MMA News
Team: Khamzat Chimaev 'thought he was going to die'
Drake Riggs - February 12, 2021
Once again, the highly anticipated meeting between Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards has fallen through. After the bout’s cancellation on Thursday due to continued complications following his contraction of COVID-19 late last month, additional details about Chimaev’s condition have emerged.
Jon Jones lambasts Californians for "passing" pedophilia: "Let me be real clear on where I stand on this topic..."
Chris Taylor - February 12, 2021
UFC legend Jon Jones was not happy to learn of California’s passing of pedophilia, making his feelings on the subject very clear this evening. The state of California recently passed SB 145, a bill that is aimed at creating parity in criminal sentencing for young LGBTQ people who have sex with other young people.
Mike Perry offers to fight Leon Edwards: "I know I don’t have a win streak but if he wants to fight and nobody will do it it would be my pleasure!"
Chris Taylor - February 12, 2021
Mike Perry has offered to step up and fight Leon Edwards on short notice after his scheduled UFC fight with Khamzat Chimaev fell through. Edwards and Chimaev were slated to headline next month’s UFC Fight Night 187 event on March 13. However, due to a lingering illness, ‘Borz’ was forced to withdraw from the highly anticipated welterweight matchup.
Cub Swanson believes 'MMA media should be required to have 3 amateur fights'
Drake Riggs - February 12, 2021
Cub Swanson is one of the most respected professional badasses in the sport of MMA. When it comes to those covering his career, he believes the media could use some more experience. Taking to Twitter on Friday, the featherweight mainstay offered up a solution to how improvements could be made.
Aleksandar Rakic excited to show new skills against former teammate Thiago Santos at UFC 259
Adam Martin - February 12, 2021
Light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic says he’s excited for his upcoming fight at UFC 259 against his former teammate Thiago Santos. Rakic takes on Santos next month in an important matchup between top-five fighters in the UFC light heavyweight division. On paper, it’s an exciting matchup between two men who love to stand and strikes. What makes it even more intriguing is that Rakic and Santos were former training partners at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. The two bought at UFC 231 in December 2018 and ended up doing some training at ATT. But according to Rakic, he’s a much better fighter now than he was back when Santos trained with him.
Kelvin Gastelum believes he's fighting for his job against Ian Heinisch at UFC 258
Cole Shelton - February 12, 2021
Kelvin Gastelum believes his UFC 258 fight against Ian Heinisch is do-or-die for his Octagon career. In the past couple of months, the UFC has been releasing dozens of fighters as they are looking to cut nearly 60 fighters. For Gastelum, who is on a three-fight losing streak, he believes if he loses on Saturday he could be among those 60 fighters released from the Las Vegas-based promotion.
Anthony Hernandez expects to pick apart "very hittable" Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 258
Cole Shelton - February 12, 2021
Anthony Hernandez knows people are counting him out. At UFC 258, Hernandez is the biggest underdog on the card at +325, as he faces undefeated grappling wizard, Rodolfo Vieira. Although not many people would want to face Vieira, Hernandez said this is a fight he is very interested in.
Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller cancelled, UFC 258 main card gets new lineup
Cole Shelton - February 12, 2021
Bobby Green and Jim Miller will no longer be fighting at UFC 258. After both Green and Miller made weight, Green collapsed backstage which immediately cause many fans to concern. However, the UFC was hoping to have the fight still take place tomorrow night but that will no longer the case the promotion revealed.
Nate Diaz sends a message to Dustin Poirier, proclaims himself "The real uncrowned King"
Chris Taylor - February 12, 2021
Nate Diaz is not a fan of Dustin Poirier proclaiming himself the “uncrowned champ”, suggesting ‘The Diamond’ is just a “lil bitch”. Ever since Poirier defeated Conor McGregor in their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 257, the Louisiana native has been referring to himself as “uncrowned”.
