Author: mmafighting
A cameraman at a Russian MMA event got a little closer to the action than he bargained for this past week. The scene unfolded on Thursday midway through the co-main event at Open Fighting Championships 36 in St. Petersberg, Russia. With Gadzhimurad Gairbekov and Dilshot Norkuziev set to begin the fourth round of their flyweight title bout, a curious sight quickly made itself apparent, as a thick black cord cut straight across the center of the cage. Gairbekov didn’t seem to mind much, charging out and immediately planting Norkuziev on the mat with a slick double-leg takedown. But that’s when…
The UFC’s 2023 calendar year has been filled with memorable moments, chaos, and historical firsts — which includes Laura Sanko making her pay-per-view debut at September’s UFC 293 event. Sanko joined Daniel Cormier and lead play-by-play voice Jon Anik to call the card in Sydney, which saw Sean Strickland become the middleweight champion with a lopsided unanimous decision win over Israel Adesanya in the main event. Reflecting on past events, Anik couldn’t be happier Sanko got the opportunity to become the first female color commentator on a pay-per-view of the modern era, and expects Sanko to shine even more in…
When Alistair Overeem confirmed suspicions and made his retirement from combat sports official on The MMA Hour this past October, it marked an end of an era. One of the last remaining torchbearers of MMA’s old guard, Overeem is one of the most decorated combat sports athletes of the past 25 years. In his heyday, he captured concurrent heavyweight championships in Strikeforce, DREAM, and K-1. He also challenged for the UFC title and fought a who’s who over the course of his decades-long career, paving a road that saw him compete for nearly every major organization in MMA history. So…
Nate Diaz has an open invitation to fight Jake Paul in the PFL SmartCage. PFL founder Donn Davis remains hopeful that the former UFC star steps up to fight Paul in the future, even if he’s not expecting it to happen anytime soon. Following the league’s recent acquisition of Bellator MMA, Davis appeared on The MMA Hour to discuss what other big moves lie ahead for his organization, including whether fans will ever see Diaz throw down with “The Problem Child.” “One thing about Nate or fighters or entrepreneurs, they’re their own men,” Davis said. “They do what they want…
It’s been 11 years since Matt Brown handed Stephen Thompson his first loss in the UFC. He stands by his strategy as the best possible way to beat the multi-time welterweight title challenger. If Shavkat Rakhmonov wants to beat Thompson in their key matchup at UFC 296, Brown believes Rakhmonov would be wise to follow it. “We don’t know that he’s going to beat ‘Wonderboy,’” Brown said of Rakhmonov on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “‘Wonderboy’s one of those guys — if you don’t fight him right, he’s going to f****** get you. “Kevin Holland found that out. Kevin could…
Dustin Poirier would love to box before it’s all said and done. Poirier is one of the most accomplished and popular fighters currently competing in the UFC. A mainstay of the promotion since 2011, over his 29-fight UFC career, Poirier has won an interim title, multiple Fight of the Year awards, and countless other accolades, elevating himself to that rarified “living legend” status. And like so many MMA legends these days, Poirier also hopes to one day try his hand at the sweet science. “Boxing? I would like to before it’s all done, but I don’t think it’s ever going…
Mike Perry still hasn’t given up on fighting Darren Till. For the past few years, Perry and Till have sporadically traded barbs with one another, angling for an eventual fight. Things appeared to be moving closer to reality in March when Till received his release from the UFC, but thus far, the fight has not come to fruition. Instead, Perry is scheduled to return to BKFC on Dec. 2 against former UFC champ Eddie Alvarez. But once that’s done, “Platinum” says he and Till are still on a collision course. “I’m thinking [it will happen in 2024],” Perry said on…
Sean O’Malley thinks it makes a lot of sense for Aljamain Sterling to test his luck at 145 pounds. “I like Aljo, he’s a good dude. I really never said anything bad about him. I think if he goes up to ‘45, it’d be super interesting. I think there’s a lot of interesting fights up there at ‘45,” O’Malley recently said during an in-studio appearance on The MMA Hour. “I think his weight gets big enough for that. You know, I’m probably 160 [pounds] right now, I probably [won’t] get over this. He’s probably 175. Like, it just doesn’t make…
Watch David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade full fight video highlights from their main event showdown Saturday night, courtesy of multiple outlets. Benavidez vs. Andrade took place Nov. 25 at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. David Benavidez (28-0) and Demetrius Andrade (32-1) squared off in the the main event clash. The fight aired live on pay-per-view on Showtime and PPV.com. David Benavidez defeated Demetrius Andrade via corner stoppage after the sixth round. Catch all the video highlights below. For more on Benavidez vs. Andrade, check out Bad Left Hook’s live blog blow. BENAVIDEZ vs ANDRADE: Round 1 Benavidez…
PFL will not be introducing new weight classes in 2024. Last week, PFL acquired Bellator after months of negotiations, bringing together two of the biggest non-UFC MMA promotions in the world. After making the announcement, PFL founder Donn Davis revealed plans for a “mega-event” featuring PFL champions taking on Bellator champions, and on Friday, those PFL champions were determined as six fighters were crowned at the 2023 PFL Championships in Washington D.C. One problem though: PFL doesn’t currently have champions for the bantamweight and middleweight divisions, two of Bellator’s best divisions. And Davis says the promotion isn’t planning to add…