MMA News

Cole Shelton - January 15, 2021

The UFC is set to kick off 2021 with a bang as they will hold three-events in a week. The main events of the three cards see Max Holloway take on Calvin Kattar, Neil Magny vs. Michael Chiesa, and Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2. However, for UFC commentator, Brendan Fitzgerald, he knows those are good fights but says Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell has all the capabilities of being the best fight of the week.

Adam Martin - January 15, 2021

UFC light heavyweight contender Paul Craig returns to the Octagon when he takes on rising star Jamahal Hill. Craig and Hill are ranked right next to each other in the lower half of the top-15 in the UFC’s 205lbs division, with Craig No. 14 and Hill at No. 15, so this is the perfect fight when it comes to the rankings. MMAjunkie.com was the first to confirm that Craig will fight Hill on March 20. That’s the UFC Fight Night card featuring Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev in the main event. Craig vs. Hill figures to take a place on the evening’s main card, and could potentially even serve as the co-main.

Adam Martin - January 15, 2021

Former UFC fighter Eric Spicely was brutally knocked out in vicious fashion in Abu Dhabi with UFC president Dana White sitting in attendance. In his first fight since being released by the UFC last summer for failing to make weight for a UFC Vegas event, Spicely took on Rinat Fakhretdinov at UAE Warriors 15. In his first fight since June 2019, Spicely suffered an absolutely brutal KO loss to Fakhretdinov. The Russian landed a massive overhand right that absolutely floored Spicely in a vicious fashion, with some calling it similar to Dan Henderson’s infamous KO blow over Michael Bisping at UFC 100. Watch the video below (h/t Caposa).

Cole Shelton - January 15, 2021

Cody Stamann will remain on the February 6 card but will not fight Merab Dvalishvili. Multiple sources have informed BJPENN.com that Andre Ewell has agreed to replace Dvalishvili and face Stamann on February 6. Contracts have yet to be sent out, but are expected to in the coming days. The event will also take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tom Taylor - January 15, 2021

UFC President Dana White says Khabib Nurmagomedov will need to vacate the UFC lightweight title if he wants to fight Georges St-Pierre. Nurmagomedov retired after his last fight, a submission win over Justin Gaethje, but White has been adamant that he’ll attempt to bring the undefeated Russian back for one more fight before all is said and done.

Adam Martin - January 15, 2021

Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt named the three fighters on his hit list, including the man who took his belt, TJ Dillashaw. Garbrandt is set to make his return to the Octagon in the next couple of months after missing the last six months of action due to injuries, not to mention a rough case of COVID-19. We last saw “No Love” at UFC 250, where he knocked out Raphael Assuncao. That win earned him a title shot at 125lbs, but he wasn’t able to make it to the fight, and the flyweight division looks very different now. That’s why Garbrandt has said that he plans on returning as a bantamweight in his comeback.

Tom Taylor - January 15, 2021

UFC President Dana White and undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov finally sat down for a long-awaited meeting on Friday. See the pair sitting down for their talk below:

Tom Taylor - January 15, 2021

Former UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos wants a rematch with Nate Diaz, and he’s willing to offer his rival a handicap to make the fight happen. Generally speaking, fighters don’t angle for rematches with opponents they’ve already beaten, but that’s the case this time around.

Harry Kettle - January 15, 2021

UFC legend Jon Jones has explained why he isn’t particularly concerned about cardio playing a negative role when he moves up to heavyweight. The former light heavyweight king has vacated his throne at 205 pounds, and now, he’ll be attempting to achieve something that very few other fighters have achieved—he will try and win a world title at two separate weight classes.

Harry Kettle - January 15, 2021

UFC star Conor McGregor knows how to make a statement – and he’s certainly done just that with his new watch. Over the course of the last few years McGregor hasn’t been afraid to splash the cash, and it’s not exactly hard to understand why after the insane wealth he has been able to accumulate courtesy of his ventures and achievements both in and outside of the Octagon.

Tom Taylor - January 15, 2021

On Saturday, the UFC will return to our screens for the first time this year with the stacked UFC Fight Island 7 card in Abu Dhabi. The card will be headlined by a compelling featherweight clash between the division’s former champion Max Holloway and No. 6-ranked contender Calvin Kattar. The bout will be Holloway’s opportunity to rebound from back-to-back losses to reigning featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, while Kattar will look to burst into title contention with the biggest win of his career.

Drake Riggs - January 14, 2021

When being paired to shoot a commercial together, TJ Dillashaw and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson had to be on their best office behavior. In July 2018, men’s clothing company Van Heusen released a commercial displaying their new Flex Collection. Showing off the new wares were none other than UFC superstars Stephen Thompson and, at the time the UFC bantamweight champion, TJ Dillashaw.

Drake Riggs - January 14, 2021

“The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung was on the cusp of a title shot heading into his highly anticipated clash with Brian Ortega. Now he’s back to square one. Jung’s first and only crack at UFC gold came in 2014 when he took on Jose Aldo at UFC 163. Unfortunately for one of Korea’s finest, a dislocated shoulder spelled his demise in round four. After that, Jung did his service in the Korean army before returning to MMA in 2017.

Adam Martin - January 14, 2021

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre admitted in a new interview that a matchup against Khabib Nurmagomedov “freaking excites me.” Nurmagomedov will meet with UFC president Dana White this week in Abu Dhabi to talk about his fighting future. It’s expected that White will try and convince him to return to the Octagon fight Conor McGregor in a rematch should he beats Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. However, Nurmagomedov has said in the past that his one dream fight in MMA is a superfight with the legend GSP. White has also admitted that he likes that fight, though it ultimately comes down to both men signing the contract.

Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021

Jon Jones has sent a warning to fighters ahead of his heavyweight debut. Jones vacated the light heavyweight title in the summer as “Bones” made it clear he wanted to move up to heavyweight. He has since been posting photos of him bulking up and waiting for the fight but now he has sent a message to future opponents.

Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021

Michael Chandler had a hard time getting someone to fight him in his UFC debut. In the co-main event of UFC 257, Chandler will finally make the walk to the Octagon for the first time against Dan Hooker. It is a top-10 opponent for the former Bellator lightweight champion, but not a top-five guy he wanted.

Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021

Conor McGregor wanted to rematch Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020, however, the Irishman claims the lightweight champ didn’t want the fight. Entering 2020, McGregor had a plan of a three-fight season that started with Donald Cerrone and ended with the rematch with Nurmagomedov. However, due to a variety of reasons, it did not come to fruition. Now, it appears the rematch may never happen and McGregor says that is on Nurmagomedov.

Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021

Ryan Hall is back. Multiple sources have confirmed to BJPENN.com that Ryan Hall and Dan Ige is agreed to for March 13 with contracts having already been sent out. The event currently does not have a location.