Author: Danny Howard

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…

Leon Edwards is not going along with the plan when it comes to his next challenger for his welterweight title. After defeating Kamaru Usman for the second time in a row, Edwards had to sit by during the UFC 286 post-fight presser as Dana White announced Colby Covington would be next to face him. The champion was less than enthused. Edwards made it a point to put the potential fight with Covington down right away. He is continuing his campaign and hopes to deny Covington another title shot until he deserves it. During his appearance on The MMA Hour, Edwards…

Just moments after Leon Edwards (21-3)  once again conquered former welterweight king Kamaru Usman (20-3), UFC president Dana White confirmed his next challenger: Colby Covington. Covington (17-3) was tipped as the reserve fighter for the main event, and now, the former interim titlist will have a third shot at the full title. He previously failed in two hotly contested fights against Usman, but remains at the top of the welterweight rankings. The brash Covington hasn’t fought since March 2022 when he beat rival Jorge Masvidal by decision. Masvidal assaulted Covington outside a Miami club in the aftermath of that bout,…

Leon “Rocky” Edwards did not need movie magic to retain his welterweight title. In front of a boisterous hometown crowd, Edwards clearly outpointed Kamaru Usman to establish his credentials as a legitimate champion. Edwards controlled the action from the opening bell, using leg kicks to keep Usman out of range and keeping the ex-champion from taking him down. He landed the better shots and outworked Usman, though a point deduction resulting from Edwards grabbing the cage made things close. https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1637244395450773507 The body kicks were Edwards’ best tool, and Usman had nothing to stop them. While the former champion had success…

Conor McGregor has designs on becoming the first three-division champion in UFC history. On The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, McGregor intimated that he would like to try his luck against the winner of Kamaru Usman vs. Leon Edwards. McGregor also said he’s hoping to be ringside for the London event. The Irishman will face Michael Chandler at 170 pounds, and by the looks of his recent weight gain, it’s likely McGregor will continue what’s left of his UFC career at welterweight. Both McGregor and Chandler have been named as coaches for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, which…

Henry Cejudo may or may not be main eventing UFC 288, but he does know who he’d like to be the reserve opponent ahead of his bout with Aljamain Sterling. That fight–who should come as no surprise to anyone–is Merab Dvalishvili.  Dvalishvili turned in a horrifyingly dominant win over ex-champ Petr Yan last weekend, mauling him en route to a five-round shutout. Yan was a moderate favorite going into the fight, only having controversial losses to Sterling and Sean O’Malley being held against him, but he was wiped out. https://twitter.com/HenryCejudo/status/1634737850414686208 Indeed, Dvalishvili should be considered for such a spot. If…

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier are forever tied to their epic rivalry, and recent events show that these two still hold animosity towards each other. Jones and Cormier faced off at UFC 185 and UFC 214, with Jones coming out victorious in both fights. Those victories were not without controversies. Jones tested positive for cocaine use after the first fight, then was suspended for testing positive for an anabolic steroid after the rematch. Recently, Cormier was ringside for Jones’ return as a commentator at UFC 285, where Jones won the heavyweight title by submitting Ciryl Gane via first-round guillotine choke.…