MMA News

Category: MMA

  • Cormier Opposes Cerrone’s Possible UFC Return Following PED Admission

    Cormier Opposes Cerrone’s Possible UFC Return Following PED Admission

    Daniel Cormier recently pushed back against Donald Cerrone’s plans for a UFC comeback following his revelation of using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) during his retirement.

    Earlier this week, “Cowboy”, who retired from the UFC in July 2022, revealed plans to come out of retirement with an ambitious goal—reaching the achievement of 50 total bouts under the Zuffa banner. The 41-year-old fan favorite has racked up 38 UFC fights, placing him third in the promotion’s history—excluding the 10 more bouts he logged in the WEC.

    Cerrone also disclosed that he’s been on Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) and other PEDs throughout his time away from the Octagon. Now, he’s working to flush these substances out of his system, aiming to rejoin the drug-testing pool and make his return for two more fights.

    However, Cormier isn’t on board with Cerrone’s plan to return to active competition after openly admitting to using steroids during his hiatus. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, the former two-division UFC champion voiced his firm disapproval, stating that “Cowboy” actions could set a troubling precedent.

    “DC” argued that it might inspire other fighters to temporarily withdraw from testing protocols, exploit their time off, and return with an unfair advantage.

    “For years now, he’s been openly using steroids. I don’t quite know what it is, but he’s not been clean. And even if he can come back, take tests, and pass those tests, for him to get back, he has to do all of those things and all those enhancers to allow him to feel like he can compete at that level again.

    So he would test clean, but isn’t that just a loophole? Isn’t it just a loophole like with the guys, when they get hurt, they get out of the testing pool? They recover from the injury; then they re-enter the testing pool.”

    – DC on Cowboy Cerrone wanting to fight again

    Cerrone last fought at UFC 276, where he suffered a submission loss to Jim Miller. Despite this setback, his career is impressive, featuring 18 post-fight bonuses—the most in UFC history, a record he shares with Charles Oliveira. He is tied for the second-most wins in UFC history with 23, alongside Andrei Arlovski, and holds 16 finishes, second only to Miller.

    In recognition of his legendary career, Cerrone was inducted into the modern wing of the UFC Hall of Fame in March 2023.

  • Julianna Peña Claims She Took The ‘Soul’ Of Amanda Nunes Despite 5-Round Battering In Rematch

    Julianna Peña Claims She Took The ‘Soul’ Of Amanda Nunes Despite 5-Round Battering In Rematch

    UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña isn’t giving up in her pursuit of a third showdown with former two-division queen Amanda Nunes.

    Prior to her return to action at the UFC 307 pay-per-view earlier this month, Peña vowed to call out Nunes — who retired following a successful defense against Irene Aldana last year — after recapturing the 135-pound title.

    And to the frustration of those hoping for her to instead set her sights on Kayla Harrison, the newly crowned champ made good on her promise, snubbing the two-time Olympic gold medalist and again attempting to draw the “Lioness” back.

    The pair have already collided twice, with Peña pulling off an almighty upset first time around at UFC 269 but losing in dominant fashion when they ran it back in the main event of UFC 277.

    The rematch went the distance but included Nunes recording multiple knockdowns en route to a one-sided decision, which saw 50-44, 50-45, and 50-46 scorecards in the Brazilian’s favor.

    But during an appearance on Sirius XM‘s MMA Today show, Peña suggested those numbers don’t reflect what actually happened at Dallas’ American Airlines Center, and that she actually took Nunes’ “soul.”

    “Nobody can breathe Amanda Nunes’ name except for me,” Peña said. “I’m the only person that’s going to say, ‘I want you, I know that you retired too early. The first fight, I took your pride in the first fight. The second fight, I took your soul. Make it into the Octagon for this trilogy fight,’ and she can’t do it!

    “So she says to the promotion, ‘Dana White, I’m shaking my ass and I’m tagging you because I miss you and call me, mwah, mwah, mwah.’ And then they call her and what does she say? ‘Oh, I just want to see what happens between Kayla and Julianna and I’ll take the winner,’” Peña continued. “You are not retired! You are biding your time, Amanda Nunes!”

    When Nunes released a video teasing a comeback on social media post-UFC 307, it initially appeared as if “The Venezuelan Vixen’s” callout had been heard.

    But with the champ claiming that the Brazilian is looking to face the winner of her likely showdown with Harrison in 2025, fans of the “Lioness” will seemingly have some time to wait before possibility seeing the legend back in action.

  • Dominick Cruz Reveals Hit List For ‘Last Chunk’ Of UFC Career

    Dominick Cruz Reveals Hit List For ‘Last Chunk’ Of UFC Career

    Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz has his eyes on unfinished business to conclude his career in the Octagon.

    Cruz, who also held WEC gold prior to his UFC reigns, hasn’t competed since being knocked out by a brutal head kick against Marlon Vera back in August 2022.

    That result, which headlined a UFC Fight Night in his home city of San Diego, snapped Cruz’s two-fight winning run and stalled his plans for a late-career rise back up the ladder at 135 pounds.

    Since then, “The Dominator” has remained a prominent fixture on UFC broadcasts through his work as a color commentator and desk analyst for ESPN. But although that has left some suggesting his time as an active fighter could be up, the 39-year-old has confirmed that he as more in the tank.

    During an appearance on the Anik & Florian Podcast, Cruz reiterated plans to make a comeback over two years on from his setback in California.

    And more than just a fighting commitment, Cruz even has some names in mind for his return, the first being a clash with former featherweight kingpin José Aldo.

    “I’m with that fight (against Aldo). I would like that fight,” Cruz said.

    That bout was rumored to have been in the works for this past May’s event in Rio de Janeiro, where Aldo made his comeback from retirement and defeated Jonathan Martinez. Having had his title plans stalled by Mario Bautista at UFC 307 earlier this month, perhaps the promotion will look to book an all-legends clash with Cruz for Aldo next.

    In addition to the Brazilian, “The Dominator” has his sights on a couple of rematches as he looks to right the wrongs from defeats to Cody Garbrandt and Henry Cejudo in 2016 and 2020, respectively.

