MMA News
Khamzat Chimaev chimes in on Stephen Thompson-Leon Edwards exchange: “Are you gonna fight or no?”
Cole Shelton - October 6, 2020
Khamzat Chimaev has now chimed in on Stephen Thompson and Leon Edwards’ recent Twitter feud. In the past couple of days, Thompson has been asking Edwards to fight, yet the Englishman has said he isn’t interested in it. So, Chimaev chimed in and told Thompson to fight him after it was offered to him.
Marlon Moraes expecting a "war" against Cory Sandhagen, believes a win earns him next title shot
Cole Shelton - October 6, 2020
Marlon Moraes has had a frustrating last couple of months. Back in December at UFC 245, Moraes edged out a very close decision over Jose Aldo. Yet, many fans and even Dana White thought Aldo won the fight and when Moraes’ fight against Petr Yan was canceled due to the pandemic, it was Aldo and Yan fighting for the vacant title. For the number one contender, it was something that was hard to deal with.
Tim Johnson "excited" to get Cheick Kongo rematch after "fluky" first fight, believes win earns him title shot
Cole Shelton - October 6, 2020
Tim Johnson will finally get the rematch with Cheick Kongo he has been calling for. In Johnson’s Bellator debut, he fought Kongo and lost by TKO in just 68 seconds. Yet, Johnson wasn’t happy with the stoppage and wanted the rematch ever since and at Bellator 248 he will get his wish. He will also fight on the first major MMA event in France since the sport was legalized.
UFC legend Mark Coleman opens up about being the victim of sexual assault at Ohio State University
Adam Martin - October 6, 2020
UFC legend Mark Coleman has opened up about being the victim of sexual assault by Dr. Richard Strauss while attending Ohio State University. Coleman is a UFC Hall of Famer and former UFC and PRIDE heavyweight champion. He is one of the greatest mixed martial artist of all time and a legend in every sense of the word. Nicknamed “The Godfather of Ground and Pound,” Coleman was a successful amateur wrestler before making the transition to MMA in 1996. He was an All-American wrestler at Miami of Ohio before transferring to OSU in 1986 for his senior season. That’s where he, along with more than 350 athletes, was sexually assaulted by the predator Strauss.
ONE Championship announces four title fights for October 30 event
Tom Taylor - October 6, 2020
ONE Championship will promote a massive event on October 30, featuring a whopping four mixed martial arts title fights. ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong unveiled the main attractions of the card, titled ONE: Inside the Matrix, on Facebook on Monday.
Ben Sosoli, former UFC heavyweight, gets 22 months in jail for bar fight
Tom Taylor - October 6, 2020
Former UFC heavyweight Ben Sosoli will spend up to 22 months in prison after knocking a patron out in a bar fight last year The incident in question occured in September, 2019, when Sosoli, who was working as a bouncer in Jacksons Lounge Bar in Toorak, Australia, knocked out a patron with such force that facial reconstruction surgery was required. The patron had reportedly been denied entry to the bar, but snuck in twice anyway, at which point Sosoli took action into his own, well-trained hands.
Stephen Thompson responds to snub from Leon Edwards
Tom Taylor - October 6, 2020
Stephen Thompson has now responded to a recent snub from fellow top-10 welterweight contender Leon Edwards. Late last month, Thompson, who is known as one of the nicest guys in MMA, made his “first ever” Twitter callout, suggesting a matchup with the streaking Edwards.
Bellator fighter Tywan Claxton turns down $250,000 job offer to fight full time
Adam Martin - October 6, 2020
Bellator featherweight Tywan Claxton says he turned down a $250,000 job offer in tech to continue to be a full-time MMA fighter. The 27-year-old Claxton made his professional MMA debut in 2017 for Bellator. He won the first five fights of his MMA career — four of them by knockout — to claim a spot in the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix. Unfortunately, Claxton was bounced from the tournament when he lost by submission to top contender Emmanuel Sanchez. Since then, Claxton has gone 1-1 with a split decision loss to Jay Jay Wilson in his last fight.
Khabib Nurmagomedov makes prediction for UFC 254 fight with Justin Gaethje
Tom Taylor - October 6, 2020
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has made his prediction for his UFC 254 title defense against interim champion Justin Gaethje. Gaethje is widely regarded as the toughest foe Nurmagomedov has faced to date, but the undisputed champion sees a clear path to victory in the fight. He intends to do the same thing he always does: chase takedowns until he’s got his foe where he wants him.
