MMA News

Drake Riggs - February 22, 2021

UFC Vegas 19 got off to a hot start with a plethora of awesome finishes, and it would end the night on the same note. However, directly before the main event, there was some controversy at bantamweight — UFC President Dana White believes the judges got things right. At 135-pounds, top-ranked contenders Ketlen Vieira and Yana Kunitskaya took centerstage. After a competitive grappling heavy contest that saw round-by-round momentum shifts, “Foxy” would come out on top (literally) and get her hand raised by unanimous decision.

Adam Martin - February 22, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Kevin Lee says he wants to run it back with Tony Ferguson when he returns to the Octagon later this year. Lee has not competed since last March when he was submitted by Charles Oliveira in the main event of the last UFC card before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He had double surgery after the fight, and after missing a full year of action, he’s ready to return to the Octagon in the coming months. And when he makes his return, he wants to rematch Ferguson.

Adam Martin - February 22, 2021

UFC light heavyweight Thiago Santos promised to be “100 times better” in his return to the Octagon at UFC 259 against Aleksandar Rakic. The last time we saw Santos, he lost in an upset to Glover Teixeira when he was submitted in the third round of that fight. Santos had success early and even dropped Teixeira in the fight, but eventually, the ring rust showed as Santos wore down and was tapped out. After losing a razor-thin split decision to Jon Jones at UFC 239 in July 2019, Santos missed over a year of action due to having double knee surgery and also catching COVID-19. So you can see why it’s somewhat excusable that he wasn’t as sharp when he fought Teixeira.

Cole Shelton - February 22, 2021

John McCarthy has assessed Herb Dean’s performance at UFC Vegas 19. In the main event of the card, Dean was the third man in the Octagon for Derrick Lewis vs Curtis Blaydes. In the early going, Dean was doing a solid job monitoring the eye pokes. Yet, as Lewis landed the KO punch, “The Black Beast” followed it up with some more shots. He said it was Herb Dean’s fault, but John McCarthy believes Dean did everything he was supposed to.

Cole Shelton - February 22, 2021

Kamaru Usman will likely get his wish of fighting Jorge Masvidal next time out. After Usman scored a third-round TKO win over Gilbert Burns to defend his welterweight title he called out Masvidal. Although he clearly won the fight at UFC 251, Usman wasn’t happy that he didn’t get the finish and the excuse of “Gamebred” taking it on six day’s notice was being used.

Cole Shelton - February 22, 2021

George Foreman believes Conor McGregor would beat Manny Pacquiao in a boxing match. In the lead-up to Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2, the Irishman has said it was to help him prepare to fight Pacquiao. Poirier, like Pacquiao, is a southpaw and the Irishman thought their styles were similar. However, the fight did not go McGregor’s way and it is now likely he will have the trilogy with Poirier.

Cole Shelton - February 22, 2021

Felicia Spencer will welcome Danyelle Wolf to the UFC. Multiple sources have informed BJPENN.com that Spencer vs Wolf is agreed to for May 22. Contracts have also been sent out for the fight. The location of the event has not been announced.

Adam Martin - February 22, 2021

UFC bantamweight TJ Dillashaw is hoping for an immediate title shot in his UFC return, saying that he’s “ready to go straight for the belt.” Dillashaw has not fought since January 2019 after he testing positive for PEDs following a TKO loss to Henry Cejudo at UFC on ESPN+ 1. Dillashaw was then suspended for two years by USADA, but he recently completed his suspension and is now ready to return to the cage. There has been plenty of speculation about who Dillashaw could fight in his Octagon comeback, with whispers that he could get a title shot against UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan. Remember, Dillashaw didn’t lose his belt, he vacated it. So in his mind, there is a justification for him coming back to fight for the belt despite the PEDs.

Tom Taylor - February 22, 2021

Travis Fulton, a mixed martial arts veteran with north of 300 professional fights, is reportedly facing child pornography charges, according to The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. According to the report, Fulton, a 43-year-old native of Waterloo, Iowa, has been charged with “with sexual exploitation of a child, possession of child porn and receipt of child porn.”

Tom Taylor - February 22, 2021

Footage of a fight fan allegedly video calling and harassing UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes has emerged on social media. Blaydes, who has long stood out as one of the top heavyweights on earth, returned to action in the main event of UFC Vegas 19 last Saturday, where he succumbed to a knockout loss at the hands of the underdog Derrick Lewis.

Tom Taylor - February 22, 2021

Paige VanZant will reportedly return to the BKFC ring for a fight with a “well-known name” sometime this summer. VanZant who achieved massive fame as a member of the UFC roster, signed with BKFC late last year, and finally made her debut with the bare knuckle promotion in early February. While she came up short in her debut, losing a decision to Britain Hart, she had plenty of success in the matchup and wowed many onlookers with her toughness.

Cole Shelton - February 22, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 19, a pivotal heavyweight bout headlined UFC Vegas 19 as Curtis Blaydes took on Derrick Lewis. In the lead-up to the fight, many thought Blaydes would use his wrestling to control the fight and win a clear-cut decision or get a late stoppage. However, when “Razor” did shoot, Lewis stuffed the takedowns and scored a second-round KO win.

Tom Taylor - February 22, 2021

The UFC is under fire for running a Black History Month special starring lightweight contender Michael Chandler. February is recognized as Black History Month in the United States and several other countries. The UFC has already promoted three events in February, with one more on the calendar before the month concludes.

Tom Taylor - February 22, 2021

Khabib Nurmagomedov has finally closed the door on his long-desired superfight with former two-division UFC champ Georges St-Pierre. Nurmagomedov last fought in October, when he submitted Justin Gaethje to defend the UFC lightweight title for a third time. After that victory, he announced his retirement from mixed martial arts.

Tom Taylor - February 22, 2021

UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis caught the attention of rapper Lil Wayne with his viral knockout of Curtis Blaydes. Lewis took on Blaydes in the main event of UFC Vegas 19 last Saturday. The fight, which was rife with heavyweight title implications, generated quite a bit of interest inside the combat sports bubble—and as it turns out, outside it as well.

Tom Taylor - February 22, 2021

Mortal Kombat actor Lewis Tan says his character in the film, Cole Young, is based in part on UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal. Tan’s Mortal Kombat character, Young, is a jaded former MMA champion. At one point in the film, Young can be seen casually leaning against the cage in the moments before a fight, just like Masvidal did before his highlight reel 2019 knockout of Ben Askren.

Harry Kettle - February 22, 2021

Former MMA fighter and Disney star Gina Carano has sounded off on her experience at Disney after being let go by Lucasfilm. Carano, who had been one of the featured stars in The Mandalorian on Disney+, was fired after multiple controversial posts on social media.

Christopher Taylor - February 21, 2021

Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo continues to taunt Dana White by taking shots at some of the promotions champions. Cejudo (16-2 MMA) retired from mixed martial arts immediately following his second round TKO victory over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. The victory had marked Henry’s sixth in a row and first career defense of his bantamweight title.