    “I’ve heard Henry (Cejudo) say that he would be willing to fight me if (UFC chief business officer) Hunter (Campbell) would allow it to happen,” Cruz stated. “I would rematch Henry. I would love that. … I’m not saying he didn’t beat me, but I’m saying that on a full camp, we can give an entertaining fight.

    “He beat me the last fight. Okay, great. I think with me having a full camp, me not straight off surgery, me doing the training I’ve been doing, me feeling the way I feel right now…we’ll put on a really good, fun show,” Cruz continued. “So, Aldo, Henry, Cody (Garbrandt’s) getting ready to fight, so he’s got a fight coming up. But yeah, rematches for me make sense. My shoulder’s had multiple surgeries. It’s not rocket science, I don’t have tons of fights left. I’m towards the last chunk of my fights, and I want to put on a good show. So, I’m looking for a fight that makes sense.”

    It remains to be seen what the UFC will line up for Cruz. But it appears clear that the fanbase has not seen the legendary former bantamweight champion make the walk for the final time.

  • Former Champion Files Lawsuit Against PFL-Owned Bellator Shortly After His Release

    Former Champion Files Lawsuit Against PFL-Owned Bellator Shortly After His Release

    Former Bellator middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi has filed a complaint against the promotion, and the PFL, after being released from his contract in May.

    The 39-year old was granted his release earlier this year after he spoke incredibly negatively of the promotion in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. In that interview, he said that if it was up to him, he would like to just leave and move on with his career but his team wanted to pursue legal action after the way he had been treated.

    The breakdown in relationship between the two parties stems from Mousasi’s Bellator contract and the PFL being unhappy to honor it after they acquired the promotion and it’s roster last year. This is explained in the documents, including several interactions between Mousasi’s team and the PFL regarding his expensive contract.

    This saga appeared to have come to an end when PFL’s Mike Kogan, who previously worked with Mousasi at Bellator, announced that he had been released, writing: “We wish him all the best fighting in his next chapter.”

    However, as Mousasi stated back in May, his team wanted to progress things even further with John S. Nash reporting that the complaint alleges a breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, unjust enrichment, a claim for relief for Monopsonizaton.

    The detailed complaint provides lots of information about Mousasi’s Bellator contract and how the PFL did not want to pay him that much money to fight considering that he wasn’t a champion or a PPV draw.

    It also goes into the other issues, including a claim that Mousasi was misclassified as an independent contractor instead of an employee.

    All of the information, including the conversation back and forth from Mousasi’s management and the PFL can be found via Nash’s X account below:

  • Demetrious Johnson Analyzes Whether UFC Or ONE Championship Got The Better Of His Trade

    Demetrious Johnson Analyzes Whether UFC Or ONE Championship Got The Better Of His Trade

    In October of 2018, a first of it’s kind deal would take place in the MMA landscape that would see two major names in the sport swap promotion. After losing his UFC flyweight title to Henry Cejudo, Demetrious Johnson was traded to ONE Championship.

    Former ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren went the other way in a switch that defined the final stages in the career of both men. Now that he is officially retired from MMA, announcing his decision at ONE 168 last month, Johnson reflected on this in a recent interview.

    “Mighty Mouse” would go on to fight seven-times in ONE Championship’s flyweight division where he won the flyweight World Grand Prix and became the champion, defending his title once to close out his trilogy with Adriano Moraes before retiring.

    He also competed in a first of it’s kind mixed-rules fight against Muay Thai superstar Rodtang Jitmuangnon at the promotion’s historic ONE X card back in 2022 which Johnson won via submission.

    Askren, on the other hand, fought just three times in the UFC but produced two incredibly memorable moments when he submitting Robbie Lawler and was knocked out by Jorge Masvidal.

    Johnson had always been underappreciated by the UFC in a lot of people’s eyes so despite the fact that he was still one of, if not, the best in the world, the move made sense for him at the time.

    During his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Johnson gave his detailed thoughts on which party got the better of the trade. He makes the case for why in some ways, both the UFC and ONE Championship got what they wanted out of the trade.

    “I mean, it’s no doubt, you look at your boy, I was a f****** working horse. Working horse, the best in the world. Probably pound-for-pound if you didn’t count Jon Jones for skipping me and then, you know, I think Ben Askren was out, he was retired, and me and Ben Askren, we had him on the MightyCast, it’ll drop soon, and we talked about it. But I think when you look at like just money-wise, I think the UFC won because of how much more money they were able to generate and quote unquote from Dana White and those guys, I wasn’t making them any money. But, I think the sheer of just the f****** horse that ONE Championship got, I mean, if I wanted to, I could still fight.

    “I don’t think Ben Askren could still fight. I could still fight if I truly wanted to, he can’t, and you look at the fights I was able to produce, the knockouts, the buzz that I was able to produce for ONE Championship, I mean it’s easy clear that they got the better athlete, the better fighter, but when it comes down to the money aspect of it, they probably won. But it’s what are you looking for? Are you looking to generate more money or are you looking to have the best athletes in the world? You want to have the best athletes in the world? They got my black a**.”  

  • Alexander Volkanovski Intends To Have Staredown With UFC 308 Winner Inside The Octagon

    Alexander Volkanovski Intends To Have Staredown With UFC 308 Winner Inside The Octagon

    The main event of UFC 308 is shaping up to be one of the biggest fights of the year with fight fans counting down the days until October 26. Undefeated featherweight champion Ilia Topuria will be defending his belt for the first time against the former titleholder, Max Holloway.

    This fight has all the makings of a must watch when you look back at the recent performances that we have seen from both men. One set of eyes that are sure to be paying close attention belong to the former 145-pound king, Alexander Volkanovski.

    Volkanovski could have campaigned for an immediate rematch with Topuria after losing the title to “El Matador” in February but instead, he chose to take some time to recover. After what Holloway did at UFC 300, it was clear that he’d be next for Topuria if he wanted to move back down to featherweight which is what materialized.

