MMA News
Ciryl Gane responds to callout from fellow UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis
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.
Dana White has cast doubt regarding the potential return of Khamzat Chimaev: "I don’t know how this is going to play out"
Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021
UFC President Dana White is no longer fully optimistic that fight fans will get to see Khamzat Chimaev compete inside the Octagon again. Chimaev (9-0 MMA) has been one of the many unfortunate victims of the global pandemic and due to lingering symptoms, has been unable to compete since the fall of 2020.
Derrick Lewis wants to stay active following KO of Curtis Blaydes: “I know my window of time is closing to make money"
Chris Taylor - March 13, 2021
Heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis is looking to stay active following his sensational knockout victory over Curtis Blaydes at UFC Vegas 19. Lewis (25-7 MMA) squared off with Blaydes (14-3 MMA) on February 20 in a highly anticipated heavyweight bout. The result was a knockout victory for ‘The Black Beast’, who was able to put ‘Razor’ to sleep early in the second round after landing a nasty uppercut.
Jason Witt admits he never heard of Matthew Semelsberger, expects to earn second-round TKO
Cole Shelton - March 12, 2021
Jason Witt didn’t know who he would be fighting next but didn’t expect it to be Matthew Semelsberger. After Witt dominated Cole Williams to get his first UFC win, he was looking to return quickly. Although it is now five months later, Witt was just excited to get back in there despite not knowing who his opponent was.
Megan Anderson issues statement after conclusion of UFC contract: "Stay tuned!"
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2021
Recent UFC featherweight title challenger Megan Anderson has issued a statement after her contract with the promotion concluded. Anderson returned to the cage in the co-main event of UFC 259 last Saturday in Las Vegas, challenging featherweight champion Amanda Nunes for the division’s ultimate prize. Regrettably for the Aussie and her fans, she was submitted by Nunes in the fight’s opening round.
Tony Ferguson targeted to return opposite rising contender Beneil Dariush at UFC 262
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2021
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson is expected to return to the cage opposite rising contender Beneil Dariush at UFC 262. News of this planned matchup was first reported by MMA Junkie on Friday. The report notes that the fight has been verbally agreed to, but that contracts are not yet signed.
Valentina Shevchenko in no rush for Weili Zhang superfight, predicts Rose Namajunas wins title UFC 261
Adam Martin - March 12, 2021
UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko says she’s in no rush for a superfight against women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang. Shevchenko takes on top contender Jessica Andrade in the co-main event of UFC 261, which takes place on April 24 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. On the same card, Zhang takes on Rose Namajunas in the main event.
UFC Vegas 21 weigh-in results: Edwards, Muhammad hit marks
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2021
On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with the anticipated UFC Vegas 21 card out of the promotion’s Apex facility. UFC Vegas 21 will be headlined by a dynamite welterweight scrap between the division’s No. 3-ranked contender, Leon Edwards, and its No. 13 contender, Belal Muhammad. Edwards was originally slated to fight the unranked Khamzat Chimaev in the card’s headliner, but accepted a short-notice fight with Muhammad when Chimaev was forced off the card with health issues.
Khabib Nurmagomedov congratulates Jan Blachowicz on UFC 259 victory: "You know why you won?"
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2021
UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz received some warm words from Khabib Nurmagomedov after his decision victory over Israel Adesanya. Blachowicz defended the light heavyweight belt against Adesanya, the promotion’s middleweight champion, in the main event of UFC 259 last weekend.
Darren Till targets "magician vs. magician" fight with Israel Adesanya
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2021
UFC middleweight contender Darren Till is hoping for a fight with the division’s reigning champ, Israel Adesanya, in the near future. Till is slated to battle Italy’s Marvin Vettori on April 17. While that contest is currently his sole focus, he admits he’s intrigued by the prospect of a fight with Adesanya further down the road.
Dominick Cruz updates on desired charity fight with Monster's Hans Molenkamp
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2021
Former UFC bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz has provided an update on his feud with Monster Energy executive Hans Molenkamp. Cruz returned to action on the UFC 259 undercard last weekend, picking up a decision victory over Casey Kenney. In his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, he set his sights on a charity fight with Molenkamp, claiming that the Monster executive has a habit of making unreasonable demands of fighters.
Joseph Benavidez opens up on future after UFC 259 loss
Tom Taylor - March 12, 2021
Joseph Benavidez has opened up on his fighting future after a tough loss to Askar Askarov at last weekend’s UFC 259 card. Benavidez’s loss to Askarov, a unanimous decision, marked his third setback in a row, as he was also recently beaten in a pair of fights with Deiveson Figueiredo.
UFC continues roster cuts, two more fighters released
Harry Kettle - March 12, 2021
The UFC has continued to make cuts to their roster with Jordan Espinosa and Shana Dobson both being released from the promotion, MMA Fighting reports. The Ultimate Fighting Championship has never been shy when it comes to releasing fighters from the roster and as we continue on through what has been a successful 2021 for the company thus far, it seems as if they aren’t slowing down.
Jonathan Martinez expects a "good fight" for the fans against Davey Grant, wants ranked opponent with a win
Cole Shelton - March 11, 2021
Jonathan Martinez is confident he will extend his winning streak to three on Saturday night. At UFC Vegas 21, Martinez is set to fight Davey Grant, in a fight that was a surprise to many. Martinez is coming off a decision win over Thomas Almeida on short notice. After the win, Martinez and many fans thought he would’ve gotten a ranked opponent next.
Video | Henry Cejudo and Canelo Alvarez get into exchange of words over Ryan Garcia
Christopher Taylor - March 11, 2021
Former UFC ‘champ champ’ Henry Cejudo and boxing great Canelo Alvarez got into exchange of words over Ryan Garcia. Canelo (55-1-2) put his WBA and WBC super middleweight world titles on the line last month when he squared off with Avni Yildiri. The result was a one sided beatdown for Alvarez, who emerged victorious by way of third round TKO.
Cub Swanson explains comments saying MMA media should have '3 amateur fights'
Drake Riggs - March 11, 2021
Cub Swanson started one hell of a talking point this past month. Sharing his thoughts that MMA media should have “3 amateur fights,” the featherweight icon recently explained what he was getting at with his tweet.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao signs with EMC
Adam Martin - March 11, 2021
Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao has decided to take his talents to German-based MMA promotion Elite MMA Championship (EMC). The 34-year-old Brazilian, who has a 34-9, 1 NC overall record in MMA, is now the latest member of EMC, a German-based promotion who made the announcement official on Thursday. Barao is now a member of the Elite MMA Championship bantamweight roster.
Marvin Vettori wants to take Darren Till's "soul" when they fight
Cole Shelton - March 11, 2021
Marvin Vettori is looking to cement his case as the top middleweight contender when he faces Darren Till on April 10. In the main event of the card on ABC, Vettori and Till will fight in a crucial middleweight bout. The winner could very well earn a title shot and in the lead-up to the scrap, the two have traded words with one another. Although Till appears to be jokingly trash-talking the Italian, Vettori is taking it much more seriously which the Englishman doesn’t understand.