UFC News
Leon Edwards shares gameplan to “finish” Khamzat Chimaev at UFC Vegas 21
Cole Shelton - February 10, 2021
Leon Edwards expects to dominate and finish Khamzat Chimaev at UFC Vegas 21 on March 13. In the main event of the card, Edwards and Chimaev will finally fight one another after both men were forced to pull out of the previously scheduled fights due to COVID-19. It is a very intriguing fight given Edwards has proven to be a legit title contender while Chimaev has yet to face a ranked opponent.
Glover Teixeira confirms he will weigh-in as the backup fighter for UFC 259
Cole Shelton - February 10, 2021
Glover Teixeira will be in attendance at UFC 259 as a backup fighter. In the main event of the pay-per-view card on March 6, Jan Blachowicz will defend his light heavyweight title against Israel Adesanya. Although it is a massive fight, many fans believed Teixeira should’ve gotten the title shot. Yet, that was not the case but the Brazilian will weigh-in as the official backup fighter for the main event.
Photo | Israel Adesanya looks lean and mean weeks out of 205lbs debut at UFC 259
Adam Martin - February 10, 2021
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya shared a new photo of himself looking lean and mean ahead of his 205lbs debut at UFC 259. Adesanya meets UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz in the main event of the March 6 pay-per-view card. Instead of bulking up for his first fight at 205lbs, Adesanya and his coaching staff instead decided to stay at his natural walking around weight for this upcoming fight with Blachowicz. The team conceded that Blachowicz is the stronger fighter, so the hope is that by not having to cut weight, Adesanya will gain an advantage in speed and stamina.
UFC 258: Usman vs. Burns full betting odds
Adam Martin - February 10, 2021
Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC 258 pay-per-view featuring Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns in the main event. The headliner sees former Sanford MMA teammates Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns square off for the UFC welterweight title. The champion Usman comes into this fight on a 15-fight win streak overall, including an incredible 12-0 record in the UFC. He is looking to break GSP’s record for the longest win streak at 170lbs this weekend, but he’s no doubt in for a tough test against Burns. The Brazilian has won six straight fights including four straight at 170lbs. He is super confident heading into this bout and should be a real challenge for Usman.
Charlie Ontiveros suspended six months following failed drug test
Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021
UFC fighter Charlie Ontiveros has been suspended for six months following a failed drug test with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Ontiveros made his UFC debut on short notice when he took on top-ranked middleweight contender Kevin Holland at the UFC Fight Night: Hall vs. Silva card on Halloween. The fight did not go well for Ontiveros, as he suffered a brutal neck injury when Holland slammed him on the ground and finished him early in the fight. To make matters worse for Ontiveros, he tested positive for a banned substance after the fight and he was given a six-month retroactive suspension.
Nate Diaz claims he hasn't been finished in the UFC
Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021
UFC superstar Nate Diaz claimed that he hasn’t been finished inside the Octagon during a recent interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani. Diaz has been vocal in recent weeks after his former rival Conor McGregor was finished by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. Diaz has been busy calling out Poirier for a big-money fight in the meantime, and part of it is that he truly doesn’t believe that McGregor should be fighting for the belt next. During the interview, Diaz questioned McGregor’s stoppage losses, claiming that he personally has never been finished.
Cory Sandhagen open to fighting TJ Dillashaw or Cody Garbrandt
Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021
UFC bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen says he is open to fighting TJ Dillashaw or Cody Garbrandt if he doesn’t get a 135lbs title shot. Sandhagen has been vocal about his desire to fight for the belt next after knocking out Frankie Edgar and Marlon Moraes in his last two fights. With UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan set to defend his belt against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259 next month, Sandhagen is hoping to get the winner of that fight. However, UFC president Dana White hasn’t guaranteed him anything yet, and there are rumors that Dillashaw could be the one who gets the shot instead.
Charles Oliveira not interested in Nate Diaz fight, says coach
Adam D Martin - February 10, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Charles Oliveira is not interested in fighting Nate Diaz, with his coach saying his goal is to fight for the belt. On the heels of an eight-fight win streak, Oliveira is one of the top-three ranked lightweights on the UFC roster right now. With UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov set to retire at any point, the Brazilian has made it clear that he believes he should be fighting for the vacant title. Of course, that didn’t stop Diaz from throwing his name into the hat to fight Oliveira. On Monday, Diaz said that he is intrigued by the possibility of a welterweight matchup with Oliveira.
