Blog

The trilogy bout between Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell drew plenty of criticism throughout the MMA community, particularly because Liddell was eight years removed from his last professional appearance.

“The Iceman” looked like a fighter nearing 50 years old this past Saturday, as he suffered a knockout loss to Ortiz 4:24 into the opening stanza of the Golden Boy MMA headliner at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Ortiz, while nowhere near his prime, still had 10 bouts to his credit since Liddell’s first retirement.

Ortiz recently attempted to justify the booking against Liddell in a lengthy Instagram post.

“I’ve had some time to think about this fight [vs. Chuck Liddell],” Ortiz wrote. “How [did] it come to be? This is something that Chuck wanted, I was OK doing my businesses. He called me out. Yes, I [agreed] and helped make it happen with [Golden Boy Boxing].”

After losing to Liddell in two previous Octagon bouts more than a decade earlier, Ortiz said he…

Anthony Getschel, the man accused in the hit-and-run death of former UFC fighter Ryan Jimmo, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in an Edmonton court on Monday, according to a report from CBC.

Jimmo was killed in a truck driven by Getschel following an argument in the parking lot of a bar in Edmonton on June 26, 2016. Jimmo was transported to a local hospital and died of his injuries at age 34.

According to a statement of facts read in court, Getschel was drinking at a bar with his friend and girlfriend but left after fighting with other patrons. Getschel encountered Jimmo’s jeep on the way to a different bar and followed him into the parking lot. That led to a confrontation between the two parties before Getschel struck Jimmo with his vehicle and drove away. Getschel and Jimmo reportedly did not know each other prior to the incident.

After fleeing the scene, Getschel hid his truck and returned for it a day later. He then removed the license plate and ordered a …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LquIYF-2PiE&w=560&h=315]

As Jon Jones’ Octagon return against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 draws near, the former light heavyweight champion will make more and more appearances on national media shows to address his history with USADA and two failed drug tests within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

During an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take” Monday, Jones responded to skeptics who don’t believe has been a clean athlete. “Bones” was specifically asked to address comments from rival Daniel Cormier, who has been outspoken in his belief that Jones is not innocent.

“Screw Daniel Cormier,” Jones said. “Screw Daniel Cormier. My last situation was a terrible situation, steroid allegation type of thing. It wasn’t an allegation — I did have a trace amount of steroids in my body. Thank goodness USADA went through their whole process to prove my innocence. Through science, we were able to prove that there was a very trace amount of s…

Credit: Pro Fight League Credit: Pro Fight League Credit: Pro Fight League

Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison will make her third mixed martial arts appearance when she faces Moriel Charneski at Professional Fighters League’s championship event on Dec. 31.

The promotion announced the lightweight matchup on Monday. The card takes place at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden and features world championship bouts in six different weight classes, with the winners receiving $1 million apiece. The headlining contest will see Ray Cooper III face Magomed Magomedkerimov for the welterweight crown. The card will be televised on NBC Sports Network.

Harrison began her MMA tenure with a first-round submission of Brittney Elkin at PFL 2 before earning a third-round technical knockout victory against Jozette Cotton at PFL 6 on Aug. 16. Harrison won gold medals in judo for the United States at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

Charneski, 29, owns a 3-4 professional mark. She…

It was never a sentiment rooted in reality, but Chuck Liddell’s performance at Golden Boy MMA’s inaugural event clinched it: Jon Jones won’t even humor “The Iceman” the next time the UFC Hall of Famer calls him out.

In recent years, Liddell has made it known that he would like a shot at Jones, and he reiterated that desire after announcing his comeback earlier this year.

However, Liddell looked far removed from his prime in a first-round knockout loss to Tito Ortiz in the Golden Boy MMA headliner at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Saturday. Considering that Liddell is 48 years old and was eight years removed from his last bout, the result shouldn’t have been all that surprising. Nonetheless, Jones felt the need to close the book on any future speculation.

“Yeah it’s official, I am never replying to Chuck calling me out again,” wrote Jones, who in the past has replied to the former champion via social media.

