MMA News

Adam Martin - March 17, 2021

The opening betting odds have been released for the upcoming middleweight bout between longtime rivals Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum. Whittaker was set to face Paulo Costa in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on April 17, but Costa was forced out of the fight due to illness and replaced by Gastelum, who is taking the fight on short notice. Gastelum is coming off of a decision win over Ian Heinisch at UFC 258 just last month so he should be in shape and ready to go for this bout against Whittaker, who is coming off of back-to-back wins over Jared Cannonier and Darren Till.

Adam D Martin - March 17, 2021

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling called Petr Yan a “dirty dickhead” as the two rivals got into a war of words on social media. Sterling and Yan’s 135lbs title fight at UFC 259 ended in controversy when the former champion nailed “Funk Master” in the head with an illegal knee in the fourth round, which left the challenger unable to continue. For the first time in UFC history, a title changed hands via DQ after referee Mark Smith deemed the foul international and Yan was disqualified. Sterling was, therefore, declared the winner and he’s now the champion.

Adam D Martin - March 17, 2021

UFC welterweight GSP offered some advice to Conor McGregor following his recent knockout loss to rival Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. GSP is one of the most highly-respected MMA fighters of all time, so anytime he gives advice you have to listen to it. Speaking to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, GSP was asked what McGregor can do to get back on track after getting knocked out by Poirier in his last fight. GSP, who himself experienced the rags-to-riches story of being a garbage man in Montreal to becoming a wealthy and famous athlete and movie star, decided to give some sage advice to the Irishman about how to turn his career back around.

Cole Shelton - March 17, 2021

Jan Blachowicz says he and Jon Jones still have unfinished business. After Blachowicz knocked out Corey Anderson last year in New Mexico, Jones promised Blachowicz a fight. However, “Bones” couldn’t come to terms with the UFC and he vacated the light heavyweight title with eyes on a move to heavyweight. Since then, Blachowicz became the new 205lbs champ with a TKO win over Dominick Reyes and he defended his belt against Israel Adesanya.

Cole Shelton - March 17, 2021

Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 22 card featuring Derek Brunson vs. Kevin Holland in the main event. The main event sees the seventh-ranked middleweight Derek Brunson take on the 10th-ranked Kevin Holland. Brunson will headline his second fight in a row, while this will be the first time Holland headlines a UFC card. It’s a fascinating matchup as Brunson has only lost to former or current champions, minus a few exceptions. If Holland is going to become a legit contender, he will need to beat Brunson on Saturday.

Adam D Martin - March 17, 2021

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya says that UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz beat him fair and square at UFC 259. Adesanya lost a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards in a failed bid to become the new champ at 205lbs. The judges scored the fight 49-46, 49-45, and 49-45 in favor of Blachowicz, who successfully defended his light heavyweight belt for the first time. However, there was a lot of discussion about the scorecards afterward. Some thought that Adesanya deserved to get the nod, and UFC analyst Daniel Cormier was criticized for pushing the narrative that he was winning the first few rounds of the fight. Adesanya, however, doesn’t see it that way. Even though he’d love to be the 205lbs champ, he admits he lost the fight.

Harry Kettle - March 17, 2021

UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad has told Leon Edwards to “hang up his gloves” if he’s satisfied with their No Contest at UFC Vegas 21. The two men hoped to go to war in Sin City last weekend but instead, they were both left feeling frustrated after an accidental eye poke to Muhammad caused the fight to end and be deemed a No Contest.

Adam D Martin - March 17, 2021

An ex-Monster Energy photographer echoed the comments made by UFC’s Dominick Cruz with allegations of being “blackballed” by Hans Molenkamp. Cruz made news headlines when he recently called out Molenkamp for a charity MMA fight following his split decision win over Casey Kenney at UFC 259. That has led to plenty of chatter about the Monster executive, with other UFC fighters such as Angela Hill coming to the defense of Cruz. Now, we have another person speaking up about Molenkamp.

Harry Kettle - March 17, 2021

Paulo Costa‘s coach & brother has provided some more details on the current health of the UFC middleweight contender. It was recently reported that Costa has been forced out of his highly anticipated April 17 fight against Robert Whittaker, a fight many saw as a potential No. 1 contender bout at 185lbs. At the time, it was said Costa had been suffering from a severe case of the flu.

