MMA News
ONE Championship uninterested in signing Anderson Silva
Tom Taylor - November 24, 2020
ONE Championship will not be pursuing the services of new free agent, former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Silva, widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time, was released from his UFC contract after a loss to Uriah Hall on Halloween night. While he intends to continue fighting rather than hang up the gloves, his list of options in terms of his new home is growing shorter.
Alistair Overeem admits retirement is looming, but says he still has a couple UFC fights left in him
Adam Martin - November 24, 2020
UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem admits the end of his career is nearing, but the legend says he still has a couple more fights left. Overeem is now 40 years old, but he remains one of the top-10 heavyweights on the UFC roster. Following back-to-back stoppage wins over Augusto Sakai and Walt Harris, Overeem is now the No. 5 ranked heavyweight contender. On February 6, 2021, he will take on No. 6 ranked Alexander Volkov in what should be an important fight for both men as they look to get one step closer to earning a coveted heavyweight title shot.
Francis Ngannou "very interested" in a potential showdown with "Rumble"
Tom Taylor - November 24, 2020
Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou says he’s “very interested” in a potential heavyweight fight with Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Johnson, who has competed as low as the welterweight division in the past, achieved his biggest successes in the UFC light heavyweight division, where he twice challenged for the title. While he announced his retirement from MMA in 2017, he is now plotting a return to the Octagon, perhaps to the heavyweight division.
Video | Relive the first time Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier ever crossed paths
Tom Taylor - November 24, 2020
Years ago, ahead of their UFC 178 fight in the featherweight division, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier crossed paths for the very first time. You can relive their first-ever encounter, which occurred in the lobby of the UFC 178 fighter hotel, in a recent Instagram post from the UFC. See it below:
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 20 with Badou Jack, Viddal Riley, Gina Mazany & Parker Porter
Cole Shelton - November 24, 2020
The 20th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. and UFC Vegas 15. We’re first joined by former WBC super-middleweight and WBA light heavyweight champion, Badou Jack (2:43). Next, one of boxing’s top prospects, Viddal Riley (14:42) joins the show. Then, UFC flyweight, Gina Mazany (32:14) comes on. Closing out the program is UFC heavyweight, Parker Porter (47:10).
Ben Askren on potential MMA return: "Never say never"
Tom Taylor - November 24, 2020
Former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder Ben Askren isn’t ruling out a return to mixed martial arts. Askren retired from competition last year, after a knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal and a submission loss to Demian Maia in the UFC. Once his retirement was confirmed, he underwent a complete hip replacement.
Dustin Poirier: Conor McGregor rematch "isn't about getting even"
Tom Taylor - November 24, 2020
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier claims his upcoming rematch with Conor McGregor is not about revenge. After months of rumors and negotiations, Poirier is officially slated to take on McGregor in the main event of UFC 257 on January 23. The bout will mark the second time they’ve met, after McGregor knocked Poirier out in the featherweight division back in 2014.
Khabib Nurmagomedov awarded with ‘Best Mom’ medal in Dagestan
Harry Kettle - November 24, 2020
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has been awarded an amusing “Best Mom” medal in Dagestan following his retirement. “The Eagle” decided to hang up his gloves in the wake of his recent win over Justin Gaethje, taking his official record to 29-0. He did so after a discussion with his mother in which he promised to end his mixed martial arts career after the Gaethje bout.
Dana White hints at "very fun fight" between Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
UFC president Dana White called a matchup between UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade a “very fun fight.” A dominant Shevchenko defeated challenger Jennifer Maia via unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 255. The win improved Shevchenko’s UFC flyweight record to a perfect 6-0, and she is quickly running out of new challenges in the division. One fighter that has emerged as a potential contender, however, is Jessica Andrade. The former UFC women’s strawweight champion knocked out Katlyn Chookagian in her flyweight debut and she looks poised to challenge Shevchenko for the title sometime in 2021.
