UFC News

Harry Kettle - December 21, 2020

TJ Dillashaw seems to be in the best shape of his career as he prepares to make his long-awaited return to the UFC next year. Dillashaw, who was suspended for two years by USADA after testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO) after his January 2019 loss to Henry Cejudo, has been receiving a number of call-outs as the former champion attempts to come back and reclaim the Bantamweight Championship that he technically never lost.

Harry Kettle - December 21, 2020

Ryan Bader and Donald Cerrone picked up big wins in what proved to be an entertaining night of action at Submission Underground 19. Chael Sonnen’s SUG promotion has been able to draw in some of the biggest names in mixed martial arts over the years, and that trend continued last night as several current and former UFC & Bellator stars hit the ground for some fun grappling exchanges.

Adam Martin - December 20, 2020

UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson showed off his facial cuts following his war against Geoff Neal in the UFC Vegas 17 main event. Despite entering the Octagon as the slight betting underdog to Neal based on closing odds, Thompson won the fight in a blowout, winning 50-45 on all three of the judges’ scorecards. Thompson showed that there are levels to this game as he stayed on the outside and landed nearly 200 significant strikes on Neal, who showed incredible durability by going the full five rounds in what was a shutout win for Thompson.

Adam Martin - December 20, 2020

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis says that cutting down on drinking has been a key to his recent success in the Octagon. Pettis defeated Alex Morono via unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 17 for his second straight win after beating Donald Cerrone at UFC 249. Considering that Pettis began his year with a submission loss to Diego Ferreira at UFC 246, ending the year with back-to-back wins over Cerrone and Morono showed that he still has the ability to win fights at the highest level of the sport. Following the win over Morono, Pettis is now a free agent and figures to test the free-agent market but says the UFC is his preferred destination.

Adam Martin - December 20, 2020

Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw was called out by Rob Font following his vicious KO win over Marlon Moraes at UFC Vegas 17. Font was making his long-awaited return to the Octagon after a year away due to injuries, his first fight since defeating Ricky Simon at UFC Washington, D.C. last December. Against Moraes on Saturday night, Font showed why he is one of the best bantamweights in the world when healthy as he viciously knocked out the former title challenger in the first round. The win improves Font’s UFC record to 8-3 overall, and he is currently riding a three-fight win streak as he’s proven himself to be a top-10 fighter.

Adam Martin - December 20, 2020

Former UFC fighter Cody Gibson shared a motivational story of pound-for-pound great Henry Cejudo inspiring a high-school wrestler. Cejudo was one of the top MMA fighters on the planet when he abruptly retired in May following a vicious second-round TKO win over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249. Since then, Cejudo has stayed on the radar of fight fans as he continues to stay active on social media. Embracing the “King of Cringe” moniker, Cejudo is known for posting memes and taking shots at numerous UFC champions. Some believe his cringe gimmick is hilarious and works, while others believe that he needs to ditch the cringe persona.

Adam Martin - December 20, 2020

UFC women’s bantamweight contender Sijara Eubanks issued a statement following her unanimous decision loss to Pannie Kianzad at UFC Vegas 17. Eubanks came into the bout ranked No. 13 in the world at 135lbs, but she suffered her second straight defeat with a unanimous decision defeat to Kianzad. It was a close, competitive fight throughout the 15 minutes, but Kianzad was sharper with her boxing and her effective striking was what ultimately won her the fight on points. The judges scored the fight unanimously in the favor of Kianzad, with all three judges giving her the fight 29-28. It was a very close fight that came down to who won the last round.

Adam D Martin - December 20, 2020

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis says he is moving back to 155lbs and he is eyeing a rematch with “tough dude” Tony Ferguson. Pettis defeated Alex Morono via unanimous decision in the preliminary card headliner at UFC Vegas 17. Following a decision win over Donald Cerrone back at UFC 249, Pettis has now won two fights in a row and he just finished the last fight on his UFC deal. “Showtime” said following UFC Vegas 17 that he wants to test free agency and see what else is out there, mentioning his little brother Sergio Pettis left the UFC for Bellator. However, Pettis said that his top choice would be to re-sign with the UFC.

Adam Martin - December 20, 2020

UFC welterweight Stephen Thompson says he will consider top prospect Khamzat Chimaev “the real deal” only if he beats Leon Edwards. Thompson was one of the top-ranked welterweights who were called out by Chimaev after he beat Gerald Meerschaert in September, but Thompson turned down the fight citing him being far above Chimaev in the rankings. The UFC was eventually able to book Chimaev against Leon Edwards, and the two will meet on Fight Island on January 20 after their original booking for UFC Vegas 17 fell through due to COVID-19. Thompson, meanwhile, went on to fight No. 11 ranked Geoff Neal and won a decision.