    In the mean time, Volkanovski has had no problem with sitting out and watching everything play out in front of him before he gets his deserved rematch to try and reclaim the title. A potential fight with Diego Lopes has been spoken about but the Aussie’s main focus is on taking back the belt.

    “The Great” is planning to be in attendance at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi where he hopes to build towards a fight in Sydney, Australia at UFC 312 next February. He recently told Submission Radio that he intends to get inside the Octagon and face off with the winner of the main event before UFC 308 comes to an end.

    “Of course, that’s the best way to build up your next fight, especially when you’re pretty much guaranteed. There’s only very little things that could get in the way. I doubt that that happens so get me in there, let’s amp it up and call the date here in February as well.” 

  • Former UFC Champion Names MMA Mount Rushmore With No Conor McGregor, Khabib Or Jon Jones

    Former UFC Champion Names MMA Mount Rushmore With No Conor McGregor, Khabib Or Jon Jones

    There’s always going to be talk of who the greatest MMA fighters of all time are but this year more than most, it has been a particularly relevant conversation. Whether it’s due to the discourse surrounding Jon Jones and the pound-for-pound rankings or the retirement of Demetrious Johnson, it’s been a consistent topic in recent months.

    One of the latest fighters to weigh in with his own take on the discussion is the former UFC featherweight champion, Max Holloway. “Blessed” not only comes in with a fairly unique Mount Rushmore list but explains why they all deserve their spots.

    In an interview with Stake ahead of his huge main event clash with Ilia Topuria at UFC 308, Holloway left out some big names but justified why that is the case.

    “I would say Demetrious (Johnson) is definitely up there, Anderson Silva is there too, GSP and then you have to give it to Forrest Griffin because he helped put the UFC on the map. That TUF Finale on Spike TV was huge for the UFC, so those are my guys for sure. Those four guys are absolute animals.”

    Holloway went on to talk about how, in his opinion, Johnson does not get the respect that he deserves just because he reigned supreme in the smallest of the men’s weight classes.

    “When you talk about Demetrious Johnson, it seems insane to me how he is viewed just because he fought at 125 lbs. This 125-er would absolutely whoop your ass. A lot of bigger guys think they can hang with him, you get these influencers and social media personalities who go around screaming, ‘I’m 260 bro, he’s 125lbs. Brother, Demetrious Johnson would take your ACL and your arm home and then he would come back and cut your head off if he wanted to. You could do nothing about it, he’s such a beast.”

    The BMF titleholder added that he has a lot of respect for the greatest welterweight and middleweight of all time, both of which made his list.

    “I wish I was fighting during the time that GSP was around, I would have loved to have shared the Octagon with him. He’s one of the greats, as was Anderson Silva – he was such a beast.”

    Holloway signed off by explaining the reasoning behind his picks, detailing his own specific criteria and why that eliminates his long time rival, Daniel Cormier.

    “Some people might disagree with my Mount Rushmore, but I’m looking at the way these fighters carried themselves inside and outside of the Octagon, how they were ambassadors for the sport and for the company as well. ‘DC’ is probably going to be mad that he’s not on my Mount Rushmore of MMA, but I don’t like the way he carries himself out of the UFC. He thinks he’s the ‘Daddest Man on the Planet’, he is delusional.”

  • Ilia Topuria Eyes Record Held By Jorge Masvidal At UFC 308

    Ilia Topuria Eyes Record Held By Jorge Masvidal At UFC 308

    UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria wants to emphatically establish superiority over Max Holloway next weekend in Abu Dhabi.

    The importance of following up a title win with a successful defense is often a major part of the lead-up to a new champ’s first attempt at batting away a challenger.

    For some, that pressure might show. In that regard, Topuria is not ‘some’.

    “El Matador” has been his usual confident self ahead of his upcoming pay-per-view main event opposite Max Holloway at UFC 308 on Oct. 26. That’s perhaps not a surprise given how he backed up his pre-fight talk with a destructive knockout of Alexander Volkanovski.

    But based on the predictions he made during an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Topuria could have a tougher time living up to his remarks come fight night at Etihad Arena.

    The Georgian-Spaniard has long expressed his belief that “Blessed” won’t escape Abu Dhabi without the first knockout loss of his career being added to his record.

    Now, Topuria is even shooting for Jorge Masvidal’s fastest-KO record, which came when he slept Ben Askren with a knee just five seconds into their showdown at UFC 239 in 2019.

    “There is no chance for Max. Forget about it. The only thing I’m praying for every day is I want him to show up, because I’m going to do the rest,” Topuria said. “We already know who is the world champion. We’re going to find out that I am the BMF also.

    “I will be there in the middle of the Octagon in the first 10 seconds. … I want to have the fastest knockout in UFC history also, with my hands,” Topuria continued. “Jorge has it with the knee, I want to do it with the hands. … If he stays in the middle in the first 10 seconds of the fight, we’re going to see the fastest knockout in UFC history.”

    Though not set to be officially on the line, talk of Holloway’s symbolic BMF title has been prominent in the build-up to next weekend’s PPV headliner.

    Should he deliver on his promise to offer a stand-and-bang scenario to “Blessed” à la UFC 300 and emerge from such an exchange with his hand raised, perhaps the masses will get behind “El Matador” and his replica BMF belt.

  • Brandon Royval Explains How Pantoja Title Fight Announcement Aided Him vs. Taira

    Brandon Royval Explains How Pantoja Title Fight Announcement Aided Him vs. Taira

    Brandon Royval came into his recent fight against Tatsuro Taira in a bit of a difficult position regarding the flyweight title picture. The former title challenger has already beaten many of the top contenders but hadn’t been able to defeat the current champion, Alexandre Pantoja.

    This led to some confusion regarding the stakes of his main event clash with Taira. Whilst a win for the rising Japanese contender could have earned him a title shot, that wasn’t necessarily the same case for Royval.

    The idea of either man being next to challenge Pantoja was dispelled on the day of the fight when it was announced that recent signing Kai Asakura will face the champion on his UFC debut in December.

