MMA News
Tony Ferguson reflects on tough year, promises "biggest and meanest" version of 'El Cucuy' in 2021
Adam Martin - January 4, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson reflected on what was a tough year for him in 2020, promising to be “biggest and meanest” in 2021. Ferguson had a very tough year in 2020 for various reasons. The calendar started off with Ferguson being booked to fight UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in Brooklyn back in April, but the COVID-19 pandemic meant that fight fell apart for the fifth time. Instead of getting his dream matchup against Nurmagomedov, Ferguson instead fought Justin Gaethje for the interim belt at UFC 249 and he suffered a vicious fifth-round TKO defeat.
UFC Twitter account sends out DMs stating Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2 is now for the lightweight title
Drake Riggs - January 4, 2021
The first UFC pay-per-view event of 2021 will see the returning Conor McGregor rematch Dustin Poirier — and it may end up being for a title after all. On Monday, those within the MMA community began revealing Twitter messages that they received from the official UFC Twitter account about UFC 257 event info. This, of course, is the event where Poirier and McGregor will be headlining on Jan. 23.
Ben Askren trolls Bellator for having no 2021 events currently scheduled
Adam Martin - January 4, 2021
Former Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren trolled his former promotion for not having any events booked for its 2021 schedule yet. The calendar just turned to 2021 and Bellator is looking to keep up its momentum after a strong end to 2020 following a long break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once Bellator returned to action in the summer, the promotion ran events from a bubble at the Mohegan and finished strong with a number of the promotion’s biggest stars fighting. Ahead of the 2021 season, Bellator has created more excitement by signing several big-name free agents.
Dana White sends warning to fight fans planning to illegally stream UFC 257
Cole Shelton - January 4, 2021
Dana White has sent a warning to any fight fans that plan on illegally streaming UFC 257. In the main event of UFC 257, Conor McGregor is set to face Dustin Poirier in a highly-anticipated fight. The event will do massive pay-per-view numbers but illegal streams have been a problem for combat sports so White plans on putting an end to that.
Michael Chandler claims he's a "nightmare" matchup for Conor McGregor
Cole Shelton - January 4, 2021
Michael Chandler is confident in his skill set as he believes he is a nightmare matchup for Conor McGregor. In the co-main event of UFC 257, Michael Chandler will finally make his Octagon debut against Dan Hooker in an intriguing matchup. If the former Bellator lightweight champion wins, he will likely be in line for a big fight against someone like Justin Gaethje, or the winner of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2. If it happens to be the latter, and McGregor wins, Chandler believes he would get his hand raised.
Derrick Lewis vs. Curtis Blaydes rebooked to headline February event
Cole Shelton - January 4, 2021
Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes will still fight one another. Originally, Derrick Lewis and Blaydes were supposed to headline the November 28 card, but Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19. The hope was to have the fight rescheduled for January, but according to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the fight will headline the February 20 card.
Aleksandar Rakic hopes for light heavyweight title shot with win over Thiago Santos
Adam Martin - January 4, 2021
UFC light heavyweight contender Aleksandar Rakic is hoping to earn himself a title shot with a victory over veteran Thiago Santos at UFC 259. Rakic takes on Santos on the undercard of UFC 259: Blachowicz vs. Adesanya on March 23. Rakic, the No. 4 light heavyweight in the UFC, is 5-1 overall in the UFC and he’s coming off of a decision win over Anthony Smith in his last fight. The Austria native is closing in on the elite of the UFC light heavyweight division and a win over Santos, a former title challenger, would be massive.
Mike Perry gets stitched up after bloody incident
Tom Taylor - January 4, 2021
Controversial UFC welterweight star Mike Perry has gotten stitched up after a bizarre and bloody incident on Sunday night. The incident in question seemingly occured after Perry attempted to smash a sheet of glass with his foot. That decision left him laying in a pool of his own blood in a hallway—a concerning situation he shared with his fans via his Instagram story.
Neil Magny believes UFC's push of Khamzat Chimaev could be "a positive for everybody”
Tom Taylor - January 4, 2021
Neil Magny has no objection to the big promotional push the UFC is giving Khamzat Chimaev. In fact, he’s on board with it. Khamzat Chimaev is one of the most hyped fighters on the UFC roster at present, despite being just 3-0 in the promotion with all of his wins coming against unranked foes.
