UFC will make its long-awaited return to the United Kingdom for a special “Fight Night” MMA card on Sat., March 19, 2022, from inside O2 Arena in London, England, topped by a heavyweight banger between Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall.

Event: UFC London: “Volkov vs. Aspinall”
Date: Sat., March 19, 2022
Location: O2 Arena in London, England
Broadcast: ESPN+ (12 p.m. ET Prelims | 3 p.m. ET Main Card)

UFC London Main Event On ESPN+:

265 lbs.: Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall

UFC London Main Card, Prelims On ESPN+:

145 lbs.: Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen
125 lbs.: Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento
125 lbs.: Luana Carolina vs. Molly McCann
125 lbs.: Cody Durden vs. Muhammad Mokaev
145 lbs.: Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy
135 lbs.: Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev
265 lbs.: Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Sergei Pavlovich
170 lbs.: Gunnar Nelson vs. Claudio Silva
155 lbs.: Paddy Pimblett vs. Rodrigo Vargas

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change due to COVID-19.*

To check out the latest and greatest UFC London news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For more upcoming UFC events click here.

Money talks.

Jake Paul can’t impact the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) or the business practices of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from the outside, so “The Problem Child” and his investors are buying their way through the front door.

The means to that end is scooping up stock in Endeavor, UFC’s parent company.

“I’ve invested in EDR (UFC) stock with my partner Geoffrey Woo to focus on UFC’s ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards relating to fighters,” Paul announced. “We believe EDR can drive long-term economic value by increasing UFC fighter pay and providing them healthcare. Reaching out to Engine No. 1 to partner on this ‘endeavor.’”

Engine No. 1 bills itself as an “impact investment group purpose-built to create long-term value by driving positive impact through active ownership.” That means investors don’t sit around waiting to get rich while the company does whatever the hell it wants.

Instead, shareholders get their hands dirty while promoting positive change.

“Jake is the archetype of the future, where individual transcends the machine,” Woo wrote on Twitter. “This is happening across all sectors — media, entertainment, & tech start ups where dynamic, innovative individuals & creators are bargaining toe-to-toe with the owners, the institutions, and the academy.”

“Who am I? I come from Silicon Valley & web3/crypto,” Woo continued. “Skin in the game, shared equity, and long-term alignment is the underlying incentive model that made Silicon Valley and crypto the most impactful business models of the last 20 years. We intend to apply these models to the UFC.”

UFC and promotion president Dana White have been criticized over the years for mistreating fighters and creating a toxic workplace. Paul, who recently teased a jump to MMA, has been one of the organization’s most outspoken critics.

“We believe the best way to accelerate this inevitable revolution is to lead it from within the UFC as co-owners & impact investors,” Woo said. “I invite likeminded shareholders, our Board, our largest institutional to the smallest individual owners of EDR/UFC to join Jake, Anti Fund, and I to drive management change to upgrade sport culture, whilst capturing outsized long-term equity value. It’s not just the right thing to do, but the profitable one.”

Sounds like Paul and Co. are really trying to make a positive change in the MMA industry. Or they could just want a piece of the $7 billion pie and decided to cook up some do-gooder excuse to avoid looking like money-grubbing hypocrites.

UFC hall of famer Don Frye hosts a podcast called “Toxic Masculinity” alongside fellow MMA legend Dan Severn and posted the following message to his Instagram account, just hours before the UFC 270 pay-per-view (PPV) event last weekend in Anaheim.

“All hell is about to break loose!!!! These two grumpy old men are on the road heading to UFC 270,” Frye wrote. “If anyone is interested in a meet and greet, speaking engagement, feast with ‘The Beast’ or punched by ‘The Predator’ reach out to oppllc@icloud.com we will be in L.A. for the weekend.”

Looks like Frye made good on his offer to reach out and slug someone (not named Francis Ngannou). TMZ Sports recently uploaded video of “The Predator” in a heated argument, which ended a the fan getting punched in the face and rushed to safety.

Despite getting inducted into the UFC hall of fame back in late 2016, which included this uncomfortable speech, Frye continues to be an outspoken critic of UFC and promotion president Dana White, who ruined MMA with his 30 Ferraris.

