David Castillo
Georges St-Pierre calls Anderson Silva’s boxing success ‘inspiring’
In another universe less infested by the Paul brothers, maybe we’re still talking about Anderson Silva, one of MMA’s Mount Rushmore figures, walking into the sport of boxing, and very easily beating a former WBC middleweight champion just a couple of months ago. At least another member of MMA’s Mount Rushmore did not forget: Georges […]
Obscure fighter of the week: Before Jake Paul, there was Sean Gannon
I know. Sean Gannon and Jake Paul are nothing alike. This isn’t meant to be a direct comparison, or obvious clickbait. But it’s a comparison I find spiritually fitting. Jake Paul wouldn’t be getting all these boxing matches with former UFC fighters if he didn’t start his career as a video sensation. Just the same, […]
Editorial: Jake Paul & Tyron Woodley prove that the only punchline is prizefighting itself
After Jake Paul won a split decision over Tyron Woodley, I joked on Twitter that I couldn’t wait for the next MMA fighter with questionable boxing to avenge the previous MMA fighter with questionable boxing. Being online rewards the scattered mind. So scatter I did. I started checking out reviews, and reactions to the fight. […]
Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley Toe-to-Toe Preview – A complete breakdown
Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley this Sunday on Aug 29 at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, OH. One sentence summary Phil: Tyron Woodley desperately tries to avoid his career sinking lower than having his genitals savaged by an angry raccoon David: UFC fighter gets better paycheck from kid who lost his virginity three years […]
Video: Jake Paul tries, fails to snatch Tyron Woodley’s cap at the weigh-ins
If you’re unfamiliar with Jake Paul’s antics, I envy you. If you are familiar, then you’ve seen this spectacle before. Before Floyd Mayweather’s bout with his brother, Logan, Jake snatched Floyd’s baseball cap, prompting a brawl soon after. Jake then joked about Floyd sending hitmen after him, proclaiming, “if I die, I died for the […]
UFC editorial: Middleweight keeps getting distractions to its crumbling hierarchy
It wasn’t that long ago when Middleweight felt like one of the UFC’s premiere divisions. Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker were two exciting fighters representing the transition away from the post-Anderson Silva era. Before then, it wasn’t 185’s greatest moment. Chris Weidman took a seat on the the throne for 889 days until losing to […]
Kamaru Usman predictably opens as massive favorite over Conor McGregor in ‘potential’ bout
For whatever reason, Conor McGregor has decided to pick a social media fight with everyone under the Octagon sun. Granted, this isn’t anything new. McGregor has always invited the most chaotic elements of spectacle. When it comes to trash talk, everyone is fair game. And I do mean ‘everyone.’ Related All About Conor McGregor So […]
Obscure fighter of the week: Koji Oishi
Since Nick Diaz will be making his return soon after a five year hiatus, I thought it’d be fun to talk about a fighter who has been fun for the whole Diaz family: Koji Oishi. If you don’t remember his name, then you probably remember the image. Oishi was the undersized Japanese welterweight who fought […]
Editorial: Jacare was never a UFC champion, but he was a generational talent all the same
There are few better stories in MMA than the one that belongs to Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza. Raised in the streets of Cariacica, Brazil, he was fortunate enough to adopt Brazilian Jiu Jitsu after witnessing a friend get shot to death. On the mat, he was an eight-time World Jiu-Jitsu champ, winning gold medals in the […]
UFC 265 Sober play-by-play: Reflecting on Jose Aldo’s masterclass
Jose Aldo claims the Brazilian Navy got him here. And, really, who am I to argue with the results? At UFC 265, Aldo put on yet another masterclass in total technique: using movement, from his head to his toes, feints, jabs, leg kicks, bodywork, and so much more. Performances like the one against Pedro Munhoz […]
UFC 265: Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane Toe-to-Toe Preview: A complete breakdown
Derrick Lewis vs. Ciryl Gane headlines UFC 265 this August 7, 2021 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Related UFC 265 Live Stream | Lewis Vs. Gane | Radio-Style PPV Main Card Commentary Derrick Lewis Best Moments & Funny Trash Talk | UFC 265 One sentence summary Phil: Derrick Lewis continues his […]
Editorial: By pretending Ngannou doesn’t matter, UFC is no longer pretending that titles do
It was only less than five months ago when it happened. Francis Ngannou: the new UFC Heavyweight champion. His knockout over Stipe Miocic in March was brilliant. At last, a heavyweight champion who looked like he might have staying power. And not just in a physical sense. Ngannou checked all the Just Bleed boxes: photogenic, […]
Editorial: The Conor McGregor era ends not with a bang, but a simper
Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor gave us every reason to be excited about their fight going into UFC 264. The previous two fights were pretty awesome, and there was a lot to unpack from a purely technical standpoint, which excited the MMA nerds. For the easily amused (I don’t judge), you even got your standard-issue […]
UFC 264: Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3 Toe-to-Toe Preview: A complete breakdown
Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 3 headlines UFC 264 this July 10, 2021 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States. Related All About Conor McGregor One sentence summary Phil: The fight so nice they did it thrice David: Violence begets violence begets violence Stats Record: Dustin Poirier 27-6-1 NC Conor McGregor 22-5 Odds: […]
UFC 264 Editorial: In the annals of trilogy history, Dustin Poirier vs.Conor McGregor has few equals
Rubber matches are a class of their own. Even when they lack class — like when the UFC decided we had an appetite for watching Tito Ortiz beat up a hapless old Ken Shamrock for three consecutive fights in a row — there’s something unique about watching two fighters tell a three-act story about how […]
