Ilir Latifi suspended 3 months for undisclosed staph infection
In October, UFC heavyweight Ilir Latifi admitted, after his win over Aleksei Oleinik at UFC Vegas 61, that he had fought with an undisclosed staph infection. On Wednesday, November 16th, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) voted unanimously to suspended Latifi for three months for failing to notify officials of the condition before the bout. […]
Fighter bounced from UFC 280, cut from UFC roster
The ever-shifting UFC roster continues to change. UFC Roster Watch—a bot that scrapes UFC.com for shifts in the promotion’s online roster—has revealed that four new names have been dropped from the promotion’s lists of active fighters. Those removed include longtime UFC veterans Ilir Latifi and Bobby Green, as well as Randy Costa. Related MMA veteran […]
Ilir Latifi temporarily suspended by NSAC after admitting he fought with staph infection
The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has temporarily suspended UFC heavyweight Ilir Latifi for revealing he fought with a staph infection at UFC Vegas 61 earlier this month. Following his unanimous decision win over Aleksei Oleinik, Latifi told UFC color commentator Paul Felder that he got a staph infection days before he was scheduled to […]
‘He’s a tech genius’ – Michael Bisping extols value of Zuckerberg’s UFC card takeover
It was a secret all fight week in late September: why had the UFC closed its doors to fans and media? Why were they hosting a card not just without an audience, but with seemingly no one in attendance beyond necessary staff? Rumors ran wild, but the truth couldn’t be contained for long. The world’s […]
The Level Change Podcast 198: Holland to headline UFC Fight Night card, ONE finances look dire
Welcome to ‘The Level Change Podcast’, our combat sports themed variety show hosted by Stephie Haynes 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 your ears. Here […]
UFC fighter rankings: Conor McGregor, Jorge Masvidal continue to fall
UFC Vegas 61 is in the books and as usual with Vegas events, there wasn’t much impact on the rankings. The main event winner, Xiaonan Nan, saw her stock improve both at women’s strawweight and the P4P rankings with her victory over Mackenzie Dern. And the removal of two ranked women’s bantamweights, Aspen Ladd and […]
Schaub responds to Rogan, slams Dana White and Mark Zuckerberg for private UFC event
UFC analyst Joe Rogan was recently critical of his friend, former heavyweight fighter Brendan Schaub. Rogan specifically criticized Schaub for a “dumb” conspiracy theory about UFC 279. “It’s so dumb. I didn’t talk to him about that, but first of all, he’s wrong. He’s wrong about the theory. “He needs a handler. He needs someone […]
The Level Change Podcast 197: UFC Vegas 61 review, Inoki’s massive impact
Welcome to ‘The Level Change Podcast’, our combat sports themed variety show hosted by Stephie Haynes 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 your ears. Here […]
UFC Vegas 61 Reactions & UFC Vegas 62 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, author of the ‘Eugene S. Robinson Substack’, the fight book: “Fight: Everything You Wanted to Know About Ass-Kicking but Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking”, host of the ‘Eugene S. Robinson […]
Mackenzie Dern on loss at UFC Vegas 61: ‘I didn’t do what I came to do’
Mackenzie Dern was disappointed in her performance against Yan Xiaonan at UFC Vegas 61 this past Saturday. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace left the Octagon with a majority decision loss, which saw her drop to 1-2 in her past three outings. Though she found success on the ground, Dern could not submit Xiaonan, who showed off […]
MMA SQUARED: Dana White and Mark Zuckerberg find they’ve got a lot in common
In honour of Dana White’s handling of the media blackout / no fans / only oligarchs policy this week, I had to create a shirt of one of the greatest MMA memes. Available at cotton bureau Take care of yourself and I’ll talk to you Wednesday. Chris
UFC Vegas 61: Dern vs. Yan – Unofficial Awards
As a card ravaged by injuries and withdrawals, UFC Vegas 61 proved to be a mixed bag. The prelims started the action out in an exceptional manner, impressing enough that all the Performance Bonuses for the evening were awarded to those who appeared in the card’s early fights. That doesn’t mean the main card was […]
‘No matter who the UFC gives me, I don’t fear’ – Yan Xiaonan feels ready for gold after Dern win
Yan Xiaonan ended a two-fight losing skid on Saturday with a majority decision win over Mackenzie Dern. The victory was the first for Yan since she defeated Claudia Gadelha via decision in November 2020. At the very least, the result should put her in the top five of the official UFC strawweight rankings. She entered […]
UFC Vegas 61: Dern vs. Yan – Fights to make
UFC Vegas 61 started strong, but couldn’t carry that energy to the final bell. Yan Xiaonan escaped Mackenzie Dern’s clutches with a hard-scrabble victory in the main event. Randy Brown scraped through three rounds for a victory over Francisco Trinaldo in the co-main, and Raoni Barcelos put together an absolutely one-sided domination of Trevin Jones […]
Avoiding the unwashed masses? – Fighter slams Mark Zuckerberg’s private UFC event
In an unprecedented move, UFC Vegas 61 became a closed door event, without fans or even media members allowed to attend. When headliner Mackenzie Dern previously announced it was due to Facebook/Meta head Mark Zuckerberg having “rented out the whole event,” Dana White immediately issued a strong denial. Mark Zuckerberg did NOT rent out the […]
UFC Vegas 61 post-fight bonuses: Daniel Santos pulls off comeback, finishes John Castañeda in ‘FOTN’
