MMA News
Sean O'Malley calls out Petr Yan: "Wanna beat me up while you wait for your rematch?"
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.
Rafael dos Anjos says there's "not a better time than now" to book Conor McGregor fight for July 10
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.
Ali Abdelaziz believes Jorge Masvidal should be thanking Kamaru Usman for allowing him to "get paid"
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2021
Ali Abdelaziz doesn’t think Jorge Masvidal should be calling Kamaru Usman a coward. After Masvidal lost a clear-cut decision to Usman at UFC 251 on short notice, he wanted a rematch right away. He knew he could beat Usman on a full camp and started to take shots at the champ and even called him a coward. Yet, for Abdelaziz, he doesn’t understand why “Gamebred” believes his client is a coward.
Jake Paul challenges Dustin Poirier to closed-door sparring to prove "how good I am"
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2021
Jake Paul is hoping to have a closed-door sparring session with Dustin Poirier. In the lead-up to Paul’s April 17 fight against Ben Askren, Poirier has taken some shots at the brash YouTuber. Since then, Paul has said he wanted to spar and train with Poirier, due to their mutual friendship with Jorge Masvidal, but that has yet to happen as of right now.
Francis Ngannou responds after Tyson Fury says he will roast the UFC champ after smashing Anthony Joshua
Adam D Martin - April 13, 2021
UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou responded after heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury says he will roast the UFC champ after smashing Anthony Joshua. Ngannou is coming off the biggest win of his MMA career, a first-round KO victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260 that saw “The Predator” crowned as the new UFC heavyweight champion. Since then, there have been talks with the UFC about having Ngannou fight superstar Jon Jones in his first title defense, or potentially Derrick Lewis. Given that Ngannou is currently an active member of the UFC roster, his next fight will take place in the UFC Octagon. However, he has openly spoken about one day making the transition into heavyweight boxing. And if that’s the case, then the fighter he wants is the champ, Fury.
Frank Mir excited to "challenge" himself in boxing debut, believes a win solidifies his legacy
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2021
Frank Mir was preparing to make his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut in early 2021 when he got a call to make his boxing debut. Originally, Mir was set to fight Antonio Tarver in the co-main event to Ben Askren vs. Jake Paul. However, the Georgia Commission wouldn’t clear Tarver, so Mir is now set to face Steve Cunningham. Although it is a change of opponent, Mir is still excited at the opportunity of making his pro boxing debut.
Ben Askren expects to make Jake Paul "quit" in boxing match: "I’ll make him hate his life"
Cole Shelton - April 13, 2021
Ben Askren jumped at the opportunity to box YouTuber, Jake Paul. After Paul knocked out Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard, he called out several MMA fighters including Askren. Although “Funky” just had hip surgery and isn’t known as a striker, the former ONE Championship and Bellator champion knew this was a good opportunity to make a ton of money and beat up someone who he claims, isn’t a good fighter.
Conor McGregor slams Dustin Poirier: “You will pay with your brain for this attempt at smearing my name”
Adam D Martin - April 13, 2021
UFC superstar Conor McGregor slammed rival Dustin Poirier, saying that “you will pay with your brain for this attempt at smearing my name.” This week, Poirier tweeted that Team McGregor never sent “The Good Fight Foundation” the $500,000 charitable donation it promised it would send following their fight at UFC 257. What was bizarre about the whole situation was McGregor’s team said in January that the money was in the process of being sent. That money was not sent, however, and McGregor later took to his social media to explain that he wanted to know where the money was going before he sent it. Poirier later said that McGregor was ghosting his emails and that they never responded to Poirier when he tried to explain where the money would go.
Jimmy Flick explains what led to walking away from the UFC: "Fighters are too stupid to unionize"
Adam D Martin - April 13, 2021
Former UFC flyweight Jimmy Flick explained what led to him walking away from the UFC, suggesting that “fighters are too stupid to unionize.” Flick (16-5) announced over the weekend that he is walking away from mixed martial arts and the UFC at age 30. The announcement came as a complete shock for his fans, as Flick was set to fight Francisco Figueiredo in May, this coming off the heels of an incredible UFC debut in December where he submitted Cody Durden with a flying triangle choke. Overall, Flick had won four straight fights and with a win over Figueiredo, he likely would have fought a top-15 opponent next. Instead, the flyweight has decided to hang up his gloves.
