Tag: UFC News

Alexander Volkanovski Reacts To Max Holloway’s UFC 273 Backup Offer: ‘He Was Never Injured’

Alexander VolkanovskiAlexander Volkanovski is suggesting foul play after Max Holloway offered his services as backup for the UFC 273 featherweight title fight between ‘The Great’ and Chan Sung Jung. Holloway was supposed to face Volkanovski for the third at UFC 272 on March 5 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. ‘Blessed’ withdrew from the bout just days […]

Alexander Volkanovski

Alexander Volkanovski is suggesting foul play after Max Holloway offered his services as backup for the UFC 273 featherweight title fight between ‘The Great’ and Chan Sung Jung.

Holloway was supposed to face Volkanovski for the third at UFC 272 on March 5 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. ‘Blessed’ withdrew from the bout just days after it was officially announced due to an undisclosed injury.

Volkanovski saw his title defence pushed back one month due to the withdrawal and ‘The Korean Zombie’ was announced has his next opponent.

Since then, it has been reported that Holloway has been medically cleared to fight and is wanting to play a backup role at UFC 273.

The featherweight champion took to social media recently to Holloway’s rapid recovery, claiming his long-time rival was never actually injured.

@BlessedMMA wants to be the backup fighter for the fight he was originally scheduled to fight,” Volkanovski wrote. “so in other words…he was never injured. Just hoping he doesn’t have to fight me or fight me while I’m preparing for someone…but hey “if you ain’t cheating you ain’t trying” … NO”

Holloway and Volkanovski first fought in December 2019 at UFC 245.

The Aussie fighter scored a significant upset to dethrone Holloway, who was easily outpointed over five rounds. In July 2020, the featherweight duo rematched, and the fight was much closer. ‘Blessed’ was the winner on many people’s scorecards after five rounds but the judges awarded Volkanovski a split decision win.

Since then, Holloway has bounced back with decision wins over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Volkanovski survived a couple of scares to defend his belt against Brian Ortega.

Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway: The Story So Far…

Holloway and Volkanovski first fought in December 2019 at UFC 245.

The Aussie fighter scored a significant upset to dethrone Holloway, who was easily outpointed over five rounds. In July 2020, the featherweight duo rematched, and the fight was much closer. ‘Blessed’ was the winner on many people’s scorecards after five rounds but the judges awarded Volkanovski a split decision win.

Since then, Holloway has bounced back with decision wins over Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Volkanovski survived a couple of scares to defend his belt against Brian Ortega.

Do you think we’ll see Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway 3 in 2022?

Julianna Peña Closes Her Investigation Of The COVID-19 Pandemic

Julianna Peña has wrapped up her COVID-19 investigation. During her recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Julianna Peña opened up on a wide range of issues, and she even brushed up on her informal career as an investigative reporter. MMA News covered Peña’s initial dabbling into the journalism field when she was hot […]

Continue Reading Julianna Peña Closes Her Investigation Of The COVID-19 Pandemic at MMA News.

Julianna Peña has wrapped up her COVID-19 investigation.

During her recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Julianna Peña opened up on a wide range of issues, and she even brushed up on her informal career as an investigative reporter.

MMA News covered Peña’s initial dabbling into the journalism field when she was hot on the case of Amanda Nunes’ UFC 265 pull-out. She ultimately concluded that Nunes pulled out because she was ill-prepared for the original fight date of August 7, 2020. In fact, throughout the course of her investigation, Peña determined that Nunes was more than likely never stricken with the coronavirus at all, despite that being the reported reason for her withdrawal.

This would not be the end of Peña’s remarks connected to COVID-19. Peña would revert to her investigative ways on the JRE where she addressed many subjects and theories pertaining to the pandemic.

On Mask Efficacy

“For me, I don’t put on a mask unless somebody asks me. I’m like, “That’s over. Come on,” Peña said.

When asked what kind of mask she was referring to, she replied, “Gas masks. I don’t know. I’m sick of this. I’m seriously so sick of it.”

