Tag: News

Global Fight League Announces Cities & Team Managers For Launch Year, “Shogun” Rua & Yoel Romero Among Latest Signings

The Global Fight League (GFL) has revealed a range of crucial updates about how the structure of the budding MMA organization will look. The newly launched promotion has already secured an array of over 300 fighters, including several high-profile former stars from renowned organizations such as the UFC, Bellator, and PFL. The GFL is said […]

The Global Fight League (GFL) has revealed a range of crucial updates about how the structure of the budding MMA organization will look.

The newly launched promotion has already secured an array of over 300 fighters, including several high-profile former stars from renowned organizations such as the UFC, Bellator, and PFL. The GFL is said to make its highly anticipated debut this April, with the precise commencement date yet to be revealed.

The GFL introduces an innovative team-based format, featuring six teams from cities around the world competing in a league structure that includes playoffs. The first draft is scheduled for Jan. 24.

The GFL disclosed the latest draft entrants in a recent press release, as well as the cities that will represent each team and the managers and coaches set to lead them.

The new draft pool features notable names such as Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Yoel Romero, Chad Mendes, Renan Barao, Douglas Lima, Ovince Saint Preux and Todd Duffee. Meanwhile, the six teams will represent some of the world’s most iconic cities: Los Angeles, Miami, New York, São Paulo, London and Dubai.

Here’s a look at the managers and coaches appointed to lead the six teams in the GFL:

  • Los Angeles: UFC Hall of Famer Wanderlei Silva has been named the manager of Team Los Angeles, with the renowned Rafael Cordeiro stepping in as the head coach.
  • Miami: Thiago Alves will manage Team Miami, with Conan Silveira as the head coach.
  • New York: The manager for Team New York is still to be announced, with the team set to be coached by the famed Ray Longo.
  • São Paulo: Team São Paulo will be led by Brazil’s own former UFC champion Lyoto Machida as manager, with the legendary Andre Pederneiras as the team’s coach.
  • London: UFC veteran Luke Barnatt will take the reins as manager, while Carl Prince of Manchester Top Team will serve as the head coach for Team London.

Darren Owen, the company’s co-founder, has outlined an array of unique benefits tailored to prioritize fighters’ welfare.

These include comprehensive training support, insurance coverage, a 50-50 revenue-sharing model, pension plans, and various other perks aimed at ensuring financial stability and fostering long-term professional well-being for the athletes.

The promotion has, however, come under fire for signing a number of aging veterans for the upcoming draft, including Frank Mir, Marlon Moraes, and Tyron Woodley.

Mark Zuckerberg Provides Update On Plans For MMA Debut

Mark Zuckerberg is serious about having an MMA fight at some stage even if his plans have been on the backburner for the time being. The Meta CEO is a big fan of the sport and now works alongside UFC CEO Dana White after the promoter was recently added to the companies board of directors. […]

Mark Zuckerberg is serious about having an MMA fight at some stage even if his plans have been on the backburner for the time being. The Meta CEO is a big fan of the sport and now works alongside UFC CEO Dana White after the promoter was recently added to the companies board of directors.

Throughout 2023, there was even talk of a fight between Zuckerberg and Elon Musk being promoted by White though the rumours and social media messages between them never materialized into something serious. With or without Musk, Zuck wants to compete but he wants to be able to commit to the training first.

He has been actively learning jiu-jitsu for some time and has seemingly been sparring in recent years also although his progress was halted by an ACL tear towards the end of 2023. Having spent time in the company of some of the best fighters in the world, along with watching them cage-side, Zuckerberg recently told Joe Rogan during a recent podcast that he still has intentions to compete.

“I want to [fight],” Zuckerberg said on The Joe Rogan Experience. “And I think I probably will, but we’ll see.”

The problem with setting a time frame is that Zuckerberg is expecting a big year due to the recent developments in AI which will have a massive impact on his business.

“2025 is going to be a very busy year on the AI side,” Mark said. “And I think the idea of having a competition, you really need to get into the head space of ‘I’m going to fight someone this week.’ So I need to figure this out because I don’t know how, with everything that’s going on in AI, I’m going to have like a week or two where I can just get into, like, ‘I’m going to fight someone.’ But it’s good training and I would like to [fight] at some point.”

He also spoke about his ACL injury changed his mindset towards training in jiu-jitsu versus the entire mixed martial arts skillset. Despite suffering the injury during sparring, it pushed him further towards MMA.

“The thing about the ACL injury is I kind of thought before, ‘All right, I’m going to do some jiu jitsu competitions, I want to do one MMA fight, one pro or competitive MMA fight,’” Zuckerberg said. “And then I figured I’d go back to jiu jitsu. But tearing the ACL striking is a little more of a fluke. I think you’re much more likely to do that grappling.”

“So going through the ACL experience didn’t make me want to just exclusively go do the version where you’re just attacking joints all day long. I’m like, ‘All right, I can take a few more punches to the face before going back to that.’”

