UFC

Subterms

    More stories

    • 225 Shares179 Views

      in Boxing

      Ebanie Bridges already planning for retirement after going into business with Conor McGregor for ‘rest of her career’

      by

      EBANIE BRIDGES already has a plan in place for retirement after going into business with Conor McGregor. The IBF bantamweight champion returns on Saturday in San Francisco, defending her belt against Miyo Yoshida.
      Conor McGregor pictured with Ebanie BridgesCredit: Instagram @ebaniebridges
      Bridges is sponsored by McGregor’s Forged Irish StoutCredit: Twitter
      The boxing champ is friends with UFC legend McGregorCredit: Twitter
      And she will do so sponsored by McGregor’s Forged Irish Stout.
      Bridges has formed a partnership with the brand and the UFC legend himself.
      She told Lucky Block: “Obviously, mine and his collaboration is a little bit deeper.
      “I’m a face for Forged Stout now. I can learn a lot from him as well for when I finish boxing – and what he’s doing in business, I think is really inspiring.
      READ MORE ON EBANIE BRIDGES
      ‌“It was natural and we’ll be working together for the remainder of my career. We work really well together.
      “I’m great for his brand and he’s great for my brand, and we get along really well.”
      Bridges, 37, was due to face Avril Mathie, 36, in what she dubbed the “Battle of the Boobs” but her Aussie rival pulled out.
      Meanwhile McGregor, 35, has been out since July 2021 when he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier, 34, in the first round.
      Most read in Boxing
      But he is now set to return next year against Michael Chandler, 37, with the Irishman preparing for the bout.
      Bridges revealed: “I don’t know who it will be but I know he’s training. I’ve seen clips of him training and he’s busy in the gym.
      “I don’t know if he puts it on his socials. I don’t really look at his social pages to be fair, but I’ve obviously seen some of his training stuff that he’s done.”
      Bridges is the bantamweight world championCredit: Alamy
      Bridges returns in San FranciscoCredit: PA
      McGregor poses with pal BridgesCredit: Sportsfile More

    • 238 Shares109 Views

      in Boxing

      Lennox Lewis ‘rejected’ £5m offer from Vince McMahon for huge crossover match with UFC and WWE icon Brock Lesnar

      by

      LENNOX LEWIS once turned down £5million from the WWE to face Brock Lesnar in a crossover match. The year was 2002 and Lesnar was on his rise as a future WWE superstar while Lewis was the world heavyweight boxing champion.
      Lennox Lewis turned down £5m to face WWE star Brock LesnarCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Lesnar was WWE champion by 25Credit: WWE
      And there were talks for the two to meet in the ring with Vince McMahon even going to the Nevada Athletic Commission for sanctioning.
      But according to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Lewis rejected it after finding out about Lesnar’s real grappling experience.
      The former undisputed heavyweight king did open up about the negotiations in a 2015 interview with TSN’s Off The Record.
      He revealed he was offered £5m but claimed he had to wear gloves while Lesnar would not have.
      READ MORE IN WWE
      Asked if he considered the offer, Lewis said: “Very seriously, until they said he wasn’t wearing gloves.
      “They wanted to put me in with gloves on.”
      It is not clear whether the match would have been scripted or a legitimate fight.
      Lewis went onto retire from boxing in 2004 after defeating Vitali Klitschko a year prior.
      Most read in Boxing
      CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFER
      Meanwhile, Lesnar was WWE champ by 25 in 2002 and later turned to MMA, where he won the UFC title.
      He had nine fights in the cage – with his last in 2016 – and continues in the WWE to this day.
      Lesnar has been linked to a UFC return but his last fight against Mark Hunt ended in controversy after he tested positive for banned substances.
      Lesnar has not fought since 2016Credit: Getty More