Adam Martin - December 20, 2020

Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo released a statement following his unanimous decision win over Marlon Vera at UFC Vegas 17. Coming into the Aldo fight off of three straight losses, Aldo’s back was up against the proverbial wall in this fight. After getting stopped in vicious fashion by Petr Yan in their bantamweight title fight at UFC 251, it didn’t look like Aldo had much left in the tank after moving down to bantamweight at this latter stage of his career. On Saturday night, Aldo dispelled the myth that he is nearing the end of the road as he was able to earn a unanimous decision against Vera, one of the 135lbs division’s hottest fighters.

Adam Martin - December 20, 2020

The bonus report for UFC Vegas 17 is out, and heavyweight Marcin Tybura took home $50,000 after finishing Greg Hardy via second-round TKO. Tybura was one of four fighters who received 50k bonus checks just in time for Christmas after their spectacular performances at UFC Vegas 17. For Tybura, he picked up a TKO win over Hardy in the second round after taking quite a bit of punishment in the first round. Considering it was the first time that Hardy has ever been stopped with strikes in his MMA career, this was a huge win for Tybura that earned him 50k extra. Following UFC Vegas 17, the promotion announced the bonus recipients of the 50gs.

Adam Martin - December 20, 2020

Former UFC light heavyweight champion-turned-politician Tito Ortiz explained why he is anti-mask and won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine. Ortiz, the pioneer of mixed martial arts and a UFC Hall of Famer, was recently named as a Huntington Beach City Council member following the recent election. Ortiz was roasted at his first meeting at city council and has become the butt end of jokes on social media from fans and critics who do not believe he should be in a position of political power. One of the things that critics have pointed to is Ortiz’s anti-mask stance and his take on the COVID-19 vaccine, which he recently admitted he will no be taking.

Adam D Martin - December 20, 2020

UFC welterweight Anthony Pettis discussed what’s next for him after fighting out the final fight of his contract at UFC Vegas 17. Pettis defeated Alex Morono by unanimous decision on the preliminary card of the final UFC event of 2020. For Pettis, it was a great way to close the year after previously defeating Donald Cerrone at UFC 249 and falling to Diego Ferreira at UFC 246. After losing to Ferreira, it looked like Pettis was really on the decline in his MMA career, but the wins over Cerrone and Morono show he still has plenty left in the tank. But where his next fight takes place is not yet known as Pettis is now a free agent fighter.

Adam D Martin - December 20, 2020

UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal released a cryptic message following his recent rematch challenge from Stephen Thompson. Masvidal and Thompson first met at UFC 217: Bisping vs. St. Pierre in November 2017, with Thompson winning a unanimous decision that night. Since then, Masvidal has exploded into superstardom. After taking a full year off following the loss to Thompson, “Gamebred” returned as a different beast, finishing Darren Till, Ben Askren, and Nate Diaz during what was an incredible 2019 for him. A unanimous decision loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 251 hurt him, but Masvidal is still one of the best 170lbers in the UFC.

Adam D Martin - December 20, 2020

Michael Bisping defended his comments from UFC Vegas 17 after being accused of throwing shade at Belal Muhammad, Mike Perry, and Niko Price. Bisping, the former UFC middleweight champion, is one of the UFC’s color commentators and he worked the desk on Saturday night alongside former UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and Brendan Fitzgerald. On Saturday night during the main event between Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal, Bisping made a comment about the fighters who Neal beat on his win streak including Muhammad, Perry, and Price, insinuating that they aren’t on the same level that Thompson is.

Adam D Martin - December 20, 2020

UFC welterweight Michel Pereira issued a fiery callout of former UFC champion Anthony Pettis following their victories at UFC Vegas 17. On the preliminary card, Anthony Pettis earned a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Alex Morono for his second straight victory after beating Donald Cerrone in his last fight at UFC 249. A few fights later on the main card and Pereira won a competitive decision over rising star Khaos Williams. With both men winning on the same card, and with Pereira looking to steal Pettis’ top-15 ranking and break in the rankings himself, this certainly feels like a potential welterweight matchup to look forward to in 2021.

Christopher Taylor - December 20, 2020

Youtuber turned professional boxer Jake Paul has responded to some recent comments from former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping. Earlier this week, ‘The Count’ revealed on his ‘Believe You Me’ podcast that his management had been contacted by Jake Paul’s team about a potential boxing match.

Christopher Taylor - December 19, 2020

Sean O’Malley was clearly not impressed with his former opponent Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera’s performance against Jose Aldo this evening. Vera (16-7-1 MMA) squared off with the former featherweight kingpin, Aldo (29-7 MMA), in the co-headliner of tonight’s UFC Vegas 17 event.