MMA News
Sean O'Malley expects to be "too fast" for Thomas Almeida and will eventually "find that right hand" to earn KO win
Cole Shelton - February 19, 2021
Sean O’Malley is ready to get back into the win column. At UFC 260, O’Malley is set to return to the Octagon against Thomas Almeida in a fight many fans are looking forward to. Both men desperately need a win to get some hype back behind their name. However, for O’Malley, he says the Brazilian originally turned him down.
Kamaru Usman shuts down rematch with Jorge Masvidal, ‘Gamebred’ issues fiery response
Drake Riggs - February 19, 2021
Right when it looked like the Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal saga was set to continue, the champ has now appeared to change his tune. Following his stellar title defense against former teammate Gilbert Burns at UFC 258, Usman took to the mic to express his dissatisfaction with a former foe. Threatening to finish Masvidal in a potential rematch, the champion went on to express that he was “feeling generous” days later. Thus indicating his willingness to grant a rematch to “Gamebred” although Masvidal fell short via a lopsided decision at UFC 251.
Chris Gutierrez happy with win over Andre Ewell, wants Miles Johns next
Cole Shelton - February 19, 2021
Chris Gutierrez was patiently waiting to get a fight offer and when he finally got one, it happened to be on day’s notice against Andre Ewell at UFC 258. It was a very intriguing matchup and one that had a storyline behind it. At UFC 247, Ewell edged out a split decision win over Jonathan Martinez. It was a very close fight and many thought Martinez should’ve gotten the win. However, that was not the case so entering this fight, Gutierrez admits there was some thought of avenging his friend and teammate.
Dan Hardy wants return but not to "fight some bum", Matt Brown offers his services
Adam Martin - February 19, 2021
Former UFC welterweight title contender Dan Hardy said he wants to return to the Octagon, and now Matt Brown has volunteered his services. Hardy hasn’t fought since a unanimous decision win over Amir Sadollah at UFC Nottingham in September 2012, the same night Stipe Miocic was knocked out by Stefan Struve. Hardy was supposed to fight Brown at UFC on FOX 7 in April 2013, but he was forced out of the fights by doctors due to Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome (WPWS) and he has not fought since then. However, Hardy has continued to train, and now that his condition is improved, he has been teasing a return to the Octagon. His goal is to fight again sometime in 2021.
Khabib Nurmagomedov on Tony Ferguson: "I swear that I never considered him an elite lightweight"
Adam Martin - February 19, 2021
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov said in a recent interview that he doesn’t believe Tony Ferguson was ever an elite lightweight. Nurmagomedov and Ferguson were rivals for the better part of five years, but despite the UFC booking them to fight five times, the bout never came to fruition for various reasons. With Ferguson having recently lost back-to-back fights to Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje, and with Nurmagomedov likely set to retire from MMA, it seems like this is a dream fight that will never come to fruition. Though some fans still swear that Ferguson has the skill set that could be the kryptonite for Nurmagomedov, the champ has moved on.
Jan Blachowicz makes bold prediction for Israel Adesanya fight at UFC 259
Adam Martin - February 19, 2021
UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz made a bold prediction for his upcoming championship match against Israel Adesanya at UFC 259. Blachowicz puts his 205lbs belt on the line for the first time against Adesanya on March 6 at UFC 259. For Blachowicz, it’s yet another fight where he’s being count, as the champion is once again a sizeable underdog to defeat Adesanya. Many believe that Adesanya is going to go in there and earn an easy paycheck, but despite all of the doubters, Blachowicz is confident he can get the job done. In fact, he’s even predicting a highlight-reel finish.
UFC Vegas 19 weigh-in results: Multiple fighters miss marks by huge margins, one fight scrapped
Tom Taylor - February 19, 2021
On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with the under-the-radar UFC Vegas 19 card. The card will be headlined by a pivotal heavyweight clash, as the division’s No. 2-ranked contender Curtis Blaydes takes on the fourth-ranked Derrick Lewis. While the queue for a heavyweight title shot is getting quite long, the expectation is that the Blaydes vs. Lewis winner will be well positioned in that regard.
Henry Cejudo: "The best 135 pounder other than me" is "probably" Cory Sandhagen
Tom Taylor - February 19, 2021
Former two-division UFC champ Henry Cejudo believes Cory Sandhagen is the best fighter among the promotion’s active bantamweights. Cejudo previously ruled over the UFC flyweight and bantamweight divisions, but retired in early 2020.
Conor McGregor sends birthday message to nemesis Floyd Mayweather
Tom Taylor - February 19, 2021
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has sent a birthday message to one of his chief rivals, undefeated boxing star Floyd Mayweather Jr. McGregor and Mayweather met in the boxing ring in 2017 in a massive crossover spectacle. McGregor, who was making his pro boxing debut, performed surprisingly well in the fight’s early rounds, but was ultimately stopped by a volley of 10th-round punches.
