MMA News

Author: Kyle Dimond

  • Tony Ferguson Said To Be In Talks With New Promotion Following 8-Fight UFC Losing Skid

    Tony Ferguson Said To Be In Talks With New Promotion Following 8-Fight UFC Losing Skid

    The Global Fight League, or GFL, have announced a huge amount of names who will be eligible for the promotion’s upcoming draft this month. GFL is set to host its first event around April where the team-based season format will kick off once fighters have been selected by their chosen teams.

    Many of the names on the current roster, particularly on the men’s side, are former UFC fighters who will add a certain amount of name value to the promotion from the very start. Amongst them is former UFC interim lightweight title challenger Kevin Lee who recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show to go into more detail about the promotion and his initial impressions of working with them.

    Lee spoke during the interview about other names that could be joining him in the promotion who could be potential opponents for him at some stage. He specifically mentioned a former opponent of his who has been on a difficult run inside the Octagon as of late.

    One of the criticisms of the GFL thus far has been the amount of fighters on the roster who are perceived to be over the hill or in some cases, already at the end of their careers. That would also be the narrative surrounding Tony Ferguson whose name still carries a degree of weight despite the fact that he has lost his last eight fights in a row which is a record for the MMA leader.

    It appeared following his last defeat against Michael Chiesa that “El Cucuy” had one foot in retirement after he took off one of his gloves inside the cage before he later confirmed that he isn’t done yet. During his losing streak, Dana White has repeatedly made it clear that he hopes Ferguson retires with his 41st birthday being just around the corner.

    However, according to what Lee has heard, it looks like Ferguson could be beginning a new chapter rather than closing the book for good.

    “I’ve heard a couple of names tossed around, the one that interests me the most is Tony Ferguson,” Lee told Helwani. “He’s had his ups and downs in his career but we’ve had a great fight for the UFC championship and I think that’s something that a lot of people can get behind and that’s a fight that I really, really want. He’s in talks with them.”

  • Henry Cejudo Sends 4-Word Warning To Song Yadong After Confirmation Of UFC Seattle Headliner

    Henry Cejudo Sends 4-Word Warning To Song Yadong After Confirmation Of UFC Seattle Headliner

    Henry Cejudo is set to return to the Octagon on February 22 where he will once again look to earn his first win since deciding to comeback from his 2020 retirement. “Triple C” has suffered back-to-back losses in consecutive years to teammates Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili who are the former and current holders of the bantamweight title.

    Following multiple reports, it has since been confirmed by the UFC that Cejudo will headline the promotion’s long awaited return to Seattle when he faces off with Song Yadong over five rounds at the Climate Pledge Arena. The former two-weight champion is currently ranked one spot above China’s Yadong in the top-15 rankings at 135-pounds, occupying the #7-position.

    With Yadong coming off of a loss to Petr Yan at UFC 299 in March last year, this is a massive opportunity for him to regain some serious momentum by earning the biggest win of his career to date against one of the top names in the lower weight classes. Cejudo, on the other hand, seemingly has a lot at stake in this contest.

    For as much as his return has been stifled by back-to-back losses, losing to the titleholder at the time and the man that would go on to become the champion are two defeats that he can bounce back from. The 37-year old has been fighting either champions or the top contenders for a long time so suffering a third consecutive defeat to the #8-ranked guy would be a tough moment for him to bounce back from.

    Despite what this might could mean for his career, anyone expecting a more serious version of “Triple C” appears to be mistaken. His first message on social media after the fight was confirmed followed the same pattern that fight fans have to expect from Cejudo.

  • Unranked UFC Fighter Debunks MMA Math: ‘I Can Beat Anyone In The Top 10’

    Unranked UFC Fighter Debunks MMA Math: ‘I Can Beat Anyone In The Top 10’

    It has been proven time and time again that MMA math doesn’t work. Every fight is different and the sport is at its very best when it is unpredictable rather than it being a constantly looping pattern where you can see the results coming from a mile away.

    Alexander Volkanovski may have beaten Max Holloway on three separate occasions but that doesn’t mean that he would put on the same kind of emphatic performance that “Blessed” produced against Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 last April just because he has Holloway’s number. Unfortunately for anyone that has ever missed out on a huge bet coming in, it simply doesn’t work that way in this sport, as was stressed by a member of the UFC roster in a recent social media post.

    England’s Nathaniel Wood has had a good UFC career thus far since debuting back in 2018, having 8-3 inside the Octagon across both the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. The 31-year old currently coming off of a win over Daniel Pineda at UFC 304 in Manchester with his only losses in the promotion coming to Muhammad Naimov, Casey Kenny and John Dodson.

    “The Prospect” made the point that in the UFC, anyone can beat anyone on the night. In a statement that looked to highlight his own potential, Wood stated that with the tools that he has at his disposal, if he performs as he should, he can go all the way in this sport if things fall into place for him.

    “MMA math doesn’t exist , anyone in the UFC is dangerous, I can beat anyone in the top 10 and could also lose to anyone. With my skill set I just need the opportunity and my A game on the night.”

  • Merab Dvalishvili Will Be The Bantamweight GOAT If He Beats Umar Nurmagomedov, Asserts Coach

    Merab Dvalishvili Will Be The Bantamweight GOAT If He Beats Umar Nurmagomedov, Asserts Coach

    Merab Dvalishvili has made it very clear that he didn’t want to fight as soon as UFC 311 in January and he didn’t want to face Umar Nurmagomedov in his first title defense. The undefeated challenger presents a big threat to the champion but, to Merab’s point, has only beaten one top contender in the division to earn his shot.

    Whilst it is a risky fight for Dvalishvili who seemed to get on board with the matchup when he became emotionally invested in beating Nurmagomedov to silence some of the criticism that he has faced, his coach believes that this is a massive opportunity for the Georgian. In fact, John Wood thinks that this fight could separate his fighter as the best 135-pounder of all time.

