UFC News
Henry Cejudo out of UFC 292 return against Marlon Vera due to injury
Josh Evanoff - June 29, 2023
UFC bantamweight contender Henry Cejudo will have to wait to face Marlon Vera. ‘Triple C’ has been out of the cage since his clash with Aljamain Sterling last month in the main event of UFC 288. That bout ended a three-year hiatus for the former double champion. However, Henry Cejudo came up short, losing to ‘The Funk Master’ by split decision.
Kevin Lee elaborates on UFC Apex criticism: "We're killing the sport for money"
Josh Evanoff - June 29, 2023
UFC welterweight contender Kevin Lee believes the promotion needs to badly leave the Apex. ‘The Motown Phenom’ has been out of action since Eagle FC 46 last March. There, the former lightweight title challenger scored a unanimous decision win over Diego Sanchez, snapping a two-fight losing streak. While Kevin Lee exited the UFC in late 2021, that win over ‘The Nightmare’ was enough to bring him back.
Coach expects Alexander Volkanovski to "ragdoll" Yair Rodriguez at UFC 290
Cole Shelton - June 29, 2023
Joe Lopez, the head coach of Alexander Volkanovski, is confident his pupil will successfully defend his title at UFC 290. In the main event of UFC 290, Volkanovski is returning to the featherweight division to take on Yair Rodriquez. ‘The Great’ had most recently competed at 155lbs, where he lost a close decision to Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt. Entering UFC 290, Volkanovski is the sizeable betting favorite, and although he has said Rodriguez is the most dangerous opponent he has fought, the Aussie’s coach thinks Volkanovski will utlimately ragdoll Rodriguez.
Dillon Danis claps back at UFC star Sean O’Malley: “Wishing death upon me shows how much of a pussy you are”
Cole Shelton - June 29, 2023
Dillon Danis has unloaded on Sean O’Malley. O’Malley recently was asked on his podcast who is the one person he wouldn’t want to be, and he said Dillon Danis. He also didn’t stop there as he claimed if he was Danis he would put a bullet in his head so he wouldn’t have to be him.
Kelvin Gastelum believes close friend Yair Rodriguez will “make it look easy” in UFC 290 title fight with Alex Volkanovski
Susan Cox - June 29, 2023
Kelvin Gastelum believes his close friend Yair Rodriguez will ‘make it look easy’ in his UFC 290 title fight with Alex Volkanovski. UFC 290 takes place on Saturday, July 8th at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. Headlining the event is the featherweight title fight between Yair Rodriguez (16-3 MMA) and Alexander Volkanovski (25-2 MMA).
Sean O’Malley says if he could pick one person in the world not to be, it would be Dillon Danis: “Just put a bullet in my head”
Susan Cox - June 29, 2023
Sean O’Malley says if he could pick one person in the world not to be, it would be Dillon Danis. ‘El Jefe’ has an MMA record of 2-0, competing with Bellator. The New Jersey fighter also has a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.
UFC fighter Grant Dawson takes aim at PFL for suspending his teammates Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio: “That’s a boycott PFL situation”
Susan Cox - June 29, 2023
UFC fighter Grant Dawson is taking aim at PFL for suspending his teammates Natan Schulte and Raush Manfio. PFL (Professional Fighters League) officials announced the reasoning behind the suspensions were that the two fighters did not adhere to their contracted obligation of using their ‘best efforts … skills and abilities as a professional athlete to compete … and defeat any opponent’, adding that ‘it was very clear that Natan and Raush did not meet that contractual standard in yesterday’s bout.’
Cameron Saaiman defends Dricus du Plessis’ comments about becoming Africa’s first “true” UFC champion: “The controversy doesn't change facts”
Harry Kettle - June 29, 2023
Cameron Saaiman has defended Dricus du Plessis’ comments about him possibly becoming the UFC’s first “true” African champion. Next month, Dricus du Plessis faces the fight of his life. He’ll go head to head with Robert Whittaker, knowing that a win will earn him a shot at Israel Adesanya and the UFC middleweight championship. He’s unbeaten in the UFC up to this point but in the eyes of many, this is seen as a step too far. Of course, du Plessis doesn’t think so, and neither does Cameron Saaiman.
