UFC News
Uriah Hall hoping for future UFC title fight against Israel Adesanya: "I think my style is perfectly matched up for him"
Adam D Martin - July 30, 2021
Uriah Hall is hoping for a future UFC title fight against Israel Adesanya, saying that “I think my style is perfectly matched up for him.” Hall takes on Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC Vegas 33 this Saturday night in a battle of top-15 ranked middleweights. Both Hall and Strickland are riding four-fight win streaks into this fight, so the winner will assuredly be in line for a top-ranked opponent should they win in an impressive fashion. For both Hall and Strickland, the goal is to keep getting their hands raised and eventually get to a title shot against the middleweight champion Adesanya. For Hall, beating Strickland would give him five straight wins at 185lbs, and after beating Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman previously, he is hoping that a big win over Strickland will springboard him to near the top of the middleweight division.
Juancamilo Ronderos suspended one month by USADA for cocaine
Adam D Martin - July 30, 2021
UFC flyweight fighter Juancamilo Ronderos has been suspended for one month by USADA after testing positive for cocaine following his debut. Ronderos stepped up on extremely short notice to fight David Dvorak at UFC Vegas 27: Font vs. Garbrandt. Not surprisingly, he lost by submission in the first round to one of the better flyweights in the UFC, but what was surprising is that after the fight, Ronderos failed his post-fight drug test for cocaine. USADA suspended him for a month and has released a statement about what happened to Ronderos and why he was suspended for the violation.
Jose Aldo vs. Pedro Munhoz promoted to co-main event of UFC 265
Adam D Martin - July 30, 2021
An exciting bantamweight bout between Jose Aldo and Pedro Munhoz has been promoted to the new co-main event spot at UFC 265. Aldo and Munhoz were previously scheduled to meet in a main card battle, but now that UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes and Julianna Pena had to be pulled from the card, this intriguing matchup between elite bantamweights has been promoted to the co-main event of UFC 265. TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter was the first to reveal the news.
Amanda Nunes issues statement after withdrawing from Julianna Pena title fight at UFC 265
Adam D Martin - July 30, 2021
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes issued a statement after withdrawing from the Julianna Pena title fight at UFC 265. Nunes tested positive for COVID-19 and her 135lbs title fight against Pena — which was scheduled to take place next Saturday night at UFC 265 in Houston, Texas — had to be canceled. The UFC’s plan is to keep this title fight intact and book it for later this year once Nunes is healthy again. It’s unfortunate that Nunes and Pena had to have been taken off the card, but sadly, this is unlikely to be the only COVID-19 withdrawal coming up given how many people around the world are still dealing with the coronavirus and its variants.
Jorge Masvidal's manager shuts the door on a potential Conor McGregor fight: "Masvidal is too big for him"
Christopher Taylor - July 29, 2021
While the idea of a fight between UFC stars Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal may sound appealing, the odds of it coming to fruition are slim. Masvidal (35-15 MMA) and McGregor (22-6 MMA) have shared similar results as of late. Both men are coming off of back-to-back losses, as ‘Gamebred’ has suffered consecutive defeats to Kamaru Usman, while ‘Mystic Mac’ is coming off two stoppage losses to Dustin Poirier.
Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena scratched from UFC 265
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has been forced to withdraw from the Julianna Pena matchup at UFC 265 next weekend. ESPN’s Mike Coppinger broke the news on Thursday that Nunes has tested positive for COVID-19 and her upcoming title defense against Nunes has been canceled. It was scheduled to be the co-main event for UFC 265. According to UFC exec Hunter Campbell, the promotion is hoping to re-book the fight for later this year once Nunes is good to go.
Sean Strickland fires back at critics after Orlando Sanchez incident: "People are f*cking dumb, dude"
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
UFC middleweight Sean Strickland fired back at his critics after the Orlando Sanchez incident, saying that “people are f*cking dumb, dude.” Strickland and Sanchez got involved in a viral incident last month after a video was released of Strickland hitting Sanchez after the BJJ ace tried to crank his arm. Speaking to MMA reporter James Lynch, Strickland fired back at his critics following the viral incident.
Pro fighters make their picks for Uriah Hall vs. Sean Strickland
Cole Shelton - July 29, 2021
In the main event of UFC Vegas 33, top-15 middleweights collide as Uriah Hall takes on Sean Strickland. Ahead of the fight, Hall is a +180 underdog while the 11th ranked middleweight is a -220 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Hall will go the job done by knockout.
Colby Covington shares prediction for Tyron Woodley vs. Jake Paul boxing match
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington shared his prediction for the upcoming Tyron Woodley vs. Jake Paul boxing match. Woodley and Paul meet on August 29 in a professional boxing match that is expected to be one of the most highly-anticipated fights of the year. Ahead of the fight, one of Woodley’s past opponents in the Octagon, Covington, spoke to MMA reporter James Lynch and offered his prediction on the fight.