Yeah it’s official, …

Chuck Liddell’s return to mixed martial arts following an eight-year absence went about as one might expect it would.

The 48-year-old “Iceman” looked slow and vulnerable against longtime rival Tito Ortiz in the Golden Boy MMA headliner at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Saturday night, ultimately losing via knockout 4:24 into the opening frame of their bout. It was Liddell’s fourth consecutive KO/TKO defeat dating back to a second-round knockout loss against Rashad Evans at UFC 88 on Sept. 6, 2008.

“I showed up, no excuses,” Liddell said at a post-fight press conference on Saturday (video via MMAjunkie.com). “I was in great shape, ready to go, and he was the better man. So, there it is.”

In his prime, Liddell went 2-0 against Ortiz, winning via second-round knockout at UFC 47 and third-round technical knockout at UFC 66. While the two former friends haven’t seen eye to eye for years, Liddell said he respects “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy.”

“I don’t…

Tito Ortiz knocks out Chuck Liddell in 2018's neon trash fire. #LiddellOrtiz3 pic.twitter.com/3DdFSoBrH1

— Tanuki Usman (@Hamderlei) November 25, 2018

A day after two struggling past-their-prime legends dueled on the golf course in Las Vegas on pay-per-view, two Ultimate Fighting Championship hall of famers fought for what many observers hope will be the last time.

Tito Ortiz finally exacted some revenge against archrival Chuck Liddell in the inaugural main event for Golden Boy MMA on Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, California, and he closed out “The Iceman” in vicious and unsettling fashion. Ortiz (20-12-1) took his time to feel out the 48-year-old Liddell at the start, but once he saw an opening to capitalize, he ended the fight.

Liddell (21-9) looked ancient inside the cage, as he stumbled and fumbled while trying to strike, his once-awesome striking prowess and speed long extinct. “The Iceman” never landed any of his vaunted …

Credit: Jason Burgos/Sherdog.com Credit: Jason Burgos/Sherdog.com Credit: Jason Burgos/Sherdog.com Credit: Jason Burgos/Sherdog.com

Rising prospect Israel Adesanya will lock horns with former middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 234.

The promotion confirmed the 185-pound booking to ESPN on Saturday night. UFC 234 takes place at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, on Feb. 9 and is expected to feature a middleweight championship clash between Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum.

Adesanya has established himself as one of the sport’s up-and-coming stars while compiling a 15-0 professional mark. “The Last Stylebender” is 4-0 in the Octagon, including a first-round TKO of Derek Brunson in his last outing at UFC 230.

Silva, meanwhile, is returning from a one-year USADA suspension for a failed drug test ahead of a proposed bout against Gastelum at UFC Fight Night 122. The 43-year-old Brazilian hasn’t competed since February 2017, when he ended a five-…

Francis Ngannou went from being “The Next Big Thing” in the UFC to being labeled a bust in just a few short fights.

On Saturday at UFC Fight Night 141, “The Predator” took some steps to regain some of the luster he lost in forgettable performances against Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis earlier this year. Ngannou returned to his previous headhunting form at Cadillac Arena in Beijing, where he stopped the surging Curtis Blaydes in just 45 seconds.

Ngannou’s mentality was questioned after back-to-back bouts in which he looked nothing like the finishing machine he appeared to be during a six-fight winning streak to begin his UFC tenure. Ngannou’s performance against Lewis was especially troubling, as he looked tentative to pull the trigger on the heels of his first promotional defeat.

That was not an issue in Beijing.

“I came back tonight to have fun,” Ngannou said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “My last fight wasn’t that good, just because I …

career KOs!@AlistairOvereem hands the undefeated standout his first career loss! #UFCBeijing pic.twitter.com/xRgvc2ADhp

— UFC (@ufc) November 24, 2018

Alistair Overeem became a No. 1 contender in the UFC’s heavyweight division during his time at Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M.

