Author: mmafighting
Eight months after announcing his retirement at UFC 287, Jorge Masvidal on Monday tweeted he is “unretired.” The two-time UFC welterweight title challenger added nothing beyond his one-word message, and he did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment from MMA Fighting. This past October, Masvidal targeted a return to competition in boxing after two decades in MMA. “No names right now, but I can tell you it’s early next year, and I can tell you somebody is going to get killed,” Masvidal told ESPN.com. BKFC Mike Perry recently targeted Masvidal for a bare-knuckle fight, though Masvidal indicated…
Joe Pyfer will face an opponent he truly respects in his first UFC main event, but he doesn’t expect the judges to be needed. Pyfer meets Jack Hermansson in the main event of the UFC’s Feb. 10 fight card in Las Vegas. Pyfer expects the perennial middleweight contender to show a lot of heart, but when it’s all said and done, the Contender Series standout believes his intangibles will be far too much. “I don’t think his boxing is all that good,” Pyfer said recently on The MMA Hour. “I think that he’s a tough guy. I think he’s got…
2023 is officially in the books! That’s right kiddos, it’s 2024 and you know what that means: new year, same old nonsense. The MMA world is still a few weeks away from waking back up so we put out an open call for questions about what’s to come this year and we got a ton of them covering just about every topic. Given that, we’re shooting for volume here, so let’s hop right in. New Champions For the past two years, the esteemed Shaheen Al-Shatti and I have done a fantasy draft at the start of every year, picking three…
UFC legend Chuck Liddell doesn’t mind trash talk, but make sure to keep his family’s names out of your mouth. Unfortunately, it appears all bets are off when it comes to personal attacks in combat sports, especially in the wake of the tasteless comments Colby Covington launched — and continues to launch — at Leon Edwards about his late father in relation to their fight at UFC 296, which Edwards won in a rout. Liddell understands that fighters needs to sell fights to get people interested, but he hates how far things have escalated lately in the UFC. “Some of…
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson never got emotional after one of his own losses but he broke down in tears the night he saw a friend and teammate suffer a brutal defeat. The former UFC light heavyweight champion recounted the emotional moment that led to the only time he remembered crying in the locker room and it’s all Dan Henderson’s fault. It was back at UFC 100 when Henderson went scorched earth on Michael Bisping with a devastating right hand that knocked out the future UFC middleweight king in one of the most jaw-dropping finishes of all time. “I never cried, but…
Belal Muhammad didn’t think much about Colby Covington heading into UFC 296, but he somehow left Las Vegas with even less respect for the three-time title challenger. Muhammad kept a close eye on Covington and reigning UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards as a backup for the title fight, hoping he would face the winner in 2024. It didn’t matter who came away with the title, because he just wanted his chance to become champion. But then Covington launched an ill-advised insult aimed at Edwards’ deceased father during the pre-fight press conference that even had Muhammad feeling bad for a potential…
Derek Brunson spent 21 fights and nearly 11 years in the UFC, but he didn’t earn his biggest paycheck until debuting in the PFL in November. The veteran middleweight didn’t reveal exactly how much money he was paid by his new promotion, but Brunson raved about the treatment he received after signing with the PFL. Brunson joined the organization after asking for his release from the UFC, which was granted, and he went on to defeat Ray Cooper III at the PFL Finals card to close out 2023. “For sure, my biggest payday ever,” Brunson told MMA Fighting. “It’s pretty…
With 2023 being such a crazy year in the world of mixed martial arts, we felt it was important to look back at the predictions that were made heading into a memorable year for the sport. In part one of our two-part predictions extravaganza, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee look back on some of the responses they had to listener questions in regards to what 2023 was going to bring. Topics include Conor McGregor’s activity for the year, whether or not Jon Jones would retire at some point, if Dana White would be punished for what happened…
After one of the craziest years in MMA history, it’s more abundantly clear than ever that no one in MMA actually knows anything. (Well, except our ol’ pal Guilherme Cruz, who won this exercise in 2023 with a sterling 50 percent hit rate. Well done, Gui.) But it’s New Year’s Day, which means it’s about that time to peer into our crystal balls and give it another shot. Who will be UFC champions at the end of 2024? MMA Fighting staffers Shaun Al-Shatti, Conner Burks, Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, Eric Jackman, Alexander K. Lee, E. Casey Leydon, Steven Marrocco, Damon…
Francis Ngannou arguably made the biggest impact in combat sports in 2023. To kick off his yearly campaign, the 37-year-old Ngannou made the bold decision to bet on himself and leave behind the UFC, where he made his name and ultimately became the heavyweight champion. Unable to negotiate a new deal that allowed him the freedom to pursue other ventures — like boxing — “The Predator” parted ways with the promotion and signed with the PFL as not only a fighter but an “owner and chairman,” overseeing PFL’s new Africa league. Ngannou has yet to make his return to MMA…