Author: mmafighting
Even though he’s next scheduled to face Robert Whittaker, Paulo Costa still has his sights set on Khamzat Chimaev. Costa and Chimaev have a long-running feud that was supposed to get settled at UFC 294. However, Costa was forced off that card due to injury, and instead, Chimaev took on former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, winning by decision. Costa is now set to face Whittaker at UFC 298, and speaking with The MMA Hour, “Borrachinha” explained why he’s facing the ex-champ instead of Chimaev. “I was trying to fight Gourmet Chen Chen — Chimaev,” Costa said. “I was trying.…
Johnny Walker has laid out a scenario in which he becomes the UFC light heavyweight champion by April, and now he’s working towards that goal. The Brazilian talent rematches Magomed Ankalaev in the main event of UFC Vegas 84 this Saturday at the UFC APEX, running back a match that ended prematurely due to an illegal knee at UFC 294 in October 2022, and he sees bigger stakes now. Light heavyweight had no champion back then, but that changed weeks later when Alex Pereira claimed the vacant title against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 295. Now, Walker believes he could insert…
Ian Machado Garry set out to become a “disruptor” in the UFC, doing so with a confident persona that hewed closely to his countryman Conor McGregor. In the MMA bubble, that guaranteed Garry would see equal parts love and hate from the public as he climbed the welterweight ranks. What he didn’t anticipate, however, was that his family would become targets along the way. He definitely didn’t foresee that attacks directed at his wife, Layla Machado Garry, would outpace the ones directed at him and elevate their profiles for largely dubious reasons. The significant others of the sport’s most famous…
Israel Adesanya’s recent drunk-driving charge will not lead to significant consequences for the two-time UFC middleweight champion. Stuff.co.nz reported Wednesday that Adesanya has avoided a conviction after recently pleading guilty to driving drunk in Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 19, three weeks ahead of his most recent fight. Adesanya went on to drop his UFC title to Sean Strickland in a lopsided unanimous decision loss at UFC 293. Adesanya pleaded guilty to the charge in September and issued a public apology. He faced a maximum penalty of three months’ imprisonment or a fine of up to $4500 NZD. However, according…
The Mixed Martial Arts Hour is back in your life! Below is a rundown of Wednesday’s show, which begins at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. UK time. 1 p.m. ET: All of your questions are answered on the latest edition of On The Nose. 1:30 p.m.: Paulo Costa takes a look ahead to his UFC 298 battle against Robert Whittaker. 2 p.m.: Callum Smith previews Saturday’s boxing bout against unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev. 2:25 p.m.: We tackle more of your On The Nose questions. 3 p.m. Living legend Mark Hunt returns to catch…
Islam Makhachev expects to be busy for the next 12 months if all goes according to plan. On Wednesday, the reigning UFC lightweight champion called his shot on social media—well, three shots actually—writing that he plans to defend his title against Justin Gaethje in June, head to Madison Square Garden in New York to face the winner of a recently announced fight between Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan, and then defend again in February 2025. The UFC has yet to formally announce its plans for June, but Makhachev suggested that he fight Gaethje on June 8. Former two-division champion Conor…
Michael Page is officially UFC-bound. After years of growing his name and resume through the ranks of the Bellator welterweight division, England’s “MVP” will now test himself against the best the world has to offer. That all starts with Kevin Holland at UFC 299 in Miami, Fla., on March 9. Arguably the biggest knock on Page’s career in Bellator was the “carefully crafted” nature of it with opponent selection by matchmaking. Often coined as the “ultimate can-crusher,” Page’s highlights stacked up rapidly regardless of fan perception or critique of who he was facing. No matter how you cut it, Page…
Ex-UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will return to his old stomping grounds on Saturday when he serves as a coach and cornerman for Gabriel Benitez. Velasquez, who is currently out on bail after being charged with attempted murder, was previously given permission to corner Usman Nurmagomedov for his fight at a Bellator event in California this past October. Now he’ll fall under direction from the Nevada Athletic Commission to corner Benitez for his fight against Jim Miller at UFC Vegas 84. UFC officials confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Tuesday following an initial report from Claro Sports. After spending…
Alan Belcher and ex-UFC champion Junior dos Santos will collide for the heavyweight title of Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Bare-Knuckle MMA promotion on March 2 in Orlando, Fla. Masvidal announced the pairing on Tuesday. Belcher makes his second appearance in Gamebred after earning a split decision win over Roy Nelson in his promotional debut. Prior to his move to bare-knuckle MMA, Belcher put together an impressive 4-0 résumé in bare-knuckle boxing under the BKFC umbrella, where he also served as heavyweight champion before his title was stripped and he left the organization. A 15-time UFC veteran, Belcher retired in 2015 before…
Dominick Reyes and Carlos Ulberg will get another chance to dance. The two hard-hitting light heavyweights have officially been rescheduled to meet on March 30 at UFC Atlantic City. Reyes vs. Ulberg was previously slated for Jan. 20 at UFC 297, however Ulberg had to withdraw due to injury. Reyes (12-4) continues to look to right his ship after dropping four consecutive bouts dating back to his controversial 2020 title loss to then-champ Jon Jones. A 34-year-old native of California, Reyes’ past three losses against Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka, and Ryan Spann have all ended in devastating knockouts inside of…