UFC News
Sean O'Malley responds to critics who says he copies Conor McGregor
Adam D Martin - July 8, 2021
Bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley responded to the critics who say that he copies promotional superstar Conor McGregor ahead of UFC 264. O’Malley takes on UFC newcomer Kris Moutinho in the opening main card fight at Saturday’s pay-per-view, which features McGregor against Dustin Poirier in a trilogy fight that serves as the main event. Ever since O’Malley stepped into the UFC, there have been comparisons drawn to McGregor as both men are ultra-confident trash talkers who possess massive knockout power in their fists. But O’Malley is denying that he copies McGregor.
Greg Hardy unloads on "fatty" Derrick Lewis: "He’s an ex-con that doesn’t know when to shut up"
Adam D Martin - July 8, 2021
UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy unloaded on “fatty” Derrick Lewis, saying that “The Black Beast” is “an ex-con that doesn’t know when to shut up.” Hardy takes on Tai Tuivasa on the UFC 264 main card this Saturday night in Las Vegas. Ahead of this weekend’s big PPV event, Hardy spoke to the media about the state of the UFC heavyweight division, and he was asked about the upcoming interim heavyweight title bout at UFC 265 between Lewis and Ciryl Gane. According to Hardy, he is rooting for Gane to beat Lewis because he doesn’t like him. If you ask Hardy, it was Lewis who brought his name up and talked trash about him first, and ever since then, he hasn’t been a fan of him.
Gilbert Burns says it would be "easy money" to fight Nate Diaz
Adam D Martin - July 8, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns said it would be “easy money” if he were to step into the Octagon and fight against Nate Diaz. Burns takes on Stephen Thompson in the co-main event of Saturday’s UFC 264 pay-per-view card. Coming off of a TKO loss to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, Burns is eager to get back into the Octagon and get back into the win column, and inch closer back to getting a title shot. But while Burns is focused on getting back to the title, he can’t help but look at the other fighters at 170lbs and wonder how those fights would play out.
Conor McGregor reacts after Rafael dos Anjos tabbed as backup for UFC 264 main event
Adam D Martin - July 8, 2021
UFC superstar Conor McGregor reacted after Rafael dos Anjos was tabbed as the backup for his UFC 264 main event fight against Dustin Poirier. On Wednesday, reports emerged that dos Anjos was spotted in Las Vegas and was cutting weight in preparation for Friday’s weigh-in ahead of UFC 264. Apparently dos Anjos was brought in by the UFC as the backup fighter for the UFC 264 main event just in case anything happens to either McGregor or Poirier. In the event that someone gets injured, sick, or doesn’t pass COVID-19 protocols, the UFC will have dos Anjos step in and fight on Saturday night. The hope is that it doesn’t come to that, but RDA is insurance either way.
Donald Trump, Justin Bieber among several celebrities attending UFC 264, reveals Dana White
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2021
Donald Trump, the former U.S. president will be in attendance for UFC 264 on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. White had hinted that UFC 264 would have more celebrities in attendance than any other UFC event. On Wednesday, he then revealed to TSN some of the many celebrities that will be there include Trump, Justin Biber, Megan Fox, and Kourtney Kardashian among others.
CM Punk's UFC 225 loss to Mike Jackson overturned due to positive marijuana test
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2021
CM Punk is no longer 0-2 as an MMA fighter, instead, he’s 0-1 and one No Contest. Punk, a WWE star, crossed over into MMA and made his pro debut at UFC 203 against Mickey Gall where he suffered a first-round submission loss. He didn’t fight again until June 9, 2018, at UFC 225 where he fought Mike Jackson. Unfortunately for Punk, the fight did not go his way and he dropped a clear-cut decision to fall to 0-2 and White made it clear that would be the end of Punk in the UFC.
Dana White says Conor McGregor is taking UFC 264 fight against Dustin Poirier "a lot more serious"
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2021
Dana White knows Conor McGregor isn’t overlooking Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Back on Fight Island in January, Poirier scored a second-round TKO over McGregor to even their series 1-1. Artem Lobov, McGregor’s teammate, told BJPENN.com that the Irishman overlooked Poirier as he was focusing on a boxing match against Manny Pacquiao.
Sean O'Malley defends UFC 264 opponent Kris Moutinho: "This guys tough... he’s not just a scrub"
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2021
Sean O’Malley believes his UFC 264 opponent, Kris Moutinho is dangerous despite not many people knowing who he is. O’Malley was supposed to fight Louis Smolka but the Hawaiian was forced out of the bout due to a staph infection with just over a week to go. Several UFC fighters offered their services but Moutinho ended up getting the fight.
Nick Diaz targeted to make Octagon return in September in a rematch against Robbie Lawler
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2021
Nick Diaz is back. According to UFC president, Dana White who told TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, Diaz will return against Lawler in a co-main event in September.
