Author: mmafighting
RIZIN Fighting Federation is the Japanese MMA organization that Anderson Silva was referring to when he revealed to MMA Fighting in June that he was “in talks” with for his retirement bout, company president Nobuyuki Sakakibara confirmed. Sakakibara, who was the head of PRIDE when Silva went 3-2 in the promotion, told MMA Fighting that “our doors are always open” for the former UFC middleweight champion if he decides to compete one final time in MMA. “Anderson has fought for us – our relationship goes way back,” Sakakibara said through a translator. “To answer your question, yes, we have spoken,…
Gegard Mousasi are at odds on social media, even if it doesn’t sound like they’ll be fighting anytime soon. The middleweight veterans are in an online spat after Mousasi tweeted Wednesday that the PFL had offered him a fight with Brunson, and Brunson refused to accept. See Mousasi’s claim below. “Update: PFL wants me to fight very soon against Derek Brunson,” Mousasi wrote. “Derek refused to accept the fight again. He said he wanted nothing to do with it. Three times he has refused to fight me over the years. The fans lose. Let’s hope PFL can find me a…
Before Aljamain Sterling makes his expected move up to the UFC featherweight division, he is set to grapple a current UFC lightweight to start 2024. Promotional officials announced Thursday that Sterling will face Chase Hooper in the main event of ADXC 2, which takes place Jan. 19 at Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi. Additionally, multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney will face Bellator veteran Sidney Outlaw at the event. Sterling has announced his plans to move up to 145 after losing the bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley at UFC…
Colby Covington initially cited ring rust after nearly two years off as a reason for his lackluster performance against Leon Edwards at UFC 296. Now, the always-outspoken welterweight claims he also suffered an injury early in the fight this past Saturday night. During an appearance on the PBD podcast, Covington alleged he broke his foot when Edwards’ elbow blocked the first kick he threw. Covington said he knew the injury was bad, but he couldn’t tell his coaches in the corner, fearing the info would get picked up during the broadcast and the information would get to Edwards. “I broke…
Jake Paul is accustomed to headlining cards but he’ll step into a co-main event for his next fight while shining a spotlight on Amanda Serrano in the headliner. On Thursday, Paul announced plans to book his next fight on March 2 with a card scheduled in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with Serrano facing German featherweight Nina Meinke in the main event. The card will air live on DAZN in the United States. Guess who’s back 🙂 … Jake already? Yes, I’m on a mission… But this one is much bigger than me. This one is for the greatest Puerto Rican…
Deontay Wilder is open to a big crossover fight with Francis Ngannou, but he needs to learn more about what the PFL is thinking. PFL co-founder Donn Davis has expressed interest in booking a “mixed rules” bout between the two heavyweight knockout artists following Ngannou’s valiant effort against Tyson Fury in an October boxing match. While Wilder is interested, he claims he has no idea what the bout would entail. “I’d have to hear more about these mixed rules,” Wilder told Lucky Block (h/t DAZN). “I wouldn’t mind fighting in the [cage] and stuff, but I’d have to understand how…
While Belal Muhammad seems like a pretty clear choice to get the next shot at Leon Edwards and the UFC welterweight title, things still appear to be up in the air in regards to how the 170-pound title picture plays out. Does Shavkat Rakhmonov jump over him? Is the UFC waiting to see what happens with the Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight? Muhammad certainly deserves the shot, but will he get it? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses that and states his case for Muhammad to get his day in court,…
Josh Emmett knew from the moment he landed his thunderous punch on Bryce Mitchell at UFC 296 that the fight was already over. It was arguably the most memorable moment from the final UFC pay-per-view of the year when Emmett uncorked a hellacious right hand that crumbled Mitchell and sent him in a heap down to the canvas. Replays minus the commentary revealed the sickening thud when Emmett’s fist connected on Mitchell’s jaw, which he equates to a home run in baseball or a moonshot on the golf course. “When I did connect, it’s like if you’ve ever played baseball…
With the conclusion of UFC 296, the UFC’s 2023 campaign is over, and that means it’s almost time to hand out some hardware as the MMA Fighting year-end awards are just around the corner. The panel will preview the 2023 awards following a quick look back at UFC 296, Colby Covington’s head scratching performance against Leon Edwards, and more. This week, the panel of MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and E. Casey Leydon preview the MMA Fighting 2023 year-end awards and reveal their top-five nominees for Fighter of the Year and discuss where Sean Strickland fits in after…
Belal Muhammad knew he should be fighting Leon Edwards in UFC 296’s main event, but he decided to grin and bear it while Colby Covington got his third welterweight title shot in five fights. In the end, Covington delivered an underwhelming performance with Edwards nearly shutting him out over five lackluster rounds. Before the fight, Muhammad successfully weighed in as a last-minute backup, but he also hoped that gesture would secure his spot as the No. 1 contender. However, despite Muhammad’s 10-fight unbeaten streak, including multiple wins over top 15 ranked opponents, Edwards still downplayed his chances at getting a…