UFC News
Cub Swanson open to cross-divisional fights with Anthony Pettis, Urijah Faber, and Jose Aldo
Adam Martin - November 24, 2020
Veteran UFC featherweight Cub Swanson says he is open to cross-divisional fights with Anthony Pettis, Urijah Faber, and Jose Aldo. Swanson’s return to the Octagon was recently announced as he will take on Daniel Pineda next month at UFC 256. Swanson has been a member of the UFC roster since 2011 and has been one of the top-15 ranked fighters in the division for most of that time. However, he suffered a four-fight losing skid between 2017 and 2019 before finally snapping it with a “Fight of the Night” decision win over Kron Gracie last fall.
Alistair Overeem admits retirement is looming, but says he still has a couple UFC fights left in him
Adam Martin - November 24, 2020
UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem admits the end of his career is nearing, but the legend says he still has a couple more fights left. Overeem is now 40 years old, but he remains one of the top-10 heavyweights on the UFC roster. Following back-to-back stoppage wins over Augusto Sakai and Walt Harris, Overeem is now the No. 5 ranked heavyweight contender. On February 6, 2021, he will take on No. 6 ranked Alexander Volkov in what should be an important fight for both men as they look to get one step closer to earning a coveted heavyweight title shot.
Francis Ngannou "very interested" in a potential showdown with "Rumble"
Tom Taylor - November 24, 2020
Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou says he’s “very interested” in a potential heavyweight fight with Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Johnson, who has competed as low as the welterweight division in the past, achieved his biggest successes in the UFC light heavyweight division, where he twice challenged for the title. While he announced his retirement from MMA in 2017, he is now plotting a return to the Octagon, perhaps to the heavyweight division.
Video | Relive the first time Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier ever crossed paths
Tom Taylor - November 24, 2020
Years ago, ahead of their UFC 178 fight in the featherweight division, Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier crossed paths for the very first time. You can relive their first-ever encounter, which occurred in the lobby of the UFC 178 fighter hotel, in a recent Instagram post from the UFC. See it below:
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 20 with Badou Jack, Viddal Riley, Gina Mazany & Parker Porter
Cole Shelton - November 24, 2020
The 20th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. and UFC Vegas 15. We’re first joined by former WBC super-middleweight and WBA light heavyweight champion, Badou Jack (2:43). Next, one of boxing’s top prospects, Viddal Riley (14:42) joins the show. Then, UFC flyweight, Gina Mazany (32:14) comes on. Closing out the program is UFC heavyweight, Parker Porter (47:10).
Ben Askren on potential MMA return: "Never say never"
Tom Taylor - November 24, 2020
Former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder Ben Askren isn’t ruling out a return to mixed martial arts. Askren retired from competition last year, after a knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal and a submission loss to Demian Maia in the UFC. Once his retirement was confirmed, he underwent a complete hip replacement.
Dustin Poirier: Conor McGregor rematch "isn't about getting even"
Tom Taylor - November 24, 2020
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier claims his upcoming rematch with Conor McGregor is not about revenge. After months of rumors and negotiations, Poirier is officially slated to take on McGregor in the main event of UFC 257 on January 23. The bout will mark the second time they’ve met, after McGregor knocked Poirier out in the featherweight division back in 2014.
Khabib Nurmagomedov awarded with ‘Best Mom’ medal in Dagestan
Harry Kettle - November 24, 2020
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has been awarded an amusing “Best Mom” medal in Dagestan following his retirement. “The Eagle” decided to hang up his gloves in the wake of his recent win over Justin Gaethje, taking his official record to 29-0. He did so after a discussion with his mother in which he promised to end his mixed martial arts career after the Gaethje bout.
Dana White hints at "very fun fight" between Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
UFC president Dana White called a matchup between UFC women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and Jessica Andrade a “very fun fight.” A dominant Shevchenko defeated challenger Jennifer Maia via unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 255. The win improved Shevchenko’s UFC flyweight record to a perfect 6-0, and she is quickly running out of new challenges in the division. One fighter that has emerged as a potential contender, however, is Jessica Andrade. The former UFC women’s strawweight champion knocked out Katlyn Chookagian in her flyweight debut and she looks poised to challenge Shevchenko for the title sometime in 2021.
