MMA News

Adam Martin - February 10, 2021

Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov is the odds-on betting favorite to win the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix. Bellator announced on Tuesday that the promotion has a new home in 2021 as it will be moving to the Showtime television network going forward. To kick off the new partnership, the organization will hold its 205lbs tournament starting off in April. There are eight talented fighters in the tournament, including former UFC champions, and any of them could theoretically win. But according to the bookies, the champion Nemkov has a slight leg up on the competition.

Adam Martin - February 10, 2021

Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC 258 pay-per-view featuring Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns in the main event. The headliner sees former Sanford MMA teammates Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns square off for the UFC welterweight title. The champion Usman comes into this fight on a 15-fight win streak overall, including an incredible 12-0 record in the UFC. He is looking to break GSP’s record for the longest win streak at 170lbs this weekend, but he’s no doubt in for a tough test against Burns. The Brazilian has won six straight fights including four straight at 170lbs. He is super confident heading into this bout and should be a real challenge for Usman.

Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021

MMA analyst Rashad Evans said that UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is no longer part of Sanford MMA as far as the team is concerned. Evans is part of the Sanford MMA team alongside the likes of UFC lightweight Michael Chandler, veteran Robbie Lawler, and welterweight contender Gilbert Burns. A former member of the team was Usman, but he left the team last year knowing that he would be fighting Burns next. Usman has been working in Colorado with coach Trevor Wittman in preparation for his upcoming fight at this weekend’s UFC 258 against Burns, who has remained loyal to Sanford MMA.

Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021

UFC fighter Charlie Ontiveros has been suspended for six months following a failed drug test with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Ontiveros made his UFC debut on short notice when he took on top-ranked middleweight contender Kevin Holland at the UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva card on Halloween. The fight did not go well for Ontiveros, as he suffered a brutal neck injury when Holland slammed him on the ground and finished him early in the fight. To make matters worse for Ontiveros, he tested positive for a banned substance after the fight and he was given a six-month retroactive suspension.

Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021

UFC superstar Nate Diaz claimed that he hasn’t been finished inside the Octagon during a recent interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. Diaz has been vocal in recent weeks after his former rival Conor McGregor was finished by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. Diaz has been busy calling out Poirier for a big-money fight in the meantime, and part of it is that he truly doesn’t believe that McGregor should be fighting for the belt next. During the interview, Diaz questioned McGregor’s stoppage losses, claiming that he personally has never been finished.

Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen says he is open to fighting TJ Dillashaw or Cody Garbrandt if he doesn’t get a 135lbs title shot. Sandhagen has been vocal about his desire to fight for the belt next after knocking out Frankie Edgar and Marlon Moraes in his last two fights. With UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan set to defend his belt against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259 next month, Sandhagen is hoping to get the winner of that fight. However, UFC president Dana White hasn’t guaranteed him anything yet, and there are rumors that Dillashaw could be the one who gets the shot instead.

Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Charles Oliveira is not interested in fighting Nate Diaz, with his coach saying his goal is to fight for the belt. On the heels of an eight-fight win streak, Oliveira is one of the top-three ranked lightweights on the UFC roster right now. With UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov set to retire at any point, the Brazilian has made it clear that he believes he should be fighting for the vacant title. Of course, that didn’t stop Diaz from throwing his name into the hat to fight Oliveira. On Monday, Diaz said that he is intrigued by the possibility of a welterweight matchup with Oliveira.

Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021

UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes and his Elevation Fight Team teammates were beyond excited watching Cory Sandhagen KO Frankie Edgar. Blaydes, UFC welterweight Neil Magny, and several other Elevation Fight Team members were guests of UFC lightweight Drew Dober to watch UFC Vegas 18. Two of their teammates were fighting on the card, with heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem taking on Alexander Volkov in the main event and Sandhagen against Edgar in the co-main event. While Overeem’s performance would prove to be a tough watch for his team, Sandhagen’s was about as good as it gets. The bantamweight needed less than a minute to KO Edgar with a flying knee.

Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021

Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader will not be stripped of his title, according to Bellator president Scott Coker at Tuesday’s presser. The promotion officially announced the eight-man, Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament. In one of the quarterfinal matchups, Bader takes on Lyoto Machida in a rematch. On paper, that’s a fun fight and having Bader included in the tournament is a good thing. However, while he competes to win back his old light heavyweight title in the bracket, Bader is temporarily holding up heavyweight. He’s still the champion and has no plans to give up his belt.

Drake Riggs - February 9, 2021

This past Friday night at BKFC: KnuckleMania, Paige VanZant had her bare-knuckle boxing debut spoiled by the promotional veteran, Britain Hart. What immediately followed was one of the more talked about post-fight interviews in recent memory. Taking to the mic, Hart described herself as not a person but “a f*cking feeling.” Then proceeded to tell viewers and spectators alike that they were all going to feel what’s coming.

Drake Riggs - February 9, 2021

Islam Makhachev is finally set to make his highly anticipated return. Welcoming him back to the Octagon will be the streaking Nebraskan, Drew Dober. At 18-1 and training the majority of his career alongside the undefeated lightweight king, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev has garnered a lot of attention in his own right. However, Dober believes that can mostly be attributed to his connection with “The Eagle.”

Adam Martin - February 9, 2021

The betting odds have been released for the upcoming Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix tournament quarterfinals. Bellator announced the complete eight-man bracket for the promotion’s highly-anticipated 205lbs tournament on Tuesday. Hours later, the oddsmakers released the betting odds for all four quarterfinal matchups. Take a look at the opening odds for the Bellator Light Heavyweight World Grand Prix via BetOnline.

Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021

Ian Heinisch wasn’t too surprised he was the one facing Kelvin Gastelum. After Heinisch was supposed to face Brendan Allen in November before getting COVID-19, he knew a big opportunity would be coming to him. He saw how the UFC was pushing new talent up the middleweight ranks in Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland and knew he was next.

Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021

Yoel Romero is excited to face Anthony Johnson in his Bellator debut. It was revealed at Bellator’s press conference that both Romero and Johnson would be apart of the grand prix and face one another on April 16. It is a fight the fans wanted to see and Romero is eager for the fight to happen.

Adam Martin - February 9, 2021

Bellator MMA announced that it will be moving to Showtime, and the promotion revealed multiple fights for its upcoming schedule. Bellator MMA will return to action on Friday nights in April and it will do so on a new network as the promotion will now air exclusively on Showtime, with president Stephen Espinoza confirming the news in a press conference. That’s the same network Bellator president Scott Coker had plenty of success with back in the day when he ran Strikeforce. The hope is that this move takes the MMA organization to the next level. Watch the official announcement below.

Adam Martin - February 9, 2021

Former Ultimate Fighter winner Elias Theodorou makes his return to the cage against fellow UFC veteran Matt Dwyer at Rise FC 6. MMA journalist and Rise FC commentator James Lynch shared news of the bout, which is scheduled to take place at the Songhees Wellness Center on March 13 in Victoria, B.C. Both Theodorou and Dwyer are UFC veterans as well as fellow Canadians so this is the perfect fight for the MMA fans in British Columbia. It’s also a big opportunity for both men in their professional careers, as an impressive victory could land the winner of this matchup a deal with a bigger promotion.

Adam Martin - February 9, 2021

Fabricio Werdum and Kayla Harrison are among the fighters in the upcoming PFL season three men’s heavyweight and women’s lightweight brackets. PFL’s third season kicks off in April and the promotion has been busy in the last week releasing the rosters for its light heavyweight, welterweight, lightweight, and featherweight rosters. On Tuesday, PFL released the rosters for heavyweight and women’s lightweight. Among the participants in these tournaments are former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum and women’s star Kayla Harrison.

Adam Martin - February 9, 2021

A pair of light heavyweight contenders will meet at UFC 261 as Anthony Smith is set to take on Jimmy Crute, who recently lost his opponent. Crute was originally set to take on Johnny Walker at UFC 260, but Walker was forced to withdraw from that fight due to a torn pectoral muscle. Instead, Crute is now shifted back a month but he gets to take on a higher-ranked fighter instead when he meets Smith at UFC 261, which takes place on April 24. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to break the news that Smith would be fighting Crute.