    Royval has already said that the former RIZIN fighter getting the title shot straight off the bat doesn’t bother him because a reshuffle of the division suits him well. He also told Ariel Helwani in a recent interview that this announcement didn’t negatively impact him when it happened on the day he was fighting.

    “Raw Dawg” said that he already knew this fight would be next so it actually helped give him something to aim for going into what ended up being a great fight against Taira that he won via split decision.

    The next title fight coming together gave him a clearer sense of direction so that he could focus on securing the win and moving on to face the winner of Pantoja and Asakura.

    “I knew about that a long time ago. It just gave me a way to aim, you know what I’m saying, and that’s what I wanted. I wanted a direction to go because I’m like, ‘F***, I’m about call out three, four different people, but now that it’s, okay, there’s a title shot. Okay, I got the winner’, and it’s like, I think whoever the winner is, there are certain advantages either way. It’s just like I could go fight in Brazil or I could go fight in Japan and I think if Asakura wins, a fight in Japan would be almost a mandatory I think.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hIB2-YRrqc&t=948s
  • PFL Battle Of The Giants: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira Press Conference Highlights & Faceoffs

    PFL Battle Of The Giants: Francis Ngannou vs. Renan Ferreira Press Conference Highlights & Faceoffs

    We’re deep into fight week for the PFL’s second pay-per-view of the year, meaning it was recently time for the fighters set to be in action on October 19 to take to the stage and answer some questions.

    PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants takes place at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this Saturday, where the main attraction will see former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou make his long-awaited return to mixed martial arts.

    Having not competed in the cage since a victory over Ciryl Gane in January 2022 — completing a pair of boxing matches opposite Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in the period since — “The Predator” will look to make an emphatic MMA comeback at the expense of last year’s PFL heavyweight title winner, Renan Ferreira.

    Setting the stage for the headliners will be another Super Fights championship clash, with reigning Bellator featherweight queen Cris Cyborg debuting in the SmartCage opposite the PFL’s first two-weight champion, Larissa Pacheco.

    Elsewhere, Bellator gold will be on the line in the Middle East when middleweight champ Johnny Eblen runs it back with Fabian Edwards and the stakes will be high when the massively touted Paul Hughes gets a step up in competition against AJ McKee.

    As is customary during major fight weeks, the athletes took to the stage on Thursday for the pre-fight press conference.

    Check out a full replay of the presser below via the PFL’s official YouTube channel, followed by all the highlights and faceoffs.

    PFL Battle Of The Giants: Ngannou vs. Ferreira Press Conference

    PFL Battle Of The Giants Press Conference Highlights

    PFL Battle Of The Giants Faceoffs

  • Diego Lopes Responds To Alexander Volkanovski Proposing Interim Title Fight In Australia

    Diego Lopes Responds To Alexander Volkanovski Proposing Interim Title Fight In Australia

    The UFC announced on October 16 that it will be returning to Sydney, Australia on February 8 for UFC 312 at the Qudos Bank Arena. Following the announcement, one of the biggest names from this region spoke to the press about bringing the Octagon back down under.

    Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has been biding his time and taking some well deserved rest in recent months ahead of the upcoming title fight at UFC 308.

    After losing his belt to Ilia Topuria in February, “The Great” is waiting to get a rematch once “El Matador” faces Max Holloway later this month in his first title defense. Speaking to the media in an interview published by Submission Radio, Volkanovski said that he could be interested in other fights if this doesn’t materialize in time for Sydney.

    He said that an interim title fight against the #3-ranked contender Diego Lopes would interest him if it means fighting in front of his home fans once again.

    “Anything with gold with it, I’ll be happy. That’ll just lock me in for whoever it is that wins that anyway. So even if it’s interim, that’s still a big one. I’d say it’d be an exciting one with Lopes, if that was going to happen. If not, it’s Max or Ilia.”    

    Via a post on social media, Lopes also signed off on the idea of stepping inside the Octagon in Sydney next time out. The Brazilian called for a fight with Volkanovski following his latest win over Brian Ortega at UFC 306 in September.

    It seems unlikely that the UFC will put an interim title on the line in this division but with Volkanovski only wanting to compete for gold, this clash taking place in Australia could justify it. Lopes’ response was perfectly to the point.

  • Michael Chandler: Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan Won’t Be ‘Close’

    Michael Chandler: Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan Won’t Be ‘Close’

    UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler has a clear view on how his division’s expected next title fight will play out.

    Chandler is currently gearing up for his long-awaited return to action at Madison Square Garden next month. Two years on from a loss to Dustin Poirier at the venue, “Iron” will return to New York City to run it back with Charles Oliveira.

    Should he achieve redemption for his 2021 defeat to “Do Bronx,” Chandler’s eyes will seemingly turn to the next assignment for champion Islam Makhachev, who is expected to put his 155-pound gold on the line in a rematch with Arman Tsarukyan.

    During an appearance on Uncrowned’s The Ariel Helwani Show this week, Chandler looked ahead to that contest and provided a surprisingly one-sided prediction.

    The former three-time Bellator champion acknowledged that Tsarukyan gave Makhachev a run for their money when they shared the cage in Moscow five years ago. But when it comes to their high-stakes second dance, Chandler doesn’t think the Russian-Armenian will be competitive.

    “I fancy Islam (in that fight),” Chandler said. “I’ll be sitting there cageside seeing who my next opponent is. I think Islam is just — he has evolved a lot over the last couple of fights. He’s going to get the takedown. If he does get the takedown, I think he can get the submission. And obviously, he showed against Poirier that he’s something to be reckoned with on the feet these days.

    “So I think Islam gets the job done, and I don’t think it’s that close,” Chandler continued. “I’m not necessarily saying he dominates Arman, but I do think he takes this one pretty handily. … I think Islam has come a long way. … I don’t think it will be as close as the last one was.”

    While Chandler would prefer to be the one who unseats Makhachev in 2025, should Tsarukyan achieve the feat instead, ready-made animosity certainly exists to set up a future clash.