Petr Yan explains why Aljamain Sterling title fight was scrapped, confident "the fight will happen" soon
Cole Shelton - November 23, 2020
Petr Yan has explained why he won’t be fighting Aljamain Sterling on Dec. 12 at UFC 256. Yan and Sterling were set to headline the year-end pay-per-view but on Sunday it was revealed the fight was off.
Sean O’Malley says he is returning to the Octagon at UFC 258
Adam Martin - November 23, 2020
UFC bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley says he will be returning to the Octagon at UFC 258, though he didn’t reveal his next opponent. O’Malley is coming off of a devastating first-round TKO loss to Marlon Vera at UFC 252 that halted his progression up the bantamweight rankings. O’Malley was coming off of an incredible one-punch KO win over Eddie Wineland at UFC 250 and the promotion rewarded him with a high-profile spot on the UFC 252: Miocic vs. Cormier III card. Unfortunately for O’Malley, he suffered an ankle injury early in the fight and Vera took advantage of it as he finished O’Malley with strikes, handing him his first career loss.
Michael Chandler reveals signing with the UFC was "a competition thing" as it wasn't the most lucrative offer
Cole Shelton - November 23, 2020
Michael Chandler reveals the UFC did not offer him the most amount of money during his free agency. Following Chandler’s first-round KO over Benson Henderson, the former Bellator lightweight champion headed to free agency which is something he wanted to do. When he became a free agent, “Iron” admits he wanted to sign with the UFC but it needed to make financial sense.
Deiveson Figueiredo makes bold prediction for Brandon Moreno fight
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
Despite picking up big wins at UFC 255 last weekend, Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno are already slated to fight again—against each other. Figueiredo, the UFC flyweight champion, and Moreno, the division’s No. 1 contender, are set to collide at UFC 256 next month. And when the cage door closes, the champ is expecting a decisive and violent victory.
Coach claims Jon Jones is following in Israel Adesanya's footsteps
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
Coach Eugene Bareman claims Jon Jones has followed in the footsteps of his star pupil Israel Adesanya — and not the other way around. While Jones has been in the UFC far longer than Adesanya has, Bareman notes that Jones only decided to move from light heavyweight to heavyweight when Adesanya began considering a move from middleweight to light heavyweight.
Dana White responds to rumors of Nevada combat sports shutdown
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
UFC President Dana White has responded to rumors that Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak is considering shutting down combat sports events in the state amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. Nevada is currently enduring a spike of COVID-19 cases, and amid widespread fears of overflowing hospitals and overworked medical staff, the Las Vegas Review-Journal has reported that Governor Sisolak is considering implementing new restrictions—restrictions that could affect the operations of the UFC and Top Rank Boxing in the state.
Dana White weighs in on Mike Perry's future after UFC 255
Tom Taylor - November 23, 2020
UFC President Dana White has shared his thoughts on what the future holds for “Platinum” Mike Perry after last weekend’s UFC 255 event. Perry returned to the Octagon on the UFC 255 main card, where he lost a competitive decision to short-notice replacement opponent Tim Means. With this loss, Perry is now 7-7 since joining the UFC roster. When you combine that less-than-stellar record with his numerous troubles outside the cage and his recent struggles with the scale, his future in the sport seems quite uncertain.
Aljamain Sterling reacts to news that his UFC title fight with Petr Yan has been postponed
Harry Kettle - November 23, 2020
UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling has reacted to the news that his title fight with Petr Yan is off the upcoming UFC 256 event. The bout between the two rivals for the Bantamweight Championship was set to go down next month after endless spats over social media. Now, however, due to undisclosed reasons, the fight will be pushed back to early 2021 with February being touted as a possibility.
Katlyn Chookagian responds to critics suggesting that she is just a “point fighter”
Harry Kettle - November 23, 2020
UFC flyweight Katlyn Chookagian has issued a response to a critic who suggested she is just a point fighter. Chookagian fought for the fourth time in 2020 this past weekend and managed to comprehensively defeat Cynthia Calvillo via unanimous decision. The win took her record this year to 2-2 and 2-1 since her Flyweight Championship defeat to Valentina Shevchenko back in February. Unfortunately, her performance was not particularly popular among fans.