[ A disclaimer: We’re sorry, UFC Austin. We’re sorry, Bellator 300 and Bellator 301. We’re sorry UFC 285. You all were good. Great, really. But you fell just short of the top. UFC 295 at the mecca of combat sports, Madison Square Garden in New York, is MMA Junkie’s 2023 Event of the Year. The … Read more
[ Irene Aldana (15-7 MMA, 8-5 UFC) and Karol Rosa (17-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) put on an all-time bloody classic on the UFC 296 prelims. Aldana picked up a unanimous decision with strong second and third rounds, but she couldn’t attend her post-fight news conference due to a trip to the hospital, where she met … Read more
[ Sean Brady (16-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) is known for his strong wrestling game and it was on full display once again against Kelvin Gastelum (18-9 MMA, 12-9 UFC) – but with a highlight-reel ending. Brady followed two rounds of blanketing Gastelum with a nasty kimura submission. The tap came at 1:43 of Round 3. … Read more
[ Josh Emmett created one of the most brutal one-punch knockouts in recent memory against Bryce Mitchell (16-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) Emmett stepped into the octagon for the third time in 2023, looking to snap a two-fight skid. Standing in his way was short-notice opponent Mitchell. However, Mitchell didn’t stay upright for long, as Emmett … Read more
[ Kelvin Gastelum says he is far from done in MMA. At UFC on ESPN 52, Gastelum (18-9 MMA, 12-9 UFC) competed in the middleweight division for the first time since 2016. It was his second appearance of 2023 following a unanimous decision win against Chris Curtis, but his return to 170 pounds was met … Read more
[ UFC lightweight standout Beneil Dariush finds himself in a quandary after back-to-back losses. Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) suffered a first-round knockout to Arman Tsarukyan in the UFC on ESPN 52 headliner less than two weeks ago for his second consecutive stoppage loss. Prior to the skid, Dariush was on the cusp of a … Read more
[ UFC on ESPN 52 was a spectacular event in the Lone Star State. While lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan closed the show with an emphatic first-round stoppage of Beneil Dariush, there were eight other stoppages on the 12-fight card. Rising lightweight contender Jalin Turner throttled Bobby Green in the first round, welterweight standout Sean Brady … Read more
[ Late stoppages are one of the worst things that can happen in MMA. A referee is tasked with the responsibility of protecting the fighters by recognizing the appropriate time to stop a contest when a competitor is no longer intelligently defending themself. When a referee fails at that duty, a competitor could be seriously … Read more
[ UFC on ESPN 52 took place Saturday at Moody Center in Austin, Texas and featured a dozen fights. Of the 24 competitors on the card, 12 fighters were suspended 180 days due to injuries sustained in their bouts, according to documentation from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), the commissioning body that … Read more
[ American Kickboxing Academy coach Javier Mendez thinks Arman Tsarukyan has earned a UFC lightweight title shot, but there are people ahead of him. Tsarukyan (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) scored a quick knockout of Beneil Dariush in the UFC on ESPN 52 headliner and called for a rematch with champion Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 … Read more