    “Iron” and “Akhalkalakets” have long gone back and forth on social media, with Tsarukyan most recently mocking the #6-ranked contender following his decision to finally move on from the long-delayed Conor McGregor fight.

  • Julianna Peña Has A Compliment For ‘Refreshing’ Kayla Harrison After Press Conference Exchange

    Julianna Peña Has A Compliment For ‘Refreshing’ Kayla Harrison After Press Conference Exchange

    UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña seemingly appreciated Kayla Harrison’s presence in Salt Lake City earlier this month.

    Peña returned to the 135-pound mountaintop in the co-main event of the UFC 307 pay-per-view on Oct. 5, narrowly outpointing Raquel Pennington in what marked a widely debated results.

    Harrison, meanwhile, staked her claim for a shot against the winner earlier in the night when she got the better of Ketlen Vieira to move to 2-0 under the UFC banner.

    While the champ has attempted to set her sights on the retired Amanda Nunes instead, all signs point toward Harrison getting her first title shot in 2025. And given how the pair exchanged words at the UFC 307 press conference, the lead-up could be entertaining.

    “The Venezuelan Vixen” has had plenty of negative things to say about the two-time Olympic gold medalist since her arrival to the promotion and in the aftermath of UFC 307. She did, however, have a rare compliment for her related to the presser during an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned.

    When discussing the heated build-up that many are expecting to her likely defense opposite Harrison, Peña admitted that having a willing dance partner in the trash-talking realm makes for a nice change of pace.

    “It is so refreshing to finally have someone that can string a sentence together, and that speaks the language, and that understands the game of frickin’ — we are fist-fighting in a steel cage and it’s important for people to be interested in it,” Peña said. “Like I said, block of wood Raquel, the only reason she started talking crap out of nowhere is because she’s realizing that’s what you need to do to gain interest in the fight.

    “You’re right, it is great to finally have somebody who is going to banter back and forth with me,” Peña continued. “Now all of these girls are starting to understand what you need to do. It’s like, they’re taking a page out of my book to do it, and that’s great. Finally, somebody who is going to play ball.”

    It remains to be seen when the pair can throw verbal jibes at one another face-to-face ahead of their own fight, but the UFC 307 presser certainly provided a nice appetizer.

    For now, both women will be recovering from their outings in Utah. While Harrison appears willing to return to camp soon, Peña has pointed to International Fight Week in mid-2025 as a possible return date for her reign’s opening defense.

  • UFC Veteran Skeptical Of Francis Ngannou’s Box Office Appeal For PFL

    UFC Veteran Skeptical Of Francis Ngannou’s Box Office Appeal For PFL

    Francis Ngannou is poised to make his eagerly awaited PFL debut this Saturday after signing with the organization last year. He is set to face Renan Ferreira in a highly anticipated title bout for the heavyweight championship.

    This clash will headline the PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants pay-perview, taking place at The Mayadeen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

    The former UFC heavyweight champion departed the promotion following his title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022, driven by his long-standing dream to compete in boxing. He faced former heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in the ring, but his foray into boxing didn’t go as planned.

    The matchup between Ngannou and Ferreira has become one of the most discussed fights of the year, as it marks the return of “The Predator” to the MMA cage after more than two years away. However, former UFC welterweight Matt Brown believes that Ngannou has yet to reach the level of stardom necessary to generate a significant pay-per-view draw for the PFL.

    During a recent episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer (via MMAFighting), “The Immortal” remarked that while Ngannou’s boxing matches were hailed as marquee events due to his bouts with two of the biggest names in the sport, his upcoming PFL fight may struggle to gain similar traction, primarily because his opponent lacks widespread recognition.

    “He’s not that big of a star,” Brown said. “We watched him fight Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury because of him fighting those guys. He’s not a Conor McGregor, and we’re just going to watch him no matter who he fights. Even if Conor fought some lower-level guy, there would be a drop-off in pay-per-views, right?He’s got to have a ‘B’ side also that’s a ‘B’ side. Francis is fighting a ‘D’ side here. It’s not a ‘B’ side. It’s a ‘D’ side, and Francis just isn’t big enough of an ‘A’ side to draw. We don’t know how much he’s getting paid, but if it’s the amounts we would guess, it’s not going to cover his expense, I don’t think.”

    PFL CEO Peter Murray has confidently proclaimed that the Battle of the Giants card will outshine both UFC 300 and UFC 306 in terms of popularity, setting it up to be the year’s premier MMA event. However, fans will have to wait until the weekend to see if the Ngannou-headlined spectacle lives up to the hype.

  • Michael Chandler: Conor McGregor’s MMA Legacy Is On The Line

    Michael Chandler: Conor McGregor’s MMA Legacy Is On The Line

    Michael Chandler believes that Conor McGregor will return to the octagon. UFC President Dana White recently stated that he expects McGregor to return in early 2025.

    McGregor last fought in 2022, suffering a devastating leg injury in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier, which ended in Poirier’s victory. Initially, it looked like Chandler and McGregor would headline UFC 303 in June, but McGregor withdrew from the fight due to injury.

    During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Chandler explained why he hopes McGregor eventually makes his comeback.

    “Conor’s a very ‘Flavor of the Week’ kind of guy,” Chandler said. “I believe Conor McGregor fights again. The way it’s all happened—the campaign he’s put on, calling it ‘The Greatest Comeback in Combat Sports History.’ The Ultimate Fighter, signing a contract to fight me, and then pulling out…

    If you think about Conor McGregor’s legacy, he’s been the guy who never backed down, even when opponents pulled out of fights. He’d say, ‘I don’t care! Dana, figure out who I’m fighting.’ That’s been his legacy.”

    Driving Force Behind McGregor’s Return

    Chandler also highlighted the impact of McGregor’s injuries, suggesting that they may be a driving force behind his potential return. As a fellow fighter, Chandler can’t imagine McGregor being content with how his career could end in the way it has gone.

    “To let his career end a couple of years ago after breaking his leg, and then going through a training camp and all the promotion for TUF 31—only to pull out of a fight with a broken pinkie toe—that can’t be the last chapter of his legacy.

