Interview: Former UFC champ Robbie Lawler calls for pensions for fighters
MMA royalty isn’t a term to throw around lightly, but no title may be more fitting when talking about a man like ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler. He’s the former UFC welterweight champion, the former EliteXC middleweight champ, and has run roughshod over the sport for more than two decades with one of the most ferocious styles […]
‘I knew a very different Nick Diaz’ – Jorge Masvidal unsure former Strikeforce champ still has it
Every fighter likes to think they’ll know exactly when to retire. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, former multiple-time title contender Jorge Masvidal laid out his own plans, suggesting that he won’t stick around once he’s at the point where he can “no longer hang” with the younger generations of fighters in the gym. […]
Ninja Sh!t, Part 2: Breaking down Volkanovski and Ortega’s chess match from UFC 266
In the first part of our breakdown, we dove into the insane third round between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega from UFC 266. We detailed the nasty guillotine that the champion described as “about-to-lose-the-belt deep,” along with a follow up attempt at a darce choke. There was so much more that happened in this entertaining […]
Ninja Sh!t: How did Volkanovski and Ortega survive the best title round in UFC history? | Part 1
Alexander Volkanovski successfully defended his belt for the second time at UFC 266, beating Brian Ortega with a wide decision. Overall, it wasn’t very close, with the featherweight champion winning majority of the exchanges and ending up with the scores of 49-46, 50-45 and 50-44. Ortega did have his moments though, and he actually came […]
Video: ‘Are you good in life?’ – Robbie Lawler checks in on Nick Diaz after UFC 266 TKO win
While it’s entertaining to see fighters trade vitriol at each other (to an extent), it’s always a touching moment to see these combatants share genuine sportsmanship. And it’s a bigger bonus if it involves two of the sport’s legends like Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler. The two respected veterans met again at UFC 266 two […]
Introducing ‘The Brian Ortega Line’
Brian Ortega got his name in the UFC record book at UFC 266. While the record might not be one that Ortega ever thought of earning, it goes a long way toward defining what type of fighter he is. With his loss to Alexander Volkanovski, Ortega became the first fighter in UFC history to absorb […]
Herb Dean explains why he allowed ‘exhausted’ Brian Ortega to continue fighting at UFC 266
UFC 266’s headliner between Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega is already touted as one of the best featherweight champion fights in recent history. But there was a moment before the fourth round when “T-City” showed visible signs of struggle. During the break, Ortega was seen being propped up on the stool, which according to Volkanovski, […]
The Level Change Podcast 143: UFC Vegas 38, Gastelum headed back to 170
Welcome to the The Level Change Podcast, our combat sports themed variety show hosted by Stephie Haynes, Mookie Alexander and Victor Rodriguez, featuring the news of the week, fight card breakdowns and analysis, a roundup of regional promotions’ cards and fights, and whatever else we decide is important enough or entertaining enough to bring to […]
Would open scoring in MMA help with fighter safety?
Two topics that get a lot of discussion in the mixed martial arts world are fighter safety and open scoring. After watching Brian Ortega go five rounds with Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 266, it’s worth talking about both those things — together. At the end of the third round of the […]
UFC fighter rankings: New top P4P fighter, Dvalishvili enters title mix at bantamweight
UFC 266 was a heck of an event. No belts changed hands in the top two title fights, but Alexander Volkanovski and Valentina Shevchenko cemented their positions at the top of their respective weight classes. The biggest rankings movers of the week came from the prelims though, with Mareb Dvalishvili and Dan Hooker improving their […]
‘No one takes him seriously’, UFC champ Volkanovski responds to Cejudo
Alexander Volkanovski was called out by Henry Cejudo following his decision victory over Brian Ortega at UFC 266 last weekend, but ‘The Average’ ‘The Great’ can’t take ‘Triple C’ seriously — not when he’s calling out everyone from Jake Paul to Amanda Nunes. The real Alexander the Great took over the World at 20…you almost […]
UFC 266 Edition | Best of the C’Mon Now MMA Podcast – 75
Our compilation show is a deep dive with host, Trent Reinsmith, into the bigger news and goings on in MMA, both inside and outside the cage; presented with a critical, unbiased eye. C’Mon Now Podcast HostJune M. Williams Here is some detail on what’s going on here… the “regular” ‘C’mon Now MMA Podcast’ is a […]
Editorial: UFC 266 showed Joe Rogan can — and should — be replaced
Prior to UFC 266, there was a minor uproar. It seemed as if some fans thought the event wouldn’t have a big pay-per-view feel or that it would be missing something. When the event came to a close, that talk had been whisked away to wherever hysterical histrionics go to die. Related OPINION: The UFC […]
UFC 266 medical suspensions: Brian Ortega, nine others facing six-month suspensions
Brian Ortega left the Octagon on Saturday night looking worse for wear following his epic five-round war with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266. The No. 2 ranked featherweight contender nearly dethroned the champion with a tight guillotine in the third round of their fight, but did not get it and was ultimately defeated by way […]
Sean O’Malley: Nick Diaz vs. Mike Perry ‘would be sick’
Nick Diaz put up a terrific fight against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266 this past weekend, but where does the Californian go from here? ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley thinks he should return to the octagon against Mike Perry (who is currently without an opponent) and believes that the former Strikeforce welterweight champion should continue fighting despite […]
