UFC News
Frank Mir weighs-in 70-pounds heavier than Steve Cunningham ahead of pro boxing debut
Cole Shelton - April 16, 2021
Frank Mir will have a size advantage on Saturday night in his pro boxing debut. Originally, the former UFC heavyweight champion was set to fight Antonio Tarver, where he would’ve been at least 50-pounds heavier. However, the Georgia commission wouldn’t clear him and he was replaced by former IBF cruiserweight champion, Steve Cunningham.
Nate Diaz responds after Conor McGregor suggests the UFC make two belts for his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier
Christopher Taylor - April 16, 2021
Nate Diaz has responded after his longtime rival Conor McGregor told the UFC to make two new belts for his upcoming trilogy with Dustin Poirier. McGregor and Poirier are set to collide for a third time on July 10 at UFC 264, this after splitting their first two encounters.
Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3 sells out in "seconds"
Cole Shelton - April 16, 2021
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will have their trilogy fight in front of a sold out crowd. McGregor and Poirier are set to meet in the main event of UFC 264 on July 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. On Friday, tickets went on sale, and to no surprise, given it is the first UFC event with fans in Vegas since the pandemic, they went quickly.
Francis Ngannou to return favor, will corner Kamaru Usman at UFC 261
Cole Shelton - April 16, 2021
Francis Ngannou will be in Kamaru Usman’s corner at UFC 261 on April 24. When Ngannou had his rematch against Stipe Miocic at UFC 260, he added Usman to his corner for some wrestling advice. It ended up working as Ngannou stuffed the takedown attempts and had some nice scrambles and went on to KO Miocic in the second.
Frank Mir uncertain when he will retire, still plans to compete for BKFC
Cole Shelton - April 16, 2021
Frank Mir knows he doesn’t have much longer in his career. The former UFC heavyweight champion is 41-years-old and is set to turn 42, isn’t putting a timeline on his retirement. Mir admits three years ago when he was in Bellator, he wanted to retire, but after taking care of his body, he says he’s in really good shape and isn’t sure when he will retire now.
Jorge Masvidal explains why he can't get behind Ben Askren in boxing: "He really disrespected striking" during his MMA career
Adam D Martin - April 16, 2021
Jorge Masvidal explained why he can’t get behind Ben Askren in boxing, suggesting “he really disrespected striking” during his MMA career. On Saturday, Askren makes his pro boxing debut when he faces off against YouTuber Jake Paul. For Askren, it’s his first boxing match after spending the last decade-plus in mixed martial arts, and so he will be somewhat representing the sport of MMA when he steps into the ring this weekend. However, not everyone is convinced he’s truly representing MMA.
Ben Askren says it's "highly unlikely" he will take another MMA fight, but would consider it if "the right opportunity presented itself"
Cole Shelton - April 16, 2021
Ben Askren is ending his retirement to box Jake Paul on Saturday night, and given he’s getting back into combat sports, many wondered if he would return to MMA. When Askren retired in November of 2019, he cited a hip injury, however, he said he was just retiring from being a professional fighter, and would take one-off fights. That is exactly how the Paul fight came to be. It’s a unique opportunity where Askren gets the chance to beat up a YouTuber for a ton of money.
Jorge Masvidal introduces his own platform: “I will also be traveling the world looking for the next Kimbo”
Harry Kettle - April 16, 2021
Jorge Masvidal has introduced his own video platform after seemingly being hit with copyright strikes or perhaps even bans on multiple social media sites. “Gamebred” has never been shy when it comes to voicing his opinion, and he also doesn’t hold back when given the opportunity to call someone out – and in this case, it seems to be the likes of YouTube and Instagram that he’s got a problem with.
Tony Ferguson labeled betting underdog for UFC 262 fight with Beneil Dariush
Adam D Martin - April 16, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson is currently a rare betting underdog for his fight against Beneil Dariush at UFC 262. Ferguson and Dariush meet on the UFC 262 main card on May 15 in Houston, Texas. It’s an awesome fight between the No. 5 ranked Ferguson and the No. 9 ranked Dariush, and the winner seems destined to take a big step towards fighting for the belt in a stacked division. Both Ferguson and Dariush are two of the most exciting fighters in the UFC lightweight division and it feels like fans everywhere can’t wait for these two to throw down on May 15.