    I don’t think Conor wants that. If you look at how he lives, he doesn’t seem to be focused on training or fighting like the rest of us savages, but I do believe he’s still romantic about the sport. When he does come back, I believe he fights me.”

  • Dana White ‘Hates Donald Cerrone’s UFC Comeback Idea

    UFC President Dana White is not on board with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone’s plans for a potential return to the octagon. The former title contender, who retired in 2022, has expressed interest in stepping out of retirement to fight twice, aiming to reach a career total of 50 fights.

    Cerrone’s last victory came in May 2019, when he won a decision over Al Iaquinta. However, after that, he experienced a rough patch, going on a four-fight losing streak, including three TKO losses to top fighters like Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, and Conor McGregor. Cerrone managed to go the distance in a bout against Anthony Pettis at UFC 249, but his fight with Niko Price, initially ruled a majority decision, was later overturned to a no contest. He was then finished by Alex Morono in May 2021 and submitted by Jim Miller at UFC 276 in July 2022.

    White Sounds Off

    Despite Cerrone’s aspirations for a comeback, Dana White strongly opposes the idea. During a press conference following Dana White’s Contender Series 76, White made his stance clear.

    “I hate it,” White said. “I love him, but I hate that. He retired. For what? What’s left to prove? If it’s about making money, we can figure something else out. When guys retire, they retire for a reason—they know it’s over. It’s hard to walk away from, not just the money, but the feeling of walking out of that tunnel, getting in the cage, and hearing the crowd.”

    – Dana White on Cowboy Cerrone coming out of retirement

    White continued to emphasize that Cerrone is a beloved figure in the UFC, and he’s “gone to war” in the Octagon more than enough times to deserve the adulation he receives.

    “… it’s time for him to stop going to war—there’s nothing left for him to prove.”

    – Dana White on Cowboy Cerrone coming out of retirement
  • Topuria Reaffirms Plans To ‘Point The Octagon’ In First 10 Seconds Against Holloway At UFC 308

    Topuria Reaffirms Plans To ‘Point The Octagon’ In First 10 Seconds Against Holloway At UFC 308

    Ilia Topuria recently doubled down on his intention to challenge Max Holloway in a striking battle from the opening bell of their highly anticipated clash at UFC 308. “El Matador” is poised to defend his UFC featherweight title for the first time against Holloway on October 26 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

    Last week, Topuria and Holloway engaged in a fiery interview with ESPN, during which the reigning 145-pound champion donned a replica of the BMF title on his shoulder. He boldly dared “Blessed” to bring the same ferocity he displayed in landing the buzzer-beater knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 in the first 10 seconds of their upcoming showdown.

    During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, “El Matador” underscored his desire to entice the reigning BMF titleholder to a fierce exchange of punches right in the center of the Octagon within the first 10 seconds of their bout at UFC 308. The undefeated Spaniard confidently asserted that he would deliver the most electrifying initial moments of any fight in UFC history.

    “He calls himself the BMF, but we already know who’s the world champion. In the first 10 seconds of the fight, we’re going to find out who’s the real BMF because I already challenged him. In the first 10 seconds, I’m gonna point to the ground, and we’ll see what he’s going to do.

    I will be in the middle of the Octagon, so let’s bang, bro. If you’re ready, I was born ready… First 10 seconds, I’m gonna point to the middle of the Octagon, and I will stay there. I wanna give the best and most exciting 10 seconds in UFC history to the fans.”

    Topuria went on to voice some doubt about whether “Blessed” would accept his challenge to trade blows right off the bat but remained unwavering in his belief in his knockout power. He confidently stated that if Holloway chooses to stand and bang with him, it’s only a matter of time before he puts him to sleep.

    “If he stays in the middle, I’m gonna knock him out, I’m gonna take his head off. I have prepared myself for that too… I don’t know, we’ll see. He’s calling himself the BMF, that’s one of the things we’ll find out—if he’s the BMF or if he’s the p*ssy like everyone who is predicting that I’m going to lose to Max Holloway.”

    You can watch his comments here:

  • Ian Garry Says Colby Covington Ignoring Fight Proposal

    Ian Garry Says Colby Covington Ignoring Fight Proposal

    Ian Garry recently claimed that the UFC has offered him a fight against Colby Covington; however, he noted that the potential matchup is only halfway to becoming a reality.

    Garry and Covington have been caught up in a heated feud for nearly a year, with both fighters repeatedly expressing their eagerness to settle their differences in the Octagon. Notably, the Irishman has been actively seeking this matchup.

    “The Future” recently posted an Instagram video where he revealed that he agreed to a fight with Covington a month ago, but he has yet to receive any word from “Chaos”.

    “What’s up, everyone? So, I’m coming on to let everybody know, keep everybody in the loop, and keep everyone updated because it matters,” Garry said. “A month ago, I was offered a fight with Colby Covington. It took me all of 20 seconds to respond to the email saying, ‘Yes, I’m in.’ A month later, we still have no response from Colby. He’s avoiding me like the plague, and there’s one reason and one reason only this fight isn’t happening, and his name is Colby Covington.”

    According to recent media reports, UFC matchmakers are looking to pair Garry and Covington as the headliners for a Fight Night event in Tampa, Florida, on December 14. However, with less than two months remaining, there has yet to be any official confirmation.

    Garry is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Michael Page at UFC 303 in June. He remains undefeated in his professional career, with an impressive eight-fight winning streak in the UFC. A potential clash with Covington would enhance his status in the UFC welterweight division, propelling him closer to a title shot.

    Meanwhile, “Chaos” has been inactive since suffering a one-sided unanimous decision loss in his third attempt at the 170-pound title against then-champion Leon Edwards at UFC 296 in December 2023. Covington’s last victory dates back to March 2022, when he triumphed over his former friend-turned-rival Jorge Masvidal at UFC 272.

  • Francis Ngannou Teases Surprise Finish In MMA Return: ‘Been Working On Some Tricks…’

    Francis Ngannou Teases Surprise Finish In MMA Return: ‘Been Working On Some Tricks…’

    In his return to mixed martial arts this weekend, former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou could be set to show new wrinkles in his game.

