Tag Archives: featherweight

José Aldo has flipped the script on his plan to retire from the sport this year, signing himself down to an eight-fight deal with the UFC. The news will come as something of a shock to those who were watching the most recent bouts of the Brazilian in the knowledge that they would be his last. All in all though, …

Brian Ortega’s return to the UFC octagon is close to being finalised for UFC 240, with him set to take on the highly-touted Zabit Magomedsharipov. On a day in which we learned of the scintillating lightweight showdown between Tony Ferguson and Donald Cerrone, it was going to be hard for the UFC to top it with another fight-announcement. And sure, …

In a time where those who hold titles are becoming increasingly detached from the traditional measure of a great champion, Max Holloway has continued to prove himself to be a special, special talent. 2016’s UFC 199 will be forever remembered as the night we witnessed one of the greatest shocks in the history of mixed martial arts. Our sport’s community …

Despite talk of him riding off into the sunset with a huge wad of cash in his bag, Conor McGregor owes a debt to the Irish people that must be honoured. The year was 2013 and for most of those outside of the hardcores of the European MMA scene, the lanky, mohawk-sporting featherweight who walked out in the Ericsson Globe …

Former Cage Warriors lightweight champion Chris Fishgold spoke to us here at Pundit Arena after his hugely impressive victory at UFC Prague last month. The Liverpudlian was given the almighty task of taking out the current #15 featherweight in the world Calvin Kattar in his UFC debut. As a huge underdog, Fishgold managed to turn a lot of expectations on …

The next move taken by the immensely-talented young champion of the UFC featherweight division Max Holloway could well be the most important one of his career to date. Holloway is one of those fighters that seems to have a knack for reminding us exactly how good he is every time he steps into the octagon. Not that many are doubting …

The legendary former UFC featherweight champion José Aldo has confirmed that 2019 will be his last year in mixed martial arts. Aldo certainly falls under that bracket of fighters who have nothing left to prove in this sport. For years he reigned atop both the WEC and UFC featherweight division – beating each and every contender to his throne until …

Featherweight contenders collided in an absolute war on the UFC 232 main-card as Alexander Volkanovski blasted through Chad Mendes for a brutal TKO win. And while it lasted, it was a fantastic firefight between two featherweight fighters who mirrored each other on a physical level and matched each other for intensity from the off. Mendes came into the octagon that …

According to reports from ESPN, the UFC are looking to set up a featherweight showdown between Jeremy Stephens and Zabit Magomedsharipov for UFC 235. Ariel Helwani of ESPN reported first that the UFC are looking to bolster March’s UFC 235 with a pivotal featherweight clash between two of the most exciting fighters on the roster. Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Jeremy Stephens is in …

The hottest topic of discussion in the world of MMA this week stems from Max Holloway’s UFC 231 victory over Brian Ortega and the ever-growing merit to his argument as the greatest featherweight of all-time. And what a masterful display it was. Facing one of the most dangerous finishers in the UFC today, Holloway’s pace, precision, and consistent intensity saw …

Despite suffering the first loss of his pro-career at UFC 231 over the weekend, challenger Brian Ortega revealed that he agrees with the doctor’s stoppage. If it wasn’t already clear, there’s not an MMA fan on the planet today who isn’t aware of the sheer toughness that Brian Ortega brings with him to the octagon. A warrior in every sense …

One of the most eagerly-anticipated featherweight clashes of all-time will headline UFC 231 this weekend as Max Holloway takes on the unbeaten Brian Ortega. Pre-fight predictions are a funny business in mixed martial arts. For all the effort we go to in an attempt to try and figure out which style will be able to claim the upper-hand once the …

In this, the seventh edition of Exploring Irish MMA, we speak to SBG Ireland featherweight Brian ‘The Pikeman’ Moore as he prepares for perhaps the biggest fight of his career to date. Moore’s only setbacks since signing for Bellator two years ago have come against the former two-time Bellator title-challenger Daniel Weichel and one of the brightest 145lb up-and-comers in …

Against all odds, it appears as though the UFC featherweight champion of the world will return to the octagon to face Brian Ortega this year. It may seem like it was an eternity ago, given what has transpired since, but we’re only about seven weeks removed from UFC 226 and Max Holloway’s unfortunate withdrawal from that event. Many had noticed …

Today marks the fifth anniversary of the meeting between two men that would go on to become two of the greatest fighters of the modern-era UFC. Both Conor McGregor and Max Holloway were very young in their respective MMA careers and even with their clear potential, no-one could have predicted how dominant each man would go on to become. Despite …

José Aldo absolutely destroyed Jeremy Stephens at UFC Calgary with an impeccably timed body-shot in the very first round.  Oh man, that probably felt good! Aldo managed to bounce back in incredible fashion at UFC Calgary last night, crushing the fearsome Jeremy Stephens in the opening stanza of their co-main event fixture. For all the adversity the Brazilian has been …

The UFC’s 25th-anniversary show just confirmed an absolutely amazing headliner as Frankie Edgar meets Chan Sung Jung over five rounds. Edgar proved his mettle beyond all doubt when he bounced back from a brutal KO at the hands of 145lb-challenger Brian Ortega with a decision victory over Cub Swanson just a matter of weeks later. Frankie had never once been …

Michael Bisping heard through the grapevine that the UFC’s featherweight champion Max Holloway was knocked out in sparring just prior to his scrapped UFC 226 showdown with Brian Ortega. It’s funny to think about how this month’s UFC 226 would have looked had the originally-scheduled co-main event between Holloway and Brian Ortega actually gone ahead. Would the rest of the …