MMA News

Adam Martin - January 6, 2021

Newly-signed PFL lightweight Anthony Pettis says he wants to be a trailblazer for the future of free agency in the sport of MMA. Pettis, the former UFC lightweight champion, became a free agent for the first time in his career after finishing out his previous contract with decision wins over Alex Morono and Donald Cerrone. Many expected Pettis to either re-up with the UFC on another contract or to join his brother Sergio Pettis in Bellator, but he instead decided to sign with PFL, where “Showtime” joins the likes of other former UFC champions in Fabricio Werdum and Rory MacDonald there.

Adam Martin - January 6, 2021

UFC women’s bantamweight Bethe Correia shared graphic photos following an emergency appendectomy after being diagnosed with appendicitis. Correia was set to fight Yanan Wu at the upcoming UFC on ABC 1 event on January 16, but the Brazilian will have to wait a while longer for her retirement bout. The former bantamweight title challenger took to social media on Wednesday to share the tough news with her fans that she had an emergency appendectomy and will not be able to fight Wu. She shared graphic photos and videos from the surgery, which you can view below via Correia’s Instagram.

Tom Taylor - January 6, 2021

Daniel Cormier believes Dustin Poirier must convince himself he “just got caught” in his first fight with Conor McGregor if he hopes to win their imminent rematch. McGregor and Poirier first fought in the featherweight division in 2014, with McGregor winning by first-round knockout. The pair are now set to rematch in the main event of UFC 257 on January 23, this time meeting in the lightweight division.

Tom Taylor - January 6, 2021

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski admits he’s growing tired of discussing a potential trilogy fight with Max Holloway. Volkanovski is riding back-to-back decision wins over Holloway. The first, a fairly decisive unanimous decision, occured in late 2019, and earned Volkanovski the featherweight strap. The second, a split decision that occurred in July, was much more controversial, but nonetheless marked a successful title defense for the champion.

Tom Taylor - January 6, 2021

UFC President Dana White says the promotion’s controversial official rankings are very important to its matchmaking strategy. The UFC rankings have been the subject of controversy at many points since they were introduced. Most notably, it was revealed in 2019 that many of the media members that vote on the UFC rankings do not even regularly cover the sport.

Tom Taylor - January 6, 2021

UFC welterweight star “Platinum” Mike Perry is officially a father after he and his partner Latory Gonzalez welcomed a baby boy to the world this week. Perry announced this exciting news on Twitter on Wednesday, noting that his son gave them a brief scare at the hospital, but is now in good health.

Andrew Whitelaw - January 6, 2021

We all know 2020 was a wild year. Needless to say, it wasn’t the best. But there were definitely some MMA highlights. Depending on your tastes, Fight Circus was arguably one of them. Powered by adult streaming site, CamSoda, the Bangkok-based promotion caused quite a stir online.

Tom Taylor - January 6, 2021

Cory Sandhagen says it will be “a bummer” if TJ Dillashaw is granted an immediate opportunity to reclaim the UFC bantamweight title. Dillashaw ruled over the bantamweight division for several years, but was stripped of his title after testing positive for EPO, an injectable-only performance enhancing drug. After being stripped and admitting his mistake, Dillashaw was suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. As his suspension nears its conclusion, he’s campaigned for the immediate opportunity to reclaim his title.

Harry Kettle - January 6, 2021

Bellator fighter Austin Vanderford has shed some light on the series of nude photos he’s posted on social media alongside his wife Paige VanZant. The world is a fairly bleak place right now based on the ongoing surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as such, we need to take a step back from time to time in order to enjoy some of the more light-hearted stories within the media.

Drake Riggs - January 5, 2021

Dan Hooker fully understands the position he’s in as he gets ready to welcome Michael Chandler to the Octagon at UFC 257 on Jan. 23. In September, it was announced that the former three-time Bellator lightweight king in Chandler had signed with the UFC. Initially acting as the backup to the title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje, “Iron Mike” now has a date with a “Hangman” to start his new promotional tenure.

Drake Riggs - January 5, 2021

James Krause isn’t the first person in the MMA world to have an opinion on Diego Sanchez’s coach, Josh Fabia — now they’ve agreed to fight. After catching wind of Krause’s comments regarding the “clown” Fabia, Sanchez was none too pleased. As a result, “The Nightmare” took to Instagram where he sent Krause a direct message challenging him to a bout. Never one to back down, Krause accepted and noted that Fabia could “get this work” as well.

Cole Shelton - January 5, 2021

Shogun Rua is officially retired, according to Dana White. After Rua lost to Paul Craig at UFC 255, many thought that would be it for the Brazilian MMA legend but there was no formal retirement. Now, however, on an ESPN+ livestream, Dana White has revealed Rua has retired.

Adam Martin - January 5, 2021

UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo will receive pay-per-view points in his contract going forward, says his manager Wallid Ismail. Figueiredo has been open about his desire for a better contract in the wake of his incredible 2020 that has seen him crowned as “Fighter of the Year” by many MMA analysts. The Brazilian went 3-0-1 last year, with two wins over Joseph Benavidez by stoppage, a quick finish over Alex Perez, and an absolute war with Brandon Moreno that was a “Fight of the Year” candidate in itself. However, Figueiredo wasn’t getting pay-per-view points for those bouts.

Drake Riggs - January 5, 2021

An unbelievable amount of ridiculousness ensued throughout 2020 the further along we all got in the year. To perfectly summarize 2020 with a capper, the MMA world provided us with an intergender openweight exhibition bout in November pitting Russia’s Darina Mazdyuk vs. the 500-plus pound YouTuber, Grigory Chistyakov (also known as Grisha Polnoe). Mazdyuk, 28, is a solid prospect who has competed in the 135-pound bantamweight and 145-pound featherweight divisions. However, up until her viral first-round TKO victory, the 4-1 pro was a virtual unknown outside of Russia’s regional scene.

Adam Martin - January 5, 2021

UFC women’s legend Ronda Rousey went beast mode in the gym in a new commercial where she shows off her featured clothing line with Mizuno. Rousey, one of the greatest women’s MMA fighters of all time, was last seen with the WWE. But she was back in the gym doing some mixed martial arts training once again in a commercial for the new “Mizuno X Ronda Rousey Training Collection.” Along with showing off her MMA skills, Rousey went all out and showed off her incredible athleticism by doing gymnastics and strength and conditioning. Watch the commercial below (via @RondaRousey).

Tom Taylor - January 5, 2021

Leon Edwards claims he wanted to fight Michael Chiesa or Neil Magny on January 20, and then Khamzat Chimaev immediately after, but the UFC wasn’t on board. Edwards was originally scheduled to fight Chimaev in the main event of the January 20 card, which will go down on Fight Island. Regrettably, Chimaev was forced out of the matchup due to lingering health issues stemming from a COVID-19 infection.

Adam Martin - January 5, 2021

Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski returns to the Octagon on February 20 against rising prospect Tom Aspinall. On Tuesday, Arlovski vs. Aspinall i was officially announced for the February 20 card, which is headlined by a five-round heavyweight contest between top-five contenders Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes. It’s a great matchup between a former champion in the Belarusian Arlovski and a rising star in the Brit Aspinall.

Tom Taylor - January 5, 2021

Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson admits he’s always had a bit of difficulty with fighters like his next opponent, Adriano Moraes. Johnson, widely regarded as the best fighter ever, is slated to challenge Moraes for the ONE Championship flyweight title on February 24.