MMA News

Tom Taylor - November 9, 2020

Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler has responded to calls for a potential short-notice fight with Rafael dos Anjos. Chandler signed with the UFC earlier this year, but has yet to make his debut with the promotion. Some fans are hoping he’ll make his debut on short notice by stepping in to replace Islam Makhachev against Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC Vegas 14 this weekend.

Adam Martin - November 9, 2020

UFC heavyweight Tanner Boser released a statement following his recent decision loss to Andrei Arlovski, admitting he blew a big opportunity. After knocking out Phillipe Lins and Raphael Pessoa in back-to-back fights, Boser was given a big step up in competition against Arlovski, the former UFC heavyweight champion. The bout between Boser and Arlovski served as the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 13 card and it was supposed to be Boser’s coming-out party. Unfortunately, it was anything but, as Boser was on the wrong end of a close decision that the judges gave to Arlovski.

Adam Martin - November 9, 2020

Although UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem is 40 years old now, the long-time MMA veteran says he has one more title run in him. Overeem is one of the oldest fighters in the UFC heavyweight division but it hasn’t stopped him from going on a roll as of late. The Dutchman has won four of his last five fights, including brutal TKO wins over Walt Harris and Augusto Sakai in his last two bouts. Overeem is currently the No. 5 ranked heavyweight in the UFC. But that’s not good enough for him, because his goal is still to one day become the UFC heavyweight champion.

Adam Martin - November 9, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Diego Ferreira says he is open to filling in for Islam Makhachev against Rafael dos Anjos on this weekend’s card. Makhachev was finally able to secure a top-flight opponent in the form of the former UFC lightweight champion dos Anjos, but unfortunately, the Russian was forced to withdraw from the bout, leaving dos Anjos without an opponent. With the card just five days away, the UFC matchmakers are going to have to work fast to secure a replacement opponent. There just aren’t many options available for dos Anjos, given the super short notice here.

Tom Taylor - November 9, 2020

Mike Winkeljohn, one of the coaches behind Jon Jones, says he’s “amazed” by UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Winkeljohn has served as one of Jones’ head coaches for many years, and could soon be tasked with preparing the MMA legend for a fight with Adesanya.

Tom Taylor - November 9, 2020

2019 Professional Fighters League Women’s Lightweight Champion, Kayla Harrison is set to return to action on Friday, November 20 at Invicta 43 where she will square off with heralded Invicta featherweight, Courtney King (4-1) in the evening’s co-main event. Harrison (7-0) is a two-time Olympic gold medalist in Judo (2012 and 2016) and has been dominant since beginning her undefeated mixed martial arts career with the PFL in 2018. “I have been on a mission to show I am the best fighter,” said Harrison, a two-time Olympic Judo gold medalist. “I have been tackling challenges my entire career and this bout at 145-pounds is a new and exciting one for me. I’m looking forward to competing in this new weight class and can’t wait to get back into the PFL cage come April.”

Tom Taylor - November 9, 2020

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier says he briefly contemplated mounting a comeback to fight new light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz. Cormier, who previously ruled over the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, retired after a decision loss to the reigning heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic back in August.

Cole Shelton - November 9, 2020

In the main event of UFC Vegas 13, Glover Teixeira was looking to turn back the clock once more when he took on the returning, Thiago Santos. When the fight was booked, many had thought the winner would be getting a title shot. However, that appeared to not be the case after the UFC announced Israel Adesanya would be moving in weight to challenge Jan Blachowicz. Despite that, Glover Teixeira had a dominant performance and submitted Thiago Santos in the third round.

Tom Taylor - November 9, 2020

Mike Winkeljohn, one of the masterminds behind Jon Jones, recently explained why Jon Jones is well prepared for a potential fight with Israel Adesanya. Jones ruled over the UFC light heavyweight for many years until he vacated the title earlier in 2020 with plans to move up to the heavyweight division. In the final chapters of his light heavyweight title reign, he was frequently linked to a showdown with striking whiz Israel Adesanya, who now rules over the UFC middleweight division.

