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Amanda Ribas views Tracy Cortez as a highly intelligent opponent ahead of their women’s flyweight matchup on Saturday at UFC on ESPN 42 . Ribas (11-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC), who meets Cortez (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at the upcoming event at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla., is of the belief that the result of the fight will come down to who displays the best fight IQ inside the octagon. “I think it is a fight of the smart fighters,” Ribas told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC on ESPN 42 media day via BroBible . “Because for me, Tracy is really smart fighter, and I am too.” To this point in their respective careers, Ribas and Cortez have shown that grappling are the most dangerous elements of their games. Ribas operates with a more submission and jiu-jitsu influenced approach on the mat, while Cortez has shown solid wrestling ability as she wears opponents down over the course of a fight. Related UFC's Tracy Cortez thinks Amanda Ribas staying at flyweight is a 'bold move' Ribas agrees

Rafael dos Anjos has made it clear at this point in his career he’s not really concerned by title gold aspirations. Former lightweight champion dos Anjos (31-14 MMA, 20-12 UFC) faces Bryan Barberena (18-8 MMA, 9-6 UFC) in a welterweight bout Saturday at UFC on ESPN 42 in Orlando, Fla. According to dos Anjos, fans shouldn’t hold their breath for a return to lightweight, though it’s not completely out of the picture. “Just for some specific fights I have in mind, I’d (drop to lightweight) again,” dos Anjos told reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday (h/t Bro Bible ). “I don’t have plans to win the title in that division anymore, I’ll be honest with you. A couple guys that if it’s in good momentum for me and my personal life as well, I’ll take the fight. As of now, I have Bryan Barberena this Saturday and I’m staying at welterweight.” With his focus on welterweight, a stamp is likely put on the notion dos Anjos won’t fight UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. The t

Canelo Alvarez is sorry. The boxing champion has issued an apology to soccer star Lionel Messi, as well as the nation of Argentina, following multiple threats and accusations on Twitter in recent days. On Sunday, Canelo accused Messi of disrespecting Mexico after a video surfaced where Messi was seen taking off his cleats, and Messi’s foot appears to make contact with a Mexico jersey that was on the floor of their locker room after their 2-0 win over Mexico in the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. Canelo says he got carried by the emotions and was clearly in the wrong. “These last few days I got carried away by the passion and love I feel for my country and made comments that were out of place, for which I want to apologize to Messi and the people of Argentina,” Canelo wrote Wednesday on Twitter . “Every day we learn something new, and this time it was my turn. “I wish both teams much success in their matches today, and here we will continue supporting Mexico until the end.” Estos úl

Kevin Holland still has sour feelings about how the latest chapter of his career unfolded, and he’s uncertain about the future going into UFC on ESPN 42 . Holland (23-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) faces Stephen Thompson (16-6-1 MMA, 11-6-1 UFC) in Saturday’s welterweight main event at Amway Center in Orlando, Fla. The card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+. It’s an important fight for Holland, who has gone winless in his two previous headliners inside the octagon. More significant perhaps is Holland’s need to bounce back from his UFC 279 defeat to Khamzat Chimaev in September. The chaotic fight week is one that won’t soon be forgotten after the entire top of the card was overhauled on weigh-in day, with Holland shifting from facing Daniel Rodriguez to Chimaev and ultimately being quickly finished by submission . Holland even went through a short-lived retirement in the aftermath of that fight and said it made him more seriously rethink the business side of the sport and how he ended up in

Jorge Masvidal isn’t all that interested in fighting Michael Chandler . Masvidal, a two-time UFC welterweight title challenger and ‘BMF’ champion, won’t seriously entertain Chandler’s recent callout – for now. Masvidal (35-16 MMA, 12-9 UFC) is looking to earn money and title-contender status in the division, and he doesn’t think beating Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) would get him either. “In terms of Michael Chandler, that fight doesn’t do anything for me,” Masvidal told MMA Junkie in Spanish . “You need to be selfish in this sport. It’s all me, me, me, and me. Everything you can do for yourself. So look, he doesn’t get me closer to the title at 170 pounds. That alone doesn’t make me interested. “It also doesn’t make me the most money in this sport, because he’s not a (pay-per-view) draw. He’s known, but in terms of pay-per-view, he doesn’t sell. So if the numbers aren’t there, what the hell am I doing? And then on top of that, he’s from another weight division – 155. So if I hit

Now that she’s had time to reflect on her first-career MMA defeat, Kayla Harrison has gained some perspective. Harrison, a former two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, had been an unstoppable force in her first four years as a pro, running her record to 15-0 and winning two PFL women’s lightweight titles. Heading into the 2022 PFL Championships, Harrison was a huge favorite to win her third title in a trilogy with Larissa Pacheco, who’d lost all eight rounds combined in their two previous fights. Pacheco pulled off the massive upset, though, this past Friday as she claimed the lightweight title by unanimous decision with 48-47 scores from all three judges. In the immediate aftermath, Harrison made no excuses for her performance when she spoke with reporters. On Tuesday, she took to Instagram to share a picture with her kids and a caption that contained an emotional message. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kayla Harris

