On this edition of the Monday Morning Analyst, Luke Thomas breaks down the improvement of Israel Adesanya’s takedown defense throughout his UFC career and why that’s a problem for the middleweights in the UFC.Read More →
UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier joined me to discuss his UFC 230 win over Derrick Lewis, turning a corner as a popular figure in the sport, why wrestlers aren’t becoming fighters as often, pursuing a broadcasting career after fighting and more. A fun interview where I don’t mention Jon Jones or Brock Lesnar once.Read More →
At UFC 230, Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis…. *SPOILERS AHEAD*Read More →
UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis spoke to me at Thursday’s UFC 230 media day. We discussed his new Popeye’s sponsorship, why he has a hard time accepting the good things in his life, facing Daniel Cormier and so much more. In truth, even if he loses in the main event on Saturday, he’s already won in perhaps the most important ways.Read More →
UFC lightweight and South African newcomer Don Madge made his Octagon debut at UFC Moncton, winning via vicious second-round KO head kick against top prospect Te Edwards. I caught up with Madge to discuss his victory, proudly being from South Africa, what he’ll do with the bonus money, how the drought in Cape Town affects him and so much more.Read More →
UFC President Dana White is catching heat for comments made about former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson not being accepted by the fans. While White has a role to play in not promoting Johnson as he could’ve been (and throwing him under the bus as a failed pay-per-view draw), it’s not true the UFC never pushed him on big platforms or with meaningful campaigns.Read More →
At UFC Moncton, Artem Lobov lost to Michael Johnson via unanimous decision. In the wake of his loss, MMA Fighting writer Chuck Mindenhall wrote about the curiosity of Lobov’s ability to stay on the UFC roster. SBG Dublin coach John Kavanagh responded to the piece, arguing Lobov did deserve a place in the UFC and not merely because he’s Conor McGregor’s training partner. What’s the truth? Here’s my take.Read More →
Is UFC getting Ben Askren while ONE Championship gets Demetrious Johnson an even trade? Well, technically speaking, no. Both are champions and celebrated athletes, but Johnson’s MMA resume as a pound-for-pound great is almost beyond compare.Read More →
ESPN reported Wednesday that Ben Askren would be ‘traded’ from ONE Championship to the UFC for Demetrious Johnson. The former Bellator and ONE welterweight king will likely be headed to the UFC while the former UFC flyweight and pound-for-pound great Demetrious Johnson will take his talents to Asia. Why is this deal happening? Here’s my theory.Read More →
Eddie Alvarez, the former UFC lightweight champion, spoke to ESPN this week and told them he’d signed an eight-figure deal with Asian-based ONE Championship. Alvarez engaged in a Twitter back and forth with writer Jonathan Snowden, who questioned the the truth of the claim. So, what’s the truth?Read More →
On this edition of Monday Morning Analyst, Luke Thomas takes a look at one big reason Tony Ferguson is the toughest challenge for UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.Read More →
Martial arts movie is a genre of cinema Hollywood has largely abandoned, but in Indonesia, that style of movie is thriving. With movies like The Raid, stars have emerged and the genre has asserted itself. The latest offering in this vein is Netflix’s ‘The Night Comes For Us’, which features many of the same stars and choreographers who made The Raid as well as other martial arts movies. This is a can’t-miss opportunity to watch unapologetic gore, action, martial arts fighting and more.Read More →
UFC President Dana White spoke to ESPN about Khabib Nurmagomedov’s next fight and who it should be against. In his answer, he stated the ‘fight fan’s’ preference is Tony Ferguson, the former interim champion, which is correct. But as a promoter – not a fight fan – what is he going to do? And as a promoter, what would it say if he didn’t make this bout in favor of a Conor McGregor rematch?Read More →
Luke Rockhold is injured and out of his middleweight fight opposite Chris Weidman at UFC 230. The nature of the injury is unknown and UFC is reportedly looking for a replacement for Weidman. In this video, I react to the news in real time and discuss ways the UFC might try to work around the problem.Read More →
Boxer Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez signed a landmark deal with DAZN, the streaming broadcaster, worth at least $365 million for 11 fights. It’s a five-year deal that’s being heralded as the most lucrative contract for an individual fighter in sports history. I have four takeaways from this development, not least of which is that the era of streaming is upon us…Read More →
Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez has joined ONE Championship, presumably to get paid as he enters the last chapter of his career. I applaud his decision and praise his career.Read More →
On this edition of the Monday Morning Analyst, Luke Thomas breaks down Fedor Emelianenko’s win over Chael Sonnen at Bellator 208 and why fans shouldn’t be saying the fight was fixed, plus he also takes a look at Vinny Magalhães’ PFL 9 finishes. Read More →
After his UFC 229 win over Conor McGregor, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has been active on social media and even challenged undefeated boxing star Floyd Mayweather. Mayweather responded to Nurmagomedov. While a bout between them seems unlikely, it’s worth unpacking what the callout means.Read More →
Kevin Lee will face Al Iaquinta at UFC on FOX 31, the last such event in the series before the UFC’s deal with ESPN starts. In this interview from my radio show, Lee reviews the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor main event from UFC 229, Nate Diaz’s once-scheduled fight with Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson’s win over Anthony Pettis, his bout with Iaquinta, the 165-pound division and more.Read More →
Conor McGregor took part in the post-UFC 229 brawl after Khabib Nurmagomedov jumped the cage to attack Dillon Danis. Some have argued it is McGregor who threw the first punch and the MMA media have ignored it. Is that true? No, it’s not, at least not in the way it is being presented.Read More →
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov took to Instagram on Thursday to express his disapproval with the dismissal of his teammate Zubaira Tukhugov for brawling with Conor McGregor at UFC 229. While many can sympathize with Nurmagomedov’s anger, this continued onslaught of UFC stars being angry at the UFC is as worrying as it is bad for consumers.Read More →
The UFC has no plans to create a super lightweight (165 lbs) division as of yet. Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier wanted to fight in that weight class at UFC 230, but the push never materialized into anything. Still, there’s merit to the division, but sources tell me the UFC doesn’t think they have enough card space to accommodate it….Read More →
At UFC 232, Jon Jones will face Alexander Gustafsson in a rematch dating all the way back to UFC 165 in 2013. According to reports from ESPN, reigning champion Daniel Cormier will be stripped of the title, which means Jones and Gustafsson will face off for a vacant championship….Read More →
The news broke on air on today that Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis will headline UFC 230 in Madison Square Garden. It will be for the heavyweight title. In addition, Valentina Shevchenko will face Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 231 and Sijara Eubanks is now without a fight. I reacted to this news live on my radio show.Read More →