Manager: Darren Till cornering Mike Perry almost "a done deal"
Tom Taylor - October 6, 2020
Darren Till could corner Mike Perry in his upcoming fight with former UFC welterweight champion “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler. Over the last few months, Perry has stripped his team down significantly. In fact, in his last fight, a victory over Mickey Gall, only his partner Latory Gonzalez was in his corner.
Leon Edwards offers piece of advice to Khamzat Chimaev
Tom Taylor - October 6, 2020
Streaking UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards has some advice for Khamzat Chimaev, who has recently made many high-profile callouts. Chimaev is easily the most hyped prospect in MMA at present, having gone 3-0 since July, with wins over John Phillips, Rhys McKee and most recently, Gerald Meerschaert. On the heels of those wins, the welterweight and middleweight super-prospect has called for fights with the likes of Kamaru Usman, Israel Adesanya, Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal, Nick Diaz, Demian Maia and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. Edwards, however, believes the Sweden-based Russian is getting a bit ahead of himself.
Coach responds to PED accusations against Israel Adesanya
Tom Taylor - October 6, 2020
Coach Eugene Bareman has responded to the performance-enhancing drug use accusations against his star pupil, UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya. Adesanya last fought at UFC 253 in late September, when he picked up a lopsided TKO win over the formerly unbeaten Paulo Costa. Regrettably, his victory came with a side dish of controversy, as fans noticed he was competing with a swollen right breast, which some viewers speculated could be a side effect of PED use.
Gilbert Burns blasts Ariel Helwani for suggesting he fight to be a No. 1 contender again
Harry Kettle - October 6, 2020
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns has taken a shot at Ariel Helwani for suggesting he needs to fight to keep his number one contender spot. It was reported last night that the proposed Welterweight Championship bout at UFC 256 between Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns will no longer be taking place on that date. Following the news, ESPN reporter Ariel Helwani suggested that perhaps Burns would be open to fighting Leon Edwards with the winner being dubbed the new number one contender.
Coach of Anderson Silva hopes for rematch against Israel Adesanya: "Would be something spectacular"
Adam Martin - October 5, 2020
Rogerio Camoes, the strength and conditioning coach for UFC legend Anderson Silva, hopes that he will fight Israel Adesanya in a rematch. Silva and Adesanya fought in the main event of UFC 234, with Adesanya winning a unanimous decision in a three-round bout that won “Fight of the Night.” The win over Silva earned Adesanya an interim middleweight title fight against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 236, while Silva went onto fight Jared Cannonier at UFC 237, losing via TKO due to leg injury.
Amanda Ribas down for bareknuckle fight to prove point to her Father
Andrew Whitelaw - October 5, 2020
With UFC alumni competing in BKFC, BKB, Valor and World Lethwei Championship, bareknuckle fight sports are clearly on the rise. In a recent interview with SCMP MMA, Amanda Ribas said she might be open to taking the gloves off at some point in her career to prove a point to her Father, who is also a lifelong Martial Artist.
Dana White doubts Brock Lesnar will return to the UFC
Cole Shelton - October 5, 2020
Dana White doesn’t believe former UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar will return to the UFC. Recently, it was announced that Lesnar is a free agent from WWE. Immediately many wondered if he would return to the UFC. He was linked to a fight with Jon Jones or perhaps signing with Bellator to take on Fedor Emelianenko. Yet, for the UFC boss, he doesn’t see Lesnar returning for any fight.
Jon Jones tired of trash talking, tells Israel Adesanya to “sign the contract”
Adam Martin - October 5, 2020
UFC legend Jon Jones says he’s tired of the trash talk with Israel Adesanya, telling the UFC middleweight champion to “sign the contract.” Jones and Adesanya have been going back-and-forth for the better part of the past year, but things seemed to have reached a boiling point ever since Adesanya’s knockout win over Paulo Costa at UFC 253. The trash-talking between both men have gone up to another level since then with both men taking potshots at each other, including Jones poking fun at Adesanya’s father and then Adesanya taking a shot at Jones’ deceased mother.
Kamaru Usman vs Gilbert Burns off UFC 256, promotion looking at two possible replacements
Cole Shelton - October 5, 2020
Kamaru Usman will no longer be defending his welterweight title on December 12 at UFC 256. Usman was supposed to take on Gilbert Burns in a fight that was supposed to happen in July but the Brazilian tested positive for COVID-19. It was a fight many fans were looking forward to due to they were former teammates.