UFC News
Antonio Tarver out of Frank Mir boxing fight due to Georgia commission not clearing him
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2021
Antonio Tarver will not be boxing Frank Mir on April 17. Tarver, the former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion, was set to fight for the first time since 2015. However, according to ESPN, Tarver, 52, did not meet the requirements to compete put forth by the Georgia Athletic & Entertainment Commission, per commission executive director Matt Woodruff.
Daniel Cormier believes Francis Ngannou is on the cusp of "global superstardom"
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2021
Daniel Cormier believes Francis Ngannou can become the UFC’s next big superstar. In the main event of UFC 260, Ngannou is set to rematch Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title. In the first fight, Ngannou came up short as he said he was too young and inexperienced for the fight.
Charles Oliveira expects to KO Michael Chandler to win the lightweight title: "I'll catch him"
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2021
Charles Oliveira is confident he will become the new lightweight champion at UFC 262. After Dana White confirmed Khabib Nurmagomedov was retired, the promotion was quick to book Oliveira vs. Chandler for the lightweight title. In the fight, ‘Do Bronx’ doesn’t expect Chandler to take him down, nor does he plan to back down as Dan Hooker did in Chandler’s debut.
Islam Makhachev would "love to fight" Justin Gaethje next if RDA bout doesn't come to fruition
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2021
Islam Makhachev believes he will face a top-10 opponent next time out. At UFC 259, Makhachev dominated Drew Dober en route to a third-round submission win. The victory extended his winning streak to seven in a row and is looking to fight a top-ranked opponent. The goal was to rebook the Rafael dos Anjos fight this summer in the main event spot, but he is also open to fighting anyone in the top-10.
Khamzat Chimaev says he's "coming back to smash everybody"
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2021
Khamzat Chimaev is ready to return. After Chimaev was forced out of his March 13 main event fight against Leon Edwards, he announced his retirement from MMA. He was dealing with lingering effects of COVID-19 and couldn’t train properly, forcing him to retire.
Kenny Florian joins PFL commentary team
Adam D Martin - March 23, 2021
Former UFC lightweight title challenger Kenny Florian is taking his talents to the PFL commentary booth for the promotion’s third season. Florian, arguably one of the most popular fighters in UFC history, formerly called fights in the Octagon but left the UFC commentary booth a few years ago. He has continued to host the “Anik and Florian” podcast alongside current UFC mic man Jon Anik, as well as provide commentary for the BattleBots television show. But Florian’s calling has always been the fight game, and ahead of PFL’s third season, the promotion has brought him on to call fights. He will do so alongside UFC Hall of Fame Randy Couture and Sean O’Connell.
Khama Worthy believes he will pick apart Jamie Mullarkey, confident he has "a few ways to finish"
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2021
Khama Worthy is confident he will return to the win column on the main card of UFC 260. Worthy is coming off a first-round knockout loss to Ottman Azaitar last September and he was hoping to return to the Octagon much sooner. However, the UFC had different plans and was offered to fight Jamie Mullarkey at UFC 260, who is 0-2 in the UFC.
Tai Tuivasa shuts down “veteran” label following KO at UFC Vegas 22: “I feel I’m just learning MMA”
Harry Kettle - March 23, 2021
UFC heavyweight Tai Tuivasa has dismissed the idea that he’s a “veteran” in the promotion after his big win at UFC Vegas 22 last weekend. Tuivasa has been a member of the UFC roster since back in late 2017 and ever since then, he’s had quite the rollercoaster ride in the promotion. After winning his first three bouts in the Octagon, he proceeded to lose three straight after that, with one of those being a main event TKO defeat at the hands of Junior dos Santos.
Vicente Luque expecting a "dangerous" Tyron Woodley, but expects to finish him at UFC 260
Cole Shelton - March 23, 2021
Vicente Luque is eager to share the Octagon with Tyron Woodley. On the main card of this Saturday’s UFC 260 pay-per-view, Luque is set to face another top-10 opponent as he looks to climb the welterweight ranks. After he came up short against Stephen Thompson, he rallied off back-to-back wins over Niko Price and Randy Brown, and after his last win over Brown, Luque thought the Woodley fight made sense.
Conor McGregor re-enters UFC pound for pound rankings following Khabib Nurmagomedov’s official retirement
Adam D Martin - March 23, 2021
UFC superstar Conor McGregor has re-entered the UFC pound-for-pound rankings following Khabib Nurmagomedov making his retirement official. The former UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov announced last week that he was stepping away from the Octagon for good, six months after first suggesting he would retire following his win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. With Nurmagomedov stepping away from MMA, he not only vacated the UFC lightweight title but also his spot atop the UFC pound-for-pound rankings. And with an open spot in the top-15 now that Nurmagomedov is out, McGregor — his longtime rival in the sport — is coincidentally the fighter who replaced him. Take a look at the latest UFC pound-for-pound rankings (via Jed I. Goodman).
Islam Makhachev says Michael Chandler doesn't deserve UFC lightweight title shot
Adam D Martin - March 23, 2021
Islam Makhachev says that divisional rival Michael Chandler doesn’t deserve to fight Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight title. Last week, Makhachev’s good friend, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, announced his retirement from MMA. That means the 155lbs belt is now vacated, and the promotion quickly moved to book Chandler vs. Oliveira in the main event of UFC 262 in Houston for the vacant title. It’s a great fight on paper between two of the top-five ranked lightweights in the UFC, but some believe it wasn’t the right fight to make.
Jon Jones shares a message for individuals who pull out cell phones instead of helping during emergency situations
Adam D Martin - March 23, 2021
UFC superstar Jon Jones shared a harsh message for individuals who pull out cell phones instead of helping out during emergency situations. Jones played the “tweet and delete” game on Tuesday morning when the former UFC light heavyweight champion put out a tweet criticizing those who pull out their cell phones instead of helping others. It’s unclear exactly what prompted Jones to make the tweet but he sent it out and then decided that he wanted to remove it and deleted it. See it below.