Author: Danny Howard

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic is happening The long-delayed bout between UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and ex-champ Stipe Miocic will main event UFC 295. Jones and Miocic have been in each other’s orbits for practically an eternity, and now the two will finally face off. This figures to be a massive fight between two of the best that ever did it. There is a caveat though, that cannot be ignored. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTGk-t4chk8 Miocic has been out of action for more than two years. That layoff happened after getting flattened by Francis Ngannou and after a trilogy with Daniel Cormier. It…

After being teased earlier in the week, viewers of The Ultimate Fighter 31 finally saw the meltdown that nearly brought Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler to blows. In the latest episode, McGregor’s team was still chasing their first win, down 5-0 to Chandler’s squad. Lee Hammond, representing Team McGregor, would clash with Kurt Holobaugh in the episode’s main fight. Hammond looked well on his way to delivering Team McGregor’s first win, but disaster struck in the second round. Though Hammond had Holobaugh on the ground, Holobaugh was able to scramble and take his back, choking him out and stealing the…

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is still complaining about his UFC 292 fight with Sean O’Malley. Sterling continues to bemoan the short turnaround time to face his #1 contender, just three months after a grueling split-decision win over Henry Cejudo. Though the champion, and his trainer, continue to air their grievances as loud as they can, the August date is soon approaching. On Sterling’s podcast, the champion detailed his frustrations as the UFC 292 card is now right around the corner. “Sometimes you could get a little burned out. Sometimes that can take a lot out of you mentally. That’s…

Michael Morales had to survive a rough first round to outlast Max Griffin in their welterweight clash. As one of the featured undercard bouts on the UFC on ESPN 47 card, the veteran Griffin came out with intent as he put his younger opponent on the defensive. A big right hand from Griffin later in the first caused visible swelling on Morales’ right eye, though he managed to weather the storm. Morales flipped the script in round 2. After recovering from the rough first round, Morales connected with a right hand that nearly crumpled Griffin and had him on unsteady…

Grant Dawson delivered the strongest performance of his career, and even then, the best may be yet to come. Dawson handily defeated Damir Ismagulov in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 47, showing no signs of struggle or distress against the highly-regarded Ismagulov.  Ismagulov was woefully ineffective against Dawson’s wrestling. In total, Dawson maintained control for a staggering 12 minutes and 24 seconds, scoring three takedowns and dishing out plenty of punishment in the interim. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVG_TLV__9U Dawson outlanded Ismagulov 84-35 in total strikes, leaving no doubt in his dominance. It was a mere formality when the scorecards were read,…

Sean Strickland made his case that he’s still a force to be reckoned with. Strickland doled out a beating to the detriment of Abus Magomedov, who looked completely out of his depth. After luring Magomedov into a false sense of security in round 1, Strickland upped the pressure and unloaded on him. With Magomedov mentally beaten and physically exhausted, Strickland mauled him against the cage, strafing him with strikes. After Magomedov hit the canvas, Strickland was all over him and drew the stoppage. It was the second straight impressive win for Strickland. He last defeated Nassourdine Imavov on short notice…

Former middleweight title challenger Kelvin Gastelum is heading back to welterweight to face Shavkat Rakhmonov on the September 16 edition of UFC Fight Night. Gastelum vs. Rakhmonov will serve as the co-main event of a stronger-than-normal UFC Fight Night card. The card is headlined by the Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko rematch, making it the rare Fight Night card where a title is being defended. This is a rather unique fight to make. Gastelum hasn’t competed at welterweight since 2016, and while undersized at middleweight, has hung around the top of the division for some time. In his last fight,…

Dricus Du Plessis is convinced he’ll be facing Israel Adesanya soon, and he has some choice words for the UFC middleweight champion. Even though Du Plessis has his hands full against Robert Whittaker at UFC 290, he appeared on The Schmo to send a warning shot to the champ. Both Du Plessis and Adesanya have engaged in a war of words over the last few months. It has gotten to the point where Adesanya is hoping he does beat Whittaker, therefore guaranteeing their clash. “At the end of the day, I don’t care if he hopes, if he wants it,…

Cub Swanson vs. Hakeem Dawodu set for UFC Fight Night in August Cub Swanson is heading back to featherweight after Johnathan Martinez knocked him out in his bantamweight debut last October. The 39-year-old Swanson returns on the August 12 UFC Fight Night card against Hakeem Dawodu. Though Swanson is far removed from his prime, he’s still fighting well and recently signed a four-fight contract before the Martinez fight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOGv9m0Q2ec Dawodu is also coming off a loss to Julian Erosa last September. The Canadian is also 3-2 in his last fight, but would likely be the favorite ahead of the bout.…

UFC commentator Jon Anik believes now is the right time for Ronda Rousey to return to the UFC. Anik appeared on the MMA Fighting show where the topic of Rousey came up. Earlier this year, UFC parent company Endeavor finalized the purchase of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where the former UFC champion currently performs. Rousey’s MMA career lasted from 2010 through 2016, where she competed both in Strikeforce and the UFC. She was one of the most influential stars in women’s MMA and was the sport’s first true crossover star during her prime. Rousey won the bantamweight title for both…