UFC News
Petr Yan vs. Aljamain Sterling rebooked for UFC 259
Cole Shelton - January 7, 2021
Petr Yan will still look to defend his bantamweight title for the first time against Aljamain Sterling. According to MMAJunkie, Yan and Sterling will meet on March 6 at UFC 259 at a location TBD. The bout is also the third title fight on the card.
UFC contributes one million dollars towards brain research
Adam Martin - January 7, 2021
The UFC announced on Thursday that it has contributed a one million dollar donation towards brain research with the Cleveland Clinic. The one million dollar donation is set to help fund brain studies over the next five years with the Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. According to ESPN.com, the Cleveland Clinic has been working on the in-depth Professional Athletes Brain Health Study for a decade, and the UFC has been right there with them every step of the way. According to the report, the UFC has donated over two million dollars over three rounds of support.
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno rematch targeted for April or May
Adam Martin - January 7, 2021
UFC president Dana White confirmed the flyweight title fight between Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno is being targeted for this spring. White did a Q&A with ESPN+ subscribers this week and one of the questions he was asked is when the rematch between Figueiredo and Moreno would take place. The UFC bossman was quick and to the point, saying the promotion is targeting this highly-anticipated rematch to take place in April or May.
Dustin Poirier makes prediction for Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler
Tom Taylor - January 7, 2021
Dustin Poirier has made a prediction for the upcoming lightweight fight between top-10 contender Dan Hooker and former Bellator champ Michael Chandler. Hooker and Chandler will collide in the co-main event of UFC 257 on January 23—a card that will be headlined by a rematch between Poirier and Conor McGregor.
Dustin Poirier flaunts impressive physique ahead of Conor McGregor fight
Tom Taylor - January 7, 2021
UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier looks to be in phenomenal shape ahead of his upcoming rematch with Conor McGregor. Poirier and McGregor will collide in the main event of UFC 257 on January 23. The bout, which is rife with lightweight title implications, will be a rematch of a 2014 featherweight fight, which McGregor won by knockout.
Glover Teixeira willing to serve as backup for Blachowicz vs. Adesanya fight
Tom Taylor - January 7, 2021
Glover Teixeira is willing to serve as the backup fighter for the upcoming light heavyweight title fight between Jan Blachowicz and Israel Adesanya. Blachowicz, the UFC light heavyweight champion, is slated to defend his title against Adesanya, the promotion’s middleweight champion, in the main event of UFC 259 on March 6.
Stipe Miocic sends words of warning to Jake and Logan Paul: "Don’t bite off more than you can chew"
Tom Taylor - January 7, 2021
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic has some words of advice for YouTube stars turned celebrity boxers Jake and Logan Paul. The Paul brothers have been the talk of the combat sports world of late, with Jake riding a violent knockout win over former NBA star Nate Robinson, and Logan gearing up for an exhibition bout with unbeaten boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Dustin Poirier discusses motivations heading into Conor McGregor rematch: "This isn't about payback"
Tom Taylor - January 7, 2021
Dustin Poirier has opened on what’s motivating him heading into his upcoming rematch with Conor McGregor, which headlines UFC 257 on January 23. Poirier and McGregor have fought once before, having met in the featherweight division in 2014. McGregor won that fight by first-round knockout.
Henry Cejudo takes a shot at "bum fighter of the year" Deiveson Figueiredo
Adam Martin - January 6, 2021
MMA great Henry Cejudo took another shot at UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, calling him the “bum fighter of the year.” Figueiredo just finished a tremendous campaign in 2020 that saw him win the vacant UFC flyweight champion with a stoppage win over Joseph Benavidez on Fight Island. He also had another win over Benavidez earlier in the year, plus a successful title defense over Alex Perez at UFC 255. Figueiredo then stole the show along with fellow flyweight contender Brandon Moreno when they two put on one of the best fights of the year when they fought to a draw at UFC 256.
Dana White says UFC targeting April for Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou 2
Adam Martin - January 6, 2021
UFC president Dana White says the UFC is targeting April for the rematch between UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou. White confirmed several months ago that Ngannou was next in line to fight Miocic for the belt, and a March date was originally targeted for the rematch between the two heavyweights. However, the date has been pushed back once again after the promotion recently announced Jan Blachowicz vs. Israel Adesanya are heading UFC 259 in March, and the UFC is now targeting April for Miocic vs. Ngannou. White confirmed as much in a recent Q&A with fans.
