UFC News
Vicente Luque open to being backup for Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2 at UFC 268
Adam Martin - August 15, 2021
UFC welterweight title contender Vicente Luque says he is open to being the backup for Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington 2 at UFC 268. Luque is one of the hottest fighters at 170lbs right now as he’s won his last four fights in a row — all by stoppage — including a D’Arce choke submission win over Michael Chiesa at UFC 265 that moved him into the top-five of the UFC welterweight division. Luque has since then called for a title shot against the champion Usman, but the champ is set to take on Covington in a rematch later this year at UFC 268. Although Luque knows that he will have to wait and see what happens in the Usman vs. Covington fight before he gets his crack at the belt, the Brazilian says he is open to being the backup fighter just in case something happens to either fighter. Check out what Luque recently told TMZ Sports.
Michael Bisping sends a warning to Conor McGregor: "Daniel Cormier will pull you limb from limb"
Adam D Martin - August 15, 2021
UFC analyst Michael Bisping sent a warning to superstar fighter Conor McGregor, saying that “Daniel Cormier will pull you limb from limb.” McGregor has been taking shots at Cormier recently on social media, accusing the former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion of being drunk on a UFC set. It’s clear that McGregor does not like Cormier and has been doing everything he can to get under his skin. But if you ask Bisping, McGregor is making a huge mistake by going after Cormier.
Chad Mendes explains why MMA is more dangerous than bare-knuckle boxing
Adam D Martin - August 15, 2021
Former UFC featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes explained why MMA is more dangerous than bare-knuckle boxing, in his opinion. Mendes recently announced that he will come out of retirement and fight for BKFC. We haven’t seen “Money” fight since a 2018 knockout loss to Alexander Volkanovski, and the end of his UFC career did not go well for him as he lost three of his final four fights in the promotion — all by knockout. However, after taking nearly three years off to rest and recover, Mendes has the itch to compete again and he will next take his talents to BKFC.
New UFC 264 footage shows Conor McGregor telling Dana White of his pre-fight injury: “I had been dealing with it the whole camp”
Adam D Martin - August 15, 2021
New UFC 264 footage shows Conor McGregor telling Dana White of his pre-fight injury, admitting “I had been dealing with it the whole camp.” McGregor suffered a broken leg against Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 264, which led to the Irishman losing the fight via first-round TKO (doctor stoppage). It was his second straight loss against “The Diamond,” but unlike the second fight where Poirier left no doubt about the stoppage with a brutal second-round finish, this time around there are some question marks about the way the fight ended due to McGregor having been injured before entering the cage. “Notorious” has admitted that he had fractures heading into the fight but he chose to stay on the card and ended up paying for it with the injury TKO loss.
Javier Mendez explains how money and fame “one hundred percent” changed Khabib Nurmagomedov
Adam D Martin - August 15, 2021
AKA head trainer Javier Mendez explained how money and fame “one hundred percent” changed former UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov retired earlier this year from MMA with a perfect 29-0 record in the sport, including a 13-0 mark in the Octagon alone. The Russian started off at the bottom of the UFC when he first joined the promotion back in 2012 before quickly making a name for himself in the Octagon. By 2018, Nurmagomedov was fighting UFC superstar Conor McGregor in a superfight and making a lot of money doing so. In addition to the money that Nurmagomedov made inside the Octagon, he also made a lot of money outside of it from business ventures to speaking appearances. He’s been an incredible success story and it’s proof that if you are talented and work hard in this world that good things can happen.
Joe Rogan responds to fans suggesting Nate Diaz should have "gone after" Leon Edwards at UFC 263: "You don’t know what the f*ck you are talking about"
Christopher Taylor - August 14, 2021
Joe Rogan harped on fans suggesting that Nate Diaz dropped the ball by not going after Leon Edwards after he hurt ‘Rocky’ at UFC 263. Diaz (20-13 MMA) and Edwards (19-3 MMA) collided in a five-round welterweight bout at June’s UFC 263 event in Arizona.
Santiago Ponzinibbio wants to beat up Belal Muhammad so he learns to "keep his mouth shut"
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
UFC welterweight Santiago Ponzinibbio is looking to score a fight with Belal Muhammad for his next Octagon appearance. Ponzinibbio (28-4 MMA) was last seen in action at June’s UFC Vegas 28 event, where he earned a unanimous decision victory over Miguel Baeza. That win moved the Argentine back into the win column, as he had previously suffered a knockout loss to Li Jingliang back in January.
Jorge Masvidal calls out Gilbert Burns and Leon Edwards, 'Durinho' responds
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
Jorge Masvidal is interested in fighting Leon Edwards or Gilbert Burns next and the latter is definitely down for a future UFC showdown with ‘Gamebred’. Despite having suffered consecutive losses to reigning UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, Masvidal (35-15 MMA) has made it clear that he has not lost his lust for UFC gold.
UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov inks professional football deal with FC Legion Dynamo
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
Former UFC lightweight kingpin Khabib Nurmagomedov is taking his talents to the football pitch after signing a contract with FC Legion Dynamo. After scoring a submission victory over Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 254, Khabib officially retired from mixed martial arts, citing the death of his father as his reason for hanging up the gloves.
Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2 reportedly pushed back until 2022
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
The highly anticipated UFC middleweight title fight rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker has reportedly been pushed back until 2022. Dana White and company were originally looking to book Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 for the main event of UFC 268 on November 6 at Madision Square Garden in New York. However, the States new pandemic-related restrictions have forced the promotion to make a change of plans.
Sean O'Malley explains why he has opted against fighting ranked competition in the UFC
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
Sean O’Malley has gone 5-1 thus far in his budding UFC career but has yet to compete against any ranked fighters in the stacked bantamweight division. O’Malley (14-1 MMA) most recently competed at last months UFC 264 event, where he scored a third-round TKO victory over promotional newcomer Kris Moutinho.
Jake Paul releases his eight-man hit list following fight with Tyron Woodley
Chris Taylor - August 14, 2021
Jake Paul has a big task ahead of him in the form of former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, but that hasn’t stopped the YouTuber from looking towards the future. Paul (3-0) and Woodley (0-0) are set to square off in a boxing match on August 29 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
Vicente Luque explains why he will be the one who will dethrone Kamaru Usman
Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021
One of the top contenders at 170lbs, Vicente Luque explained why he will be the one who will dethrone UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Luque submitted Michael Chiesa with a D’Arce choke to move into the top-five rankings at 170lbs. “The Silent Assassin” has now won his last four fights in a row — all by stoppage — and he is closing in on a title shot against Usman. The odds are that Leon Edwards will get the title shot before Luque since he has a head-to-head win over him, but Luque believes that his ability to put on exciting fights and be a fresh new contender for Usman puts him ahead of Edwards. In fact, he also believes that he has more weapons to challenge the champion. Speaking to Combate, Luque explained why he is the man to beat Usman.
Jose Aldo focused on becoming UFC champion again, not interested in fighting YouTubers in boxing
Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo says he is focused on becoming a UFC champion again, not in fighting YouTubers in boxing. Aldo — one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time — has always openly embraced the idea of taking his skills to the boxing ring, but that hasn’t happened at this point. After a three-fight losing skid in 2019 to 2020 that left some feeling like Aldo was on the downside of his career, “Junior” has rebounded since then with back-to-back wins over Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz. After winning his last two fights over top contenders at 135lbs, Aldo believes that he still has what it takes to make a run for the UFC bantamweight title.
Paulo Costa explains why he got drunk the night before Israel Adesanya fight at UFC 253
Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021
Paulo Costa explains why he got drunk the night before his UFC middleweight title fight against champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 253. Costa was knocked out by Adesanya at UFC 253 in what was an uncompetitive fight from the Brazilian. Although Costa was unbeaten heading into the Adesanya fight and looking every bit the part of a legitimate title contender, he had a lackluster outing against “Stylebender” and was put to sleep for his efforts. After the fight, Costa admitted that he was drunk on wine the night before and that it played a role in his poor performance that night. Speaking to ESPN in a recent interview, Costa elaborated on what happened to him.
Stevie Ray ending retirement, in talks with Bellator and Brave CF
Cole Shelton - August 13, 2021
Former UFC lightweight, Stevie Ray will be ending his retirement. Ray retired from MMA in September of 2020 which he said at the time was due to knee injuries. However, he told BJPENN.com this week that there was much more to it, and it was due to the UFC forcing him out of the organization and making him retire.
Conor McGregor encourages Nate Diaz to continue his trolling of Dustin Poirier: “I am entertained”
Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021
UFC superstar Conor McGregor encouraged Nate Diaz to continue his trolling of rival Dustin Poirier, telling him that “I am entertained.” McGregor has, of course, fought both Diaz and Poirier multiple times each. The Irishman had a pair of memorable fights with Diaz in 2016, where he went 1-1 in the pair of bouts, while “Notorious” ended up losing 2-1 overall to Poirier during their own trilogy. In the last fight against Poirier at UFCC 264, McGregor broke his leg, and he’s expected to be out for the next year while he heals up his wounds. During his time off, McGregor has spent much of it on social media trolling several other fighters including Poirier, Diaz, and Daniel Cormier. But according to McGregor, he’s having more fun watching Diaz troll Poirier.
Jake Paul says Conor McGregor’s ego won’t allow him to accept that “it’s over”
Adam D Martin - August 13, 2021
YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul says that UFC superstar Conor McGregor’s ego won’t allow him to accept that “it’s over,” meaning his career. McGregor lost via first-round TKO when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier back at UFC 264 in July. That was his second straight defeat following a TKO loss to Poirier earlier this year at UFC 257. When looking at McGregor’s MMA record, he is just 1-3 over his last four fights, plus he has a loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in boxing during that stretch, as well. Other than a quick TKO win over Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 last year, McGregor has not looked like his old self, and the man who was a double UFC champ is now long gone.