    On one hand, it seems like a very bold claim to state that you can be considered the best ever in your weight class following one successful title defense but that isn’t necessarily the case that Wood is making. A huge reason why Dvalishvili didn’t want to fight Nurmagomedov is because he felt like the challenger hadn’t earned his shot the hard way unlike him who had to accumulate 10 consecutive wins to get his first title fight inside the Octagon.

    Many believed that the 33-year old had been the champion in waiting for a long time and if you factor in his wins over top contenders like Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and José Aldo who he beat before he faced Sean O’Malley for the gold, it presents a much better picture.

    “(If) Merab goes out and beats Umar, which I believe he will, I think there’s no question that he’s the bantamweight GOAT,” Wood told Inside Fighting. “And had all those guys that he beat been title defenses, it’s not even a question now. So I think we’re looking at the next bantamweight GOAT here shortly.”

  • Mark Zuckerberg On UFC CEO Dana White Joining Meta’s Board Of Directors: ‘His Ability To Build Such A Beloved Brand…’

    Mark Zuckerberg On UFC CEO Dana White Joining Meta’s Board Of Directors: ‘His Ability To Build Such A Beloved Brand…’

    Mark Zuckerberg announced on Monday that UFC CEO Dana White has become a member of Meta’s board of directors. The two business men have struck up a relationship in recent years due to their mutual interest in each other’s companies which has seen Zuckerberg sit cage-side for multiple UFC events.

    At one point, there was even talks of White promoting a fight between the Meta CEO and Elon Musk although that eventually dissolved.

    This move presents a new challenge for White who is always looking to challenge himself. Of course, the financial gain in becoming a part of a massive organization like Meta is sure to be a motivating factor also with White set to reportedly receive a retainer of at least $50,000 after joining the board alongside two other new members.

    Zuckerberg and Meta have been specifically linked to the UFC in recent times following White’s comments on the way that the promotion creates its ranking system for the fighters. He has spoken about wanting to use AI in order to take opinion out of the conversation following his criticism throughout 2024 regarding the current method.

    “I’ve never been interested in joining a board of directors until I got the offer to join Meta’s board,” White said in a statement. “I am a huge believer that social media and AI are the future.”

    Zuckerberg is also excited to see the value that White can bring to Meta as in his own statement. As an avid mixed martial arts fan, he praised the UFC boss for the work that he has done to transform the promotion into a major player in sport which in turn, has made MMA into a mainstream product.

    “(White) has built (UFC) into one of the most valuable, fastest growing and most popular sports enterprises in the world,” Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. “I’ve admired him as an entrepreneur and his ability to build such a beloved brand.”

  • PFL Announces Major Change To Ruleset For 2025: ‘You Asked For…’

    PFL Announces Major Change To Ruleset For 2025: ‘You Asked For…’

    We haven’t been in 2025 for long but the PFL has already announced a major change to the promotion going forward. One of the most talked about criticisms of the action that takes place inside the Smart Cage has been the removal of one of the most dangerous weapons in mixed martial arts.

    Elbows are an incredibly important weapon in a fighter’s arsenal, especially for grapplers who do their best work when they’re on top of their opponents, raining down strikes. However, due to the promotion’s tournament format, they have not been allowed in the PFL’s ruleset because it makes it more difficult for fighters to make the required turnarounds throughout the season due to the cuts that elbows often open up.

    For a long time, fans have argued that whilst this may be the case, they should be given the all clear for elbows in championship fights and in this area, the PFL made a change by allowing this form of striking technique in the 2024 World Championships. Across that event alone, we saw some devastating elbows once they were unlocked with Dakota Ditcheva in particular making the case for why this ruleset should become permanent with her ruthless display against Taila Santos.

    The promotion have finally responded to this feedback from the fans and the fighters via a recent social media post from PFL founder Donn Davis who announced that from now, elbows will be allowed in every PFL fight. 2024 may have been a mixed bag for the promotion overall but this is a step in the right direction regarding the product itself.

    “New Year … New Adjustments YOU asked for ELBOWS @PFLMMA is giving you elbows! All elbows. All fights. All the time. #PFLMMA 2025 … COMING”

  • UFC 311: Arman Tsarukyan Reveals Islam Makhachev’s Supportive Words After Defeat In First Fight

    UFC 311: Arman Tsarukyan Reveals Islam Makhachev’s Supportive Words After Defeat In First Fight

    On April 20 in 2019, Arman Tsarukyan would suffer just the second loss of his pro career at the time when he stepped into his UFC debut on short notice. Little did he know that six years later, at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, he would get the opportunity to earn his revenge against the same opponent that welcomed him to the Octagon in St. Petersburg.

    The top contender in the lightweight division will face Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound title in the main event of UFC 311 in their second encounter. Despite their history with one another, and Tsarukyan’s pursuit of his former foe up the division’s rankings, there isn’t any bad blood between them in the build-up to January 18.

    In fact, Tsarukyan recently revealed that the current lightweight champion game him plenty of praise and encouragement in the immediate aftermath of their first contest in Russia. The Armenian may have lost the fight but he was able to impress a lot of people with his performance after he was able to really test one of the most highly regarded rising contenders in the division over three rounds.

    It seems that it wasn’t just fans that came away with good things to say about the lightweight division’s newest arrival. The challenger spoke in a video put out by Red Corner MMA about how Makhachev consoled him after he was devastated to have lost his UFC debut.

    “Yes, of course I do. After the battle, he supported me and said, ‘You’re still young. Everything is ahead of you. Don’t be upset.’ And I was like, ‘I’m not that young,’ fell down, well, sat down and covered my eyes. Yes, I never liked losing, no matter how young I was.”

  • UFC Hall Of Famer: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson ‘Made Me Want To Vomit’

    UFC Hall Of Famer: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson ‘Made Me Want To Vomit’

    The boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson may have broken viewership records after being streamed live on Netflix but that doesn’t mean that every audience member came away satisfied. It was always going to be a controversial bout from the moment that it was announced due to the huge age gap between the two men.