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

UFC is always looking to turn a buck in any manner possible. Whether it’s hot dog branders or the metaverse, expect the promotion to jump at any gimmick if it might be profitable. Unfortunately, those profits are not always shared with the athletes, which has become a source of great controversy for UFC, such as in the recent Cryptocurrency sponsorship.

In UFC’s latest venture into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), however, there’s a reported 50-50 profit split between the organization and the athletes featured. UFC Strike is the official source of licensed UFC NFTs, and their first drop sold out in just about four hours.

There are 35 moments/fights covered in the pack, and in each NFT, both the winning and losing fighter featured will be paid. Based on the numbers, it’s estimated that the average athlete featured will earn just under $18k, while fighters featured twice can expect double that figure.

Fighters getting paid off their likeness has been a historical point of great debate between UFC and its contractors. At one point in 2008, the promotion briefly released every athlete from American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) over that exact issue, a group which included future champions like Cain Velasquez!

Hopefully, this is a sign of progress, and fighters can expect to profit more off revenue streams that result from their fights outside of their official purses.

Insomnia

I’d like to see Matt Frevola back in the Octagon, “Steamrolla” puts on bangers!

Tito Ortiz has such a way with words! The man has been at war with the English language for well over a decade.

I don’t know a damn thing about pillow fighting, but these two ladies don’t seem very good at it.

Perhaps the most strikes I’ve ever seen Sam Alvey throw?

Parker Porter has consistently surprised me with his technical kickboxing since joining the UFC roster, so here’s a rare endorsement of an undercard Heavyweight fight.

Daniel Cormier takes a tumble.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

This is about as perfect as an overhand can be.

Two different kick KOs, but both are pretty sweet!

Enjoy 90 seconds of swanging-and-banging.

Random Land

Thanks, I hate it.

Midnight Music: My Twitter feed alerted me to the fact that today is the 50th anniversary of Paul Simon’s self-titled solo debut LP. Like everything else Paul Simon, it’s good stuff.

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

An Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fan favorite is set to return to action as Heavyweight contender Chris Barnett has been booked to face off against Martin Buday at an upcoming “Fight Night” event on April 16, 2022.

After suffering a submission loss at the hands of Ben Rothwell in his UFC debut in May 2021, “Huggy Bear” bounced back nicely with a huge win over Gian Villante at UFC 268 in Nov. 2021, knocking him out via a spinning wheel kick, which was preceded by one heck of a post-win celebration.

As for Buday, he will be making his UFC debut after a stellar performance on Dana White’s “Contender Series” in Oct. 2021, knocking out Lorenzo Hood in the very first round via knockout, giving him his eighth straight win.

While no main event has been confirmed for the ESPN+-streamed event, the promotion recently booked a Welterweight scrap between Diego Lima and Miguel Baeza

No venue or location has been confirmed as of this writing, so keep it tuned to MMA Mania as more fights and details regarding the event are announced.

Professional Fighters League (PFL) recently announced a deal with fuboTV to air its upcoming “Challenger Series” events, which are set to kick off on Fri., Feb. 18, 2022 in Orlando, Florida.

Now, the promotion has revealed the lineups for its first two events, with the second fight card taking place a week later on Feb. 25.

“On February 18 the light heavyweight card will be headlined by LFA double-champion Josh Silveira will face off with South Sudanese brawler Mohamed Juma in what is expected to be an action-packed affair. Germany’s Alexander Poppeck will matchup with American Taylor Johnson in a battle of finishers,” read a press release.

Silveira inked a deal with PFL not too long ago after starting his career at 7-0, which includes capturing both the Middleweight and Light Heavyweight Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) titles.

“One week later, February 25, Jordan’s Jarrah Al Silawi will bring his talents to North America for the first time when he meets American striker Michael Lilly. Dilano Taylor and Mark Martin, both American wrestlers will duel in a match of top 170-pound prospects.”

