UFC News
What's next for Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez after UFC Vegas 42?
Cole Shelton - November 15, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 42, top-three featherweights collided as Max Holloway took on Yair Rodriguez in a highly-anticipated fight. Holloway entered the fight coming off a five-round dominant decision win over Calvin Kattar where he landed 445 significant strikes. Prior to that, he suffered back-to-back decision losses to Alexander Volkanovski to lose his featherweight title. Yair Rodriguez, meanwhile, hadn’t fought since 2019 due to a USADA suspension and injures but was coming off a decision win over Jeremy Stephens.
Gilbert Burns open to fighting anyone, but Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev top the list
Adam D Martin - November 15, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns is open to fighting anyone, but he says that Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev top the list. Burns is the No. 2 ranked welterweight in the UFC, so it’s natural that he is connected to fights with the other top fighters in the division. On Sunday, reports emerged that Burns could be matched up against Chimaev sometime in 2022, though that fight is far from a done deal. Speaking to MMAjunkie.com in a recent interview, Burns was asked what he wants next. As far as Burns goes, he is down to fight anyone that the UFC offers him, but if he had to choose someone, in particular, it would be either Covington or Chimaev next.
Charles Oliveira says he has "way more weapons" than Dustin Poirier ahead of UFC 269
Adam D Martin - November 15, 2021
UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira says that he has “way more weapons” than rival Dustin Poirier ahead of their UFC 269 title fight. Oliveira steps into the Octagon next month on December 11 when he meets Poirier in the headliner of UFC 269. For Oliveira, this marks his first title defense since winning the vacant belt over Michael Chandler back at UFC 262 in May, while for Poirier he is getting this title shot following back-to-back stoppage wins over Conor McGregor. It’s expected to be an awesome matchup for as long as it lasts, but Oliveira is confident he will prevail.
Renan Barao gets first fight booked since release from the UFC
Adam D Martin - November 15, 2021
Former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao has got his first fight booked since being given his release from the UFC a couple of years ago. Barao was cut by the UFC in 2019 after losing five straight fights. It was a remarkable fall from grace from the former UFC bantamweight kingpin, who at one point in his career was considered one of the top pound-for-pound MMA fighters in the sport. In fact, UFC commentator Joe Rogan even once famously called him a “monster” at the height of his career in the UFC. Of course, all of that came to a dashing halt when he got knocked out by TJ Dillashaw, as he was never the same after that. Although Barao won a few fights in the UFC after the loss to Dillashaw, he was clearly never the same fighter and never experienced the same success, and it ultimately led to him being released by the company.
Coach claims Francis Ngannou advised UFC officials not to sign former teammate Ciryl Gane
Harry Kettle - November 15, 2021
According to Fernand Lopez, Francis Ngannou once advised the UFC that Ciryl Gane wasn’t quite ready to sign for the promotion. At UFC 270, Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane will battle it out with the undisputed UFC heavyweight title being on the line. It’s the definition of a blockbuster showdown between two men who, in more ways than one, share a lot of history together.
Conor McGregor claims Khamzat Chimaev previously offered to help him "beat up the little scared pigeon" Khabib Nurmagomedov
Harry Kettle - November 15, 2021
Conor McGregor has claimed that Khamzat Chimaev offered to help him prepare for Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018. In the last few days we’ve seen some interesting developments regarding the future of Khamzat Chimaev. Between being offered top contenders and calling out the likes of Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, it’s safe to say “Borz” is one of the most talked-about fighters on the roster.
Khamzat Chimaev reportedly in discussions to fight Gilbert Burns
Adam Martin - November 14, 2021
Rising UFC welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev is reportedly in discussions to fight top-five ranked Gilbert Burns in his next outing. Frontkick.Online reported on Sunday that the latest their sources have told them is that the UFC is currently in discussions to book Chimaev vs. Burns, characterizing the talks as “not done, but likely to get booked.” According to the report, the UFC is planning on booking this fight in January, rather than the December date that Chimaev originally wanted. Once again, the contracts for this fight are not officially signed yet, but talks are progressing.
Khamzat Chimaev issues fiery callouts of Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz
Adam Martin - November 14, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev took to his social media to issue fiery callouts of both Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. Chimaev is one of the UFC’s biggest and brightest young stars heading into 2022. In his last fight at UFC 267, Chimaev smashed Li Jingliang in the first round in what was an absolutely incredible performance. It was a great win for Chimaev, and there are some fans and media who now believe that he could fight for the title with just one more win. He is already 4-0 in the UFC and has looked absolutely amazing, so there is reason to believe that this is a fighter who has all the makings of someone who could be a champ one day.
Khaos Williams reacts after knocking out Miguel Baeza at UFC Vegas 42
Adam Martin - November 14, 2021
UFC welterweight knockout artist Khaos Williams reacted after knocking out divisional rival Miguel Baeza on the UFC Vegas 42 main card. Williams improved to 4-1 overall in the UFC with the third-round knockout over Baeza. After finishing Alex Morono and Abdul Razak Alhassan in his first two UFC fights, Williams dropped a decision to Michel Pereira before bouncing back with a decision win over Matthew Semelsberger. Coming off of that big win, he came into this fight against Baeza with plenty of momentum and he got the job done with a brutal knockout in the third round. Following his win, which saw Williams earn a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award, “The Oxfighter” took to his social media to react to what is one of the best wins of his career.
