MMA News

Adam Martin - March 14, 2021

UFC featherweight Billy Quarantillo, who was a guest, says that Aljamain Sterling didn’t want to celebrate at his UFC 259 post-fight party. Sterling has been the talk of the MMA community ever since last weekend’s UFC 259 card, where he won the UFC bantamweight title via DQ against Petr Yan. It was a controversial moment as this marked the first time in UFC history that a fighter has won a belt via DQ. It was even more controversial because there were many fans and even fellow fighters who thought Sterling hammed up the knee to get the win. When photos of Sterling emerged following the fight with him wearing his belt, it gave even more ammunition to those who were against “Funk Master,” particularly after Yan called Sterling a “clown” for the photos.

Adam Martin - March 14, 2021

UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad called Leon Edwards “soft” for a wanting title shot after their No Contest in the main event of UFC Vegas 21. Muhammad and Edwards had just started the second round when Muhammad received a nasty eye poke that left him unable to see. The doctor and referee Herb Dean deemed Muhammad unable to continue fighting and Dean declared the fight a No Contest due to an accidental eye poke. While some have called for the UFC to run the fight back, Edwards himself thinks that he is ready to move on and fighting for the UFC welterweight title.

Adam D Martin - March 14, 2021

WWE superstar Big E explained how UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling can embrace a “babyface role” following his fight at UFC 259. Sterling won the UFC’s 135lbs belt last weekend at UFC 259 with a DQ win over Petr Yan. Since winning the belt, it feels like Sterling has made somewhat of a “heel turn” after taking photos with the belt, calling for a fight with Henry Cejudo, and not asking Matt Serra to corner him. However, according to WWE superstar Big E, the heel route is not one that Sterling should go down. Speaking to “The A-Side,” Big E said that Sterling should instead go play the “babyface role” and he explained why he thinks that should be the case.

Adam D Martin - March 14, 2021

UFC featherweight contender Dan Ige called out The Korean Zombie following his incredible one-punch KO over Gavin Tucker at UFC Vegas 21. Ige needed just 22 seconds to finish Tucker, as he landed a brutal straight right that knocked his opponent out cold. It was Ige’s seventh win in the UFC and it helped him bounce back following a unanimous decision loss to Calvin Kattar in his last fight. It also earned him a well-deserved 50k bonus for Performance of the Night, and it’s the kind of big win that should give Ige another top fighter in his next outing. After taking a step back and fighting the unranked Tucker, it seems likely that Ige will get a top-10 ranked opponent.

Adam D Martin - March 14, 2021

UFC middleweight Eryk Anders issued an apology to Darren Stewart following the “critical error” he made in their fight at UFC Vegas 21. Anders and Stewart met on the UFC Vegas 21 main card in a fight between two big middleweights. Although Stewart was the betting favorite heading into the fight, Anders looked like he was the better fighter as long as the fight lasted, as he was hurting Stewart with strikes up against the cage. It appeared as though referee Here Dean was close to stopping the fight as Anders rained down strikes on his hurt opponent, but then “Ya Boi” made the grave error of landing an illegal knee to a downed opponent. Stewart couldn’t continue and the fight was ruled a No Contest, with Dean ruling the knee was accidental.

Adam D Martin - March 14, 2021

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling called for “new gloves” following last night’s Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad No Contest result. Edwards landed an accidental eye poke at the beginning of the second round that left Muhammad unable to see, resulting in the fight being called off. It was yet another unfortunate eye poke in MMA that led to a great fight being ruined, and it’s the kind of result that has reignited calls for new gloves to be introduced into mixed martial arts, and it led to a number of fighters including Sterling taking to their social media to vent.

Adam D Martin - March 14, 2021

UFC featherweight Marcelo Rojo shared a grisly photo following his war with Charles Jourdain, plus reacted to being snubbed of a FOTN bonus. Rojo took the fight with Jourdain on short notice, moving up a weight class from his regular 135lbs division to take on the talented Canadian “Air” on the UFC Vegas 21 preliminary card. The fight was an absolute war, as both men kept pushing forward with bad intentions and landing effective strikes throughout the contest. However, after two close first rounds, Jourdain saw an opportunity to finish the fight in the third, and he kept pouring it on until the referee mercifully stopped it with less than 30 seconds left to go on the clock. It was an absolute dogfight between two men who badly wanted to get their hand raised in the fight.