UFC Vegas 61 on Saturday was a fine offering. The strawweight headliner was quite a scrap, and the welterweight co-headliner was a hard-fought affair. The preliminary portion of the card had Guido Cannetti get things started with a 64-second win over Randy Costa. The ‘Ninja’ took the ‘Zohan’ down, got to his back and secured […]
UFC Vegas 61: Dern vs Yan | 6th Round Post-Fight Show
Bloody Elbow fight experts, Zane Simon & his cohort, Eddie Mercado recorded for you on Saturday, October 1st, 2022, with a breakdown of the UFC Vegas 61: ‘Dern vs Yan’ 11-bout Fight Night event; which took place at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. June M. Williams The guys have hot takes, possible next […]
‘Great job, ladies’ – Pros react to Yan’s decision win over Dern at UFC Vegas 61
In a back-and-forth main event at UFC Vegas 61, Yan Xiaonan showed high-level submission defense in order to outpoint Brazilian jiu-jitsu star Mackenzie Dern. After five rounds, ‘Fury’ managed to edge out her opponent with superior striking and bring home a unanimous decision victory. On Twitter, pro fighters reacted to the match. @MackenzieDern better start […]
UFC Vegas 61: Dern vs. Yan post-fight press conference live stream
Join us here at BloodyElbow.com around 10:30 PM ET/7:30 PM PT for a live stream of the Dern vs. Yan post-fight press conference, live from Las Vegas. You can catch the video above, and since Bloody Elbow has the best comments section of any sports site, you should stick around and participate below. Fighters like […]
UFC Vegas 61: Dern vs. Yan results, round by round analysis
Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play (main event) as UFC Vegas 61: Dern vs. Yan goes down in Sin City. The headliner comes in the women’s strawweight division, with contenders Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan throwing down in a five-rounder. The co-main will take place in the […]
UFC Vegas 61 betting odds: Mackenzie Dern favored to submit Xiaonan Yan
It’s fight day for UFC Vegas 61, which is going down from a randomly empty APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event is getting top ranked strawweights going at it when the #5 rated, Mackenzie Dern, meets the #6 rated, Xiaonan Yan. Let’s go see what the betting odds have to say about […]
UFC Vegas 61 staff picks and predictions: Dern’s time to shine
The UFC is back at the APEX this weekend with a card tailored for an ESPN+ only audience. The headliner is an intriguing battle in the strawweight division. Outside of that are a host of fighters who are looking to show they can still be a relevant force in the promotion. For the main event, […]
UFC Vegas 61 results & video highlights: Xiaonan Yan edges out Mackenzie Dern in majority decision
Stay up to date with what’s happening today at UFC Vegas 61, which is going down from a more private than usual APEX facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The top of the billing will see top-10 strawweights wage war as the #5 ranked, Mackenzie Dern, meets the #6 ranked, Xiaonan Yan. In the card’s co-main […]
Jessica Penne ill, out of fight against Tabatha Ricci at UFC Vegas 61
Jessica Penne is out of her fight against Tabatha Ricci at UFC Vegas 61 on Saturday. At the official weigh-ins on Friday, UFC color commentator Jon Anik announced that Penne fell ill and was subsequently removed from the event. Mike Heck of MMA Fighting spoke to her manager, who revealed she was ‘not feeling good’ […]
The Level Change Podcast 196: Hearn reportedly suing Jake Paul, UFC Vegas 61 preview
Welcome to ‘The Level Change Podcast’, our combat sports themed variety show hosted by Stephie Haynes 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 your ears. Here […]
UFC Vegas 61: Dern vs. Yan preview – Main event strawweight showcase
If I may, I’d like to point out a mighty curious bit of information. I don’t want to be ripping on the main event of Mackenzie Dern and Xiaonan Yan. It’s a contest I’m more than happy to watch play out over the course of five rounds. But why in the world are they getting […]
Mackenzie Dern considers UFC’s ‘private card’ as another ‘hardship’ to overcome
Women’s strawweight contender Mackenzie Dern is headed for her sixth UFC Apex apperance next Saturday. Paired up against Yan Xiaonan at UFC Vegas 61, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt laments not being able to fight in front of a crowd once again, but plans to make the best of it. In an interview with Combate, Dern […]
UFC Vegas 61 weigh-in results: Dern and Yan make weight, one fight cancelled
Ok, so the UFC are doing their latest event behind closed doors — possibly at the behest of billionaire Mark Zuckerberg. The event itself is headlined by Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan, both of which are hoping that one more win can catapult them into the title picture at 115 lbs. The co-main event is […]
The MMA Vivisection – UFC Vegas 61: Dern vs. Yan picks, odds, & analysis
The UFC’s is back with a super special secret event, apparently; putting Mackenzie Dern’s bid to become a strawweight title contender against Yan Xiaonan behind closed doors with no media allowed, for reasons yet to become clear. It’s not the most fascinating card ever created, but most of the bouts promise solid action, if not […]
UFC Vegas 61: Dern vs. Yan prelims preview: Can the unsubmittable be submitted?
Regardless of the quality of the card – and it isn’t the best quality – it’s always good to have the UFC back in action after a week off. There’s a strong reason for that. For all the critiques that can be leveled at the UFC, it can’t be denied they provide the best cards, […]