    • 225 Shares179 Views

      in Boxing

      Ex-UFC champ left with horror facial injuries after losing brutal bare-knuckle fight to ‘king of violence’ Mike Perry

      by

      EX-UFC champion Eddie Alvarez was left with horror facial injuries after brutal bare-knuckle boxing defeat to Mike Perry. The pair of former MMA stars headlined a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event in Salt Lake City, Utah.
      Eddie Alvarez was left with horror facial injuries after defeat to Mike Perry
      Alvarez showed off his battle scars post fight
      And the two put on a hellacious show for two rounds until Alvarez’s corner pulled him out of the bout.
      The American’s left eye was so badly swollen he could not continue any longer.
      Alvarez, 39, showed off the extent of his battle scars in the post-fight press conference, sporting a severely swollen and bruised face.
      Perry, 32, was also marked up as he celebrated his vicious victory.
      READ MORE IN BOXING
      He roared: “I like to get hit a little bit sometimes. I like that s***. It makes me feel alive.
      “I work on the head movement but the last one ended so easily, I just wanted to have a battle so I let him get some shots off. I had a great time.
      “Eddie Alvarez is a hell of a competitor. Who owns combat sports now? The king of violence! ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry!”
      Perry, who left the UFC in 2021 after four losses in five fights, is now unbeaten in his four BKFC bouts.
      Most read in Boxing
      CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFER
      And he called out Conor McGregor, 35, and Darren Till, 30, after extending his record to 4-0 with exposed fists.
      Perry said: “Conor McGregor would be a great matchup.
      “I just beat somebody he fought for a world title. Who’s bigger than that? There’s no one bigger than Conor McGregor except me.
      “These boxers don’t want to take the gloves off. Darren Till said he doesn’t want to do it with no gloves.
      “Who wants to fight Platinum Mike Perry with no gloves?”
      Mike Perry beat Eddie Alvarez in two roundsCredit: Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship More

    • 225 Shares139 Views

      in Boxing

      Jake Paul sensationally backed to BEAT Nate Diaz in MMA fight by ex-UFC star amid £10m rematch offer

      by

      JAKE PAUL has been backed to sensationally BEAT Nate Diaz in MMA by ex-UFC star Matt Brown. The YouTuber-turned boxer this year signed for the Professional Fighters League, a competing promotion to the UFC.
      Jake Paul beat Nate Diaz over ten roundsCredit: GETTY
      Paul, 26, is coming off the back of a ten-round points win over ex-UFC star Diaz, 38, in August.
      And both the American and the PFL have proposed a rematch in the cage and offered up to £10million.
      But Diaz has seemed uninterested and Brown insisted he has reason to.
      He told MMAFighting: “Jake Paul, I’m going to pick him to win. I’m going to pick him to beat Nate Diaz in MMA.
      READ MORE IN BOXING
      “We already know he can outbox him. When was the last time you saw Nate Diaz take someone down?
      “But I don’t think he’ll be able to take him down, even if he tries to [take him down].
      “He’s way, way undersized. Jake Paul is so much bigger than him. I don’t know what weight it will be at, probably 185.
      “Nate’s not a great wrestler, it’s going to end up staying on the feet. What difference would it be [from their boxing match] if it stays on the feet?”
      Most read in Boxing
      CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFER
      Ex-high school wrestler Paul has called to fight Diaz in his MMA debut and Brown believes the styles clash favours the American well.
      He said: “First, Nate rarely throws elbows. Really doesn’t throw kicks a whole lot. He’s primarily an MMA boxer.
      “His MMA style is he pressures you, he outboxes you and pressures you until you take him down or grab hold of him, which, that’s what he wants. Now he can do his jiu-jitsu game. It’s just a bad matchup.
      “I wouldn’t pick very many people to be able to do that, but I don’t think Nate will be able to take [Paul] down and we already know what’s going to happen on the feet.
      “Jake will train for kicks and elbows and knees and all that stuff and they might have a little effect.
      “But I don’t see Nate finishing him with a kick or even really chopping him down or elbowing him. It’s just not his style.”
      Matt Brown backed Jake Paul to beat Nate Diaz in MMACredit: Getty More

    • 263 Shares99 Views

      in Boxing

      Conor McGregor was smart not to fight me… I would have destroyed him and he’s a QUITTER, says bitter sparring rival

      by

      PAULIE MALIGNAGGI has issued another stinging attack on bitter sparring rival Conor McGregor. The former boxing world champion entered McGregor’s training camp in 2017 before his crossover bout with Floyd Mayweather.
      Paulie Malignaggi infamously sparred Conor McGregorCredit: @TheNotoriousMMA

