Author: By Philip Ferraro

Fighting has always come naturally to Tai Tuivasa, who fights Cyril Asker this Saturday on the main card of UFC 221 at Perth Arena in Perth, Australia.When he was growing up, maybe too naturally. “Well yeah, I’m from a place where fighting is pretty regular and it kind of makes up who you are and where you stand, in other words. And yeah, I’ve always liked to have a fight, and I’ve come out on top most times.”Standing 6-2 and weighing almost 300 pounds as a teenager didn’t stop “Bam Bam” from finding plenty of trouble on the streets of Western Sy … Read the Full Article Here

Many fighters fall in love with MMA after getting beat up on their first day of training, consumed by wanting to learn whatever magic their opponent used to dominate them.The story of UFC featherweight Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski, who fights Shane Young this Saturday (Sunday local time) at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs Tybura at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, is the opposite.Before he even stepped foot in what would later become his home gym, Volkanovski was targeted as fresh meat. Strange, considering that this was in 2011, when he was still a 213-pound rugby league player. Un … Read the Full Article Here

Tyson Pedro, who fights Ilir Latifi this Saturday on the main card of UFC 215: Johnson vs Borg, is yet to taste defeat in his six professional fights.But the light heavyweight says sparring with his teammates at the famed Jackson-Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico stops him from being fixated on the ‘0’ on his record. 
When you’re training with fighters of that caliber, it’s a fact of life that sometimes you’re going to come out second best.“I’ve had a couple of sparring sessions in here that have messed me up, but it’s not about … Read the Full Article Here

When you’re training with fighters of that caliber, it’s a fact of life that sometimes you’re going to come out second best.“I’ve had a couple of sparring sessions in here that have messed me up, but it’s not about the losses. That’s why I’m not worried about losses; I take losses every day,” said Pedro ahead of his fight at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. “I’m always tapping out, I’m always getting caught with punches. Every day I’m taking a loss, so that’s how you’re learning and getting bett … Read the Full Article Here

As he approaches his Saturday showdown with Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker truly believes he can be UFC champion.But that wasn’t always the case.It was a conversation three years ago that made him really start to believe.“A lot of people have said it in my lifetime, but the one dude who said it and truly made it click over, who’s in my corner now, was Fabricio Itte (Whittaker’s wrestling and high performance coach),” Whittaker said. “We had a good chat, and he said that I have everything to be champ, but I can be so much more than that, and that should be the least of my … Read the Full Article Here

Fans of Robert Whittaker may have found his last fight tough to watch.While the middleweight contender walked away with a win, he also had to survive an all-out onslaught from his opponent, Derek Brunson, in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Melbourne last November.Whittaker, who will fight Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza this Saturday at UFC on FOX: Johnson vs. Reis, looked to be in trouble in the early minutes of the first round. A barrage of punches from Brunson seemed to stun Whittaker, who looked wobbly as he tried to circle away from his opponent’s attack. Brunson smelled blo … Read the Full Article Here