Adam D Martin - March 17, 2021

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov had a meeting with Lorenzo Fertitta, later telling Dana White to “send me location.” Nurmagomedov is currently in a state of quasi-retirement. Following his submission over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last October, “The Eagle” said that he was going to hang up his gloves after promising his family that he wouldn’t fight anymore. However, UFC president Dana White has been trying for the last six months to get Nurmagomedov to fight again, but to no avail. However, Nurmagomedov hasn’t given up his lightweight belt yet and he continues to make hints that he could fight again, such as meeting up with White in Las Vegas, though most signs are still pointing to him soon hanging up his gloves for good.

Adam D Martin - March 17, 2021

Edmonton Oilers forward Jujhar Khaira suffered a brutal knockout during an in-game hockey fight this week in the NHL against Brett Ritchie. During Monday’s hockey game between the Oilers and the Calgary Flames, Khaira landed a cheap shot on the Flames’ Oliver Kylington, nailing him right in the head with his shoulder. The referees did not call a penalty on the play and so the players decided to take the matters into their own hands. The Flames’ Ritchie then challenged Khaira to a fight, which he accepted. You can see the original hit to the head that first caused the issues between the players and then the brutal fight between Ritchie and Khaira in the videos below.

Drake Riggs - March 16, 2021

As Jake Paul’s boxing match against Ben Askren draws near, he continues to get help from MMA fighters in preparation – add Mike Perry to the list. After catching wind of the million-dollar bet UFC President Dana White laid down in favor of Askren, Perry shared his thoughts on Tuesday.

Andrew Whitelaw - March 16, 2021

Rafael Fiziev is arguably one of the best strikers in the UFC and the in-form lightweight just raised his hand for a fight with The Korean Zombie. Currently riding an impressive three-fight winning streak, Fiziev is on the cusp of breaking into the top 15 at 155lb. The former policeman was last in action at UFC 256, where he knocked out Renato Moicano with a savage left hook back in December.

Cole Shelton - March 16, 2021

Colby Covington wasn’t impressed with Leon Edwards. In the main event of UFC Vegas 21, Edwards made his long-awaited return to the Octagon against Belal Muhammad who took the fight on short notice. Early on, Edwards was having success and landed a head kick that appeared to rock Muhammad. The Englishman clearly won the first round, but in the second round, Edwards poked Muhammad in the eye and the fight was over.

Cole Shelton - March 16, 2021

Francis Ngannou will have Kamaru Usman in his corner for his heavyweight title fight at UFC 260. In the main event of the pay-per-view card on March 27, Ngannou will rematch Stipe Miocic after being dominated by him the first time around. Miocic used his wrestling to take Ngannou down at will to secure the decision win.

Cole Shelton - March 16, 2021

Antonio Carlos Junior didn’t think he was fighting for his job at UFC 257. Carlos Junior was making his return to the Octagon after over a year away against Brad Tavares. In the fight, the Brazilian was looking to get the fight to the ground but Tavares managed to keep the contest on the feet and outstrike him to win a decision. After the fight, it was revealed Carlos Junior was released which caught him by surprise.

Cole Shelton - March 16, 2021

Robert Whittaker will still headline the April 17 card after all. Late Monday night, it was revealed Paulo Costa was out of his fight against Whittaker due to ongoing complications from COVID-19. The hope for the Brazilian was to push the fight back a couple of weeks. However, that will not be the case. According to Contreas Legaspi and later confirmed by ESPN, Gastelum has agreed to step up on short notice to fight Whittaker.

Adam D Martin - March 16, 2021

The UFC rankings have been updated following UFC Vegas 21, with featherweight Dan Ige and light heavyweight Ryan Spann moving up the ladder. Ige knocked out Gavin Tucker in 22 seconds, while Spann finished Misha Cirkunov in the first round for his biggest UFC victory to date. Both Ige and Spann not only earned $50,000 bonuses for their incredible knockouts, but they have also moved up the UFC rankings in the latest update. Check out the latest changes to the UFC rankings (via Jed I. Goodman).