MMA News
Marion Reneau issues statement following announcement of retirement fight with Miesha Tate
Adam D Martin - March 25, 2021
UFC women’s bantamweight contender Marion Reneau issued a statement following the announcement of her retirement fight with Miesha Tate. Reneau lost last weekend against Macy Chiasson when she dropped a unanimous decision. At age 43, Reneau is the oldest active fighter in the UFC and she has lost her last four fights, which left her as a potential cut casualty as the UFC continues to trim the roster. Instead of releasing Reneau, however, the UFC decided to give her one last fight, and they booked her against Tate, who is returning from a five-year retirement layoff of her own.
Dustin Poirier turned down title shot for Conor McGregor trilogy, says Dana White
Adam D Martin - March 25, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier turned down the opportunity to fight for the belt, choosing instead to fight Conor McGregor again. Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov vacated the belt last week and retired from MMA, which left the division without a champion. Nurmagomedov’s decision to officially retired led to the promotion booking Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight belt at UFC 262. Some fans and media were shocked that Poirier wasn’t part of the title fight considering he just knocked out McGregor in his last fight and beat Dan Hooker before that, but now we know that the UFC offered Poirier the title shot first.
Sean O'Malley excited for "sloppy" boxing match between Ben Askren and Jake Paul, shares prediction
Adam D Martin - March 25, 2021
UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley says he is excited for the “sloppy” boxing match between Ben Askren and Jake Paul and shared his prediction. O’Malley returns to the Octagon this Saturday night when he faces Thomas Almeida at UFC 260. Speaking to the media ahead of this weekend’s pay-per-view card, O’Malley shared his thoughts on the upcoming Askren vs. Paul boxing match and predicted the winner.
Grant Dawson happy to show complete skillset against Leonardo Santos, defends Clay Guida callout: "He has a bigger name than I do"
Cole Shelton - March 25, 2021
Grant Dawson had no clue how the judges were scoring his fight against Leonardo Santos entering the third round. The fight was competitive through two rounds and after the second round, James Krause had a motivating speech to tell Dawson he needs to finish the fight in the third round. Although Dawson was controlling the fight, it appeared the fight was destined to go the distance. However, with 10 seconds left, Dawson started landing heavy ground and pound that knocked Santos out cold, which was a big relief for Dawson.
Khabib Nurmagomedov "would be a huge star" for the WWE, says Drew McIntyre
Adam D Martin - March 25, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov “would be a huge star” for the WWE, says professional wrestler Drew McIntyre. Nurmagomedov officially announced last week that he is retiring from MMA and from the UFC. It was no surprise that “The Eagle” decided to walk away, considering he first mentioned the possibility of retirement following his win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last October. But after spending the last six months pondering his future in the sport, Nurmagomedov ultimately made the decision to hang up his gloves. He cited the fact he wanted to spend more time with his mother as one of the reasons why he walked away.
Modestas Bukauskas plans to finish Michal Oleksiejczuk in "spectacular fashion" at UFC 260
Cole Shelton - March 25, 2021
Modestas Bukauskas was eagerly anticipating his next fight after coming up short last time out. Back on Fight Island in October, Bukauskas suffered a first-round TKO loss to Jimmy Crute. In just his second UFC fight, he fought a very tough and dangerous Crute who is now in the rankings and could be in the top-10 after his next fight. Although the loss was disappointing for Bukauskas, he says it helped him grow as he hired a sports psychologist and started to focus more on the strategy for his fights.
Photo | Kamaru Usman looks absolutely massive ahead of UFC 261 rematch with Jorge Masvidal
Harry Kettle - March 25, 2021
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman appears to be in the best shape of his career heading into his UFC 261 rematch against Jorge Masvidal. “The Nigerian Nightmare” was able to defeat “Gamebred” last summer on Fight Island to retain his belt in a short-notice fight, and now, they’ll be locking horns again in an absolutely vital fight for the welterweight division.
James Krause invites Julia Avila to train with him after she was kicked out of her gym
Adam D Martin - March 25, 2021
UFC welterweight James Krause invited women’s bantamweight fighter Julia Avila to train with him after she was kicked out of her gym. It’s been a tough week for Avila, to say the least. “Raging Panda” was supposed to fight at UFC Vegas 22 last Saturday, but the fight was scratched during the weigh-ins when her opponent, Julija Stoliarenko, fainted twice on the scale. Not only did Avila’s fight fall off, but she also took to social media the next day to announce that she had been booted out of her gym, the Oklahoma Martial Arts Academy, though she didn’t explain why she had been kicked out of the gym. Regardless, Avila is now looking for a new gym to call home.
