MMA News

Matt Mitrione, Bellator 215
Matt Mitrione

Matt Mitrione forced out of Bellator 255 fight with Tyrell Fortune

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2021

Bellator heavyweight contender Matt Mitrione has been forced out of his upcoming fight against Tyrell Fortune this Friday at Bellator 255. Mitrione vs. Fortune was set to be the main card opener of Friday’s Bellator 255 show, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Unfortunately, Mitrione is now off the card as he pulled out from the Bellator 255 event for undisclosed reasons. MMAjunkie.com’s Nolan King was the first to report that Mitrione fell off the card. With Mitrione now off the card, Bellator is targeting a rematch between Fortune and Jack May on short notice. They fought to a No Contest last year after low blows ended the fight.

Stipe Miocic, Jake Paul, Logan Paul
Stipe Miocic

Derek Brunson suggests Stipe Miocic move to 205lbs

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2021

UFC middleweight contender Derek Brunson suggested that former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic make the move down to light heavyweight. Miocic was knocked out in brutal fashion by Francis Ngannou in a failed bid to capture the title in the main event of UFC 260. After surviving a tough first round, Ngannou finished the job in the second with heavy strikes. What was interesting about this fight was the weight difference. Ngannou tipped the scales at 263lbs, while Miocic weighed in at just 234lbs, which was far lighter than the 246lbs that he came in during the first fight at UFC 220. The low weight of 234lbs has led some to wonder if he could potentially even cut down to 205.

Chael Sonnen, Jon Jones
Derrick Lewis

Chael Sonnen lists reasons for Derrick Lewis deserving the next UFC heavyweight title shot, this while trashing Jon Jones

Harry Kettle - March 29, 2021

Chael Sonnen listed the reasons why Derrick Lewis deserves the next shot at the UFC heavyweight title – while taking a shot at Jon Jones. We now all know that at UFC 260, Francis Ngannou finally ascended to the top of the mountain and beat Stipe Miocic to claim the heavyweight crown. In doing so, he also avenged his defeat to Miocic from UFC 220 back in 2018.

Dana-White-Stipe-Miocic-Francis-Ngannou
Francis Ngannou

Dana White weighs in on the future of Stipe Miocic following his UFC 260 title loss to Francis Ngannou

Christopher Taylor - March 28, 2021

Dana White is not sure what the future holds for Stipe Miocic following his title loss to Francis Ngannou at last night’s UFC 260 event. Miocic (20-4 MMA) and Ngannou (16-3 MMA) squared off for a second time yesterday evening on pay-per-view. The pair had originally collided at UFC 220, with the Cleveland native emerging victorious by way of unanimous decision.

Khamzat Chimaev, Conor McGregor
UFC

Khamzat Chimaev reveals he thought he had cancer when he coughed up blood

Adam Martin - March 28, 2021

UFC welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev revealed he thought he had cancer when he coughed up blood after a training session in Las Vegas. Chimaev was supposed to fight Leon Edwards in March but he was forced out of the fight due to a severe battle with COVID-19, a battle that left him coughing up blood and thinking his career was over. Speaking to RT Sport in a recent interview, Chimaev revealed that his initial instinct was to think he had cancer after seeing himself cough up blood into the sink.

Dominick Cruz
Sean O'Malley

Dominick Cruz wants Sean O'Malley next, says Chael Sonnen

Adam Martin - March 28, 2021

Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is interested in stepping into the Octagon to fight Sean O’Malley, according to Chael Sonnen. O’Malley knocked out Thomas Almeida in brutal fashion in the third round of their UFC 260 main card fight, and it was the kind of high-profile win on a big card that will surely get him the attention of the top-15 fighters at 135lbs. One of those fighters is apparently Cruz, the longtime UFC bantamweight kingpin who recently defeated Casey Kenney via split decision at UFC 259. Kenney is a teammate of O’Malley at The MMA LAB and it looks like Cruz is now interesting in fighting his teammate O’Malley in what would be a terrific scrap.

