Author: mmafighting
Welcome to the latest edition of Missed Fists where we shine a light on fights from across the globe that may have been overlooked in these hectic times where it seems like there’s an MMA show every other day. Fouls come in all shapes and sizes in combat sports and we’ve all become accustomed to rolling our eyes at the frequency with which they happen and the often ineffectual refereeing that follows (I’m sure fighters live in fear of the infamous “hard warning”). One maneuver that’s definitely against the rules but that we don’t see too often is the pulling…
Ian Machado Garry has a lot riding on his performance at UFC 298. His fight against Geoff Neal will not only give the welterweight prospect a chance to take a step up the rankings but it will also offer him the opportunity to put full focus back on his career after spending the last few months caught up in a storm of negativity, largely centered around comments made about his wife by fighters like Sean Strickland and Colby Covington. Garry never seemed to let anything get to him too much but he’ll be able to silence everybody with a great…
Francis Ngannou is one of the hottest commodities in combat sports. This upcoming May, it will have been one full year since the former UFC heavyweight champion signed with PFL in a surprise groundbreaking move. Ngannou’s deal includes a role as an equity owner as well as a fighter with the ability to compete freely in boxing matches. Ngannou has already done the latter but is yet to make his Smart Cage debut. Although he lost his pro boxing debut to Tyson Fury via a split decision this past October, Ngannou outperformed all expectations and was a winner in the…
At the UFC 298 official weigh-ins, all 24 fighters on Saturday’s fight card will step on the scale early Friday morning in Anaheim, Calif. Watch a live stream of the official weigh-ins above. In the main event, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Ilia Topuria can weigh no more than 145 pounds, the maximum allowed for their featherweight title fight. In the co-main event, Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa are limited to 186 pounds for their non-title middleweight fight. The UFC 298 official weigh-ins will start at 12 p.m. ET. The UFC 298 ceremonial weigh-ins are at 8 p.m. ET.…
Alexander Volkanovski leaned into a hilarious bit at the UFC 298 press conference, wearing the old man costume he wore to promote his showdown with young lion Ilia Topuria. Topuria was not all smiles from the outset as he vowed to retire Volkanovski. The crowd mercilessly booed the Spanish contender even before he told them to “shut the f*** up” on the dais at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. That was one part of the show on display for Saturday’s pay-per-view, but the main card competitors were kept from escalating things on stage, and staredowns didn’t include any extracurricular skirmishes.…
Ilia Topuria did everything possible to get under Alexander Volkanovski’s skin at the UFC 298 pre-fight press conference. But his attempts seemed to fall on deaf ears – and that’s not because the featherweight champ dressed like he needed hearing aids. Playing into the narrative that age is catching up, Volkanovski “hobbled” out on stage in Anaheim, Calif., dressed like his grandfather, complete with a cardigan, a chain hanging from his bifocal glasses and a newsboy cap to top it off. Volkanovski said he was having a bit of fun following weeks of questions about his validity as champion at…
Rose Namajunas will cross into Hollywood as an executive producer and consultant on a new film called Strawweight, which is set in the world of the UFC. The new project stars Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o and Chloe Grace Moretz as a pair of UFC fighters facing struggles as they set out on a collision course for an eventual octagon showdown. Nyong’o, who took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 12 Years a Slave, plays a former UFC champion “who is determined to reclaim her title by reinventing herself.” Meanwhile, Moretz, who starred in past…
UFC 300 is expected to deliver a loaded lineup for the promotion’s historic April event. Following one of the most chaotic years in recent memory, the UFC will bring UFC 300 to its home base of Las Vegas on April 13. UFC CEO Dana White has promised one of the most stacked, and perhaps, unpredictable lineups in company history. With four title fights already on the books for the first quarter of the year, including Sean Strickland vs. Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title, and Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Raquel Pennington for the vacant women’s bantamweight title at UFC…
In a few days, Merab Dvalishvili will do everything possible to beat Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 but for now, he’s actually got his opponent’s back. That’s largely thanks to comments made by reigning UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley when offering his prediction on their fight. Just recently, O’Malley told Demetrious Johnson on his podcast that he was picking Dvalishvili to win mostly because Cejudo was “broke” and “doesn’t have any money” so he needs the paycheck. Of course there’s nothing wrong with a prize fighter seeking a prize but Dvalishvili slammed O’Malley for making that suggestion, especially given Cejudo’s…
Care to place a wager on the winner of the UFC 300 main event sweepstakes? Online oddsmaker Bovada just put up a line for the April 13 headliner that’s generated a frenzy of speculation as time ticks toward the banner event. Right now, there’s just one fight you can put your money on, and that’s a welterweight title fight between champ Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad. The fight has been teased by Edwards, and Muhammad has said UFC CEO Dana White has given assurances that UFC 300 will host the five-rounder. Yet with less than two months remaining, the UFC…