MMA News

Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal has voiced his frustration after United States President Donald Trump was banned from Twitter. The popular social media platform banned the POTUS from its platform on Friday, citing the risk that future posts from Trump could spawn more chaos in the Capitol.

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.

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.

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.

Tom Taylor - January 8, 2021

Conor McGregor could conceivably return to the featherweight division, according to his nutritionist Tristin Kennedy. McGregor is currently gearing up for a 155-pound lightweight contest with Dustin Poirier, which will headline the UFC 257 card on January 23. He’s also recently competed in the 170-pound welterweight division. Yet the Irishman’s UFC career began in the 145-pound featherweight division, where he ultimately captured the title with a blistering, first-round knockout of Jose Aldo.

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).

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.

Tom Taylor - January 8, 2021

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor is in the best shape of his professional career, according to his nutritionist Tristin Kennedy. McGregor is slated to return to the Octagon in the main event of UFC 257 on January 23, when he’ll take on fellow lightweight contender.

Tom Taylor - January 8, 2021

Tito Ortiz was recently involved in a heated direct message exchange with a fight fan and fellow resident of Huntington Beach, California. Ortiz, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, was recently elected onto Huntington Beach City Council, and is now serving as the city’s Mayor Pro Tem. Unfortunately, his transition into politics has been anything but seamless, as he’s found himself in hot water for peddling conspiracy theories, refusing to wear a mask in public places, and for engaging in a heated confrontation with a constituent at a holiday food drive.

Harry Kettle - January 8, 2021

BKFC will look to make a real statement on Super Bowl weekend when they host “Knucklemania,” featuring Paige VanZant and Chris Leben. Leben had already teased the idea of fighting next month, but when it comes to VanZant, there has been a great deal of speculation over when and where she would make her official debut for BKFC.

Harry Kettle - January 8, 2021

Former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez has reacted to the news that UFC bantamweight Irwin Rivera has been charged with attempted murder. News broke yesterday that Rivera, who fought three times for the Ultimate Fighting Championship last year, had been arrested on attempted murder charges in Florida after allegedly attempting to kill his sisters due to a “higher power” telling him to do so.

Drake Riggs - January 7, 2021

The war of words between current and former UFC flyweight champions has begun as Deiveson Figueiredo responded to Henry Cejudo’s recent trash talk on Thursday. After receiving his honors as Fighter of the Year from MMA Fighting, Brazil’s Figueiredo gave a short speech via video with the mentioning of “Triple C”. The current champ noted his hopes to pull the former double champ out of retirement this year for a big super fight.

Adam Martin - January 7, 2021

Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg says she’s willing to fight Cat Zingano if Scott Coker asks her. After she scored back-to-back dominant victories over Julia Budd and Arlene Blencowe in her first two Bellator fights, it’s becoming hard to find challengers for Cyborg. But one name floating around is Zingano. Both Cyborg and Zingano were big stars in the UFC at one point in time, and now both of them are on the Bellator roster at 145lbs. It seems natural to think this fight could happen in the Bellator cage, and it’s possible we might actually see it in 2021.

Adam Martin - January 7, 2021

UFC welterweight Santiago Ponzinibbio trashed what he called the “bullsh*t” UFC rankings after losing his top-15 spot in the 170lbs ranks. Ponzinibbio has a 9-2 record in the UFC and is currently riding a seven-fight win streak. However, he’s had terrible luck with injuries, along with major health issues, and he’s been out of action for more than two years. Ponzinibbio hasn’t fought since November 2018 when he knocked out Neil Magny in his native Argentina. Due to inactivity, he was removed from the UFC rankings in December 2019. He finally returns to the Octagon on January 16 in Abu Dhabi.

Cole Shelton - January 7, 2021

The police report regarding the arrest of UFC bantamweight, Irwin Rivera has been released. Earlier on Thursday, it was reported Rivera stabbed his sisters and was charged on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder. However, according to the police report, he was charged with attempted murder.

Adam Martin - January 7, 2021

UFC lightweight Charles Oliveira plans on calling out the winner of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier from a front-row seat at UFC 257. Oliveira is currently riding an eight-fight win streak in the UFC lightweight division, punctuated by a lopsided unanimous decision victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 256. Oliveira has been vocal about his desire to get a title shot, but so far we haven’t heard confirmation that he will fight for the belt. There have been rumors that Oliveira could fight Justin Gaethje, but if it was up to Oliveira, he would take on the winner of McGregor vs. Poirier next.

Adam Martin - January 7, 2021

Dana White confirmed the UFC 257 main event winner between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will be in line for a title lightweight shot. The UFC lightweight title is currently held by Khabib Nurmagomedov, though the champion is currently in a quasi-retirement and may or may not fight again. The Russian will meet with White on Fight Island to try and hash out a deal. He could agree to defend his belt again, vacate it, or the UFC could create an interim belt. There are many question marks about the belt, but we now know who at least one half of the next lightweight title bout will be.

Cole Shelton - January 7, 2021

UFC bantamweight, Irwin Rivera has been arrested on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder. According to Eric Kowal of MyMMANews, Rivera had allegedly stabbed his sisters and on Thursday, he was arrested. MMAFighting was able to confirm with police records