Author: mmafighting
An expert report recently unsealed in the UFC anti-trust case reveals strong clues to the pay of top stars such as Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, Jon Jones and others between 2011-2016. Among the largest paydays indicated by the report is McGregor, who appears to have made approximately $25 million in bouts during that time period, which included his fights against Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz, and Eddie Alvarez. The report, authored by anti-trust expert Robert Blair, was commissioned by defense attorneys for Zuffa to counter experts hired by a group of fighters who are suing the promotion for anti-competitive…
No one will ever question Edson Barboza’s toughness. The 35-fight veteran went to war with Sodiq Yusuff in his most recent fight and he has the scars to prove it. A rough start for Barboza saw him beat up, cut open, and bleeding all over the octagon, however the Brazilian refused to surrender. Instead, he forged a memorable comeback by weathering the early storm and then battering Yusuff round after round before ultimately securing a unanimous decision victory. Of course, in the aftermath of the fight, it was tough to tell that Barboza was the winner considering the aesthetics —…
DAMN! They Were Good celebrates the careers of the most exciting and influential fighters in MMA history, and on this episode, it celebrates the career of Wanderlei Silva, the most intimidating fighter ever to compete in MMA. Twenty-two years ago on Friday, Wanderlei Silva made history, becoming the inaugural PRIDE middleweight champion after beating Kazushi Sakuraba for the second time at PRIDE 17. The win cemented “The Axe Murderer” as not just one of the best fighters in the world, but one of the scariest, and for the next four years, the MMA world saw him do nothing but reinforce…
Kamaru Usman has a number of options for the next chapter of his career and Daniel Cormier thinks he’s found just the one to get the former UFC champion back on track. On ESPN’s DC & RC show, Cormier was asked what he thought of a potential matchup between Usman and former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. “The Reaper” recently mentioned he’d like to see Usman stick around for another fight in the division after Usman lost a close majority decision to Khamzat Chimaev in a 185-pound bout at UFC 294. Usman had a highly successful welterweight title reign from 2019-2022…
Francis Ngannou wasn’t happy with the judging in Saudi Arabia, but he’s not planning to make a formal complaint. The former UFC champion told TMZ that he won’t be appealing his loss to heavyweight boxing king Tyson Fury after their fight in Riyadh this past Saturday. In his boxing debut, Ngannou floored Fury in the third round and battled him in a competitive fight before eventually losing a narrow split decision. Though Ngannou has been vocal about his displeasure with the scorecards, he doubts that an appeal would be successful. “Who am I gonna appeal to? [The British Boxing Commission]?”…
Jailton Almeida arrives at his second straight UFC main event looking to make a statement in Brazil. “Malhadinho” has so far looked unstoppable inside the octagon, outstriking his five previous UFC opponents by a mark of 114-2 en route to finishes. Fresh off a first-round domination of Jairzinho Rozenstruik in May, Almeida on Saturday headlines UFC Sao Paulo against one-time title challenger Derrick Lewis, who steps on short notice for an injured Curtis Blaydes. Almeida said on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast that “nothing has changed in preparation” for Lewis compared to his previous strategy, and he’s fully aware of…
Sean O’Malley has expressed interest in crossing over to the boxing world since capturing the UFC bantamweight title, and other big-name boxers have reciprocated that interest in wanting to welcome him to the sport. While “Sugar” isn’t there quite yet, could a win in his first title defense get him over the hump? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck attempts to answer that question, and gives his thoughts about how close O’Malley could be to getting his big money opportunity. Additionally, listener topics include the UFC anti-trust case and the promotion’s appeal getting…
The first major financial disclosure for TKO Group Holdings to the Securities and Exchange Commission has revealed detailed information about the UFC’s revenue for 2022 and 2023. TKO officially filed paperwork with the SEC ahead of the third-quarter TKO earnings call on Nov. 7. The new breakdown features financials for both the UFC and World Wrestling Entertainment. Prior to the merger with WWE, the UFC was housed under the Endeavor umbrella, and while the promotion made up the majority of the company’s sports holdings, there was still split revenue with other organizations like Professional Bull Riders. Now, the UFC’s sole…
Francis Ngannou shocked the combat sports world by taking lineal boxing heavyweight champion Tyson Fury to the limit this past Saturday in Saudi Arabia, a performance that has opened many lucrative doors for the former UFC world champion. With so many options in play, what is the most interesting move for Ngannou moving forward? On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel discusses Ngannou’s performance, whether his next fight should be in boxing or MMA, and if a fight with Jon Jones could ever happen despite being the biggest fight the UFC could take part in at the…
Francis Ngannou isn’t concerned about what Dana White thinks about his split decision loss to Tyson Fury. But he’d also like to know what the UFC CEO has to say. Ngannou lost the battle but may have won the war in delivering a near-upset of the heavyweight champ Fury in his first pro-boxing outing this past Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Of all the victory laps he might be expected to take, one would be with his former promoter, who banned him from the UFC after he declined a new contract offer, triggering his exit. Instead, Ngannou shrugged. “Who cares?” the…