MMA Confidential
New, gruesome details emerge in Alexis Vila murder case
By the time Alexis Vila debuted in Bellator with a stunning KO win over Joe Warren, he had already allegedly had a hand in the murder and kidnapping of Camilo Salazar. Salazar was believed to be having an affair with the wife of a man named Manuel Marin, a close friend and father figure to […]
Leslie Smith offers additional details on UFC release: ‘It turned into a really big moral issue for me’
When Leslie Smith arrived in Atlantic City, NJ this week, it was likely with every intention of fighting. She had been training for weeks to face bantamweight prospect Aspen Ladd on the undercard of UFC Fight Night: Barboza vs. Lee. But, what now seems just as clear is that, win or lose, the UFC may […]
Leo Santos unhappy with UFC’s James Krause fight offer: ‘He’s not even in the top 15’
Leonardo Santos wants better competition. After going more than a year without a fight, the UFC tried to match him up against James Krause, potentially for a bout on the upcoming Utica card. The TUF Brazil 2 champion was none too happy to find out he might be taking on a non-ranked fighter. Especially since […]
NY Athletic Commission responds to UFC 223 rumors: ‘Felder never came into play’
UFC 223 was a big mess. Even as a reasonably entertaining – and eventually, likely fairly financially successful – pay-per-view event, a week that had started with a thirteen fight card headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson ended up as a nine fight card with Nurmagomedov defeating Al Iaquinta for a UFC title. What […]
Conor McGregor crashes UFC 223, breaks bus window, cancels three fights
entry-content__stream “> Conor McGregor wasn’t supposed to be at UFC 223. At least not according to Dana White in the days leading up to the event. But an altercation in a Brooklyn hotel, between Khabib Nurmagomedov and McGregor friend and teammate Artem Lobov apparently drove the UFC double-champ into a rage. McGregor and his entourage […]
Khabib goads Conor McGregor following bus attack: ‘You want to talk to me? Send me location’
By all accounts, Conor McGregor’s unscheduled appearance and dolly-throwing rampage at the Barclays Center on April 5th didn’t have much to do with the UFC stripping him of his belt. It did, however, seem to have everything to do with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s altercation with Conor McGregor friend and teammate Artem Lobov at a Brooklyn hotel […]
Eddie Alvarez explains passing on Khabib at UFC 223: ‘I’m heavier than I’ve ever been’
When the UFC announced that Max Holloway would be stepping in for Tony Ferguson against Khabib Nurmagomedov to headline this weekend’s UFC 223 pay-per-view card, they caught just about everyone off guard. There were questions that needed answering: What happened to Tony Ferguson? Isn’t Conor McGregor ‘staying ready’? Where’s the rest of the lightweight division. […]
DQ’d LFA flipper gives heartfelt apology: ‘I don’t deserve to get paid for that’
The line on unsportsmanlike conduct in MMA isn’t exactly clear. After all, when Michael Page is Poke Ball-ing Evangelista Santos after caving the man’s forehead in, who’s to say what’s too far? The California State Athletic Commission, for one. And Drew Chatman isn’t about to disagree with them. Last Friday, March 23rd at the Morongo […]
Sean O’Malley celebrates win at UFC 222 with gold glove full of weed
There are no secrets when it comes to Sean O’Malley’s hobbies. The burgeoning UFC star loves to toke up. And despite what initially appeared to be a gruesome foot injury suffered against Andre Soukhamthath at UFC 222 – x-rays eventually revealed no broken bones – he wasn’t about to miss the release of his custom […]
Court dismisses agent’s million dollar lawsuit against Nate Diaz
Nate Diaz may have lost his bout with Conor McGregor at UFC 202, but a year and a half later he’s scored a meaningful victory stemming from the event. Back in June of 2017, reports surfaced that a former agency, the Ballengee Group – which had worked with both Nick and Nate Diaz – was […]
France MMA Ban: News, Reactions, & Analysis
entry-content__stream “> In October 2016, France upheld a ban on various combat sports maneuvers that essentially cracks down on mixed martial arts. Those moves included ground strikes, elbow strikes, and competing in a cage. A number of individuals and groups have pointed to the ban being the work of the French Judo Association; which has […]
Michael Bisping lawsuit reveals former UFC champion’s partial career earnings
Michael Bisping and his former coach and manager Anthony McGann (of the UK’s Wolfslair gym) had been in a legal battle over $349,000 that McGann claims the ‘Count’ owes him. The sum relates, according to McGann, to missed payments by Bisping between 2005 and 2011. McGann claims he had a contract stating he was due […]
UFC bans JacksonWink MMA photographer over Cris Cyborg comments
Team Jackson-Winkeljohn just took two losses for the price of one. Not only did Holly Holm lose her featherweight title fight to Cris Cyborg at UFC 219, but now their media director and staff photographer, Mark Aragon, has been banned from the UFC. Aragon took to Instagram shortly after Holm’s loss with a snide congratulatory […]
Team JacksonWink issues non-apology to Cris Cyborg after photographer’s UFC 219 comments
Never let it be said that good public relations isn’t a skill. Following UFC 219 credentialed Jackson-Winkeljohn photographer Mark Aragon took to social media to taunt Cris Cyborg as transgender for her recent win over Holly Holm. “This dude is tough as hell! That being said at the press conference he said Holly was the […]
Jackson-Wink photographer repeatedly calls Cris Cyborg a man after Holm loss
Over years as a notable figure in the MMA world, Cris Cyborg has handled her fair share of abuse and vitriol from fans online. From attacks regarding her appearance overall, to questions surrounding her gender, the attacks have come from other fighters such as Ronda Rousey, as well as UFC president Dana White (in an […]
Nova Uniao cuts ties with Marlon Sandro following domestic violence allegations
