Miesha Tate: Drop to Bantamweight ‘Not the Best Move’ for Kayla Harrison

"If you're asking me who I think is going to win that fight, looking at it right now, I'd say Holly."@MieshaTate breaks down the x-factors of the #UFC300 matchup between Kayla Harrison & Holly Holm.

MMA Today | 🎙️ @RJcliffordMMA @AngieOverkill pic.twitter.com/bKdLXtnwt3

— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) January 26, 2024

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In what proved to be the suprise announcement of the past week, Dana White revealed that two-time Professional Fighters League champ Kayla Harrison would make her Octagon debut against Holly Holm at UFC 300.

While Harrison’s signing was news enough, the UFC CEO also confirmed that the bout against Holm would be contested at 135 pounds. Harrison has competed at lightweight for the majority of her professional career, making 145 pounds just once for an appearance under the Invicta Fighting Championships banner in 2020.

Count former UFC bantamweight queen Miesha Tate, who briefly tried her hand…

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Dan Hooker Wants to Test Beneil Dariush’s Place in UFC Lightweight Landscape

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Dan Hooker is willing to help Beneil Dariush figure out if he's still an elite competitor.

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Dariush (22-6) recently suffered a Round 1 knockout loss at the hands of Arman Tsarukyan in December. This loss was preceded by a Round 2 technical knockout defeat for “Benny” at the hands of former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 289. The loss to Oliveira also marked the end of an impressive eight-fight winning streak for the Kings MMA product.

Following back-to-back stoppage losses, Dariush was open about his thought process when it came to his future as a competitor in the elite lightweight division.

“I just want to know if I still got it,” Benny told Submission Radio.

The Iranian-born American declared he will only continue to fight if he can see a clear path to the title, which is his ultimate goal.

Enter Hooker (23-12). Currently on a two-fight winning streak, the Kiwi has almost recovered from a broken arm, an inj…

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UFC Flyweight King Alexandre Pantoja Discloses Date, Location for Next Title Defense

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Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja is seemingly booked for his second title defense.

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Pantoja recently defended his flyweight strap for the first time against Brandon Royval in a rematch at UFC 296 in December. The Brazilian put on a dominant showing, this time securing a unanimous decision victory against “Raw Dawg.”

Interestingly, less than a month following his first title defense on Dec. 16, “The Cannibal” is already booked for his next title defense.

Pantoja revealed details regarding his return on Friday while attending an event featuring the Brazilian soccer team Clube de Regatas do Flamengo in Orlando.

“I’ll be defending the belt in Rio, on May 4,” Pantoja told soccer striker Gabriel Barbosa. However, the champ did not mention his opponent.

UFC 301 is scheduled to go down on May 4 in Rio De Janeiro and would be an ideal title defense location for Pantoja, who hails from Arr…

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Reeling Tony Ferguson On the Mend Following Knee, Arm Surgeries

Tony Ferguson says he wasn't at his best going into UFC 296, where he clashed with Paddy Pimblett.

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The former interim champion revealed that he'd suffered an MCL tear a month away from his scheduled meeting with “The Baddy.”

“F*cked my sh*t up during a practice [session,] MCL tear,” Ferguson wrote on social media. “I kept it to myself and put it behind me ‘til after the fight. I trained like no one knew, sh*t hurt so good. Three weeks before fight time I told a few of my crew. Nothing changed.

“I recently took care of [my MCL] and had surgery last Thursday one week after my elbow/arm surgery [both arthroscopies]. Thought I would get them both done and double down. Got it over with so I can do what I do best. Beyond rage is an understatement. I feel no despair, just repair.”

Despite the setback, “El Cucuy” (25-10) elected to keep the injury under wraps and compete on the Dec. 16 pay-per-view event, ultimately recording a unanimous d…

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Kayla Harrison Celebrates UFC Signing: ‘My Time is Now’

Kayla Harrison is grateful for the opportunity to compete under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner.

UFC CEO Dana White recently announced Harrison's signing with the Las Vegas-based promotion along with other details regarding her debut. Harrison (16-1) is slated to make her first UFC appearance on the marquee UFC 300 card in a bantamweight clash against former champion Holly Holm (15-6).

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The two-time Professional Fighters League champion recently posted a video on social media after her signing was announced, saying:

“When I started competing, my goal was to be the best…the Olympic champion of MMA. The UFC presents me with the opportunity to be just that. It’s been an amazing journey to reach this point, and I’m grateful for every step along the path. The highs and lows have all shaped me and made me an even better version of myself. God’s timing is perfect, and I am sure of one thing: My time is now. Let’s goooooo!”

Harrison will e…

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UFC 300 Update: Jessica Andrade to Take On Marina Rodriguez at Strawweight

An all-action battle in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s talent-rich strawweight division will treat the fans in April.

The UFC announced on Friday that Jessica Andrade (25-12) would be coming to blows with fellow striker Marina Rodriguez (17-3-2) at UFC 300. The two women will collide at strawweight in a key tilt in that division on April 13, with their clash taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Given the nature of the lineup, it is unclear if their battle will be placed on the main card or prelims.

Former champ Andrade bounced around the flyweight and strawweight divisions the last few years, fighting for the 125-pound strap after losing her 115-pound belt. In 2023, “Bate Estaca” competed five times—more than any other competitor—although she bookended her year with wins while suffering three straight defeats in the middle. Andrade ran roughshod over Lauren Murphy before running into the buzzsaw that is Erin Blanchfield, suffering a deflating loss tha…

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Joanne Wood-Maryna Moroz Rematch Added to UFC 299

A rematch nine years in the making has been added to the already stacked UFC 299 billing.

