MMA News

Tom Taylor - December 3, 2020

ONE Championship atomweight star Bi Nguyen is hoping to close out a chaotic year with a huge win over Malaysia’s Jihin Radzuan at ONE: Big Bang, which goes down on the promotion’s home turf in Singapore this Friday. The coronavirus pandemic made 2020 a bumpy year for just about everyone, but it was particularly frustrating for Nguyen. The 31-year-old striking specialist’s bad luck began early in the year, when she was forced out of planned February fight with Japan’s Itsuki Hirata with an injury. March brought another tough break, as Nguyen’s planned Muay Thai bout against Rudzma Abubakar fell through amid the early chaos of the pandemic. The trouble then continued in the third quarter of the year, when ONE Championship’s attempt to reschedule the failed February fight with Hirata came up empty—ostensibly because the Japanese fighter didn’t sign her contract.

Tom Taylor - December 3, 2020

Top UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou has opened up on the turbulent journey that led him to the bright lights of the Octagon. Ngannou, a native of Cameroon, emigrated to Paris, France before making transitioning into MMA. His journey from the Central African country Europe was not easy.

Tom Taylor - December 3, 2020

UFC featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez has been handed a six-months by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) due to repeated whereabouts violations. USADA released a statement on the Rodriguez situation on Thursday (h/t MMA Fighting)

Tom Taylor - December 3, 2020

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is hoping to bring the sport of mixed martial arts to the Olympic games. Nurmagomedov last fought in the main event of UFC 254 last month, when he defended his title with a submission of Justin Gaethje and improved to 29-0 as a pro—easily one of the best records in the sport’s history.

Tom Taylor - December 3, 2020

Former UFC bantamweight champ Henry Cejudo is teasing a comeback after some trash talk from his former opponent TJ Dillashaw. Dillashaw and Cejudo have fought once before. They met in early 2019, when Dillashaw, then the bantamweight champion, dropped down to flyweight to challenge Cejudo for that division’s title.

Tom Taylor - December 3, 2020

Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos claims that he briefly put Khabib Nurmagomedov to sleep in their 2014 fight. Nurmagomedov, the reigning UFC lightweight champion, retired after a submission defeat of Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 main event last month. Despite that retirement announcement, UFC President Dana White is optimistic the champion will fight again.

Tom Taylor - December 3, 2020

TJ Dillashaw says he would have been able to “justify” his use of the banned substance Erythropoietin (EPO) if he’d become a two-division UFC champ. In early 2018, Dillashaw, then the UFC bantamweight champion, dropped down to flyweight to challenge divisional champ Henry Cejudo in a bid to become a two-division titleholder. After losing the fight via first-round TKO, Dillashaw tested positive for the injectable-only banned substance EPO, and was stripped of his title and suspended two years as a result.

Harry Kettle - December 3, 2020

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to pay-per-view next weekend with UFC 256 as Deiveson Figueiredo prepares to defend the Flyweight Championship once again – this time against rising contender Brandon Moreno. Event: UFC 256: Figueiredo vs. Moreno Date: Saturday, 12th December 2020 Location: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada Broadcast: ESPN+ (6pm/8pm/10pm EST)

Cole Shelton - December 2, 2020

Snoop Dogg is getting into the boxing world. The 49-year-old rapper has been a fan of combat sports for years and has been a big part of them. He commentated on the Contender Series and was in the booth for Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. on Saturday night. Now, following the event, Snoop Dogg and Triller are teaming up to create their own promotion called The Fight Club.

Cole Shelton - December 2, 2020

Diego Ferreira has had a hard time getting fights. At UFC 246 in January, Ferreira picked up the biggest win of his career as he submitted former champion, Anthony Pettis, in the second round. It was his sixth straight victory and following the win, many figured he would get a top-10 opponent. However, for the Brazilian, he has yet to fight again and won’t fight until February when he battles Beneil Dariush.

Cole Shelton - December 2, 2020

Montana De La Rosa had a unique fight camp for her short-notice fight against Talia Santos. De La Rosa is stepping up on about a month’s notice to battle Santos at UFC Vegas 16. It is a very intriguing matchup, and for the 25-year-old in De La Rosa, she just wanted to get another fight in this year.

Cole Shelton - December 2, 2020

Nick Diaz could very well be fighting again next year. Ever since videos of him training came out earlier this year, many wondered if he was coming back. Well, according to his manager, Kevin Mubenga, Nick Diaz has been training consistently and is looking to get back in there soon.

Adam Martin - December 2, 2020

The full betting odds have been released for the 11 fights scheduled to take place at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 19: Hermansson vs. Vettori. In the main event, Marvin Vettori steps up on short notice to fight top-ranked Jack Hermansson. Vettori was set to fight Jacare Souza next weekend at UFC 256 and moved up on short notice to fight Vettori, who lost two opponents in Darren Till and Kevin Holland. This should be a great fight with the winner figuring to be in title contention.

Adam Martin - December 2, 2020

Veteran UFC welterweight Neil Magny says he’s open to fighting top prospect Khamzat Chimaev on short notice later this month at UFC Vegas 17. Chimaev was set to face off against No. 3 ranked Leon Edwards in the biggest fight of his career on December 19 in Las Vegas. The fight was scheduled for five rounds and was set to be the main event. Unfortunately, disaster struck. After reports emerged that Chimaev had contracted COVID-19 and the fight was up in the air, it turned out that Edwards is actually the one who has COVID-19, and of course, the fight has been postponed until sometime in 2021 when Edwards recovers from the illness.

Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov insists that he will not be returning to the cage to fight Conor McGregor or Dustin Poirier again. Nurmagomedov retired from competition after a submission win over Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 254 last month. Despite his retirement announcement, he has not yet relinquished the lightweight title, likely due to UFC President Dana White’s optimism that he’ll end up fighting again.

Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020

No. 3-ranked UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards has issued a public statement after he was forced out of his upcoming fight. Edwards was scheduled to take on red-hot prospect Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of stacked UFC Fight Night card on December 19. Regrettably, the Birmingham, UK native was forced to withdraw from the bout after testing positive for COVID-19.

Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020

Former UFC strawweight champ Rose Namajunas has opened up on the traumatizing experience of being on the bus Conor McGregor infamously attacked back in 2018. The incident occurred at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, NY when McGregor, in a frenzied search for his nemesis Khabib Nurmagomedov, hurled a dolly through the window of a bus carrying a number of UFC fighters—Namajunas included.

Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020

ONE Championship flyweight star Demetrious Johnson has responded to some recent praise from UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Adesanya was recently asked who he considers the greatest fighter in MMA history, and promptly identified Johnson as his pick.