MMA Fighting

Listen closely, and the sound tells the tale. It’s thunderous. Thwap. Thwap-boom! A swirling melody of low notes and high notes, backbeats and off-rhythms that explode through the air like orchestral cannon fire. Thwap. Thwap-boom! Thwap, boom-BOOM! Francis Ngannou pauses to reset, letting the tremors from his right hand settle. Watch any pad session between

Shavkat Rahkmonov is the first Kazakhstani citizen to be signed to the UFC, and as such, he’s proud to represent his country, from his performances down to his headwear. Rahkmonov recently recorded his third win inside the UFC when he knocked out Carlston Harris with a spinning hook kick and follow up ground-and-pound. After the

The two fighters that coach a season of The Ultimate Fighter usually have some level of animosity that create drama for the reality TV show. Amanda Nunes expected several heated interactions with the woman that dethroned her, UFC bantamweight champion Julianna Peña, when offered a coaching spot on TUF 30. Instead, all the Brazilian heard

Parenthood is one of the greatest responsibilities any person can face — and it appears that with four young children at home, Benson Henderson has set aside some of his wayward habits. Henderson, the former UFC and WEC lightweight champion, is well known for fighting and training with a toothpick in his mouth. The habit

Even given the chaotic nature of the MMA business, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see a five-month stretch like we just saw in the first half of 2022. Not only did we see a UFC champion lose their title on the scale for the first time ever, we also had Francis Ngannou stay one step ahead

Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective

It’s mid-year award time, and you can call it recency bias, but it’s been one hell of a recent stretch of events for the UFC. In gathering our picks for the best fight, knockout, and submission of the first half of 2022, our four-person panel was in complete agreement for all three, and it was

Jason Wilnis will never pretend he’s the best trash talker – he only asks people to look at his resume now that he’s fighting in MMA. The 31-year-old former GLORY middleweight kickboxing champion is a rare breed because he holds wins over two of the best kickboxers in MMA: UFC champion Israel Adesanya and top

Tai Tuivasa can’t help but keep it real. When discussing the all-time greatest fighters in the history of MMA, Jon Jones is always a name immediately mentioned no matter who is discussing the topic. Since relinquishing his UFC light heavyweight title in 2020, the expected next move has been a long-awaited heavyweight debut for “Bones”

Bella Mir, the 19-year-old daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, will look to make it 3-0 as a pro MMA fighter. Multiple people with knowledge of the situation confirmed to MMA Fighting on Thursday that Bella Mir will compete for the Xtreme Fight Night promotion at XFN 381. The event takes place June

Marlon Vera has his eyes on the bantamweight title, but he’s willing to take a detour if that’s what the UFC wants. In April, Vera won a unanimous decision over Rob Font, battering him for 25 minutes in the main event of UFC Vegas 53. The win was Vera’s third in a row and catapulted

When it comes to open scoring in MMA, Invicta FC President Shannon Knapp believes there’s no debate about its effectiveness. For the past two years, the all-women’s MMA promotion has embraced open scoring through the Kansas Athletic Commission, and Knapp couldn’t possibly be happier with the results. “I have to tell you we have had

Judging and scoring in MMA has been quite a hot topic among the community following Holly Holm’s split-decision loss to Ketlen Vieira this past Saturday night in the UFC Vegas 55 main event. For a headliner bout that a lot of fans seemed to hate on beforehand, it sure has resulted in plenty of heated

Renan Barao is once again scheduled to make his MMA return. The former UFC bantamweight champion is set to face William Gomis in a featherweight bout at ARES FC 7 on June 25 in Paris. The promotion announced the matchup Tuesday via Instagram. If it happens, the fight will be Barao’s first since his release

Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective

Glover Teixeira knows he can’t fight forever, but that doesn’t mean he’s putting an expiration date on his career. Ahead of his first title defense as light heavyweight champion at UFC 275, the 42-year-old Brazilian said recently that his “perfect plan” would be to defeat Jiri Prochazka on June 11 and then have a retirement

Junior dos Santos is moving on from the disappointment of his Eagle FC debut. The former UFC heavyweight champion lost to Yorgan De Castro on Friday night at Eagle FC 47 in a fight he was likely winning before a third-round shoulder injury rendered him unable to continue. It was another unlucky break for dos

Not many MMA fighters can claim to have better front kick knockouts than Lyoto Machida. Michael Chandler might be an exception, according to “The Dragon. Machida was impressed with what he saw from Chandler against Tony Ferguson at UFC 274, grading the former Bellator champ’s fight-stopping front kick a 10 out of 10. “I’m the