MMA News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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”.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tom Taylor - February 12, 2021

Leon Edwards has doubled down on his callout of Nate Diaz. Edwards, the UFC’s No. 3-ranked welterweight contender, was slated to fight Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on March 13. Unfortunately, Chimaev has been forced out of the fight, marking the third consecutive time this matchup has fallen apart.

Tom Taylor - February 12, 2021

UFC President Dana White says Jon Jones could get a heavyweight title shot this year, and perhaps as early as this summer. Jones is the former UFC light heavyweight champion, and is widely regarded as the greatest fighter in MMA history. Last year, he vacated his light heavyweight title with the goal of moving up to heavyweight in search of a new belt.

Tom Taylor - February 12, 2021

No. 3 UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards wants to fight on March 13, and has three opponents in mind for that date. Edwards was scheduled to fight Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on March 13. Unfortunately, Chimaev was forced out of the fight due to lingering issues stemming from a previous COVID-19 infection, marking the third time the bout has fallen through.

Harry Kettle - February 12, 2021

UFC president Dana White has given fans and pundits alike a look into the discretionary backstage bonuses he hands out after events. Everyone is well aware of the Performance and Fight of the Night bonuses that are given out across all Ultimate Fighting Championship PPVs and fight nights, but as it turns out, White also hands out extra bonuses when there’s an evening in which many fighters have put in an impressive performance.