MMA News
Aljamain Sterling has a message for those who are offended by him posing with the UFC belt
Christopher Taylor - March 8, 2021
Aljamain Sterling has issued a statement following the immense backlash he has received for posing with the UFC bantamweight title. Sterling (20-3 MMA) captured the promotions coveted bantamweight title at Saturday’s UFC 259 event, but it was not in the fashion he or anyone watching desired.
Ray Rodriguez expects to KO Rani Yahya to prove he's "one of the best bantamweights in the world"
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2021
Ray Rodriguez is confident he will get his first UFC win. At UFC Vegas 21, Rodriguez is set to return to the Octagon against Rani Yahya. Rodriguez made his UFC debut last September and suffered a 39-second submission loss to Brian Kelleher on short notice. It was a disappointing result for Rodriguez but he knew he’d get another well-known name and he gets his wish against former WEC bantamweight title challenger in Yahya.
Leon Edwards on Colby Covington turning him down: "When it's time to fight real fighters he goes running and makes excuses"
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2021
Leon Edwards wasn’t too surprised when Colby Covington turned him down. After Khamzat Chimaev was forced out of his UFC Vegas 21 main event against Leon Edwards, many thought Covington would step up. Unfortunately, that did not come to fruition and instead, Edwards will now face Belal Muhammad.
Aljamain Sterling "wouldn't be opposed" if UFC didn't do Petr Yan rematch next
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2021
Aljamain Sterling wouldn’t care if the UFC decides not to book a rematch between him and Petr Yan next. In the first of three title fights at UFC 259, Yan was looking to defend his belt against Sterling. Early on, Yan dropped the challenger and was stuffing the takedowns and as the fight wore on, he was starting to pick the Russian apart. However, in the fourth round, Yan threw an illegal knee which ended the fight and he was DQ’d and Sterling became the new champion.
Julianna Pena calls for title fight with Amanda Nunes
Tom Taylor - March 8, 2021
UFC bantamweight contender Julianna Pena is setting her sights on a title shot against Amanda Nunes. Nunes currently rules over the UFC bantamweight and featherweight divisions. She returned to the Octagon at UFC 259 last Saturday, defending the former title with a blowout, first-round submission victory over Megan Anderson.
Henry Cejudo proclaims "Triple C is coming back"
Tom Taylor - March 8, 2021
From the sounds of it, Henry Cejudo plans on ending his retirement from mixed martial arts competition. Cejudo, a former Olympic gold medalist and two-division UFC champion, announced his retirement from MMA in May of 2020, after defending the UFC bantamweight title with a TKO victory over Dominick Cruz. Contrary to that retirement announcement, he’s been teasing a comeback ever since, and that comeback suddenly seems to be closer than ever to reality.
Petr Yan seemingly received conflicting advice from cornermen before illegal knee (video)
Tom Taylor - March 8, 2021
Petr Yan seemingly received conflicting instructions from his coaches in the moments leading up to his disqualification loss to Aljamain Sterling. Yan took on Sterling in one of three title fights on the UFC 259 bill last Saturday in Las Vegas. The Russian entered the Octagon as the UFC bantamweight champion, but after blasting Sterling with an illegal knee, lost the fight via disqualification, and surrendered the title to his dazed opponent as a result.
Paige VanZant knows date and opponent for next fight but "can't say yet"
Tom Taylor - March 8, 2021
Former UFC star Paige VanZant says she knows the date and opponent for her next fight, but is unable to reveal the details just yet. VanZant parted ways with the UFC in summer of 2020, and promptly signed with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
What's next for the stars of UFC 259?
Cole Shelton - March 8, 2021
On the stacked UFC 259 card, three title fights headlined the event with one title changing hands although it being controversial. In the main event, Jan Blachowicz edged out a decision over middleweight champ, Israel Adesanya to defend his light heavyweight title. The co-main event saw Amanda Nunes submit Megan Anderson to defend her featherweight. In the first of three title fights, Aljamain Sterling became the new bantamweight champion after Petr Yan threw an illegal knee and was disqualified.
Dan Hooker finally reunites with family 56 days after UFC 257 (video)
Tom Taylor - March 8, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker has finally reunited with his family after 56 days on the road. Hooker, a native of New Zealand, last fought at UFC 257 in January in Las Vegas, where he succumbed to a tough knockout loss at the hands of Michael Chandler. Because of current international travel restrictions—particularly those of New Zealand—Hooker was then forced to undergo multiple quarantines before returning home and reuniting with his family.
