MMA News
Dana White will "press" Khabib Nurmagomedov to fight again, likes Conor McGregor rematch
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
UFC president Dana White says he will “press” Khabib Nurmagomedov to fight again, and he likes the Conor McGregor rematch. Nurmagomedov is still the UFC lightweight champion but his status as an active fighter is up in the air following his quasi-retirement. After submitting Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from the sport. However, White has said that he will talk to Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi in an effort to convince him to return for one more fight and try and reach the perfect 30-0 mark.
Georges St-Pierre: I miss winning, but I don't miss fighting
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
UFC legend Georges St-Pierre says that he misses the feeling of winning, but he admits that he doesn’t miss the actual fighting part of it. GSP is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time and was one of the UFC’s greatest champions for the better part of a decade. GSP was both the UFC welterweight champion and the UFC middleweight champion before finally calling it quits a few years ago. Due to COVID-19, his UFC Hall of Fame enshrinement was delayed, but he will be inducted into the promotion’s HOF in the coming weeks.
Anthony Pettis explains how the UFC’s "rat race" resulted in him signing with PFL
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
Newly-signed PFL lightweight Anthony Pettis explained how the UFC’s “rat race” resulted in him leaving the UFC and signing with PFL instead. Pettis shocked the MMA world when he announced he was taking his talents away from the world’s top mixed martial arts organization in the UFC and signing with PFL, which most consider as the No. 3 promotion in North America. However, the lure of winning one million dollars for running the table in the PFL lightweight tournament was too much for Pettis to turn down, and he decided to sign with the PFL. There were also some other reasons behind Pettis making that decision.
Chael Sonnen hints at a move to politics, smears Oregon representative Kurt Schrader
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
Former UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen hinted at a move to politics and smeared Oregon representative Kurt Schrader in the process. Sonnen is one of the most outspoken mixed martial arts fighters the sport has ever seen as he was born with the gift of gab. Sonnen was one of the best trash talkers in MMA when he was an active fighter for the UFC and Bellator, and now he’s looking to talk his trash-talking skills to politics. On Saturday, Sonnen warned Schrader that he’s coming for him while taking some humorous shots at Schrader at the same time. Check out the Tweets that Sonnen sent to his political rival Schrader.
Video | Khamzat Chimaev unloads bullets alongside Alexander Gustafsson
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
UFC welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev unloaded bullets in a new video showing him shooting guns alongside veteran Alexander Gustafsson. FrontKickOnline recently released a video of Chimaev and Gustafsson shooting huge guns for two minutes straight. The two Swedish mixed martial artists are teammates at Allstars Training Center in Stockholm and took some time out of their schedules to head to the gun range and unload some bullets. Check out the video of Chimaev and Gustafsson shooting some massive guns below.
Kevin Holland details a unique scenario which could result in an unprecedented knockout of Derek Brunson
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
UFC middleweight Kevin Holland detailed a scenario in which he could score an unprecedented knockout against divisional rival Derek Brunson. After weeks of back-and-forth trash talk on social media, Holland vs. Brunson has been confirmed to take place as the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on March 20. For Holland, the fight marks the opportunity to take out a top-10 opponent and move himself up the 185lbs rankings, while for Brunson he has the chance to take out a rising star and move towards a title shot. It’s an important fight at 185 and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Stephan Bonnar outraged after Google removes Parler from its app store: "This is such commie BS! I can't believe idiots here are cheering as our rights are being taken away!"
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
Former UFC standout Stephan Bonnar was not happy to read the news that Google had removed Parler from its app store. Parler is advertised to be a non-biased, free speech social media platform focused on protecting user’s rights. The app has been described as an alternative to Twitter, but currently pales in comparison due to its moderate number of active users.
Michael Bisping says there's "no logic" in Tony Ferguson's argument that Khabib Nurmagomedov has a padded MMA record
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has come to the defense of Khabib Nurmagomedov following recent scrutiny from Tony Ferguson. The UFC’s former interim lightweight title holder, Ferguson (25-5 MMA), had suggested on social media that Khabib Nurmagomedov boasts a padded mixed martial arts record.
