[ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 26, 2017, 6:37 PM] Former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort has taken to social media to respond to recent accusations accusing him of wanting easy fights. Belfort’s stellar career has spanned over 20 years but has never been short of controversy. Accusations of cheating have often been thrown at “The Phenom”, who
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There’s a freeze-frame Baba O’Riley, “I bet you’re wondering how I ended up in this situation” joke to be made about the only big-name combat sports main event tonight (Sat., Sept. 11, 2021). This was, until recently, an Oscar De La Hoya vs. Vitor Belfort-led pay-per-view (PPV) event, going head-to-head with a terrific Showtime card
By Matthew Wells | September 10, 2021 11:01 pm ET Follow @mrmwells Former UFC fighter Houston Alexander’s debut was almost picture-perfect. At BKFC 21 on Friday evening, Alexander made his bare-knuckle boxing debut against Wes Combs on the main card. An MMA veteran of over 30 professional fights with impressive names on his resume, some
7:03 PM ET The UFC has signed the only man to ever knock out one of its biggest stars. Kickboxing standout Alex Pereira has penned a contract with the UFC and will make his debut at UFC 268 on Nov. 6 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, promotion officials confirmed with ESPN on Friday. His
In today’s installment of The Pulse of MMA, we look at how the fans are prepping for the very unique Triller Fight Club: Holyfield vs. Belfort event. You can catch up on today’s weigh-in results and viewing information for tomorrow’s pay-per-view here. Evander Holyfield vs. Vitor Belfort Image: USA TODAY Sports I find Holyfield vs
Welcome to Midnight Mania! Generally speaking, there are two types of old people boxing matches. On one hand, there’s the considerably safer exhibition matches, a label which includes rules aimed at safety (i.e. shorter/fewer rounds) and does not necessarily produce a winner — think Mike Tyson’s recent legends bout vs. Roy Jones Jr. Alternatively, it
By Danny Segura | September 10, 2021 3:05 pm ET Follow @dannyseguratv FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Evander Holyfield and Vitor Belfort are ready to fight after weighing in. The combat sports legends stepped on the scale Friday, with 58-year-old former boxing champion Holyfield coming in at 225.4, while 44-year-old former UFC champion Belfort weighed 206.2.
4:15 PM ET Jarrah Al-Silawi, former welterweight champion of Brave CF in the Middle East, has signed an exclusive contract with the Professional Fighters League. Al-Silawi informed ESPN of his move on Thursday. The Jordanian welterweight will not compete in the 2021 season, obviously, as that is set to wrap up on Oct. 27. However,
The aftermath of Khalil Rountree’s TKO against Modestas Bukauskas highlighted a controversial technique that has caused the MMA Rules Committee to take a closer look. Originally, the oblique kick caught fire early on in the career of Jon Jones. While “Bones” utilized the kick more as a momentum disruptor, it seemed as though Rountree’s were
Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou continues his publicity tour, this time landing at Angels Stadium in Anaheim. Turns out “The Predator” was invited to throw out the first pitch and well … let’s just say the Cameroonian crusher has a pretty wicked sidearm. Most of Ngannou’s video features the heavyweight slugger in the dugout
After coming up big as an underdog in his past outing, Anthony Hernandez will look to continue riding his momentum. Hernandez (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) meets Dustin Stoltzfus (13-3 MMA, 0-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Dec. 18. A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the targeted booking to MMA Junkie but asked
9:06 PM ET Bellator has added a familiar name to its burgeoning bantamweight division. Kyoji Horiguchi, the former Bellator and current Rizin champion, has signed with Bellator, promotion president Scott Coker announced Thursday on Twitter. Horiguchi had been competing in Rizin in his native Japan since 2017. However, he lives in Florida, and travel to
The handshake agreement between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley to have an immediate rematch has expired due to Woodley’s failure to immediately get branded with an “I Love Jake Paul” tattoo. Prior to the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley boxing match last month, the two combatants made an interesting if not outright bizarre bet: The loser
Welcome to Midnight Mania! At 46 years of age, Tito Ortiz has lived an eventful life. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight kingpin has fought all over the world for various promotions, but he’s long remained “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy,” starting his Punishment Athletics brand from “Surf City.” Last year, Ortiz chose
Former featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie has been forced out of UFC 268. De Randamie (10-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) has withdrawn from her pivotal bantamweight clash with Irene Aldana on Nov. 6 due to an undisclosed injury. It is unknown whether or not Aldana (13-6 MMA, 6-4 UFC) will remain on the card. A person with knowledge of the
8:00 AM ET The UFC is down to 13 live events remaining in 2021 (not including Dana White’s Contender Series). As of now, the schedule consists of one more trip to Fight Island for UFC 267, the promotion’s first visit to New York since 2019 and a consistent lineup of events in Las Vegas to
MMA reporter Ariel Helwani has issued a final warning to Brendan Schaub and his associates, again insisting that they leave his name out of their mouths. In last week’s installment of The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani spoke at length about the gripes he has with Joe Rogan and former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub. Helwani accused
Event: UFC Vegas 40: “Vieira vs. Tate”Date: Sat., Oct. 16, 2021Location: APEX in Las Vegas, NevadaBroadcast: ESPN+ (4 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. ET) UFC Vegas 40 Main Event On ESPN+: 135 lbs.: Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate UFC Vegas 40 Main Card, Prelims On ESPN+: 135 lbs.: Holly Holm vs. Norma Dumont205 lbs.: Kennedy