Blog

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Chris Leben is set to make his Nevada debut as a judge on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 228, according to ESPN.

Advertisement

Throughout his extensive mixed martial arts career, "The Crippler" faced the likes of Wanderlei Silva, Uriah Hall and Derek Brunson. He retired from the sport in December 2013 with a record of 22-12.

Leben has served as a professional referee and judge in California for the last four years and has now received his license to work events under the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Judging has been under scrutiny after last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 227 headliner, when Mike Bell gave Alexa Grasso a controversial 10-8 score for Round 5 in her rematch against Valentina Shevchenko. That resulted in the flyweight title bout ending in a split draw. Some are of the opinion that a retired fighter, who has competed inside the cage, will have a better perspective and approach to judging as oppos…

[embedded content]

Everyone made weight ahead ofRizin 44, including featherweight headliners Kleber Koike Erbst and Masanori Kanehara.

Advertisement

Erbst tipped the scales at 145.1 pounds, while Kanehara checked in at 144.7. Rizin 44 takes place on Sunday at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, and will also see Juntaro Ushiki (145.1) lock horns with Kyohei Hagiwara (145.1) in the evening’s co-main event.

Erbst was stripped of his featherweight title after missing weight ahead of a showdown with Chihiro Suzuki at Rizin 43. Though the Brazilian won via first-round armbar, the official result was a no contest due to Erbst’s trangression on the scales.

“I’m the champion because I haven’t lost yet,” Erbst said in a release. “Kanehara is strong, but I will definitely win. I can definitely get one with a triangle.”

Kanehara enters the matchup on a three-bout winning streak under the Rizin banner. Most recently, the 40-year-old Tokyo native outpointed Sor…

[embedded content]

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Francis Ngannou revealed to Joe Rogan what prompted him to sign with Professional Fighters League.

Advertisement

“The Predator” parted ways with the UFC back in January after the two parties failed to come to terms for a new deal. Ngannou, the reigning heavyweight champion, had a list of demands including having the liberty to compete in boxing matches while under contract. The knockout artist will toe the line with lineal heavyweight boxing ruler Tyson Fury Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia under Marquess of Queensberry rules.

Unable to reach a consensus, Ngannou vacated the belt and is now signed with the PFL under an agreement that has seemingly met his demands.

In a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, “The Predator” explained how and why the PFL's offer was the most attractive to him as a free agent.

As per Ngannou, once he was a free agent, PFL CEO Pete Murray met with …

Mitch McKee moves to 5-0! #LFA168 pic.twitter.com/0Gf4uVurhD

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) September 23, 2023

Top bantamweight prospect Mitchell McKee secured his fifth professional victory with a unanimous decision over Sean McPadden (6-2, 4-2 LFA) in the Legacy Fighting Alliance 168 main event on Friday at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota.

It marks the first time McKee (5-0, 4-0 LFA) has gone the distance, as he had nailed down each of his first four wins by technical knockout.

In the co-headliner, Bobby Lee (14-8, 6-5 LFA) managed to secure a unanimous decision against St. Charles MMA product Lucas Clay (9-3, 4-2 LFA) in a catchweight clash at 160 pounds.

Meanwhile, Kegan Gennrich (7-2, 4-1 LFA) snatched an impressive arm-triangle submission against Florida native Donald Bush in the second round of their lightweight showcase, extending his winning streak to five fights. Bush (7-3, 1-1 LFA) bowed ou…

[embedded content] Bellator MMA returns to Ireland this week with a middleweight title fight.

The main event will see champion Johnny Eblen attempt to make his second title defense after claiming the belt from Gegard Mousasi and defeating Anatoly Tokov. Vying for the title is a fan-favorite in English fighter Fabian Edwards. Both title fight participants made weight, as did the rest of the 20-fight card with one exception. Piotr Niedzielski, who will fight Khasan Magomedsharipov, missed the featherweight limit by 1.8 pounds, and will be fined a percentage of his purse as a result.