At UFC 299 on March 9 in Miami, flyweights Joanne Wood (16-8) and Maryna Moroz (11-5) will run back a fight that took place in 2015 at UFC Fight Night 64. In that first meeting, Moroz snagged an armbar in the first round. Per the UFC on Wednesday, Wood vs. Moroz 2 will play out inside of the Kaseya Center at 125 pounds. Since then, Wood has posted on her Instagram about the matchup, with the caption of “Last one, best one” to hint that this might be her retirement fight.

Scotland’s Wood has struggled as of late, although she broke out of a three-fight skid by claiming a split decision over Luana Carolina at UFC 286. “Jojo” will be looking to end her run with the promotion with a record above .500 should she prevail. The 38-year-old has beaten names including Seo Hee Ham, Jessica Eye and Andrea Lee over the years.

Moroz has also found herself on hard times, having dropped two…

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Joaquim Silva vs. Drakkar Klose Booked for UFC 301 in May

Brazilian Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Joaquim Silva is getting a home game for the first time in ages.

A lightweight scrap between Silva (13-4) and Drakkar Klose (14-2-1) has been added to the UFC 301 card. The show is slated to take place on May 4 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The news was first reported by Silva’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, in a post on social media on Thursday. Silva confirmed this 155-pound affair on his Instagram Stories later on Thursday, with this being his first fight in his native Brazil since September 2014.

Silva will enter the Octagon on the heels of a unanimous decision win against longtime veteran Clay Guida in December. This bounced him back into the win column, as he had previously suffered a third-round knockout to top-ranked Arman Tsarukyan that June. The lightweight known as “Netto BJJ” has not notched a victory via submission in nearly a decade, with the lion’s share of his triumphs in that stretch …

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Surgical Namo Fazil Dissects Jae Woong Yoon at ONE Friday Fights 49

It was as if Namo Fazil had carving knives for hands.

Armed with a punishing jab, clean combinations and sublime standup defense, the Tiger Muay Thai export shined in his ONE Championship debut and laid claim to a unanimous decision over Jae Woong Yoon in their three-round ONE Friday Fights 49 welterweight showcase on Friday at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. All three cageside judges scored it for Fazil (4-1, 1-0 ONE).

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Yoon (5-4, 0-1 ONE) meandered forward with no regard for his own well-being, winging power punches at an elusive target. He flurried successfully at times but failed to lure Fazil into a brawl and mostly wasted energy with wild shots that were either blocked or missed the mark entirely. All the while, Yoon sustained significant damage to his left eye and nose. Fazil stayed disciplined under duress, piled up points with crisp punches and mixed in a few stepping elbows, leg kicks and close-range knee strikes to diversify …
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Claressa Shields: Amanda Nunes’ Trash Talk Influenced Move to MMA

Claressa Shields, arguably the greatest female boxer of all time, claims her desire to move to mixed martial arts was sparked by comments made by Amanda Nunes, who many feel is the women’s mixed martial arts GOAT.

Shields (1-1), a multiple-time boxing world champion across three weight classes, lobbied for a boxing match against Nunes several years ago. However, the former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship queen instead invited Shields to an MMA bout, vowing to choke her out. Shields recently said that Nunes’ comments made her realize that MMA fighters fighting her inside the squared circle was a rare possibility. Hence, she decided to try her hand at MMA to prove herself as a true fighter in all aspects.

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“I wanted to fight Amanda Nunes in a boxing match and when they asked her if she would fight me she said, ‘tell Claressa Shields to come to my world and I’ll choke the s--- out of her,’” Shields recalled during the PFL vs. Bellator Champio…
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Impa Kasanganay Aims to Become Multi-Division King against Bellator’s Johnny Eblen

Impa Kasanganay is one of a rare breed of fighters that can remarkably move across multiple weight classes.

The most memorable moment of Kasangnay’s Ultimate Fighting Championship career, a spinning back kick knockout loss against Joaquin Buckley came in a middleweight clash. Kasanganay then dropped to welterweight, won one, lost one and then was released.

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After another forgettable loss against Raimond Magomedaliev under the Eagle FC banner, “Tshilobo” signed with a Professional Fighters League, where he won the 2023 season light heavyweight championship. Kasanganay then went on to call out PFL’s star signing, former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou.

Kasanganay will now move down to 185 pounds to face Bellator MMA middleweight king Johnny Eblen at the PFL Champs vs. Bellator Champs card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Feb. 24.

In an appearance at the PFL vs. Bellator champs press conference Wednesday, the Congolese American reiterated his fo…

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Robert Whittaker: No Controversy Regarding UFC 297 Headliner Scoring

While many have opined that the UFC 297 main event clash between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis could have been scored either way, Robert Whittaker (24-7) disagrees.

Strickland (28-6) looked to defend his middleweight strap against du Plessis (21-2) at UFC 297 in Toronto last weekend. While the American looked impeccable in the opening frame, “Stillknocks” made adjustments as the fight progressed to rope in a closely-contested split decision win.

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However, fans and pundits alike were divided on the scoring of the fight. Even Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White and color commentator Joe Rogan had Strickland winning.

However, Whittaker said du Plessis won every round except the first. The former middleweight champ saw du Plessis as the hungrier fighter, which he finds praiseworthy.

“I don’t know why it’s controversial,” Whittaker declared on his “MMArcade” podcast. “I’ve seen a lot of other fighters and even Dana White himself…

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