James Krause refutes claim that he broke the "bro code" with response to Diego Sanchez
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
UFC welterweights James Krause and Diego Sanchez seemingly agreed to fight after the Glory MMA head coach took a shot at Josh Fabia. Fabia is Sanchez’s new coach and mentor, and has drawn scrutiny from several UFC fighters including the likes of Matt Serra a most recently James Krause.
Tony Ferguson provides update on arm following loss to Charles Oliveira: "The Doc says the arm is as good as Iron"
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
Tony Ferguson has provided an injury update after being caught in a nasty armbar during his unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 256. The UFC’s former interim lightweight champion, Ferguson (25-5 MMA), suffered his second consecutive setback, this time to ‘Do Bronx’, in the co-headliner of last months pay-per-view event.
Max Holloway on the road back to gold: "If I’ve got to go out and get another 10-win streak, that’s what I’ve got to do.”
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will return to the Octagon on January 16 opposite surging division contender Calvin Kattar. The Hawaiian will enter the bout in hopes of avoiding the first three-fight losing skid of his career. In his most recent effort at UFC 251, Holloway (21-6 MMA) suffered his second consecutive unanimous decision loss to reigning featherweight champ Alex Volkanovski.
PHOTO | Conor McGregor is ready for UFC 257: "Born for it!"
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor is supremely confident that he will once again put on a “masterpiece” against Dustin Poirier. McGregor and Poirier are set to collide for a second time in the main event of UFC 257, which takes place January 24 on Fight Island.
Irwin Rivera's family claim "something evil took over him a few days ago"
Cole Shelton - January 8, 2021
Irwin Rivera’s sisters have issued a statement after the UFC bantamweight allegedly stabbed them multiple times on Thursday. Rivera was charged with attempted murder on Thursday, however, his family is supporting him. His sisters issued a statement while his mother, Susana Campo, spoke to Mexican newspaper Milenio that Rivera is not in the best mental state.
UFC Fight Island 8: Chiesa vs. Magny official poster
Tom Taylor - January 8, 2021
The UFC has released the official promotional poster for the upcoming UFC Fight Island 8: Chiesa vs. Magny event. The card is slated for January 20 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It was originally expected to be headlined by a welterweight clash between No. 3-ranked contender Leon Edwards and rising prospect Khamzat Chimaev. When Chimaev was forced off the bill due to lingering COVID-19 symptoms, however, co-headliners Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny were elevated to the main event spot.
Paige VanZant reacts to BKFC debut announcement: "There will be blood"
Tom Taylor - January 8, 2021
Paige VanZant is officially slated for BKFC debut. The former UFC star will compete in her first gloveless scrap on February 5, taking on Britain Hart. VanZant shared her first reaction to this booking on her official Instagram account not long after the news surfaced.
UFC 259 fight card: Three title fights top the bill
Tom Taylor - January 8, 2021
The official UFC 259 fight card is coming together, and all signs point to an unforgettable night for mixed martial arts fans. UFC 259 will be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight, as the division’s new champion Jan Blachowicz looks to defend his strap against the promotion’s middleweight king, Israel Adesanya, who will look to become one of just a few two-division champs in UFC history.
Petr Yan re-opens as betting favorite over Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259
Adam Martin - January 8, 2021
UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan re-opened as the betting favorite over Aljamain Sterling for their upcoming title bout at UFC 259. Yan and Sterling were previously slated to fight at UFC 256 in December, but the fight had to be rescheduled for March 6 at UFC 259. The betting odds for the contest previously opened with Yan as a -185 betting favorite and Sterling as a +160 betting underdog. Now that the betting odds have been released, Yan is still favored to win the bout, only not as much this time around. Check out the opening odds for UFC 259’s Yan vs. Sterling (via BestFightOdds).
UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 tickets already sold out
Adam Martin - January 8, 2021
Tickets for UFC 257: Poirier vs. McGregor 2 have already been sold out after going on sale earlier in the day on Friday. UFC president Dana White recently announced that a limited number of fans would be allowed into the venue for UFC 257. They went on sale Friday on the Etihad Arena’s website and ranged in price from $215 to $1350 USD. According to TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, the tickets are now sold out. The scribe also noted that a number of COVID-19 preventative measures will be in place.