    Saturday marks a big night for “The Predator,” as he enters the cage for an MMA fight for the first time since a successful UFC title defense against Ciryl Gane back in January 2022.

    After departing MMA’s leading promotion and completing two bouts in the ring opposite boxing stars Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, Ngannou will put his sights back on the sport in which he made his name to make a long-awaited PFL debut.

    The Cameroonian is slated to headline the upcoming pay-per-view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia against 2023 PFL heavyweight champ Renan Ferreira. Given the Brazilian’s penchant for knockouts, which is more than shared by “The Predator,” most are expecting Ngannou’s return to the cage to conclude with a knockout.

    But during an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, the ex-UFC champ suggested that is far from certain, with both a decision and a surprise submission on the table.

    When it comes to the latter of those endings, the 38-year-old Batié native said he could have some “tricks” up his sleeve come fight night.

    “He moves a lot and he has good grappling. I mean, he is a black belt,” Ngannou said. “Unless the fight goes longer — if the fight goes past two rounds, I think it’s likely going to end up (being) a decision. Otherwise, if it stays inside two rounds, I think it’s a knockout or why not a submission?

    “You know, I’m not a black belt, but I’m not bad too,” Ngannou continued. “I’ve been working on some little tricks.”

    Be it a KO, submission or hard-fought victory on the scorecards, Ngannou will hope to emerge from the Middle East with a better result than in his last trip to Riyadh, which saw him rendered unconscious by “AJ.”

  • Kayla Harrison On UFC 307 Setting Up Peña Fight: ‘Now I Have To Listen To Her Talk’

    Kayla Harrison On UFC 307 Setting Up Peña Fight: ‘Now I Have To Listen To Her Talk’

    UFC women’s bantamweight contender Kayla Harrison is not looking forward to getting an earful from champion Julianna Peña in the lead-up to their expected showdown.

    Harrison and Peña both had their hands raised at the UFC 307 pay-per-view in Salt Lake City, Utah earlier this month, seemingly setting up a long-discussed clash between the pair in 2025.

    The two-time Olympic gold medalist was the first to emerge victorious, outpointing Ketlen Vieira on the main card to move to 2-0 under the UFC banner. “The Venezuelan Vixen” later made the walk for the co-main event, in which she dethroned Raquel Pennington to win back the 135-pound title.

    Although Peña has attempted to draw Amanda Nunes back from retirement to complete their trilogy next, Harrison is no doubt the consensus number one contender and appears likely to compete with gold on the line in her third UFC fight.

    While that is no doubt music to the two-time PFL champ’s ears, she outlined during an appearance on Tuesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned that not everything about gearing up to challenge for the belt is positive…

    Harrison — who went back and forth with the newly crowned bantamweight queen during the pre-fight press conference for UFC 307 — shared a sentiment common among Peña’s opponents when it comes to the verbal sparring she’s anticipating.

    “I just don’t care. I mean, it’s going to be more exciting and more fun to whoop her ass,” Harrison said when asked if she was happy that Peña won. “But she’s also like — dude, now I have to listen to her talk.”

    It remains to be seen when Harrison will get her shot at adding UFC title glory to an already illustrious résumé in combat sports.

    While the Ohio native — who has dubbed herself the “uncrowned queen” in the 135-pound division — says she’ll soon be ready to go, the champ recently pointed to International Fight Week in the summer of 2025 as her desired return date.

  • Robert Whittaker Says Khamzat Chimaev Isn’t His Toughest Opponent But Is The ‘Most Pressing’

    Robert Whittaker Says Khamzat Chimaev Isn’t His Toughest Opponent But Is The ‘Most Pressing’

    When it comes to fighters that have been put through the ringer at the very highest level, it’s hard to find someone that is more experienced than Robert Whittaker. The former middleweight champion has been facing the very best at 185-pounds for the best part of seven years at this stage in his career.

    With 22 Octagon appearances under his belt, there’s not much that you can throw at “The Reaper” which he won’t have encountered in the past. That being said, his next challenge is somewhat of an enigma.

    The undefeated Khamzat Chimaev has gone from being talked about as a guaranteed future UFC champion to someone that might struggle against the top names in his division. His progress has been significantly halted by two major concerns, his reoccurring health issues and an inability to fight in the United States.

    Despite the fact that he has beaten the likes of Gilbert Burns and Kamaru Usman, one of those wins came when he was fighting at welterweight and his contest with Usman was a close fight that saw the former 170-pound champion step in at middleweight on short notice.

    We will truly find out how good Chimaev is when he faces Whittaker who has already proven his level against the majority of the top contenders to come through the division in the last seven years.

    In an interview with TalkSPORT MMA ahead of their co-main event clash at UFC 308, Whittaker was asked whether Chimaev is his toughest fight to date after all of the top opposition that he has squared off with.

    “No, like I’ve fought the best of the best. I think it’s the most pressing test because it’s unwritten and I think there’s a lot of gravity to this fight because it’s the unknown like as of right now but like, I’ve won a lot of hard fights and I’ve lost a lot of hard fights, I’ve been tested.”

    Though Whittaker doesn’t believe that Chimaev is his most difficult opponent, he does think that this fight will require him to be at his best because he doesn’t fully know what to expect from his opponent.

    “Right now, it’s obviously Chimaev right because it’s unknown, it’s ground that hasn’t been trodden yet. I respect the task at hand and I’m just looking forward to it.”  

  • José Aldo Reacts To Sean O’Malley’s Interest In Future Fight

    José Aldo Reacts To Sean O’Malley’s Interest In Future Fight

    Whether he’s coming off of a win or not, the name of MMA legend José Aldo is always going to carry significant weight in the UFC. His recent loss to Mario Bautista at UFC 307 didn’t seem to hurt the stock of the Brazilian icon at all, partly due to the controversial outcome.

    Aldo is always going to be a big draw, especially at home in Brazil, and that makes it easy for him to jump right into big fights even when his last two opponents have been Bautista and Jonathan Martinez.

