Anton Tabuena

Anton Tabuena is the Managing Editor for Bloody Elbow. He’s been covering MMA and combat sports since 2009, working primarily with Bloody Elbow, with past contributions as a writer and photographer for SB Nation and MMA Fighting as well. His previous work outside of Vox Media also appeared in mainstream media outlets in the Philippines such as ABS-CBN and The Manila Bulletin. Anton has also fought professionally in Muay Thai, and has amateur bouts in both MMA and kickboxing.

Conor McGregor calls for rematch after Jose Aldo’s second boxing bout; Aldo responds

McGregor calls for rematch after Aldo's second boxing bout, Aldo responds

Conor McGregor wants a Jose Aldo rematch, but in boxing.

Anton Tabuena | April 2

Ex-UFC champ Tim Sylvia signs Slap Fight deal, 8 years after retiring due to receiving ‘enough damage’

Former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia retired back in 2015, after failing to get licensed by the athletic commission due to an MRI issue. “They said that I’ve received enough damage over 16 years,” Sylvia said when he announced his retirement. If Sylvia’s manager saying his MRI showed “damage from blunt force trauma” back in […]

Anton Tabuena | March 31

‘Stupidity!’ – Coach slams commission for blocking his attempts to stop fight in viral referee blunder

Colin Oyama says he even threw a water bottle in the cage to try and stop the fight. Vazquez is now dealing with “possible fractures” and ligament damage.

Anton Tabuena | March 26

Referee Frank Collazo lets unconscious MMA fighter get choked, armbarred in disgusting scene

Frank Collazo was responsible for one of the worst stoppages in MMA history.

Anton Tabuena | March 25

Joe Rogan forgets his MMA history, claims prime GSP gets wrecked ‘if Masvidal was around at that time’

Narrator: He was.

Anton Tabuena | March 22

Rampage Jackson, Bob Sapp, Musical Chairs of Death, and other oddities set for Fight Circus 6

Fight Circus keeps embracing the madness.

Anton Tabuena | March 20

‘I will not be scapegoated!’ – Conor McGregor rants about ‘garbage’ USADA, deletes tweets

Conor McGregor went off on USADA after their recent comments.

Anton Tabuena | March 17

Hot mic! Bruce Buffer captured telling UFC fighter not to talk about low fighter pay on broadcast

There are a lot of things that get said in the Octagon that don’t make it to the actual UFC broadcast. Fights get uploaded to the UFC Fight Pass library without commercial breaks though, and sometimes it captures interesting moments that most audiences don’t get to see. While browsing those archives, Twitter user @DovySimuMMA was […]

Anton Tabuena | March 9

Pros and Cons from UFC 285: Jones vs Gane

UFC 285 is in the books, and it saw two new champions crowned. Jon Jones was triumphant in his long overdue heavyweight debut, submitting Ciryl Gane really early and making it look easy. Make no mistake, Francis Ngannou is still the lineal champion and deserves to be ranked higher, but Jones had an impressive return […]

Anton Tabuena | March 5

Before and After: This is what Jon Jones looks like as a heavyweight, just days before UFC 285

After over a decade of him teasing it, Jon Jones will finally make the move up to heavyweight, as he takes on Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 The former light heavyweight champion spent the last three years pretty much showing off his powerlifting and talking about his physique at heavyweight. During his “bulking phase” Jones […]

Anton Tabuena | March 2

Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia finally made official

Ryan Garcia vs Gervonta Davis finally made official

Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia is happening.

Anton Tabuena | February 25

Jake Paul says Nate Diaz is ‘ready’ and will get booked ‘ASAP’ after Tommy Fury fight

Jake Paul still has to fight Tommy Fury this weekend, but he already has his next opponent in mind. According to the YouTuber turned boxer, his next fight will likely be a big one against UFC superstar and new free agent Nate Diaz. “I think (Nate Diaz’s team is) ready. I’m getting through Sunday (against […]

Anton Tabuena | February 23

Video: 5-foot-4 flyweight vs 6-foot-6 heavyweight, who wins?

We’ve seen quite a number of freakshow fights and open weight matches throughout MMA history, and that tradition continued in Barcelona, Spain. Friday night, in a promotion aptly called “Dogfight Wild Tournament,” the Spanish MMA promotion put on a David vs Goliath bout. It was a 5-foot-4 flyweight in Raymison “Formiga” Bruno taking on a […]

Anton Tabuena | February 19

Boxing great Nonito Donaire to get a world title shot at age 40

Back in 2021, Nonito Donaire became the oldest to win a bantamweight world championship, at age 38. Can he keep fending off Father Time and beat his own record at age 40? The legendary four-division champion has been stopping fighters much younger than him in recent years, and only lost his WBC title after running […]

Anton Tabuena | February 18

Doctor exposes ONE Championship’s ‘ineffective’ hydration tests, admits to helping ‘big names’ cheat

In 2015, Chinese fighter Yang Jian Bing passed away, reportedly due to a bad weight cut for a bout in ONE Championship. Less than two weeks after his death, the promotion instilled a new weight cutting policy that involved hydration testing, multiple weigh-ins, and renaming divisions. ONE Championship’s been known to push hyperbole and questionable […]

Anton Tabuena | February 17

Pros and Cons from UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski

The champion vs champion, number 1 vs number 2 pound-for-pound super-fight actually delivered at UFC 284. Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski put on a highly technical, and back-and-forth affair over 25 minutes, with both champions each having great moments. In the end, the lightweight champion in Makhachev was tested and forced to show layers to […]

