faces off against YouTuber Jake Paul. For Askren, it’s his first boxing match after spending the last decade-plus in mixed martial arts, and so he will be somewhat representing the sport of MMA when he steps into the ring this weekend. However, not everyone is convinced he’s truly representing MMA.
Ben Askren says it's "highly unlikely" he will take another MMA fight, but would consider it if "the right opportunity presented itself"
Cole Shelton - April 16, 2021
Ben Askren is ending his retirement to box Jake Paul on Saturday night, and given he’s getting back into combat sports, many wondered if he would return to MMA. When Askren retired in November of 2019, he cited a hip injury, however, he said he was just retiring from being a professional fighter, and would take one-off fights. That is exactly how the Paul fight came to be. It’s a unique opportunity where Askren gets the chance to beat up a YouTuber for a ton of money.