Flashback | Watch Jon Jones earn a finish in his MMA debut from April of 2008
Harry Kettle - April 13, 2021
Footage has emerged of Jon Jones beating Brad Bernard on the 13th anniversary of the win that kickstarted his mixed martial arts career. Over the course of the last decade we’ve seen Jon Jones rise up through the ranks and become one of the pound-for-pound greatest fighters in MMA history. Now, as he prepares to make the shift up to heavyweight, many are wondering what he can continue to do to improve his legacy.
Khamzat Chimaev targeting late summer return to the UFC, says manager
Adam D Martin - April 13, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev is targeting a return to the Octagon in the late summer, according to his manager, Ali Abdelaziz. Chimaev was supposed to fight Leon Edwards in March in what would have been a potential No. 1 contender fight at 170lbs. However, Chimaev was forced to withdraw from the fight due to a bad experience with COVID-19, one that left him coughing up blood and thinking he had cancer. Fortunately, it appears as though Chimaev is now finally getting healthy. While he originally said that he was going to walk away from the sport, he has said in recent weeks that he has his motivation back and he is excited to fight again soon.
Marlon Vera says Sean O'Malley turned down rematch against him
Adam D Martin - April 13, 2021
UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera claims that he accepted a rematch with Sean O’Malley but his rival didn’t want to take the fight. Vera and O’Malley met last summer at UFC 252. O’Malley came into the fight with an unbeaten record, but early on in the first round, he suffered an ankle injury that caused him to lose his footing and fall to the mat, where Vera finished him with strikes. Since then, O’Malley has returned to the cage with a brilliant TKO win over Thomas Almeida, while Vera lost a unanimous decision to Jose Aldo in his last outing. With Vera and O’Malley battling it out for the No. 15 ranking in the UFC bantamweight division, a rematch makes sense.
Mackenzie Dern aims for end of year title fight, 'I'm ready for the top girls'
Drake Riggs - April 12, 2021
Top strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern picked up the biggest victory of her career against Nina Nunes at UFC Vegas 24. Now, she’s ready to go all the way to the top. With three big wins in 2020, Dern extended her winning streak to a strong four in a row, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt now envisions fighting for gold at the end of 2021.
Georges St-Pierre believes Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou are both scared to fight each other
Drake Riggs - April 12, 2021
A potential fight between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones has everyone excited these days. Including Georges St-Pierre who sees both fighters experiencing fear after talk of Jones being the “scared” one out of the two. Immediately after Ngannou was crowned as the new UFC heavyweight champion of the world at UFC 260 on March 27, UFC President Dana White planted a seed in the post-fight press conference. Teasing the possibility of Jones being scared to fight a guy as impressive as Ngannou has become. St-Pierre recently countered that sentiment.
Dustin Poirier reacts after Conor McGregor claims their UFC 264 fight is off
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2021
Dustin Poirier was just as surprised as the rest of us when Conor McGregor announced their UFC 264 fight is off. After Poirier went to social media to say McGregor never donated the $500k to his charity as promised, the Irishman went on a rampage on Twitter. After taking some shots at “The Diamond” he claimed their trilogy fight on July 10 was off, and Poirier sent a clever video McGregor’s way in a reply on Twitter.
Tony Ferguson explains how his two recent losses were “the best thing that was for me and my family”
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2021
Tony Ferguson went nearly a decade without losing and then in 2020, “El Cucuy” went 0-2, but he believes those losses were the best thing to ever happen to him. Ferguson first fought Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title in May, which served as the first event back for the UFC from the pandemic. Unfortunately, Ferguson suffered a fifth-round TKO loss. El Cucuy then took a short notice fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 256 and lost a clear-cut decision in a fight he was dominated in.
Jake Paul promises to finish Ben Askren in "six minutes or less" in their boxing match on April 17
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2021
Jake Paul is confident he will finish Ben Askren within two rounds in their boxing match on Saturday night. Paul, the brash YouTuber, is set for his third professional bout against Askren in Atlanta, Georgia which is a fascinating fight.
Julian Marquez reveals he nearly threw up before fighting Sam Alvey due to nerves: "I grew up watching him"
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2021
Julian Marquez was in no rush to return after his UFC 258 win over Maki Pitolo, but a short notice fight against Sam Alvey came up that Marquez jumped on. Originally, Alvey was set to drop down to middleweight to face Zak Cummings, who is Marquez’s teammate. Unfortunately, Cummings was forced out of the bout and when he told the team, “The Cuban Missile Crisis” knew it was a good fight for him.