Author: mmafighting
Dustin Poirier said he agreed when the UFC contacted to face Islam Makhachev at UFC 294 on short notice. That was until the shot went to Alexander Volkanovski, who got the lightweight title fight after Charles Oliveira was forced to withdraw. Poirier said UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell didn’t outright tell him he’d be the pick. But if the promotion had chosen him, he would’ve jumped on the opportunity. Campbell told ESPN prior to the event that Poirier not only agreed to the fight, but the former interim lightweight champion was “bugging” Campbell to know what the status of…
Less than 18 months after taking Valentina Shevchenko to the limit in her only opportunity at UFC gold, Taila Santos is no longer on the UFC roster. While the news seems to be surprising to the MMA community, is Santos exiting the promotion actually a good thing for the 30-year-old fighter? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reacts to the news of Santos’ release, and he also makes the case that Santos continuing her career elsewhere may be the best thing for her at this time. Additionally, listener questions include UFC CEO Dana…
Francis Ngannou earned every bit of praise he received after taking Tyson Fury to a razor-close split decision in his professional boxing debut but that fight also severely limited his options coming back to MMA. That’s according to UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, who offered nothing but a glowing review when addressing Ngannou’s fight against Fury where he shocked the world with a knockdown in the third round and nearly beating the best heavyweight in boxing. In the aftermath of that fight, Ngannou began weighing his options on what comes next but it’s looking more and more like he…
Muay Thai prodigy Johan “JoJo” Ghazali will make his official ONE Championship debut at ONE Fight Night 17 on Dec. 8 after he became the youngest fighter to ever sign to the organization in a six-figure deal back in October. The 16-year-old will clash with Edgar Tabares in a flyweight Muay Thai fight, which takes place at the famed Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand with the card airing live in the United States on Amazon Prime Video starting at 8 p.m. ET. ONE officials confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Tuesday. Ghazali earned his callup to the main roster…
UFC 295 sees the coronation of two new titleholders. Assuming that neither this Saturday’s main nor co-main event end in a draw or no-contest (a shaky assumption to make given everything that’s happened over the past 10 months), we could be taking one step closer to stability in the UFC’s heaviest divisions. In the main event, former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka and former middleweight champion Alex Pereira battle for the vacant 205-pound title, while Sergei Pavlovich duels Tom Aspinall for interim heavyweight gold in the co-main event. The road to UFC 295 was a winding one, with the light…
Henry Cejudo expects history to repeat itself at UFC 299 in March 2024. The UFC announced the first three title fights of 2024 yesterday, featuring bouts in the middleweight, featherweight, and bantamweight divisions. Each title will headline month-by-month from January to March, ending with UFC 299 on a yet-to-be-determined date. Atop the card will be the rematch between 135-pound champion Sean O’Malley as he looks to avenge his only career loss against Marlon “Chito” Vera. After O’Malley won the title in August against Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292, a plethora of contenders became viable options for his first title defense.…
UFC’s first quarter schedule for 2024 is starting to take shape. UFC CEO Dana White on Monday announced a trio of title bouts on social media for early 2024. First up, UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland defends his belt against Dricus du Plessis on January in Toronto at UFC 297. Then, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski returns to 145 pounds to take on Ilia Topuria in February at UFC 298, and bantamweight king Sean O’Malley rematches Marlon Vera in March at UFC 299. Strickland (28-5) captured his belt in stunning fashion with an upset of Israel Adesanya in September. For…
Sean O’Malley is happy to finally have the Marlon Vera rematch on the books. “I don’t get much more excited about a fight than that,” O’Malley said Monday on The MMA Hour shortly after UFC CEO Dana White announced the bout for UFC 299. “I want that fight. It’s just perfect. I feel like it’s perfect timing. After that first fight, everyone was like, ‘You gotta get that rematch, you gotta get that rematch.’ And I said, ‘I’ll get that rematch when I want that, when it’s time. When it’s time for that rematch, I’m going to call for it…
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka fights on Saturday to retake the title he lost due to injury, and he’s laser focused on beating Alex Pereira at UFC 295. There’s been plenty of opportunities to lose focus, and Prochazka isn’t getting caught up in the drama surrounding the light heavyweight title. Jamahal Hill is still listed as the champion on the UFC’s website, but he still believes he’s the rightful champ heading into the bout for the vacant title. “Yes, sure [I feel like the champ],” Prochazka said Monday on The MMA Hour. “I have to take it like…
Sean O’Malley, Alexander Volkanovski, and Dricus du Plessis opened as the favorites in the first betting odds released for the three title fights UFC CEO Dana White announced on Monday. O’Malley defends his bantamweight title against Chito Vera in the main event of UFC 299, which takes place at a date and location to be announced. This will be O’Malley’s first title defense after winning the belt by knocking out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292, and oddsmakers like his chances to avenge his previous loss to Vera, installing him as a comfortable favorite in the rematch. Here are the opening…