Drew Dober believes most of Islam Makhachev's 'hype comes from Khabib Nurmagomedov'
Drake Riggs - February 9, 2021
Islam Makhachev is finally set to make his highly anticipated return. Welcoming him back to the Octagon will be the streaking Nebraskan, Drew Dober. At 18-1 and training the majority of his career alongside the undefeated lightweight king, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev has garnered a lot of attention in his own right. However, Dober believes that can mostly be attributed to his connection with “The Eagle.”
Nate Diaz uninterested in Jake Paul fight right now, but believes it will "for sure" happen
Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021
Nate Diaz appears open to a fight with Jake Paul down the line. After Paul knocked out Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard he called out several MMA fighters. Among those he called out were Ben Askren, Dillon Danis, Conor McGregor, and Nate Diaz.
Ian Heinisch expects to finish Kelvin Gastelum in "spectacular fashion" at UFC 258
Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021
Ian Heinisch wasn’t too surprised he was the one facing Kelvin Gastelum. After Heinisch was supposed to face Brendan Allen in November before getting COVID-19, he knew a big opportunity would be coming to him. He saw how the UFC was pushing new talent up the middleweight ranks in Marvin Vettori and Kevin Holland and knew he was next.
Elias Theodorou makes his return to the cage against fellow UFC veteran Matt Dwyer
Adam Martin - February 9, 2021
Former Ultimate Fighter winner Elias Theodorou makes his return to the cage against fellow UFC veteran Matt Dwyer at Rise FC 6. MMA journalist and Rise FC commentator James Lynch shared news of the bout, which is scheduled to take place at the Songhees Wellness Center on March 13 in Victoria, B.C. Both Theodorou and Dwyer are UFC veterans as well as fellow Canadians so this is the perfect fight for the MMA fans in British Columbia. It’s also a big opportunity for both men in their professional careers, as an impressive victory could land the winner of this matchup a deal with a bigger promotion.
Dustin Poirier responds to Nate Diaz's callout
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
Top UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier has already responded to a recent callout from his long-time rival, Nate Diaz. Diaz recently partook in an interview with Ariel Helwani of ESPN, which was published on Tuesday morning. During the interview, he expressed interest in fighting Charles Oliveira and Poirier, but clarified that he has no interest in doing so in the 155-pound lightweight division—only at 165 or 170 pounds.
Conor McGregor trolls Nate Diaz over ESPN interview: "Look out, we got a bad ass"
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
It didn’t take long for Conor McGregor to respond to Nate Diaz’s Tuesday morning interview with ESPN. Diaz and McGregor have fought twice previously. They first met at welterweight in March, 2016, with Diaz submitting McGregor in round two. The pair then met in an immediate rematch in August of the same year. In that fight, McGregor evened the score with a hard-fought majority decision victory.
Nate Diaz says he created blueprint for Floyd Mayweather's win over Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
Nate Diaz says he created the blueprint for defeating Conor McGregor, and that Floyd Mayweather followed that blueprint in his boxing match with the Irishman. Diaz defeated McGregor by second-round submission in a welterweight fight in 2016. It was McGregor’s first setback in the UFC.
Maycee Barber expects to dominate and finish Alexa Grasso and fight Joanne Calderwood next
Cole Shelton - February 9, 2021
Maycee Barber plans to remind the world just how good she is. In the co-main event of UFC 258, Barber is set to return after her first career loss and a torn ACL to battle Alexa Grasso. It’s a very intriguing matchup but many fans are surprised this is the fight because both Barber and Grasso are two up and comer prospects.
Nate Diaz targets fight with Charles Oliveira—with a catch
Tom Taylor - February 9, 2021
Nate Diaz wants to fight the UFC’s No. 3-ranked lightweight contender Charles Oliveira—but he wants to fight him at 170 pounds. Diaz has not fought since November, 2019, when he was stopped by Jorge Masvidal in a welterweight fight. That being said, UFC President Dana White recently divulged that he is working on a lightweight fight for the fan favorite.
Amanda Nunes responds to recent MMA GOAT praise from Jon Jones
Harry Kettle - February 9, 2021
Amanda Nunes has taken note of Jon Jones‘ praise in the latest round of “greatest of all time” discussions on social media. The GOAT debate has been raging for many years in mixed martial arts and with so many of the big names in the conversation still competing, you’d have to imagine that trend will continue for quite some time to come.