Petr Yan explains why Aljamain Sterling title fight was scrapped, confident "the fight will happen" soon
Cole Shelton - November 23, 2020
Petr Yan has explained why he won’t be fighting Aljamain Sterling on Dec. 12 at UFC 256. Yan and Sterling were set to headline the year-end pay-per-view but on Sunday it was revealed the fight was off.
Sean O’Malley says he is returning to the Octagon at UFC 258
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
UFC bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley says he will be returning to the Octagon at UFC 258, though he didn’t reveal his next opponent. O’Malley is coming off of a devastating first-round TKO loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252 that halted his progression up the bantamweight rankings. O’Malley was coming off of an incredible one-punch KO win over Eddie Wineland at UFC 250 and the promotion rewarded him with a high-profile spot on the UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier III card. Unfortunately for O’Malley, he suffered an ankle injury early in the fight and Vera took advantage of it as he finished O’Malley with strikes, handing him his first career loss.
Michael Chandler reveals signing with the UFC was "a competition thing" as it wasn't the most lucrative offer
Cole Shelton - November 23, 2020
Michael Chandler reveals the UFC did not offer him the most amount of money during his free agency. Following Chandler’s first-round KO over Benson Henderson, the former Bellator lightweight champion headed to free agency which is something he wanted to do. When he became a free agent, “Iron” admits he wanted to sign with the UFC but it needed to make financial sense.
UFC 255 medical suspensions: Alex Perez facing long break
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
The medical suspensions for last Saturday’s UFC 255 card are in, and Alex Perez is facing a lengthy suspension after his loss in the main event. Perez challenged Deiveson Figueiredo for the UFC flyweight title in the UFC 255 main event, and lost via first-round submission. While the loss didn’t look particularly damaging, Perez could be out for some time with a hand injury, pending the result of an X-ray.
Deiveson Figueiredo makes bold prediction for Brandon Moreno fight
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
Despite picking up big wins at UFC 255 last weekend, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno are already slated to fight again—against each other. Figueiredo, the UFC flyweight champion, and Moreno, the division’s No. 1 contender, are set to collide at UFC 256 next month. And when the cage door closes, the champ is expecting a decisive and violent victory.
Ray Sefo says PFL has no interest signing Anderson Silva
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
PFL president Ray Sefo says that his organization has no interest in signing former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Silva recently became a free agent when the UFC released him following a knockout loss to Uriah Hall on Halloween. Silva is now 45 years old and he has lost his last three fights, but he has vowed to continue to fight. “The Spider” recently took to social media and exclaimed that he finally feels free after being fully released by the UFC. It seems like Silva will soon be testing the free-agent market and see what is out there for him.
Rob Wilkinson hopes struggle to find fights ends with Bellator title run
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
Former UFC middleweight Rob Wilkinson, who now competes at light heavyweight, has not had an easy time finding fights since his time with the Las Vegas-based promotion came to an end. He’s hoping that changes soon.
Kayla Harrison says weight cutting sends a bad message to kids, but 145lbs was only option
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
Women’s MMA star Kayla Harrison trashed weight cutting and said it sets a bad example for kids, but her only option was fighting at 145lbs. Harrison is a former Olympic judoka who made the move to MMA in 2018. She began her mixed martial arts career in the PFL, where she won the promotion’s season two lightweight tournament and several non-tournament bouts along the way. But with PFL not holding any events in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the promotion allowed Harrison to take a fight in Invicta FC, with the only difference being fighting at 145lbs.
Dana White responds to rumors of Nevada combat sports shutdown
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
UFC President Dana White has responded to rumors that Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak is considering shutting down combat sports events in the state amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. Nevada is currently enduring a spike of COVID-19 cases, and amid widespread fears of overflowing hospitals and overworked medical staff, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has reported that Governor Sisolak is considering implementing new restrictions—restrictions that could affect the operations of the UFC and Top Rank Boxing in the state.