MMA News
UFC 260 loses another fight as Shane Young pulled due to COVID-19 protocols
Adam D Martin - March 21, 2021
UFC featherweight Shane Young has been pulled from his fight with Omar Morales at next weekend’s UFC 260 card due to COVID-19 protocols. Young vs. Morales would have been a great fight between two men who likely would have stood and traded for the fans’ delight, but the fight has been scratched from UFC 260. On Saturday night, it was revealed that UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski was pulled from his upcoming title fight against Brian Ortega at UFC 260 after testing positive for COVID-19. In addition, lightweight Brad Riddell saw his fight with Gregor Gillespie canceled for UFC Vegas 22 because of his closeness to Volkanovski. It appears now that Young, another City Kickboxing fighter, was affected by COVID-19 protocols.
Leonardo Santos issues statement following nasty KO loss to Grant Dawson
Adam Martin - March 21, 2021
UFC lightweight Leonardo Santos has released a statement following his brutal ground-and-pound KO loss to Grant Dawson at UFC Vegas 22. Santos and Dawson were engaged in a razor-close fight that was seconds away from heading to the judges’ scorecards. Though the judges would have scored the fight for Dawson, no one could have known that at the time, as some believed Santos had done enough to win the first two rounds and Dawson needed a big comeback. He did just that and more when he landed a brutal hammer fist KO with ground and pound with just one second left in the third round, eliminating the need to bring the judges into the equation.
Khabib Nurmagomedov confirms he retired because of his love for his mother
Adam Martin - March 21, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov confirmed that he retired from MMA because of his love and respect for his mother. Nurmagomedov officially announced this week that he was retiring from MMA at the height of his career. At 29-0 and at age 32, Nurmagomedov is very much in his prime and was the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world before he made the announcement official and he hung up his gloves. For many fans, the decision to walk away is a surprising one considering he’s still one of the best fighters in the sport and there is plenty of money to be made. But for Nurmagomedov, family trumps all, and that’s why he retired from MMA.
Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to be MMA coach of the year, says Luke Rockhold: "He wants to be the next great thing"
Adam Martin - March 21, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to be the MMA coach of the year, says his longtime teammate Luke Rockhold. Nurmagomedov announced his official retirement from the UFC this week, finishing his MMA career with a perfect 29-0 record. While a return down the road can’t be ruled out, at least for the time being we have seen the last of “The Eagle” inside the Octagon. But just because he doesn’t plan on competing anymore doesn’t mean he won’t stick around the game. Instead of fighting, Nurmagomedov plans on putting his focus on coaching instead.
Ben Askren reveals first memory after Jorge Masvidal knocked him out at UFC 239
Adam D Martin - March 21, 2021
Former UFC welterweight Ben Askren revealed the first memory he had after Jorge Masvidal knocked him out with a flying knee at UFC 239. Masvidal’s five-second KO over Askren is one of the iconic moments in UFC history. The two rivals talked a lot of smack in the lead-up to the fight, but as soon as the bell rang, Masvidal ran across the Octagon and completely flattened Askren with a brutal knee as he ducked for a takedown. It was a brutal knockout that left Askren completely KOed stiff.
Israel Adesanya responds after Jon Jones accuses him of “acting like a girl” and “playing the victim”
Adam D Martin - March 21, 2021
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya responded after Jon Jones recently accused him of “acting like a girl” and “playing the victim.” There is no love lost between Adesanya and Jones, two of MMA’s biggest stars. After Adesanya failed in his bid to capture the UFC light heavyweight championship against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259, Jones has been extremely critical towards the middleweight champion, criticizing him for his inability to stuff the takedown and do damage off his back. Adesanya, in turn, has continued to take shots at Jones. Although a fight between these two seems to be a longshot now that Adesanya has lost to Blachowicz, that isn’t stopping both fighters from taking to their social media and continuing to chirp at each other.
Kevin Holland considering move down to 170lbs following loss to Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 22
Adam D Martin - March 21, 2021
UFC middleweight Kevin Holland says he is considering a move down to 170lbs following his loss to Derek Brunson at UFC Vegas 22. Holland was taken down at will for nearly the entire 25 minutes by Brunson on his way to a unanimous decision loss. Though it seemed that Holland didn’t take the fight seriously, you also have to give a ton of credit to Brunson for sticking to his gameplan. He was able to expose Holland’s poor takedown defense as he continually took him down at will and beat him with his grinding wrestling style. It was the kind of lopsided win for Brunson that now has Holland contemplating a chance of weight classes considering how he was held down.
Conor McGregor continues to take jabs at recently retired rival Khabib Nurmagomedov
Adam D Martin - March 21, 2021
UFC superstar Conor McGregor continued to take jabs at recently-retired rival Khabib Nurmagomedov with some more trash-talk on social media. McGregor and Nurmagomedov were bitter rivals for years, and the hope was the two would one day have their big-money rematch inside the Octagon. However, after McGregor got knocked out by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, it essentially eliminated any thoughts of the rematch. Nurmagomedov officially retired from MMA this week, and of course, McGregor was there to take a shot at him, telling the Russian he’s the one who made him in MMA. On Sunday, McGregor continued to take shots at Nurmagoedov, this time for his lack of power.