Miguel Baeza reacts following brutal KO loss to Khaos Williams at UFC Vegas 42
Adam D Martin - November 14, 2021
UFC welterweight Miguel Baeza reacted following his brutal third-round KO loss to Khaos Williams during Saturday’s UFC Vegas 42 event. Baeza and Williams met in the center of the Octagon in a welterweight bout that took place on the UFC Vegas 42 main card. After two back-and-forth rounds to start the fight, the third round saw Williams land the final blow when he caught Baeza during an exchange, dropped him to the mat, and then finished him with ground and pound. It was an amazing win for Williams, who improved to 4-1 in the UFC with three knockouts, while for Baeza this was a tough loss. After starting his UFC career with a 3-0 record and finishes over Matt Brown, Takashi Sato, and Hector Aldana, Baeza has now dropped his last two fights to Williams and Santiago Ponzinibbio. That led to him take to his social media to release a statement following this latest defeat to Williams. Take a look at his statement below.
Photo | Yair Rodriguez’s right foot was an absolute mess following his fight with Max Holloway
Adam D Martin - November 14, 2021
UFC featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez showed off his right foot that was an absolute mess following his fight with Max Holloway. Rodriguez and Holloway went toe-to-toe in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 42 event. It was an absolute war of a fight between two of the best featherweights in the world, but at the end of the 25 minutes, it was Holloway who got his hand raised by unanimous decision. Still, it was an amazing fight by both men, and despite losing the fight on his record, Rodriguez’s stock will likely go up after putting on such a great performance.
Islam Makhachev responds after former UFC champ Eddie Alvarez says Justin Gaethje getting the next lightweight title shot “is only right”
Adam D Martin - November 14, 2021
Islam Makhachev responded after former UFC champ Eddie Alvarez said Justin Gaethje getting the next lightweight title shot “is only right.” Makhachev recently defeated Dan Hooker at UFC 267 to improve to 10-1 overall in the UFC with his current nine-fight win streak. Makhachev is clearly one of the best lightweight fighters in the world, and he is hoping to get the next title shot at 155lbs against the winner of UFC 269’s Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier main event. However, after Gaethje defeated Michael Chandler at UFC 268 in a “Fight of the Year” candidate last weekend, there seems to be more support for Gaethje getting the next title shot. One of those supporters is his former UFC rival Alvarez, who took to his social media to stump for him.
Belal Muhammad responds after Conor McGregor scoffs at his and Anthony Smith’s UFC analysis
Adam D Martin - November 14, 2021
UFC welterweight fighter Belal Muhammad responds after Conor McGregor scoffed at his and Anthony Smith’s UFC analysis on the post-fight desk. In a since-deleted Tweet, McGregor could be heard laughing overtop of Smith and Muhammad giving their analysis of the UFC fights on the ESPN post-fight desk. McGregor then posted the video of him laughing to his social media, which caught the eye of Muhammad, who immediately took a shot at McGregor for his broken leg. Check out the reply from Muhammad below to McGregor’s since-deleted tweet about him.
Daniel Cormier blasts Henry Cejudo for training with Jon Jones, ‘Bones’ responds
Adam D Martin - November 14, 2021
UFC analyst Daniel Cormier blasted Henry Cejudo for training with Jon Jones, and “Bones” has responded to the criticism of his former rival. Jones was recently kicked out of Team Jackson-Wink following an alleged domestic battery incident at a hotel in Las Vegas following his Hall of Fame induction ceremony back in September ahead of UFC 266. With Jones no longer part of the team, at least until he cleans his act up, he has admitted that he is now looking into other gyms to potentially join, and one of those options appears to be Fight Ready. This past week, photos emerged of Jones training at the camp alongside the former UFC champion Cejudo and alongside UFC middleweight Eryk Anders as he looked to be enjoying Fight Ready. However, while Jones might like the move, there are others who do not like it.
Chael Sonnen critical of Max Holloway's performance at UFC Vegas 42: "He got blessed by being a pain in the ass"
Christopher Taylor - November 13, 2021
Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen was not impressed with Max Holloway’s performance against Yair Rodriguez. Holloway (23-6 MMA), the UFC’s former featherweight champion, was returning to action on Saturday for the first time since laying a beating on Calvin Kattar back in January. ‘Blessed’ had gone just 2-3 over his past five fights.
Video | Sean Strickland involved in road rage incident: "No guns, no knives"
Christopher Taylor - November 13, 2021
UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland (24-3 MMA) was involved in a heated road rage incident this weekend. Strickland was expected to return at last weekend’s UFC 268 pay-per-view event against former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold. Unfortunately, ‘Rocky’ was forced to pullout of the contest due to injury and Sean was removed from the card.
Yair Rodriguez reacts following loss to Max Holloway at UFC Vegas 42: "I’ll move forward from this as soon as possible"
Christopher Taylor - November 13, 2021
Yair Rodriguez returned from a two-year hiatus to face former featherweight champion Max Holloway in today’s UFC Vegas 42 main event. Rodriguez (13-3 MMA) had most previously competed in October of 2019, where he earned a unanimous decision victory over veteran Jeremy Stephens.
Dana White shoots down talk of a 'Holloway vs McGregor' rematch: "To even talk about Conor is silly"
Christopher Taylor - November 13, 2021
Dana White isn’t exactly sure what will come next for UFC Vegas 42 winner Max Holloway, but it won’t be a rematch with Conor McGregor. Holloway returned to action in the headliner of today’s event in Las Vegas for a bout with perennial division contender Yair Rodriguez (13-3 MMA). The contest marked Max’s first since January, where he had earned a lopsided unanimous decision victory over Calvin Kattar.