Damir Ismagulov eyes future clash with former UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje: “I'll play with him like a little kitten”
Harry Kettle - June 29, 2023
Damir Ismagulov is interested in the idea of fighting fellow lightweight Justin Gaethje at some point in the future. Right now, the UFC’s lightweight division is still one of the most stacked in all of mixed martial arts. Islam Makhachev is the champion, but there are still many contenders out there – as well as a few big featherweights threatening to move up.
Grant Dawson reveals he and Damir Ismagulov have sparred and rolled with one another in the past: "Both of us know what the other person is trying to do"
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2023
Grant Dawson is quite familiar with his UFC Vegas 76 opponent Damir Ismagulov. Dawson is coming off a submission win over Mark O. Madsen back in November and since then, he has been trying to get a fight. However, Dawson says multiple top-15 opponents have turned him down which has been frustrating as he wants to be more active.
Dana White announces Shavkat Rakhmonov vs. Kelvin Gastelum for co-main event of UFC Mexican Independence Day card
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2023
Shavkat Rakhmonov will be returning to the Octagon in September. Dana White took to social media to announce the UFC is holding a Mexican Independence Day card on September 16th at the T-Mobile Arena and Rakhmonov will take on Kelvin Gastelum in the co-main event. The main event of the card sees Alexa Grasso defending her flyweight title against Valentina Shevchenko in a rematch.
Kevin Lee explains the difference between the old and new version of himself ahead of UFC Vegas 76: "I’ve got unproved and unfinished business"
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2023
Kevin Lee believes he is a much different fighter ahead of his UFC return. Lee is set to return to the Octagon at UFC Vegas 76 where he will meet Rinat Fakhretdinov at welterweight. The Michigan native was of course previously let go by the promotions after he lost back-to-back fights to Charles Oliveira and Daniel Rodriguez. After being cut, Kevin Lee signed with Eagle FC and scored a decision win over Diego Sanchez.
Sean Strickland reveals how Abus Magomedov fight was booked: "No idea who the f*ck he was"
Josh Evanoff - June 28, 2023
UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland still isn’t entirely sure who Abus Magomedov is. ‘Tarzan’ has been out of the cage since a short-notice clash with Nassourdine Imavov in January. That bout took place just a few weeks after Sean Strickland suffered a split-decision loss to Jared Cannonier. However, the middleweight contender was undeterred, scoring a decision win over ‘The Sniper’ earlier this year.
Alexander Volkanovski calls for future fight with Ilia Topuria: "Bring it on"
Josh Evanoff - June 28, 2023
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski welcomes a future fight with Ilia Topuria. ‘The Great’ is slated to return next month at UFC 290 against Yair Rodriguez. The featherweight title defense will be his first in almost a year, having last competed at lightweight in February. That month at UFC 284, Alexander Volkanovski came up short against Islam Makhachev in a bid for double-champion status.
Kevin Lee says having his return fight at the UFC Apex is "kind of stupid"
Cole Shelton - June 28, 2023
Kevin Lee is not happy to be having his return fight at the UFC Apex. Lee was released from the promotion following his decision loss to Daniel Rodriguez, which marked his second defeat in a row. Although he thought part of his release was due to having the same manager at Francis Ngannou, he ended up signing with Eagle FC and got Ali Abdelaziz to manage him.
Daniel Cormier doesn’t believe UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones should win the 2023 ESPY award for best MMA fighter
Susan Cox - June 28, 2023
Daniel Cormier doesn’t believe UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones should win the 2023 ESPY award for best MMA fighter. Jon Jones (27-1 MMA) has been nominated for the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly award along with other notables including lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, welterweight champion Leon Edwards, and recently retired dual champion Amanda Nunes.
Abus Magomedov shares some advice for UFC Vegas 76 opponent Sean Strickland: “He has to be quiet”
Susan Cox - June 28, 2023
Abus Magomedov is sharing some advice for his UFC Vegas 76 opponent Sean Strickland. UFC Vegas 76 takes place this coming Saturday, July 1st, at the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Matt Brown sounds off on proposed Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg UFC fight: “I’m asking the MMA community to be more intelligent than this”
Harry Kettle - June 28, 2023
UFC fighter Matt Brown has voiced his outrage at the proposed UFC fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. If you’re a UFC fan, it’s hard not to root for Matt Brown. He’s a veteran in mixed martial arts and over the years, he’s provided us with some truly incredible moments. Most of them, as you can imagine, have been vicious knockouts.