Derrick Lewis says it "would be really crazy" to win UFC heavyweight title
Tom Taylor - February 19, 2021
Entertaining UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis believes it “would be really crazy” to win the promotion’s heavyweight championship. Lewis has been one of the UFC’s top heavyweights for many years. While he came up short in his lone crack at the heavyweight belt—losing via submission to Daniel Cormier in 2018—he remains a fixture of the top-5 and conceivably re-enter the title conversation if he beats Curtis Blaydes this Saturday.
Itsuki Hirata hopes win over Miku Nakamura will set up future bouts with Meng Bo, Angela Lee
Tom Taylor - February 19, 2021
Itsuki Hirata, one of the brightest prospects on the ONE Championship roster, is days out from a potentially career-altering fight. The 21-year-old will collide with Miku Nakamura in the main event of Road to ONE on February 22 in her native Tokyo. A win in this matchup could launch her into the anticipated ONE Atomweight World Grand Prix, and open the door to fights with some of the promotion’s fiercest fighters.
Jake Paul sparring partner says Ben Askren is "going down"
Tom Taylor - February 19, 2021
MMA fighter Raush Manfio says Ben Askren has “no chance” in his upcoming boxing match with YouTube celebrity Jake Paul. Paul and Askren are slated to collide in an eight-round pro boxing match on April 17. Ahead of the fight, Paul enlisted the help of Manfio to help him prepare for Askren, who went 1-2 in the UFC and is the former ONE and Bellator welterweight champion.
UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis reacts to Ted Cruz’s Cancun trip: “I actually took a selfie with him at the airport”
Harry Kettle - February 19, 2021
UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis offered up a typically entertaining response when asked about Ted Cruz’s recent trip to Cancun. While Lewis may be focusing on his huge fight against Curtis Blaydes this weekend, it’s also hard to ignore the ongoing power grid and weather issues in the state of Texas — where Lewis lives.
UFC 261 in the works for Vegas after Singapore negotiations fail, strawweight title fight targeted
Drake Riggs - February 18, 2021
Rampant speculation has surrounded UFC 261 and its location. Now, it appears things will stay in Vegas with a pair of pivotal strawweight bouts. Combate reported on Thursday that the April 24 UFC pay-per-view event will no longer be at what was initially reported as Singapore. Instead, the promotion will stick with keeping things stateside in Las Vegas at the UFC Apex facility.
Derrick Lewis hopes to send Curtis Blaydes to the ICU at UFC Vegas 19
Adam Martin - February 18, 2021
UFC heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis said that he hopes to send Curtis Blaydes to the ICU following their main event bout at UFC Vegas 19. Lewis faces off with Blaydes in the main event of this Saturday’s UFC card. The two were previously scheduled to fight in November but Blaydes was forced out of the bout due to a case of COVID-19. The pair needed three months to be rescheduled, so there will be plenty of frustrations to be let out when the two heavyweights fight this weekend. Blaydes has promised that he will revert to his world-class wrestling to get the job done as always, while Lewis says he will get the KO. It should be fascinating to watch the fight unfold.
Julian Marquez reveals he's still talking to Miley Cyrus by DM: "She knows who I am, she follows me"
Adam Martin - February 18, 2021
UFC middleweight Julian Marquez revealed that he’s still talking to Miley Cyrus by DM, saying that “she knows who I am (and) she follows me.” Marquez had an unbelievable comeback at UFC 258 last weekend when he submitted Maki Pitolo in the third round of a fight he was bound to lose via unanimous decision. Not only did he have a great finish and earn a $50,000 bonus for his troubles, but he also became a bit of an overnight sensation when he asked out singer and songwriter Miley Cyrus. Marquez asked Cyrus to be his valentine and she responded on social media with a request for him to shave the letters “MC” into his chest hair. In turn, Marquez asked Cyrus to put a henna tattoo of his name on her chest, which led to online criticism for Marquez’s game.
Andrei Arlovski still believes he can become UFC champion but won't stick around "to be a punching bag"
Cole Shelton - February 18, 2021
Andrei Arlovski is confident he can become UFC champion again but is uncertain how much longer he has left to compete. Arlovski has quietly turned back the clock as he enters UFC Vegas 19 on a two-fight winning streak. He beat Tanner Boser and Philipe Lins by decision and now faces Tom Aspinall. For the former UFC heavyweight champion, he says becoming champion again is driving him.
Video | Watch Jon Jones rack pull over 600lbs in new weight training video
Adam Martin - February 18, 2021
UFC superstar Jon Jones shared a new weight training video on his social media of himself doing rack pulls of over 600lbs. Jones is set to make his UFC heavyweight debut this summer and he has been sharing videos over the last six months of himself bulking up. The former UFC light heavyweight champion has boasted he now weighs over 250lbs. With Jones’ heavyweight debut just a few months away, as UFC president Dana White is targeting a summer date for it, “Bones” has been really taking it a whole new level in his weight training. In a workout video posted on his Instagram, the all-time great is seen doing rack pulls at 545lbs and then at 605lbs.