Jon Jones
UFC

Jon Jones: Still time to save Francis Ngannou fight, expects fight proposal next week

Adam Martin - March 28, 2021

UFC superstar Jon Jones says that he is supposed to be seeing a fight proposal from the world’s leading MMA organization next week. Jones was widely expected to fight the winner of UFC 260’s main event between Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic, which turned out to be Ngannou after he knocked the former champ out in brutal fashion in the second round to take home the title. However, following the event UFC president Dana White said that Jones won’t be getting the next title shot and that it would be Derrick Lewis who will fight Ngannou next. White also insinuated that Jones should move down to 185lbs given how dominant Ngannou was against Miocic.

Jorge Masvidal, Ben Askren, Conor McGregor, Chael Sonnen
Jorge Masvidal

Jorge Masvidal takes a shot at Ben Askren: "The individual I buried does not represent MMA"

Adam Martin - March 28, 2021

UFC welterweight superstar Jorge Masvidal took a shot at former Octagon rival Ben Askren, saying that he doesn’t represent MMA. Askren returns to combat sports on April 17 when he fights Jake Paul on the latest Triller boxing card. Askren retired from the UFC in late 2019 following a submission loss to Demian Maia. That loss came on the heels of a brutal flying knee KO loss to Masvidal at UFC 239. In that fight, “Gamebred” needed just five seconds to rush across the Octagon and nail Asken right on the chin, and it put him out cold. It’s considered by many to be one of the best knockouts in MMA history and will be on the highlight-reel for years to come.

Dana White, UFC, UFC Fight Island 3
UFC

Dana White believes going back to sold out arenas is "the right thing to do"

Cole Shelton - March 28, 2021

Dana White is looking forward to having UFC events in different cities with sold-out crowds. At UFC 261 on April 24, the Las Vegas-based promotion will be heading to Jacksonville, Florida for a full capacity event that has already sold out. It’s a decision that many have mixed opinions about. However, the UFC appears to be done with pay-per-view events at the UFC Apex after UFC 260 which White is glad about.

Justin Gaethje
Dana White

Justin Gaethje could be backup for Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier trilogy, says Dana White

Adam Martin - March 28, 2021

UFC lightweight Justin Gaethje could be the backup fighter for the upcoming trilogy match between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. Gaethje has been extremely vocal lately about his displeasure with the UFC passing him over for a potential vacant lightweight title shot at UFC 262. Instead of Gaethje getting the fight, Michael Chandler is fighting Charles Oliveira for the vacant title in May, and Gaethje wasn’t happy about it. “The Highlight” recently said in an emotional interview that he believes he’s done everything that UFC president Dana White wanted of him, and he was sad to hear that the promotion passed on giving him the title shot over Chandler instead.

Dana White, UFC, Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov
Francis Ngannou

Dana White gushes over "scary" Francis Ngannou following KO win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260

Adam Martin - March 28, 2021

UFC president Dana White gushed over “scary” Francis Ngannou following his second-round KO win over Stipe Miocic at UFC 260. Ngannou finished Miocic with strikes in the second round of what was his most complete performance in the UFC to date. We already knew that Ngannou had huge power in his hands, but he showed a complete game in the rematch with Miocic. In addition to his punches that finished the fight, Ngannou also showed some growth in his overall skillset with improved wrestling, both offensively and defensively, and a varied striking attack. It was an excellent performance overall, and that’s why Ngannou is the champion today.

vicente-luque
Tyron Woodley

Vicente Luque calls out Nate Diaz following submission win over Tyron Woodley

Adam Martin - March 28, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Vicente Luque called out Nate Diaz following his first-round submission win over Tyron Woodley at UFC 260. Luque picked up the biggest win of his UFC career to date when he submitted Woodley in the co-main event of UFC 260 with a D’arce choke. It was a wild fight for as long as it lasted, with Woodley landing a big punch early on that rocked Luque, only to see the Brazilian come back and hurt Woodley on the feet before taking him to the ground and finishing him by submission. It’s the kind of marquee win that Luque needs in order to fight the upper echelon of the UFC welterweight division as he continues to march towards the title. But before a title shot comes, Luque wants to take a money fight against Diaz first.

