Author: mmafighting
The PFL buying Bellator isn’t making anyone nervous at the UFC. If anything, the promotion welcomes the competition. That’s the message from TKO Group Holdings president Mark Shapiro, who spoke about the UFC’s main rival now that the PFL and Bellator have merged together under one roof. In addition to the Bellator purchase, the PFL also just recent re-upped with ESPN on a new broadcast rights deal — the same network that carries all of the UFC events and pay-per-views as well. Shapiro, who serves as president at Endeavor and TKO Group Holdings — the combined company with UFC and…
Tony Ferguson pulled out all the stops to get ready for his fight against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296, and that included intense training sessions with retired Navy SEAL David Goggins. As the one-time interim UFC lightweight champion looks to stop a six-fight skid, Ferguson revealed just recently that he began training with Goggins, who works as a coach and motivational speaker as well as an ultra-marathon runner in his spare time. While Goggins’ credentials are impeccable, Ferguson opting to train with him as he gets ready for a fight in the UFC still left more than a few people…
Leon Edwards has studied Colby Covington closely ahead of their upcoming title fight. And he’s not impressed with what he’s seen. On Saturday at UFC 296, Edwards defends his welterweight title for the second time when he meets Covington in the main event. Edwards has had plenty of time to watch tape on the two-time title challenger, with Covington having been on the shelf since defeating Jorge Masvidal in March 2022. So what has the champ taken away from all this tape study? “He’s not as good as everyone thinks,” Edwards said at UFC 296 media day on Wednesday. “He’s…
Paddy Pimblett is back. It’s been over one full year since Liverpool, England’s favorite fighting son fought inside the octagon. Before he needed surgery to repair his injured ankle, Pimblett extended his winning streak to six straight (four in UFC) with a controversial unanimous decision win over Jared Gordon in the co-main event of UFC 282 in December 2022. Unfortunately for “The Baddy,” his recovery kept him out until this Saturday night at UFC 296 when he’s welcomed back by one-time lightweight interim champion Tony Ferguson. Ferguson, 39, looks to get back in the win column after losing his last…
Undefeated light heavyweight prospect Raffael Cerqueira wants his shot inside the octagon after scoring another first-round stoppage on the Brazilian circuit. The Demo Fight light 205-pound champion made short work of Jhonathan Azevedo in just 77 seconds at Brave CF 78 card in Fortaleza, Brazil, on Dec. 7, and wore a T-shirt calling out UFC CEO Dana White and company matchmaker Mick Maynard for a contract, a move that has worked in the past for his teammate Jailton Almeida. “Mick, Dana, what else so I need to do to prove my worth and show I’m ready to fight in the…
The World MMA Awards 2023 results will be be announced Thursday night. MMA Fighting has been nominated for MMA Media Source of the Year, an award that the outlet has won five times. Ariel Helwani has both been nominated for MMA Journalist of the Year, an award he was won 13 times. Meanwhile, Helwani’s popular The MMA Hour program has been nominated for Best MMA Programming. The World MMA Awards, which will be held at the Sahara Theatre in Las Vegas, will be featured on ESPN+ at 10:30 p.m. ET. See the full list of nominees below (nomination period spanned…
Ian Machado Garry will no longer compete at UFC 296 after contracting pneumonia, and his fight with Vicente Luque has been scrapped from the card. UFC CEO Dana White confirmed the news on Wednesday after Chael Sonnen initially reported the news. “Ian Garry started with the flu that turned into pneumonia,” White said on Twitter. “So that fight is off and is not happening. It is true.” Machado Garry was originally scheduled to speak with reporters at UFC 296 media day on Wednesday, but he failed to make an appearance. At the time, there was no reason given for his…
No Bets Barred returns with a full breakdown of UFC 296 and the welterweight title fight between Leon Edwards and Colby Covington, plus the flyweight title fight between Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval. It’s the final fight card of the year and as such, co-hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew bring out the big guns to end 2023 right, bringing back fan favorite Tony Calatayud to help them break down one of the best cards of the year. How will a nearly two year layoff effect Covington as he attempts to finally win an undisputed UFC title? Can Royval get…
Paddy Pimblett is looking forward to Tony Ferguson riding off into the sunset with his hand raised. Someday. Right now, “The Baddy” has one thing in mind and that’s sending Ferguson to a seventh straight loss when they lock horns at UFC 296 this Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pimblett is one of MMA’s most talked-about stars, while the 39-year-old Ferguson is in search of his first win since 2019. Ferguson, a former interim lightweight champion, has balked at the suggestion of retirement, but Pimblett hopes that when Ferguson hangs up the gloves in the future, it’s following…
Ian Machado Garry is the talk of Las Vegas, but perhaps not for the reasons he would like to be. This Saturday, Machado Garry faces Vicente Luque in the main card opener of UFC 296 in Las Vegas, amid swirling controversies around his personal and professional life. Earlier this week, Machado Garry invited this opportunity, releasing a hype video saying he was going to stick it to his “haters” by beating Luque and continue to rise up the ranks, but on Wednesday, “The Future” instead gave his haters ample ammunition for talking trash when he skipped out on the UFC…