Tag: UFC

‘Dark Side of the Cage’ Producer Reveals Why UFC and Dana White is Not Part of the Series

'Dark Side of the Cage' Producer Reveals Why UFC and CEO Dana White is Not Part of the SeriesIf you were hoping to get a ‘Dark Side of the Cage‘ episode about Dana White and the meteoric…

'Dark Side of the Cage' Producer Reveals Why UFC and CEO Dana White is Not Part of the Series

If you were hoping to get a ‘Dark Side of the Cage‘ episode about Dana White and the meteoric rise of the UFC, I’m afraid we’ve got some bad news.

Earlier this month, VICE TV debuted its latest ‘Dark Side’ series, this time focusing on the gritty world of mixed martial arts. The series, appropriately titled Dark Side of the Cage’ kicked off its 10-episode first season with the rise of backyard brawler Kimbo Slice. This week, fans got an inside look into the career of Diego Sanchez and his tumultuous relationship with self-described ‘guru’ Joshua Fabia.

Dark Side of the Cage

During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, series producer Tim Healy offered some insight into why they opted not to feature White or the story of the UFC.

“No, we know enough about the UFC and Dana to know not to waste our time, right? Really, back to one of my original points is, it’s not a series about the UFC,” Healy said. “There’s no avoiding the UFC, the UFC is the UFC, right? They’re the pre-eminent promotion, and all the fighters spent their time in the UFC and crossed paths with Dana White and the Fertittas… We didn’t reach out to Dana and we didn’t reach out to the Fertittas because we weren’t telling the UFC’s story.”

Another reason Healy decided to exclude the MMA juggernaut from the series is that he’s already had the chance to cover the UFC’s emergence as part of his ‘Dark Side of the 90s’ mini-series which was also produced for VICE.

“My production company, Railsplitter Pictures, we produced ‘Dark Side of the 90s’ for Vice, and when we were brainstorming episodes, we came up with let’s tell the story of the UFC,” Healy previously told MMA Fighting. “So we did a two-parter, we did 2 hours on the dark side of the UFC, and it did really, really well. It was received really well.”

The success of his UFC two-parter is what ultimately led Healy to develop ‘Dark Side of the Cage.’

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‘Dark side of the cage’ will take a closer look at TUF

While the UFC won’t be explicitly covered this season, an episode focused on the promotion’s long-running reality TV series, The Ultimate Fighter, is scheduled to air on January 29.

Check out the full season one lineup of episodes below:

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UFC 311: Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2, Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov Press Conference Live Stream

We’re deep into UFC 311 fight week, meaning it’s time for the fighters set to be in action on Jan. 18 to take to the stage and answer some questions. The MMA leader’s first numbered event of the new year takes place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, where the main attraction will see […]

We’re deep into UFC 311 fight week, meaning it’s time for the fighters set to be in action on Jan. 18 to take to the stage and answer some questions.

The MMA leader’s first numbered event of the new year takes place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, where the main attraction will see UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev put his belt on the line against a challenger he’s previously gotten the better of, Arman Tsarukyan.

Setting the stage for the UFC 311 headliners will be another title fight, this time at 135 pounds. Bantamweight kingpin Merab Dvalishvili will look to emerge victorious from his first defense, as he puts the gold he captured four months ago at stake against the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov.

Also on pay-per-view will be a clash of former light heavyweight champions Ji?í Procházka and Jamahal Hill, both of whom make the walk for the first time since their respective knockout losses to Alex Pereira in 2024. That’s in addition to an important battle of top 10 lightweights, as Beneil Dariush looks to stall the rise of Renato Moicano.

The UFC 311 main card will open with the always entertaining Kevin Holland, who will look to begin his 2025 by snapping the losing skid he fell to last year. To do so, “Trailblazer” must hand former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder his first UFC defeat.

As is customary during major fight weeks, the athletes will take to the stage on Thursday for the UFC 311 pre-fight press conference. The latest edition will see every fighter on the main card with mic in hand.

Check out a live stream of the presser below via the UFC’s official YouTube channel, commencing at 10 PM ET.

Kevin Holland Makes Admission About Past UFC Loss: ‘I Was High As A Kite…’

Kevin Holland has received criticism in the past for being too relaxed and not focused enough in some big fights. This was particularly a talking point following two back-to-back losses that he suffered in consecutive months back in 2021. 2020 was a massive year for “Trailblazer” who despite the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, was […]

Kevin Holland has received criticism in the past for being too relaxed and not focused enough in some big fights. This was particularly a talking point following two back-to-back losses that he suffered in consecutive months back in 2021.

2020 was a massive year for “Trailblazer” who despite the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, was able to tie the record for the most UFC wins in a calendar year with five. This earned him his first main event against Derek Brunson and shortly after a one-sided defeat, he jumped right into another five-round spotlight and was beaten by Marvin Vettori after replacing Darren Till.

Ahead of his return at UFC 311 this Saturday, Holland appeared on Demetrious Johnson’s MightyCast where he spoke about his weed-smoking habits and how he is able to compete at a high level despite this. Holland certainly isn’t the only UFC fighter who has to be careful depending on the rules of the athletic commissions due to his daily routines.

He told Johnson about how he looked to change his regular patterns ahead of his fight with Brunson because he had some anxiety regarding how his smoking could affect his performance. After losing that fight, he went back on the adjustments, telling “Mighty Mouse” that having accepted the Vettori fight on just nine days notice, it made sense to continue smoking throughout fight week.

“The Marvin Vettori fight, I was high as a kite,” Holland said. “Not during the fight, but all week, I was high as a kite. Five rounds didn’t feel like shit that time. The Derek Brunson fight, I was all worried, I was like, damn bro, I’m not going to smoke that much because I have five rounds, so I don’t want to be f*cking with my lungs. First time doing five rounds in a UFC fight, it could go that long, he wants to wrestle and stuff, so I was like, I’m not going to do that. Then I was like, I stressed myself out for no reason, I still lost the f*cking fight.

