Author: mmafighting
Chris Weidman will confront some hard truths as he prepares to face Bruno Silva at the upcoming UFC Atlantic City card in March. The former middleweight champion has undergone dozens of surgeries during his career but after suffering a devastating broken leg in 2021, which included a compound fracture, it appeared that perhaps his career was nearing its end. After enduring several more surgeries to repair the damage done, a determined Weidman finally made his return to the UFC this past August — over 800 days removed from his last appearance — but ultimately lost a one-sided decision to Brad…
UFC CEO Dana White has announced the first title fight for UFC 300, with the expectation that there will be more on the way as Zhang Weili will put her strawweight title on the line against Yan Xiaonan in the promotion’s first all-Chinese world championship bout. While some are excited about the matchup, there are other fans who didn’t seem all that enthused by the reveal. On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reacts to the 115-pound championship fight announcement, discusses why it’s a very good addition to the card as it stands right…
With the new year comes big fights — not just for the UFC, but also for Francis Ngannou as he’s set to clash with Anthony Joshua in a boxing match in March. What is at stake for the current PFL star, and what does his future now hold in the world of MMA? On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel reacts to the booking of Ngannou vs. Joshua, what Ngannou has to gain and lose in the bout, and what comes next regardless of result. Additionally, they’ll discuss Dana White announcing Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis for…
Arnold Allen isn’t sure which way he’s leaning for his division’s next title fight at UFC 298, but he already sees at least one major red flag for Alexander Volkanovski. Volkanovski defends his featherweight title on Feb. 17 in the main event of the Anaheim pay-per-view against undefeated challenger Ilia Topuria. The bout comes less than four months after Volkanovski suffered a brutal knockout at the hands of UFC lightweight king Islam Makhachev in a short-notice rematch this past October, and Allen can’t help but wonder if the 35-year-old champion is making a mistake by committing to such a quick…
Michael Chandler confirms that he is facing Conor McGregor at International Fight Week this year. McGregor and Chandler have circled each other for the past 11 months, with the only thing standing in their way an actual fight date. To kick off the New Year, McGregor announced the fight will take place on June 29 at this year’s International Fight Week, and on Wednesday, Chandler confirmed that he’s heard the same – at least for the most part. “I can confirm, that’s exactly what I’ve heard as well,” Chandler said on his YouTube channel. “Obviously, him announcing it makes it…
The UFC lightweight division can potentially go through a large changing of the guard in the first half of 2024. UFC CEO Dana White surprised the MMA community with recent announcements of big upcoming matchups in the 155-pound division. First, fans will be treated to the five-round non-title co-main event banger between the perennial lightweight elite Dustin Poirier and rising contender Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 in March. One month later at UFC 300, former champion Charles Oliveira returns with hopes of turning back another rising star in Arman Tsarukyan. Title implications were firmly placed upon the bout by…
Yan Xiaonan got her wish, and she will challenge for the UFC strawweight title against champ Zhang Weili at UFC 300, UFC CEO Dana White announced Wednesday. The Zhang vs. Yan fight marks the first time two Chinese fighters have challenged each other for a UFC title and bolsters the title lineup for the blockbuster event, set for April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “This fight has badass written all over it,” White said on Instagram. Yan, who’s gone 6-2 in her past eight fights, hoped to fight for the title in China, and she told The MMA…
ONE Championship will return to the U.S. for a pair of shows in 2024. The Singapore-based promotion debuted stateside with a card in Broomfield, Colo., this past May, and now it has booked two shows in Denver and Atlanta. ONE Fight Night 26 takes place at the Ball Arena in Denver on Sept. 6, and ONE Fight Night 28 is scheduled for Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Nov. 8. Both cards will air live on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. “We’re thrilled to return to the U.S. to showcase the greatest world champion martial artists in the country’s best…
The boys are back! That’s right, the first fight card of 2024 is set to take place this Saturday at the world famous UFC Apex and you know what that means: The No Bets Barred boys are back with all their best bets. This week, hosts Conner Burks and Jed Meshew kick the new year off right with a deep dive into all of the Future UFC Champions bets for 2024. Then it’s right into a breakdown of UFC Vegas 84 as another year of 40+ UFC events kicks off. Is this the year Magomed Ankalaev finally wins the light…
Mark Hunt could be back in the ring soon. This past weekend, Hunt sent out a message on social media tagging Jake Paul and seemingly indicating a desire to box the famous influencer. Paul recently announced that his next boxing match will be in March with an opponent to be announced. Hunt was asked about the callout during an appearance on The MMA Hour, and he didn’t rule out the possibility that he and Paul could trade punches someday. “Is that the fight that he wants?” Hunt said. “I always thought he was kind of small for it, but if…