Scott Holtzman always seemed to be one fight away from making noise in the ultra-tough lightweight division but couldn’t quite get over the hump. Last Saturday night was his one fight away against Jim Miller, but this time, Holtzman slugged out the victory, picked up his first post-fight performance bonus, and with five wins in
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Merab Dvalishvili officially connected with 12 of his 24 takedown attempts against Casey Kenney, joining Georges St-Pierre, Demetrious Johnson, and Colby Covington as the only fighters in UFC history to land 10+ takedowns in a fight on two or more occasions. His 12 takedowns in the same fight broke the UFC/WEC bantamweight record, 11, set
The lightweight division is unquestionably one of the deepest, most-talent rich divisions in the sport, running in a three-horse race alongside the weight classes on either side of it — featherweight and welterweight. That depth and the constant ascent of new names and new contenders into the spotlight and towards the rankings make it easy
So as Anderson put himself through another rigorous training camp in New Jersey, it wasn’t to prepare for the same Blachowicz he beat the last time, it’s to beat the 2020 version. “It’s a brand new fight, a brand new opponent,” he said. “I’m not even thinking about anything that happened the first fight. We’re
No. 12-ranked women’s bantamweight contender Macy Chiasson got back in the win column against late-notice replacement Shanna Young, defeating the Contender Series veteran via unanimous decision. Scores were 30-26 across the board for Chiasson, now 7-1. Young, who replaced Nicco Montano, falls to 7-3. The pace of the fight started fast and stayed there throughout
“I had done it right in the corner and Josh was like, ‘Do not tap, Soc, there’s three seconds,’” said Weaver. “After the fight, Josh found me at the after party and he said, ‘If you ever want to come to Miami and train, hit me up. There’s great fighters out there, people who can
What seemed like a sure-handed rapid ascension came to a halt when O’Malley was pulled from a scheduled bout against Jose Quinonez at UFC 229 due to a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation, for which he was suspended six months. A hip surgery followed, as did a second six-month suspension that forced a scratched matchup with
The keynote speaker for the event was UFC welterweight Court McGee. A recovered alcoholic and drug addict, McGee now spends his free time outside of the Octagon actively engaging in anti-drug campaigns to educate teenagers about the dangers of substance abuse. Based in Utah, McGee travels the United States serving as a motivational and keynote
Almost perfectly? Most would say a Performance of the Night submission that took two minutes and 12 seconds is about as perfect as you can get. “It’s one of those bittersweet things,” Miller laughs, then explains. “The fight went really fast and I don’t think they had the opportunity to really drink it in. We
“It’s just my style; it’s what I feel in my heart and in my head, and it’s the way that I like to fight,” Pereira, who takes on Diego Sanchez in the co-main event of this weekend’s UFC Fight Night event at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, said when asked
“At this point in my career, I do reflect and I will be reflecting on this last year and how I went through a divorce, and it was one of the hardest things I ever went through. I will reflect on how many people were truly there for me — how many people really sacrificed
“Not right now,” he said. “I like where I’m at. Maybe one day, but it’s still not where bantamweight’s at. You can easily say bantamweight’s one of the deepest divisions in the UFC right now. Flyweight, a fight or two and you’re top ten, top 15, no questions asked. It’s making a resurgence, but it’s
Lawrence Epstein, UFC Senior Executive Vice-President & COO, stated, “We are very pleased the Minister of Sport, Roxana Maracineanu, has taken this crucial step in the recognition of MMA in France. France is a leader in sport and a trend setter for the rest of the world. Although the recognition process for MMA still involves
Before last weekend’s card, I asked Dominick Reyes if Jon Jones would go into the dark places that needed to be visited if their UFC 247 main event turned into a gritty five-round battle. Reyes agreed that Jones would, and the champion did just that, methodically coming back from an early deficit to eke out
“I was overdoing it, I think,” said Wood. “I’ve always looked at it as every training session has to be as brutal as it can be and I was trying to fit in three sessions every day. I was ticking the boxes and I was turning up and getting the sessions in, but I wasn’t
Weaver was scheduled to make his promotional debut last fall in Tampa, Florida, but just a handful of days before the event, the Contender Series graduate was forced to withdraw from the card. Now four months later, Weaver is hoping his second attempt at making the walk to the Octagon for the first time continues
Although dropping his debut stung, literally and figuratively, the promotional newcomer has been able to find a bit of levity in the situation, thanks to some wise words from a long-time mentor. “After the loss, Mark Hunt contacted me and said, ‘Well at least you’ve dealt with the hardest thing first,’” said Tafa, who accompanied
Heavyweight contender Derrick Lewis thrilled his hometown fans in Houston in the main card opener, as he surged late and beat Ilir Latifi via unanimous decision. Scores were 29-28 across the board for the No. 6-ranked Lewis, now 23-7 with 1 NC. Latifi, who was making his UFC heavyweight debut, falls to 15-8, 1 NC. Lewis struck