MMA News
Khabib Nurmagomedov issues statement after receiving "Submission of the year" award from the UFC
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.
Robert Whittaker jumps past Conor McGregor in latest 'UFC Fight Island' rankings update
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.
Mike Perry goes to bat for Conor McGregor following recent insults from Khamzat Chimaev
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.
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).
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.
Roxanne Modafferi is glad she isn't having another rematch, expects to submit Viviane Araujo
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.
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.
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.
Ralph Gracie sentenced to six months in prison for assaulting Flavio Almeida
Adam Martin - January 19, 2021
Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend and former PRIDE fighter Ralph Gracie was sentenced to six months in prison for assaulting Flavio Almeida. Globo first reported that a United States court sentenced Gracie to six months in prison for the assault, along with three years of probation. According to Almeida’s lawyers, Gracie was also fined $50,000, will have to attend anger-management classes, and is prohibited from leaving the United States.
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.
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.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 25 with Dan Hooker, Michael Chiesa, Matt Frevola, and Roxanne Modafferi
Cole Shelton - January 19, 2021
The 25th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Fight Island 8 and UFC 257 var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_22657962", "obj": {"id":"22947","width":"100%","height":"","video":"704810"} });
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.
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.