MMA News
UFC Vegas 20: ‘Rozenstruik vs. Gane’ Fight Card and Start Times
Drake Riggs - February 17, 2021
UFC Vegas 20 will be the second of two pivotal heavyweight main events going back to back as Jairzinho Rozenstruik looks to put a stop to Ciryl Gane. To close out 2020, France’s Gane extended his undefeated record to 7-0 by earning his biggest win yet. Opening up the main card of UFC 256, Gane disposed of former UFC champion Junior Dos Santos by second-round TKO.
UFC 258 prelims drop significantly in ratings compared to UFC 257
Drake Riggs - February 17, 2021
UFC 258 has come and gone. It was the second pay-per-view event of the year and in many ways, the smaller event compared to UFC 257. As the first big event of 2021, UFC 257 was headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. UFC 258 acted as a follow-up with the welterweight title showdown between reigning champ Kamaru Usman and former teammate Gilbert Burns taking center stage.
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman details requirements for a move up to middleweight
Christopher Taylor - February 17, 2021
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has revealed his required stipulations for a potential move up to middleweight. Usman (18-1 MMA) successfully defended his welterweight title at last weekend’s UFC 258 event scoring a third round TKO victory over Gilbert Burns. The victory marked Kamaru’s seventeenth in a row and third consecutive title defense.
Stephen Thompson says he's next for Kamaru Usman
Adam Martin - February 17, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson believes he should be the next man in line to challenge champion Kamaru Usman for his title. There are several contenders vying for the chance to take on Usman and capture his UFC welterweight crown. Among them is Jorge Masvidal, who Usman himself has called out for a rematch. “Gamebred” seems to be at the top of the UFC’s list, but that’s not set in stone. There’s also Colby Covington, who had a competitive fight with Usman two years ago and who is coming off of a TKO win over Tyron Woodley. As well, Leon Edwards is also vying for a rematch with Usman after winning his last eight fights. And finally, there’s Thompson, who is the highest-ranked fighter at 170lbs who the champ Usman hasn’t fought yet.
Deiveson Figueiredo wants Brandon Moreno rematch in June according to manager
Cole Shelton - February 17, 2021
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno 2 will happen later than expected. After Figueiredo and Moreno fought to a draw at UFC 256 in December, it was clear an immediate rematch was in order. However, the Brazilian was calling out Henry Cejudo and the Cody Garbrandt fight is still there. Yet, according to Wallid Ismail, who manages Figueiredo, the champ’s next fight will be against Moreno but they want it to be in June.
Curtis Blaydes believes he's "the most dangerous heavyweight" in the UFC
Cole Shelton - February 17, 2021
Curtis Blaydes knows he’s a bad matchup for anybody. Currently, “Razor” is ranked second at heavyweight and is on a four-fight winning streak. During his impressive run, Curtis has shown off his tremendous wrestling and ground and pound as well as his improvement on the feet. According to Blaydes, now that he is mixing all that together, he believes he is the most dangerous heavyweight in the UFC.
Chris Daukaus expects to KO Alexey Oleynik and become a legit heavyweight contender
Cole Shelton - February 17, 2021
Chris Daukaus couldn’t have imagined he would be fighting the 10th-ranked guy in the world just six months after his UFC debut. Daukaus stepped up on short notice at UFC 252 in August and scored a first-round TKO win over Parker Porter. He followed that up with a 45-second TKO win over Rodrigo Nascimento in October and is now set to face Alexey Oleynik at UFC Vegas 19, which is an opponent he didn’t think he’d face in his third UFC appearance.
Derrick Lewis expects to "break" Curtis Blaydes in a very bloody and violent fight
Cole Shelton - February 17, 2021
Derrick Lewis is expecting a violent and bloody fight against Curtis Blaydes. In the main event of UFC Vegas 19, Lewis and Blaydes will finally meet after the two have trash-talked one another for months. It’s a very intriguing fight as there is no question Lewis has one-punch KO power, but Blaydes will have the wrestling advantage. For “The Black Beast” he believes he has what it takes to put Blaydes away given he is in the best shape of his career.
UFC Vegas 19: Blaydes vs. Lewis full betting odds
Adam Martin - February 17, 2021
Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 19 card featuring Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis in the main event. The headliner features top-five ranked heavyweights Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis going against each other in an important fight in the UFC’s heaviest weight class. Blaydes comes into this fight on a four-fight win streak, but he has been criticized for his wrestling-heavy type of approach by UFC president Dana White and fans. We will see if that changes in this fight as Blaydes is likely very motivated to get a finish and move closer to the title shot. As for Lewis, he is coming off of three straight wins in his own right. One of the biggest punchers in the heavyweight division, Lewis is going to have to stop Blaydes’ takedown attempts and try to knock him out to win this fight as a big underdog.
