Author: mmafighting
Tony Ferguson is marching on after his latest setback. A lopsided unanimous decision loss to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296 this past Saturday does not appear to have discouraged Ferguson, who has now seen his opponent’s hand raised in seven consecutive contests. Following the loss, the former UFC interim lightweight champion issued a message to his fans on Sunday via Instagram Stories: Love my fans and supporters. You are all f****** fire. I met lots of you tonight, keep the faith MF’s. One foot in front of the other b******. Remember what I said crew — Champ. It has been…
The UFC middleweight division’s best aren’t all too fond of each other. “Order restored,” shouted veteran play-by-play commentator Jon Anik as Israel Adesanya knocked out Alex Pereira to reclaim the middleweight title in their MMA rematch at UFC 287 in April. Unfortunately for “The Last Stylebender,” and the UFC’s security team, that order was short-lived. Adesanya’s second run as the divisional title holder went without a title defense unlike his first, which saw him secure five total. At UFC 293 in September, Adesanya was met with the fearless American Sean Strickland, who walked the then-champion down for five straight rounds…
Darren Elkins won’t be adding to his impressive octagon resume anytime soon. The longtime UFC featherweight announced Friday that he had to undergo surgery after breaking his leg in training. In a social media post addressing the situation, Elkins called it a “freak accident.” @darrenelkinsmma, Instagram “Current situation: I snapped my tibia and fibula in my right leg by freak accident during jiu-jitsu last night,” Elkins wrote. “Just got out of surgery where they put a nail in my leg.” A timetable for the 39-year-old Elkins’ return to action is not known. Elkins (28-11) most recently competed this past October…
By the time Leon Edwards had reached his final faceoff with Colby Covington, he was “fuming and shaking” from everything the three-time welterweight title challenger had said. Nothing was more disturbing than Covington’s insults directed at his father, who was murdered when he was growing up. But after a talk with his mom and his team, he composed himself and got his head straight. “F*** this guy, basically,” said Edwards at the post-UFC 296 press conference after routing Covington on the scorecards with unanimous 49-46 scores. “Focus on yourself. This is what he wants. He wants you to come out…
Khalil Rountree Jr. believes he leveled up against Anthony Smith, and the finishing sequence is proof. This past Saturday, Rountree faced Smith in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 83 where Rountree scored the most impressive win of his career, knocking Smith out with a walk-off finish. Not only was the knockout spectacular (earning Rountree a Performance of the Night bonus), he also got extra love from fans for not following up on the Smith before the referee officially stopped the bout. Rountree says that’s something he was especially proud of. “I just felt in control of everything going on…
Paddy Pimblett sported a remarkably different look when he stepped into the cage at UFC 296. One contributing factor to Pimblett’s rapid rise to fame over the past few years was his signature hairstyle, a floppy blonde do that evoked images of his hometown of Liverpool, England, and its most famous export, The Beatles. On Saturday for his fight with Tony Ferguson, Pimblett rocked cornrows en route to a unanimous decision win over the former interim lightweight champion. At the evening’s post-fight press conference, Pimblett explained the dramatic switch-up. “It’s quite funny, because whenever I used to play Fight Night…
Shavkat Rakhmonov was seemingly fighting on one leg at UFC 296. The undefeated Kazakh welterweight revealed Saturday night following his win over Stephen Thompson that he torn a major ligament in his ankle six weeks prior to UFC 296. Rakhmonov ultimately defeated Thompson via second-round rear-naked choke, becoming the first man in Thompson’s 13-year MMA career to submit the two-time title challenger. “I had a very serious injury and I was even close to pulling out from the fight, but I decided to risk it all,” Rakhmonov said through a translator on the UFC post-fight show, “and that’s why I…
Belal Muhammad knows deep down inside that he should’ve been fighting for the welterweight title at UFC 296, but instead it was Colby Covington who got his third chance at becoming undisputed champion by facing Leon Edwards on Saturday night. What resulted was a largely lackluster offering from Covington, as he failed to mount much offense whatsoever until finally securing a takedown late in the fifth round and holding Edwards on the ground until the final horn. As for Edwards, he dominated the majority of the fight while also managing to actually take Covington down to the canvas, ultimately securing…
Bryce Mitchell isn’t letting one of the most brutal knockout losses of the year bring him down. The featherweight contender left viewers watching UFC 296 aghast after he was knocked out cold by Josh Emmett to open Saturday’s main card. Mitchell remained on the canvas for several seconds after absorbing a monster right hand from Emmett and at one point went into convulsions. He eventually stood and was able to exit the octagon on his feet. Later in the evening, Mitchell released a video statement on social media to let everyone know that he’s OK. “I want to let everybody…
Leon Edwards still reigns supreme. The reigning UFC welterweight champ rose above the noise to fend off a lackluster challenge on Saturday at UFC 296, outclassing Colby Covington to win a one-sided decision and complete the second defense of his belt in Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Edwards’ victory headlined a wild night that also saw a number of standout performances and headlining-grabbing antics (both inside the cage and out). With so much to discuss, let’s dive right into our eight biggest takeaways from UFC 296. 1. Considering the saga we’ve been through at welterweight this year, it is a great…