MMA News
Rob Font expects to put the bantamweight division on notice with a KO win over Marlon Moraes
Cole Shelton - December 16, 2020
Rob Font didn’t expect to be fighting Marlon Moraes in his return fight. Font is on a two-fight winning streak but has not fought since last December when he defeated Ricky Simon by decision. Rob has been sidelined with injuries but at UFC Vegas 17 he will return to the Octagon against Moraes.
Anthony Johnson explains his exit from the UFC and why he signed with Bellator
Cole Shelton - December 16, 2020
Anthony Johnson has explained why he parted ways with the UFC and signed with Bellator. For over a year, “Rumble” has talked about returning to the sport and many figured it would be with the UFC. But, as he was about to return in 2021, it was revealed he and the UFC mutually agreed to part ways and he says that is all it is. He also makes it clear he has no ill-will towards the Las Vegas-based promotion.
Marlon Vera expects to KO Jose Aldo and "let the division know I’m going to be a world champion"
Cole Shelton - December 16, 2020
Marlon Vera is expecting to get into a slugfest on Saturday night. In the co-main event of UFC Vegas 17, Vera is set to battle Jose Aldo in a fight that was supposed to happen at both UFC 255 and 256. However, due to visa issues, the fight was delayed but for “Chito” he is just glad the fight got made.
Dan Hooker blasts "p***y" Charles Oliveira, explains why Brazilian isn't a top contender
Cole Shelton - December 16, 2020
Dan Hooker still doesn’t believe Charles Oliveira is a legit contender at lightweight. At UFC 256, Oliveira picked up the biggest win of his career as he dominated Tony Ferguson to win a decision. Following the win, many claimed the Brazilian should be one-half of a vacant title fight if Khabib Nurmagomedov is truly done. However, Hooker still doesn’t view Oliveira that highly.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega targeted for February, says Dana White
Adam Martin - December 16, 2020
The upcoming match between UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega is being targeted for February, says Dana White. Volkanovski is coming off of a controversial split decision win over Max Holloway back at UFC 251 in July on Fight Island, which was his 19th straight win overall. The UFC thought about booking a trilogy fight with Holloway after two close decisions, but after Ortega shut out The Korean Zombie on the scorecards in October, “T-City” stole the title shot back. White previously confirmed that Ortega was the new No. 1 contender for the belt but until now we didn’t have a date for the bout. We now have a better idea of when it will happen.
Team Rose Namajunas refutes Dana White’s claim that she does not want a title shot vs. Weili Zhang
Adam Martin - December 16, 2020
Team Rose Namajunas has refuted UFC president Dana White’s claims that she does not want a title shot against strawweight champ Weili Zhang. After beating Jessica Andrade by split decision at UFC 251 in a “Fight of the Night” performance on Fight Island this past summer, White said that Namajunas was next in line to fight Zhang. Very recently we heard that the UFC was close to figuring out a date for this bout, but it appears that it might not happen now. On Wednesday, White made comments to BT suggesting that Namajunas isn’t interested in a title shot against Zhang and that the promotion is considering giving the next title shot to former champ Carla Esparza instead.
Diego Sanchez targeting "OG fight" after recent battles with "real killers"
Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020
UFC legend Diego Sanchez is planning on retiring after his next fight, and he has a few opponents in mind for that final walk to the Octagon. After taking on rising prospects like Michel Pereira and Jake Matthews, Sanchez, who won the very first season of The Ultimate Fighter, is hoping to close out his career by battling somebody of his vintage, like one of the Diaz brothers or Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
Yoel Romero explains what led to "completely unexpected" UFC release
Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020
Former UFC middleweight contender Yoel Romero has opened up on the events that led to his release from the promotion, calling the ordeal “completely unexpected.” Romero was a member of the UFC roster from 2013 until just a few weeks ago. For the majority of his time with the promotion, he stood at out as one of the top middleweights in the world.
Jake Paul slides into Conor McGregor's DMs: "Take the fight p*ssy"
Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020
Jake Paul is not giving up on his desired fight with former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor, and has now boldly slid into the Irishman’s DMs. After scoring a brutal knockout win over former NBA star Nate Robinson at the recent Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. even, Paul has been ceaselessly campaigning for a fight with McGregor.