Harry Kettle - November 9, 2020

UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev has released a statement after being forced out of his proposed main event against Rafael dos Anjos. After their bout at UFC 254 was called off due to dos Anjos testing positive for COVID-19, the two men were paired together in the main event of UFC Vegas 14. That fight was set to take place this Saturday night at the UFC APEX but now, Makhachev will have to once again wait for a new date – and potentially a new opponent – as he continues his road to recovery.

Adam Martin - November 8, 2020

UFC lightweight Islam Makhachev is out of his upcoming main event fight against Rafael dos Anjos at next weekend’s UFC Vegas 14 event. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported on Sunday that Makhachev is out of the fight and the UFC is looking for a short-notice replacement. Makhachev vs. dos Anjos was set to be the five-round main event of UFC Vegas 14, which takes place on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the second time this particular matchup has fallen through. It was originally set to be part of the UFC 254 PPV but dos Anjos tested positive for COVID-19.

Adam Martin - November 8, 2020

UFC women’s strawweight contender Claudia Gadelha released a statement following her unanimous decision loss to Yan Xiaonan at UFC Vegas 13. It was a competitive fight but Gadelha’s grappling wasn’t as effective as it needed to be to keep Xiaonan on the mat for a long period of control. And when the fight was on the feet, Xiaonan was the one who was landing the cleaner blows and more of them. When the scorecards were read, all three judges gave the decision to Xiaonan by 29-28 scores.

Adam Martin - November 8, 2020

UFC president Dana White praised resurgent heavyweight legend Andrei Arlovski, noting that he thinks “His chin has gotten better.” Arlovski picked up a big win on Saturday at UFC Vegas 13 when he took home a unanimous decision over Tanner Boser, one of the heavyweight division’s top prospects. Arlovski is 41 years old but he is still performing at a high level despite his age. The former UFC heavyweight champion is now riding a two-fight win streak and is 3-1 overall in his last four fights, with other recent victories over Phillipe Lines and Ben Rothwell.

Adam Martin - November 8, 2020

UFC light heavyweight contender Thiago Santos released a statement after his submission loss to Glover Teixeira, saying “I’m so disappointed.” Santos and Teixeira had a back-and-forth brawl at UFC Vegas 13, with both men having several near finishes before the fight-ending submission win for Teixeira in the third round. Santos knocked Teixeira down at several points in the fight but somehow the aging veteran Teixeira was able to survive the onslaught and take Santos to deep waters and tap him.

Adam Martin - November 8, 2020

UFC featherweight Jeremy Stephens has verbally agreed to fight Giga Chikadze following his big KO win over Jamey Simmons at UFC Vegas 13. Chikadze picked up an impressive head kick KO win over Simmons on the main card of UFC Vegas 13. It was Chikadze’s fifth win in the UFC and upped his record to a perfect 5-0 in the Octagon, earning him a $50k bonus for “Performance of the Night.” Following the win, Chikadze took his post-fight interview to call out the veteran featherweight Stephens, who was originally set to fight Arnold Allen on this card before pulling out with an injury.

Adam D Martin - November 8, 2020

UFC middleweight Darren Till responded to Mike Perry’s claims that he “pussied out” of his upcoming fight against Jack Hermansson. Till was set to fight Hermansson in the main event of the upcoming UFC Fight Night card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 5. With both Till and Hermansson looking to prove they are worthy of a title fight against UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, this was a very important fight at 185lbs. Unfortunately, Till announced he had to withdraw from the bout this week. Kevin Holland will fight Hermansson now.

Adam D Martin - November 8, 2020

UFC welterweight prospect Ramiz Brahimaj released a statement after suffering a horrific injury at UFC Vegas 13 in his fight with Max Griffin. Brahimaj was making his debut against nine-fight UFC veteran Griffin on the undercard of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 13 event. Brahimaj hadn’t fought in 18 months after dealing with a tumor in his eye that nearly ended his MMA career. After the eye injury lost him his chance to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series, the UFC matchmakers showed their empathy and decided to give him a fight in the Octagon against Griffin instead.

Adam D Martin - November 8, 2020

UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman is “recovering well” after suffering a heart attack this weekend, his daughter revealed on her social media. Coleman, one of the greatest MMA heavyweights ever, suffered a heart attack over the weekend and his daughter Morgan shared the news on her Instagram (via Will Harris).