One of Nova Uniao’s longest tenured veteran fighters is no longer with the famed Brazilian MMA camp. Andre Pederneiras released a statement to Combate recently, announcing that his team had cut ties with former Sengoku featherweight champion Marlon Sandro, following disturbing allegations of domestic violence. In an Instagram post, a friend of Sandro’s fiance, Tayssa […]
Watch: Animated Mike Perry recalls warning Darren Till about ‘Tetris’ in Poland
Mike Perry has quickly made a name for himself in the UFC as one of the promotion’s most exciting, and outspoken fighters. He’s currently got a bout coming up against Santiago Ponzinibbio, at UFC on FOX 26 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. As he gets set for his upcoming bout, Perry sat down with Ariel Helwani […]
The death of UFC veteran Tim Hague: News, updates, and investigations
entry-content__stream “> Tim Hague died on June 16th, 2017 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The former UFC heavyweight had been TKO’d in a boxing match versus Adam Braidwood two days prior. In the fight with Braidwood, Hague was knocked down repeatedly before the bout was eventually stopped. During the fight he suffered a brain bleed. After […]
Anderson Silva rekindling Roy Jones Jr. fight talk: ‘This is everything I’ve wanted for years’
Long before Conor McGregor ever set foot in the ring with Floyd Mayweather Jr., another boxing vs. MMA superfight idea was making headlines. No, not Ronda Rousey vs. Mayweather… but Anderson Silva vs. Roy Jones Jr. At the height of his title reign, back in 2011, Silva vs. RJJ seemed like a distinct possibility. Or, […]
CTV News Edmonton investigates the boxing-related death of UFC veteran Tim Hague
s Tim Hague died in Edmonton, Alberta on June 18th, 2017. He was 34-years-old. His death was due to injuries sustained in a boxing match two days earlier. Earlier this month CTV News Edmonton released a three part investigative series on Hague’s death. Their report raises questions regarding whether or not Hague was eligible to […]
Fabricio Werdum wants more young fighters to follow Rose Namajunas’ example
Fight week hasn’t quite gone to plan for Fabricio Werdum. The former UFC heavyweight champion hit Sydney, likely with every intention of going through the media motions, until he could get the chance to punch Marcin Tybura in the main event of this weekend’s Fight Night broadcast. Instead, he ran into Colby Covington. Words were […]
UFC behind the scenes: Strange tales from the SEG and ZUFFA eras of MMA
entry-content__stream “> Even today, MMA is weird. But it’s nothing compared to the 90s and early 2000s. That’s when the sport struggled to survive before marching towards what would be its zenith. This story stream includes some unusual stories from the dark ages of UFC and the early/middle reign of the Fertitta Brothers, who took […]
Feature – Jeremy May: From Ultimate Fighter to training child fighters in China
Back in July of this year, a short documentary about EnBo Fight Club in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, went viral. The video revealed that hundreds of orphaned children had been ‘adopted’ by the gym’s owner En Bo. Under En Bo’s guidance, dozens of boys were shown training in MMA, including two pre-teens competing in a cage […]
Conor McGregor offers apology for ‘f—t’ comments at UFC Gdansk: ‘I meant no disrespect’
Is this the MMA version of a ‘heated gaming moment’? That seems to be the angle Conor McGregor is taking in reference to the candid conversation he had with Artem Lobov following his training partner’s loss to Andre Fili at UFC Gdansk earlier this October. A UFC film crew followed the lightweight champion as he […]
The Wild Wild East: Fighting tales from China and beyond
entry-content__stream “> 2017 saw a rash of unusual MMA and traditional martial arts stories spawn out of China and some nearby nations. These included bizarre style vs style fights that pitted MMA versus Tai Chi and Wing Chun versus Karate, an MMA gym that adopted hundreds of orphans, and the underground ‘monster fight club’ in […]
The Male Gaze in Women’s MMA – Part 1: Genesis, Gina, and getting past Dana
For at least the last two decades women have been fighting each other, professionally, under the umbrella terms of ‘vale tudo’ and ‘no-holds-barred combat.’ In barns and basement bars, against slack ropes and rusted chain-link, they were there as the ‘sport’ of fighting evolved into something that we now call mixed martial arts. The Indiana-based […]
Dana White sure that teen suing Michael Bisping is a ‘typical f—ing p—y’
Michael Bisping is making headlines ahead of UFC 217, and it’s not just for his trash talking of Georges St-Pierre. The UFC’s middleweight champion is the subject of a lawsuit, apparently being filed by the 19-year-old alleged victim, over an altercation at a 24-hour Fitness, which – according to Bisping – took place months ago. […]
Mark Hunt heard about UFC Sydney removal from reporter: ‘I had to check to see if it was true’
Mark Hunt’s relationship with the UFC has hit a new low. The former K-1 World Grand Prix champion has never been on the easiest of terms with the promotion. Not since they tried to buy out his contract from PRIDE and he argued to fight for a spot on the roster instead. However, even with […]
Julianna Pena would have named her baby Valentina if Shevchenko had beat Nunes at UFC 215
Picking a baby name can be a real challenge. Do parents want to get creative and hand their kid a name that will set them apart in any classroom or office for the rest of their life? Or do they want to go with something traditional, a bible name, a family name, the name of […]
Holly Holm has a message for Cris Cyborg: I’ve never ‘needed an applause for passing my tests’
Cris Cyborg is in the news again due to USADA drug testing. But, it’s not for any flagged samples or failure to comply. The UFC women’s featherweight champion is, instead, feeling a bit harangued by the testing agency. She recently took to social media to complain that she’d been tested 3 times in the last […]