Advertisement

A perfect 13-0 as a professional, Eblen has looked unstoppable within Bellator. Prior to claiming the belt, the American had picked up wins against John Salter and Collin Huckbody. "Diamond Hands" is 9-0 inside the Bellator cage. Meanwhile, Edwards (12-2) is riding a three-fight win streak. After back-to-back defeats to Austin Vanderford and Costello van Steenis, "The Assass…

BREAKING!!! More fights on Dec. 16th in Vegas. Tickets on sale Oct. 20th #UFC296 pic.twitter.com/JHpQtqYSbw

— danawhite (@danawhite) September 23, 2023 The Ultimate Fighting Championship is taking a very specific path of matchmaking to build a budding star.

Earlier on Friday, Stephen Thompson and Shavkat Rakhmonov publicly posted about their upcoming matchup on social media. The UFC subsequently confirmed this on Friday night, announcing that fight as part of UFC 296 along with an unannounced matchup. Joining the two title fights and aforementioned Thompson-Rakhmonov tilt will be a lightweight clash pitting Paddy Pimblett (20-3) against Tony Ferguson (25-9). The bouts will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 16.

Liverpool, England’s Pimblett currently rides a six-fight win streak that includes all four of his appearances in the Octagon. His last bout came at UFC 282 in December, where he won a unanimous decision over …

If this upcoming middleweight matchup is not the main event, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has something big in store for the fans in December.

According to ESPN on Friday, Roman Dolidze (12-2) has been pulled from UFC 295. Initially slated to face Derek Brunson, Brunson withdrew from the bout and announced that he was no longer under contract with the promotion. The middleweight has had his Octagon return pushed from Nov. 11 to Dec. 2, where he will now collide with Jared Cannonier (17-6). The two 185ers will battle it out on the main card ? but not the main attraction ? of an unnamed UFC Fight Night card at a currently undetermined location.

Cannonier last prepared for competition back in September, where he weighed in as the alternate for the Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland title fight. Nearly tapped for the event due to an incident involving Strickland and a fan during fight week, Cannonier ended up watching on the sidelines and will not be receiving the …

Per sources: Michael Morales vs. Jake Matthews set for Nov 18th UFC event

Vía @ESPNDeportes pic.twitter.com/NdjAUtTkED

— Carlos Contreras Legaspi 🦁 (@CCLegaspi) September 22, 2023 Some days, the Ultimate Fighting Championship decides to open the gates and let loose a number of new matchups into the wild all at once.

Advertisement

Per ESPN Deportes, the UFC’s Spanish-language broadcast partner, an intriguing welterweight pairing between Michael Morales (15-0) and Jake Matthews (19-6) has come together. This fight with potential rankings implications will be held on Nov. 18 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, as part of UFC Fight Night 232.

The 23-year-old Morales out of Entram Gym burst onto the scene when he staged the upset and topped Nikolay Veretennikov on the scorecards at Dana White's Contender Series. This contract-winning victory put the youngster in the Octagon, where he celebrated this by smashing Trevin Giles and Adam Fugitt in…

Contender Series alum Azamat Murzakanov, who is now 3-0 in the UFC and ranked No. 12 at LHW, will face No. 11 Khalil Rountree on Dec. 2 per sources. Rountree on a four-fight win streak.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 22, 2023 Even without a location on the books, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is building up its first December card in a big way.

On Friday, two high-stakes matchups at 135 and 205 pounds were announced by various outlets. Courtesy of MMA Fighting, and confirmed by other outlets, Rob Font (20-7) will be welcoming former flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo (21-3-1) up to 135 pounds on Dec. 2. The untitled UFC Fight Night event on that date does not have a headliner or a specific location yet, although rumored venues include the Target Center in Minneapolis and the 3Arena in Dublin.

Advertisement

While still a top-10 name in the talent-rich bantamweight division, Boston-based Font has fallen on hard times a…

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship is not skimping on exciting matchups in its return to Madison Square Garden this November.

Per the Two to Tango with Steam & Scoob podcast on Friday, Matt Frevola (11-3-1) announced that he had signed a new deal with the UFC. The first fight on his new contract will be against surging Frenchman Benoit St. Denis (12-1, 1 NC), and the lightweights will tangle at UFC 295 on Nov. 11. This will be Frevola’s third jaunt at Madison Square Garden in New York, with a draw against Lando Vannata and a knockout of Ottman Azaitar in that building on his ledger.

