MMA News

Author: Jack Wannan

  • Teddy Atlas Compares Peña Over Nunes To Two Historic Combat Upsets

    Teddy Atlas has compared the recent win by Julianna Peña to some of the biggest upsets in combat sports history.

    Peña’s win against Amanda Nunes has shocked the combat sports world. Peña picked up a win last weekend in the UFC 269 co-main event, ending a back-and-forth battle in the second round with a rear-naked choke submission.

    Many have since questioned where the result stands in the history of upsets in MMA. Is it one of the biggest shocks we have seen in the Octagon thus far?

    Atlas, a famous boxing trainer and combat sports pundit, recently weighed in about what fights he could compare Peña’s recent win against Amanda Nunes to. Racking his brain about the fight, he considered a ’90s boxing outcome and a more recent UFC result as two fair comparisons.

    “The first comparison that comes to you is Buster Douglas and [Mike] Tyson. When you think of the enormity of the upset, you know,” he said on his podcast The Fight with Teddy Atlas. “But I was surprised [the commentators] didn’t mention one that was pretty damn enormous right in their own sport. And that was [Holly] Holm and [Ronda] Rousey. People forget how dominant Rousey was. I mean, Rousey was a monster. I mean, she was Godzilla and when she got stopped and beaten… she got beat by Holly Holm, who was a former [boxer].” (h/t Sportskeeda)

    Comparing Peña vs. Nunes To Upsets Of The Past

    Dana White: my
    Image Credit: AP/Andy Brownbill

    Douglas’ 1990 win over Tyson is legendary and is one of the most notorious upsets in sports history. The fight saw Douglas not only enter as a 42-to-1 underdog but also make a comeback after being knocked down to later stop Tyson in the 10th round.

    The comparison of Nunes and Rousey’s upset losses has been made by many recently. The results were both widely regarded as a massive upset, and both fights declared the end of dominant reigns at bantamweight.

    It’s certainly up for debate where Peña’s win ranks in the grand scheme of upsets. However, if there’s one thing for sure, it’s that the bantamweight title fight will be discussed by fans for years to come.

    Where would you rank Peña’s upset victory over Amanda Nunes in MMA history?

  • Belal Muhammad Sees Himself As The ‘New Blood’ That Usman Needs

    Belal Muhammad thinks he is next in line for a fight against UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman.

    Riding the momentum of his win Saturday night against Stephen Thompson, Muhammad insisted on himself being the next name in line for the welterweight division’s current champ. He made his case for a title fight following his win, stating exactly why he thinks other names don’t match up to a title fight including him.

    Muhammad sees other challengers as not a good enough test for Usman. He thinks the current champ has received too much credit for his wins and isn’t as good as people make him out to be.

    “My streak is as long as Leon [Edwards’] streak, and he already lost to Usman. Let’s stop with these rematches. Let’s stop with ‘oh he beat Colby [Covington] twice, he beat [Jorge] Masvidal twice, he’s the GOAT.’ Nah, give him new blood,” said Muhammad during the post-fight press conference Saturday.

    Comparing Muhammad and Usman

    Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington
    Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, Image Credit: UFC.com

    Muhammad arguably scored the biggest win of his career over the weekend, putting on a dominant performance against “Wonderboy” Thompson. His use of wrestling along with ground-and-pound allowed him a lopsided decision win that saw him earn a 10-8 round on all three judge’s scorecards.

    Muhammad is now undefeated since 2019 with six wins in that time. Before Saturday, his most recent win came against veteran Demian Maia at UFC 263.

    He should expect a jolt up the welterweight rankings next week, as Thompson entered the weekend ranked fifth in the division.

    Usman has dominated the welterweight division since becoming champion in 2019 with a win over Tyron Woodley. He defended his belt for the fifth time in November, defeating Covington via decision in a rematch.

    Do you think Belal Muhammad should be next in line for a title fight?

  • Sean Strickland: I Want To Take Jack Hermansson’s Soul & Watch Him Bleed

    Sean Strickland has intense emotions about his upcoming main event fight against Jack Hermansson.

    Strickland’s fight against Hermansson is still two months out, but he already has intense emotions about how the bout could play out. The rising middleweight contender said recently that when he meets Hermansson in UFC’s February 5th headliner, he hopes to “take everything” from Hermansson, including his “soul.”

    The ranked middleweight mentioned his violent plans in a recent interview.

    “I think it’s going to be a kickboxing match. I think we’re going to stand and bang. Obviously, it’s a fight, anything happens, but like the fourth round I want to f*cking take his soul,” Strickland said to MMA Junkie. “I want to take everything from him. I want to watch him bleed. I want to watch him hurt. The fourth round I really just want to f*cking put it on him.”

    Jack Hermansson Provides Big Challenge For Sean Strickland

    Sean Strickland
    Sean Strickland

    While confident in his words and planning to bring violence, Strickland undoubtedly has a big challenge ahead of him, as Hermansson is a tough contender in his own right.

    Hermansson has won three of his last five bouts. His recent losses have come against big names in the division like Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori. His last appearance was in May, where he beat prospect Edmen Shahbazyan on the judges’ scorecards.

