UFC News
Photo | Father of Amanda Ribas gets tattoo of daughter's first UFC win
Adam Martin - January 10, 2021
Marcelo Ribas, the father of UFC women’s strawweight contender Amanda Ribas, got a tattoo of his daughter celebrating her first UFC win. In June 2019, Ribas made her UFC debut when she submitted Emily Whitmire for her first win inside the Octagon. Her father, Marcelo Ribas, was so moved by the moment that he decided to get a tattoo to commemorate the moment. MMAFighting.com’s Guilherme Cruz spoke to the elder Ribas, who explained his decision to get the tattoo while providing a photo of his ink. It’s also worth pointing out that in addition to being Amanda’s father, he is also her coach.
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cody Stamann added to February UFC Fight Night card
Adam Martin - January 10, 2021
An intriguing bantamweight bout between Merab Dvalishvili and Cody Stamann has been added to a UFC Fight Night card on February 6. Dvalishvili and Stamann were originally scheduled to lock horns back on the December 5 card in Las Vegas, but Stamann was forced out of the fight and he was replaced by Raoni Barcelos, who also had to withdraw from the card. However, now that Stamann is able to compete again, the UFC matchmakers decided to go ahead and re-book Dvalishvili vs. Stamann. The two bantamweights will now collide on February 6 on the undercard of the Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov event.
UFC on ABC 1 loses fight as Nik Lentz shifted to UFC 257
Adam Martin - January 10, 2021
Next Saturday’s UFC on ABC 1 card has lost a fight as Mike Grundy is out and Nik Lentz has been re-booked for UFC 257 instead. According to Marcel Dorff of MMA DNA, Lentz’s original opponent Grundy had to withdraw from his bout against Lentz that was set for January 16 on Fight Island. That fight was supposed to take place on the undercard of the Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar event, but now that Grundy is out of the fight, the UFC matchmakers had to work fast and re-book Lentz for another fight. Fortunately for Lentz, the matchmakers were able to get Movsar Evolev to fight Lentz on short notice.
Francis Ngannou sizes up probable GOAT Jon Jones: “He has some good skills that he can match my power. It’s going to be different”
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
Francis Ngannou sized up probable GOAT Jon Jones, saying: “He has some good skills that he can match my power. It’s going to be different.” Jones, the longtime UFC light heavyweight champion, announced last summer that he will be moving up to the heavyweight division in 2021. When Jones made the original announcement that he was moving down, Ngannou expressed interest in fighting him. However, he has since then focused on getting a trilogy fight with UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. That fight hasn’t been officially booked yet, but UFC president Dana White recently suggested that April could be a potential date.
Georges St-Pierre: I miss winning, but I don't miss fighting
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
UFC legend Georges St-Pierre says that he misses the feeling of winning, but he admits that he doesn’t miss the actual fighting part of it. GSP is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time and was one of the UFC’s greatest champions for the better part of a decade. GSP was both the UFC welterweight champion and the UFC middleweight champion before finally calling it quits a few years ago. Due to COVID-19, his UFC Hall of Fame enshrinement was delayed, but he will be inducted into the promotion’s HOF in the coming weeks.
Anthony Pettis explains how the UFC’s "rat race" resulted in him signing with PFL
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
Newly-signed PFL lightweight Anthony Pettis explained how the UFC’s “rat race” resulted in him leaving the UFC and signing with PFL instead. Pettis shocked the MMA world when he announced he was taking his talents away from the world’s top mixed martial arts organization in the UFC and signing with PFL, which most consider as the No. 3 promotion in North America. However, the lure of winning one million dollars for running the table in the PFL lightweight tournament was too much for Pettis to turn down, and he decided to sign with the PFL. There were also some other reasons behind Pettis making that decision.
Chael Sonnen hints at a move to politics, smears Oregon representative Kurt Schrader
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
Former UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen hinted at a move to politics and smeared Oregon representative Kurt Schrader in the process. Sonnen is one of the most outspoken mixed martial arts fighters the sport has ever seen as he was born with the gift of gab. Sonnen was one of the best trash talkers in MMA when he was an active fighter for the UFC and Bellator, and now he’s looking to talk his trash-talking skills to politics. On Saturday, Sonnen warned Schrader that he’s coming for him while taking some humorous shots at Schrader at the same time. Check out the Tweets that Sonnen sent to his political rival Schrader.
