Chael Sonnen is headed to trial. The former UFC title challenger, who battled for gold in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, rejected a plea deal from “Sin City” prosecutors on alleged assault charges stemming from a hotel altercation back in late 2021. “Sometimes, the parties get so close, and sometimes it just doesn’t
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio Rua will hang up his gloves following his UFC 283 appearance on January 21. ‘Shogun’ made the announcement during an interview with Brazilian news outlet Combate. “It’s definitely my last fight,” Rua said (translation by MMAJunkie). “And I don’t put pressure on me anymore. My obligation is to give my
Zion Clark has a new fan in Conor McGregor. Clark, a wrestler born without legs, got a shout-out from the former two-division UFC champ after winning his pro MMA debut this past Saturday. Commenting on a video of Clark’s first fight, McGregor lauded Clark as a unique strategic challenge and congratulated the 25-year-old from Columbus,
3:59 PM ET Jeff WagenheimESPN Zion Clark, a former college wrestler born with no legs, made his professional MMA debut a success Saturday. Clark, who was born with a rare disorder that affects fetal development, won a unanimous decision over nondisabled opponent Eugene Murray at an event in San Diego called Gladiator Challenge: Seasons Beatings.
The partnership will comprise of year-round activity across Australia and New Zealand, including live event integration at two UFC events in the region and VIP Sweepstakes featuring highly in-demand tickets to UFC 284: MAKHACHEV vs. VOLKANOVSKI as well as UFC event viewing parties. “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Australia’s Tequila Soda pioneers Delgados into
Chael Sonnen plans on being the next promoter to take a stab at slap fighting and plans on holding events in Oregon. Since his fighting career ended, Chael Sonnen has stayed busy in the fight game. He was an analyst for ESPN, has emceed press conference events, currently hosts his own podcast, and now he
The Ali Expansion Act will be reintroduced to the U.S. Senate next year. Over the last few years, the conversation around fighter pay, amongst other issues, has gotten louder. Thanks to figures such as UFC veteran Nate Quarry, and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, the issue has made it to the mainstream. For the most part, Dana
Welcome to Midnight Mania! Jared Gordon’s UFC 282 clash with Paddy Pimblett was the most high-profile fight of his entire career by a considerable margin. He lived up to the moment, outworking Pimblett for the majority of three rounds in the eyes of everyone but the three judges watching. Aside from costing Gordon his biggest
Sean O’Malley speculates on why Henry Cejudo vs. Aljamain Sterling isn’t official: ‘It’s not a money thing’ Sean O’Malley is the top ranked UFC bantamweight contender, but former two-division titleholder Henry Cejudo is expected to face champion Aljamain Sterling next. Cejudo announced his retirement after defending the 135-pound championship at UFC 249 with a TKO
For Alex Caceres, the journey is the destination. At UFC Vegas 66, Caceres delivered one of the best performances of his career, knocking out Julian Erosa with a head-kick in the first round. The finish earned Caceres his fourth “Performance of the Night” bonus and was an excellent rebound after he lost a unanimous decision
12:53 PM ET Taila Santos has more work to do before getting a rematch with champion Valentina Shevchenko. Santos will take on top prospect Erin Blanchfield on a UFC Fight Night card Feb. 18 in Las Vegas, multiple sources confirmed with ESPN, including Blanchfield’s rep Oren Hodak of KOReps. Blanchfield first mentioned the matchup on
It was far from a barn burner in the UFC 274 co-main event, but after 25 minutes, Carla Esparza repeated her 2014 victory over Rose Namajunas, regaining the UFC strawweight title in the process via split decision. Scores were 49-46, 48-47, 47-48 for Esparza. It was a war of nerves in the opening frame, with
The British Journal of Sports Medicine recently published a study highlighting two key risk factors for developing CTE. When it comes to fighters, both the number of head injuries suffered and the age of the fighter in question need to be monitored. The study focuses on TES (Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome) and the features and similarities
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has had fewer visits from USADA recently. ‘Denisa’ has been out of action since June at UFC 275. In the main event in Singapore, Prochazka and then-light-heavyweight titleholder Glover Teixeira put on a show. While the contest was back and forth, it was the challenger who pulled off the
Netflix is bringing viewers White Mountains, the alien abduction story made famous by Betty and Barney Hill back in 1961. The feature film will be produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions with a script from Becky Leigh and Mario Kyprianou (of The Republic of Rick fame). What does that have to do
Bryce Mitchell considers retirement after UFC 282 loss: ‘I just don’t ever want to feel this much pain’ Bryce Mitchell is a polarizing figure in MMA. His sometimes controversial comments typically draw headlines and robust reactions from fans but this time what he said is getting attention for a whole new reason. According to a
Sean O’Malley is all about the money, but not at the cost of his morals. In November, three former UFC champions — Kamaru Usman, Henry Cejudo, and Justin Gaethje — were heavily criticized for accepting an invitation from Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadryov to visit Chechnya and attend a birthday party for one of Karyrov’s teenage
Female Fighter of the YearTalita AlencarBella MirLydia WarrenFione Davies Male Fighter of the YearBo NickalJose PerezSolomon RenfroCallum Walsh Fight of the YearJose Delano vs Jonas Bilharino – LFA 126Aislinn O’Connell vs Fatima Kline – Medusa 2Dimps Gillies vs Josh Kuhne – Eternal 65Charles Johnson vs Carlos Mota – LFA 122Jose Perez vs Paul Capaldo –