UFC News

Adam Martin - December 10, 2020

MMA manager Wallid Ismail says the UFC is targeting an important middleweight matchup between Paulo Costa and Robert Whittaker for March. Ismail told Portal Do Vale Tudo that the UFC has already offered the fight to Costa and Whittaker for March. The manager said that Costa has agreed to the fight and now they are just waiting on Whittaker to sign off on his end of the deal. Ismail also said there is the possibility that the fight could be for the interim middleweight belt.

Cole Shelton - December 10, 2020

Dana White is looking to book another lightweight fight to serve as a backup for UFC 257. In the main event of the first pay-per-view of 2021, McGregor is set to return to the sport in a highly-anticipated rematch against Poirier. It is obviously a very important fight for the lightweight division so White is hoping to add another lightweight fight to the card.

Adam Martin - December 10, 2020

UFC president Dana White took a shot at Bellator MMA, saying “there’s much better promotions all over the world” when it comes to talent. Bellator is, by all accounts and purposes, the UFC’s main rival, especially when it comes to the North American MMA scene. The UFC is still the top dog and has been for many years, but that hasn’t stopped Bellator from trying to compete and stay the course as the No. 2 promotion. Bellator, in fact, signed former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony Johnson this week, indicating once again it means business.

Cole Shelton - December 10, 2020

Henry Cejudo continues to trash-talk current UFC bantamweight, Petr Yan. Although Cejudo retired and vacated the bantamweight title, he still is paying close attention to the division and the current champ in Yan. He has called Petr a rent-a-champ and now is critiquing his recent wins.

Cole Shelton - December 10, 2020

Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev are expected to headline a Fight Night card on Fight Island. Originally, Edwards and Chimaev were expected to headline the final event of 2020 on December 19 in Las Vegas. However, the fight was postponed after Edwards tested positive for COVID-19 but it appears the promotion is moving quickly to rebook it.

Cole Shelton - December 10, 2020

Daniel Pineda doesn’t think the judges will be needed for his UFC 256 fight against Cub Swanson. After Pineda finished Herbert Burns at UFC 252, the hope for the 35-year-old was to get a ranked opponent or someone near the rankings. And, he ended up getting his wish as he was offered perennial contender, Cub Swanson.

Cole Shelton - December 10, 2020

Artem Lobov is open to boxing either of the Paul brothers. After Jake Paul knocked out Nate Robinson on the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard, the 23-year-old called out the likes of Dillon Danis and Conor McGregor. Given those are his teammates, Artem Lobov says if those fights don’t come to fruition, he would take the fight and beat up Paul if he is paid accordingly.

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2020

A heavyweight fight between Sergey Spivak and Jared Vanderaa, scheduled for the UFC 256 undercard, has been cancelled after the latter tested positive for COVID-19. News of this bout’s cancellation—the 11th fight cancellation this card has experienced— was first reported by MMA Junkie.

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2020

Kevin Lee is hoping to lure unbeaten UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov out of his recently announced retirement. Nurmagomedov, who is 29-0 as a pro, announced his retirement after defeating Justin Gaethje by submission in the main event of UFC 254 in September.

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2020

The war of words between former UFC bantamweight champions Cody Garbrandt and Henry Cejudo isn’t showing any signs of stopping. Garbrandt and Cejudo began going at it on social media after reigning UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, who will return to the cage against Brandon Moreno in the main event of UFC 256 this Saturday, divulged that he’d prefer to fight Cejudo next, rather than Garbrandt.

Adam Martin - December 10, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Charles Oliveira will be without his head coach Diego Lima for his UFC 256 bout this weekend against Tony Ferguson. Oliveira faces off against the toughest test of his career to date when he takes on Ferguson in the co-main event of this weekend’s UFC 256 card. Oliveira is riding a seven-fight win streak into this bout with all of those wins coming by stoppage. During his win streak, Oliveira has won five fights with his trademark submissions, but he has also won two fights by knockout, which shows he is improving in his standup. One of the people who he credits for his improvements is his coach at Chute Boxe, Lima. But he won’t have him at UFC 256.

Cole Shelton - December 10, 2020

In the co-main event of UFC 256, Tony Ferguson is set to return to the Octagon against rising contender, Charles Oliveira. Heading into the fight, Ferguson is a -175 favorite while the Brazilian is a +145 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority believe Ferguson gets it done but they aren’t counting out Oliveira.

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2020

Tony Ferguson says the thought of fighting for an undisputed UFC title feels a bit like a “wet dream.” Ferguson is slated to return to the Octagon in the co-main event of UFC 256 this Saturday, where he will take on streaking contender Charles Oliveira. The bout will mark his opportunity to rebound from a TKO loss to Justin Gaethje, which marked the end of an incredible, 12-fight win-streak.

Tom Taylor - December 10, 2020

Matt Wiman has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts after a tough, knockout loss and his exit from the UFC roster. Wiman, 37, returned to action at UFC Vegas 16 last Saturday, when he found himself on the wrong end of a viral, slam-induced knockout in a fight with rising prospect Jordan Leavitt. The loss pushed him onto a three-fight losing-streak, and also marked the final obligation on his latest UFC contract. He did not sign a new deal with the promotion, and will instead be hanging up his gloves for good.

Harry Kettle - December 10, 2020

UFC middleweight contender Marvin Vettori has voiced his concerns after Darren Till was promoted to No. 4 in the divisional rankings. Vettori was able to pick up the biggest win of his career so far this past weekend as he edged out Jack Hermansson with a strong decision win. The victory vaulted him into the top five at middleweight, situating him just behind his European counterpart.

Christopher Taylor - December 9, 2020

Former UFC champions Henry Cejudo and Cody Garbrandt got into a heated dispute after Deiveson Figueiredo suggested he wants ‘Triple C’ after UFC 256. During a recent interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the reigning flyweight champion in Figueiredo said that he wanted to fight Cejudo after UFC 256 because he has “talked a lot of shit.”

Cole Shelton - December 9, 2020

Junior dos Santos doesn’t believe his job is on the line in his upcoming fight. On the main card of UFC 256, dos Santos is set to return to the Octagon against the undefeated prospect, Ciryl Gane. The former UFC heavyweight champion is on a three-fight losing streak. And, with the UFC is cutting 60 fighters by year’s end, losing four in a row could be the end of his tenure. But, JDS remains confident he will still be a UFC fighter in 2021.

Cole Shelton - December 9, 2020

Renato Moicano thought he would be fighting a ranked opponent at UFC 256. Moicano was a perennial contender at featherweight and was one win away from getting a title shot at 145-pounds. However, he suffered back-to-back knockout losses to Jose Aldo and Korean Zombie which triggered a move to lightweight.