According to Jake Paul , the majority of the work is done for a boxing match with Nate Diaz . He just needs the other side to get on board. Just minutes after news broke Tuesday that Diaz was officially free of all contractual ties with the UFC, Paul took to social media to publicly call for the showdown that many fight fans have expected to materialize for some time. Paul, who on Monday said he was looking to return in February, wrote that he has a venue secured for his next fight and has the specifics ready for Diaz in the form of a bout agreement (via Twitter ): Hi Nate. Finally out of your UFC contract? Let’s see how tough you are in the boxing ring instead of hallway slap contests. @NateDiaz209 I have a venue booked. Offer is ready when you are. Just need you to sign. — Jake Paul (@jakepaul) November 29, 2022 Hi Nate. Finally out of your UFC contract? Let’s see how tough you are in the boxing ring instead of hallway slap contests.@NateDiaz209 I have a venue booked.

Many UFC veterans come and go – but some are so good that even in their later days, they have the potential to go all the way. The Ultimate Fighting Championship has played host to some of the best to ever compete in mixed martial arts. We all know that to be true and it isn’t a secret, but it’s often forgotten just how many top stars never actually claim the gold. They all push as hard as they... Source Four UFC stars who deserve another title shot including Glover Teixeira & Dustin Poirier from UFC – GiveMeSport https://ift.tt/WVtTN3n via IFTTT

Belal Muhammad doesn’t think Kamaru Usman should get an immediate rematch against UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards . Usman (20-2 MMA, 15-1 UFC )  lost the title to Edwards this past August at UFC 278 where he was knocked out with just a minute remaining in the fifth round. It was a dramatic comeback for Edwards as Usman was up 3-1 on all three judges’ scorecards before the finish. Usman had notched five title defenses and was ranked as the UFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter. But Muhammad (22-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) himself has gone unbeaten in his past nine fights and believes he’s more than earned a title shot. “We’re talking numbers. We’re talking rankings. You want to make this a real sport,” Muhammad said on a recent Instagram live chat. “If you want to make this a real sport, there are no rematches once you lose the Super Bowl. You lose the Super Bowl, you lost the Super Bowl, that’s it. If you lost on a Hail Mary pass, that’s it. You have to wait until next year. “You don

Members of the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) will reconvene for their annual summit in 2023 and this year’s takes place in the fight capital of the world. The 35th annual ABC Conference is set to take place July 30-Aug. 3 at The Mirage in Las Vegas, the organization’s president Mike Mazzulli officially announced Monday. July 30-31 will feature official and inspector training courses, while Aug. 1-3 will consist of the actual conference portion. Each year, commission heads, officials and other members of the various ABC-recognized governing bodies gather to discuss a multitude of topics including rule changes, weight cutting, scoring criteria and medical education pertinent to combat sports. The election of commissioning body subcommittees also is featured. The 2022 conference was held in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and resulted in two rule changes : widespread approval of neoprene sleeves, and more impactfully, the allowance for fighters to receive five minu

Joe Rogan wonders if Islam Makhachev can handle Alexander Volkanovski ’s speed. Lightweight champion Makhachev (23-1 MMA, 12-1 UFC) will make his first title defense against Volkanovski (25-1 MMA, 12-0 UFC) in the UFC 284 headliner Feb. 11 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The event airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+. Volkanovski is moving up a weight class to face dominant grappler Makhachev, but Rogan thinks his speed could play a factor. “Has Islam seen anybody that can move as fast as Volkanovski?” Rogan said in a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience with guest Sean O’Malley. “What if he starts catching him? What if he catches him a few times on the feet, and if he can avoid a takedown? I mean, you’re dealing with a significantly quicker guy, probably. (Makhachev has) probably never fought anybody that quick.” However, when discussing the matchup with O’Malley, Rogan did express some concern over Volkanovski’s size. “Do you think he’s bi

The 2022 PFL Championships took place this past Friday at Hulu Theatre in New York and featured six $1 million title fights among other bouts. Atop the card was a shocking upset , with Larissa Pacheco defeating Kayla Harrison to claim the women’s lightweight title. Other championship winners included Brendan Loughnane , Olivier Aubin-Mercier , Sadibou Sy , Ante Delija , and Rob Wilkinson . On Monday, the New York State Athletic Commission, which oversaw the event, released medical suspension durations to MMA Junkie, which show all 24 combatants suspended at least one week – with two fighters out 90 days. MMA Fighting first reported the suspensions. The NYSAC has a policy against revealing the fighters’ specific injuries to the public. See below to find out the medical suspension durations for the 2022 PFL Championships combatants. It’s important to note that athletes are allowed to return prior to completion of the suspension if they are cleared earlier by a doctor. from MM