      They sparred twice in the UFC’s Las Vegas base, over eight and then 12 rounds.
      And it was the second of session that is remembered infamously, as images and footage of the spar leaked.
      It included a disputed knockdown of Malignaggi, which caused the American to storm out the camp.
      The two have continued to feud ever since and now Malignaggi has claimed McGregor was wise not to accept a grudge match with him.
      READ MORE ON MCGREGOR
      He told Action Network: “I’m a better trash talker than McGregor, that’s one of the reasons he did not fight me. I would have trashed him in the press conferences and the fight.
      “It would have ended all of the hysteria around him because I would have destroyed him in the trash talking and in the ring.
      “I would have ruined the whole aura around him. He was smart not to pull the trigger on a fight with me.”
      Malignaggi, 43, always insisted he was pushed to the ground by McGregor, who went on to lose in ten rounds to Mayweather.
      Most read in Boxing
      CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
      It has kept the feud alive but a boxing bout slipped away with McGregor remaining in the UFC octagon.
      Although Malignaggi said the 35-year-old is now a “punching bag” and compared his career to heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua.
      He said: “McGregor was lucky to achieve what he achieved in his career, physically and talent wise he’s up there, but just because you can do a bunch of high kicks from a Jean Claude Van Dam movie, doesn’t mean you’re a fighter; you need guts, you need a willingness to succeed, you need a willingness to enter the trenches and if you don’t have that, you’re going to fade.
      ‘We’ve talked about AJ losing that edge, but McGregor is on a different level. McGregor will quit on you, he does quit.
      “AJ does not take as many risks anymore but at least he’s not quitting. McGregor is an outright quitter.
      “He is a fighter that was not as good as advertised, there was great marketing behind him.
      “And the money he’s made now isn’t helping, so you’ve got a problem – all he’s going to do is continue to be a punching bag.
      “If you’re a punching bag in your twenties, you’ll definitely be a punching bag in your thirties.”
      Malignaggi claimed he was pushed down by McGregorCredit: @TheNotoriousMMA More

    • 250 Shares149 Views

      in Boxing

      MMA fans in stitches as Jake Paul puts on gloves to watch fights before calling out Nate Diaz to rematch

      by

      JAKE PAUL had fans in stitches after putting on a pair of MMA gloves while watching and commentating on fights. The YouTuber-turned boxer featured in the live broadcast of the Professional Fighters League final.
      Jake Paul commentating on Larissa Pacheco’s win over Marina Mokhnatkina
      And he was being interviewed while reigning PFL champion Larissa Pacheco beat Marina Mokhnatkina for the featherweight title.
      But out of nowhere Paul – talking from his £13million Puerto Rico mansion – whacked on a pair of gloves to commentate on the bout.
      It left fans hilariously confused as one said: “Why the f*** is Jake Paul wearing his gloves on stream.”
      Another added: “Jake Paul putting on his PFL gloves whilst watching the fight has big shadow boxing in front of the mirror during the ad breaks energy.”
      READ MORE IN MMA
      One said: “As much as I don’t like Jake Paul he is really smart for putting on the pfl gloves during his interview.”
      Paul this year signed with the PFL, a rival promotion to the UFC.
      The promotion consists of qualification and knockout stages.
      Stars have two regular season bouts where points are earned per method of victory with the top four in each division progressing.
      Most read in Boxing
      CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
      From there it is win-or-go-home, culminating in a series of finale fights where a title belt and $1million prize cheque is on the line.
      But the PFL are next year launching a “super-fight” series – away from the season – which will play host to Paul’s MMA debut.
      The American is coming off an August win over ex-UFC star Nate Diaz, 38, and he offered to rematch in MMA.
      But Paul, 26, claims Diaz, 38, has turned down a £10million offer to fight in the cage and took another swipe at his rival.
      He said: “He didn’t want all that smoke. He’s making excuses.”
      Jake Paul wants to rematch Nate Diaz in MMACredit: Reuters More