Peña would later point to a specific demonstration that she feels debunks the protection efficacy of masks.

“Have you seen that guy where he takes a pool from a vape pen on the outside and then just like clouds and plumes of smoke coming out? It’s like, what is it really protecting?”

On Her Experience With COVID-19

“Fine,” Peña said of her bout with the virus. “I mean, I had the chills. It started with the headache, and I had a massive headache for two days. I couldn’t understand what was going on…and I had the chills day three. It was freezing. I had sweatpants on, everything, and three blankets, and I was still shivering cold. I think day four or five, I lost taste and smell, and then I had a very mild cough, and then it was gone.”

Exposing The COVID-19 “Conspiracy”

“I’m a massive conspiracy theorist on this whole thing, and I have been since the very beginning. I’m like, ‘This is just a money grab. They’re trying to kill us, and this is ridiculous.”

After Rogan was taken aback by these remarks, Peña would swiftly present her supporting evidence.

“Well, remember [Dr. Peter] McCullough said that there’s a specific plant that’s growing somewhere and then one day they were all burned, gone. He said that there was like a field of this medicine somewhere else and then when they went to go back for it, it was all burned down.”

“Well, at this point, I don’t even think it’s a conspiracy anymore with all the other stuff that’s happening. It’s like, no, this is reality.”

Conclusions

After receiving backlash for her conspiracy theory, Peña took the time to clarify and apologize for her remarks during a recent media scrum, thus bringing a close to her COVID-19 investigation.

“My words were a little bit misconstrued,” Peña said. “I am tired. I am exhausted. We are going on this pandemic two years, going on three years now. I just want things to go back to normal. I realize that they probably won’t. I didn’t mean to come across as insensitive, especially for the fact that I had COVID. Everybody that I know had COVID. I lost my aunt in Venezuela. I lost many people that were near and dear to me. It absolutely is real.

“I’m just angry, and frustrated, and exhausted over the whole situation because I just am wanting things to go back to normal. And so if I offended anybody by my comments on COVID, please, I would like to apologize. That was not, by any means, what I meant to say. I just meant to say that I’m frustrated with the way that the world is right now.”

Peña’s stint as a rogue investigative reporter may be off to a rocky start yet, but her career as a professional cage fighter is going quite swimmingly. “The Venezuelan Vixen” sits as your reigning, defending UFC women’s bantamweight champion after pulling off arguably the biggest win of 2021 when she unseated Amanda Nunes from the throne at UFC 269.

A rematch between the two is set for later this year at the conclusion of TUF 30, a season where both women will serve as head coaches.

Continue Reading Julianna Peña Closes Her Investigation Of The COVID-19 Pandemic at MMA News.

Sean Strickland Names The One MW Fighter He’d Rather Not Fight

UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland is as game as anyone when it comes to fighting, but not when it comes to fighting his friends. Strickland passed arguably the biggest test of his fighting career at UFC Vegas 47, outpacing Jack Hermansson en route to a unanimous decision win. His boxing led the dance once again […]

Continue Reading Sean Strickland Names The One MW Fighter He’d Rather Not Fight at MMA News.

UFC middleweight contender Sean Strickland is as game as anyone when it comes to fighting, but not when it comes to fighting his friends.

Strickland passed arguably the biggest test of his fighting career at UFC Vegas 47, outpacing Jack Hermansson en route to a unanimous decision win. His boxing led the dance once again as he overwhelmed Hermansson with his jab and combinations.

Strickland appears to be just one fight away from a potential title shot at 185 pounds, shortly after making the move from welterweight to middleweight full-time. Israel Adesanya will face Robert Whittaker in a title rematch at UFC 271 and the next title shot is arguably still up in the air.

Strickland is in a peculiar position in the middleweight division, but there’s one fighter who he’d rather not risk friendship in favor of competition.