Here are the full fight cards for both events:

Light Heavyweight Matchups - Feb. 18

Josh Silveira vs. Mohamed Juma

Alexander Poppeck vs. Taylor Johnson

Joao Paulo Fagundes vs. Bruce Souto

Simeon Powell vs. Karl Williams

Welterweight Matchups - Feb. 25

Jarrah Al Silawi vs. Michael Lilly

Dilano Taylor vs. Mark Martin

Carlos Leal vs. Socrates Pierre

Lucas Barbosa vs. Troy Green

The winner of the “Challenger Series” will automatically earn a spot in the promotion’s annual tournament for that particular division where the last man standing earns a whopping $1 million payday.

To get all of your daily PFL updates click here

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) staged its first pay-per-view (PPV) event of 2022 with UFC 270 going down last Saturday night (Jan. 22) inside Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., which saw Francis Ngannou defeat Ciryl Gane via unanimous decision to unify the Heavyweight titles (see it here). Now, the promotion is wasting no time in pumping up its next PPV event.

UFC 272 is set to pop off from inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Sat., Feb. 12 which will feature a Middleweight title fight between division king, Israel Adesanya, and former 185-pound titleholder, Robert Whittaker.

The two initially met back at UFC 243 in Oct. 2019 which ultimately saw “The Last Stylebender” knockout “The Reaper” to win the strap. Whittaker has bounced back nicely since then to win three in a row, while Adesanya has defended his title three times since then, and came up short in his bid to win the Light Heavyweight title.

Now, the two men will run it back one more time to see who gets to lead the Middleweight division in 2022.

Also on the card, Derek Brunson will attempt to win his sixth straight when he battles hard-hitting Jared Cannonier in a Middleweight affair, while Derrick Lewis looks to bounce back from his loss to Gane when he takes on Tai Tuivasa in 265-pound action.

To see the most up-to-date UFC 271 “Adesanya vs Whittaker 2” fight card click here

The drama surrounding the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and its Heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, just got a whole lot deeper. As if fighting with a busted knee against an undefeated interim champion wasn’t hard enough, it seems “The Predator” had a lot on his mind ahead of UFC 270.

During a recent interview on The MMA Hour, Ngannou revealed that the promotion sent his manager, Marquel Martin, an email on their way to the Honda Center for his title unification bout against Ciryl Gane — whom he defeated via unanimous decision — threatening him with a lawsuit.

The reason: For an alleged conversation Martin had with Jake Paul’s manager, Nakisa Bidarian, about potential boxing opportunities.

“Going into this fight, going into the arena, I put on my suit and I walked into the room waiting for my manager and my coach they were like ‘Wow!’ And I asked them what was going on and they told me that they just received an email from the UFC saying they were going to sue him for talking to this guy named Nakisa,” explained Ngannou.

“So I asked who this guy was, and they said they didn’t know him too much but that he was from Jake Paul’s team. I asked if it was the promoter and they said no. But, once again I don’t know. It doesn’t look like they want to talk to me anymore.”

Bidarian is an ex-UFC executive whom White is not too fond of. Furthermore, White has been very vocal about the disdain he has towards Ngannou’s management team, blaming them for a lot of the issues surrounding the two sides. Per the report, neither Martin nor Bidiarian were available for comment.

For his part, Ngannou says he has no clue who Bidarian is and has never met or talked to him before.

This is just the latest hiccup in a relationship between promoter and champion that is strained to what some may say beyond repair. Ngannou also recently revealed that he has left a lot of money on the table due to the fact that contract offers received from UFC to extend were “one-sided” and didn’t meet a lot of his demands.

For now, Ngannou plans to sit out for a year in order to let his contract expire, which was automatically extended after his championship win for three fights or a period of a year. In doing so, Ngannou hopes to be free from UFC and explore big-money fights in the boxing world.

And the offers are already rolling in.

That said, the hard-hitting big man is still open to hearing more offers from the promotion’s officials in order to give them a chance to “make things right.” On the flipside, Ngannou says if this is the end of his UFC run he will be at peace with that, as well.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 270: “Ngannou vs. Gane” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will once again stage “International Fight Week” in Las Vegas, Nevada, the annual tradition that will play host to a bevy of events all around “Sin City” in the leadup to a massive pay-per-view (PPV) event.

According to a recent press release, this year’s event will begin on Monday, June 27 and will run all week long culminating with UFC 276, which is set to go down inside T-Mobile Arena on Sat., July 2.