The Mookie & Crookie Show 139: UFC 266, Usyk-Joshua, Jones goes to jail
Welcome to ‘The Mookie & Crookie Show’, a spinoff of ‘The Level Change Podcast’ that goes a little more in-depth on major combat sports news, as well as takes a humorous look at the crazy world of combat sports social media. The show is hosted by Mookie Alexander and Stephie Haynes and airs every Tuesday. […]
Valentina Shevchenko isn’t just complete, she’s complete MMA
After another utterly dominant defense of her UFC women’s flyweight championship against Lauren Murphy this past Saturday night at UFC 266, Valentina Shevchenko reaffirmed her position as one of the best fighters in the sport. She did it with an easy aplomb, dummying and nullifying Murphy in every way en route to a perfunctory fourth-round […]
Coach blasts ‘chum-chum commentators’ Holloway, Cormier for UFC 251 ‘rhetoric’ against Volkanovski
After a valiant performance at UFC 266 on Saturday, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is finally getting his due recognition. But just ten months ago, the 32-year-old Aussie was in the firing line of criticisms because of his controversial split decision win over Max Holloway at UFC 251. Related UFC 251: USMAN VS MASVIDAL | The […]
Coach: ‘Out of shape’ Nick Diaz ‘should never have been in there’ at UFC 266
Seeing Nick Diaz back inside the Octagon brought back a flood of fond memories for fans in attendance at UFC 266. But for some, that walk out onto the arena floor and into the cage was as far as the nostalgia went. Related Diaz Brothers Body Language Breakdown The elder Stockton bad boy did have […]
‘I only have 4 right now’ – Jalin Turner sold most of his tarantula collection to ‘make ends meet’
Fans could be forgiven for assuming that Jalin Turner’s ‘Tarantula’ nickname had everything to do with his wiry, spider-like frame and not some more literal interpretation. It turns out, however, that the UFC lightweight came by his moniker through more interesting means—namely, a massive collection of spiders. During Turner’s most recent fight, a victory at […]
Ortega reacts to UFC 266 loss to Volkanovski: ‘That little bastard is tough as hell’
Brian Ortega put up one hell of a fight against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266, but it wasn’t enough to win the featherweight title. Still, ‘T-City’ will not be deterred despite coming up short for a second time in his bid to become UFC featherweight champion. Ortega has vowed to reclimb the featherweight ladder once […]
UFC 266 Reactions & UFC Vegas 38 Picks | Care/Don’t Care Podcast
It’s time for another one of our infamous and patented Care/Don’t Care Podcasts, with your talent: the astounding Eugene S. Robinson of ozy.com and author of “Fight: Everything You Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking” and host of the ‘Ozy Confidential’ Podcast, the ‘Eugene S. Robinson […]
Conor McGregor says UFC 266 proved Nick is the better Diaz brother, Nate fires back
Conor McGregor has applauded Nick Diaz for his veteran craftsmanship against Robbie Lawler at UFC 266 but couldn’t help but throw Nick’s younger brother Nate under the bus in the process. While McGregor praised Diaz for his slick boxing technique against Lawler, ‘The Notorious’ also threw in a sly dig at Nate by calling his […]
MMA SQUARED: UFC 266, Night of the Living Challenger!
Chris Rini Take care of yourself and I’ll talk to you Wednesday. Or today at 11am EST on Twitch, I’ll be live, drawing a recap of UFC 266’s most captivating moments. And deciding whether what happened in Diaz vs Lawler 2 made us hopeful or heartbroken.
UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega – Unofficial Awards
UFC 266 proved to be a tremendous success. If I’m being fair, it’s hard to think of the last time the UFC had a disappointing PPV, but there were several fights deserving of a FOTN consideration, a couple of them perhaps deserving FOTY consideration. At the very least, there were rounds that were instant classics. […]
Lauren Murphy responds to loss at UFC 266: ‘Rough night at the office’
Lauren Murphy has responded to her loss to Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event of UFC 266 on Saturday night, and the one-time flyweight title challenger was candid about her performance. Murphy was dominated against Shevchenko and was unable to do anything offensively to deter the champion over the course of the fight. The ‘Bullet’ […]
UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega – Fights to make
UFC 266 was an absolute blast. The world’s largest MMA promotion stacked the deck and the move paid off in spades. Alex Volkanovski and Brian Ortega put on an absolute thriller, Valentina Shevchenko kept her stranglehold on the division, and Robbie Lawer & Nick Diaz actually managed to turn back the clock a little for […]
Volkanovski responds to McGregor’s callout: ‘Come back down to featherweight’
Conor McGregor completely dismissed Alexander Volkanovski’s sensational win over Brian Ortega at UFC 266, claiming that he would kick the latter’s head like a rugby ball and make a fool of him inside the octagon. “I’d kick this volovski [Volkanovski’s] head off like it was a rugby ball I was kicking. 5’4! And full of […]
‘I knew I had it coming’ – Nick Diaz discusses TKO loss to Robbie Lawler at UFC 266
Nick Diaz returned from a six year hiatus last night at UFC 266. His welcome back ceremony included a fight with ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler, a former UFC welterweight champion and someone Diaz defeated way back in 2004. Though Diaz was game for the first two rounds, the time away looked as though it was catching […]
‘Thank you for bringing the best out of me’ – Robbie Lawler shares what he told Nick Diaz after UFC 266
UFC 266 delivered the action and the drama last night. We saw Alexander Volkanovski survive, and thrive, to retain his featherweight title. And Velantina Shevchenko continued to prove that she is one of the best ever with a convincing defense of her flyweight title. However, before those belts were tussled over the People’s Main Event […]