Jan Blachowicz, Israel Adesanya have entertaining miscommunication after fight (video)
Tom Taylor - March 8, 2021
Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya had an entertaining miscommunication in moments immediately following their fight. Blachowicz and Adesanya met in the main event of Saturday’s stacked UFC 259 card. Blachowicz sought to defend the light heavyweight title, while Adesanya, the promotion’s middleweight champion, looked to become a two-division champion.
Valeriu Mircea opens up on journey from Moldova to Italy, loss of his brother
Alfredo Zullino - March 8, 2021
Every person has a story. Some stories, though, are deeper than others and need to be told, like that of mixed martial artist Valeriu Mircea. Mircea has born in 1993 in Satul Topala, a 2000-person rural village in Moldova, situated in the district of Cimișlia. His family was not wealthy, to put it mildly. His mother, though, did everything she could to give her sons what they needed.
Tim Elliott and Jordan Espinosa's team address “woman beater” accusations from UFC 259
Harry Kettle - March 8, 2021
Jordan Espinosa’s team and Tim Elliott have both addressed the mid-fight argument they seemed to have during their UFC 259 bout. In their contest, which Elliott won via decision, there was an exchange on the ground that the microphones seemed to pick up, with the following being the apparent transcript.
Dana White reacts to "insane" judges scorecards from Saturday's UFC 259 main event
Christopher Taylor - March 7, 2021
Dana White was not happy with the judges scoring in last night’s UFC 259 main event between Israel Adesanya and Jan Blachowicz. Adesanya (20-1 MMA) moved up a weight class yesterday evening to challenge Blachowicz for the promotions coveted light heavyweight title. ‘Stylebender’ had entered the contest sporting a perfect professional record, his most previous win coming over Paulo Costa by way of TKO at UFC 253.
Sayif Saud shares inspirational story of Kennedy Nzechukwu following incredible comeback win at UFC 259
Adam Martin - March 7, 2021
Fortis MMA head coach Sayif Saud shared an inspirational story of Kennedy Nzechukwu following his incredible comeback win at UFC 259. Nzechukwu, a former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor, was a big underdog against Carlos Ulberg on the UFC 259 preliminary card. Ulberg, a teammate of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, entered the UFC with a ton of hype following a KO win on the Contender Series last summer. In the fight, Ulberg absolutely dominated Nzechukwu in the first round, battering his opponent with a variety of strikes. The second round, however, proved to be Ulberg’s downfall, as he would eventually tired out, leading to an upset KO win by Nzechukwu. Statistically speaking, it was an all-time best comeback.
Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling renew UFC 259 battle on social media
Adam Martin - March 7, 2021
New UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling and former champ Petr Yan renewed their UFC 259 battle on social media the day after their fight. Sterling and Yan had an incredible fight at UFC 259, one of three title fights on the card. Both men had their moments in the fight, but it appeared as though Yan was pulling away late when he made a huge error and illegally kneed Sterling in the head while he was a downed opponent. Referee Mark Smith deemed the foul intentional and was forced to wave off the fight on the advice of the cage-side doctor, who said Sterling couldn’t continue. Yan then became the first fighter in UFC history to lose his belt via DQ (disqualification).
Betting odds released for rematch between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling
Adam Martin - March 7, 2021
Petr Yan opened up as the clear betting favorite for a potential rematch later this year against UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Sterling and Yan put on a great fight for as long as it lasted, with both men having success throughout the first three rounds, and the fight was a tossup on the judges’ scorecards at that point. However, the fourth round saw Yan really start to take over and begin to hurt Sterling. He then made one of the worst decisions in a UFC fight ever when he kneed Sterling in the head while he was a downed opponent. Sterling defeated Yan via DQ after the Russian kneed him in the head illegally and the fight was called off by the referee.
Video | Aljamain Sterling squares off with Henry Cejudo, tells Dana White “we can do this fight next”
Christopher Taylor - March 7, 2021
Newly crowned UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is interested in fighting Henry Cejudo in his first attempt at a title defense. Sterling captured the promotions 135lbs title in controversial fashion yesterday evening at UFC 259, emerging victorious over Petr Yan due to a disqualification from an illegal knee in the fourth round.