MMA News

Adam Martin - March 29, 2021

UFC superstar Jon Jones took to social media on Monday afternoon and asked the world’s leading MMA promotion to release him from his deal. Jones and the UFC are currently going head-to-head over a potential Francis Ngannou superfight. Jones announced last summer that he would be moving up to heavyweight in 2021, and UFC president Dana White teased that he would be next in line to fight the winner of Ngannou vs. Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, which turned out to be Ngannou. However, after the event was over, White insinuated that Jones was scared of moving up to heavyweight to fight Ngannou and instead suggested he move down to middleweight.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2021

Former UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has released a statement following his second-round knockout loss to Francis Ngannou at UFC 260. Miocic suffered a brutal second-round KO loss to Ngannou in the pair’s rematch, which headlined this past Saturday’s UFC 260 pay-per-view card. Following the loss, Miocic has now taken to social media to release a lengthy statement. In it, he congratulated Ngannou on the victory and said he will be taking some time off to recover. Read it below.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2021

Former Cage Warriors featherweight champion Paddy Pimblett has officially signed a new free-agent contract with the UFC. Pimblett first appeared on the UFC fan rankings last week, which hinted that he could be signing with the promotion soon. Sure enough, the UFC has inked the former Cage Warriors star to a new deal. On Monday, the UFC officially announced on its social media pages that Pimblett has signed a contract to fight in the Octagon. Check it out below.

Cole Shelton - March 29, 2021

In the main event of UFC 260, Francis Ngannou and Stipe Miocic had their rematch three years in the making for the heavyweight title. Miocic entered the fight coming off of his trilogy fight against Daniel Cormier to reclaim and defend his heavyweight title. He also dominated Ngannou for five rounds using his wrestling to win the fight. Ngannou, meanwhile, was on a four-fight winning streak with all four wins coming by first-round KO and the longest fight going 71 seconds.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2021

The trilogy fight between UFC superstar Conor McGregor and rival Dustin Poirier is close to being made official for UFC 264 this summer. We have known for a few weeks now that the UFC plans on booking McGregor vs. Poirier 3 in the wake of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement from MMA, but it’s getting closer to the point of both men putting ink to paper. We heard recently that the July 10 date for the fight seemed likely, and now we have a name for the event as UFC 264 is what it will be called. According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the trilogy between McGregor and Poirier is close to being booked and could be finalized this week.

Adam D Martin - March 29, 2021

A new camera angle shows just how brutal Sean O’Malley’s “unnecessary” final punch on Thomas Almeida was during their UFC 260 fight. O’Malley took on Almeida in a highly-anticipated bantamweight bout between two strikers on the UFC 260 pay-per-view card. In the first round, O’Malley knocked Almeida down along the fence with strikes but he walked away and somehow the Brazilian was able to recover and survive. In the third round, however, O’Malley was able to knock Almeida down again and this time, he didn’t let him off the hook. After dropping his opponent to the canvas, O’Malley landed an absolutely brutal hammer fist that put his lights out completely.

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.

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.

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.

Christopher Taylor - March 28, 2021

Ben Askren has finally had enough of the trash talk from his former opponent Jorge Masvidal. At UFC 239 Masvidal and Askren squared off in a highly anticipated welterweight bout. It was thought that if ‘Funky’ defeated ‘Gamebred’ at the event, he would go on to earn a title shot.

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.

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.

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.

Adam Martin - March 28, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Vicente Luque issued a statement following his submission win over Tyron Woodley in the co-main event of UFC 260. Luque took on Woodley in one of the biggest fights of his career to date, and he passed the test with flying colors when he submitted the former UFC welterweight champion with a D’arce choke in the first round. It was a wild fight for as long as it lasted, as both men blasted each other with big shots and rocked each other, but eventually, Luque proved that he is the superior mixed martial artist at this point of their careers with the submission win.

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.

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.

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.

Adam Martin - March 28, 2021

UFC president Dana White hinted that former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley should retire following his fourth straight loss. Woodley was submitted by Vicente Luque in the co-main event of UFC 260, but it was a fun fight for as long as it lasted and won each man $50,000 each for “Fight of the Night.” After losing three straight fights to Kamaru Usman, Gilbert Burns, and Colby Covington, Woodley came into this fight with Luque with a huge chip on his shoulder, and it showed. As soon as the opening bell rang, Woodley immediately ran across the Octagon and tried to get physical with Luque. He even rocked the Brazilian, but he left himself exposed to counters and Luque was able to hurt him with strikes before getting him to the mat and tapping him.