Adam D Martin - March 14, 2021

A new close-up photo has revealed just how gruesome the eye poke that Leon Edwards landed on Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 21 actually was. Muhammad was fighting in the first main event of his UFC career, taking the fight with Edwards on short notice after Khamzat Chimaev withdrew due to COVID-19 health issues. After a competitive first round, the second round was just starting when Edwards landed a nasty eye poke to Muhammad that had “Remember the Name” writhing in pain. It was clear that Muhammad’s vision was negatively impacted by the eye poke, and after a discussion with the cage-side physician, referee Herb Dean ruled the fight a No Contest.

Christopher Taylor - March 13, 2021

Belal Muhammad has issued a statement while providing an update on his injured eye following tonight’s UFC Vegas 21 main event with Leon Edwards. Muhammad (18-3 MMA) was looking to play spoiler as a sizeable betting underdog this evening in Sin City. The Chicago native had entered tonight’s UFC Vegas 21 main event riding a four-fight winning streak, his latest being a unanimous decision victory over Dhiego Lima at UFC 258.

Christopher Taylor - March 13, 2021

Perennial UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards made his highly anticipated return to the Octagon this evening for a fight with Belal Muhammad. Edwards (18-3 MMA) was competing for the first time since July of 2019, where he had defeated Rafael dos Anjos by decision. The Birmingham native had entered tonight’s headliner sporting an impressive eight-fight win streak.

Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021

The Octagon remained in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 21 event, a thirteen-bout fight card headlined by Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad. The highly anticipated welterweight fight did not result in the definitive outcome that most fans were hoping for. Instead, after a strong first round, Leon Edwards wound up landing a nasty accidental eye poke on Belal Muhammad which forced a premature end to their fight.

Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021

A key welterweight bout between perennial division contenders Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad headlined tonight’s UFC Vegas 21 event. Edwards (18-3 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since July of 2019, where he had defeated Rafael dos Anjos by decision. The Birmingham native entered tonight’s headliner sporting an impressive eight-fight win streak.

Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 21 event was co-headlined by a light heavyweight bout between ranked division contenders Misha Cirkunov and Ryan Spann. Cirkunov (15-6 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since September of 2019, where he had earned a first round submission victory over Jimmy Crute. The Canadian had gone just 2-3 over his past five Octagon appearance overall, suffering losses to Volkan Oezdemir, Glover Teixeira and Johnny Walker during that span.

Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 21 event is co-headlined by a light heavyweight bout between ranked division contenders Misha Cirkunov and Ryan Spann. Cirkunov (15-5 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since September of 2019, where he earned a first round submission victory over Jimmy Crute. The Canadian has gone 2-3 over his past five Octagon appearance overall, suffering losses to Volkan Oezdemir, Glover Teixeira and Johnny Walker during that span.

Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021

UFC featherweight contender Dan Ige earned the sixth fastest knockout in UFC history against Gavin Tucker this evening in Las Vegas. The Hawaiian standout was able to connect with the first right hand he threw and the strike sent his opponent crashing to the canvas in a state of unconsciousness. As the bout felt like it had just started, UFC commentators Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping initially suggested that the fight may have ended within the first five seconds.

Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021

Aljamain Sterling was one of many fighters who reacted online after tonight’s UFC Vegas 21 main card opener ended due to an illegal knee. A middleweight bout between Eryk Anders and Darren Stewart kicked off tonight’s main card action from Las Vegas. Unfortunately for both fighters, as well as fans watching from home, the bout was ended prematurely due an illegal knee.

Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021

The Octagon remains in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Vegas 21 event, a thirteen-bout fight card headlined by Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad. Edwards (18-3 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since July of 2019, when he defeated Rafael dos Anjos by decision. That victory had marked the Birmingham natives eighth in a row and propelled him to the top of the promotions welterweight rankings.

Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021

Undefeated UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane has responded after receiving a callout from former division title challenger Derrick Lewis. Lewis and Gane are both coming off of recent Octagon victories.