UFC Fight Night Results & Highlights: Mackenzie Dern Submits Amanda Ribas

UFC Fight Night took place tonight from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights!  In the main event, top-ten strawweights (#6) Mackenzie Dern and (#8) Amanda Ribas clashed. While in the co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio faced Carlston Harris in a welterweight matchup.  UFC Fight Night Results: […]

UFC Fight Night took place tonight from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights! 

In the main event, top-ten strawweights (#6) Mackenzie Dern and (#8) Amanda Ribas clashed. While in the co-main event, Santiago Ponzinibbio faced Carlston Harris in a welterweight matchup. 

UFC Fight Night Results: Main Card

  • Women’s Strawweight: Mackenzie Dern def. Amanda Ribas via submission: R3, 4.56 
  • Welterweight: Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Carlston Harris via TKO: R3, 3.13
  • Middleweight: César Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan via KO: R1, 4.16  
  • Middleweight: Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis via TKO: R3. 4.59
  • Featherweight: Christian Rodriguez def. Austin Bashi via unanimous decision (29-28×3) 
  • Welterweight: Punahele Soriano def. Uroš Medi? via KO: R1, 0.31  

Preliminary Card

  • Flyweight: Felipe Bunes def. Jose Johnson via submission: R1, 2.04
  • Middleweight: Marco Tulio def. Ihor Potieria via TKO: R1, 3.04
  • Lightweight: Thiago Moisés def. Trey Ogden via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
  • Welterweight: Jacobe Smith def. Preston Parsons via KO: R1, 1.13
  • Women’s Flyweight: Ernesta Kareckaite def. Nicolle Caliari via split decision: (29-28×2, 28-29)  
  • Light Heavyweight: Bruno Lopes def. Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (29-28×3)
  • Women’s Strawweight: Fatima Kline def. Victoria Dudakova via TKO: R2, 4.27

Lightweight: Nurullo Aliev def. Joe Solecki via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28×2)

Preliminary Card Highlights

Fatima Kline def. Victoria Dudakova

In this strawweight matchup, Fatima Kline stopped Victoria Dudakova late in the second round.

Jacobe Smith def. Preston Parsons

Jacobe Smith earned a first-round KO of Preston Parsons in their welterweight fight.

Marco Tulio def. Ihor Potieria

Marco Tulio got it done in the first round with a TKO of Ihor Potieria.

Felipe Bunes def. Jose Johnson

In this flyweight bout, Felipe Bunes earned a first-round armbar submission of Jose Johnson.

Main Card Highlights

Punahele Soriano def. Uroš Medi?

Punahele Soriano took just 31 seconds to KO Uroš Medi? in their welterweight bout.

Christian Rodriguez def. Austin Bashi

In this featherweight matchup, Christian Rodriguez earned a decision against Austin Bashi.

Roman Kopylov def. Chris Curtis

In this middleweight bout, Roman Kopylov TKO’d Chris Curtis with a head kick in the final second of round three.

César Almeida def. Abdul Razak Alhassan

César Almeida knocked Abdul Razak Alhassan out cold in the first round of their middleweight matchup.

Santiago Ponzinibbio def. Carlston Harris

Santiago Ponzinibbio got it done with a TKO of Carlston Harris in round three.

Mackenzie Dern def. Amanda Ribas

In the main event, Mackenzie Dern submitted Amanda Ribas with an armbar at the end of round three.

Former MMA Fighter Admits To Being ‘Senior Figure’ In Drug Trafficking Plot

A former MMA fighter has admitted his involvement in a drug trafficking plot after being accused of being a “senior figure” in a gang. It was reported in the Liverpool Echo that Paul “Boom Boom” Cahoon was on trial after being linked to moving cocaine and amphetamine from Merseyside in England to South Wales ten […]

A former MMA fighter has admitted his involvement in a drug trafficking plot after being accused of being a “senior figure” in a gang. It was reported in the Liverpool Echo that Paul “Boom Boom” Cahoon was on trial after being linked to moving cocaine and amphetamine from Merseyside in England to South Wales ten years ago.

Cahoon only recently admitted his involvement due to the fact that he fled to Dubai following a series of drug seizures nearly a decade ago before he was extradited back to the UK in 2024. He is set to be sentenced today (Friday January 10) after he admitted the charges on Wednesday.

Prosecutor Stephen McNally made reference to the fact that Cahoon had gained some notoriety during his days as a professional fighter. The 49-year old amassed an official record of 13-12 having faced the likes of Melvin Manhoef on two occasions with bouts against Elvis Sinosic and Ian Freeman in the UK promotion Cage Rage. He hasn’t fought since 2010 having made his pro debut back in 1998.

Multiple other men have been linked to the operation with several class A and B drug seizures taking place. McNally explained to the court how Cahoon appeared to be at the center of things having reportedly used nine different phone numbers during a period of six-months.