Anton Tabuena | February 12

UFC 284: Makhachev vs Volkanovski results and post-fight analysis

This was top pound-for-pound number 1 vs number 2, and it really ended up looking that way. Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski went back and forth in a highly competitive and very technical affair. Volkanovski looked sharper, faster, and had more layers to his striking game early, with Makhachev clearly having a power advantage after […]

Anton Tabuena | February 12

Anthony Smith vs Johnny Walker to headline UFC event

UFC has booked a light heavyweight main event between Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker. Although a location has yet to be revealed, reports from MMA Ideas and MMA Junkie state the the pair of strikers will headline a UFC Fight Night event on May 13. After a rough stretch of four losses in five fights, […]

Anton Tabuena | February 11

Video: Jose Aldo wins boxing debut, says Floyd Mayweather ‘already agreed’ to terms for fight

Friday night in Brazil, Jose Aldo won his professional boxing debut. The former UFC and WEC champion has always spoken about wanting to make the switch to boxing during his career, and he was finally able to make it happen after retiring from mixed martial arts. The 36-year-old MMA legend fought at 140 lbs for […]

Anton Tabuena | February 11

Major changes to UFC contracts add more restrictions, waiver to prevent class action lawsuits

The UFC has recently made several changes to their promotional agreements, which could have a major impact in how the sport operates moving forward. As seen on the several new UFC contracts obtained by Bloody Elbow, sweeping changes have been made that are both restrictive and concerning for fighters. The biggest change is the addition […]

Anton Tabuena | February 10

Amanda Serrano vs Katie Taylor 2 made official for Dublin, immediately after Serrano’s win over Cruz

Perhaps the most important and entertaining women’s boxing match in history happened last April, with undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor besting Amanda Serrano over 10 rounds. That major event involved major purses the first time around, and it could be even bigger in this recently booked repeat. Immediately after Amanda Serrano’s back-and-forth entertaining win over […]

Anton Tabuena | February 5

Rinya Nakamura shines as Road to UFC crowns four tournament winners

Road to UFC crowned four tournament champions.

Anton Tabuena | February 5

UFC’s new sponsorship deal with Logan Paul, KSI leads to goofy new names for red and blue corners

The UFC has a new “official global sports drink,” as they’ve just announced a sponsorship deal with PRIME, a brand founded by popular YouTubers and former boxing opponents Logan Paul and KSI. The lucrative deal will replace Bodyarmor, which sponsorship ran for five years. According to a report from the Sports Business Journal, this PRIME […]

Anton Tabuena | February 1

Teenager Raul Rosas Jr. vows to become three-division UFC champ, win first belt in ‘one year or less’

18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. isn’t lacking in confidence. The teenage prospect is set to have his second UFC fight against Christian Rodriguez at UFC 287, but he’s already looking ahead in the future… way ahead. According to Rosas, he will not only become the youngest ever UFC champion, he vowed to win his first of […]

Anton Tabuena | January 30

Video: Bellator vet Valerie Loureda makes debut as ‘Lola Vice’ at WWE’s NXT Level Up

After five fights with Bellator, Valerie Loureda announced in 2022 that she’ll be leaving MMA after signing with the WWE, and making the full time switch to pro-wrestling. The 24-year-old, who is 4-1 in MMA, made her debut on Friday night at WWE’s NXT Level Up. She entered the ring under the name “Lola Vice,” […]

Anton Tabuena | January 29

Video: Jake Paul, Tommy Fury get in altercation during Beterbiev-Yarde event; Tyson Fury laughs it off

Jake Paul and Tommy Fury got in a bit of a scuffle and had to be separated by security during the Artur Beterbiev vs Anthony Yarde event in London. Right before the main event, both boxers stepped in the ring to promote their upcoming bout. They faced off in the middle, but things got heated […]

Anton Tabuena | January 29

They’ve never been ‘destroyed in the ring’ – Roufus says MMA coaches lack empathy, corner stoppages

With aging veterans like Glover Teixeira and Lauren Murphy taking an exorbitant amount of damage for multiple rounds at UFC 283, the clear lack of corner stoppages in MMA was once again highlighted. Fighters will naturally always want to fight, and Duke Roufus reiterated that it’s the coaches job to protect their athletes. The veteran […]

Anton Tabuena | January 27

Dana White convinced Endeavor nobody else can run UFC – Ex-employees speak out on ‘disgusting’ inaction

Three weeks after Dana White was caught on video slapping his wife, Endeavor, UFC, ESPN and TBS all remained silent, with the UFC President announcing himself that there won’t be any punishments or repercussions for his actions. White then basically said he’s rich enough to not get affected by any sanctions, and claimed his absence […]

Anton Tabuena | January 24

Jon Jones reveals negotiations that led to Ciryl Gane bout, says he preferred Miocic or Ngannou

After a three-year layoff, Jon Jones is scheduled to return for a vacant UFC heavyweight title bout against Ciryl Gane. The longterm light heavyweight champion spent years in the sidelines dealing with personal and legal issues, along with a long and very public contract dispute with the UFC. Unlike Francis Ngannou, who walked away from […]

Anton Tabuena | January 18

Fighters aren’t afraid, UFC is afraid to pay fighters – Pros slam Dana White’s attack on Ngannou

While the UFC has been typically known to have highly restrictive contracts for title holders, Francis Ngannou became the first in this era to walk away as the champion. After not being happy with the UFC’s offers, the popular knockout artist will now test the open market with multiple lucrative opportunities likely available to him. […]

Anton Tabuena | January 17