Author: mmafighting
Holly Holm has faced nearly every prominent name in her weight class and there’s one legend she’d be open to fighting again. Former two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes was recently in attendance at UFC 297 in Toronto and though “The Lioness” has given no indication that she plans to come out of retirement, seeing her that close to the octagon again sparked a few conversations about whether she might have another fight or two in her. On The MMA Hour, Holm was asked for her thoughts on a possible Nunes comeback and whether she’d like a rematch of their UFC…
BKFC President David Feldman isn’t giving away too many details from a recent meeting with UFC CEO Dana White, but it appears he’s made a new friend in combat sports. Following the conclusion of BKFC 57 on Friday night, Feldman addressed a recent photo posted that showed him standing alongside White after sitting down to chat. BKFC has been rapidly expanding in recent months, which includes sanctioning pushes in California and Nevada. California has already approved bare-knuckle fighting in the state; BKFC recently announced KnuckleMania IV for Los Angeles on April 27. “It was more of just creating an ally,”…
Cory Sandhagen still needs a more time before he can fight again after two surgeries. But he believes his return could include a bantamweight title shot. Following a dominant win over Rob Font this past August, Sandhagen revealed he had suffered a torn triceps during the fight, and the injury dramatically affected his performance. Afterward, he went under the knife to repair the damage and then he had a second procedure to clean up some issues with his elbow that played a part in his initial injury. Several months removed now, Sandhagen, 31, anticipates he’ll be ready to fight again…
Charles Radtke continues to find new ways to push the buttons of his audience. Fresh off a highlight-reel knockout of Gilbert Urbina at UFC Vegas 85, Radtke used his post-fight presser time for the usual mix of reflection and bravado. Then he took things in an entirely different direction. “With a knockout like that, you know people are going to be talking, wanting to see more of you,” a reporter asked at the UFC APEX. “How soon do we get you back in that cage? Is there anybody that you would want to match up with?” “How much money you…
Three Asian standouts punched (and choked and armbarred) their way to UFC contracts Saturday in Las Vegas. At the Road to UFC season finale, Rongzhu, Yizha, and Rei Tsuruya all joined the UFC roster after finishing their opponents inside the distance. For Rongzhu and Yizha, this is their second shot at octagon glory, while Tsuruya is now set to make the walk to the world-famous cage for the first time. Watch video of the finishes below. Rongzhu (China) and Shin Haraguchi (Japan) closed the show, battling for three rounds until Rongzhu locked in a tight rear-naked choke in the final…
Phil De Fries seeks a new challenge. KSW’s dominant heavyweight champion is set to face MMA veteran Josh Barnett in a submission grappling match in Gliwice, Poland, on Feb. 24, the promotion announced Friday. De Fries has run roughshod over KSW’s heavyweight division, recording nine straight successful title defenses and riding a winning streak that dates back to 2017. With few viable opponents remaining for him at the moment, he now targets a grappling win over Barnett. “The Warmaster,” who won the UFC heavyweight title 22 years ago, has not competed in MMA since 2016. Barnett has instead competed in…
After years of punishing weight cuts down to bantamweight, Aljamain Sterling will finally make his long-discussed featherweight debut against Calvin Kattar at UFC 300. And regardless of how the experiment plays out, the record-setting former UFC champion is already resolute on one thing: He’s never making 135 pounds again. “Just the thought of it gives me a headache and makes me nauseous,” Sterling said on The MMA Hour. “Like, people tell me I wear it well and I don’t look like I’m hurting, ‘Oh, you had such a great weight cut.’ I’m like, I am literally dying inside. I could…
Diana Belbita can breathe a slight sigh of relief after her latest fight. The Romanian-Canadian strawweight was on the wrong end of a nasty armbar submission Saturday at UFC Vegas 58 as she was forced to tap out with seconds remaining in the opening round of her preliminary fight with Molly McCann. Unfortunately for Belbita, she couldn’t tap fast enough, as her arm could be seen popping as the bout came to a close. Afterward, Belbita confirmed a report from Sportsnet that her arm was not broken, though she left open the possibility that she may have suffered a ligament…
Nassourdine Imavov secured his first win in a UFC main event on Saturday, but given his war of words with Chris Curtis during and after the fight, you could forget he actually beat Roman Dolidze at UFC Vegas 85. It was a largely dominant showing for Imavov over five rounds, but he still got caught in an ugly moment after he delivered a vicious head kick that blasted Dolidze and sent him down to the canvas. Unfortunately, Dolidze had a hand on the mat, which made the kick illegal, and it ultimately cost Imavov a point deduction from referee Herb…
Robert Whittaker is entering UFC 298 coming off of a stoppage loss to now middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis, and while he acknowledges it wasn’t his best night at the office, he took a lot away from that performance this past July at UFC 290 — including confidence that he’ll get the better of du Plessis in the future. Whittaker, a former UFC middleweight world champion, faces Paulo Costa in the co-main event of the promotion’s next pay-per-view card Feb. 17 in Anaheim, Calif. “The Reaper” says one of the biggest issues in his loss to du Plessis was that…