Neil Magny shuts down Khamzat Chimaev’s request to fight in July
Adam D Martin - March 25, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Neil Magny shut down Khamzat Chimaev’s request to fight in July, saying that Chimaev should get healthy first. Chimaev announced this week that he will be returning to the Octagon this summer, and he’s already been busy calling out Magny again. Chimaev is hoping to get a fight with someone ranked near the top-10 and Magny is available. Hopefully, Chimaev has been ill with COVID-19 for the last few months and he hasn’t been able to fight. Now that there is light at the end of the tunnel and he plans on making his return this summer, he’s looking to make a splash in his comeback, and beating a veteran like Magny qualifies as doing that.
Dan Hardy fears misconception from Dana White could prevent reconciliation with the UFC
Harry Kettle - March 25, 2021
Former UFC fighter & commentator Dan Hardy is concerned that a misconception from Dana White could prevent him from returning to the promotion. “The Outlaw” departed from the company after a disagreement with one of the company’s employees on Fight Island at the start of the year. It follows another incident last summer in which he visibly got into an argument with referee Herb Dean.
Sean O'Malley on Casey Kenney-Megan Anderson comments: 'You can't let someone else's words effect how you feel emotionally'
Drake Riggs - March 24, 2021
Ahead of Casey Kenney’s last fight with Dominick Cruz, he made some controversial remarks about Megan Anderson on Sean O’Malley’s podcast. Getting ready to get back in action himself this weekend at UFC 260, O’Malley briefly reflected on the incident that happened on his show.
Craig Jones puts career on the line in intergender grappling match with Gabi Garcia
Drake Riggs - March 24, 2021
Gabi Garcia has been looking for a challenge lately. Well, her call has been answered in the form of Craig Jones who puts his career on the line. When it comes to the world’s absolute best jiu-jitsu practitioners, regardless of gender, Garcia and Jones are at the top of the mountain.
Tyron Woodley plans to go "out on top" despite recent skid: "I’m a better fighter than all of them"
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021
Tyron Woodley knows he is better than all three of the fighters he has lost to in his last three fights. During his skid, Woodley lost his belt to Kamaru Usman by decision and then suffered a decision loss to Gilbert Burns and a fifth-round TKO loss to Colby Covington. However, Woodley believes he hasn’t been performing to the best of his ability but still plans on retiring on top of the welterweight division.
Sean O'Malley says he has "no issues losing" but still considers himself undefeated
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021
Sean O’Malley believes he is entering his UFC 260 main card fight against Thomas Almeida undefeated. O’Malley suffered his first career loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252 last August. Although on his record it says he lost via first-round TKO, in the fight, “Suga” rolled his ankle several times. It eventually gave out and Vera jumped on top of him, landed some ground and pound and the fight was over.
Khamzat Chimaev eyes July return against Neil Magny, plans to train with alligators
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021
Khamzat Chimaev is planning to return to the Octagon in July and will have a unique training style in preparation for it. After Chimaev was forced out of his March 13 main event against Leon Edwards due to lingering COVID-19 effects, he announced his retirement from the sport. However, on Tuesday, he revealed he is coming back. He also wants Neil Magny in his return, according to his manager, Ali Abdelaziz.
Gillian Robertson opens up on pulling out of UFC 258, expects to submit Miranda Maverick in a "statement" win
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021
Gillian Robertson is glad she is fighting Miranda Maverick. At UFC 258, Robertson and Maverick were expected to fight in an intriguing matchup. However, on the day of the event, Robertson was forced out of the fight due to her being sick. She believes it was caused by food poisoning and not due to her weight cut or COVID-19.
Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier set for commentary booth at UFC 260
Adam Martin - March 24, 2021
Joe Rogan and former UFC champion Daniel Cormier will join Jon Anik in the booth for this Saturday night’s UFC 260 pay-per-view event. Rogan and Cormier have both sat alongside Anik during the last couple of pay-per-view cards, so it’s no surprise to see them both back in the booth alongside the stalwart UFC commentator Anik. Both Rogan and Cormier are two of the most popular commentators the UFC has and the promotion likes having this three-man booth alongside Anik for PPV cards.
Alonzo Menifield gets new opponent after William Knight pulled from UFC 260
Cole Shelton - March 24, 2021
Alonzo Menifield will remain on UFC 260 but he won’t fight William Knight. Menifield and Knight were supposed to fight on February 27 but Menifield tested positive for COVID-19 and the fight was postponed to this Saturday’s UFC 260. However, the UFC announced that Knight is out of the fight and has been rebooked to fight Da-un Jung on April 10. Menifield, meanwhile, will remain on UFC 260 and he will face LFA light heavyweight champion Fabio Cherant.