Tito Ortiz, Josh Barnett campaign for fight with retiring Fedor Emelianenko
Tom Taylor - January 4, 2021
Tito Ortiz and Josh Barnett have both expressed interest in fighting Fedor Emelianenko in the Russian legend’s final mixed martial arts bout. Emelianenko, 44, is expected to retire after his next bout, which will occur under the Bellator MMA banner.
Anthony Pettis interested in boxing Jake Paul: "He's definitely an athlete"
Adam Martin - January 4, 2021
Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis says he’s open to taking a boxing match and fighting YouTuber-turner-boxer Jake Paul. Pettis recently completed the final fight of his UFC contract and decided to sign with PFL, where he will get a chance to compete in the promotion’s season three lightweight tournament and win a $1 million grand prize. Now that Pettis is no longer with the UFC, he’s hoping to do things that he wasn’t able to earlier in his career. One of those things is stepping into the boxing ring.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk breaks down Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya
Adam Martin - January 4, 2021
Former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk broke down the upcoming 205lbs matchup between Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya. Jedrzejczyk and Blachowicz have been friends for years as they are two of the best fighters to ever come out of Poland. Ahead of Blachowicz’s upcoming title defense at UFC 259 for the UFC light heavyweight championship against Israel Adesanya, Jedrzejczyk spoke to South China Morning Post and broke down the matchup. While she acknowledges that she has a close friendship with Blachowicz, she also admits Adesanya is a unique challenge.
Alexander Volkanovski expects to "break" Brian Ortega in title fight
Tom Taylor - January 4, 2021
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski believes he’ll “break” Brian Ortega when they collide in the Octagon. Volkanovski is expected to defend his title against Ortega in February.
Angela Lee "shocked and disgusted" after her gym is vandalized
Tom Taylor - January 4, 2021
ONE atomweight champ Angela Lee is “shocked and disgusted” after her family gym, United BJJ Hawaii, was vandalized last week. Lee opened up on this unfortunate incident, which delayed the opening of the gym, in a recent Instagram post. She also shared video of the incident, which is now being investigated by local police.
Anthony Hernandez forced to withdraw from slated UFC Fight Night 184 bout against Rodolfo Vieira
Harry Kettle - January 4, 2021
UFC middleweight Anthony Hernandez has been forced to withdraw from his proposed fight against Rodolfo Vieira at UFC Fight Night 184. Hernandez last fought inside the Octagon back in May 2020 when he was beaten by Kevin Holland, kickstarting the latter’s phenomenal rise to prominence last year. On the flip side, Vieira holds an unbeaten record of 7-0 in his professional career with two of those wins coming in the UFC via submission over Saparbek Safarov and Oskar Piechota.
Dan Henderson serves up a nasty low kick for his daughter’s boyfriend on New Year's Eve
Harry Kettle - January 4, 2021
MMA legend Dan Henderson gave his daughter’s boyfriend a gift he won’t forget on New Year’s Eve – a swift low kick to the knee. Henderson hasn’t been seen inside the Octagon since back at UFC 204 when he failed to beat rival Michael Bisping for the UFC Middleweight Championship in October 2016.
Alexander Volkanovski predicts Henry Cejudo will return to MMA for "money" fight
Adam Martin - January 3, 2021
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski predicts that Henry Cejudo will return to MMA for a “money” fight in 2021. Volkanovski and Cejudo have gone at each other on social media over the last few months, especially after Cejudo vacated the UFC bantamweight title back in May after he knocked out Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. Even though Cejudo is retired from MMA, it hasn’t stopped him from going after Volkanovski, in his hopes of luring the 145lbs champ into the fight that can help him achieve his goal of winning three UFC titles. But Volkanovski is busy with other challengers.
Henry Cejudo tells Ryan Garcia to "shine my shoes"
Adam Martin - January 3, 2021
Former UFC champion Henry Cejudo took a shot at boxer Ryan Garcia, telling the vacant WBC interim lightweight champion to “shine my shoes.” Garcia scored a brutal seventh-round TKO victory over Campbell on Saturday during a highly-anticipated battle between the two lightweights. Campbell was able to score a knockdown in the second round of the fight but Garcia was able to survive it and hold on. In the seventh round, Garcia landed a nasty liver punch that left Campbell unable to continue, declaring him the winner. With Garcia fresh in the news, Cejudo decided to take a shot at the boxing champ.