MMA News
Amanda Ribas envisions a title shot by the end of 2021
Drake Riggs - January 19, 2021
One of the biggest rising superstars among the UFC’s female competitors in the past two years has been Brazil’s Amanda Ribas. With a win on Saturday night at UFC 257, she’ll be all that much closer to her goal of holding a world championship. Kicking off the main card on Jan. 23 will be strawweight action as Ribas looks to leapfrog the No. 8 ranked Marina Rodriguez. Currently ranked just a spot below her Brazilian counterpart, Ribas would extend her winning streak to six with a victory (five in the UFC).
Patricio Pitbull sarcastically congratulates Max Holloway for historic win
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).
Henry Cejudo takes a shot at TJ Dillashaw on two-year anniversary of knockout
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.
Conor McGregor excited to show the world "something special" at UFC 257
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.
Conor McGregor explains why he would like to fight Al Iaquinta in the future
Cole Shelton - January 19, 2021
Conor McGregor has made it clear he wants to fight all the top-ranked lightweights and revealed Al Iaquinta is on that list. McGregor is set to return to the lightweight division at UFC 257 against Dustin Poirier and the Irishman has said it will be the start of a lengthy run at the division. If he goes out and beats Poirier, McGregor will likely fight a top-five opponent next time out. However, he says he would be open to fighting Al Iaquinta.
Zebaztian Kadestam teases new tricks on journey back to ONE welterweight championship
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.
Video | Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov miss each other by seconds in Fight Island hotel
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:
Conor McGregor hit with multimillion-dollar personal injury lawsuit
Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021
Former two division UFC champion Conor McGregor has been hit with a multimillion-dollar personal injury lawsuit. According to a report from ESPN, a woman filed the lawsuit on Monday in the High Court in Dublin, Ireland. The woman’s mother has also reportedly filed a smaller suit against McGregor. According to a separate report The Independent, an unknown associate of McGregor is listed as a co-defendant.
Michael Chiesa expecting a "tough fight" against Neil Magny, views this as his "chance at redemption"
Cole Shelton - January 19, 2021
Michael Chiesa is eager to finally step back into the Octagon. In the main event of UFC Fight Island 8, Chiesa is set to battle Neil Magny in his first fight in nearly a year. Since Chiesa beat Rafael dos Anjos last January, he had a ton of momentum but injuries and the pandemic kept him out of the Octagon.
TJ Dillashaw officially eligible to fight again
Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021
Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw is officially eligible to fight again after being suspended two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. Dillashaw was suspended in the wake of a TKO loss to then flyweight champion TJ Dillashaw after testing positive for the injectable-only banned substance recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO).
Khamzat Chimaev takes shot at "chicken" Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021
Welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev has taken a shot at Conor McGregor ahead of the Irishman’s anticipated return to the Octagon. McGregor is slated to step back into the cage in the main event of UFC 257 this Saturday in Abu Dhabi, where he’ll battle No. 2-ranked lightweight contender Dustin Poirier.
Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Max Holloway's mid-fight chatter, showboating: "I love this"
Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was in attendance for Max Holloway’s recent fight with Calvin Kattar, and he liked what he saw. After the fight, Nurmagomedov hailed Holloway as one of the best fighters in the world, and also tipped his hat to the Hawaiian for his mid-fight trash talk and showboating.
Conor McGregor declares Fight Island "my island"
Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021
UFC superstar Conor McGregor has arrived on Fight Island—Yas Island in Abu Dhabi—and he’s already claiming ownership of it. McGregor is slated to take on Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 257 this Saturday on the Island. While most fighters on the card flew to Abu Dhabi directly, or through Las Vegas, McGregor first made a pitstop in Dubai, before eventually moving on to the scene of the action.
Dan Hooker weighs in on Khabib Nurmagomedov's future: "As far as I’m concerned, the guy says he’s retired"
Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021
Dan Hooker, who is days out from a UFC 257 fight with Michael Chandler, is taking Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement announcement at face value. Nurmagomedov, the UFC lightweight champion, retired after defending his belt with a second-round submission of Justin Gaethje in October. Despite that announcement, UFC President Dana White has been adamant that he’ll attempt to convince the champ to fight one more time in an effort to push his record to 30-0.
Coach believes Dustin Poirier needs to expose Conor McGregor’s “weakness” at UFC 257
Harry Kettle - January 19, 2021
American Top Team’s Mike Brown wants to see Dustin Poirier exploit Conor McGregor’s conditioning “weakness” at UFC 257 this weekend. Brown, who is Poirier’s head coach at ATT, will be hoping to guide “The Diamond” to victory more than six years after he was brutally defeated by McGregor at UFC 178 in Las Vegas.
UFC Fight Island 8 Weigh-In Results: Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny both make weight
Harry Kettle - January 19, 2021
Main event stars Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny have both made weight for their UFC Fight Island 8 showdown on Wednesday night. Both men are currently riding three-fight win streaks in the welterweight division with the belief being that a win here for either could take them to within one or two more victories of a shot at the Welterweight Championship.
Meng Bo: 'I can definitely defeat Weili Zhang again'
Drake Riggs - January 18, 2021
Weili Zhang only has one loss on her MMA record. And that belongs to the UFC champ’s fellow Chinese standout, ONE Championship’s Meng Bo. On Nov. 9, 2013, Bo and Zhang met on the Chinese regional scene for each of their first clashes in MMA. However, despite their professional records both reading that bout as their first career contests, Bo has since revealed that the fight was actually an amateur fight with only two rounds — as can be seen below.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega betting odds released
Adam Martin - January 18, 2021
The opening betting odds have been released for the upcoming UFC featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega. The UFC recently announced that Volkanovski and Ortega will fight at UFC 260 on March 27. The main event for the card features UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou. With Volkanovski vs. Ortega now official for that event, the oddsmakers were quick to release the opening betting odds. Take a look at the odds for Volkanovski vs. Ortega below (via BestFightOdds).