But after suffering back-to-back knockout losses at the hands of Curtis Blaydes and Francis Ngannou in his last two outings, “The Reem” decided a change in scenery was necessary, so he relocated to Elevation Fight Team in Colorado. The 38-year-old Netherlands native credited his new camp for his success at UFC Fight Night 141, where he earned a first-round stoppage of Octagon newcomer Sergei Pavlovich.

”We changed the gym and, I don’t know, it was a really good chemistry with all the coaches and I just started to work and we put in a lot of hours,” Overeem said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I like the chemistry and I like all the things that t…

B O N U S E S

POTN: @Francis_Ngannou and @UFCJingliang

FOTN: @AlexMoronoMMA vs Song Kenan#UFCBeijing pic.twitter.com/JPmclqhCF6

— UFC (@ufc) November 24, 2018

Francis Ngannou, Jingliang Li, Alex Morono and Kenan Song all received $50,000 bonuses for their work at UFC Fight Night 141 in Beijing.

Ngannou earned a “Peformance of the Night” check for his first-round technical knockout victory over Curtis Blaydes in the evening’s heavyweight headliner at Cadillac Arena. An early overhand right from Ngannou floored Blaydes, and the American wrestler never recovered, succumbing to punches 45 seconds into the opening frame.

Elsewhere, Li garnered the card’s other “Performance of the Night” award for his third-round knockout of David Zwada in a featured welterweight affair. A kick to the body from “The Leech” put Zwada on his seat in the third stanza, and a barrage of follow-up blows finished the job at the 4:07 mark of the frame. Read more about UFC Fight Night 141 Bonuses: Ngannou, Li, Morono, Song Garner $50K

Sherdog's live UFC Fight Night 141 coverage kicks off Saturday at 3:30 a.m. ET.

Check out the MMA Forums to discuss the card or enter your comments and predictions below.

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores The Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Round 2 Sherdog Scores Round 3 Sherdog Scores …

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLacv7A2wy0&w=560&h=315]

It’s on.

Chuck Liddell hit the scales at 203.4 pounds, as he prepares to face Tito Ortiz (204.8) for the third time in the Golden Boy MMA main event this Saturday at The Forum in Inglewood, CA. This is the first time Ortiz has weighed more than Liddell in any of their three bouts, with Liddell weighing 204 and 205 pounds compared to Ortiz at 202 and 205 in their previous respective meetings. Co-headlining the event will be a light heavyweight contest between former UFC fighter turned pro wrestler Tom Lawlor (199.6) and the undefeated Deron Winn (205.6), who both made weight without issue at Friday’s weigh-ins.

Golden Boy MMA: Liddell vs. Ortiz 3 will air on pay-per-view via Fite.tv, with the main card starting at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event will also feature a 160-pound catchweight clash between bout between longtime UFC lightweights Gleison Tibau (159.4) and Efrain Escudero (159.8). Rounding ou…

At 48 years of age, one would think former Ultimate Fighting Championshiphall of famer Chuck Liddell would be enjoying retirement. However, Liddell got the itch to compete again and has decided to face-off in a trilogy fight against one of his biggest rivals in Tito Ortiz who he meets this Saturday night inside The Forum in Inglewood, California under Golden Boy Promotions which is owned by former professional boxer Oscar De La Hoya.

However, unlike the 43-year-old Ortiz, who has explicitly stated that he plans for this to be his last fight, this may not be a one-off for Liddell, who has plans on fighting a number of other veterans as part of his comeback.

“The Iceman” recently spoke to TMZ and said that depending on how he performs against Ortiz this weekend, he’d like to face-off with a number of other veterans, including a trilogy fight with Quinton Jackson.

“If I perform the way I think I’m going to on Saturday then I’m definitely going to be looking fo…

Santiago Ponzinibbio’s knockout victory at UFC Fight Night 140 in Buenos Aires, Argentina proved to be more valuable than anyone could have imagined.

On Thursday, Ponzinibbio posted on social media that he had received the key to the city of La Plata, capital city of the Argentinian province Buenos Aires, from Mayor Julio Garro.

According to MMAFighting, the key to the city had only been given to four other recipients prior to Ponzinibbio, all musicians: The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran and Alejandro Lerner. In addition, he was bestowed the honor of “Illustrious Citizen of Buenos Aires.” Given only to Argentine natives or longtime residents, that honor is bestowed by the legislature for exemplary work in the fields of culture, science, politics or sports. “Gente Boa” prevailed at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut event in Argentina, knocking out Neil Magny in the fourth round of the main event. Having not suffered defeat since a “Fight of the N…

https://t.co/wUm0UnAxVB & https://t.co/W1tR0FXnXd both posted the UFC will come to Prague, Czech Republic on February 23rd in the O2 Arena.

Can confirm this myself with multiple sources. UFC will host their first event in the Czech Republic.

UFC FN 145/UFC on ESPN+ 3 pic.twitter.com/3eoAXs1y8A

— MaRCeL DoRFF (@BigMarcel24) November 22, 2018

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will soon check one more country off the list while on its quest established in 2014 to “reshape the sports world.”

On Thursday, it was announced by both Fightclubnews.cz and SvetMMA.sk that the UFC will be making its first appearance in the city of Prague, Czech Republic, for a Fight Night event on Feb. 23, 2019. No fights have yet been announced by the promotion, but it is reportedly intending to put Czech bantamweight Lucie Pudilova on the card. Only a few Czech fighters have ever appeared inside the Octagon, including Karlos Vemola, Viktor Pesta and…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1spQPoXHZc&w=560&h=315]

It seems the mega fight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title between Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar early next year may be in jeopardy, with rumors circulating that Lesnar may have decided to pull out of the bout after signing a new deal with the World Wrestling Entertainment in the wake of one of their biggest stars, Roman Reigns, leaving the promotion as he prepares to undergo treatment for leukemia.

However, Lesnar’s manager, Paul Heyman, dismisses those rumors. Heyman spoke to TMZ Sports and claimed that as long as Cormier is up for the fight next year and the money is right, his client will be there, ready to challenge for the heavyweight belt.

“As long as Daniel Cormier has the balls to step into the Octagon and put his title up against Brock Lesnar and UFC comes up with the money for Brock Lesnar, I don’t see anything that would keep Brock Lesnar from taking the fight,” …

In spite of being the first and only man to defend the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title three times, Stipe Miocic has thus far been denied a chance to regain that belt, and he’s getting tired of being overlooked.

Miocic agreed to take on light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier back in July for the UFC’s first ever champion-versus-champion title fight featuring the promotion’s two heaviest divisions. Miocic was dispatched at the end of the opening round with Cormier going on to become only the second ever dual-division champion, behind Conor McGregor.

Back in October, the UFC made the surprise announcement that Derrick Lewis had been offered a short notice fight against Cormier to save the main card at UFC 230 after Dustin Poirier versus Nate Diaz was scrapped due to an injury suffered by “The Diamond.” Given that Lewis was fresh off his late win over Alexander Volkov in October, it left observers -- particularly Miocic -- perplexed at the decisi…

When UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell announced his intention to return to mixed martial arts some eight years after three consecutive knockout losses ended his Octagon run, there were plenty of concerns regarding the “Iceman’s” health.

Recent training footage, including last week’s open workouts, did little to quiet those concerns. Tito Ortiz, his opponent in Golden Boy MMA’s main event Saturday night, is not among those who are not worried about Liddell’s health and safety.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion was clear about his intentions when facing Liddell.

“I don’t care about his safety at all. I want to smash him,” Ortiz told Sherdog.com. “I want to hurt him. That’s what he wants to do to me. If he thinks he’s a big enough man, he’s an adult. If he thinks he should fight, he should fight.”

Ortiz was quick to shoot down any talk of reconciliation with his longtime rival and former training partner.

“I don’t care about burying the hatc…

The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., will play host to the trilogy fight between former UFC light heavyweight champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, when the two veterans square off in the main event of Golden Boy Promotions first mixed martial arts card.