    • 175 Shares99 Views

      in Boxing

      Deontay Wilder in ‘ongoing’ talks with MMA superstar Francis Ngannou with never-before-seen fight teased

      by

      DEONTAY WILDER is in “ongoing” talks to fight Francis Ngannou – and the pair could collide in a never-seen-before set of rules. Ngannou walked out on the UFC to sign with rivals the Professional Fighters League, who gave him the green light to also pursue boxing.
      Deontay Wilder is in ‘ongoing’ talks to fight Francis NgannouCredit: Getty
      Ngannou held talks with Wilder before fighting Tyson FuryCredit: PA
      The Cameroonian was in negotiations to fight Wilder but he instead agreed a deal with Tyson Fury for a crossover clash in Saudi Arabia.
      Ngannou, 37, amazingly dropped Fury, 35, but was controversially beaten by split-decision on the scorecards.
      The ex-UFC champion now wants to wait for a rematch after Fury’s undisputed showdown with Oleksandr Usyk, 36, on February 17.
      So it paves the way for Ngannou to make a return to MMA in his next fight, also marking his debut in the PFL.
      READ MORE IN BOXING
      PFL CEO Peter Murray has named Wilder as a potential opponent and confirmed talks will continue with the American boxer.
      Murray said: “Absolutely, ongoing. I’m going to see Deontay next week and we want the four-ounce gloves on him with Francis in the cage.”
      Wilder has in the past called for a two-fight deal with Ngannou, to meet in the ring and cage.
      But Murray has teased that a mixed-rules bout could be agreed in a bid to level up the playing field, a hybrid never before seen.
      Most read in Boxing
      CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
      He said: “We’re working through those details.
      “I mean it’s a fight that Francis wants, it’s a fight we believe Deontay wants and we’re focussed on putting it together.”
      Wilder, 38, first returns on December 23 in Saudi Arabia against New Zealander Joseph Parker, 31.
      Anthony Joshua, 34, is also in action that night against Otto Wallin, 32, in the hopes of building towards a blockbuster with Wilder next year.
      But Murray still believes Ngannou could face Wilder in his next bout despite the mega-money boxing moves.
      He said: “I think as relates to the next fight, yeah a Wilder is much more likely. That is our goal.”
      Anthony Joshua could fight Wilder next yearCredit: Reuters More

    • 225 Shares189 Views

      in Boxing

      Jake Paul called out to two-fight MMA and boxing deal by Derek Brunson after leaving UFC for PFL

      by

      JAKE PAUL has been called out to a two-fight MMA and boxing deal by Derek Brunson. Paul is set to make his debut in the cage next year after signing with the Professional Fighters League, a rival to the UFC.
      Derek Brunson has left the UFC for the PFLCredit: @DerekBrunson
      Jake Paul is set to make his MMA debut with the PFL
      And Brunson also left the UFC after over a decade of service to sign with the PFL, which operates in a win-or-go-home seasonal format.
      When Paul announced his boxing return for December 15 Brunson was an early bookies’ favourite to be the opponent.
      Instead, little-known 10-1-1 pro boxer Andre August, 35, was confirmed as the YouTuber-turned boxer’s shock next fight.
      But Brunson is leaving the door open to settling the score with Paul now the pair are both under the PFL banner.
      READ MORE IN MMA
      He told SunSport: “Jake Paul is now with the PFL, we’ve got a bit of history. 
      “He asked Dana to fight me a couple years ago, so that’s a possibility. People saw me going over to the PFL and thought the timetable was there and it was perfect. 
      “Like I say, in the past me and Jake had discussions for a boxing match but I was under contract with the UFC. But things may align now.” 
      Paul, 26, was beaten for the first time in February, losing a split-decision to Tommy Fury, 24, in Saudi Arabia.
      Most read in Boxing
      CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
      But he bounced back in August with a ten-round points win over ex-UFC star Nate Diaz, 38.
      Paul proposed a double header with the return bout in MMA and offered Diaz over £10million to do so.
      And despite the deal being rejected, Brunson, 39, is ready for a similar two-bout deal.
      He said: “Yeah, I’d be open to that. I love challenging myself, so definitely I’d be up for that.” 
      Brunson makes his PFL debut on Friday in Washington DC against former PFL champion Ray Cooper, 30.
      It could set him up to enter the PFL’s season next year, where stars compete in a four-stage knockout format where $1m is up for grabs.
      Brunson said: “I wanted something new, something to excite me, something to make me want to train really hard.
      “I’d been in the UFC for so long and I felt it was the time to change and the PFL came about and now here we are. 
      “You’re not going to go out there and just lay down, that’s just silly but just being able to have a fresh start, new fighters, the $1million tournament, I can just start over.
      “I can control my own destiny and that was a really big thing for me.” 
      Derek Brunson, right, was in the UFC for over a decadeCredit: Getty More