Fun fights are a good way to keep fans invested in MMA. The ones that boo are the ones that want those slugfests. They don't want to see crisp technique; they want to see slobberknocker fights. Adama Diop showed he can deliver fights like that because who doesn't love an underdog. The Senegalese fighter made history as the first fighter from the region signed to the UFC, although Dana White didn't do it in the best fashion. Championship Rounds @ChampRDS Dana White just COOKED Adama Diop and...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Alexandre Pantoja is 36. He has not had a real fight since June 2025. The last time he was in the cage with Joshua Van, the fight lasted 26 seconds and ended when Pantoja posted on his left arm after a caught head kick. The broadcast first called it a shoulder. It was the elbow. No fracture, no major ligament tear, no surgery. He was in the gym two days later lifting with one arm. That is the medical record. It is also the limit of what we know. Elbows are how he frames, pummels, and...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Michael "Venom" Page (MVP) and the UFC broke up this week. It's a decision many are not surprised by, but few understand. Page is 39 years old and went 5-1 while signed with the UFC, with all his wins being by decision. He was a high-profile fighter when he was with Bellator. When you look at his record of 26-3, that's pretty good. When you look deeper, you see 13 of the wins come by way of KO/TKO, along with a library of highlight finishes of many of them. He was likely a more costly fighter...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
The well of fighters is plentiful. I know because I'm fortunate enough to interview up-and-coming and veteran fighters over at Spectation Sports. But week four of Dana White's Contender Series seems to have lost the steam it had when it began its 10th season. It's crazy that it's been around that long, but its longevity and overall events are proof enough that fighters are plentiful in the sport. And they're being farmed. UFC PI in Mexico If you remember, when the first episode of the new...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Game theory applies to a lot of things. It definitely applies to sports, combat sports, and, with what happened over the weekend, it absolutely applies to MMA. Song Yadong knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov in Shanghai, reminding fans that no matter what your last name, gym affiliation, or martial arts discipline is, you're still human. You can still lose the same way other people lose. Game of Two It made me think of a great line from a book I read recently. Ron Hansen's "The Kid." It's...
2 months ago • 1 min read
"The truth gets told inside that cage." That's what MMA fighter Sam Polk told me when I interviewed him for his upcoming bout against Danny Trejo (not that one) this weekend at Fusion Fight League. Oddly enough, he said that a few days before the most recent Contender Series, where Bella Mir, the daughter of Frank Mir, had to face the truth about her career. She's not ready for the UFC... ...yet! Alex Apodaca For everything young Mir did right, Apodaca just had a better answer for. She was...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Scott Coker posted some videos with comments on his trip to Japan and other countries. In it, he says, “The one thing I found was, one, there is an enormous amount out there. There is more in their slots to fill the leagues that exist. So we took a lot of individuals. There's more internationally than I think I've seen before.” And you know what? He's right. Scott Coker @ScottCoker Building a promotion starts with finding the right fighters. I’ve been on the road with the team scouting talent...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Reiner de Ridder (RDR) got back in the win column over the weekend after moving up to light heavyweight, and Gregory Rodrigues is no longer an undercard fighter. New weight class, new mindset In a make-or-break fight, de Ridder picked up a win while looking like his old self again. The former ONE Champ, looked good on the scales, good going in, and was emotional with the win. So, where does he go from here? He said in post-fight interviews he’d like Paulo Costa, Jiri Prochazka, or Khalil...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Mackenzie Dern was able to defend her title against Gillian Robertson last weekend at UFC 330. Afterward, Robertson's coach, Din Thomas, went on air and sort of threw her under the bus, then retired from coaching. Probably the right move for him, as it seems he has become complacent in his duties. It's not just his comments that make me write that; the game plan going into the fight made me wonder about the preparation. We know there's no such thing as MMA math, but if there were, one of the...
3 months ago • 1 min read