    During his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley expressed some interest in facing off with “The King of Rio”. His main focus right now is on securing a rematch with the champion Merab Dvalishvili so he can try to avenge his loss from UFC 306 in September.

    However, “Suga” also stated that if this fight doesn’t materialize, getting to share the Octagon with a legend like Aldo would be “f****** crazy”. There is ten spots in the bantamweight rankings between them but given their name value and the match-up, O’Malley vs. Aldo would be a fight that a lot of people would pay to see.

    Reacting to an article posted by MMA News about O’Malley’s comments, Aldo made it clear in very few characters that he’s also open to this match-up.

    The former featherweight king posted on X, quoting the article and adding two simple emojis to let his fans know what he thinks about the idea of standing across the cage from O’Malley once the former champ is fully recovered from his recent surgery.

  • New UFC Signing Details ONE Championship Exit: ‘I Think They’re Struggling’

    New UFC Signing Details ONE Championship Exit: ‘I Think They’re Struggling’

    In July, fight fans were shocked to see that Reinier de Ridder would be competing at UAE Warriors 51 despite reportedly still being under contract with ONE Championship. “The Dutch Knight” accomplished great things in ONE where he reigned as a two-weight world champion.

    Following his quick win on UAE Warriors, it was announced that de Ridder had signed to the UFC where he will make his Octagon debut at UFC Vegas 100 on November 9. The Dutch competitor is looking forward to locking horns with Gerald Meerschaert and beginning a new chapter in his career.

    De Ridder has said in interviews that he can’t go into details about his exit from ONE Championship but that doesn’t mean that he can’t reflect on his time there. He won seven fights in a row in the promotion to become the middleweight and light heavyweight champion, earning him comparisons to the other top fighters in his weight class that were competing in the UFC.

    Though things may not have ended on the best of terms, his time as a ONE Championship athlete is still a huge part of his career. The final few stages of his time in the promotion were defined by two things, losses to the undefeated Russian Anatoly Malykhin and periods of inactivity which he says weren’t his preference.

    In an interview with MMA Fighting to preview his Octagon debut, de Ridder spoke about how he looks back at his time in ONE and what he is grateful for and where he wishes it could have been different.

    “It’s been good for a long time and it’s been bad for a pretty long time now as well. I think they’re struggling in a sense and some stuff is just not being handled the way it should be but it is what it is. I’ve had a very good run in the beginning, they gave me a lot of fights. I really gave my career, the start of my career, in ONE I was really able to make it a full-time thing, fighting. So I’m very grateful for that part but the last couple of years weren’t that great.”

  • PFL Fighter’s Cornerman Leaves Riyadh For UFC Debut On 4 Days’ Notice

    PFL Fighter’s Cornerman Leaves Riyadh For UFC Debut On 4 Days’ Notice

    This weekend’s UFC Fight Night card has gone through a change to it’s main card that will see a highly regarded prospect step in for his Octagon debut. Former TUF finalist Brady Hiestand was set to return in a bantamweight contest with Jake Hadley.

    England’s Hadley made the move up to 135-pounds from flyweight after taking a short notice fight with Caolan Loughran at UFC 304 and securing the victory.

    However, with Hiestand out of the fight, Cameron Smotherman will now replace him in order to make his UFC debut on just a few days notice. The most noteworthy aspect of this is that Smotherman already had plans for this weekend. Plans that saw him travel to Riyadh.

    Following the announcement of the fight, reported by Alex Behunin, Raufeon Stots posted that the 27-year old was set to be in his corner at Battle Of The Giants on Saturday night. The former interim Bellator bantamweight champion will face Marcos Breno on the biggest night in the history of the PFL.

    Now he will try to get the win with one less cornerman due to the fact that Smotherman’s gone back to Las Vegas in order to try and capitalize on this opportunity.

    Smotherman previously fought for a UFC contract back on last year’s season of Dana White’s Contender Series where he was stopped in the opening round. Following three consecutive wins under the Fury FC banner, he’s back with a point to prove.

    Stots posted the following message in response to Behunin’s post about the new fight that will take place at the Apex this weekend.

    “i thought i was dreaming last night when he told me here in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. It was like 3:30 am. Lost a corner but Couldn’t be happier for one of my best training partners.”

  • PFL CEO Says Battle Of The Giants Card Exceeds UFC 300 & UFC 306 As Biggest Event Of The Year

    PFL CEO Says Battle Of The Giants Card Exceeds UFC 300 & UFC 306 As Biggest Event Of The Year

    Undoubtedly the biggest MMA event of the weekend sees the PFL host the most significant night in the history of the promotion to date. Battle Of The Giants sees the promotion’s biggest ever signing, the former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, make his long awaited debut.

    His fight with Renan Ferreira is the real draw here because fans have waited a long time to see “The Predator” step back into MMA following his recent boxing contests. That being said, there’s other fights on this card that make it the PFL’s best event to date.

    The main card in particular features several homerun match-ups from the promotion that really shows the strength of the roster and how much it has improved since the Bellator acquisition.

    As they prepare for a massive night of fights in Riyadh, PFL CEO Peter Murray spoke about the card in a recent interview with MMA Junkie. In his opinion, Saturday’s event is the clear winner for the biggest and baddest event of 2024 in the MMA world.

    He specifically referenced how it stacks up when you compare this weekend’s card to the likes of UFC 300 and UFC 306 which would also be in the same conversation. There was criticism from some fans of both of those events for not having the kinds of cards that would live up to the high expectations on paper.

    In hindsight, it’s fair to say that both produced pretty special nights this year, even if some of the big fights at UFC 306 weren’t the most entertaining. Regardless, Murray believes that Battle Of The Giants stands tall not only next to any PFL event, but any MMA event that has taken place this year.

    “This is the biggest event of absolutely the PFL company history and the biggest event of the year and, you know, I’m looking forward to stacking this up against, when you look at the cards from UFC 300, The Sphere, but like as it relates to the card, this fight, this event on October 19, biggest of the year, second to none.”