Junior Dos Santos still upset about knockout loss to Ciryl Gane: “Like the victim being guilty of crime, theft, murder, or rape”
Adam Martin - January 6, 2021
Junior Dos Santos is still upset about his loss to Ciryl Gane, saying it’s “Like the victim being guilty of crime, theft, murder, or rape.” Dos Santos, the former UFC heavyweight champion, suffered his fourth straight loss by knockout when he was finished by Gane at UFC 256. Gane landed an elbow on dos Santos right when he turned his head, and the elbow landed partially to the back of the Brazilian’s head. However, the referee felt that because dos Santos was turning his head at the same time that Gane threw the strike, it was considered a legal blow and Gane won via knockout.
Leon Edwards reveals he offered to fight Magny and Chiesa but UFC said no
Cole Shelton - January 6, 2021
Leon Edwards wanted to remain on the January 20 fight card. Originally, Edwards was set to headline the card against Khamzat Chimaev but the Swede was still recovering from COVID-19 so the fight was off. After the news was reported, Edwards sent out a tweet letting everyone know he still will fight on the card. However, when the dust settled, Edwards was off the card and Neil Magny will face Michael Chiesa in the main event.
Daniel Cormier explains what Dustin Poirier needs to do to "give himself a chance" in McGregor rematch
Tom Taylor - January 6, 2021
Daniel Cormier believes Dustin Poirier must convince himself he “just got caught” in his first fight with Conor McGregor if he hopes to win their imminent rematch. McGregor and Poirier first fought in the featherweight division in 2014, with McGregor winning by first-round knockout. The pair are now set to rematch in the main event of UFC 257 on January 23, this time meeting in the lightweight division.
Alexander Volkanovski admits he's growing tired of "annoying" Max Holloway trilogy talk
Tom Taylor - January 6, 2021
UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski admits he’s growing tired of discussing a potential trilogy fight with Max Holloway. Volkanovski is riding back-to-back decision wins over Holloway. The first, a fairly decisive unanimous decision, occured in late 2019, and earned Volkanovski the featherweight strap. The second, a split decision that occurred in July, was much more controversial, but nonetheless marked a successful title defense for the champion.
Dan Hooker admits possible red panty night was "a big reason" he agreed to UFC 257 fight
Tom Taylor - January 6, 2021
Dan Hooker has revealed that the possibility of a fight with Conor McGregor is a big reason why he accepted a fight with Michael Chandler at UFC 257. McGregor is set to return to the Octagon in the main event of UFC 257, which goes down on January 23 on Fight Island. Hooker, meanwhile, will return to the cage in the card’s co-main event, when he’ll take on former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler.
Dana White: "Rankings are very important" to UFC matchmaking
Tom Taylor - January 6, 2021
UFC President Dana White says the promotion’s controversial official rankings are very important to its matchmaking strategy. The UFC rankings have been the subject of controversy at many points since they were introduced. Most notably, it was revealed in 2019 that many of the media members that vote on the UFC rankings do not even regularly cover the sport.
Cory Sandhagen: It will be "a bummer" if TJ Dillashaw gets immediate title shot
Tom Taylor - January 6, 2021
Cory Sandhagen says it will be “a bummer” if TJ Dillashaw is granted an immediate opportunity to reclaim the UFC bantamweight title. Dillashaw ruled over the bantamweight division for several years, but was stripped of his title after testing positive for EPO, an injectable-only performance enhancing drug. After being stripped and admitting his mistake, Dillashaw was suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency. As his suspension nears its conclusion, he’s campaigned for the immediate opportunity to reclaim his title.
UFC president Dana White shares his thoughts on open scoring in MMA
Harry Kettle - January 6, 2021
UFC president Dana White has given his thoughts on the constant debate surrounding the potential introduction of open scoring in mixed martial arts. The idea behind open scoring is that everyone would be well aware of how the judges are scoring the fight as the contest goes on, whether it be a three round affair or a five round main event.