    Anyone tuning in and expecting a great contest was likely destined to be underwhelmed and that’s the lasting feeling that many were left with once Paul got his hand raised via a unanimous decision. “The Problem Child” has always been divisive and nowhere is that more true than when it comes to veteran fighters who made their names by competing at the highest level.

    One of the latest icons to voice his displeasure is MMA pioneer and UFC legend, Don Frye. The 59-year old is known for putting on some classic fights during the early days of the sport including the iconic battle he had with Yoshihiro Takayama in PRIDE which won fight of the year 23 years ago.

    A lot has changed since Frye was at his peak and it’s not surprising in the slightest that he didn’t enjoy the time that he spent in the company of the most talked about fight of 2024. He gave his thoughts on the fight and revealed how he attempted to wash it down with an immediate palette cleanser during a recent video on the YouTube channel of his former UFC and PRIDE opponent, Gary Goodridge.

    “That made me want to vomit. I was so disgusted with that. I had to go home and put in Tommy Hearns and Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Jake Lamotta, Rocky Marciano. [I] had to watch some real fighters. If I didn’t do that, I’d never watch another boxing match again. That was a fraud.”

    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4eJfpxFU7fM
  • Donn Davis Lists ‘5 Bad Things’ That Happened To PFL In 2024: ‘Bellator Star Fighters Complained…’

    Donn Davis Lists ‘5 Bad Things’ That Happened To PFL In 2024: ‘Bellator Star Fighters Complained…’

    The PFL had some major highlights throughout 2024 from the debut of Francis Ngannou to the rise of one of the promotion’s new focal points, Dakota Ditcheva. However, the year also provided them with some difficult challenges, some of which are yet to be dealt with now that 2025 is underway.

    PFL founder Donn Davis spoke about this in a recent post on LinkedIn which has attracted the wrong kind of attention. In an effort to show the other side to what most business owners put out there on social media, Davis listed “5 bad things that happened to PFL in 2024.”

    The majority of the post references things that happened behind the scenes which fight fans wouldn’t have known about as Davis talks through some of the issues that they have experienced that come with running a company of this scale. He reveals how throughout 2024, they have had to battle potential investors wasting their time, an advertiser deal breaking down, the costs of international expansion into new regions and a delay in the promotion’s plans which was caused by one of their partners.

    It is the third entry in the list that is particularly of note as unlike the other problems, this one has taken place in the public eye. The PFL’s acquisition of Bellator has certainly led to the promotion having a better product overall when it comes to the talent on their roster but keeping everyone busy and happy has been a major issue with several big names openly voicing their issues with the way that they have been treated.

    Davis made reference to this in his post where he appeared to criticize these fighters for making claims which have damaged the promotion’s public perception.

    “Some Bellator star fighters complained on social media about not fighting, making PFL look like not meet our contracts.”

  • Islam Makhachev’s Training Partners Have To Be ‘Helped Emotionally’, Claims Manager

    Islam Makhachev’s Training Partners Have To Be ‘Helped Emotionally’, Claims Manager

    When Khabib Nurmagomedov made the decision to retire and vacate the UFC lightweight title, it meant that his teammate, Islam Makhachev, would get his time to shine. Following the title reign of Charles Oliveira that took place in-between, Makhachev ascended to the throne and he now sits atop the pound-for-pound rankings.

    Makhachev was always a highly regarded competitor but he seems to make visual improvements each and every time that he steps inside the Octagon. A big reason for that and his consistency is because like his training partner and coach, he has an incredible work ethic and drive.

    Fans have seen glimpses and heard stories about how hard Khabib works his team in the gym now that he’s leading the practices. With Makhachev set to headline UFC 311 on January 18 in a rematch with Arman Tsarukyan and Umar Nurmagomedov challenging for the bantamweight title in the co-main event, this has been no different during their residency at the UFC PI in Las Vegas.

    In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Dominance MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz provided some insight regarding the kind of cycle that Makhachev puts his training partners through on a daily basis. He said that fighters have to take rest days after going head-to-head with the lightweight champion and that has only continued to grow in recent times.

    “Listen, we have to give his training partners days off from training for them to be ready for sparring day. Seriously. We have to help guys emotionally… I grappled with him the other day and I was like, ‘What the hell am I doing?’ I can hold my own against anybody in grappling, somebody my size. But I felt like I was a little kid playing with a bear. This is how I felt. I was like, ‘There’s no sense in me even training with this guy ever again.’ In a way I felt bad, because I’m a man. But in reality, I felt so confident, how good [Makhachev] is.”

  • Chael Sonnen Reveals Colby Covington Walkout Idea That Hulk Hogan Deemed ‘Too Far’

    Chael Sonnen Reveals Colby Covington Walkout Idea That Hulk Hogan Deemed ‘Too Far’

    Colby Covington’s return to the Octagon in Tampa at the final event of 2024 didn’t go to plan. “Chaos” was defeated by Joaquin Buckley in convincing fashion and though he struggled to make an impact inside the cage, what he did on route to the middle of the Amalie Arena did stick with a lot of fans.

    One of the most memorable walk-outs of the previous year was the very last one to take place in the UFC as Covington entered the building flanked by Chael Sonnen and Hulk Hogan of all people. Sonnen’s presence was already known about following his appearance at the weigh-ins but it’s safe to say that people didn’t expect to see “The Hulkster” walking down to the Octagon.

    All in all, this was mostly just a surprising image and a shock reaction, even if Sonnen has claimed that he was close to throwing in the towel due to Covington’s cut which certainly would have generated some talking points. “The Bad Guy” did recently reveal that Covington’s original plan for the walk-out was changed before they went through the curtain.

    The WWE icon may have accompanied Covington to the cage but he wasn’t quite willing to let “Hulkamania” run completely wild in the UFC. Instead, he wanted to take a step back in order to be the red corner’s wingman rather than the focal point.