“So then after the next one, I was like, I’m just going to smoke. So they gave me Marvin Vettori at the last second, I was partying and everything. I didn’t feel any different. The pace got to be pushed, a lot of times when you’ve got five rounds, they don’t push the pace, I don’t push the pace, we’re just chilling.”

Patrício Pitbull Outlines Three-Opponent Wish List For UFC Debut After PFL Release

Patrício Pitbull has been one of the top fighters in the featherweight division throughout his career. If there’s one thing that has held back the Bellator icon and record holder in the promotion it is that he hasn’t had the opportunity to face the best fighters in the UFC. That could change in the near […]

Patrício Pitbull has been one of the top fighters in the featherweight division throughout his career. If there’s one thing that has held back the Bellator icon and record holder in the promotion it is that he hasn’t had the opportunity to face the best fighters in the UFC.

That could change in the near future following the news that after voicing his complaints, the 37-year old has been granted a release from his PFL contract following a breakdown in communication between the two parties. Pitbull also said at this time that he hopes to sign with the UFC if the PFL let him go so that he could step inside the Octagon before retiring.

Similarly to what we have seen in the past when other Bellator stars like Michael Chandler and Michael “Venom” Page made the jump over, it would make sense for the former two-weight champion to skip the line to some degree rather than debuting on the Fight Pass prelims. He already has the high-level experienced needed and with the clock running down on his career, it’s now or never to see him in the big fights that would make his signing worthwhile.

With that in mind, Pitbull is targeting the very top of the UFC’s featherweight division. Right at the top of the 145-pound pile are the current superstar champion, the legendary former titleholder and one of the division’s most exciting rising talents who has become a huge fan favorite in recent years.

He has already posted on X to specifically mention the name of Alexander Volkanovski but after appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, he added two more names to his planned hitlist for a potential UFC debut.

Reinier de Ridder Breaks Down How He’ll Choke Out Kevin Holland At UFC 311

Reinier de Ridder arrived in the UFC last year as a true specialist in mixed martial arts. Despite coming from a part of the world that is known for its kickboxing prowess, the Dutch competitor is a jiu-jitsu mastermind. The former two-division titleholder in ONE Championship has produced 13 submission victories out of 18 total […]

Reinier de Ridder arrived in the UFC last year as a true specialist in mixed martial arts. Despite coming from a part of the world that is known for its kickboxing prowess, the Dutch competitor is a jiu-jitsu mastermind.

The former two-division titleholder in ONE Championship has produced 13 submission victories out of 18 total pro wins. With a variety of techniques under his belt, including an inverted triangle choke, “The Dutch Knight” is a serious threat once the fight hits the floor.

He was able to showcase this in his UFC debut in November where in the third round, he tapped out the holder of the most submissions in UFC middleweight history (tied third-most overall) when he caught Gerald Meerschaert in an arm triangle choke. In his next outing inside the Octagon, de Ridder faces Kevin Holland at UFC 311 this weekend.

Holland also has an impressive submission record with nine of his 26 wins coming via this method but there’s no denying that he does his best work whilst the fight stays standing. Having been submitted twice during his UFC tenure, this is exactly the method of victory that his opponent is aiming for at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

De Ridder spoke during his media day interview about how he sees the fight going and what he will do in order to get his hand raised by adding another sub to his record.

“I’m going to try and pressure him, hit him with some good shots, take him down, choke him out,” de Ridder said Wednesday at a media day for UFC 311. “I see myself putting the pressure on. I think the first minute is going to be very wild, very spectacular. He’s going to be trying to get away from me throwing wild stuff, wild kicks, wild punches.

“I’m going to be pressuring him, hopefully getting him a couple times with some kicks, get him against the cage, get him down, get to his back and choke him out as soon as possible.”

Dana White’s Latest Update On Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall Is A Promising One

Right at the top of every fight fans’ wish list for 2025 is the potential for a heavyweight title unification clash in the UFC. Jon Jones might be considered by many to be the greatest to ever do it but some still question whether he is the best in his current division. Interim champion Tom […]

Right at the top of every fight fans’ wish list for 2025 is the potential for a heavyweight title unification clash in the UFC. Jon Jones might be considered by many to be the greatest to ever do it but some still question whether he is the best in his current division.

Interim champion Tom Aspinall has a claim to be the best heavyweight in the world right now and his speed, power and age makes him such an interesting challenge for Jones to take on. The excitement around seeing them meet inside the Octagon has only increased following the comments that have been exchanged between them, specifically on the side of the heavyweight champion who hasn’t been overly interested in the fight.

Fortunately, Dana White is and though Jones has proven to be a stubborn negotiator in the past, the UFC clearly wants to make it happen and that’s a step in the right direction. With Aspinall saying that he has already agreed to everything on his side, there appears to be plans in motion.

White gave the same impression during a recent interview with Jim Rome where he spoke about the fight and his expectations of seeing it take place.

“We’re in the works, we’re talking on it. I mean, I’ve said that I’m very confident that fight happens this year.”

Without having a look behind the scenes, many will assume given the narrative surrounding the fight that getting Jones to sign on the dotted line will be the biggest hurdle. White said that despite this, he doesn’t believe there is a substantial barrier stopping this deal from getting across the line.

“Nothing. Nothing’s holding it up. It’s just a matter of getting it done. You know, this stuff, it’s not as easy to put these type of fights together as people think they are. They take time and we’ll get it done.”

(White appears on the show and talks about the fight at around the 2:37:00 mark)