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. This just in: MMA can be hazardous to your health! A few fine folks on the regional and international scene found this out the hard way this past week, starting with a trio of fighters who probably would have been better served by their bodies knowing when to quit. (Big thanks as always to @Barrelelapierna for their weekly lists of the…
Julianna Peña is confident the UFC hasn’t seen the last of Amanda Nunes. A former two-division UFC champion, Nunes was in attendance at UFC 297 to watch Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva vie for the UFC women’s bantamweight title she vacated when she retired this past June. After watching Pennington defeat Silva to claim the belt Nunes held from 2016-21 and then again from 2022-23, “The Lioness” opened the door for a potential comeback on the UFC 297 post-fight show, stating that she still felt like a champion and would “see what happens” when asked about competing again. If…
Justin Gaethje will need at least one more win before he gets another shot at undisputed UFC lightweight gold. The UFC was kind enough to put together an unofficial tournament of sorts at the big upcoming UFC 300 spectacle event on April 13. Although it doesn’t make too much sense with the status of the current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in question, the fights between Gaethje and Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan are the highest levels of entertainment a fan could ask for in MMA. Both matchups came as surprises when announced but it was more of…
Kayla Harrison will have to shed a lot of weight before she makes her octagon debut at UFC 300 but Dana White isn’t sweating it. The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo and two-time PFL champion signed with the UFC in free agency and she’ll make her first appearance in a fight against Holly Holm on April 13. Harrison inked a deal with the UFC to compete at bantamweight — a division she’s never fought at previously and has stated numerous times that it would be an arduous journey if she attempted that weight cut. Well, the UFC CEO has…
Kayla Harrison has been an overwhelming favorite in the majority of her MMA fights and it turns out nothing much will change for her debut in the UFC. The two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo opened as an overwhelming favorite over ex-bantamweight champion Holly Holm as they prepared to clash at UFC 300 on April 13. The fight serves as Harrison’s debut with the UFC as well as the first time she’ll be competing at 135 pounds in her career. With almost her entire fighting career happening at 155 pounds minus one fight at featherweight, Harrison will have to cut…
Leah McCourt wants the world to know how hard Ryan Curtis is fighting. Two weeks ago, Curtis suffered a devastating injury from an accident in training that has left him in the hospital with a damaged spine and neck. Curtis’ close friend and teammate McCourt has rallied the MMA community in support of Curtis, a one-time Bellator fighter. McCourt appeared on The MMA Hour on Wednesday to provide an update on Curtis’ condition and to explain what happened in that fateful training session. “Two weeks ago in wrestling practice, Ryan suffered a traumatic incident,” McCourt said. “From what Ryan’s told…
Jamahal Hill isn’t letting Magomed Ankalaev butt past him in the contenders’ line. Ankalaev recently ran his unbeaten streak to 12 straight fights with a second-round knockout of Johnny Walker and subsequently called for a shot at UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira. In his post-fight scrum, Ankalaev said (via a Russian translator), “I think here the math works out, the way that I’m more deserving of the belt because I have 10 victories, six of them knockouts, and Jamahal Hill has eight fights total in the UFC. So it’s just clear that I’m a more deserving contender than Jamahal…
Jon Anik is a man of the people, but some of the people are grating on his nerves. On an episode of the Anik and Florian Podcast, the popular UFC play-by-play man spoke about the backlash he received on social media after scoring this past Saturday’s UFC 297 main event in favor of Dricus du Plessis. After 25 minutes of closely fought action, du Plessis defeated champion Sean Strickland by split decision to claim the UFC middleweight title. An exasperated Anik explained why the most toxic portion of the MMA fan base has him considering a change in careers. “I…
A former WWE employee filed a lawsuit against founder and current TKO Group Holdings executive chairman Vince McMahon, accusing him of sexual abuse, trafficking and exploitation. On Thursday, Janel Grant filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut against McMahon, WWE and former head of talent relations John Laurinaitis. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Trafficking Victims Prevention Act along with negligence, civil battery and emotional distress after Grant claimed she was a victim of sexual and emotional abuse for years working for WWE. McMahon, TKO and WWE have not responded with any statement regarding the…
Kayla Harrison is now a UFC fighter, as she prepares to face former bantamweight champion Holly Holm at UFC 300 on April 13 in Las Vegas. With Harrison now in the picture, and Amanda Nunes teasing a potential comeback following UFC 297, could the stars align to put a Nunes vs. Harrison matchup together? On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reacts to UFC CEO Dana White’s stunning announcement from Tuesday night, what it would take to get Nunes out of retirement, and the pros and cons of the signing. Additionally, listener questions include…