Nevada will no longer discipline UFC fighters for using marijuana
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
The Nevada State Athletic Commission announced that starting Wednesday, it will no longer discipline UFC fighters for using marijuana. While USADA took marijuana off of its list of banned substances a while ago, and while states like Florida also previously made the decision to unban pot, Nevada has still been one of the states that have been holding out. Because Nevada has been holding out on changing its marijuana rules, the state still tests athletes for it, and we have seen UFC fighters such as Misha Cirkunov and Gillian Robertson recently test positive for marijuana.
Dustin Poirier "the calmest" he's been ahead of Conor McGregor fight, expects another stoppage win, says coach
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2021
DPhil Daru, Dustin Poirier’s strength and conditioning coach, says “The Diamond” is the calmest he’s ever been before a fight. In the main event of UFC 264, Poirier is set for his trilogy match against McGregor in a highly-anticipated fight. For Daru, he says ever since the first fight he has been game planning on how to train Poirier for the trilogy. However, he says they have been cautious to not overtrain The Diamond and they believe he’s in perfect condition for the fight on Saturday.
Max Griffin says Carlos Condit fight at UFC 264 is "a dream come true," expects to "take his soul"
Cole Shelton - July 7, 2021
Max Griffin had no hesitation to accept his UFC 264 fight against Carlos Condit. After Griffin scored a one-punch KO over Song Kenan he knew he would be getting a big fight. He had back-to-back vicious KO’s as prior to that he TKO’d Ramiz Brahimaj where he nearly tore his ear off with an elbow. When he got a call to face Condit, he said it was an immediate yes but there was some hesitation on the former interim champs side.
Dana White interested in booking Leon Edwards vs. Jorge Masvidal: "That's probably the fight to make"
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
UFC president Dana White says he is interested in booking Leon Edwards vs. Jorge Masvidal, suggesting “that’s probably the fight to make.” Edwards is unbeaten over his last 10 fights and wants to get the next title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, but White has already said that Colby Covington is next in line for the champ. That means that Edwards will have to wait on the sidelines, potentially for the rest of the year, while Usman and Covington prepare for their rematch. Considering Edwards has only fought once in the last two years, having the Brit sit out on the sidelines following his recent win over Nate Diaz at UFC 263 seems like a bad idea.
Emil Meek among seven fighters no longer on UFC roster
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
Welterweight fighter Emil Meek is among the seven fighters who are no longer on the UFC roster as the promotion makes changes to its roster. MMAjunkie.com confirmed that the following seven fighters are no longer on the UFC roster: Meek, Roque Martinez, Alexander Yakovlev, Lara Procopio, Christian Aguilera, Stefan Sekulic, and Joe Ellenberger.
Bruce Buffer shares his list of the greatest UFC fighters of all time
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
A member of the UFC organization for over 25 years, Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer shared his list of the greatest UFC fighters of all time. Buffer has been the man with the mic dating all the way back to 1996, so he’s seen many fighters come and go over the years, and some of them have been great. Speaking to Tom Taylor of Maxim, Buffer shared his list of the greatest UFC fighters of all time. Check it out.
Georges St-Pierre shares prediction for Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley boxing match
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre shared his prediction for the upcoming Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley boxing match later this summer. Paul meets Woodley on August 28 in a professional boxing match that figures to be one of the biggest combat sports events of the summer. Paul has won all three of his pro boxing matches so far and is coming off of a TKO win over former UFC fighter Ben Askren in his last outing. As for Woodley, he lost four straight fights in the UFC which led to his release, but he is the former UFC welterweight champion and a big name in the sport. It’s an intriguing matchup and you can count St-Pierre among those who will be watching it.
Dana White justifies creating interim title for UFC 265's Ciryl Gane vs. Derrick Lewis
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
UFC president Dana White justified creating an interim heavyweight title for UFC 265’s main event between Ciryl Gane and Derrick Lewis. The main event of August’s UFC 265 pay-per-view was expected to feature UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou vs. Lewis for the undisputed title. However, Ngannou was not ready to go on August 7 in Houston, Texas, and with Houston native Lewis still on the card, White and the UFC went ahead and booked Gane for an interim title fight, despite the fact Ngannou just beat former champion Stipe Miocic back in March.
Sean O'Malley reacts to matchmaking critics ahead of UFC 264: "People are mad. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to tell them”
Adam D Martin - July 7, 2021
Sean O’Malley reacted to the critics of his matchmaking, saying “people are mad. I don’t know what to do, I don’t know what to tell them.” O’Malley was set to fight Louis Smolka in the main card opener at this Saturday’s UFC 264 pay-per-view event, but that fight was scratched when Smolka was forced off the card due to a staph infection. In his place will be UFC newcomer Kris Moutinho, who is stepping up on short notice to fight O’Malley. When this fight was announced, many fans were scratching their heads wondering why the UFC wasn’t able to get someone more established to fight O’Malley. “Suga” hears the critics, and speaking to The Schmo, he explained why fans need to stop going after him because they question the matchmaking.