Jorge Masvidal is facing a make-or-break moment as he prepares to take on Gilbert Burns at UFC 287. The outspoken Masvidal is currently on a three-fight losing streak and, at 38 years old, he knows he can’t afford another loss. In the UFC 287 Countdown previewing the Masvidal vs. Burns clash, Masvidal openly admits that a loss here could potentially mark the end of his career. “If I lose, I’m pretty much calling it quits. But a win against Gilbert means that things are headed in the right direction. So if I roll the dice and I do everything right,…
Author: Danny Howard
Danny Howard
Danny Howard has been covering combat sports for 13 years and likes to think he knows what he’s talking about. He has been a featured contributor at FightHype, The Boxing Tribune, The Fight City, and Covers.
Nick Diaz turned in an egg of a performance when he ended his seven-year retirement at UFC 266. Diaz looked terrible against his former nemesis Robbie Lawler, who exacted revenge for his UFC 47 loss back in 2004. After being battered for the majority of their encounter, Diaz was stopped in the third round. Now, the reclusive Diaz said he wasn’t entirely to blame. During an interview on the Dying To See Me Podcast, Diaz blamed his management for putting everything together. “I was in between management, it wasn’t like when I went and found a group to work with…
Anthony Pettis’ boxing debut was enough to convince him to return to what he does best. The former UFC and WEC lightweight champion couldn’t quite make a splash in boxing. Last weekend, Pettis headlined a Gamebred Boxing card against 54-year-old Roy Jones Jr. in a heavyweight fight. While Pettis won a unanimous decision over the aged and inactive legend, it was far from an inspiring performance. After the fight, Pettis expressed gratitude to Jones and said he was ready to go back to MMA. During the post-fight press conference, the 36-year-old wants to return to the octagon as a welterweight.…
Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC, is now the owner of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in a huge deal that will change the sports entertainment landscape. Endeavor CEO Ari Emmanuel had this to say in a press release following the acquisition: “This is a rare opportunity to create a global live sports and entertainment pureplay built for where the industry is headed. For decades, Vince [McMahon] and his team have demonstrated an incredible track record of innovation and shareholder value creation, and we are confident that Endeavor can deliver significant additional value for shareholders by bringing UFC and WWE…
Marvin Vettori isn’t getting on the hype train when it comes to Bo Nickal. The former title challenger and #3 ranked middleweight believes Nickal might not have the goods at the top level. In an interview with InsideFighting, Vettori leveled criticism towards the UFC’s newest acquisition. Vettori, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Roman Dolidze at UFC 286, doesn’t seem to buy what Nickal is selling. Nickal didn’t make his big stage debut without controversy. While he did submit Jamie Pickett in a hurry, it came after a low blow was missed by the referee, leaving Pickett…
In all but the blind eyes of Joel Ojeda, Cory Sandhagen beat up a timid Marlon Vega in the main event of UFC Fight Night from San Antonio. Sandhagen utilized a varied offense to keep Vera on his toes, never able to get into an offensive rhythm. Ojeda’s ludicrous 48-47 scorecard for Vera was overridden by scores of 50-45 and 49-46 for Sandhagen. The first two rounds had Sandhagen display a variety of strikes and takedowns against a listless Vera. While Vera put on a better effort in the third at the urge of his corner, he was still outclassed…
Middleweight contender Paulo Costa is on the verge of a new four-fight deal with the UFC. Costa’s new deal also comes with the news he’ll have some intriguing fights. When we last saw Costa, he turned away the spirited challenge of ex-champ Luke Rockhold at UFC 278. At that time, Costa’s contract was up, and refused to accept any fights without a new contract. This led to the drama that unfolded at UFC 284, where the UFC prematurely announced a fight between him and Robert Whittaker. https://twitter.com/SpinninBackfist/status/1638695057250287616 In the months leading up to the non-fight, Costa made it a point…
UFC president Dana White has made it clear how much he hates boxing. Despite his disdain of the inner workings of boxing, White tipped his hand at wanting to get involved with the sport in the future. In an interview with the Sports Business Journal, White said he’s intending on launching a boxing promotion within the next 12-to-24 months. This comes hot off the heels of his criticisms directed toward the impending failure of negotiations surrounding an undisputed heavyweight title fight between champions Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk. White railed on the boxing establishment in the post-fight press conference for…
Holly Holm has been around for what feels like an eternity. Now it is clear “The Preacher’s Daughter” is staying with the UFC until the end of the road. The 41-year-old Holm has signed a new six-fight deal with the UFC. The first fight of this deal is a critical showdown with Yana Santos on this weekend’s UFC Fight Night in San Antonio. Though years removed from her prime, Holm is still a respectable contender at bantamweight. Holm is best known for her industry-breaking upset of Ronda Rousey in 2015. Since then, she’s gone 4-6. Though it isn’t a great…
Daniel Cormier wants to see Belal Muhammad in a title fight, but he has a great plan B for the streaking welterweight. On his YouTube show, the former two-division champion suggested that Muhammad’s next fight should come against none other than recently deposed welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman. Usman has lost back-to-back title fights to Leon Edwards, effectively ending his run as welterweight champion. Muhammad saw his shot at Edwards go up in flames when an accidental eye poke led to a no-contest in their 2021 fight. Though Muhammad remains at the top of the division thanks to an eight-fight win…
