Author: mmafighting
Takaya Suzuki must be a big fan of Jorge Masvidal. The Japanese flyweight did his best “Gamebred” impression Saturday at a Shooto event in Tokyo, needing just four seconds to land a flying knee that left opponent Yuichi Miyagi out cold. Watch the unbelievable knockout below. In the clip, a tentative Miyagi appears to open the fight by suggesting a touch of gloves, only to end up being blasted by the speedy Suzuki. Afterwards, Miyagi had to be taken out of the cage on a stretcher. Impressively, Suzuki actually did Masvidal one better. His flying knee knockout was officially one…
Neil Magny knew the script heading into UFC 297. As a constant presence in the welterweight rankings, the 36-year-old veteran has remained one of the top 15 fighters in the world for several years. But he’s never quite gotten close to a title shot. In many ways, he serves as the measuring stick for welterweights who can potentially challenge for UFC gold. That’s exactly how it worked out for fighters who defeated Magny like Shavkat Rakhmonov and Ian Machado Garry, and Magny expects he was being set up the same way in his fight against Mike Malott at UFC 297.…
Ryan Bader and Renan Ferreira both have a lot riding on their upcoming fight at the PFL vs. Bellator card on Feb. 24. Every win matters, of course, especially in a rare champ vs. champ fight like this one. But the stakes get even higher when you throw Francis Ngannou into the mix. The former UFC heavyweight champion signed with the PFL in free agency, and is expected to fight for the upstart MMA promotion when his boxing career subsides. Bader and Ferreira are gunning for the chance to welcome Ngannou to the PFL after their heavyweight headliner in Saudi…
Jasmine Jasudavicius hates the idea of inflicting pain on her opponents and finds it difficult to shut off her empathy on fight week. She found it a little easier to do both, however, after her UFC 297 opponent, Priscila Cachoeira, came in well over the 125-pound weight limit for the fight, requiring them to fight at 135 pounds. “In the first round, when I had her there [on the ground], I was kind of going for the finish, but I was like, ‘No, I had to suffer all through camp. I had to suffer so much. This is unfair. You’re…
Anthony Joshua is treating his next fight as a world title opportunity. Though no belts will officially be on the line when Joshua steps into the ring with Francis Ngannou this March, Joshua views the former UFC heavyweight champion as a chance to prove he’s still the best boxer in his division. Joshua has held multiple world titles in boxing, but he has been without gold around his waist since a pair of losses to Oleksandr Usyk. Should Joshua defeat Ngannou, it could set him up to challenge for boxing titles again, but for now, he’s preparing for Ngannou like…
Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler could be fighting sooner than expected. Though McGregor recently announced that he would be fighting Chandler in a middleweight bout on June 29—a date and matchup that has not been confirmed by the UFC—the fighters’ talk turned to UFC 300 this past weekend, with McGregor tweeting “McGregor on 300 seals the deal,” suggesting that he might compete at the landmark April 13 event instead. Chandler responded by quoting McGregor’s tweet and writing, “I accept. See you soon.” It should be noted that though Chandler answered McGregor’s call, McGregor did not explicitly mention Chandler or any…
UFC heavyweight contender Jailton Almeida took his first loss in years, but all for a good cause. Saturday night in Salvador, Brazil, the rising UFC contender entered the Demo Fight cage to meet Alvaro Borges, an athlete with Down syndrome, in a MMA exhibition match. Almeida told MMA Fighting prior to the match that he was very happy to “help Alvaro’s dream come true.” Borges grappled with “Malhadinho” and even tried some spinning kicks, and eventually got the tap with an armbar in the second round. Watch the contest below. Demo Fight founder Demistocles Brito told MMA Fighting that his…
Miesha Tate thinks Kayla Harrison could be in for a rude welcome in a new weight class. Harrison, a two-time tournament champion in the PFL’s 155-pound division, has to make the drop all the way down to 135 pounds for her recently announced bout against Holly Holm, which takes place at UFC 300 on April 13 in Las Vegas. It’s a massive opportunity for Harrison, but also uncharted territory as she has only competed below the lightweight limit once in her career and never at bantamweight. UFC CEO Dana White is optimistic Harrison can make the weight, but former bantamweight…
On paper, UFC 300 is shaping up to be a fine card so far. A litany of former champions and some of the most respected contenders of this era are part of the event. Still, it feels like the tricentennial show is still missing that something special that makes it a can’t-miss card. While UFC CEO Dana White is promising a “crazy” announcement, for now, fans are left to wonder what matchup could headline such a momentous occasion. With 11 fights announced, it’s definitely not too early to give an appraisal of the current lineup, and that’s what MMA Fighting’s…
Shinya Aoki finished former ONE champion John Lineker in an openweight bout Sunday at ONE 165 in Tokyo, Japan. Aoki was set to take on Sage Northcutt in a 170-pound match in the final MMA bout of the card, but it was announced by the broadcast during the event that Northcutt had to withdraw “unforeseen circumstances with his cornermen”. Lineker, who stepped on the scale at 151 pounds as an unannounced replacement, took his spot. A much larger and taller Aoki, nearly 20 pounds heavier than the Brazilian the morning before, didn’t have trouble imposing his game on Lineker, who…