MMA News

Tom Taylor - January 20, 2021

Warlley Alves picked up one of the biggest wins of his career on the UFC Fight Island 8 main card, smashing Mounir Lazzez in round one, and promptly calling out Nate Diaz. Lazzez entered the cage with Alves as one of the biggest betting favorites on the card, thanks in large part to his impressive, unanimous decision win over Abdul Razak Alhassan in his UFC debut in 2020.

Tom Taylor - January 20, 2021

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has contradicted the recent remarks of the promotion’s president, Dana White. Nurmagomedov last fought at UFC 254 in October, when he defended the lightweight title with a second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje. In his post-fight interview with commentator Jon Anik, he shocked the MMA world by announcing his retirement from the sport.

Tom Taylor - January 20, 2021

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor is interested in running things back with his former opponent Max Holloway. McGregor and Poirier fought in the featherweight division in 2013, with the former winning a unanimous decision. Since then, the pair have carved out legacies as two of the most accomplished fighters in MMA history.

Tom Taylor - January 20, 2021

On Wednesday, the UFC returned to our screens for the second time this week with UFC Fight Island 8: “Chiesa vs. Magny” from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. The card, which began at 9:00am ET, was originally scheduled to be headlined by a welterweight fight between No. 3-ranked contender Leon Edwards and rising prospect Khamzat Chimaev. When Chimaev was forced out of the fight, however, the main event spot went to ranked welterweight contenders Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny.

Cole Shelton - January 20, 2021

Matt Frevola is ready to remind everyone he is a force to be reckoned with at lightweight. Frevola, like most, had a rough 2020 as he had two fights canceled due to COVID-19 and had to pull out of another with an injury. However, the good news for Frevola was the injury allowed him to get on the main card of a Conor McGregor pay-per-view in UFC 257 which he is excited about.

Adam Martin - January 20, 2021

UFC welterweight Rhys McKee has been released from the world’s leading MMA promotion after losing both of his fights inside the Octagon. UFC president Dana White promised up to 60 fighters would be released. The promotion had 660 fighters under contract when White said that, and he’s already made good on his promise. We saw the promotion make plenty of cuts in late 2020, including cutting stars like Anderson Silva and Yoel Romero, and the organization figures to release many more in early 2021. Unfortunately for McKee, he was among the latest casualties of the UFC’s bloated roster issue.

Tom Taylor - January 20, 2021

UFC President Dana White believes Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor need to fight again because it’s “important to both of their legacies.” Nurmagomedov and McGregor first fought in 2018, in the main event of UFC 229, the highest-grossing pay-per-view in the company’s history. Nurmagomedov won that initial meeting via fourth-round submission.

Tom Taylor - January 20, 2021

Owen Roddy, one of the coaches behind Conor McGregor, says the Irishman is prepared to fight Dustin Poirier for five rounds if needed. McGregor and Poirier will collide in the main event of UFC 257 this Saturday on Fight Island. Heading into the fight, Poirier has emphasized that he intends to avoid McGregor’s offense early, and turn the fight into a bloody war of attrition.

Harry Kettle - January 20, 2021

UFC newcomer Michael Chandler has explained why he isn’t focused on trying to impress Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 257. Chandler is set to make his UFC debut when he locks horns with fellow lightweight contender Dan Hooker in what should be a fascinating co-main event on Fight Island this weekend.

Christopher Taylor - January 19, 2021

Khabib Nurmagomedov has issued a statement after receiving the “Submission of the year” award from the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Although the undefeated UFC lightweight champion only competed once during the 2020 calendar year, Khabib’s lone effort still produced hardware.

Christopher Taylor - January 19, 2021

Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has leaped past Conor McGregor in the latest UFC Fight Island rankings update. The UFC updated their official rankings ahead of this week’s highly anticipated pay-per-view event, which is headlined by a rematch between Dustin Poirier and the aforementioned Irishman.

Christopher Taylor - January 19, 2021

UFC welterweight Mike Perry has gone to bat for Conor McGregor after the Irishman was once again insulted by Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev (9-0 MMA), a product of Ali Abdelaziz’s Dominance MMA, has been relentless in his callouts of McGregor despite being booked to fight perennial contender Leon Edwards in his next Octagon appearance.

Drake Riggs - January 19, 2021

There’s no denying the fact that Max Holloway and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire are two of the best featherweights on the planet. However, the latter isn’t so much impressed with the former. This past Saturday night at UFC Fight Island 7, the former UFC champion in Holloway competed in his first non-title tilt since June 2016. In the said bout, the Hawaiian would go on to set nine UFC records in a masterclass at the expense of the No. 6 ranked UFC contender, Calvin Kattar. One of which is the most significant strikes landed in a single fight (445).

Adam Martin - January 19, 2021

Henry Cejudo took a shot at rival TJ Dillashaw on the two-year anniversary of the night he knocked him out at UFC on ESPN+ 1. It was at UFC on ESPN+ 1 on January 19, 2019, when Dillashaw dropped down to 125lbs in order to win a second UFC title. At the time, he was the UFC bantamweight champion and Cejudo was the UFC flyweight champion, fresh off of an upset win over Demetrious Johnson. That night, Cejudo didn’t even need a minute to finish Dillashaw, stopping him in just 32 seconds via TKO.

Cole Shelton - January 19, 2021

Conor McGregor is promising to do something special at UFC 257. In the main event of the pay-per-view card this Saturday, McGregor is set to return to the Octagon against Dustin Poirier in a rematch over six years in the making. It is a very intriguing bout and a scrap many believe will be closer than the first fight.

Cole Shelton - January 19, 2021

Roxanne Modafferi is happy she gets to fight someone new. Over her last several fights, she has rematched the likes of Andrea Lee, Sijara Eubanks, and Jennifer Maia. Now, at UFC Fight Island 8, she will fight Viviane Araujo for the first time, which Modafferi is very excited about.

Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021

Former ONE welterweight champion Zebaztian Kadestam says he’s an improved fighter ahead of his imminent return to competition. Kadestam will take on the unbeaten Gadjimurad Abdulaev at ONE: Unbreakable this Friday in Singapore. Abdulaev is replacing Kadestam’s originally slated opponent, Raimond Magomedaliev, on short notice, but the former champion is expecting a tough fight nonetheless.

Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021

Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, two of the fiercest rivals in MMA history, nearly crossed paths on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. See the pair’s near encounter, as captured by Dan Hardy’s Full Reptile, below: