Author: mmafighting
Gilbert Burns was on high alert sitting so close to Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis at UFC 296. By now, everyone has seen the viral clip of Strickland and du Plessis brawling in the crowd at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The scene starts off with Strickland calmly asking members of the audience, including Burns’ family, to move aside so that he could have a clear path to lunge at his upcoming UFC 297 main event opponent. Burns’ wife Bruna told MMA Fighting that her family was fine after the incident, and Gilbert recently appeared on the JAXXON podcast…
The first UFC card in 2024 has suffered some major changes ahead of the event on Jan. 13. UFC Vegas 84, which takes place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, will be headlined by a light heavyweight rematch when Magomed Ankalaev takes on Johnny Walker in a five-round fight. While that matchup is still a go, several other fights have been changed or scrapped ahead of the event. Bantamweight contender Ketlen Vieira was removed for her bout against Macy Chiasson due to undisclosed reasons and that fight has now been cancelled. The same goes for another bantamweight fight with…
The more things change, the more it stays the same. That’s essentially the message that the UFC sent to fighters after releasing full details around the new revamped anti-doping program that launches on Dec. 31. The updated drug testing program kicks off the new year after the UFC cut ties with the United States Anti-Doping Agency in an ugly breakup. While there are a few minor details that differentiate the new UFC anti-doping program from the old version, most of the major sticking points remain exactly the same as before. Perhaps the biggest change for fighters will be the testing…
Michael Chandler seems like he’s getting tired of waiting on Conor McGregor to cement their showdown that’s rumored for the historic UFC 300 card in April. After squaring off against each other as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter, which filmed in early 2022, Chandler and McGregor have been awaiting an actual date to get announced for their fight. First things first, McGregor had to re-enter the UFC’s anti-doping program but he’ll be eligible to compete again in April. That said, Chandler still hasn’t received official word that the fight with McGregor is happening so he fired off a couple of…
It’s time for the fifth-annual Fistys, the awards show that hands out hypothetical hardware to the best combat sports highlights of the year from the international and regional scene. Much has been said about how 2023 was the strangest 12-month stretch that fight fans have ever seen at the higher levels of the business, which makes what happened on the fringes seem almost tame by comparison. Still, the outer limits of the fighting world never fail to deliver, and there were plenty of memorable scenes that might have escaped the eye of the average viewer. So consider this post to…
Kevin Holland has given Ian Machado Garry a taste of his own medicine. Holland recently wore a “Wagged” T-shirt with Garry’s face during a recent training session he posted on Instagram. Holland’s T-shirt obviously references the current controversy surrounding Garry and his wife, who wrote a book How to be a WAG almost a decade ago. Holland and Garry both have big fights early next year. Holland is welcoming Michael ‘Venom’ Page to the UFC 299, while Garry is competing against Geoff Neal at UFC 298. Garry upset Neal recently by creating a T-shirt with Neal’s mugshot from a recent…
Short-notice fights have always been a pathway to gain entrance into the UFC, but not all of these matchups are measured the same. For Diego Lopes, he accepted an opportunity to make his octagon debut on just five days’ notice and he had to go up against undefeated Russian Movsar Evloev, who has often been touted as a future title contender and already sports a top-10 featherweight ranking. Meanwhile, Lopes limped into the UFC with a 1-2 record in his past three fights, which included a decision loss to Joanderson Brito in a Contender Series appearance. When he was announced…
Colby Covington’s next fight will be a critical one. It’s safe to say that UFC 296’s main event didn’t quite go the way anyone expected earlier this month. After nearly the full year of build-up, Covington returned to action for an arguably undeserved third-career undisputed UFC welterweight title shot. Unfortunately for “Chaos,” the third time wasn’t the charm as he was soundly stifled in an uncharacteristic performance as the champion Leon Edwards cruised to a 49-46 unanimous decision victory across the board. UFC 296 was a fight week full of characters with the 170-pound weight class taking up most of…
Oktagon MMA will employ open scoring for all fights starting with the promotion’s upcoming event from the Czech Republic on Friday, Dec. 29. The European promotion made the announcement on Wednesday, with Oktagon 51 scheduled to kick off at 12 p.m. ET from the O2 Arena in Prague. Open scoring will be provided for the athletes and their coaches in the corner, with the scores also shown to the crowd and the viewing audience after each round. Promotion officials confirmed to MMA Fighting that the plan is to continue using open scoring at all future Oktagon MMA events. Over the…
Deiveson Figueiredo has UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley in his sights next. After O’Malley took to social media to rate Figueiredo’s bantamweight debut a three out of 10, the former UFC flyweight champion responded to the score on The MMA Hour. “I think that he has something to worry about,” Figueiredo recently said through his translator. “I’m the original. And if he’s the virus, I’m the antivirus to him.” O’Malley’s first title defense is set for UFC 299 on March 9, and Figueiredo feels that “one more fight should put me in line for the title.” Having said that, Figueiredo…