MMA News

Christopher Taylor - April 14, 2021

Women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang has responded to the “better dead than red” comments made by her upcoming opponent Rose Namajunas. Zhang (21-1 MMA) and Namajunas (9-4 MMA) are set to square off in the co-main event of UFC 261 on April 24 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Adam Martin - April 14, 2021

UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens still wants to fight Conor McGregor, and he says he will finish the fight with calf kicks if they ever meet. In 2016 at the UFC 205 press conference, Stephens and McGregor were involved in one of the most oft-quoted pieces of back-and-forth in UFC history. When asked by a reporter who the toughest fight on stage for McGregor was, Stephens decided to take matters into his own hands and say it was him. Only he ended up getting absolutely roasted by McGregor.

Cole Shelton - April 14, 2021

Eddie Alvarez is looking like he will be the one to welcome Oscar De La Hoya back to the boxing ring this summer. Over the past few months, De La Hoya has hinted at a possible return and said he wanted a big named opponent. However, he was mentioning boxers as his opponent. But, as of late has changed his attention to MMA fighters, and Alvarez says he is in talks with De La Hoya.

Cole Shelton - April 14, 2021

Nate Diaz is a win away from a welterweight title shot, according to Kamaru Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz. In the co-main event of UFC 262 on May 15, Diaz is set to return to the Octagon against Leon Edwards in a highly-anticipated fight. The scrap will also be five rounds and according to Kamaru Usman’s manager, if Diaz wins, he would be the number one contender and get the next title shot.

Cole Shelton - April 14, 2021

Jake Paul says there is strict vocabulary in their contract that will prohibit Ben Askren from using any MMA tactics in their fight. When Paul and Askren were booked, many wondered if “Funky” would accidentally shoot for a takedown or use some elbows or knees. However, according to the brash YouTuber, in the contract, if Askren does any MMA tactics in the fight, his entire purse would be forfeited.

Cole Shelton - April 14, 2021

Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC on Vegas 24 card featuring an intriguing middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum. The UFC Vegas 24 main event sees Whittaker and Gastelum finally fight after they were supposed to meet in 2019 for the title but Whittaker was forced out of the fight on the day of the event. Whittaker is coming off back-to-back decision wins over Jared Cannonier and Darren Till to return to the win column after losing his belt to Israel Adesanya. Gastelum, meanwhile, returned to the win column last time out with a decision win over Ian Heinisch.

Cole Shelton - April 14, 2021

Ben Askren won’t be retiring from boxing after Saturday night if he beats Jake Paul. On April 17, Askren is set for his first professional boxing fight as he is set to face brash YouTuber, Jake Paul. It’s a highly-anticipated fight that has the combat sports world talking about it as “Funky” is far from a boxer.

Adam D Martin - April 14, 2021

Former UFC and Bellator heavyweight Justin Wren ripped Conor McGregor for not following through on his donation to Dustin Poirier’s charity. Wren competed in MMA between 2006 and 2017 with one appearance in the UFC and three outings in Bellator. However, he did not compete at all between 2010 and 2015, as during that time Wren founded the “Fight For The Forgotten” where he traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo to help the Mbuti pygmy people build shelter and get fresh water. Wren’s charity work has been praised throughout the MMA community and he even co-wrote a book with MMA journalist Loretta Hunt titled “The Fight For The Forgotten: How a Mixed Martial Artist Stopped Fighting for Himself and Started Fighting for Others” in 2015.

Adam D Martin - April 14, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira has issued a statement after his title fight with Jan Blachowicz was announced for UFC 266. Teixeira vs. Blachowicz will collide at UFC 266 with the 205lbs belt on the line. Soon after the fight with Teixeira and Blachowicz was announced, the veteran Brazilian took to social media to issue a statement about earning his second career UFC title shot. Read it below.

Cole Shelton - April 14, 2021

Drakkar Klose is eager to welcome Jeremy Stephens back up to lightweight. With Stephens on a five-fight winless streak, the 10th-ranked featherweight decided to move up to lightweight and will face Klose at UFC Vegas 24. For Klose, he is much more excited about this fight than his past couple.