Sean O'Malley
UFC

Sean O'Malley believes final punch on Thomas Almeida was "unnecessary," glad ref didn't stop the fight in the first round

Cole Shelton - March 28, 2021

Sean O’Malley was planning on a viral knockout against Thomas Almeida at UFC 260, but he isn’t so sure he got that. O’Malley was looking to return to the win column against Almeida and early on, he was having his way with the Brazilian. He was landing heavy shots and nearly finished him in the first round.

Jon Jones, Dana White, Conor McGregor
UFC

Jon Jones calls Dana White's comments "a huge slap in the face" following UFC 260

Adam Martin - March 28, 2021

UFC superstar Jon Jones called UFC president Dana White’s comments “a huge slap in the face” following the events of UFC 260. The main event of UFC 260 featured UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic against challenger Francis Ngannou in a rematch. Although Miocic won the first fight between the two heavyweight rivals, the rematch was a completely different case. After a tough first round that saw Ngannou wobble Miocic with strikes and even beat him in the wrestling department, the second round saw Ngannou brutally knock the champion out. Later on, at the post-fight press conference, White suggested that Jones move down to 185lbs instead of making his planned move to the heavyweight department and fighting Ngannou next.

Francis Ngannou, UFC Minneapolis, Junior dos Santos
UFC

Video | Francis Ngannou fans in Batie, Cameroon celebrate after their hometown hero wins UFC heavyweight title

Adam D Martin - March 28, 2021

Francis Ngannou fans in Batie, Cameroon celebrated after their hometown hero won the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 260 over Stipe Miocic. Ngannou knocked out Miocic in brutal fashion in the second round of their UFC 260 main event title fight. The Cameroon-born Ngannou showed incredible punching power once again against Miocic, but he also showed terrific wrestling as well as he put together the most complete performance of his UFC career and got the job done. It was an absolutely phenomenal victory for Ngannou, who finally becomes the UFC heavyweight champion six years into his career with the world’s leading MMA promotion. It was a great win for “The Predator” and it was the kind of victory that sent him hometown fans into a frenzy.

Ben-Askren
Boxing News

Ben Askren releases amazing Rocky 4 inspired video for upcoming fight with Jake Paul

Adam D Martin - March 28, 2021

Former UFC fighter-turned-boxer Ben Askren released an amazing Rocky 4 inspired video for his upcoming boxing match with Jake Paul. Askren takes on Paul in a high-profile boxing match on April 17 that will be promoted by the Triller app. The promotion recently held the press conference for the fight and both Paul and Askren got a lot of publicity before the bout, as expected. Their matchup is a big fight between a popular YouTuber in Paul and a former UFC star in Askren, and it’s expected to be a pay-per-view blockbuster when it goes down in a few weeks from now.

Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar, Johnny Walker, Thiago Santos, Jon Anik
Jon Jones

Jon Jones on potential Francis Ngannou fight: "I’m not going to just stand there like Stipe did"

Adam D Martin - March 28, 2021

Jon Jones commented on a potential Francis Ngannou heavyweight title fight, saying, “I want this fight… pay me and let me go to work.” Jones took to social media the morning after UFC 260, to fire back at UFC president Dana White, who suggested that Jones should move down to 185lbs rather than fight Ngannou. In response, Jones took to his Twitter and posted a series of messages where he made it clear that he wants Ngannou next. That’s the fight he wants and he wants the UFC to pay him properly for it. Take a look at the series of tweets that Jones made below.

Jon Jones
Stipe Miocic

Jon Jones says he honestly “wasn’t impressed” by Stipe Miocic’s performance at UFC 260

Adam D Martin - March 28, 2021

UFC superstar Jon Jones says he honestly “wasn’t impressed” by Stipe Miocic’s performance at UFC 260 against Francis Ngannou. Miocic was stopped in the second round by Francis Ngannou in the main event of UFC 260 with punches to lose the UFC heavyweight championship. Ngannou clubbed Miocic early in the first round but he was able to survive it only to get stopped in brutal fashion in the second. Following the fight, Jones took to social media to give props to Ngannou on his performance and criticize Miocic for having a poor showing and losing his belt by KO. Jones played “tweet and delete” again, but fortunately, the images were captured by others.