    A win for Strickland will continue his quick and successful rise up the 185-pound division. Strickland won his first UFC main event in July, defeating Uriah Hall on scorecards. The fight was his fourth victory since returning in the fall of 2020.

    Strickland envisions a victory next year, potentially setting him up for a fight against the UFC middleweight champion. He expects the result of his fight, along with an upcoming clash between Derek Brunson and Jared Cannonier, to determine who is next in line for champion Israel Adesanya.

    Who is your pick for the early February main event? Sean Strickland or Jack Hermansson?

  • Claudia Gadelha Declares Retirement From MMA, Departs UFC Roster

    Former UFC title challenger Claudia Gadelha has reportedly indicated her intention to retire from MMA.

    Gadelha recently notified the UFC of her plan to stop competing in the sport, per a report from Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. The recent story explained that Gadelha is no longer on the UFC roster after informing the promotion that she doesn’t plan to continue fighting.

    The 33-year-old fighter is leaving the UFC roster with a promotional record of seven wins and five losses. Her MMA record as a whole currently sits at 18 wins through 23 appearances.

    She most notably challenged for the UFC Strawweight Championship in 2016, fighting to a unanimous decision loss against Joanna Jędrzejczyk. The fight was heavily promoted, as they coached on The Ultimate Fighter in the lead-up, and they headlined the live Season 23 finale.

    Looking Back At Gadelha’s Career

    Claudia Gadelha
    Image Credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

    Gadelha has fought as a pro since 2008. After putting together an undefeated record of 11 consecutive wins, she signed with the UFC in 2014. She went on to become one of the more active strawweight fighters in the following years.

    She notably earned a first-round submission win against Karolina Kowalkiewicz in 2017. This made her only the second woman at that time to beat the former title challenger.

    Gadelha took a loss in her last fight in November 2020 to Yan Xiaonan. She had momentum in the division before then, however. Her two previous fights were victories over veteran fighters Randa Markos and Angela Hill.

    Gadelha has yet to comment on her departure from the UFC roster, although she has acknowledged the news on social media and updated her Instagram bio to say “Former UFC Fighter.”

    How will you remember the career of Claudia Gadelha?

  • Dan Hooker Wants To Make Featherweight Return Against Brian Ortega

    Dan Hooker wants one of the featherweight division’s biggest challenges for his return to the weight class.

    Hooker recently revealed that he asked UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby to face Brian Ortega for his first featherweight fight since 2016. This conversation took place at UFC 269, where Hooker was cornering teammate Kai Kara-France.

    Hooker, a regular at lightweight, recently had a successful practice weight cut at featherweight. He posted his successful attempt on Instagram, showing that he was able to meet the 146-pound limit.

    Hooker claimed he wanted to join the division with a fight against The Korean Zombie. However, after he was informed that Zombie is injured, he shifted his focus to the two-time title challenger.

    “After Kai’s win, [I saw] Sean Shelby on the way out, and that’s the first time I’ve heard from him since the featherweight [post online],” said Hooker in an interview with The Mac Life. “He’s obviously seen it, and he was like, ‘Well, what are you going to do? 55, 45?’ I said yeah, 45. I can make 45 quite comfortably if I get something good. He goes, ‘Who do you want?’ I said ‘Korean Zombie,’ but he’s injured. What about Ortega? He goes, ‘Oh, I’ll have a look. I’ll send you a list.’ I was amped up.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

    Potential Fight Gives Hooker & Ortega A Chance To Rebound

    Dan Hooker
    Dan Hooker (Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

    Dan Hooker’s UFC run initially started at featherweight, competing six times in the weight class from 2014 to 2016. He later shifted to lightweight, where he has competed for his last 12 appearances.

    Hooker is planning to drop down a weight class after fighting against some of the top names at lightweight. Over the past year, he has faced former Bellator Champion Michael Chandler and rising lightweight contender Islam Makhachev.

    A potential bout against Ortega gives both fighters a chance to bounce back after recently facing defeat. Ortega notably lost a title fight earlier this year, dropping a decision to divisional champ Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266.

    Who do you want Dan Hooker to face in his featherweight debut?

  • Kevin Lee Will Be Paid Exclusively In Bitcoin For Eagle FC Fights

    Kevin Lee’s four-fight contract with Eagle FC will be paid to him exclusively through cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

    After being paid in money during his long UFC career, Lee will be taking a unique route to kick off his partnership with Eagle FC.

    Lee’s deal with Eagle FC was first announced Wednesday. His signing came just more than a week after his UFC career had an abrupt end. The promotion reportedly cut him from their roster in late November, ending an 18-fight run in the Octagon.

    Lee described his new deal as a lucrative first in the sport.

    “To be the first MMA fighter who has a deal worth millions of dollars in Bitcoin, the first one, there was some appeal to that for me,” said Lee in an interview on The MMA Hour.

    Lee: Bitcoin Saved Me Before

    Kevin Lee
    Kevin Lee (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

    Lee’s interest in cryptocurrency is in part due to how it has helped him before. Lee described in his interview how an investment he made into Bitcoin four years ago allowed him to make money while he was dealing with injuries last year.

