MMA News

Cole Shelton - November 4, 2020

Adrian Yanez couldn’t have scripted a better UFC debut. Yanez earned a UFC deal earlier this summer on the Contender Series and at UFC Vegas 12, scored a first-round head kick KO in 2:46. The 26-year-old also got a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts.

Cole Shelton - November 4, 2020

Max Griffin is very confident he will get his hand raised on Saturday night when he faces UFC newcomer, Ramiz Brahimaj. Griffin is on a two-fight losing streak and coming off a split decision loss to Alex Oliveira. For Griffin, although he lost the fight, and another close decision, he took a lot away from that and enters his UFC Vegas 13 fight with a new mindset.

Cole Shelton - November 4, 2020

Paulo Costa has finally revealed what happened before his UFC 253 fight against Israel Adesanya. Leading into the event, it was a highly-anticipated bout and one many were torn on who would win. Yet, Adesanya made it look easy as he TKO’d Costa in the second round and immediately the Brazilian called for a rematch as he claimed something happened before the fight.

Adam Martin - November 4, 2020

The full betting odds have been released for the 12 fights scheduled to take place at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 40: Santos vs. Teixeira event. The main event sees two of the top-five light heavyweights in the UFC go at it when Thiago Santos fights Glover Teixeira. Santos has not fought since July 2019, when he lost a close split decision to former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 239. He has missed the last 16 months due to injuries. As for Teixeira, despite being 41 years old, he’s looking better than ever, winning four straight including a vicious TKO victory over Anthony Smith back at UFC Jacksonville in May.

Adam Martin - November 4, 2020

An exciting matchup between two of the best welterweights in the UFC takes place in December when Stephen Thompson takes on Geoff Neal. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to report the Thompson vs. Neal fight. The bout will take place on the UFC Fight Night card on December 19, one that features a main event between Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards. The card takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tom Taylor - November 4, 2020

Israel Adesanya was the picture of dominance in his UFC 253 title fight with Paulo Costa, defending the middleweight title with second-round TKO. Unfortunately, many fans were talking about something else in the aftermath of the matchup: the champ’s swollen pectoral muscle. During the bout, some viewers noticed that Adesanya had some unusual swelling on the right side of his chest. As ever, fans were quick to speculate as to the cause of this abnormality, with some even accusing the champion of steroid use.

Adam Martin - November 4, 2020

Niko Price was among the multiple UFC fighters who have been suspended in Nevada for marijuana use while another has tested positive for PEDs. According to MMAjunkie.com’s John Morgan, Price saw his temporary suspension for having carboxy THC in his system extended after testing positive for a prohibited cannabinoid following his fight against Donald Cerrone. Price fought to a draw in the fight. The Nevada State Athletic Commission has now placed Price under a temporary suspension and the two sides are expected to settle the matter in December.

Tom Taylor - November 4, 2020

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor looks to be in fantastic shape ahead of his widely anticipated return to the Octagon. Back in June, McGregor announced his retirement from mixed martial arts, citing a disinterest in the state of the sport.

Tom Taylor - November 4, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Kevin Lee is going to look a little different next time he steps into the Octagon thanks to a brand new head tattoo. Lee began teasing his new ink a few weeks ago, and in a Tuesday post to Instagram, showed off what looks like the nearly-finished product. See it below.

Tom Taylor - November 4, 2020

The official UFC rankings have been updated after last Saturday’s UFC Vegas 12 card, and as always, there have been some interesting changes. The most notable change concerns Uriah Hall, who has cracked the middleweight division’s top-10 after scoring a fourth-round TKO win over retiring legend Anderson Silva in the card’s main event. By moving into the No. 10 spot, Hall pushes former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman into the No. 11 spot.

Tom Taylor - November 4, 2020

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz has won a city council seat in his hometown of Huntington Beach, California. Ortiz has been in the running for this position for several months, and ultimately achieved his political goal by winning 34,901 votes—14.26 percent of the votes cast overall (h/t MMA Junkie).

Tom Taylor - November 4, 2020

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has shared his picked for the greatest fighter in mixed martial arts history. Adesanya was asked to chime in on the GOAT debate during a recent appearance on Submission Radio. The champ quickly pointed to former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, who now competes under the ONE Championship banner.

Harry Kettle - November 4, 2020

UFC middleweight Robert Whittaker has issued his response after a recent callout by divisional rival Paulo Costa. Whittaker seems to be the next man in line for a shot at Israel Adesanya’s Middleweight Championship after his two decision wins over fellow contenders Darren Till and Jared Cannonier. Costa, on the other hand, was decisively beaten by Adesanya in a one-sided title fight back at UFC 253.

Adam Martin - November 3, 2020

UFC middleweight contender Kevin Holland says that his coach, former UFC fighter Travis Lutter, wants him to fight two more times in 2020. Holland has been one of the most active fighters on the UFC roster during the COVID-19 pandemic era. Dating back to May, Holland has fought four times and he’s won all four fights in impressive fashion. In May, Holland knocked out Anthony Hernandez in the first round at UFC Jacksonville. Holland then returned in August at UFC Vegas: Lewis vs. Overeem and defeated Joaquin Buckley via KO, winning a 50k bonus for his efforts.

Adam Martin - November 3, 2020

Recent UFC free-agent signing Michael Chandler is requesting a matchup against either Tony Ferguson or Justin Gaethje for his Octagon debut. Chandler was the backup for the UFC 254 main event between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Gaethje, but he wasn’t needed as both men made weight and made it to the fight unscathed. A former three-time lightweight champion in Bellator, Chandler ended up getting introduced on the UFC 254 pay-per-view broadcast to UFC fans for the first time. But he went to Fight Island with the hopes of stepping into the cage.

Cole Shelton - November 3, 2020

Rashad Evans has nothing but praise for Conor McGregor after seeing Khabib Nurmagomedov beat Justin Gaethje the way he did at UFC 254. In the lead up to the fight, many pundits had said Gaethje would be Nurmagomedov’s toughest test. However, that proved not to be true, and as Javier Mendez told BJPENN.com, the toughest test still seems to be McGregor.

Cole Shelton - November 3, 2020

Conor McGregor is venting his frustration with the UFC. In November of last year, McGregor announced he would be returning to the Octagon in January. His goal was to fight three times, the first in January, one in the summer, and then the rematch with Khabib Nurmagomedov in October. However, that did not happen for a variety of reasons.

Cole Shelton - November 3, 2020

Ian Heinisch and Brendan Allen have been talking about fighting one another for years now. Both Heinisch and Allen were fighting in LFA and Allen had been calling Heinisch out. But, “The Hurricane” went on to win the interim middleweight belt and get on the Contender Series and get a UFC contract. Allen, meanwhile, had to stay fighting in LFA for another year, but when he signed to the Las Vegas-based promotion, he started calling out Heinisch once more, and at UFC Vegas 13, they will finally fight.