Bryan Caraway charged with insurance fraud, accused of stealing ATV from Miesha Tate
Tom Taylor - February 17, 2021
Former UFC bantamweight contender Bryan Caraway has been charged with insurance fraud and accused of stealing an ATV from his ex-partner, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, per a report from the Tri-City Herald. According to the report, Caraway allegedly forged the title for a 2015 Polaris RZR ATV that belonged to Tate. Insurance investigators say Caraway bought an insurance policy for the vehicle, then reported it stolen just days later, claiming that the vehicle and its contents were worth $18,500. He’s also under investigation for grand larceny for allegedly stealing the ATV from Tate’s property on two occasions. These incidents occurred in 2018, after he and Tate split up in 2017.
Curtis Blaydes explains why he won't abandon his wrestling against Derrick Lewis
Adam Martin - February 17, 2021
UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes says he won’t abandon his wrestling when he meets Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC Vegas 19. Blaydes is a powerhouse wrestler which has earned him some critics, including UFC president Dana White, who was not a fan of his last fight with Alexander Volkov. Despite winning a unanimous decision, Blaydes was not able to get the finish in that fight. Even though Blaydes has numerous TKO stoppages during his UFC run, he can’t seem to shake the label of a top-heavy wrestler. But he quite frankly doesn’t care what anyone thinks about his style. As long as he is winning fights, he won’t be changing the way he fights.
UFC parts ways with eight more fighters
Tom Taylor - February 17, 2021
The UFC has parted ways with an additional eight fighters, including Aleksandra Albu, Chris De La Rocha, Syuri Kondo and Alex Chambers. This latest round of releases was first reported by Nolan King and Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie. According to their report, some of these fighters parted ways with the promotion recently, others did so over a year ago with no coverage.
Ronda Rousey picked up pro wrestling "quicker than anybody in the history of the sport," says Kurt Angle
Tom Taylor - February 17, 2021
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle says Ronda Rousey picked up pro wrestling faster than anybody in the history of the sport. Rousey entered the combat sports limelight as a mixed martial artist, ultimately enjoying a lengthy reign as the UFC bantamweight champion. After two tough losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, however, she transitioned to the WWE ring with much fanfare and excitement.
Gilbert Burns on knockout loss to Kamaru Usman: "This is what happens when you are chasing greatness"
Adam Martin - February 17, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns spoke about his loss to Kamaru Usman, saying, “this is what happens when you are chasing greatness.” Burns was knocked out by Usman in the third round of the welterweight title main event at UFC 258. Although Burns rocked Usman in the first 30 seconds of the fight and appeared to have the upper hand early on, he seemed to get overexcited and the gameplan fell apart. From then on out, Usman controlled the bout with his jab and eventually knocked Burns down to the ground in the third round with it, forcing the referee to stop the fight. It was a tough, emotional loss for Burns, who put so much into this training camp just to see himself get finished in a brutal fashion. However, he remains optimistic about his future.
Robert Whittaker in phenomenal shape ahead of Paulo Costa fight
Tom Taylor - February 17, 2021
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is in phenomenal shape ahead of his upcoming showdown with Paulo Costa. Whittaker lost the UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya in 2019, but has since rebounded with a pair of impressive decision victories over top contenders in Darren Till and Jared Cannonier. He’ll look to make it three in a row—and make his claim to another title shot truly undeniable—when he takes on the recent title challenger Costa on April 17.
UFC 258 medical suspensions: Kamaru Usman, Alexa Grasso potentially out until August
Tom Taylor - February 17, 2021
The medical suspensions for Saturday’s UFC 258 card are in, and several fighters are facing lengthy suspensions—including Kamaru Usman and Alexa Grasso. Usman returned to the cage in the UFC 258 main event, defending the UFC welterweight title with a third-round TKO over Gilbert Burns. Grasso was in action in the card’s co-main event, where she defeated Maycee Barber by unanimous decision.
Video | Ex-NFL star Pacman Jones gets in a wild bar fight in Cincinnati
Harry Kettle - February 17, 2021
Former NFL star Adam “Pacman” Jones has been seen getting into a wild bar fight in Cincinnati, TMZ reports. Jones, who spent 13 years in the National Football League with most of that tenure being with the Cincinnati Bengals, has had his fair share of run-ins with the law over the course of his time in the limelight.
Cody Garbrandt responds after Jose Aldo tells him to “sign the contract”
Harry Kettle - February 17, 2021
UFC bantamweight Cody Garbrandt has reiterated his desire to fight Jose Aldo after a recent back and forth over social media. Garbrandt hasn’t been seen inside the Octagon since his remarkable knockout win over Raphael Assuncao at UFC 250 last June. Garbrandt was initially expected to move down in weight to battle Deiveson Figueiredo for the Flyweight Championship in November, but “No Love” tore his bicep and also contracted COVID-19 – with the lingering effects of the latter delaying his return.