Fedor called out by former WWE star, ‘This is the fight everyone wants to see’
Bellator 269 at the VTB Arena in Moscow has promised the return of Fedor Emelianenko. It has not promised, however, an opponent for Fedor. But an unexpected name has thrown their name in the hat: Jake Hager, formerly of AEW and WWE fame under the ring name Jack Swagger. At 39, Hager isn’t an MMA […]
Video: Ex-kickboxer & Bellator fighter Joe Schilling in violent barroom confrontation
Former GLORY Tournament champ and Bellator middleweight Joe Schilling was involved in a recent dispute at a bar that was caught on video. It went exactly how you’d expect a kickboxer/mma fighter vs. drunk dude to go. Footage emerged of former GLORY Tournament Champion & Bellator fighter Joe Schilling assaulting a man in a bar […]
Editorial: Late expectations with the great Fedor Emelianenko
Even in victory, I couldn’t make heads or tails of Fedor Emelianenko’s performance against Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. Like watching Charles Bronson discard the movie’s first henchman — maybe it tells us something about how he’ll fare against the criminal mastermind, but probably not. On the other side was Jackson’s husk. He looked like the kind […]
Video: ‘Let me bang bro’ Julian Lane starts a kerfuffle at BKFC 18 weigh-ins
If you don’t know who Julian Lane is, it’s probably because you only know him by his tear-filled ‘let me bang bro’ protests from the The Ultimate Fighter. He’s set to fight Jake Bostwick for this Saturday’s BKFC 18 event at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. They decided to kick things off early […]
Smith: Commission told me Jon Jones ‘failed every drug test’ before our fight; Jones responds
This is an odd rehashing of events, but news is a flat circle I guess. For those that may have forgotten, UFC 235 had trace amounts of drama in the lead-up to Jon Jones vs. Anthony Smith. Drug tests revealed two ‘adverse’ findings of turinabol metabolite in Jones system. The Nevada State Athletic Comission has […]
Editorial: Edwards’ win over Nate Diaz says more about our biases than his performance
Leon Edwards defeated Nate Diaz by unanimous decision on June 12, 2021 in Glendale, Arizona at UFC 263. Anything wrong with that sentence? Of course not. Not even Nate’s biggest fans are making a case that Nate might have actually won. But the last minute of the fight was a big deal. The pros went […]
UFC 263: Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori II Toe-to-toe preview – A complete breakdown
Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori headlines UFC 263 this June 12, 2021 at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, United States. One sentence summary David: Israel Adesanya defends his title against…a rematch. Phil: An unheralded Kings MMA-trained cuboid takes on a flashy and heralded striker Related Israel Adesanya Best Trash Talk & Moments | […]
UFC 263: Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno Toe-to-toe preview – A complete breakdown
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno II serves as the co-main event for UFC 262 this June 12, 2021 at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. One sentence summary David: Lord of the Fly’s Phil: Ferocious Flyweight Frenzy II: The Violencening Related UFC 263 Live Stream | Adesanya vs. Vettori 2 | Radio-Style PPV Main […]
Editorial: Adesanya vs. Vettori reminds us that title fights don’t have to be all about merit
Israel Adesanya is the middleweight champion, and by most estimations, should remain one after this weekend. Marvin Vettori is a solid challenger, but his UFC record is 6-2-1 (draw). His recent wins are over Kevin Holland (whose stock has dropped), Jack Hermansson (whose stock has always ebbed rather than flowed), and Karl Roberson (also a […]
Dana White mocks ‘dummies’ that were ‘stupid enough’ to buy Floyd Mayweather vs Logan Paul
Dana White will never not share how he violently feels. So it’s no surprise he’s had a lot to say about the Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul exhibition match. “That wasn’t a f—king boxing match,” White told UFC Arabia (transcription via MMAFighting). “Like I said before, there’s always going to be a market for that […]
Full fight video: Relive Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor
It’s been four years since Conor McGregor talked his way into a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. With Logan Paul following in Conor’s footsteps, Showtime Sports was kind enough to refresh our memories. Mayweather vs. McGregor wasn’t exactly a great display of integrity for either sport. But it was, at least, a fun collision between […]
Editorial: MMA laughs at Joshua Fabia when it should reckon with him instead
‘Good riddance.’ That was the collective sigh of relief when the MMA world saw news of Diego Sanchez parting ways with Joshua Fabia. MMA fans are combative by nature. It’s not just the sport. It’s Pride vs. UFC. It’s Diaz fans versus McGregor fans. It’s actual fighting. So it was nice to see the rare […]
The sober play-by-play: Font makes a bold statement with his basic approach
On paper, Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt was a lock for a clash that promised to be, at minimum, interesting. Although Font was the favorite, he was still an ‘outsider’ if you will. After all, it’s Cody who once held the belt. However diminished Cody is, and he’s had it tougher than most, he’s still […]
Former UFC contender Ray Borg set to return to the cage for UAE Warriors
Ray Borg, a former UFC flyweight title challenger, was released from the UFC last August. That came after he withdrew from two consecutive fights. Over his UFC tenure Borg withdrew or had fights cancelled at a rate unlike most other competitors. The reasons why were myriad and included injuries, bad weight cuts and misfortune. After […]
Dana White reveals UFC is ready to sign Kayla Harrison when she hits free agency
Kayla Harrison continues to take names in the Professional Fighters League, recently dispatching lightweight Mariana Morais in under two minutes. Her name, already well established thanks to winning gold twice at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, continues to turn heads in the MMA world. Dana White has been asked about her in the past. And […]