“Yeah, Marvin Vettori, he’s a good buddy of mine,” Strickland said during his UFC Vegas 47 post-fight presser. “I actually helped him train for Costa and Jack. So I mean, I was his main training partner. That’s a fight I wouldn’t want to fight.

“They actually asked me when Costa drank too many wine and cookies, they offered me a lot of money to take his fight on a day notice. And I called Marvin and I was like, ‘Marvin, they’re offering me a lot of fuckin’ money. I have to say yes. Marvin being a good friend, he was like, ‘Dude, yes. I can’t blame you for saying yes.’ So that situation, I said yes, but if it’s just for what I’m making, I would rather bow my head. I’d let Marvin get another title shot before I fight him.”

Marvin Vettori was slated to face Paulo Costa in a middleweight headliner at UFC Vegas 41. However, Costa entered fight week about 30 pounds overweight, and the bout was moved to a light heavyweight fight on short notice.

Up until then, it was unclear if the UFC was planning to move forward with the bout. According to Strickland, the UFC involved him in their backup plans.

Strickland has been criticized by some UFC fans and pundits regarding his pre and post-fight verbal banter. But even he has limits when it comes to his desired opponents.

Who do you want to see Sean Strickland fight next?

Continue Reading Sean Strickland Names The One MW Fighter He’d Rather Not Fight at MMA News.

Dan Ige Vs. Movsar Evloev In The Works For June 4 UFC Event

A featherweight showdown between rising contenders Dan Ige and Movsar Evloev is close to being finalized for a June 4 UFC event. News of the targeted booking was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. Ige is coming off a Fight of the Year contender against Josh Emmett at UFC 269, despite losing via unanimous decision. […]

Continue Reading Dan Ige Vs. Movsar Evloev In The Works For June 4 UFC Event at MMA News.

A featherweight showdown between rising contenders Dan Ige and Movsar Evloev is close to being finalized for a June 4 UFC event.

News of the targeted booking was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.

Ige is coming off a Fight of the Year contender against Josh Emmett at UFC 269, despite losing via unanimous decision. He’s lost two of his last three, including to featherweight title challenger Chan Sung Jung last June.

If the booking is confirmed, this will easily be the toughest test of the upstart Evloev’s young career in the Octagon. He’s undefeated in his UFC tenure and will enter the fight with a 15-0 professional record.

Despite his recent losing skid, Ige remains one of the toughest featherweights in the UFC. He began his Octagon tenure on a six-fight winning streak after losing his debut against Julio Arce at UFC 220.

During that streak, Ige picked up dominant wins over the likes of Mirsad Bektic and Edson Barboza. The Dana White’s Contender Series alum is still just entering the prime of his MMA career and has the chance to replicate his previous successes.

Evloev has emerged as arguably one of the top prospects in the UFC. He most recently picked up wins in impressive fashion over fellow prospect Hakeem Dawodu and also MMA veteran Nik Lentz. Dan Ige could present some interesting challenges for Evloev, particularly with his striking.

Evloev was originally supposed to face Ilia Topuria earlier this year before withdrawing just days before the fight.

It’s unclear if the fight will be booked for a UFC Fight Night event or a pay-per-view card. But regardless, it’s a massive fight that is sure to garner the attention of fans.

What are your thoughts on this featherweight matchup?

Continue Reading Dan Ige Vs. Movsar Evloev In The Works For June 4 UFC Event at MMA News.

Chris Weidman Planning On 2022 Return To The UFC

Chris WeidmanFormer UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman remains focused on a triumphant return to the cage later this year. Weidman suffered a horrific leg break in his fight against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 last year. He’s been working his way back to training in MMA but suffered a setback just months ago, delaying his comeback. […]

Chris Weidman

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman remains focused on a triumphant return to the cage later this year.

Weidman suffered a horrific leg break in his fight against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 last year. He’s been working his way back to training in MMA but suffered a setback just months ago, delaying his comeback.

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Weidman provided an update on his injury and where he’s at in his process back to the octagon.