With a life-changing $1 million win now in her pocket, Larissa Pacheco already is thinking about future fights against a women’s combat sports legend. Pacheco (19-4) pulled off an all-time MMA upset this past Friday when she outworked Kayla Harrison (15-1) for a unanimous decision at the 2022 PFL Championships in New York. Harrison was a two-time PFL season winner and a huge favorite heading into the fight, which was her third against Pacheco. Harrison, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in judo, had two previous wins against the Brazilian. But Pacheco bucked the odds and shocked just about everyone – except herself and her team. “I was pretty confident,” Pacheco told MMA Junkie on Sunday. “I didn’t know if it was going to be over the five rounds or if I was going to get a knockout. Of course, Kayla is a very good fighter. It was a great fight. But I was really confident that I would come out with the win.” Pacheco handed Harrison the first loss of her MMA career. Harrison said pr

Ovince Saint Preux readjusts course once again, though the final destination remains UFC 282. For the second time in as many weeks, Saint Preux (26-12 MMA, 16-12 UFC) has a new opponent for the Dec. 10 pay-per-view at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. With Philipe Lins out for undisclosed reasons, Saint Preux will fight promotional newcomer Antonio Trocoli (12-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC). A person with knowledge of the matchup recently confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after Saint Preux announced the bout on his OnlyFans page . Saint Preux, 39, was originally supposed to fight former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 282. However, Gustafsson withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Lins. Across his most recent four outings, Saint Preux is 2-2. He is one of the longest tenured members of the UFC roster as he nears his decade anniversary with the promotion. Trocoli, 31, signed with the UFC in 2019 after a quick submission win on Dana White’s Conte

If Conor McGregor thinks his road back to the UFC will come with special privileges, he may have another thing coming. McGregor, 34, has not fought since a broken leg in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier in July 2021 . The MMA world learned at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi in October that McGregor no longer is in the drug testing pool with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the UFC’s drug-testing partner. Standard protocol is that fighters who leave the testing pool must be back in it for six months before they can fight again. The UFC can request exemptions from that rule. This past week, McGregor posted on Twitter and implied he thinks he’ll be given one of those exemptions. McGregor said he expects to be back in the pool in February and merely will need to pass two tests under the exemption and he’ll be good to go. But a USADA representative told UFC broadcast partner ESPN that McGregor is not likely going to get special treatment. “McGregor is not enrolled in our testin

They say gloves are meant to protect the hands not the head – but these photos say otherwise. Check out the nastiest and bloodiest battles in BKFC history in the gallery below – if you dare. (Photos courtesy of BKFC) from MMA Junkie https://ift.tt/LvH4fM7 via IFTTT

Sheymon Moraes entered 2022 PFL Championships with a ton of pressure. Sure, he wasn’t fighting for a belt and the $1 million prize that comes with winning a season, but with fighting former UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes on short notice, and coming off a loss, Sheymon (15-6) felt his spot on the PFL roster was on the line. “I know if I lost, I thought maybe PFL kicked me out, and I don’t want to lose my job,” Sheymon told reporters at the post-fight news conference (via MMA Sucka) . “Just two weeks for short notice, it was going to be very tough. Nobody, and you can ask anyone in the division, no one wanted to face Marlon Moraes with full camp and just having two weeks (to prepare). Related Larissa Pacheco open to fourth Kayla Harrison fight after 'good but not great' PFL championship victory Emotional Kayla Harrison takes first MMA loss on the chin, unwilling to make excuses: 'I lost in front of the whole world and it hurt' Sheymon had a previous defea

Aspen Ladd is confident as she sizes up her future competition. The former UFC contender and now PFL newcomer likes her chances when she sees the top of the women’s division in her new home. Ladd (10-3), who made a successful PFL debut by beating Julia Budd on Friday night , thinks her body of work is far more impressive than Larissa Pacheco or Kayla Harrison, the two finalists of the 2022 PFL women’s lightweight season. “I think Larissa has progressed incredibly,” Ladd told reporters at the post-fight news conference (via MMA Sucka) . “She’s done very well with her striking. I think Kayla has been the queen for a long time, but if you look at either one of their resumes, it’s absolutely nothing compared to the people that I have fought and have come in fighting. “So, you have different levels of experience with different levels of opponents.” Related Coach Javier Mendez praises Usman Nurmagomedov's Bellator title win: 'He made it look easy' Emotional Kayla Harri

The skid continues for Marlon Moraes , now across multiple promotions. Pitched as a new beginning, his PFL debut had a similar end result to his final UFC bout. After two dominant rounds in his favor, Moraes (23-11-1) was finished by Sheymon Moraes (15-6), who rallied for a TKO finish at the 0:58 mark of Round 3. The featherweight fight took place as the featured prelim of 2022 PFL Championships , which took place Friday at Hulu Theater in New York. SHEYMON MORAES SPOILS MARLON'S PFL DEBUT WITH A TKO! [ #PFLWorldChampionship | BUY NOW https://t.co/9tors6rrKk | TONIGHT | 8pm ET | ESPN+ PPV] pic.twitter.com/BwAGFJQy0j — PFL (@PFLMMA) November 26, 2022 The fight was a rematch of a bout between the two Moraes, which Marlon won in August 2015 under the World Series of Fighter banner. Marlon utilized his grappling once again seven years later and found much success with his grappling. In brief exchanges on the feet, Marlon looked a step ahead of Sheymon. Likely down 2-0, S