“We’re excited to announce the return of UFC International Fight Week to Las Vegas this summer and we can’t wait to provide our fans with greater access, a wide variety of activations and more memorable experiences than ever before,” UFC Chief Operating Officer Ike Lawrence Epstein said. “IFW is our annual event celebrating all things UFC and combat sports, and we couldn’t do it without our partners from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.”

Aside from the PPV event and several meet and greets for fans to get photo ops with their favorite fighters, the annual UFC Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will take place, as well as a grappling tournament. Furthermore, the Las Vegas Convention center will play host to a two-day fan experience event starting on Friday (July 1) and Saturday (July 2).

While no fights have yet to be announced, one can only assume the promotion will do its best to stack the summer extravaganza as has been customary. Of course, the first name that comes to mind is none other than Conor McGregor, who could be making his way back around that time.

Also, Jon Jones is another top candidate to potentially headline the event, though we still have to see how things play out with Francis Ngannou and UFC before we start making plans for a potential heavyweight title fight between the two.

As always, keep it tuned to MMA Mania as more details emerge for UFC 276.

UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou blew out his knee less than a month before his Ciryl Gane title fight, which topped the UFC 270 pay-per-view (PPV) event last Sat. night (Jan. 22, 2021) in Anaheim, California. But “The Predator” already gave up a sizable contract renewal ahead of his “Bon Gamin” grudge match and was just a few weeks away from winning his freedom, so Ngannou plowed ahead and managed to grind his way to a unanimous decision victory in “The Golden State.”

Ngannou took home a $600,000 fight purse.

“I’ve been leaving a lot of money on the table, even since the Stipe (Miocic) fight,” Ngannou told The MMA Hour. “By now I might be down at least $7 million that I left on the table. I’m still happy with my $600,000 because I stood to fight for what I work for. Freedom doesn’t work with money. You give up one for one, whether you want freedom or whether you want money. You give up one to gain one.”

The outspoken Ngannou, no stranger to public pay disputes, insists he’s not holding out for a specific dollar amount and instead wants a contract that allows more flexibility. And by flexibility he undoubtedly means a boxing match against some of the top names in the “sweet science,” like current champion and longtime UFC troll Tyson Fury.

“This wasn’t just a fight, I was not just fighting in the Octagon, I was fighting for everything I stand for,” Ngannou continued. “It was way more beyond the fight, it was for my principles, for things that I believe in. That was the reason why I was fighting. Even when they were trying to reach out for a deal they came out with a good amount of money. I’m like, ‘At this point it doesn’t even matter.’ I left that all on the table. I don’t even care. I’m taking my six-hundred thousand, I’m going there, doing this, and I’m winning everything.”

UFC 270 marked the final fight on “The Predator’s” contract.

The promotion typically includes a championship clause in each of its contracts, which is expected to bind Ngannou to another title fight when he’s healthy and ready to return. How that situation plays out in light of these recent comments remains to be seen, but something tells me this won’t be a clean break, at least from a legal standpoint.

UFC 269 was a big success.

While 500,000 pay-per-view (PPV) buys would have been considered middle-of-the-road just a few years back, anything over 500k in the ESPN+ era is now labeled a big win, simply because fight fans must also pay for an additional subscription service before unlocking the ability to purchase a UFC PPV.

Which now costs $74.99 each, thanks to this recent increase.

“ESPN Plus sold slightly more than 500,000 PPV units for UFC 269 last month, per [Sports Business Journal] sources,” reporter Adam Stern wrote on Twitter.

In addition to lightweight champion Charles Oliveira’s submission victory over top 155-pound contender Dustin Poirier, women’s bantamweight bruiser Julianna Pena shocked the world by finishing pound-for-pound great Amanda Nunes.

Who is demanding an immediate rematch.

Oliveira is still coming into his own as a PPV draw, but Poirier is an established star who recently headlined a pair shows opposite box-office behemoth Conor McGregor. “Do Bronx” is likely to face Justin Gaethje in his next title defense, while “The Diamond” is trying to finagle a fight against Nate Diaz.

Who remains a “Top 5 PPV draw,” according to this analyst.