    “It was a cool thing, it was Hulk Hogan… Very first thing Colby says to him, ‘When the camera hits, Hulk, I wanted you with the American flag…I come out behind you’. And Hulk cut him off and said, ‘Colby, too far. I am a guest in your house. You go first, I’m at your back… I won’t have it any other way.’ And that was his attitude right from the beginning and he was more than welcome in that locker room.”

  • Paul Hughes Gives 4-Word Reaction To Khabib Nurmagomedov Claiming ‘Ireland Don’t Have Fighters’

    Paul Hughes Gives 4-Word Reaction To Khabib Nurmagomedov Claiming ‘Ireland Don’t Have Fighters’

    In a recent social media video posted by the PFL, Khabib Nurmagomedov criticized the credibility of Irish fighters. The former UFC lightweight champion has his own well-documented history with one fighter in particular from this region which led to the biggest fight in the history of the sport seven years ago.

    For team Khabib, they’ve got an extremely busy start to 2025 as after UFC 311 takes place, where Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov will feature at the top of the card, it’s Usman Nurmagomedov’s turn at the PFL’s Road to Dubai event on January 25. At the Coca-Cola Arena, the undefeated Bellator lightweight champion will defend his title against Ireland’s Paul Hughes in a highly anticipated showdown.

    Following Hughes’ prompt, the promotion has marketed the main event as the next instalment in the MMA rivalry between Ireland and Dagestan but Khabib doesn’t think that this is any kind of competition. Despite the amount of success that Ireland has had in combat sports despite its population, “The Eagle” is yet to be impressed by what the emerald isle has to offer, especially in regards to comparisons with Dagestan.

    “Ireland don’t have fighters, brother,” Nurmagomedov said in an interview with PFL. “Let’s be honest: How many fighters from Ireland? Paul Hughes and Conor. Who else? There is no fighters, brother. You come to Dagestan, you can understand. So many organizations, they don’t even want to sign Dagestan fighters because they worry about like, everybody can become champion.

    “Let’s be honest: Dagestan level of MMA here (up high),” Nurmagomedov said. “But Ireland level, like not even half of Dagestan level.”

    Hughes’ response was simple and to the point. With coach Khabib seemingly having a front row seat for January 25 from the corner of the defending champion, “Big News” is excited to prove him wrong.

  • Manager Explains Magomed Ankalaev’s Confidence About KOing Alex Pereira: ‘He Said…Izzy Can’t Even Wash My Boots In Striking’

    Manager Explains Magomed Ankalaev’s Confidence About KOing Alex Pereira: ‘He Said…Izzy Can’t Even Wash My Boots In Striking’

    For a long time now, fight fans have theorized that Magomed Ankalaev is the biggest threat to the current light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira. The #1-ranked contender has beaten a lot of top opposition but it was his recent win over Aleksandar Rakić at UFC 308 which seemingly solidified his status as the next in line at long last.

    However, the Rakić fight did also raise some concerns regarding the way that Ankalaev might approach a clash with “Poatan”. Throughout 2024, Ankalaev was very clear on the idea that in a fight with Pereira, he would stand and strike with him, believing that he would knock the champion out whilst many have made the case for why this wouldn’t be a smart approach.

    The Russian traded with Rakić for all three rounds this past October even after he lost the first five minutes because he didn’t attempt to test his opponent’s grappling and though he came out on top, he was clearly going out of his way to prove a point. Ankalaev has shown himself to be a very effective striker but in the current titleholder, you’re talking about a hall of fame level kickboxer.

    Ali Abdelaziz spoke in a recent interview with MMA Junkie about the confidence of the challenger right now in regards to his striking. As the manager of the number one contender, he said that his fighter is convinced that he will shock the world by stopping “Poatan” without using his grappling when they eventually go head-to-head.

    “Ankalaev, what he told me, he said, ‘I’m not wrestling with [Pereira]. I’m gonna show everybody. Izzy can’t even wash my boots in striking. I’m gonna knock Alex Pereira out. Get the respect I’ve deserved for a long time.’ It’s a long task to strike with [Pereira] and knock him out. But I believe Ankalaev can do it.”

  • Aljamain Sterling Predicts The Four Most Likely New UFC Champions In 2025

    Aljamain Sterling Predicts The Four Most Likely New UFC Champions In 2025

    A lot can change across 12 months in MMA which means that at the start of 2025, it’s time to speculate about what the year has in store for fight fans. Aljamain Sterling did just that via his podcast where he went division by division to pick out names that could become UFC champions by the end of the year.

    The former UFC bantamweight champion picked out four names contenders who he believes have the potential to dethrone the current titleholders in their respective divisions. He started at flyweight where a recently reported clash for March 1 between the #1 and #6-ranked competitors will likely decide the next opponent for Alexandre Pantoja.

    “I can see Manel Kape as 125. Dude, he’s just a super fun fighter to watch. He’s very well-rounded, his ground game might be as good as his standup but he’s very well-rounded. If he can keep the fight standing long enough, he’s clean enough where I think he actually gives Pantoja a run for his money.”

    Sterling also named a challenger who has already had his title fight made official for the first PPV card of the year. Though he didn’t necessarily pick Arman Tsarukyan to beat Islam Makhachev in their lightweight title rematch, “Funkmaster” believes that he has a good chance of doing it.

    “Arman Tsarukyan I think has a very great potential for an upset in January and that’s just based on how he looked when he fought Islam the first time, how he’s looked over the years, growing, and he was only 22.”

    The final two picks on Sterling’s list came down to the two heavyweight weight classes in the sport. If there was a consensus list from the fans, you’d probably expect to see both Magomed Ankalaev and Tom Aspinall make the cut.

    Ankalaev is believed to be the toughest test for Alex Pereira and in Aspinall’s case, he might not even get the chance to fight Jon Jones before being promoted to the world champion if there title unification never takes place.