Advertisement

“I’m finally making [Billy Quarantillo] money,” Frevola stated proudly. “I’m gonna announce it right here, right now. It’s gonna be Matt ‘The Steamrolla’ Frevola at MSG, and I’m fighting the French special forces killer in Benoit St. Denis. And, honestly, I had my questions about the French people, not gonna lie. In his last fight, he beat Thiago Mo…

UFC offered and I’ve accepted, @Rakhmonov1994 let’s close out the year strong. Dec 16 can’t wait

— “Wonderboy” Thompson (@WonderboyMMA) September 22, 2023 Editor's note: The article has been updated at 9:15 p.m. ET to add confirmation from the promotion.

Two top-10 Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights went public about a huge fight to end the year.

Advertisement

On social media, Stephen Thompson (17-6-1) posted on Friday that the organization offered him a fight against Shavkat Rakhmonov (17-0), and that he had accepted it. Minutes later, Rakhmonov replied, “Let’s go!” to signify his excitement about the prospective welterweight clash. If this bout is made official, according to Thompson, it will go down on Dec. 16 as part of UFC 296, which will take place in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC confirmed this matchup on Friday night.

The unbeaten Rakhmonov has been looking for an opponent since strangling Geoff Neal wi…

[embedded content] In the eyes of champion Sean O'Malley, revenge is a dish best served with sugar.

Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley (17-1) seems to be set on rematching Marlon Vera (21-8) for his first title defense. Back in 2020, O'Malley and Vera faced off inside the Octagon at UFC 252. During the course of the first round, Vera's calf kicks impaired “Sugar” severely, eventually crumbling to the floor and succumbing to a TKO defeat via elbows and punches. Since then, O'Malley has repeatedly mentioned avenging the loss and as per the 28-year-old, now is the right time.

Advertisement

"Sugar" recently claimed the bantamweight crown by putting Aljamain Sterling (23-4) away in the second round with strikes at UFC 292 in August. While some believe Sterling’s teammate Merab Dvalishvili should be next in line for a title shot, especially if Sterling doesn't get the rematch, O'Malley sees this as an opportunity to avenge the onl…

Top Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters from 145 to 170 pounds all want a piece of champ Islam Makhachev.

Per the UFC on Wednesday, the headliner of UFC 296 on Dec. 16 will be Leon Edwards (21-3) against Colby Covington (17-3). Backlash was immediate from the mixed martial arts community as to Covington receiving the welterweight title shot, as other contenders like Belal Muhammad racked up mighty unbeaten streaks next to Colby’s one win since 2021. No stranger to controversy, “Chaos” took it in stride, already making plans for his future championship reign after claiming the belt at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Advertisement

Unsurprisingly, the former interim champion has no doubt he will emerge victorious against Edwards. “Chaos” can already envision a number of "mega-fights" waiting for him once he claims the 170-pound throne. One such matchup includes a showdown against reigning lightweight titleholder Makhachev.

While calling out Makhachev for aspir…

🥋 Great news, martial arts fans!@ONEChampionship is now part of #DIRECTVFORBUSINESS programming! Bars and restaurants like yours can now enjoy monthly Friday night primetime martial arts events!

For more info on this exciting new agreement, visit https://t.co/TxqdwrT0nx pic.twitter.com/yUEQ2IF3CL

— DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS (@directvbusiness) September 21, 2023 One Championship will be available to watch in bars and restaurants across the U.S. by the end of the month.

Advertisement

On Thursday, the Singapore-based organization announced via press release that it has entered into an agreement with DirecTV for Business. Due to this deal, One cards will be watchable in various restaurants and establishments stateside for its One Fight Night series. The live broadcasts will begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, typically on Fridays, and the first event available will be One on Prime Video 14 on Sept. 29.

