“I was just ready to challenge myself,” Jones said. “I was ready to enter a new chapter in my career. At this point, I’m in this sport for legacy and for the biggest-paying fights, and I just don’t think that continuing on at light heavyweight was going to do much for my legacy.”
Jones voluntarily surrendered his throne after a trio of title defenses in 2019 and 2020. Jones dominated Anthony Smith at UFC 235, but subsequent close fights with Thiago Santos at UF…
Rizin Fighting Federation wrapped up 2020 in style with an event that saw the crowning of two brand new champions. In the Rizin 26 main event, former Rizin and Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Horiguchi (29-3) recaptured the 135-pound championship by smashing former titleholder Kai Asakura (16-3). Horiguchi looked to chop down Asakura’s leading leg with low kicks early in the fight, putting the defending champion on alert as he saw annulled his reach advantage. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship title contender put everything he had into these leg kicks, causing Asakura some difficulties putting down his lead leg in the early going.
As soon as Horiguchi noticed he had his opponent hurt, he pressed forward throwing heavy combinations. One of them landed on the button, sending Asakura crashing down to the ground. The end came when Asakura wasn’t able to defend himself any longer, and …Israel Adesanya will attempt to become a two-division champion when he faces 205-pound king Jan Blachowicz at UFC 259.
UFC president Dana White confirmed the booking to ESPN on Wednesday evening. UFC 259 takes place on March 6 and also includes a featherweight title tilt between Amanda Nunes and Megan Anderson, but the promotion has not yet announced a location for the event. Only seven fighters have been two-division UFC champions.Adesanya is 20-0 to begin his professional career, including nine triumphs under the UFC banner. “The Last Stylebender” claimed the middleweight throne with a second-round knockout of Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 and has since defended the title with victories against Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa.
After a rough beginning to his promotional tenure in which he lost four of his first six appearances, Blachowicz captured the vacant light heavyweight belt with a second-round technical knockout of Dominick Reyes at UFC 253. The 37-year-old …
Earlier this year, UFC president Dana White and former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones were at odds.
The two men engaged in a very public dispute regarding negotations for a potential heavyweight clash between Jones and Francis Ngannou, with White claiming that “Bones” asked for something in the neighborhood of $25 million to $30 million to accept that bout. Jones responded by calling White a “f—-ing liar” on social media, while the UFC boss implied that the fighter’s personal issues outside the cage hindered his earnings potential.As 2020 draws to a close, White and Jones seem to have made amends. Jones officially vacated the 205-pound throne in August with plans for a move to heavyweight, and things don’t seem to be nearly as tense between the Jackson-Wink MMA standout and the Las Vegas-based promotion.
“I think he’s in a much better place than he has been,” White said on the "SHOUT!" podcast. “I think mentally, emotionally, whatever it might be, he’s i…
Both Horiguchi and Asakura made weight ahead of their championship bout in the Rizin Fighting Federation 26 headliner. Horiguchi tipped the scales at 134 pounds, while Asakura checked in at 133.9 pounds. Rizin 26 takes place on Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan and and is available via pay-per-view for $25.
Asakura and Horiguchi initially squared off in a non-title bout at Rizin 18, with Asakura scoring a surprising 68-second knockout victory on Aug. 18, 2019. Horiguchi, who was then 135-pound champion in both Rizin and Bellator MMA, vacated both titles after suffering a knee injury and has not competed since that defeat.“I started sparring and training fully in July. I feel like I am close to 100 percent,” Horiguchi said. “I’ve been adding new stuff to my original style during this period. I never think …
Survival mode! #Higher #UFC257 @ufc @DustinPoirier @TheNotoriousMMA pic.twitter.com/RKdQVlGITB
— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) December 29, 2020If you want to witness the return of Conor McGregor at UFC 257, it’s going to cost you a little bit more than it did in 2020.
According to a report from Variety, the price of UFC pay-per-view events on ESPN+ will increase from $64.99 to $69.99 as of Jan. 8, 2021. Additionally, the annual subscription fee for the ESPN+ streaming service will go up from $49.99 to $59.99 per year. The ESPN+ monthly rate already recently increased from $4.99 to $5.99.When the UFC initially signed an agreement to make ESPN+ the sole provider of its pay-per-view content in 2019, it lowered the price point for its premium events from $64.99 to $59.99. That lasted from April 2019 through the end of the year before ESPN+ raised the price of UFC pay-per-views back to $64.99 beginning with UFC 246 in January. Coincidenta…
Former Invicta Fighting Championships atomweight title holder Jinh Yu Frey will attempt to earn her first UFC triumph when she meets Gloria de Paula on March 13.
MMAFighting.com was first to report the strawweight booking. The UFC Fight Night card does not have an official location or headliner as of yet.Frey competed twice in the Octagon in 2020, losing ot Kay Hansen via submission at UFC on ESPN 12 before dropping a decision against Konklak Suphisara at UFC on ESPN 16. The 35-year-old Genesis Jiu-Jitsu representative went 7-3 during her Invicta FC tenure.
