7:07 PM ET Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was cleared Tuesday by a California court to perform on a professional wrestling show for the Mexican promotion Lucha Libre AAA, according to court records. Velasquez, 40, is still facing charges in an attempted murder case in Santa Clara County, and Tuesday’s decision comes less than
Heavyweights Pedro Rizzo and Ricco Rodriguez showed little urgency in their matchup, with Rizzo winning a lackluster three-round decision over the former heavyweight champion. Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Rizzo. Local middleweight Keith Rockel thrilled the fans who came down from nearby Massachusetts as he scored a first-round submission win over newcomer Chris
Former UFC fighter Paige VanZant is taking her talents up to a gentlemen’s club in the Big Apple. From the moment she signed with the UFC, VanZant has always looked to find ways to market herself outside of the cage, arguably ultimately ending up more popular for those extracurricular efforts than the ones she was
UFC women’s flyweight contender Talia Santos isn’t happy with Valentina Shevchenko turning down a rematch. At UFC 275 in June, the two-faced off in the co-main event. The Brazilian headed into the fight as a massive underdog, and it was understandable. Prior to the event, Shevchenko had lost just two rounds total during her time
Anthony Smith doesn’t feel Jon Jones is all he’s cracked up to be when further dissected. UFC 235 in March 2019 saw “Lionheart” challenge for his first world title, taking on the consensus best Light Heavyweight to ever compete, Jones. Since the unanimous decision loss, Smith has been vocal about his dismal performance and inability
In the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer, Matt Brown and Damon Martin debate the latest topics in MMA including Khabib Nurmagomedov, the greatest lightweights of all time and Michael Chandler’s style. Brown, who is widely considered one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, offers Chandler some advice when it comes
Jon Jones heavyweight fight might come down to ‘plan C’ We might be getting closer to a Jon Jones heavyweight fight. According to Nolan King of MMA Junkie, “Per sources close to the situation, if [Francis] Ngannou is ready, that’ll be the fight. If not, the UFC will have to go to Plan C, Jones
9:24 AM ET The PFL has a lot going on in its fourth year of operations, including Challenger Series and PFL Europe, but make no mistake: Its biggest night is still its season finals. The 2022 World Championship will take place on Friday inside Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Two-time lightweight
Yes, I am well aware that this is mixed martial arts, but oh, what a thing of beauty it is when “The King of Kung Fu,” Muslim Salikhov, gets into a striking match, and when he unleashed his arsenal on Andre Filho, we got to see standup at its most exciting and elite level. Yeah,
UFC light heavyweight contender Ryan Spann has responded to Anthony Smith’s comments regarding a future rematch. Spann is coming off of the biggest win of his UFC career over former title challenger Dominick Reyes at UFC 281. He bounced back in a big way after defeating Ion Cuțelaba via submission earlier this year. Spann lost
Combat sports veteran Alistair Overeem has reportedly tested positive for a banned substance following his return at Glory: Collision 4. After more than a decade away from the kickboxing realm, Alistair Overeem returned with Glory last month. He took on his old rival Badr Hari, coming from behind to win via unanimous decision. It came
UFC middleweight contender and former division title challenger Paulo Costa recently told his Twitter followers the promotion prematurely announced a high-stakes showdown against former 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker for the upcoming UFC 284 pay-per-view (PPV) event in Perth before getting “The Eraser” penciled onto an official contract. Probably because Costa is asking for a significant
It’s fight week at PFL, and the fighters competing at the 2022 PFL Championships are getting ready for battle. The tournament-based promotion has released a behind-the-scenes companion for the finals of its fourth season. The Nov. 12 fight card not only marks the end of the season and tournament finals, but the promotion’s jump to
8:28 PM ET Sean O’Malley isn’t sure who the next challenger is for the UFC bantamweight title. But he firmly believes that the next time he steps in the Octagon, it will be for the belt. The rising UFC star told ESPN on Monday that he sat down with UFC president Dana White and matchmaker
Zhumagulov has never been submitted in his career and has only been knocked out twice. His durability is something that caught Johnson’s eye when asked about his skill set. “He is here for a reason and he’s going to be fighting his best fight, in my opinion,” Johnson said. “I’m just ready to go out
Michael Chandler has no time for Dustin Poirier‘s comments on alleged fouls and is moving past their rivalry. After the UFC 281 war between Chandler and Poirier was one of the most exciting fights of the year, with the Louisiana native earning the submission win, but that was not the biggest story coming out of
Ben Askren believes that Jorge Masvidal is ducking Gilbert Burns due to an ongoing decline in his abilities. Back in 2019, Jorge Masvidal was the biggest thing going in mixed martial arts. With Conor McGregor being on the shelf and Khabib Nurmagomedov only fighting once, Masvidal stepped up to the plate with three fights in
Sean O’Malley is destined for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) title fight. The rising Bantamweight superstar continued his winning ways at UFC 280 this past month (Oct. 22, 2022) with his biggest victory yet. O’Malley went to war with the former divisional champion, Petr Yan, earning a hard-fought split decision (watch highlights). The win launched