Chief Sales and Services Officer at DirecT…

It’s fight week 💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/cmx6I7vCaj

— Jessy Jess (@missjessyjess) September 20, 2023 Add Jessica-Rose Clark to the list of women publicly calling for an opportunity to punch Paige VanZant in the face.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Clark is yet another mixed martial artist looking to cross over to pugilism. Clark was released from the UFC following a submission loss to Tainara Lisboa back in May, which marked her third consecutive loss in the promotion. The Aussie defeated VanZant via unanimous decision during their initial clash at UFC Fight Night 124 in 2018.

Advertisement

“Jessy Jess” has called for a boxing match against former foe VanZant, who was released from the promotion in 2020 following a submission loss to Amanda Ribas. VanZant has since competed twice in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, suffering decision losses against Britain Hart and Rachael Ostovich.

Making her case for a rematch ins…

[embedded content] It will take more than a close loss to bring Rafael Fiziev down.

Fiziev (12-2) will look to bounce back from his second-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship loss that snapped a six-fight win streak when he takes on Mateusz Gamrot (22-2) in the main event at UFC Vegas 79 on Sept. 23. “Ataman” came up on the short side of a majority decision against Justin Gaethje at UFC 291. Despite the loss, the bout marked the Kazakh’s sixth consecutive bonus-winning performance.

While Gaethje is often considered responsible for ruining fighters’ careers with his brutal beatdowns, Fiziev claims to have already moved on from the loss.

The 30-year-old said during UFC Vegas 79 media day, “I already forget about [the loss to Gaethje] … I’m focused on my next opponent. Loss is last time – I’m sad for last time. Everybody don’t like loss. I want to come back to good win. I want to make a show again, and I want to get my hand [raised].”

However, Fiziev admits t…

[embedded content]

Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White took to social media to announce three potential nail-biters for the UFC 295 co-main event along with the UFC 296 main and co-main headliners. The UFC 295 card, which will go down at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 11, will be headlined by Jon Jones’ (27-1) first heavyweight title defense against fellow legend Stipe Miocic (20-4).

Advertisement

White has now declared that the vacant UFC light heavyweight title will be up for grabs in the co-main event of the night. Alex Pereira (8-2) will challenge Jiri Prochazka (29-3) for the strap, which was vacated by Jamahal Hill back in June due to a ruptured Achilles.

“Poatan” won the middleweight title, lost it, moved up a weight class and defeated former champ Jan Blachowicz to earn his second title bid within a span of just six UFC outings. Meanwhile, Prochazka hasn’t competed in a year and a half ever since he had to vacate the light hea…

[embedded content] Mateusz Gamrot (22-2) will take on Rafael Fiziev (12-2) in a potential lightweight banger in the main event at “UFC Vegas 79” on Sept. 23. While “Gamer” quickly earned a reputation for being a lethal finisher with three consecutive stoppage wins in 2021, he has gone the distance in his last three.

Gamrot earned a closely contested decision victory over Arman Tsarukyan in his first Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner opportunity in June 2022. This came before he dropped a somewhat lopsided decision to Beneil Dariush later in October of the same year. The former KSW two-division champ then bounced back with a split decision win over Jalin Turner at UFC 285 in March.

Advertisement

Currently ranked seventh at lightweight, Gamrot will look to change his reputation again when he takes on the No. 6-ranked Fiziev. The 32-year-old said during the UFC Vegas 79 media day:

“I want to make statement in this lightweight division. Of course, I am a pro…

A bantamweight showdown pitting Miesha Tate against Julia Avila has been targeted for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on Dec. 2.

Advertisement

Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from MMA Mania. A location and venue have not been announced for the card.

Tate, a former UFC bantamweight champion, will return to 135 pounds following a unanimous decision loss to Lauren Murphy in her flyweight debut at UFC on ABC 3 in July 2022. “Cupcake” has lost four of her last five Octagon appearances dating back to July 2016.

Avila will be competing for the first time since June 2021 after motherhood and a knee injury kept her out of action for more than two years. “Raging Panda” has won three of her four promotional outings, including a third-round submission of Julija Stoliarenko in her most recent bout at UFC Fight Night 190.

[embedded content]

Israel Adesanya has been mostly silent since his upset loss to Sean Strickland in the UFC 293 headliner on Sept. 9.