    “I could see Ankalaev becoming champ in 2025. I could see that.

    “Heavyweight I think Tom Aspinall. I don’t see Jon Jones sticking around much longer. I think he does one more fight whether it’s against Pereira or Tommy Aspinall but I think at some point, Tommy Aspinall will become the undisputed champion.”

  • Former Opponent Reveals What Arman Tsarukyan Can Take From First Makhachev Fight

    Former Opponent Reveals What Arman Tsarukyan Can Take From First Makhachev Fight

    On January 18, Arman Tsarukyan will finally get an opportunity that he has been chasing for a long time. The #1-ranked contender will not only get the chance to challenge for the lightweight title in the main event of UFC 311 but he has the possibility of avenging one of his only losses in the process.

    Tsarukyan debuted in the UFC back in April of 2019 where he stepped in on short notice to face Islam Makhachev in Russia. He didn’t get his hand raised on that occasion but in a fight of the night winning contest, he showed that he was a serious player in the 155-pound division.

    Makhachev’s success after that fight only made Tsarukyan’s debut performance against him even more impressive but now he gets the chance to run it back with the man who handed him the second defeat of his career. In a recent interview with Inside Fighting, Beneil Dariush gave his thoughts on the matchup.

    Dariush faced Tsarukyan in December of 2023 where he was caught early on by a huge right hand that ended the contest in just over a minute. He believes that if there’s anything that the challenger needs to take from his first meeting with the current champion, it’s that same hunger and aggression.

    He thinks that Tsarukyan’s best chance of winning the fight is by being on the front foot early on which is where he had success against both Makhachev and Dariush in the past.

    “It was so long ago. I think if you look at Arman’s mentality in that fight, that’s the right mentality. Take the fight to him, right. I think that’s what he should do. So I think that he could take that from that fight as like, ‘Hey, when I took the fight to him, I won’. I want to say people, was it the first round that he won according the judges? He went out there and he want hard, you know. He went after him in the first round so I think that’s something he could do.”

  • Former UFC Fighter Praises Major Breakthrough To Help Medical Condition: ‘For The First Time In 41 Years…’

    Former UFC Fighter Praises Major Breakthrough To Help Medical Condition: ‘For The First Time In 41 Years…’

    Former UFC fighter Matt Hamill has one of the most remarkable stories of anyone that has stepped inside the Octagon. Having been deaf since birth, the Ohio native found his way to the highest level of the sport via season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter where he competed as a member of team Tito Ortiz.

    He would go on to have 15 of his 20 pro fights inside the Octagon having left the promotion in 2013 before he fought for the last time in 2018. During his UFC run, Hamill faced some of the top names from his era with wins over the likes of Mark Muñoz, Keith Jardine and Tito Ortiz.

    His time in the promotion is likely most well known for the fact that he is the only man to hold a pro victory over Jon Jones after the consensus greatest of all time was disqualified due to the now legal 12-6 elbow rule back in 2009. In a piece of remarkable news that has got 2025 off to a strong start, Hamill shared a post on social media which detailed a massive change that has happened in his life.

    Via a new digital hearing aid that he has received, after being deaf for all 48 years of his life, he’s able to hear for the very first time.

    “I just got the most powerful digital hearing aids ever made. For the first time in 41 years, I can finally hear my kids’ voices, the sounds of people walking and laughing. I finally heard my mom’s voice and she cried. I’m looking forward to hearing my brother Pat’s voice too. I only hope he doesn’t have a voice like a foghorn. This is awesome although I know it will take time to adapt to all of this. Happy New Year!”

  • Merab Dvalishvili Details Plans To Retire After Going 1-2 At The Start Of Pro Career

    Merab Dvalishvili Details Plans To Retire After Going 1-2 At The Start Of Pro Career

    In the build up to his first title defense at UFC 311, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has spoken a lot about respect and hard work. He does not believe that his challenger, the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov, has earned his spot like he and others have by continuing to push their way to the top.

    The Georgian certainly didn’t have an easy road to eventually becoming champion at UFC 306 this past September where he defeated Sean O’Malley. After losing his first two fights inside the Octagon, Dvalishvili turned his fortunes around fight-by-fight by winning ten in a row before he got the chance to fight for the title.

    However, the adversity that he faced early in his career nearly stopped him from ever pursuing his dream of competing in the UFC at the highest level of the sport. After turning pro in 2014, Dvalishvili fought three times and ended the year with an overall record of 1-2 after losing two decisions against Darren Mima and Ricky Bandejas.

    In a recent appearance on Eric Nicksick’s Verse Us podcast, the champion spoke about how the difficult start to his pro career nearly led to him throwing the towel in for good and never looking back.

    “I was booked for my next fight but I had like headaches and you know, I wasn’t happy and not motivated and I tell them maybe first time ever, cancel fight. I said no, I want some time off and I was thinking I’m gonna live normal life like normal people.”

    Dvalishvili spoke about how he had resigned himself to the idea that he would continue working in construction whilst trying to raise a family but eventually, he found the desire to compete again. He revealed that though he did resume his career, he had decided that the likes of the UFC and Bellator might be off the table for him but he could still make good money by travelling and competing elsewhere.

    After winning five fights in a row, his fight against Raufeon Stots was featured on Dana White’s Lookin’ For A Fight where he produced a spinning backfist knockout in the opening 15 seconds to earn his UFC contract.

    “I came back because I missed it and I said, ‘I don’t care if I lose’. In my head I was thinking I’m not the best because if I lost here in Ring of Combat, I was 1-2, how am I gonna win in the UFC and how am I going to make it to UFC. But, I said I missed this, I don’t care. Win or lose, I’m just gonna keep fighting.”

