Author: mmafighting
Dricus du Plessis kept his promise. The new middleweight champion vowed to bring a UFC title back to his country of South Africa and he accomplished that mission this week, defeating Sean Strickland at UFC 297 and then returning home to a hero’s welcome on Thursday. Watch the incredible reception that du Plessis received below, courtesy of eNCA. “Absolutely incredible,” Du Plessis told eNCA. “It’s incredible, wow. Thank you, South Africa, this is absolutely amazing.” Du Plessis was swarmed as soon as he arrived at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park with a loud chant of “DDP” ringing…
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…
Chael Sonnen believes that not only did Dricus du Plessis beat Sean Strickland fair and square, but that it wasn’t particularly close. This past Saturday, du Plessis and Strickland battled it out in the main event of UFC 297 with the middleweight title on the line. After a competitive bout, du Plessis took home a split decision win to claim the belt. In the aftermath, a number of fans and Strickland himself claimed robbery, but Sonnen believes that’s ridiculous. “I don’t hide my bias. I try to be impartial [but] I’m a human being,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel.…
Dricus du Plessis is the brand new UFC middleweight champion after defeating Sean Strickland via split decision in a fascinating 25-minute battle in the main event of UFC 297. The bout has led to a lot of questions about the future of the division, if du Plessis will share the octagon with rival Israel Adesanya next, and where Strickland goes after his title reign came to an end. On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel discusses the fallout of Saturday’s pay-per-view headliner, if we should expect du Plessis vs. Adesanya at UFC 300, and what could be…
Robert Whittaker believes Dricus du Plessis beats Israel Adesanya if the two actually fight. This past Saturday, du Plessis claimed the middleweight title with a split decision win over Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC 297. Shortly after the biggest win of his career, “DDP” laid the groundwork for his first title defense, suggesting that a fight against Adesanya at UFC 300 “sounds amazing.” Though the fight is far from official at this point, signs to seem to be pointing in that direction for the two rivals, and if it does come to pass, Whittaker believes du Plessis…
Alexander Volkanovski has earned his place as one of the very best fighters in the world today. The UFC featherweight champion has been virtually flawless throughout his 29-fight career with just three losses on his resume and only defeats to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev inside the octagon. In his 145-pound division that he’s called home for the majority of his combat journey, Volkanovski has yet to lose. Some within the MMA community believe his next fight could be the one in which he falls. In the case of UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, they hope it could be the one.…
Cédric Doumbé is eager to make his second PFL appearance. The former GLORY welterweight champion lived up to his hype in September when he debuted for the promotion with a spectacular nine-second knockout of Jordan Zebo that ignited a raucous scene among his French countrymen at PFL Europe 3. Doumbé is now set to face undefeated prospect Baissangour Chamsoudinov on March 7 in the main event of another PFL Europe card in Paris, and he has high expectations for his follow-up act. “He has a pretty good fan base in France,” Doumbé said Wednesday on The MMA Hour. “People, they’re…
Sean Strickland’s first outing as a UFC champion did not go as planned. The now former UFC middleweight champion released behind-the-scenes video this week documenting the before and after of his UFC 297 main event against Dricus du Plessis. The footage, which published on Strickland’s YouTube channel, shows Strickland’s arrival to Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena alongside teammate Chris Curtis, the pair warming up backstage under the watchful eye of UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, and Strickland’s immediate reaction following his split decision loss. After a closely contested back-and-forth bout, one judge scored the 48-47 for Strickland, while two others turned…
For the first time since she became a professional fighter, Kayla Harrison will call another promotion home. After spending the past six years with the PFL, Harrison is set to debut in the UFC against former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm at the historic UFC 300 card in April. Despite the best efforts of the PFL to keep her, Harrison ultimately decided to move on to the UFC, however it doesn’t appear there’s any bad blood with her former employer. “Listen, we wish Kayla well,” PFL CEO Peter Murray said on Wednesday when asked about Harrison’s exit. “She’s a two-time…
Kayla Harrison is the newest marquee name to be added to the UFC roster, but not everyone is thrilled with the move. First and foremost, Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg — who has long been tied to a potential bout with Harrison — is wondering why Harrison has chosen to jump from the PFL to the UFC instead of signing up to face her. Following UFC CEO Dana White’s announcement that Harrison will fight Holly Holm at UFC 300 on April 13, Cyborg was quick to coin the nickname “Kayla Gump” for Harrison. The jab is a reference to the…