Chris Daukaus tells the UFC to "pull him from the rankings" after Shamil Abdurakhimov withdraws from fight
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
UFC heavyweight Chris Daukaus told the UFC to “pull him from the rankings” after Shamil Abdurakhimov withdrew from their upcoming fight. The heavyweight matchup pitting Daukaus vs. Abdurakhimov was expected to be the co-main event of this weekend’s UFC Vegas 33 card, but the fight was canceled when Abdurakhimov was forced out due to COVID-19 protocols with his camp. For Abdurakhimov, this was yet another canceled fight for the Russian, who hasn’t fought since a TKO loss to Curtis Blaydes at UFC 242: Nurmagomedov vs. Poirier in September 2019. Since then, Abdurakhimov’s last five fights have all be canceled. But despite having not fought in nearly two years, for some reason, Abdurakhimov is still ranked in the top-10.
Gilbert Burns admits he's a fan of Nate Diaz despite trash talk: "I like him. He's freaking funny"
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
Despite their back-and-forth trash talk, Gilbert Burns admitted that he’s a fan of Nate Diaz, saying “I like him. He’s freaking funny.” Burns was critical of Leon Edwards’ performance against Diaz at UFC 263 in June, which led to Diaz taking a direct shot at Burns, referencing his prior KO loss to Dan Hooker in it.
Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson rescheduled following last-minute scratch at UFC Vegas 32
Adam D Martin - July 29, 2021
A women’s bantamweight bout pitting Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson has been rescheduled following its last-minute scratch at UFC Vegas 32. Ladd vs. Chiasson was scheduled to be the co-main event at last weekend’s TJ Dillashaw vs. Cory Sandhagen card, but the fight was scratched at the last minute after Chiasson suffered an injury prior to her final weight cut. With no time to find a replacement opponent, the UFC was forced to pull Ladd from the card as well, which was a major disappointment for a fighter who hasn’t fought in the Octagon since December 2019.
Daniel Cormier condemns Conor McGregor for crossing the line with deleted tweet: "I immediately called Khabib"
Christopher Taylor - July 28, 2021
Daniel Cormier was quick to pick up the phone and check in on his longtime friend Khabib Nurmagomedov following a recent post by Conor McGregor. Earlier this week McGregor took to Twitter with a number of tweets that have since been deleted. During the online rampage, the Irishman not only took aim at Dustin Poirier and his wife Jolie, but also sent out a cryptic message that appeared to be aimed at his longtime nemesis Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Holly Holm to make featherweight return vs. Norma Dumont in October
Drake Riggs - July 28, 2021
Holly Holm has her next fight booked — but it won’t be at her usual weight of 135-pounds. MMA Fighting reported Wednesday that “The Preacher’s Daughter” has her next bout lined up and it will act as a return to the 145-pound featherweight division. Standing in Holm’s way on Oct. 16 will be Brazil’s Norma Dumont. The location for the event along with the headlining bout remains to be determined.
Jorge Masvidal weighs in on a possible Poirier vs. Covington fight: “Colby will call the cops cause history always repeats itself”
Cole Shelton - July 28, 2021
Jorge Masvidal has weighed in on a potential fight between Dustin Poirier and Colby Covington. For over a year now, Poirier and Covington have taken shots at one another and ‘The Diamond’ event said it was “on sight” when they saw each other next. However, nothing has happened as of yet and if Covington defeats Kamaru Usman at UFC 268 he says he wants his next fight to be against Poirier.
Zhang Weili praises Rose Namajunas after internal battles, 'She's the champ, just like a god'
Drake Riggs - July 28, 2021
Zhang Weili is making it clear that she has accepted her first loss since her debut — but not without first overcoming the pain that came with it. The UFC’s first Chinese champion is currently in the middle of having a mini-documentary release where she’s gone into great detail about some moments in her career — including her most recent fight.
Cory Sandhagen predicts how a rematch with TJ Dillashaw would go: "He'll probably get finished"
Adam D Martin - July 28, 2021
UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen predicted how a rematch with TJ Dillashaw would go, saying that “he’ll probably get finished.” Sandhagen lost a disputed split decision to his former teammate Dillashaw in the main event of last weekend’s UFC Vegas 32 card. The fight was very competitive and each round was decided on razor-thing margins, but the judges ultimately decided to go with Dillashaw for his control over Sandhagen’s striking advantage. While Sandhagen admitted it was a close fight, he has no doubt that if he gets the chance to fight Dillashaw again, it won’t be.
Colby Covington opens as big underdog to Kamaru Usman for rematch at UFC 268
Adam D Martin - July 28, 2021
No. 1 contender Colby Covington opened as a big underdog to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman for their upcoming rematch at UFC 268. Covington and Usman previously met at UFC 245 in December 2019, with Usman winning the fight by fifth-round TKO to defend the UFC welterweight title. Nearly two years later, and these two heated rivals will meet for the second time later this year when they clash in the main event of UFC 268, which is set to take place on November 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It’s one of the most highly-anticipated fights of 2021.