Malki Kawa reveals he has COVID-19, shares a home remedy that is helping him crush it
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
MMA manager Malki Kawa revealed on his social media that he has COVID-19 and he suggested a home remedy to help beat it quicker. Kawa has been one of the top managers in mixed martial arts for a decade, serving as the agent for superstars like Jon Jones, Yoel Romero, and Anthony Pettis, and he’s been representing more NFL athletes over the last few years, as well. Like many MMA fighters and football players, Kawa, unfortunately, came down with COVID-19 as well. However, he appears to be beating it, especially with a home-made remedy. Check out what he wrote on his Twitter.
Kevin Holland details a unique scenario which could result in an unprecedented knockout of Derek Brunson
Adam D Martin - January 10, 2021
UFC middleweight Kevin Holland detailed a scenario in which he could score an unprecedented knockout against divisional rival Derek Brunson. After weeks of back-and-forth trash talk on social media, Holland vs. Brunson has been confirmed to take place as the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on March 20. For Holland, the fight marks the opportunity to take out a top-10 opponent and move himself up the 185lbs rankings, while for Brunson he has the chance to take out a rising star and move towards a title shot. It’s an important fight at 185 and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Stephan Bonnar outraged after Google removes Parler from its app store: "This is such commie BS! I can't believe idiots here are cheering as our rights are being taken away!"
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
Former UFC standout Stephan Bonnar was not happy to read the news that Google had removed Parler from its app store. Parler is advertised to be a non-biased, free speech social media platform focused on protecting user’s rights. The app has been described as an alternative to Twitter, but currently pales in comparison due to its moderate number of active users.
Michael Bisping says there's "no logic" in Tony Ferguson's argument that Khabib Nurmagomedov has a padded MMA record
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping has come to the defense of Khabib Nurmagomedov following recent scrutiny from Tony Ferguson. The UFC’s former interim lightweight title holder, Ferguson (25-5 MMA), had suggested on social media that Khabib Nurmagomedov boasts a padded mixed martial arts record.
Tony Ferguson explains why Khabib Nurmagomedov boasts a padded record in MMA
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
Former UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson believes that Khabib Nurmagomedov is boasting a padded record in MMA. ‘El Cucuy’ has been slated to square off with the undefeated Russian on five different occasions throughout the course of his career. However, none of those five fights have ever come to fruition.
Tony Ferguson provides update on arm following loss to Charles Oliveira: "The Doc says the arm is as good as Iron"
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
Tony Ferguson has provided an injury update after being caught in a nasty armbar during his unanimous decision loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 256. The UFC’s former interim lightweight champion, Ferguson (25-5 MMA), suffered his second consecutive setback, this time to ‘Do Bronx’, in the co-headliner of last months pay-per-view event.
Max Holloway on the road back to gold: "If I’ve got to go out and get another 10-win streak, that’s what I’ve got to do.”
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
Former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will return to the Octagon on January 16 opposite surging division contender Calvin Kattar. The Hawaiian will enter the bout in hopes of avoiding the first three-fight losing skid of his career. In his most recent effort at UFC 251, Holloway (21-6 MMA) suffered his second consecutive unanimous decision loss to reigning featherweight champ Alex Volkanovski.
PHOTO | Conor McGregor is ready for UFC 257: "Born for it!"
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor is supremely confident that he will once again put on a “masterpiece” against Dustin Poirier. McGregor and Poirier are set to collide for a second time in the main event of UFC 257, which takes place January 24 on Fight Island.
Jorge Masvidal threatens to leave Twitter after "all the cool kids have been kicked off"
Chris Taylor - January 9, 2021
UFC welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal has voiced his frustration after United States President Donald Trump was banned from Twitter. The popular social media platform banned the POTUS from its platform on Friday, citing the risk that future posts from Trump could spawn more chaos in the Capitol.
UFC Fight Island 8: Chiesa vs. Magny official poster
Tom Taylor - January 8, 2021
The UFC has released the official promotional poster for the upcoming UFC Fight Island 8: Chiesa vs. Magny event. The card is slated for January 20 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It was originally expected to be headlined by a welterweight clash between No. 3-ranked contender Leon Edwards and rising prospect Khamzat Chimaev. When Chimaev was forced off the bill due to lingering COVID-19 symptoms, however, co-headliners Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny were elevated to the main event spot.
UFC 259 fight card: Three title fights top the bill
Tom Taylor - January 8, 2021
The official UFC 259 fight card is coming together, and all signs point to an unforgettable night for mixed martial arts fans. UFC 259 will be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight, as the division’s new champion Jan Blachowicz looks to defend his strap against the promotion’s middleweight king, Israel Adesanya, who will look to become one of just a few two-division champs in UFC history.