However, another conflict for Ortiz preceded Saturday’s show. Shortly following the pre-fight press conference, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” had a brief confrontation with former manager Dave Thomas. Speaking with Sherdog.com, Thomas went into detail about his issues with his former client.

“I managed him and put him in Bellator,” Thomas said. “We had a falling out over money. He didn’t want to pay and that’s what our issue was.”

Thomas, who now represents Liddell, was on stage at the presser. During his time on the microphone, Ortiz referenced his 25-year- history with Thomas and called his former manager a “good friend.” Ortiz also spoke of a friendship with Liddell’s trainer, Antonio McKee. Because of tho…

In a rare occurrence, the UFC Fight Night 140 preliminary card outdrew the main card this past Saturday night on Fox Sports 1.

According to ShowBuzz Daily , the UFC Fight Night 140 prelims – which featured four bouts from 8 p.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET -- averaged 707,000 viewers on FS1, while the six-bout main card averaged 632,000. Prior to the UFC event, FS1 televised a college football game between Michigan and Indiana, which could have resulted in a larger audience at the beginning of the card. That game averaged 2.273 million viewers.

UFC Fight Night 140 took place at Parque Roca Arena in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was headlined by a welterweight clash between Santiago Ponzinibbio and Neil Magny. Ponzinibbio won the bout via fourth-round knockout.

The prelims featured bout was a lightweight tilt pitting Michel Prazeres against Bartosz Fabinski. Prazeres earned his eighth consecutive UFC win with a guillotine choke at the 1:02 mark of the first round.

Read more about UFC Fight Night Argentina Prelims Earn Better Ratings Than Main Card on FS1

A bout originally scheduled for ”The Ultimate Fighter 28” finale finale as Gilbert Melendez vs. Arnold Allen has gradually transformed into Kevin Aguilar vs. Rick Glenn.

The promotion recently confirmed the updated featherweight matchup on its website. Melendez was the first to withdraw from the bout due to injury, and the former Strikeforce champion was replaced by Glenn. Shortly thereafter, Allen pulled out of the contest and was replaced by Aguilar.

The “TUF 28” finale takes place at the Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Nov. 30 and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Kamaru Usman and Rafael dos Anjos. The event will also feature the heavyweight and women’s featherweight finals from the reality show.

Aguilar has won seven consecutive bouts since a loss to UFC veteran Leonard Garcia at Legacy FC 26 in December 2013. “The Angel of Death” last appeared on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, where he earned a spli…

Colby Covington has set his crosshairs on the newest high-profile addition to the Ultimate Fighting Championship 170-pound division, former One Championship and Bellator MMA welterweight champion Ben Askren.

With the ink on Askren’s UFC contract barely dry, Covington wasted no time tearing into the undefeated wrestler on a recent episode of BJPenn.com Radio. According to “Chaos,” it is comical that the UFC has handed Askren a debut fight with a top-5 opponent in former champ Robbie Lawler, considering the level of his previous opposition.

“He’s a 34-year-old virgin,” Covington said. “Who retires before they even get to the UFC? Losers. That’s who. But let’s be honest, the guy… I mean, can they even approve a fight for him in the top five? Can they? Can the commission do that when he hasn’t won a fight against anybody in the top 50? The guy’s a complete joke. I mean, it should be criminal that they even let him in there with a top-5 fighter.”

“I mean, the gu…

“This is another game changer for the sport, UFC, and potential athletes throughout Asia."

Coming in 2019. pic.twitter.com/ZEqJWUbjNJ

— UFC PI (@UFCPI) November 20, 2018

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is planning to make serious inroads in China with the opening of a state-of-the art MMA training and development center in Shanghai in 2019.

According to a release, “UFC Performance Institute Shanghai will serve as a training hub to develop and support MMA athletes from mainland China and the greater Asia-Pacific region. UFC will also utilize the building as its headquarters in Asia, housing UFC employees and UFC Performance Institute staff, including experts in the fields of MMA, strength and conditioning, sports science, physical therapy and nutrition.”

The facility will also have production capabilities and spectator seating to allow the promotion to produce and distribute live events. Other features include hospitality suite…