Adam D Martin - April 14, 2021

UFC welterweight Mike Perry scoffed at the boxing advice given by Twitter users after suggesting he wants to improve that part of his game. Perry lost a lopsided unanimous decision to Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Vegas 23 last week. “Platinum” was jabbed up the entire fight and, although he did score some takedowns, took a ton of damage on the feet and wasn’t able to fire much back in return. With the loss, Perry has now dropped four of his last five fights. While Perry started off his UFC career five years ago knocking everyone out and becoming a fan favorite, he has really struggled as of late. At this point, you have to wonder what’s next for Perry. He likely will get another fight in the UFC due to being a fan favorite, but it would be a must-win fight if it happens.

Adam D Martin - April 14, 2021

UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz will defend his title on September 4 when he fights No. 1 contender Glover Teixeira at UFC 266. Blachowicz defeated UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in his first title defense back at UFC 259 in March. Following the fight, UFC president Dana White made it clear that Teixeira would be next in line to fight for the belt. After Blachowicz requested six months off to rest and recover after the Adesanya fight, the promotion granted his wishes and he will return this fall when he takes on Teixeira for all the gold. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report this Blachowicz vs. Teixeira fight. The venue or location has not been determined, but it seems likely that fans will be in attendance for this fight either way.

Adam D Martin - April 14, 2021

UFC women’s strawweight contender Nina Nunes issued a statement following her first-round submission loss to Mackenzie Dern at UFC Vegas 23. Nunes entered the fight with Dern as the betting favorite, but she suffered a first-round defeat when Dern was able to get her down to the mat and tap her out with an armbar. For Nunes, it was her first fight in nearly two years due to becoming a mom, and the ring rust showed in the cage. However, she is still a top-10 ranked fighter in the women’s 115lbs division, and the loss won’t drop her too much in the women’s strawweight standings.

Adam D Martin - April 14, 2021

Legendary MMA referee John McCarthy criticized the referee in ONE Championship who DQed Eddie Alvarez at ONE on TNT 1 last week. Referee Justin Brown took matters into his own hands when he handed Alvarez a red card and a DQ loss last Wednesday at ONE on TNT 1. In the fight, Alvarez took his opponent Iuri Lapicus to the ground and started to rain down punches on his face. However, his opponent slightly turned his head, which caused Alvarez to land one or two punches that might have hit his opponent in the back of the head. As his opponent was unable to continue and had to be stretchered out of the cage, the referee decided he had no choice but to DQ Alvarez.

Adam D Martin - April 14, 2021

UFC lightweight Tony Ferguson explained why he called Nate Diaz his bitch: “Just some light banter, man. I got nothing against the dude.” Ferguson recently made a tweet where he said that Diaz was his “b*tch” ahead of UFC 262. The card takes place on May 15, and Ferguson faces off against Beneil Dariush on the main card. In the co-main event of the evening, Diaz returns from his layoff to take on Leon Edwards in a No. 1 contender fight. In Ferguson’s tweet, he suggested that it was because of him that the event sold out in minutes. He then used the tweet as an opportunity to take a shot at Diaz, not to mention former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Adam D Martin - April 14, 2021

The lightweight trilogy match between rivals Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier is now official for the upcoming UFC 264 pay-per-view. On Wednesday morning, the UFC made it official that McGregor vs. Poirier will take place on July 10 at UFC 264. The fight will be contested at 155lbs and is set for five rounds or less. The promotion also revealed that the event will take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fans can now pre-register for tickets for the fight. UFC president Dana White also said in another video that up to 20,000 fans will be in attendance for UFC 264.

Adam Martin - April 13, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley called out Petr Yan, asking him if you “wanna beat me up while you wait for your rematch?” Yan was widely expected to fight UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling in a rematch next, but the fight isn’t happening anytime soon after the new champ opted to get neck surgery. That means Sterling will be on the shelf until later this summer or fall, optimistically, which means that Yan may opt to take another fight in the meantime. Though it’s unlikely the UFC would strip Sterling of his title, it’s possible the promotion could opt to introduce an interim title. Either way, it does seem likely that Yan will fight someone else in the meantime. And if that’s the case, O’Malley wants it to be him.

Cole Shelton - April 13, 2021

Rafael dos Anjos is hoping he can replace Dustin Poirier and face Conor McGregor on July 10. After McGregor and Poirier had a back-and-forth on social media due to the failed payment from McGregor’s to Poirier’s charity. Following the heated exchange, the Irishman claimed the fight was off and he would be facing someone else and Rafael dos Anjos hopes he is that opponent.