Author: mmafighting
Olivier Aubin-Mercier already expected 2023 would be his final appearance in the PFL season-long tournament, but it’s possible his upcoming fight against Clay Collard could be his last. As he prepares to go for a second straight PFL lightweight title after claiming the belt and $1 million prize in 2022, the 34-year-old French Canadian knows the clock is ticking on his time left in the sport. He’s not going to make any rash decisions just yet, but he acknowledges that he’s got some big decisions to make after he competes on Nov. 24. “I do think it’s the last tournament…
In a refreshing take, Craig Jones said his work with former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya is about riding the coattails of famous fighters so he can sell more jiu-jitsu instructional videos. Adesanya doesn’t mind, because he’s working on beefing up his jiu-jitsu skills while on sabbatical from fighting. The former champ on Tuesday released a video of Jones’ work with City Kickboxing, the gym he brought into the MMA mainstream. Jones, a disciple of John Donaher and Renzo Gracie, is a two-time ADCC champ who’s also worked extensively with UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski. Jones pitched Volkanovski’s UFC 294…
The UFC’s return to Texas has lost one half of the event’s pivotal lightweight bouts. Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that an injury has forced Dan Hooker out of his scheduled five-round co-main event matchup with Bobby Green at UFC Austin. The New Zealand Herald was first to report. The promotion is seeking a replacement opponent for Green, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed. UFC Austin takes place Dec. 2 at Moody Center in Austin and airs on ESPN+. It is headlined by a lightweight matchup between top-tier lightweights Beneil Dariush…
When Patchy Mix claimed the undisputed Bellator bantamweight title this past Friday night, he ultimately became the final 135-pound champion of the promotion before it was acquired by PFL. While the deal for the PFL to purchase Bellator had been in the works for months, the fighters found out along with the rest of the world that the purchase was concluded. As of now, Bellator will continue to exist under a separate brand under the PFL umbrella, though all of the fighters under contract will have the opportunity to work with both promotions. There’s also a plan for a PFL…
Brendan Allen is becoming a serious threat in the middleweight division. UFC Vegas 82 was another good night for the 27-year-old bonus collector. Tasked with a fellow talented grappler in Scotland’s Paul Craig, Allen (23-5) pulled off a third-round rear-naked choke victory, extending his winning streak to six and collecting his third Performance of the Night in that stretch. Of Allen’s six recent wins, five have come via rear-naked choke. The Beaufort, South Carolina native has only suffered defeat twice inside the octagon, starting with the now-champion Sean Strickland in a 190-pound catchweight in November 2020. In his nine fights…
MMA veteran Poliana Botelho is about to enter the third round of her toughest challenge to date, yet she still has a big smile on her face. Botelho was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2023. After going through it all as an MMA fighter — from wins and losses on the regional circuit to Bellator and the UFC octagon — she just finished radiotherapy sessions in her native Rio de Janeiro. “I can say this is the toughest fight of my life, because it’s one we’re not used to fighting,” Botelho said on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast. “It’s…
PFL changed the combat sports landscape on Monday by acquiring Bellator MMA, combining arguably the No. 2 and No. 3 MMA promotions into one organization. After closing the deal, PFL founder Donn Davis touted the promotional power a combined PFL-Bellator roster will have moving forward. Davis believes the new-look PFL will finally chip away at the vice-like grip the UFC maintains as the biggest and most powerful promotion in MMA. As proof, Davis considers UFC CEO Dana White mentioning the PFL in a few different recent appearances shows that White is “worried” about the competition, especially now that two of…
The PFL’s acquisition of Bellator was massive news on Monday, promising an expanded roster and a “reimagined” Bellator. PFL exec Donn Davis declared the promotion is now on the verge of being a “co-leader” in MMA with the UFC, even claiming UFC CEO Dana White is now “worried” about this new merger. But did White, or anyone in the UFC, lose any sleep with this news? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reacts to the big news of the week, Davis’ interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, his claims about the…
Jake Paul is losing hope that he and Nate Diaz will meet in the cage. In August, Paul faced Diaz in their long-awaited boxing match, winning a unanimous decision after 10 competitive rounds. Following the fight, both combatants made overtures about possibly running things back in an MMA bout, but with Paul now set to return to the boxing ring in December, it appears those talks have fallen through. And according to Paul, the blame belongs squarely with Diaz. “I don’t know if I’d use the word close,” Paul told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour when asked about the…
Former Invicta FC champion Rayanne dos Santos will meet fellow Brazilian prospect Talita Alencar on the Dec. 9 show in Las Vegas, multiple people with knowledge of the booking told MMA Fighting. The UFC Vegas card will be headlined by Song Yadong vs. Chris Gutierrez. Dos Santos (14-6) captured the Invicta FC atomweight belt in May by defeating Jillian DeCoursey via decision, and has now won seven of her past eight, five of those by stoppage. The sole defeat came in a 2022 decision to Denise Gomes at Dana White’s Contender Series. Alencar (4-0-1) also competed on DWCS, fighting to…