Author: mmafighting
The Kansas City Chiefs are once again Super Bowl champions and the MMA world is reacting. On Sunday night, the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 22-19 in an overtime game for the ages. Patrick Mahomes threw for 333 yards and the game winning touchdown and the MMA world was watching, with several prominent figures rooting the Chiefs on and a few other notable fighters with a less charitable viewing of the event. Stockton native Nate Diaz was the most vociferous in his displeasure as his fellow California’s fell just short, but mostly fighters were just disappointed that the rumor…
Israel Adesanya remains on a self-imposed hiatus from fighting, but he’s been keeping busy in the meantime. According to a report by Stuff, Adesanya has built an impressive real estate portfolio in New Zealand, with the latest addition being a build-to-rent subdivision in Palmerston North on North Island. The subdivision is called “Adesanya Close,” named after the two-time UFC middleweight champion. Stuff spoke to property manager Wade Thompson, who said the Adesanya Close listing received 3000 views this past December and that three of seven units have already been purchased. The article also cites property records that estimate Adesanya’s real…
Boxer Ben Whittaker did not expect to become an overnight sensation. A 2020 Olympic silver medalist at light heavyweight, Whittaker turned pro in 2022 and quickly racked up five wins with four by knockout. Earlier this month, he added to that hot start with a fifth-round TKO over Khalid Graidia. But this time, the world stood up and took notice as Whittaker went viral for a flashy style that saw him dance, showboat, and taunt his opponent — all while boxing his ears off. Speaking on The MMA Hour, Whittaker said the past week has been a wild ride. “It’s…
Kevin Lee really was done. Despite recently announcing his return from retirement just six months after calling it a career, the one-time UFC interim title challenger promises he didn’t make an emotional decision when he decided to walk away from MMA this past July. In fact, Lee says he contemplated laying his gloves down in the cage after his loss to Rinat Fakhretdinov, but opted to take some time to make sure that was really the best decision for him. It wasn’t until 10 days later that he confirmed his retirement from the sport, and Lee really did walk away…
Jack Hermansson saw the writing on the wall when the UFC matched him up with Joe Pyfer in UFC Vegas 86’s main event. Coming off a knockout loss and 14-month layoff, Hermansson returned to face an unranked opponent backed by an inspiring origin story about perseverance over injury and personal hardship. It was a tale UFC CEO Dana White told repeatedly leading up to the card. To add to that, Pyfer had amassed a perfect 3-0 résumé since joining the UFC roster, with all of his fights ending by knockout or submission. Everything was set up so Pyfer could have…
Bogdan Guskov met up with a familiar face after scoring his first UFC victory. Much has been made of the physical similarities between light heavyweights Guskov and Anthony Smith, so it was inevitable that the two would cross paths. Sure enough, they met up Saturday night following Guskov’s impressive first-round knockout of Zac Pauga, and UFC broadcaster Karyn Bryant was on hand to capture the moment. Watch video of Guskov and Smith becoming fast friends below. Bryant jokingly pointed out that Guskov and Smith are not the same person, to which Smith replied, “We’re close though.” Guskov then said, “Maybe…
Sean O’Malley’s longtime head coach Tim Welch agrees with the UFC bantamweight champion that a superfight against Ilia Topuria should be the next matchup if both fighters win their respective title bouts against Marlon Vera and Alexander Volkanovski. “Who wouldn’t want to see that fight?” Welch said on The MMA Hour. “That would be a sweet fight. Ilia’s one of our favorite fighters to watch. He’s one of the most technical, sound guys out there, just watching his boxing. But I have seen them in the same room, I’ve seen them — Ilia’s not way bigger [than O’Malley]. And Ilia’s…
Donald Cerrone had a stirring endorsement for Dana White’s Power Slap project. Sort of. The UFC Hall of Famer was on hand for the upstart promotion’s sixth event, which took place in Las Vegas on Friday, and when asked for his opinion on Power Slap, he gave a distinctly “Cowboy” answer. “I love it,” Cerrone said. “This is, like, if you just want to watch knockout, knockout, knockout, and hear CTE brain damage, this is the event.” Power Slap has been heavily pushed by UFC CEO Dana White even in the face of resistance from critics who have dismissed the…
Joe Pyfer hasn’t lost any confidence after suffering his first UFC setback. The main event of UFC Vegas 86 on Saturday saw the fast-rising middleweight have his momentum halted by the battle-tested Jack Hermansson. After getting out to a fast start, Pyfer couldn’t keep up with Hermansson in the final three rounds and he went on to lose to “The Joker” by unanimous decision. Afterward, Pyfer posted a video on his Instagram Stories in which he gave his take on the fight and sent a strong message to his doubters. “I just want to say I’m OK despite how my…
Jon Jones may retire from MMA someday soon, but there’s no guarantee that happens after he faces Stipe Miocic later this year. The reigning UFC heavyweight champion addressed his future during a tour across Australia and New Zealand as he continues to heal up from a torn pectoral muscle that prevented him from competing as scheduled this past November. Rumors have swirled for months that Jones may call it a career after he gets the legacy fight he wants with Miocic, which would prevent interim champion Tom Aspinall from receiving an opportunity to unify the titles. However, Jones said he…