Georges St-Pierre breaks down UFC 258’s Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns title fight
Adam Martin - February 12, 2021
MMA legend Georges St-Pierre broke down this weekend’s UFC 258 main event between UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns. If anyone would be the one to accurately analyze a UFC welterweight title fight, it’s the greatest welterweight himself, GSP. No one has been in more title fights at 170lbs than GSP, so when he talks about the division that he dominated, you have to listen and respect his opinion. The Canadian took to his Twitter to analyze this weekend’s main event at UFC 258 between Usman and Burns.
Tony Ferguson slams Conor McGregor for referring to him as 'El Cockeye' on his birthday
Chris Taylor - February 12, 2021
Tony Ferguson has fired back at Conor McGregor after the Irishman referred to him as ‘El Cockeye’ in a birthday message. The former UFC interim lightweight champion, Ferguson (25-5 MMA), turned 37 today and was greeted by birthday wishes from McGregor.
Bobby Green collapses backstage before UFC 258 fight with Jim Miller
Adam Martin - February 12, 2021
UFC lightweight Bobby Green collapsed backstage before his UFC 258 fight with Jim Miller, putting the bout in jeopardy of going on. UFC president Dana White told reporters following the UFC 258 weigh-ins that Green collapsed after he successfully weighed in at 156lbs for his fight with Miller. However, Green was the last to the scale, indicating a tough weight cut. Check out what White told the media in Las Vegas (h/t TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter).
Colby Covington vs. Leon Edwards fight in discussion, per Dana White
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2021
UFC President Dana White says the promotion is working on a welterweight fight between top contenders Colby Covington and Leon Edwards. Edwards, the UFC’s No. 3-ranked welterweight, had been slated to fight the unranked Khamzat Chimaev on March 13. Unfortunately, Chimaev was forced out of that fight, leaving Edwards without an opponent.
Beneil Dariush explains why he's the one to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov
Adam Martin - February 12, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush explained why he’s the one to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov, admitting “The Eagle” is his dream fight. Dariush has been in the UFC since 2014 but he has really come into his own over the last few years. He’s currently riding a six-fight win streak and most recently defeated top-10 ranked Diego Ferreira via split decision at UFC Vegas 18. Dariush was vocal after the fight about his desire to get matched up with a top-five opponent. For Dariush, it’s all about testing himself against the very best in the world. That’s why if he had his choice, he’d fight Nurmagomedov.
Conor McGregor sends birthday message to "El Cockeye" Tony Ferguson
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2021
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has sent a not-so-friendly birthday message to his long-time rival, Tony Ferguson. Ferguson turned 37 on Friday, and received well wishes from many members of the MMA community, including the official UFC Twitter account.
Gina Carano issues statement after being fired from The Mandalorian, announces new film project
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2021
Former MMA fighter Gina Carano has issued a statement after being fired from her role on The Mandalorian for her incendiary social media posts. Carano, who shifted her focus to acting after retiring from MMA, has found herself under fire for a number of controversial social media posts. The latest of those controversial posts compared the treatment of the American conservatives to the treatment jews in Nazi Germany, and resulted in her losing her role on the hit Star Wars series.
Dana White: No comeback plans for GSP despite intense snowstorm training videos
Adam Martin - February 12, 2021
UFC president Dana White said there are no comeback plans for GSP despite his recent posts doing intense training in the Canadian snowstorms. St-Pierre hasn’t fought since November 2017, when he submitted Michael Bisping to win the UFC middleweight title. He vacated the title soon after that and then made the decision to officially retire in 2019. However, there has been chatter in recent months about a GSP comeback. The reason being, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov wants this fight, and so do the fans. However, there appear to be too many hurdles to climb to make that happen, as White once again shot down any sort of rumors about a GSP return.
Dana White shares rough plans for UFC lightweight championship
Tom Taylor - February 12, 2021
UFC President Dana White has shared loose plans for the future of the promotion’s lightweight championship. The status of the UFC lightweight championship has been a mystery for several months, thanks to the retirement of long-time champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.