Advertisement

That changed on Wednesday, when “The Last Stylebender” broke his silence in an interview on his YouTube channel. Though he appeared to be in good spirits, it was a subdued version of the former middleweight champion that appeared on camera.

“How am I feeling?” Adesanya said. “Quietly confident.”

Adesanya was a heavy favorite heading into the matchup with Strickland, who wasn’t the UFC’s first choice of title challenger. However, once the bell rang, it was Strickland who set the tone, dropping his opponent in the opening stanza and then controlling the action with straight punches and consistent forward pressure.

“That just felt like a bad dream,” Adesanya said, while crediting Strickland for his approach.

“He just never let me get into my rhythm at all. I just wasn’t able to get my rhythm because of his p…

While its main event ended in controversy, the Noche UFC concept was an overall success.

Advertisement

The UFC Fight Night 227 event took place on Mexican Independence Day this past Saturday and was designed to celebrate athletes from the promotion with Mexican heritage. That includes flyweight champion Alexa Grasso, who retained her title after battling Valentina Shevchenko to a split draw in the evening’s headliner.

UFC CEO Dana White wasn’t in attendance for the card, but he raved about the numbers the show did on ESPN+ during the post-fight press conference for the Contender Series on Tuesday. He also announced plans to make UFC events on Mexican Independence Day an annual tradition, which would follow in the footsteps of what boxing has done over the years.

“I don’t care if somebody here in town gets the date at the arena, I’ll go in an opposing arena and go head-to-head with them next year,” White said. “I’m doing this for the rest of my reign here.…

After their first meeting resulted in an unsatisfying conclusion, Edgar Chairez and Daniel da Silva will run it back at UFC Fight Night 230.

Advertisement

MMAFighting.comwas first to report the flyweight rematch. UFC Fight Night 230 takes place on Oct. 14 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a featherweight tilt between Sodiq Yusuff and Edson Barboza.

Chairez and da Silva initially squared off at UFC Fight Night 227. The bout ended prematurely when Chairez locked his opponent in a standing guillotine choke and referee Chris Tognoni waved off the fight, thinking da Silva was unconscious. After video review, it was determined that da Silva was alert and still defending the choke, so the bout was ruled a no contest at the 3:47 mark of Round 1.

Anchored at Mexico-based Entram Gym, Chairez is still looking for his first promotional triumph. He made his Octagon debut this past July, dropping a unanimous decision to Tatsuro Taira at UFC 290.

D…

Stipe Miocic will make his return to the Octagon after a hiatus of over two years when he challenges Jon Jones for the heavyweight title at UFC 295. The highly anticipated clash will headline the marquee card set to go down at the Madison Square Garden, New York on Nov. 11.

Advertisement

Despite having the most title defenses in UFC heavyweight history, Miocic is a massive +340 underdog going into the fight against the -425 favorite “Bones.” However, the Ohio-based firefighter has defied the odds in several of his title fights, like in the rematch against Daniel Cormier and the first clash against Francis Ngannou.

While he is unbothered by the odds, Miocic did issue a warning to bettors about wagering against him.

“It took me a couple fights, but after a while, I just stopped caring what everyone thought,” Miocic told The Fight Guys in an interview for BetOnline. “I just don’t care anymore. You think I’m going to lose? Good for you. You’re going to waste a…

[embedded content]

Valentina Shevchenko (23-4) looked to reclaim the flyweight title from Alexa Grasso (16-3) in the main event at Noche UFC on Sept. 16. However, Grasso retained her strap courtesy of a controversial split draw after five closely-contested rounds. 

Advertisement

The 47-47 scorecard rendered by judge Mike Bell included a 10-8 fifth round in favor of Grasso, who had controlled only the last 90 seconds of the period. Shevchenko immediately expressed her disagreement with the result, blaming the controversial score on the potential pressure felt by the judges due to the event being held in honor of the Mexican Independence Day. 

Along with a majority of fans and pundits, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White is also in complete disagreement with the 10-8 score and suggested an investigation of Bell. However, the Nevada State Athletic Commission has seemingly assured White that Bell is a capable judge and this was an honest mistake.&…