  • Former Champion Names Top Five UFC Fights Of 2024, Leaves Out Holloway vs. Gaethje

    Former Champion Names Top Five UFC Fights Of 2024, Leaves Out Holloway vs. Gaethje

    With 2025 underway, the MMA world is already starting to look ahead to the action that we have to look forward to over the coming 12 months rather than reflecting on the past. 2024 produced some great fights and it’s always fun to look back on them and revisit some of the most exciting moments from throughout the year.

    During a recent episode of his podcast, former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling did just that by listing what he thinks were the best fights of the previous year. His picks featured some key differences to the consensus picks that you’re sure to see on most peoples lists from 2024.

    For a start, the BMF title fight between Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje from UFC 300 is nowhere to be seen in the five fights that Sterling discussed. This fight has accumulated the majority of the fight of the year awards but some would argue that in order for it to rank highly in this category, it needs to be a back-and-forth affair.

    Holloway versus Gaethje was definitely the most memorable fight of the year but “Blessed” was fairly dominant before he capped the performance off with one of the all-time great UFC knockouts. Sterling applied this same logic when choosing highly competitive fights that saw both men have success.

    “The one that comes to mind is probably Du Plessis and Strickland and I think the next one after that, not in any order, I mean back and forth, you got Gamrot versus Dan Hooker and then you also have Islam Makhachev versus Dustin Poirier.”

    Sterling later pointed out a pair of split decision contests that are absolutely deserving of their recognition even if they don’t have the name value of the three previous selections. Esteban Ribovics’ war with Daniel Zellhuber at UFC 306 was undoubtedly the highlight of the promotion’s debut at the Sphere and though UFC 308 was littered with stand out moments, the battle between Mateusz Rębecki and Myktybek Orolbai is the one that “Funkmaster” thinks should take the top spot.

    “So I don’t know, I think between all of those, they were all pretty good but the Orolbai one to me, because he was able to, his eye looked like it was swollen shut and they were going to stop the fight. They let him continue even though his eye was a balloon and from there, came back and looked like he was about to get Rębecki out of there… great, great fight and I think it showed a lot of heart, a lot of grit and just like the sheer will to win.”

  • UFC Fighter With 1 Win In Last 5 Backtracks On Retirement: ‘I’m Still In It 100 Percent’

    UFC Fighter With 1 Win In Last 5 Backtracks On Retirement: ‘I’m Still In It 100 Percent’

    At UFC 309 last month, it appeared that Damon Jackson’s MMA career had come to an end. The 36-year old was submitted by Jim Miller in the first round at Madison Square Garden and left his gloves inside the Octagon before making his exit.

    In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, he announced that he has decided against retirement, stating that the entire situation was overwhelming which led to him making a rash decision in the moment.

    “It was a very emotional night,” Jackson told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve had a lot going on this past two or three years that I haven’t really shared with anyone. I kind of kept it to myself, and I’ve just had a lot going on. It was very frustrating to go out there and be on that stage and to go out there and lose that way, a way that I’ve prided myself in with my jiu-jitsu, with my wrestling.

    “To go out there and take a loss like that, it was just really frustrating – so surprising and so shocking. I couldn’t even really comprehend the fact that I just lost.”

    Jackson previously competed at featherweight where at one point, following a loss to Ilia Topuria, he was riding a four-fight win streak. His meeting with Miller saw him make the move up to lightweight where he was submitted for the second time in his career. He is currently focused on taking some time off to divert his attention elsewhere but in the mean time, he’s continuing to remain active in the gym.

    “I’m not done, man – I’m really not,” Jackson said. “I’ve been in the gym doing two- and three-a-days just like normal. I’m still in it 100 percent, it’s just mentally I really checked out that night and it was an overload, really. But I’m not done. I just need to figure out the path to what I want to do next. But I’m not done fighting, for sure.”

    Jackson also revealed that he has three fights left on his current UFC contract and that the matchmakers are behind his decision to continue. His return won’t be anytime soon following his recent exit from the anti-doping testing pool which requires a six-month testing period before he will be cleared to compete again.

    “I’m not going to fight for anybody but the UFC,” Jackson said. “I’m not going to go test the contract. I don’t give a sh*t about anybody else’s contracts. I don’t care about anyone else. If I ever fight again, it’ll be with UFC. I told Sean, ‘Listen, I’m going to take some time off. I’m probably not even going to fight until this summer.’”

  • Michael Bisping Includes Khamzat Chimaev & Tatiana Suarez On List of Likely New UFC Champions In 2025

    Michael Bisping Includes Khamzat Chimaev & Tatiana Suarez On List of Likely New UFC Champions In 2025

    The last two years have produced a staggering amount of title changes in the UFC. Following the record-tying eleven times that we heard “And New” in 2023, 2024 saw seven fighters capture the gold.

    Valentina Shevchenko, Raquel Pennington, Julianna Peña, Merab Dvalishvili, Ilia Topuria, Belal Muhammad and Dricus Du Plessis all got their hands on the most coveted prize in MMA but former champion Michael Bisping believes that 2025 will see less movement. In a recent episode of Fight Week on TNT Sports, Bisping (alongside co-hosts Adam Catterall & Nick Peet) gave his predictions for who will end 2025 as the champion of each division.

    He believes that four belts will be held by different competitors in 12-months time. At women’s strawweight, Bisping predicted that Tatiana Suarez will finally realize her true potential by becoming the new champion whether or not she defeats Weili Zhang in the co-main event of UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia this February.

    “I’ve got to go with Tatiana Suarez – I did say that this time last year. Of course, she’s fighting Zhang Weili, so we’ll see how that plays out. I just think the wrestling that Tatiana Suarez has is going to cause a lot of problems for a lot of people. This time next year, one way or another, she’ll be the champ.”

    Bisping also believes that the women’s bantamweight division will have a new face in the form of Kayla Harrison. The former PFL star has made a huge impact since arriving in the UFC, producing back-to-back wins over Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira to put her in title contention.