Aljamain Sterling shares X-ray photo of neck injury ahead of pending surgery
Harry Kettle - April 16, 2021
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has shared an X-ray photo of his neck injury as he awaits his impending surgery. Sterling has made it known that this surgery was coming after making a note of how badly damaged his neck has been for the last few years. In the same breath, he’s also tried to reassure fans that the reports of him being out of action for up to nine months are false.
Anthony Smith slams Jake Paul for recent CTE claims: "He’s exactly as stupid and careless as we all thought"
Christopher Taylor - April 15, 2021
Anthony Smith absolutely went off on Jake Paul after the YouTuber turned boxer claimed that he is already showing “early signs of CTE”. Paul (2-0), who is set to square off with former MMA champion Ben Askren on Saturday night, told media members on Thursday that he was already suffering the effects of being a professional boxer.
Jake Paul says a Conor McGregor fight is closer to happening "than anyone thinks"
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Jake Paul believes he will fight Conor McGregor within the next two years. After Paul had a highlight-reel KO over Nate Robinson he called out several MMA fighters including McGregor. He began taking shots at the Irishman and on Saturday night, he will face Ben Askren, and many believe if he wins, he will call out McGregor again.
Tony Ferguson tells Khabib Nurmagomedov to "quit running" and "sign on the dotted line"
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Tony Ferguson is still chasing the Khabib Nurmagomedov fight. Ferguson and Nurmagomedov have been scheduled to fight each other five times but due to fluke injuries, botched weight cuts, and a pandemic, the fight never took place. It is one of the fights many fans wanted to see and although Nurmagomedov is retired, Ferguson still hopes it happens.
Tony Ferguson analyzes the mistakes he made against Charles Oliveira
Adam Martin - April 15, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Tony Ferguson analyzed the mistakes he made on the ground against Charles Oliveira last December at UFC 256. In that fight, Ferguson was the betting favorite but was completed dominated by Oliveira, who took “El Cucuy” down at will and controlled him on the mat for three full rounds en route to a lopsided victory. With Ferguson now preparing to fight another ground ace in Beneil Dariush at UFC 262, he’s been hard at work drilling his grappling so what happened against Oliveira won’t happen again. Taking to his social media, Ferguson explained what technical mistakes me made on the ground that didn’t allow for him to score a finish.
Jake Paul claims he has "early signs of CTE" ahead of Ben Askren fight
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Jake Paul is already showing the effects of being a professional boxer. Paul, the former Disney Channel host and YouTube star, has made the transition to boxing. He had his first pro fight in January of 2020 and he scored a first-round TKO win over AnEsonGib who is also a YouTuber. He then returned in November and scored a highlight-reel KO win over Nate Robinson.
Amanda Nunes to defend bantamweight title at UFC 265 against Julianna Pena
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Amanda Nunes will attempt to defend her bantamweight title for the first time since 2019 this summer. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Nunes will defend her 135-pound strap against Julianna Pena at UFC 265. The date or the location of the event is no certain, but August 7 is the most likely date.
Chase Sherman eager to fight "legend" Andrei Arlovski, but expects to "finish him early"
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Chase Sherman has had a whirlwind of a year. Last May, Sherman was signed back into the UFC and got a TKO win over Ike Villanueva. After that, however, he was suspended by USADA for failing to disclose. He took a supplement months before he was with the UFC, and didn’t write it down on the sheet.
Robert Whittaker hoping to "dominate" Kelvin Gastelum, but expects "an absolute war"
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2021
Robert Whittaker is expecting a tough fight with Kelvin Gastelum on Saturday night. Whittaker and Gastelum are set to headline UFC Vegas 24 in a very intriguing middleweight bout. Originally, Whittaker was set to face Paulo Costa but a month out, the Brazilian pulled out of the fight and Gastelum stepped in on short notice.