Tag: Rankings/List

UFC 209 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Woodley vs Thompson Fight Card

Into every life, a little rain must fall. MMA fans are pretty accustomed to packing their umbrellas, and they needed them this week.
UFC 209 lost a good deal of luster when Khabib Nurmagomedov, the fast-talking, ultra-talented, undefeated Russian light…

Into every life, a little rain must fall. MMA fans are pretty accustomed to packing their umbrellas, and they needed them this week.

UFC 209 lost a good deal of luster when Khabib Nurmagomedov, the fast-talking, ultra-talented, undefeated Russian lightweight. Nurmagomedov fell ill while cutting weight Friday and was forced to pull out of his interim lightweight title fight with the streaking, super-aggressive Tony Ferguson. 

That let the air out of many a balloon and pay-per-view buy estimate, but UFC 209 shouldered on. Toeing much of the line was the main event, a welterweight rematch between champ Tyron Woodley and challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.

In the new co-main event slot, high-octane Lando Vannata tried his luck against anonymous-but-dangerous striker David Teymur.

As always, the final stat lines only tell part of the story. These are the real winners and losers from UFC 209 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For the literal-minded among us, full card results appear at the bottom.

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The Forgotten MMA Careers of Six Past and Present WWE Wrestlers

Mixed martial arts and professional wrestling have always been kissing cousins. From the first modern MMA promotion being founded by Tiger Mask to today, when competitors can be seen in the ring one month and in the cage the next, there has always been…

Mixed martial arts and professional wrestling have always been kissing cousins. From the first modern MMA promotion being founded by Tiger Mask to today, when competitors can be seen in the ring one month and in the cage the next, there has always been, and likely always will be, a great deal of crossover between the two sports.

Unfortunately, both MMA and pro wrestling fans have always had short memories, and that has resulted in many crossover careers—long and short, successful and unsuccessful—being forgotten to time. With that in mind, it’s worth dusting off the old imported VHS tapes and dredging the oceans of video content online today to unearth some of the lost gems wrestlers have given us.

Here are six past and present WWE wrestlers who made the jump to MMA and, for one reason or another, had their careers get largely overlooked by the public at large.

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The Best Fights the UFC Can Make Right Now

The UFC is at a crossroads.
Ronda Rousey, one of its two biggest stars, has lost two fights in a row and might never return. Conor McGregor, the biggest draw in the sport’s history, is in no hurry to return to the Octagon. Its early offerings in 2017 h…

The UFC is at a crossroads.

Ronda Rousey, one of its two biggest stars, has lost two fights in a row and might never return. Conor McGregor, the biggest draw in the sport’s history, is in no hurry to return to the Octagon. Its early offerings in 2017 have been underwhelming at best and downright bad at worst. The schedule looks like it will pick up in the second quarter of the year, but it’s still on pace to lag far behind 2015 and 2016.

What can the promotion do to right the ship?

It still has a tremendous amount of talent on its roster, and if put together in compelling matchups, there’s no reason the ship can’t be turned around. In this piece, we’ll take a look at the seven best fights the UFC could put together, from a returning Georges St-Pierre to McGregor himself. We’ll weigh marketability alongside pure stylistic joy, seeking a balance of fun and profit.

Let’s take a look at each fight.

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25 and Under: The Top 30 Young Guns in MMA

If you look around the MMA world today, you’ll notice a lot of talented fighters, but how many of those fighters are under 30? Fewer than one may think.
How many are under 25? Even fewer.
We are here to identify the 25-and-under crowd in each of the ma…

If you look around the MMA world today, you’ll notice a lot of talented fighters, but how many of those fighters are under 30? Fewer than one may think.

How many are under 25? Even fewer.

We are here to identify the 25-and-under crowd in each of the major divisions across mixed martial arts today. Twelve divisions with at least one fighter are highlighted. Some choices are obvious. Hint: a current UFC champion whose face is plastered at the top here. Others, not so much.

So who are the men and women working their way up the ladder? Mosey on through as we peek at some of the best talents who aren’t yet older than a quarter century.

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Relive Holly Holm’s Greatest Pro Boxing Moments

On Saturday, Holly Holm, fairly or not, attempts to avoid the label of one-hit wonder. When she faces Germaine de Randamie in the main event of UFC 208, she’ll be fighting not just for the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight title but also for the righ…

On Saturday, Holly Holm, fairly or not, attempts to avoid the label of one-hit wonder. When she faces Germaine de Randamie in the main event of UFC 208, she’ll be fighting not just for the inaugural UFC women’s featherweight title but also for the right to never again be known only as The Girl Who Beat Ronda Rousey.

Which is strange, because before that fateful night in 2015, Holm was an enormously accomplished combat athlete. Even with her current two-fight losing streak, she’s a not-at-all-shabby 10-2 in pro MMA. And before that, she was a boxing champion with a sparkling 33-2-3 record.

Not familiar with the boxing portion of Holm‘s resume? Take advantage of this opportunity. Sit back, relax and watch these video clips of some of the most significant moments for Holly Holm, professional boxer.

 

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Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor: Booking the Biggest Card in Combat Sports

By now it’s no real secret: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor is on the table.
It’s on the table to the extent Dana White has publicly made a first offer to the combatants, McGregor has insisted his next scrap will be under boxing rules, …

By now it’s no real secret: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor is on the table.

It’s on the table to the extent Dana White has publicly made a first offer to the combatants, McGregor has insisted his next scrap will be under boxing rules, and Mayweather has talked almost exclusively of the Irishman as his next challenge.

There’s been some back-and-forth from all parties involved, as is the case with any negotiation, and opinions vary on the plausibility of the fight happening. Still, with talk as hot as it’s ever been about the crossover fight and people from both sides of the combat sports aisle weighing in, it’s hard not to think you’ll be watching Mayweather and McGregor slug it out by the end of 2017.

Part of the deal in the earliest stages of the discussion surrounding the bout has been talks of who will be responsible for building the undercard. If White is to be believed, it will be the UFC—a potential boon for the MMA giant, which would be granted the chance to get the sport in front of its largest pay-per-view audience ever (and maybe the largest pay-per-view audience ever).

If they’re going to secure that right and then pull it off with the proper pomp and circumstance, the promotion will need to put together a card full of title fights, proven stars and stars of tomorrow to truly maximize the opportunity.

Going on the presumption the event will be a five-fight main card taking place late this year and with Mayweather-McGregor in the main event slot, here are the four bouts that should support the two biggest names in the business on what would be the biggest night in UFC history.

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