    “The women’s bantamweight champion, there’s only going to be one name in discussion: Kayla Harrison. No offense to Julianna Peña, I think she’s great for the sport, she’s a fun person. She’s fun to sit and watch fights with because she talks a lot of s-h-i-t the whole time. She’s great, but Kayla Harrison, I believe, will be too big, too strong, too good at judo, too mentally strong, too fit. She’ll drag her down, she’ll get the submission, and she’ll also get the belt.”

    The middleweight title is also set to be on the line at UFC 312 on February 8 but “The Count” does not see either man in that matchup ending the year on top. He believes that Khamzat Chimaev will become the champion by the end of the year, regardless of who he has to face to finally get his hands on the belt.

    “It’s interesting because I’m looking at the rankings here. I never thought we’d see a year where Robert Whittaker wasn’t in the conversation. It just shows the sport is such a cruel mistress. Obviously, Khamzat Chimaev squeezed his teeth out last time, and yeah, I’m gonna have to say Khazmzat. Dricus (Du Plessis) is a tremendous champion. I think him and Sean (Strickland) will have another close fight, but I think regardless, when Khamzat gets his chance, he’ll be victorious. I mean, what he did to Robert Whittaker – I’ll never underestimate that man ever again.”

    Last but not least, the Brit rounds out his four changes with a big one. Not only does Bisping think that Jon Jones will face Tom Aspinall this year, he predicts that the interim champion will unify the belts by becoming the first man to defeat the consensus greatest of all time (not including Matt Hamill via disqualification).

    “If there is an interim champion, it will be Tom Aspinall. However, I don’t think there will be one. I believe that the reason Tom isn’t fighting at London is because Jon Jones–Tom Aspinall will go down. The biggest heavyweight fight the sport has ever seen. Maybe the biggest fight period that this sport has ever seen. Jon Jones, Tom Aspinall, and when the dust settles, ‘Tommy Aspinall, Aspinall, Tommy Aspinall! Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na!’”

  • Undefeated UFC Contender Handed 6-Month Suspension For Second Failed Drug Test

    Undefeated UFC Contender Handed 6-Month Suspension For Second Failed Drug Test

    Azamat Murzakanov will be spending the first few months of 2025 on the side lines after it was announced on Monday that he has been serving a six-month suspension. The UFC’s anti-doping partner, Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) stated that the undefeated light heavyweight had tested positive for LGD-4033.

    CSAD also revealed that they believe the result from the out-of-competition test that was taken on October 8 was due to a “purported dietary supplement” which Murzakanov had submitted to them. They found traces of LGD-4033 in the supplement but the #12-ranked contender at 205-pounds was still suspended because, as CSAD states, the supplement was not “third-party tested and certified”.

    He will be eligible to return to the Octagon on May 1 due to his suspension time rising from 90 to 180 days due this being his second violation. Murzakanov was previously suspended by USADA for two years ahead of his UFC debut back in 2017.

    After winning the BRAVE CF openweight tournament in 2019, he was given the opportunity to compete on the 2021 series of Dana White’s Contender Series where he earned his contract. Since then, he has produced four consecutive wins and three finishes to find himself ranked in the top 15 at light heavyweight, beating the likes of Alonzo Menifield, Dustin Jacoby and Devin Clark.

    He was expected to face the #8-ranked Nikita Krylov at UFC 309 last month in New York until he withdrew from the fight with the reason now being revealed.

  • John McCarthy Suggests Improvement To UFC Broadcasts: ‘I’m Being Honest…’

    John McCarthy Suggests Improvement To UFC Broadcasts: ‘I’m Being Honest…’

    “Big” John McCarthy didn’t just help write the Unified Rules of MMA, he knows them like the back of his hand. The veteran referee turned commentator has been using his expertise when it comes to the rules of the sport to assist on the PFL’s broadcasts since the promotion acquired Bellator last year.

    McCarthy is often utilized as a rules analyst who will chime in on the broadcast to explain what is happening in certain scenarios which is no different to what happens in other sports. His current contract with the PFL has recently expired and though he does not intend on going back to the days where he would be constantly flying from A to B, he does think that the MMA leader could benefit from his services.

    “Big” John spoke in a recent interview with MMA Junkie about how the UFC would benefit from having a rules analyst for their broadcasts even if it’s not necessarily him in that role. He explained why this would be beneficial as an added layer of detail which the commentators aren’t currently providing.

    “Oh, absolutely,” McCarthy said. “I don’t know if the UFC would want me, but yeah, I could do it with the UFC. And I’m being honest, I think it’s something the UFC needs. They have too many times that their commentators are unsure about what is going on or what should be done, and that’s not their fault. Their commentators are there to explain the ins and outs of fighting to the fans. To sit there and expect them to know all the rules and what the mechanics of the referee is and what they need – they can’t do that.

    “So, they have Din Thomas kind of off to the side as the coach. I do think they need, and I’m not saying it’s me, but they need somebody there to absolutely clear things up for the fans when they are in a situation when the time has been stopped, a foul has occurred, or something like that, and gives the correct information about what’s occuring and where they can go with what has happened.”

  • Caio Borralho Reveals Message From Israel Adesanya About 2025 Fight

    Caio Borralho Reveals Message From Israel Adesanya About 2025 Fight

    Following his win over Jared Cannonier in August, Caio Borralho has been waiting on a huge fight for his next outing. The #6-ranked middleweight has won seven fights in a row since debuting in the Octagon in April of 2022.

    It appeared for a brief moment that the Brazilian might be being lined-up for arguably the biggest fight in the division outside of fighting for the title. He had expressed interest in facing former champion Israel Adesanya following his loss at UFC 305 and it seemed like this option was being presented to “The Last Stylebender”.

    Several months later it was announced that Adesanya will be headlining the UFC’s return to Saudi Arabia on February 1 but it will be against the contender that is one spot higher than Borralho in the rankings, France’s Nassourdine Imavov. During a recent appearance on the Overdogs Podcast, the Fighting Nerds stand out spoke about this fight and gave his thoughts on how it all played out.

