MMA News

Adam Martin - January 11, 2021

Brandon Moreno questioned UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo’s BMF title talks after the two fought to a majority draw at UFC 256. Moreno and Figueiredo put on one of the best fights of 2020 back in December when the two fought in a 25-minute war that served as the main event of UFC 256. At the end of five rounds, the judges couldn’t decide on a winner, with a point deduction due to a Figueiredo low blow leading to the bout being scored a majority draw. UFC president Dana White has since confirmed there will be a rematch this year, and there have been talks that the UFC could run this fight back in April or May.

Tom Taylor - January 11, 2021

UFC President Dana White says he’s repaired his relationship with Conor McGregor after being in “a bad place” with the Irishman last year. White and McGregor have butted heads several times over the years, most recently in mid-2020, when the Irish MMA star released some of his DMs with the UFC boss. Unsurprisingly, White was upset that what he believed was a private conversation was leaked to the public, particularly because he and McGregor were speaking about aging UFC veteran Diego Sanchez.

Tom Taylor - January 11, 2021

UFC lightweight contenders Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier both look very different than they did ahead of their first fight. McGregor and Poirier, the No. 4 and 2-ranked lightweights respectively, are slated to collide in the main event of UFC 257 on January 23. The bout will be a rematch of a 2014 featherweight fight, which McGregor won by first-round knockout.

Tom Taylor - January 11, 2021

Tito Ortiz currently has his hands full with his duties as the Mayor Pro Tem of Huntington Beach, California, but he still intends to fight again. Ortiz, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, last fought in December, 2019, when he submitted former pro wrestler Alberto Del Rio under the Combate Americas banner.

Tom Taylor - January 11, 2021

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre believes Royce Gracie is greatest fighter in MMA history, but admits it’s “a subjective thing.” St-Pierre, who previously held the UFC welterweight and middleweight titles, but is now enjoying retirement, recently partook in a interesting interview with UFC.com. One of the topics of the chat was his place among the GOATs of MMA.

Harry Kettle - January 11, 2021

The UFC has filed applications with the Nevada State Athletic Commission to promote four proposed events in the month of February. The UFC has been in an ongoing cycle over the course of the last nine months between hosting events in Nevada and hosting events in Abu Dhabi – outside of their brief stint in Florida, of course.

Harry Kettle - January 11, 2021

UFC star Conor McGregor has made an incredibly brave prediction ahead of his rematch with Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. McGregor is set to return to the Octagon for the first time in twelve months, hoping to build off of his dominant welterweight win over Donald Cerrone last January. Dustin Poirier, on the other hand, is coming off the back of an electric decision victory against divisional rival Dan Hooker.

Adam Martin - January 10, 2021

UFC legend Diego Sanchez announced on social media that his next fight inside the Octagon will be the final fight of his career. Sanchez has been criticized in recent years by fans and media for fighting too long considering the amount of head trauma he’s endured over his 15 years in the Octagon. A member of the UFC roster since 2005, Sanchez is by far the longest-tenured fighter the promotion has under contract. But at age 39 and coming off of several lackluster performances, including a lopsided decision defeat to Jake Matthews at UFC 253, it appears as though Sanchez is finally ready to hang ’em up.

Adam Martin - January 10, 2021

Former UFC champion Henry Cejudo says he would KO current flyweight kingpin Deiveson Figueiredo if they meet inside the Octagon. Cejudo was, of course, both the UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion before deciding to give up both titles and walking away from the sport. Cejudo retired last May following a TKO win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249, though he has teased a return to the Octagon in the months since. Not long after Cejudo retired, Figueiredo won the vacant flyweight title over Joseph Benavidez. Since then, Figueiredo has become a bigger name in the sport and he’s tried to coax Cejudo out of retirement.

Adam Martin - January 10, 2021

UFC president Dana White hinted that Robert Whittaker will have to fight again, saying “I don’t think he’s going to get a title shot next.” After beating Jared Cannonier at UFC 254, most figured that the UFC matchmakers would look to book a rematch between Whittaker and UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, the man who took his title back at UFC 243. Instead, Adesanya is moving up to fight UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in March. That leaves Whittaker in a tough position because he’s done enough to earn a rematch against Adesanya, but at the same time, the champ may not return to 185lbs.

Adam Martin - January 10, 2021

Marcelo Ribas, the father of UFC women’s strawweight contender Amanda Ribas, got a tattoo of his daughter celebrating her first UFC win. In June 2019, Ribas made her UFC debut when she submitted Emily Whitmire for her first win inside the Octagon. Her father, Marcelo Ribas, was so moved by the moment that he decided to get a tattoo to commemorate the moment. MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz spoke to the elder Ribas, who explained his decision to get the tattoo while providing a photo of his ink. It’s also worth pointing out that in addition to being Amanda’s father, he is also her coach.

Adam Martin - January 10, 2021

An intriguing bantamweight bout between Merab Dvalishvili and Cody Stamann has been added to a UFC Fight Night card on February 6. Dvalishvili and Stamann were originally scheduled to lock horns back on the December 5 card in Las Vegas, but Stamann was forced out of the fight and he was replaced by Raoni Barcelos, who also had to withdraw from the card. However, now that Stamann is able to compete again, the UFC matchmakers decided to go ahead and re-book Dvalishvili vs. Stamann. The two bantamweights will now collide on February 6 on the undercard of the Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov event.

Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021

Francis Ngannou sized up probable GOAT Jon Jones, saying: “He has some good skills that he can match my power. It’s going to be different.” Jones, the longtime UFC light heavyweight champion, announced last summer that he will be moving up to the heavyweight division in 2021. When Jones made the original announcement that he was moving down, Ngannou expressed interest in fighting him. However, he has since then focused on getting a trilogy fight with UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. That fight hasn’t been officially booked yet, but UFC president Dana White recently suggested that April could be a potential date.

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.

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.

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.

Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021

MMA manager Malki Kawa revealed on his social media that he has COVID-19 and he suggested a home remedy to help beat it quicker. Kawa has been one of the top managers in mixed martial arts for a decade, serving as the agent for superstars like Jon Jones, Yoel Romero, and Anthony Pettis, and he’s been representing more NFL athletes over the last few years, as well. Like many MMA fighters and football players, Kawa, unfortunately, came down with COVID-19 as well. However, he appears to be beating it, especially with a home-made remedy. Check out what he wrote on his Twitter.

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.