Kevin Holland responds to critics who say he should “stop talking” during his fights
Adam D Martin - March 21, 2021
UFC middleweight Kevin Holland responded to the critics who said that he should “stop talking” during his fights following UFC Vegas 22. Holland lost a unanimous decision when Derek Brunson was able to take him down at will and control him on the mat en route to a unanimous decision victory. While it was a solid performance by Brunson, who did exactly what he needed to do to win the fight, it was disappointing to see Holland not take the fight more seriously. Instead of having an urgency to finish the fight, Holland instead let the clock continue to tick. Once he finally started to take the fight seriously late in the fifth round, it was already far too late.
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov discusses what’s next after confirming his retirement from fighting
Adam D Martin - March 21, 2021
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov discussed what’s next for him after officially confirming his retirement from fighting this week. After submitting Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last October, Nurmagomedov said that he planned on hanging up his gloves and step away from MMA. For the past six months, UFC president Dana White has tried to convince “The Eagle” to fly again, but Nurmagomedov ultimately decided that he doesn’t want to continue fighting, and he decided to walk away. The Russian officially retired and vacated the UFC lightweight belt this week, which resulted in Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler being booked for the vacant belt at UFC 262.
Tony Ferguson says he accepts the "verbal tap" from Khabib Nurmagomedov: "29-1 it is"
Christopher Taylor - March 21, 2021
Tony Ferguson is clearly not ready to let go of his long standing rivalry with recently retired UFC lightweight kingpin Khabib Nurmagomedov. ‘The Eagle’ recently made his retirement from fighting official, this after Dana White and the UFC finally threw in the towel following multiple failed attempts to persuade Khabib into making a comeback.
Dana White reacts to Kevin Holland’s performance at UFC Vegas 22
Christopher Taylor - March 21, 2021
Dana White and company were promoting the in-fight trash talking of Kevin Holland prior to tonight’s UFC Vegas 22 main event. Holland (21-6 MMA) had entered tonight’s UFC headliner with veteran Derek Brunson on a five-fight win streak, his latest being a spectacular knockout victory over former Strikeforce champion Jacare Souza.
UFC Vegas 22 Bonus Report: Max Griffin among four POTN winners
Chris Taylor - March 20, 2021
The Octagon remained in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 22 event, a ten-bout fight card headlined by Kevin Holland taking on Derek Brunson. The highly anticipated middleweight main event did not go the way many fans, including oddsmakers, were expecting. While Holland was favored to defeat his veteran opponent, Brunson played the underdog roll to a tee. Derek was able to utilize his strong wrestling pedigree to dominate Kevin Holland on the Octagon canvas for the better part of twenty-five minutes, earning a unanimous decision victory.
Brian Ortega issues statement after losing out on UFC 260 title fight with Alex Volkanovski
Christopher Taylor - March 20, 2021
Brian Ortega has issued a statement after losing out on his proposed UFC 260 featherweight title fight with Alex Volkanovski. Earlier tonight news broke that next weekend’s slated co-headliner between Ortega and Volkanovski had been cancelled, this due to safety protocols against the global pandemic.
Israel Adesanya reacts to Derek Brunson defeating Kevin Holland at UFC Vegas 22
Christopher Taylor - March 20, 2021
Israel Adesanya was clearly watching tonight’s UFC Vegas 22 main event between perennial middleweight contenders Kevin Holland and Derek Brunson. Brunson (22-7 MMA) had entered tonight’s event headliner on a three-fight win streak, his latest being a TKO victory over Edmen Shahbazyan in August. Prior to that finish, the middleweight veteran was coming off back-to-back decision victories over Ian Heinisch and Elias Theodorou.
Pros react after Derek Brunson defeats Kevin Holland at UFC Vegas 21
Chris Taylor - March 20, 2021
Tonight’s UFC Vegas 22 event was headlined by a key middleweight bout between perennial division contenders Kevin Holland and Derek Brunson. Brunson (22-7 MMA) entered tonight’s event headliner on a three-fight win streak, his latest being a TKO victory over Edmen Shahbazyan in August. Prior to that, the middleweight veteran was coming off back-to-back decision victories over Ian Heinisch and Elias Theodorou.
Pros react after Max Griffin KO's Song Kenan at UFC Vegas 22
Chris Taylor - March 20, 2021
Tonight’s UFC Vegas 22 was co-headlined by a welterweight contest between fan favorites Song Kenan and Max Griffin. Kenan (16-6 MMA) entered tonight’s contest sporting a two-fight winning streak, this after earning wins over Derrick Krantz and Callan Potter in his most recent Octagon appearances.
UFC Vegas 22 Result: Max Griffin KO's Song Kenan in Round 1 (Video)
Chris Taylor - March 20, 2021
Tonight’s UFC Vegas 22 is co-headlined by a welterweight contest between fan favorites Song Kenan and Max Griffin. Kenan (16-5 MMA) is currently riding a two-fight winning streak, this after earning wins over Derrick Krantz and Callan Potter in his most recent Octagon appearances.