De Paula, meanwhile, earned a UFC contract thanks to a three-round verdict over Pauline Macias on Dana White’s Contender Series on Nov. 17. The 25-year-old Sao Paulo native owns a 5-2 professional mark.
Rest up Khamzat, i'm sure ill see you soon. But I want to fight January 20th on the island @danawhite @seanshelby @ufc lets make it happen
— Leon 'Rocky' Edwards (@Leon_edwardsmma) December 29, 2020Khamzat Chimaev needed more time to recover after battling COVID-19, and that led to his exit from the UFC on ESPN 20 headliner.
MMAjunkie.com was first to report that Chimaev’s lungs hadn’t fully healed after testing positive for the coronavirus in early December, an issue that was hindering his training as he prepared to face Leon Edwards on Jan. 20 in Abu Dhabi."Khamzat had coronavirus and when he went back to gym, his lungs did not recover 100 percent,” wrote Chimaev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, in a statement to ESPN. “He needs time for his lungs to recover, and right now it's about taking that necessary time.”
Chimaev and Edwards were initially scheduled to meet in the UFC Fight Night 183 headliner on Dec. 19, but Edwards’ own strug…
Dalcha Lungiambula (10-1) tops his UFC debut with a cherry, bombing Dequan Townsend early in round three! The Congolese, two-division EFC champ rides a six-fight tear. He has knocked out five. #UFCMinneapolis pic.twitter.com/oIm7iD4EU0
— Kyle Johnson (@VonPreux) June 29, 2019Dalcha Lungiambula will drop to middleweight to face Isi Fitikefu at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Jan. 20 event in Abu Dhabi.
Multiple outlets confirmed the pairing following an initial report from MMA DNA. UFC on ESPN 20 takes place on Yas Island and is currently in need of a main event after Khamzat Chimaev withdrew from a proposed matchup with Leon Edwards.A former heavyweight champion in Africa’s Extreme Fighting Championship, Lungiambula went 1-1 in his first two UFC appearances at light heavyweight. The 35-year-old began his tenure with a third-round TKO of Dequan Townsend at UFC on ESPN 3 before suffering a KO loss to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC Fight Nig…
The jiu-jitsu community is anxiously awaiting the mixed martial arts debut of its most decorated champion ever, Marcus Almeida, who has won 13 gold medals in the world Brazilian jiu-jitsu championships. “Buchecha” will face Senegalese giant Oumar Kane under the One Championship banner on Feb. 24.
In a live interview with Brazilian outlet "Confraria da Porrada” on Tuesday, American Top Team coach Conan Silveira shared some details regarding Almeida’s training camp.“We are starting with MMA ABCs, teaching him everything separated in segments, before starting the sparring itself. In one class he trains muay Thai with Anderson França, in another boxing with Gabriel Oliveira, wrestling with Steve Mocco and MMA grappling with Mike Brown,” said Silveira.
Silveira praised Almeida for his humility while learning a new sport.
“Of course he knows that being a 13 time world jiu-jitsu champion doesn’t automatically make him an MMA fighter,” Silveira said. “He is awa…
Alex Caceres will square off against Kevin Croom in a featherweight matchup at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Feb. 27 event.
MMAjunkie.com was first to report the booking. The UFC Fight Night card is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between Dominick Reyes and Jiri Prochazka, but a location for the event has not been confirmed.Caceres carries a three-bout winning streak into the bout, including a first-round submission of Austin Springer in his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 175 this past August. “Bruce Leeroy” has also bested Chase Hooper and Steven Peterson during his current run.
Croom, meanwhile, had a memorable Octagon debut, as he stopped the heavily-favored Roosevelt Roberts in just 31 seconds at UFC Fight Night 177. However, the victory was later overturned because “The Hard-Hitting Hillbilly” tested positive for marijuana. The 33-year-old Croom is 21-12 over the course of a professional career that began in 2009.
While Kevin Holland may be seeking a spot as a short-notice replacement next month, he has something more official lined up for March.
According to ESPN, Holland and Derek Brunson have agreed to square off in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on March 20. The middleweight bout has not been finalized but contracts are expected to be signed shortly. The event does not yet have a location.In the meantime, Holland has been campaigning for a spot opposite Leon Edwards on the UFC’s Jan. 20 “Fight Island” card. Edwards was scheduled to face Khamzat Chimaev, but Chimaev withdrew from the bout for undisclosed reasons. Holland has yet to fight at welterweight in the Las Vegas-based promotion.
Hold up, so am I hearing the #ufcFightIsland hotel has a vacancy and needs a real man to come and do work January 20th? #callbigmouth pic.twitter.com/0zX4cPZMvo
— Kevin Holland (@Trailblaze2top) December 29, 2020Holland was selected as Sherdo…