Author: mmafighting
Andre Fili’s first knockout in over four years should have been the story of his fight week. In all likelihood, he’ll remember UFC 296 for what happened in the days leading up to it. On Saturday, Fili picked up a spectacular first-round TKO of Lucas Almeida to return to the win column and keep his UFC record above the .500 mark. The 14-year veteran entered the contest with a heavy heart as he had to put down his beloved dog Harley a day before flying to Las Vegas to compete. Fili recounted the story during an appearance on The MMA…
TKO Group Holdings — the merged company between the UFC and WWE — may have taken a hit in stock prices since first launching this past September, but the company could be poised for a massive rebound in 2024. The company opened on the NYSE at $102, but as of closing on Tuesday, it currently sits at just over $80 per share. That dip may not look promising, but at least one Wall Street analyst is backing TKO for a huge year ahead, especially with a pair of lucrative television contracts in the works. Eric Handler, an analyst at Roth…
Conor McGregor’s name and history still carry a lot of weight. On New Year’s Day, McGregor announced that he is fighting Michael Chandler at an upcoming UFC event on June 29 during International Fight Week. The bout is yet to be made official by the UFC, but that hasn’t stopped oddsmakers from setting a line for the prospective matchup. According to DraftKings, the opening line sees McGregor as a slight favorite at -120. A $100 bet on McGregor would provide a return of $183.33. A bet on Chandler, the underdog at +100, would win a $200 payout. McGregor has a…
Ian Machado Garry has big plans for 2024. Monday marked the start of a new year and as such, many people laid out their resolutions and goals for what they hope to achieve in 2024. Machado Garry was one such person, posting a video to his Instagram set to J. Cole’s MIDDLE CHILD with Machado Garry writing his own hit list for 2024, including Geoff Neal, Colby Covington, and one more name. While Machado Garry does not write the surname to his final target for 2024, it’s not a huge leap to assume he is referring to Sean Strickland. Machado…
Merab Dvalishvili says it’s title shot or bust at UFC 298. Dvalishvili faces former two-division champion Henry Cejudo in the co-main event of UFC 298 in February. After the bout was announced, Cejudo claimed the winner would earn a title shot against the winner of the upcoming bantamweight title bout between Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera at UFC 299. While Dvalishvili said he hasn’t been guaranteed anything like that from the UFC, he agrees with Cejudo’s declaration. “No, they don’t tell me like this, but now I’m going to be ready again for a title fight,” Dvalishvili said on The…
Francis Ngannou could go from one titanic heavyweight matchup to another. The former UFC champion made a spectacular boxing debut this past October, going 10 rounds with Tyson Fury and narrowly losing a split decision in a bout that saw him score a dramatic third-round knockdown of boxing’s heavyweight king. Despite the loss, Ngannou’s stock rose after the thrilling performance, and Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn is keeping an eye on the PFL fighter as a potential opponent for prized client Anthony Joshua. “So right now we have three fights that we’re in discussions for,” Hearn told iFL TV. “They’re…
Alexandre Pantoja defended the UFC flyweight championship with a unanimous decision victory over Brandon Royval at UFC 296, but the performance came with a scare. Looking in from the outside, it appeared as if Pantoja gassed out a little in the championship rounds but still managed to threaten his challenger with a rear-naked choke in the fourth frame. Pantoja, however, revealed on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast that he almost passed out during that submission attempt. “I almost blacked out trying to put him out,” Pantoja said. “Coming back from the third to fourth round, [coach Marcos] ‘Parrumpinha’ came to…
Brazil continues to export tons of talent into the MMA world, and it looks like the harvest will be another good one in 2024. As the new year begins, MMA Fighting takes a closer look at Brazilian up-and-comers who may graduate from the regional scene and sign with a major promotion over the next 12 months, joining prospects highlighted in previous years such Alexandre Pantoja, Vitor Petrino, Jailton Almeida, Caio Borralho, and others. As always, this list only features athletes who are under the age of 30 and haven’t competed for a major promotion in the past. Icaro Brito is…
Even Sean Strickland has his limits. The almost always unfiltered UFC middleweight champion rarely bites his tongue when speaking his mind during interviews, press conferences or on social media, but he still draws a line regarding certain subjects. He blasted Colby Covington after the multi-time welterweight title challenger insulted Leon Edwards’ deceased father ahead of UFC 296 and Strickland felt the same way towards his next opponent Dricus du Plessis. The ugly incident unfolded at a pre-fight press conference where du Plessis shouted at Strickland while saying “you think your dad beat the s*** out of you? Your dad doesn’t…
Paddy Pimblett will have to face a Top-15 opponent sooner rather than later if he keeps winning. The rising lightweight prospect had his momentum slowed by injury for nearly the entirety of 2023. Liverpool’s “Baddy” managed to return just before the calendar flipped to 2024, however, and in doing so, was tasked with the biggest fight of his budding career against Tony Ferguson at UFC 296 last month. Pimblett, 28, entered the bout with four straight wins inside the octagon and a six-fight stretch of success in total (21-3). Ferguson, on the other hand, was hopeful to snap his losing…