Video | Relive the Anthony Pettis "Showtime Kick" on the 10-year anniversary of final WEC show
Adam Martin - December 16, 2020
Today, December 16, 2020, marks the 10-year anniversary of the final WEC event, WEC 53, the night of the “Showtime Kick” from Anthony Pettis. The main event of WEC 53 saw lightweight champion Benson Henderson put his title on the line against Pettis in a matchup between two young, up-and-coming fighters. The WEC was being folded into the UFC after this event, so the winner of this fight would be the final WEC champion and enter the UFC with the belt. With so much on the line, the two fighters put on an absolutely incredible war that went the distance. It was a fitting end to the WEC, as one of the greatest MMA promotions to ever be created concluded with a classic fight.
Mark Hunt loses boxing match with Paul Gallen, issues statement
Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020
Heavyweight combat sports legend Mark Hunt returned to the ring this week, but the fight didn’t go the way he planned. Hunt, who spent the most recent chapter of his career competing in the UFC heavyweight division, parted ways with the promotion in 2018 amid a heated legal dispute. After a period of inactivity, the 46-year-old legend signed on for a professional boxing match with rugby star Paul Gallen at Bankwest Stadium in Sydney, Australia.
Pros react to potential Diaz bros vs Paul bros boxing event
Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020
Several members of the combat sports community are drooling over a potential boxing card pitting YouTube stars Logan and Jake Paul against MMA legends Nick and Nate Diaz. The Paul bros have become the talk of the combat sports world after Logan landed himself an exhibition boxing match with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Jake knocked out former NBA star Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard, and neither one is letting their time in the limelight go to waste. Jake has become a particularly loud voice inside the combat sports bubble, calling out a host of top fighters like Conor McGregor, Dillon Danis, Jorge Masvidal and Ben Askren.
Ali Abdelaziz claims he is willing to compete against “gatekeeper” Tony Ferguson under the SUG banner
Tom Taylor - December 16, 2020
Ali Abdelaziz says he’s willing to battle UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson in a grappling match under the Submission Underground banner. Ferguson returned to the cage in the co-main event of UFC 256 last weekend, where he was out-grappled to a decision loss against Charles Oliveira. After the fight, Ali Abdelaziz, the CEO of Dominance MMA and the manager of MMA stars like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kamaru Usman, sparked a Twitter skirmish with Ferguson.
Max Holloway explains why he won’t be sparring ahead of UFC fight with Calvin Kattar: “Sparring is like an ego trip”
Harry Kettle - December 16, 2020
UFC featherweight contender Max Holloway has explained why he won’t be sparring ahead of his upcoming bout against Calvin Kattar. Holloway is set to return to action next month when he faces off against Kattar in what will be his first non-title fight since UFC 199 in 2016. “Blessed” will be hoping to build his way back up to another Featherweight Championship shot and a trilogy showdown against rival Alexander Volkanovski.
Bellator’s Anthony Johnson and Ryan Bader set to rematch on short-notice at SUG 19
Harry Kettle - December 16, 2020
Bellator stars Anthony Johnson and Ryan Bader are set to meet in a short notice grappling match at Submission Underground 19. Bader will be stepping in on short notice to take on Johnson as a replacement for Fabricio Werdum. The two men have actually met before in a professional MMA bout, and on that occasion back in January 2016, Johnson scored a knockout win inside the first two minutes of the fight.
Dillon Danis reacts after falling victim to drive-by attack from Jake Paul
Drake Riggs - December 16, 2020
Dillon Danis found himself on the receiving end of a little surprise via Jake Paul in the middle of an interview on Tuesday. Drama within this current state of internet celebrity boxing ramped up significantly this week after the recent news of Floyd Mayweather’s return. The reason for that being because the 50-0 all-time legend’s opponent to be is the 25-year old YouTube sensation, Logan Paul.
Amanda Ribas on fighting on a Conor McGregor card: 'It will be amazing for me'
Drake Riggs - December 15, 2020
Amanda Ribas has become a breakout star in the UFC’s 115-pound strawweight division since handing Mackenzie Dern her first career loss in October 2019. Currently a flawless 4-0 in the promotion (10-1 overall), the Brazilian has shown a wide range of dangerous skills. Having scored two of those four wins via submission while the other two came via dominant decisions that displayed her sharp striking as well as dominant ground control.
UFC cracking down on fighter travel limitations amid COVID-19
Drake Riggs - December 15, 2020
The UFC has battled valiantly through the 2020 pandemic to continue putting on events. And their efforts haven’t come without casualties as many a fight has been canceled due to the COVID-19 virus. Now the promotion is adding some additional efforts to tackle the Coronavirus with more stringent safety protocols. More specifically, those regarding travel.