“The prosecution case is that Paul Cahoon was a senior figure within these conspiracies,” McNally told the court. “We say that Mr Cahoon had other people carrying out tasks on his instructions and that, by the way he acted, it was obvious that he was alive to the risk of detection and that he took steps to avoid it.

“The prosecution say that he was chopping and changing his telephone numbers in order to make it harder for any investigation to identify who he was in contact with, when he was in contact with them and who was in contact with him. That poses a question. Why would Mr Cahoon want to conceal his telephone contact? The prosecution’s case is, because it related to conspiracies to supply drugs.”

Cahoon’s defense against this was that this was due to the notoriety he had developing during his active MMA career but McNally argued that the communications aligned to similarly with the drug trafficking case.

“The prosecution’s case is it is simply too much of a coincidence that there is the level and timing of contact by Mr Cahoon than it is anything other than an indication that he was involved in the conspiracies.”

Sean O’Malley’s Coach Claims Umar Nurmagomedov Can Afford Fighting Injured Due To His Last Name

The first UFC pay-per-view for 2025, UFC 311, will be headlined by Islam Makhachev as he defends his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan. In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili will also aim to defend his UFC bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov. Two highly competitive title fights in a single card is naturally a delight for […]

The first UFC pay-per-view for 2025, UFC 311, will be headlined by Islam Makhachev as he defends his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan. In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili will also aim to defend his UFC bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov.

Two highly competitive title fights in a single card is naturally a delight for fans worldwide. However, it didn’t sit well with many when Nurmagomedov shed light on his arm injury leading up to UFC 311.

Early rumors suggested that the arm injury would stop him from competing in January 2025. However, the Dagestani prospect eventaully agreed to fight “The Machine”. Even though X-ray reports suggested that he broke his arm, Nurmagomedov continued training and now feels fit enough to take part in his first UFC title fight.

Sean O’Malley is no stranger to enterting the Octagon with injuries. While discussing the topic in an interview for the Submission Radio YouTube channel, the former champ’s coach Tim Welch had an interesting take on why Nurmagomedov could be fighting with an injury at UFC 311.

“They know they’re going to get the title shot eventually. So, I don’t think he’s going to be that hurt. I think he’s probably going to be, probably more healthy and more ready than people think. And, yeah, it’s like I said, for these title shots, it’s like, for some people, you’ll get one title shot your whole career, the rest of your life. For Umar, with his last name, I feel like even if he lost this Merab fight, he wins two more, he gets back into the title picture.”

According to “Red Hawk”, being associated with the Nurmagodeov clan greatly benefits the UFC 311 title challenger. He stated that even if the undefeated bantamweight loses his first shot at the title, he’ll likely find himself in the same scenario with another win or two.

Welch thinks that having some of the best and most popular MMA fighters in his camp also ensures that Nurmagomedov’s decision to fight at UFC 311 is calculated. He expects the Dagestani clan to stop Dvalishvili from getting into comfortable ground positions which will eventually affect his cardio.

Sean O’Malley’s Coach Claims Umar Nurmagomedov Can Afford Fighting Injured Due To His Last Name

The first UFC pay-per-view for 2025, UFC 311, will be headlined by Islam Makhachev as he defends his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan. In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili will also aim to defend his UFC bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov. Two highly competitive title fights in a single card is naturally a delight for […]

The first UFC pay-per-view for 2025, UFC 311, will be headlined by Islam Makhachev as he defends his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan. In the co-main event, Merab Dvalishvili will also aim to defend his UFC bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov.

Two highly competitive title fights in a single card is naturally a delight for fans worldwide. However, it didn’t sit well with many when Nurmagomedov shed light on his arm injury leading up to UFC 311.

Early rumors suggested that the arm injury would stop him from competing in January 2025. However, the Dagestani prospect eventaully agreed to fight “The Machine”. Even though X-ray reports suggested that he broke his arm, Nurmagomedov continued training and now feels fit enough to take part in his first UFC title fight.

Sean O’Malley is no stranger to enterting the Octagon with injuries. While discussing the topic in an interview for the Submission Radio YouTube channel, the former champ’s coach Tim Welch had an interesting take on why Nurmagomedov could be fighting with an injury at UFC 311.

“They know they’re going to get the title shot eventually. So, I don’t think he’s going to be that hurt. I think he’s probably going to be, probably more healthy and more ready than people think. And, yeah, it’s like I said, for these title shots, it’s like, for some people, you’ll get one title shot your whole career, the rest of your life. For Umar, with his last name, I feel like even if he lost this Merab fight, he wins two more, he gets back into the title picture.”

According to “Red Hawk”, being associated with the Nurmagodeov clan greatly benefits the UFC 311 title challenger. He stated that even if the undefeated bantamweight loses his first shot at the title, he’ll likely find himself in the same scenario with another win or two.

Welch thinks that having some of the best and most popular MMA fighters in his camp also ensures that Nurmagomedov’s decision to fight at UFC 311 is calculated. He expects the Dagestani clan to stop Dvalishvili from getting into comfortable ground positions which will eventually affect his cardio.