MMA News
Demetrious Johnson reveals retirement timeline ahead of return at ONE on TNT 1
Adam D Martin - April 4, 2021
ONE Championship superstar and former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson has revealed his timeline for retirement from mixed martial arts. Johnson, the former UFC flyweight champion, takes on Adriano Moraes for the ONE flyweight championship that Moraes currently holds this Wednesday night. After taking off the entire 2020, mostly because the COVID-19 pandemic made booking fights difficult, Johnson is ready to get back into the cage and show the world how dangerous he truly is.
Belal Muhammad reacts after Demian Maia fight announced for UFC 263
Adam D Martin - April 4, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Belal Muhammad reacted after his upcoming fight against Demian Maia was recently announced for UFC 263. Muhammad vs. Maia was announced this weekend to take place on UFC 263, which is set for June 12. For Muhammad, it’s the next best thing after he wasn’t given a rematch with Leon Edwards after their fight ended in a No Contest due to an eye poke at a recent UFC Vegas event. Muhammad was stumping for the rematch given that the fight ended in a controversial fashion, but the promotion instead decided to book Edwards against Nate Diaz. That left Muhammad temporarily without an opponent, but Maia answered the call.
25-year-old kickboxer Joel Cahuasqui passes away after suffering high kick knockout
Adam D Martin - April 4, 2021
25-year-old kickboxer Joel Cahuasqui tragically passed away after suffering a high kick knockout in a recent fight in Ecuador last week. Cahuasqui took part in the KickBoxing National Selective and Pacific Cup Championship last week in Ecuador. Despite wearing headgear during the fight, a high kick from his opponent connected to the left side of his head and knocked Cahuasqui out cold. According to “El Norte,” there were no paramedics ringside and the fighter was rushed to the hospital. He suffered a brain hemorrhage from the high kick and doctors were not able to save him as the young fighter was later removed from his ventilator and pronounced dead. Cahuasqui was just 25 years old and his death is a very tragic one as a young man has lost his life.
Opening odds released for Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson and Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
Adam D Martin - April 4, 2021
The opening betting odds have been released for two future fights UFC: Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson and Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov. Burns vs. Thompson is set to take place at UFC 264 on July 10 as a three-round bout, while Gane vs. Volkov will go down on June 26 in a five-round main event. The sportsbooks wasted no time getting the opening odds out for both of these fights. Take a look at the opening odds for both Burns vs. Thompson and Gane vs. Volkov below (via BestFightOdds).
Leon Edwards reacts after booking fight with Nate Diaz at UFC 262
Adam D Martin - April 4, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards reacted after the promotion booked his five-round, co-main event fight against Nate Diaz at UFC 262. The UFC announced this week that Edwards vs. Diaz will take place on May 15 in Houston, Texas. In a UFC first, the fight will be a five-round co-main event, with the winner surely being in the mix to fight the winner of the UFC 261 main event between Jorge Masvidal and Kamaru Usman. With Edwards vs. Diaz now official, “Rocky” took to his social media over the last couple of days to share his initial reactions to what is arguably the biggest fight of his career to date. Take a look at what Edwards has been sharing lately on his Instagram.
Submission ace Demian Maia set to return at UFC 263 for a welterweight fight with Belal Muhammad
Chris Taylor - April 3, 2021
Former two-division title challenger Demian Maia will make his return to the Octagon at UFC 263 for a welterweight bout with Belal Muhammad. That news comes courtesy of ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, who shared the following information on Twitter.
Tito Ortiz shares interesting theory on how a fight with Jon Jones would have played out during his prime
Chris Taylor - April 3, 2021
Tito Ortiz shared an interesting answer when asked how a fight with Jon Jones would have played out with both men in their primes. During a recent interview with Jerry Coughlan, ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy’ touched on a number of different topics, including some advice that he shared with Conor McGregor.
Henry Cejudo roasts "Oscar winner" Aljamain Sterling following recent jab
Chris Taylor - April 3, 2021
Henry Cejudo did not hold back on Aljamain Sterling after the current UFC bantamweight champion took a shot at him on social media. Sterling had recently commented on a photo shared by Cejudo, where he insinuated that the “ex-champ” had something in his teeth.
