Author: mmafighting
Turning pro even before he graduated high school afforded Ashton Sylve a lot of options in his boxing career. With cameras pointed at him since he started boxing at 8, the highly touted prospect was already conditioned to receiving attention. At 16, Sylve was an honor student, a football player, and he was preparing to make his pro debut, which caught the eye of several world champions, including Floyd Mayweather, Shawn Porter and Leo Santa Cruz. Despite being flooded with offers to sign with various promoters, Sylve followed his father’s lead, taking some time before making any rash decisions with…
After a rare weekend off, the UFC returns to their home base for their first event since UFC 297 with UFC Vegas 85, and much like the promotion’s first pay-per-view card of 2024, Saturday’s Fight Night slate will see the middleweight division take center stage as Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov battle it out in the main event. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, Shaun Al-Shatti, and Jed Meshew preview Saturday’s card, the main event between Dolidze and Imavov, and the stakes attached to it. Additionally, they’ll discuss the lightweight co-main event between Renato Moicano and Drew Dober, Natalia Silva getting a…
Let’s be honest, UFC Vegas 85 is not a particularly compelling fight card. Going down this Saturday and headlined by a middleweight matchup between Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov, this card is indicative of most APEX cards at this point, even if the co-main event between Renato Moicano and Drew Dober is awesome. Still, there are 13 fights this weekend, and what better way to spice up the interest than with a little monetary incentive? As always, all odds are courtesy of our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook. Drew Dober reacts after defeating Ricky Glenn in a lightweight fight during the…
Luana Carolina had a rough day at the scale. The flyweight fighter missed weight for the second time in her UFC career, coming in three pounds over the limit (including one-pound allowance) for her preliminary bout with Julija Stoliaranko at UFC Vegas 85 this Saturday. Carolina also missed weight for a flyweight bout against Poliana Botelho for a May 1 UFC event, coming in 2.5 pounds over the limit. She went on to defeat Botelho via split decision. Stoliarenko and her team requested that Carolina weigh in again at no heavier than 128 pounds. Carolina successfully hit that mark on…
Leon Edwards recognizes that the rise of Conor McGregor was best for business. McGregor has been out of the UFC picture for the past couple of years as he recovers from a broken leg, but he remains one of the most talked-about fighters in the sport due to his tentative return (the former two-division champion has targeted both UFC 300 on April 13 and a July 29 UFC card as potential comeback dates) and his mainstream media presence. A remake of the film Road House featuring McGregor premieres on March 8. During an appearance on Up Front With Simon Jordan,…
Joe Rogan and his No. 1 ranked podcast are staying at Spotify. The comedian and UFC color commentator has inked a new multi-year deal with Spotify reportedly worth around $250 million but his show will no longer be exclusive the streaming platform. Under terms of the new deal, Rogan’s podcast will once again be available on other services Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube. The Wall Street Journal first reported Rogan’s renewal with Spotify. Rogan initially agreed to take his podcast to Spotify back in 2020 with the deal reportedly worth over $200 million. He’s now exceeded initial number that…
Dustin Poirier said he was out of UFC 299, and a little less than five hours later, he was back in to face Benoit Saint Denis in the co-main event of the UFC’s return to Miami. The former interim champion kicked off one of the weirdest stretches in the MMA space, one that will be remembered for quite some time. On a special edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reacts to a wild day in MMA, Poirier vs. Saint-Denis being a go, and more. Additionally, listener questions about all things MMA are answered, including the response…
Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk is off. On Friday, Sports Illustrated reported that Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs) has been forced to withdraw from the highly anticipated Feb. 17 heavyweight championship bout after suffering a cut in training, citing Usyk’s manager Egis Klimas. The fight, set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was arranged to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion, with Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) holding the WBA, IBF, and WBO titles, and Fury holding the WBC title. Fury and Usyk have been in talks to face one another for the past few years, and the path became clear after…
At the UFC Vegas 85 weigh-ins, all 26 fighters on Saturday’s card in Las Vegas will step on the scale Friday. MMA Fighting will have live video of the proceedings, courtesy of Ag. Fight. In the main event, Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov can weigh no more than 186 pounds, the maximum allowed for their non-title middleweight fight. The UFC Vegas 85 official weigh-ins are at 12 p.m. ET. Middleweights Clash In Las Vegas! Roman Dolidze and Nassourdine Imavov face off – LIVE HERE – on Saturday. Watch Live Stream Here Main Card (ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET) Roman Dolidze…
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. Even with only two UFC events in January, the month went by in a flash and we’ll soon return to our regularly scheduled programming (11 straight weekends of UFC events coming up and PFL/Bellator back at the end of the month!). In times like these, it’s important to find time to take a breath, gather your thoughts, and reflect on the…