    “I think the UFC offered Izzy two fights: me or Imavov,” Borralho said on the Overdogs Podcast. “And then, he suddenly posted a clip studying Imavov’s tape, and I was like, ‘Come on, bro.’ I sent a message to Izzy, and was like, ‘Bro, why you choosing that?’

    “He was like, ‘Bro, we’re going to fight next year. We’re going to dance next year for the belt.’ It’s OK, I respect you if you choose that. I think he chose right. I think Imavov is a better fight for him, and I think Izzy is the favorite in this fight.”

    Adesanya said a similar thing during a recent YouTube video where he said that though Imavov was the only name that he was offered, Borralho was a name on his radar that he would have accepted if this fight was presented instead. “The Last Stylebender” referenced the message that he sent him, saying that he respects Borralho for wanting to test himself.

    Borralho also weighed in with his thoughts on the fight that has been booked for February 1, giving the former champion an advantage when it comes to the five-round duration.

    “Imavov, I think he’s good and all that, but I don’t think he has the cardio for five rounds,” Borralho said. “I don’t think he has the best mentality for five rounds. He gets frustrated a lot into the fight, and he fought a three-round fight with Brendan Allen in Paris and it was like a boring fight.

    “They were tired since the first round, and I think if he does the same thing with Izzy, Izzy is going to pick him apart. I think he’s good at fighting guys that are shorter than him. I don’t think he’s good when he’s fighting guys who are taller than him.”

  • Top Coach Planning Possible MMA Exit After 100th UFC Win: ‘Definitely Coming Towards The End’

    Top Coach Planning Possible MMA Exit After 100th UFC Win: ‘Definitely Coming Towards The End’

    Fortis MMA’s Sayif Saud is recognized as one of the top coaches in mixed martial arts today. With the help of the rest of the coaching staff, this team has gone on to have a lot of success with Saud receiving justified praise but all of that hard work is catching up with him.

    In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Saud spoke about how his days as a coach might be coming to an end. The Dallas-based mastermind has been cornering UFC fighters for over ten years at this stage and during that timeframe, he has racked up 97 UFC wins under his belt.

    The Fortis MMA boss captain has created some great memories alongside fighters like Geoff Neal, Macy Chiasson, Ryan Spann and of course, the man that brought Saud his first UFC title win, Brandon Moreno. With the big 100 being just around the corner, Saud believes that leaving the sport after putting in twenty years makes a lot of sense to him right now.

    “I always said that 100 UFC wins and I was going to be done,” Saud told MMA Junkie. “One hundred UFC wins, win a title – I would like to win a title back and get it one more time for (Moreno) – but 100 wins and this will be 20 years. Next year will be 20 years. 2005 is when I started. I moved to Albuquerque in 2006, then came to Dallas in 2009, and now in 2025, it will be 20 years in MMA. And it’s been great, man. It’s been an incredible run, but it’s definitely coming towards the end.

    “I look forward to being home and kind of spending time with my kids. I don’t really realize how nice it is to be home and just be around my family, be around my kids and be around them and see them and hug them and kiss them. Just be around them more as they’re getting older. I’m getting into a different period in my life. I’m 44 and getting to the next generation of guys, we’re going to hopefully put that 100 up on the board.”

    Saud hopes that in his absence, the outstanding team will continue to push on without him to keep building the momentum they have accumulated in recent years in particular.

    As for when he might wrap things up, the team currently has three big fights on the calendar that are all set to take place before the end of March. Should Diego Ferreira, Chiasson and Spann all get their hands raised in their upcoming outings, Saud could be calling it a year within the first quarter of 2025.

  • Dan Hardy Describes What Separates PFL Champ Dakota Ditcheva From ‘Pioneer’ Ronda Rousey

    Dan Hardy Describes What Separates PFL Champ Dakota Ditcheva From ‘Pioneer’ Ronda Rousey

    Dakota Ditcheva was one of the stand out stars of 2024, as seen in MMA News’ end of year awards. The female fighter of the year achieved incredible things in the PFL to prove once and for all that she is the real deal.

    The devastating striker has had clear star potential ever since she signed to the promotion but putting her into the regular season would be the real test for her and she passed each hurdle with flying colors. Her trajectory has been so rapid that some have drawn comparisons to the competitor that really kicked the door down for women in MMA, Ronda Rousey.

    Rousey’s personality and success inside the Octagon brought a new spotlight to the female side of the sport as she transcended MMA to become a mainstream sports star. Given Ditcheva’s star quality and proven capabilities inside the cage, the Brit could be heading the same way.

    In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, PFL commentator Dan Hardy spoke about what he believes is the key difference between Ditcheva and “Rowdy”. “The Outlaw” thinks that whilst both women have specialist skill sets to some degree, the reigning PFL flyweight champion has shown that she can do everything when she needs to.

    “Ronda was a pioneer in martial arts, women’s martial arts in particular, but the reason why she was so effective is because she was particularly overwhelming in one range, right? Like, she came in, she grabbed a hold of somebody, threw them to the floor, and wrenched their arm off. Whereas Dakota, over the last two years, has also shown that she’s a fully well-rounded MMA fighter.”

    Her performance in the finals where she dismantled Taila Santos before stopping her in the second round was proof of this. Rousey was able to run right through the opposition that was put in front of her as well until all of a sudden, the sport had moved on. For Ditcheva, she has proven this year that she’s far more well-rounded than the former face of women’s MMA.

    “I think that’s another thing that gives people a lot of confidence that she could compete with anyone in the world. She can grapple and stay safe if she hits the floor with a world-class jiu-jitsu player. And her takedown defense coupled with those Muay Thai knees could put anybody away. And she’s also got the frame that’s perfect for this weight class. I could make the argument right now that she could beat anybody in this weight class on the planet.”