    “After my fight with Tony [Ferguson], I invested in Bitcoin all the way back then. Honestly, when I had the knee surgeries, it saved my a**. Because I forgot about that money, but then when Bitcoin blew back up, that gave me some money to live off of. So it’s something that I really believe in and that’s honestly gonna be the big future.”

    Lee’s new contract is part of a slowly growing trend seen around sports. NFL player Sean Culkin announced earlier this year that he will have a contract that is exclusively paid in Bitcoin. He is the first fighter in NFL’s history to do so.

    Jorge Masvidal’s bare-knuckle MMA promotion Gamebred Fighting Championship has utilized cryptocurrency in the past, using it to hand out performance bonuses after events.

    Do you expect more fighters to ask for cryptocurrency-based contracts in the future?

  • Stephen Thompson Wants To Become The Oldest Fighter In UFC History

    Stephen Thompson hopes his already illustrious MMA career can be record-breaking by the time he retires.

    The experienced UFC welterweight said recently that he wants to compete for many years to come, hoping to eventually become the oldest fighter in the promotion’s history.

    Thompson still has a long way to go before he can call himself the oldest to grace the UFC octagon. For example, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture was 47 years old when he fought in his final MMA bout, losing to Lyoto Machida in 2011.

    Nonetheless, the way Thompson feels now indicates that he has a lot left in the tank. He revealed his optimistic career aspirations in a recent interview on The MMA Hour.

    “I want to break records, man. I wanna be the oldest guy who ever fought in the UFC. They are going to have to bring out a senior division or something,” he said, joking in his interview. “It’s the plan. I will do this as long as my body will let me or when my dad says I’m done.” (H/T Sportskeeda)

    The fighting style of Thompson could potentially be a contributing factor for his longevity in the sport. The karate-base fighter has only been finished in one of his fights and has taken little damage in many of his other showings.

    Thompson Isn’t Going Anywhere Soon

    Stephen Thompson, Belal Muhammad
    Stephen Thompson, Belal Muhammad (Image Credits: Jeff Bottari/Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

    Also in the interview, Thompson gave credit to his team for how he is currently progressing as a fighter.

    “I have always loved fighting, but I never thought that I would be where I am today and still feeling the way I do. And obviously, that has a lot to do with the coaches and the way I’m training so hats off to those guys.”

    It’s uncertain whether Thompson can become the oldest fighter in UFC’s history. However, it’s safe to say the welterweight likely won’t be departing the sport soon. Thompson’s management announced earlier this week that he reached a new deal that will keep him on the UFC roster.

    Thompson said on The MMA Hour that his new contract is a six-fight deal.

    Thompson will return to the Octagon this Saturday when he faces rising contender Belal Muhammad. The co-main event fight is part of UFC’s final event of the year.

    Do you think Stephen Thompson can become one of the oldest fighters in UFC history?

  • Peña To Sleepers: “I Am Very Proud To Say I Woke You Up”

    Julianna Peña hopes her recent win over Amanda Nunes can teach doubters a lesson.

    The newly crowned UFC Bantamweight Champion Peña is well aware that the fight world didn’t expect her to come out on top against Amanda Nunes at UFC 269. But after securing a shocking second-round rear naked choke submission win over the weekend, Peña is happy to tell everyone they made a mistake by not giving her a chance.

    Peña attributes a large part of her success to a positive mindset heading into the fight. She says she had confidence from the start and was able to put aside the vocal skepticism that was placed upon her.

    “The message to those people is that I just proved that it can be done, you know what I mean? It’s the power of the mind. It’s the power of your faith. And it’s the power of your desire and your willpower and your determination,” Peña said on The MMA Hour. “I know that people were sleeping on me. I know that people have tried to cast me and throw me in a box as this underdog. But I know one thing for sure. If you have two girls, whether they sit in the bottom of the seed or the top of the seed, if you have two girls that are willing and able to sign on the dotted line and fight, you have a fight.

    “And as long as you fight and you go out there and prove how big your dog is, then that’s all that matters. Fighting in a steel cage is very simple. It’s a fistfight in a steel cage. Anything can happen, and anything is possible.”

    Peña Wants Story To Be Seen In The Bigger Picture

    Julianna Pena
    Julianna Pena (Image Credit: Getty Images/Carmen Mandato)

    Peña doesn’t want her win to just be a story about herself. Instead, she hopes that her victory can teach people to not count out others, or even themselves.

    “The word ‘impossible’ literally is broken down to ‘I’m possible.’ And I have always believed in myself and my ability. I have just always been so loud about wanting a shot. Just somebody give me a shot. Give me an opportunity. Give me my chance. Everybody else has gotten their chances and no one will give me my chance. And that’s why I was so frustrated because I felt like I’ve been doing this for as long as the division has been open and screaming and kicking and punching and screaming for my shot and no one would give me the opportunity.

    “So to finally get that opportunity and for all those people that were sleeping on me, I am very proud to say I woke you up, and I hope that this is a lesson learned for anybody that has ever doubted me or doubted themselves.”

    Did you count Julianna Peña out before her fight against Amanda Nunes?