Author: By E. Spencer Kyte

The final month of 2016 arrives later this week, and while that means Christmas and New Year’s resolutions are right around the corner, there are a number of fight cards still to enjoy between now and the day you promise that this is the year you’re going to do that thing you’ve said you were going to do starting on the opening day of January each of the last four years.Me too. I’m running a 5K this year. Hold me to it.The first of this month’s five events arrives on Saturday from Las Vegas as Demetrious Johnson returns to defend the flyweight title and coaches Jo … Read the Full Article Here

While fans and media have been focused on the machinations that led to Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis colliding for the interim UFC featherweight title next weekend at UFC 206, Jose Aldo’s place in the division and the looming shadow of now former champion Conor McGregor, the two men that will share the Octagon on Dec. 10 at the Air Canada Centre remain exclusively focused on each other.Throughout Tuesday’s UFC 206 media conference call, Holloway and Pettis reiterated that the situation that has arisen over the last seven days to turn their three-round co-main event clash into a f … Read the Full Article Here

Andrew Holbrook prepares to enter the Octagon before his lightweight bout against Joaquim Silva of Brazil during The Ultimate Fighter Finale event at MGM Grand Garden Arena on July 8, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Zuffa LLC)” align=”center” />The voice on the other end of the phone is unmistakable – gravel and grit mixed with a Midwest twang that anyone who watched him sling leather and collect bonus checks in the Octagon knows as the distinct sound of welterweight veteran Chris Lytle.“Lights Out” started fighting before fighting was cool and has the rec … Read the Full Article Here

 
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The next stop in the journey to the final event of 2016 brings the Octagon back to Melbourne, where 12 months of shocking upsets and record-setting events kicked off last year at UFC 193.This time around, the UFC is back with a Fight Night card loaded with local talent and fighters looking to use this year’s stop in Melbourne as a launching pad to greater opportunities in 2017 the way Holly Holm did last year.Granted, none of them are fighting for championship gold against one of the biggest stars in the sport, but breakthrough performances come in all shapes a … Read the Full Article Here

A strange dichotomy exists in mixed martial arts as young fighters are finding their way inside the cage.In a sport where the most revered names in the history of the sport all have losses on their record, fans and observers often make declarations about the future of a young fighter following each appearance, basing their position on the results of their most recent outing.Win, and the lofty heights you were projected to reach climb even higher. Lose, and maybe you weren’t all that good – nothing more than a product of hype and promotion.“It’s a very cutthroat sport an … Read the Full Article Here

A little over two months ago, as Derek Brunson was readying to step into the Octagon opposite Uriah Hall in Hidalgo, Texas, the surging middleweight and I spoke on the phone about how someone with his string of first-round stoppages and overall 6-1 record since arriving in the UFC via Strikeforce could still be flying under the radar.When the final product was submitted and published, the title summed things up nicely: Time to pay attention to Derek Brunson.A few days later, the 32-year-old Wilmington, North Carolina resident rolled into the Octagon and laid out Hall in less than two minutes, … Read the Full Article Here