Chris Weidman Remains Committed To UFC Comeback

“I want to fight before I turn 38 in June,” Weidman said. “That’s my goal. I hate seeing the older age on the screen when I get introduced. I’ve always been like that, even when I was in my 20s. I don’t want to be 29, I want to be 28 for the next one. So I still have that in me a little bit, now I’m just way older. So if I could fight around early June, that would be great. Again, there’s a lot in the air and it’s very unpredictable.

“This is a very serious injury. I’ve been through lots of injuries before, obviously you know I’ve had 25 surgeries. This is very different. There’s a lot of moving parts. So I have goals when I’d like to fight but I’m not going to die over a month or two difference. I am coming back and I am coming back in 2022.”

Before his injury, Weidman earned an impressive win over Omari Akhmedov in his middleweight return. He had lost his light heavyweight debut against Dominick Reyes in late 2019.

Weidman has lost six of his last eight and the chances of him making another title run are relatively low. But, the fact that he’s able to fully recover from his brutal leg break is impressive in itself.

Who do you want to see Chris Weidman fight for his UFC return?

Julianna Peña Wants Attention To Shift From Title Win To Nunes Rematch

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña is hoping to turn the attention to her first title defense following her incredible crowning at UFC 269 last month. Despite being over a month removed from her gold-winning performance at the final pay-per-view of 2021, talk of Peña’s upset win in Las Vegas has barely died down. At […]

Continue Reading Julianna Peña Wants Attention To Shift From Title Win To Nunes Rematch at MMA News.

UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña is hoping to turn the attention to her first title defense following her incredible crowning at UFC 269 last month.

Despite being over a month removed from her gold-winning performance at the final pay-per-view of 2021, talk of Peña’s upset win in Las Vegas has barely died down. At UFC 269, she was tasked with ending the 12-fight win streak of then-two-division titleholder Amanda Nunes, and with becoming the first woman to defeat the Brazilian since 2014.

On paper? A difficult, if not impossible, task. In reality? A task Peña expected to complete.

With the majority of fans and pundits not giving her a chance, “The Venezuelan Vixen” entered the Octagon and delivered the performance of a lifetime. After escaping the opening round, Peña turned the heat up on a fatigued and visibly wobbly “Lioness.”

After rocking Nunes on the feet, Peña dragged her to the mat and submitted her, leaving the commentators, fans in attendance, and MMA community in shock. But one person without any surprise on her face was the newly-crowned 135-pound queen.

Peña: “I Just Wanna Talk About Moving Forward”

Given the feat Peña achieved, one that is widely considered the greatest upset in UFC history, it’s no surprise that questions about her reaction to the result and thoughts on becoming champion are still ever-present in her interviews.

However, Peña wants talk to turn to her next step; defending the gold for the first time in a rematch against Nunes.

In an interview with Caroline Pearce for BT Sport, the champion suggested she’s keen to move forward and focus on the first challenge to her reign, which will come after a stint coaching this year’s season of The Ultimate Fighter alongside the “Lioness.”

“I feel exactly the same. I expected to win that night. I expect to win in the future. It was what I expected from myself, so it wasn’t a surprise to me. I just wanna talk about moving forward, what’s gonna happen, and getting this rematch underneath my belt… I would love to stay active.”

After Peña’s memorable triumph at UFC 269, both her and UFC President Dana White wasted little time in confirming the planned next step. At the post-fight press conference, White said Nunes would certainly be offered an immediate chance at redemption, something the Brazilian welcomed with open arms.

With the inevitable back and forth that comes with a TUF season, it stands to reason their second clash will be a fiery affair.

Having been the consensus female fighter of the year in 2021, Peña will look to create a similarly successful 2022, which will need to start with a second victory over the woman most regard as the greatest female fighter of all time.

Do you think Julianna Peña can defeat Amanda Nunes for a second time when they meet for a rematch later this year?

Continue Reading Julianna Peña Wants Attention To Shift From Title Win To Nunes Rematch at MMA News.