MMA News

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

Spencer Jones, a wide receiver for OU football, sustained serious injuries during a bathroom brawl with a young mixed martial arts practitioner. Accounts of this fight between the OU football star and MMA specialist, which left the former with a badly damaged eye, vary depending on the source.

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

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has called out Colby Covington for avoiding a potential fight against Leon Edwards. Usman and Covington went to war back at UFC 245 in December 2019 with “The Nigerian Nightmare” successfully retaining his Welterweight Championship via TKO. Since then he’s also beaten Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns, whereas “Chaos” returned to action with a win over long-time rival Tyron Woodley.

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.

Chris Taylor - February 21, 2021

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Conor McGregor’s best days are over following his TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. McGregor squared off with Poirier for a second time in the headliner of last month’s pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi. Despite promising another first round finish of ‘The Diamond’, things did not pan out as planned for the Irishman.

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

Former UFC fighter Markus Perez detailed a recent sparring session he had with Jake Paul ahead of his upcoming boxing match with Ben Asken. Perez was recently among the latest round of UFC roster cuts. Following his recent loss to Dalcha Lungiambula on Fight Island in January, Perez asked the UFC matchmakers to cut him and let him go back down to the minor leagues to work on his game. With a 2-5 record in the UFC and a three-fight losing skid to end his run in the Octagon, the matchmakers decided to release “Maluko” from the roster. But while he might not be on the UFC roster anymore, Perez has already landed a gig as a sparring partner for Paul. Check out the photo that Perez posted on Instagram after a recent sparring session with Paul in Florida.

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman revealed this father-in-law recently passed away, and the family is asking fans to help. According to his obituary, Vincent John Pecora passed away on February 17 at the age of 70 years old. His daughter, Marivi, is married to Weidman. In a lengthy statement posted on his Instagram, Weidman revealed that his father-in-law tragically died after he was hit by a truck in an intersection while crossing the street. Weidman said he knew the man since he was in the seventh grade when he met his daughter and future wife at a wrestling camp. Pecora became a huge part of Weidman’s life and one of his biggest supporters.

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos congratulated his fiancée Yana Kunitskaya on her upset win over Ketlen Vieira at UFC Vegas 19. Santos was in the corner of Kunitskaya as she defeated Vieira via unanimous decision in a fight that had somewhat controversial scorecards. Though it appeared that Vieira had done enough to control Kunitskaya on the mat from top position with her grappling that she would win the decision, the judges had other ideas. Instead, the three judges unanimously agreed that Kunitskaya had done enough to win the fight. Although Vieira had the takedowns and the control time on top, Kunitskaya was working the entire fight from the bottom, and she appeared to steal the fight in the final minute when she cut Vieira open.

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC women’s bantamweight contender Sijara Eubanks issued a statement following domestic violence allegations against ex-partner Lilly Ruiz. On Saturday, a video was posted to Eubanks’ own Twitter, allegedly showing her committing an act of domestic violence, reportedly in front of the couples’ child. Eubanks’ Twitter was later deleted, but the video remains on social media. According to the Twitter user “DatBoyLouu,” his mother-in-law is Eubanks’ ex-partner Ruiz, and he says he posted the video in order to get the media’s attention, saying Eubanks “needs to be stopped.”

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns continued to call out Colby Covington for his next fight after losing to Kamaru Usman at UFC 258. Burns was knocked out by Usman in the main event of last weekend’s UFC 258 pay-per-view card. It was a tough defeat for Burns, particularly since he had Usman rocked in the first 30 seconds of the fight before the momentum shifted to his opponent. In the end, Usman proved once again what an amazing champion he is in mixed martial arts, while for Burns it’s a lesson learned. Despite getting stopped in a devastating fashion, Burns has said that he’s confident he can still make a run for the UFC welterweight title. It all starts with getting another big win on his resume, and he hopes that it’s Covington.

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira explained why he turned down the chance to fight at UFC 259 for the backup role instead. The 41-year-old Teixeira is currently the No. 1 contender in the UFC light heavywight division following a submission win over Thiago Santos in his last fight. The Brazilian has won his last five straight fights and many analysts thought he should have been next in line to fight UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. Instead, the UFC decided to give the next title shot at 205lbs to Israel Adesanya. Blachowicz and Adesanya will now headline UFC 259 on March 6, with Teixeira flying to Las Vegas to serve as a backup for the fight.

Adam Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi says he received a new UFC contract after his opponent Drako Rodriguez missed weight before UFC Vegas 19. Zahabi was one of a number of underdogs who won in dominant fashion at UFC Vegas 19, as he was able to knock Rodriguez out in the first round with a vicious 1-2. What made the win even more impressive was the fact Rodriguez badly missed weight at the official weigh-ins on Friday, coming in at 140.5lbs for a 135lbs fight (plus the one-pound allowance). Because Rodriguez missed so badly, there were some whispers that Zahabi would decline the fight. However, Zahabi said that the UFC made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Adam D Martin - February 21, 2021

UFC featherweight Chas Skelly revealed the emotions that went through him when opponent Jamall Emmers did not enter the cage at UFC Vegas 19. Skelly was set to make his return to the Octagon for the first time since a decision win over Jordan Griffin in September 2019. Skelly missed all of 2020 due to injuries and was looking forward to returning to the cage against Emmers. Skelly had already made the walk to the Octagon and was awaiting Emmers to join him, but the fight was canceled at the last minute when Emmers suffered back spasms during his warmups. The fight was scratched, leaving Skelly with two straight canceled fights after a bout with Grant Dawson fell through at the last second in January 2020. Safe to say Skelly is frustrated by all of the bad luck.