Photo | Marvin Vettori is absolutely shredded for his UFC on ABC 2 fight with Kevin Holland
Chris Taylor - April 3, 2021
Perennial middleweight contender Marvin Vettori is looking absolutely shredded ahead of his UFC on ABC 2 fight with Kevin Holland. Vettori (16-4-1 MMA) and Holland (21-6 MMA) are set to square off in the headliner of next weekend’s UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas.
Rafael dos Anjos responds after Ali Abdelaziz suggests everyone is "running" from Justin Gaethje
Chris Taylor - April 3, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos had made it clear that he is interested in fighting Justin Gaethje his next time out. Dos Anjos (30-13 MMA) returned to the promotions lightweight division back in November, where he picked up a thrilling ‘fight of the night’ split-decision victory over Paul Felder.
Tito Ortiz reveals the advice he shared with Conor McGregor when they first met
Chris Taylor - April 3, 2021
Former UFC champion Tito Ortiz revealed that he shared some advice with Conor McGregor following the Irishman’s loss to Floyd Mayweather in 2017. McGregor (22-5 MMA, 0-1 Boxing) squared off with Mayweather (50-0 Boxing) 3.5 years ago in Las Vegas, where suffered a tenth-round TKO loss in his professional boxing debut.
Jorge Masvidal responds after Ben Askren claims he made him famous with "lucky" knee at UFC 239
Chris Taylor - April 3, 2021
Jorge Masvidal has responded to Ben Askren’s recent claims that he “made him famous” with his “lucky” knee in their fight at UFC 239. Masvidal and Askren had previously squared off in a highly anticipated welterweight bout on July 6 in 2019.
UFC adds two massive fights to June lineup including The Korean Zombie vs. Dan Ige
Chris Taylor - April 3, 2021
The UFC has added two huge fights to their upcoming June lineup, including a featherweight bout between The Korean Zombie and Dan Ige. Ige (15-3 MMA) had called out Chan Sung Jung immediately following his sensational first-round knockout victory over Gavin Tucker at UFC Vegas 21.
Khamzat Chimaev issues bold statement ahead of UFC return: "I'm the champ here"
Chris Taylor - April 3, 2021
Khamzat Chimaev has issued a bold statement ahead of his proposed UFC return, this while taking a shot at reigning welterweight champ Kamaru Usman. Chimaev (9-0 MMA) has been one of the many unfortunate victims of the global pandemic and due to lingering symptoms, has been unable to compete since the fall of 2020.
Video | Jon Jones changes up his training style, tells fight fans to "be ready for something different in this next fight"
Christopher Taylor - April 2, 2021
Despite struggling in his recent negotiations with the UFC, Jon Jones is still clearly focused on fighting Francis Ngannou for the heavyweight title next. The UFC’s longtime light heavyweight kingpin, Jones (26-1 MMA), vacated the promotions 205lbs title back in 2020, this in order to make a run at heavyweight.
Triller announces official lineup for Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight card
Chris Taylor - April 2, 2021
Triller has announced the official lineup for this month’s Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren boxing event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Paul, a YouTube star turned boxer, and Askren, a former MMA champion, are slated to meet in an eight-round pro boxing match on April 17.
Patricio Pitbull submits Emmanuel Sanchez in Round 1 at Bellator 255 (Highlights)
Cole Shelton - April 2, 2021
In the main event of Bellator 255, Patricio Pitbull and Emmanuel Sanchez were set for a rematch three years in the making. The fight also served as the semifinals of the featherweight grand prix. Patricio Pitbull (31-4) is riding a six-fight winning streak and coming off a vicious KO win over Pedro Carvalho last November. Before that, he beat Juan Archuleta by decision and knocked out Michael Chandler in 61 seconds to claim the lightweight title and become a champ-champ. He also beat Sanchez back in November of 2018.
Alexander Volkanovski, Brian Ortega set to coach TUF 29, featherweight title fight at conclusion of season
Cole Shelton - April 2, 2021
The TUF coaches for season 29 have been revealed and it will be Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega. Ever since UFC president, Dana White announced TUF would be coming back, many were interested in seeing who the coaches would be. It was rumored to be Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal, but “Gamebred” got a title shot so that was off. Now, according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Volkanovski and Ortega will coach the return season of TUF. The show will feature bantamweights and middleweights.