According to a report from ESPN, Max Holloway will face Dustin Poirier at UFC 236 for the interim lightweight championship. This announcement has an enormous amount of implications. Is Holloway, the featherweight champion, going to stay at lightweight if he wins?Read More →
Georges St-Pierre (GSP) retired on Thursday in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In my judgement, he’s not merely the best fighter ever in mixed martial arts (MMA) history, but had one of the best-executed professional careers we’ve ever seen. From his debut to ascension to reign to sabbatical to return to retirement, no one has ever done it quite like GSP. Read More →
Former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre retired Thursday. To discuss his career, I spoke with longtime trainer and friend Firas Zahabi. We discuss how a prospective fight opposite UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov would have gone, whether GSP is the greatest fighter of all time, his thoughts on GSP’s retirement, top moments from camps and fights and more.Read More →
The UFC has many excellent color commentators. Fighters like Daniel Cormier and Paul Felder are two particular favorites. Dominick Cruz, however, is the best of the bunch. His style earns criticism from people who don’t read books and just want an auctioneer or master of ceremonies to mindlessly entertain them.Read More →
According to a report from ESPN, Israel Adesanya will face Kelvin Gastelum for the UFC interim middleweight championship at UFC 236 in April. Champion Robert Whittaker isn’t expected to return from hernia surgery until the summer. Read More →
Georges St-Pierre (GSP) is to set to retire Thursday, according to a report from TSN, the Canadian ESPN. That report stated GSP decided to call it career after an attempted bout with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov failed to materialize.Read More →
On this edition of the Monday Morning Analyst, Luke Thomas breaks down and analyzes Kron Gracie’s rear-naked choke win at UFC Phoenix and Francis Ngannou’s controversial win over Cain Velasquez.Read More →
UFC on ESPN 1 results are below. Spoilers ahead.Read More →
All but one count of Mark Hunt’s lawsuit against the UFC, UFC President Dana White and Brock Lesnar was thrown out in U.S. District Court. The former UFC heavyweight argued he didn’t consent to Lesnar allegedly doping and therefore, was entitled to criminal battery relief. The judge in the caseRead More →
On this edition of the Monday Morning Analyst, Luke Thomas examines and breaks down Israel Adesanya’s striking against Anderson Silva at UFC 234. Read More →
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez faces off against Francis NGannou in the main event of UFC on ESPN 1. How will he look after a long layoff and a near retirement from the sport? I examined his fight against Travis Browne at UFC 200, Velasquez’s last fight, to see if there are any lessons to learn. Ditto for NGannou’s rematch against Curtis Blaydes and defeat to Stipe Miocic.Read More →
UFC on ESPN 1 and Bellator 216 take place this weekend and former UFC and Bellator commentator and SiriusXM host Jimmy Smith joined me to preview both fight cards. We break down the main events of both (Cain Velasquez vs. Francis Ngannou, Michael ‘Venom’ Page vs. Paul Daley), whether Mirko CroCop will win his rematch against Roy Nelson, Paul Felder and James Vick looking to get back on the winning track and more.Read More →
Robin Black joined me in studio on my radio show to discuss his work on Bellator 215 and Bellator 216 for DAZN, Paul Daley vs. Michael ‘Venom’ Page (MVP), his thoughts on Israel Adesanya vs. Anderson Silva at UFC 234 and more.Read More →
After UFC 234, should our assessment of Israel Adesanya downgrade his standing? Is he overrated? While it’s entirely understandable his contemporaries like Chris Weidman and Paulo Costa would believe so, the argument upon close inspection misses the forest for the trees. Anderson Silva did show some vulnerabilities Adesanya might have, but the overall upside he demonstrated is the bigger story.Read More →
Anderson Silva told the media following UFC 234 that there was the possibility he could face Nick Diaz if or when the UFC return to Brazil. Nick Diaz subsequently made a statement on social media that he was uninterested in hurting anyone, but rather, preferred to party. In this video, I argue that his absence from fighting might be lamentable, but it’s entirely understandable.Read More →
UFC 234 results are below. Spoilers ahead.Read More →
According to UFC President Dana White, UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is out of his bout with Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 234. The previous co-main event, Israel Adesanya vs. Anderson Silva, is now the main event. Whittaker reportedly suffered a hernia and there is no timetable for his return as of this time.Read More →
UFC lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov told a Russian media outlet that not only is he no longer fighting in Nevada after dealing with their out of control athletic commission, but that he might be on ice long enough for the UFC to create an interim title. Read More →
Colby Covington, the former interim UFC welterweight champion, is threatening a lawsuit against the UFC if he doesn’t get what he believes he’s owed. Specifically, that his next fight is for a title and the a paycheck commensurate with that opportunity. Read More →
At UFC 234, Israel Adesanya will face former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Realistically, what can Adesanya earn with a win? A number of things, but there’s a potential for something special. Given his skill set, Adesanya can be the first to not only beat Silva with strikes, but do so without controversy or flair. Read More →
UFC President Dana White told the media at last week’s UFC 235 presser that USADA is needed because this isn’t a sport where athletes put a ball through a hoop or over a fence. He is not the first to make this point, but in light of Super Bowl 53, it’s time to revisit this argument. The NFL –Read More →
Who should TJ Dillashaw, the UFC bantamweight champion fight next? While I make no predictions about how it will go, I argue Marlon Moraes should get the next opportunity after his TKO of Raphael Assuncao at UFC Fortaleza. A rematch with Henry Cejudo wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but it shouldn’t be next.Read More →
At UFC Fortaleza, Jose Aldo defeated Renato Moicano by second-round TKO. It’s his second stoppage in as many fights. The last time Aldo had back-to-back stoppage wins? 2009. It was WEC 41 and WEC 44. He stopped Cub Swanson and then-champion Mike Brown to become the WEC featherweight champion. Read More →
One thing is clear: the UFC broadcast pacing on ESPN and ESPN+ is a categorical improvement over FS1’s treatment. In both UFC Brooklyn and UFC Fortaleza, UFC and ESPN trimmed a lot of broadcast fat for their streaming product, making for a much more enjoyable fan experience. Read More →