The UFC London fight card is filling up — fast.

Fresh on the heels of today’s announcement that Dan Hooker would be returning to featherweight to battle Arnold Allen (details here) comes word that Gunnar Nelson, sidelined since late 2019 due to injury, will be making his 170-pound comeback opposite Brazilian bruiser Claudio Silva at O2 Arena on March 19.

That’s according to by MMA journalist Alfredo Zullino.

Nelson (17-5-1) was expected to become the next big thing at 170 pounds, racking up four straight wins after making his Octagon debut in late 2012. Unfortunately for “Gunni” fans, the grappling phenom and karate black belt fell into a slump, putting together a below average record of 4-5 over the next few years.

And losses to top contenders like Gilbert Burns and Leon Edwards did him zero favors.

Like Nelson before him, Silva (14-3) put the division on notice by capturing victories in his first five fights under the UFC banner, then lost all of his momentum by posting consecutive losses to the likes of James Krause and Court McGee. “Hannibal” is six years older than his Icelandic opponent at 39 and could be looking at his final run for UFC.

UFC London will be headlined by the heavyweight showdown between Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall. Elsewhere on the card, Jake Hadley collides with Allan Nascimento at 125 pounds, while Paddy Pimblett makes his lightweight return against Rodrigo Vargas.

Stay tuned for more UFC London fight card announcements in the coming days.

Jake Paul is the hottest free agent in combat sports.

But it’s not yet known if “The Problem Child” will continue his celebrity boxing career — where he stands at 5-0 with four knockouts — or make good on this promise to cross over to MMA.

Where Eagle FC will be waiting.

“The doors of Eagle Fight Club always open for you and your team,” promoter and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov wrote on Twitter.

“Deal,” Paul responded. “Only if I fight you first.”

Fat chance.

Nurmagomedov retired from MMA while still under contract to UFC. So even if “The Eagle” somehow agreed to fight Paul — who is several weight classes larger — he would also need to convince Dana White and Co. to sign off on the fight.

And a lost payday.

For now, we’ll have to settle for Eagle FC’s stateside debut, which takes place this Fri. night (Jan. 28) in Miami. Among the top billed fighters are Tyrone Spong, Serghei Kharitonov, Rashad Evans, and Ray Borg, just to name a few.

For the complete Eagle FC 44 fight card and FLX lineup click here.

Dan Hooker is returning to featherweight.

The 31 year-old “Hangman” (21-11) will collide with “Almighty” English sensation Arnold Allen (17-1) at the upcoming UFC London event at O2 Arena on March 19, the promotion announced on Monday, a “Fight Night” card expected to air on both on ESPN+ and ESPN.

Hooker put together a 7-1 run at 155 pounds and managed to crack the Top 5 of the division; however, three losses in his next four fights — against the best in his weight class — sent the City Kickboxing captain back to his old stomping grounds.

As for Allen, who turned 28 just last week, he can seemingly do no wrong at 145 pounds. “Almighty” made his UFC debut in June 2015 with a victory over Alan Omer and hasn’t looked back, winning his next seven fights over a span of four years.

UFC London will be headlined by the heavyweight showdown between Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall. Elsewhere on the card, Jake Hadley collides with Allan Nascimento at 125 pounds, while Paddy Pimblett makes his lightweight return against Rodrigo Vargas.

Stay tuned for more UFC London fight card announcements in the coming days.

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will bring his Eagle Fight Club promotion to the United States for the first time this Friday night in Miami, featuring a lineup of well-established veterans from both the stateside and international MMA scene.

Event: Eagle FC 44: “Spong vs. Kharitonov”
Date: Fri., Jan. 28, 2022
Location: FLX Arena in Miami, Florida
Broadcast: FLX Cast at 6 p.m. ET

Eagle FC 44 Main Event On FLX:

265 lbs.: Tyron Spong vs. Serghei Kharitonov

Eagle FC 44 Main Card On FLX:

205 lbs.: Gabriel Checco vs. Rashad Evans
135 lbs.: Ray Borg vs. Cody Gibson
175 lbs.: John Howard vs. Ramazan Kuramagomedov
175 lbs.: Raimond Magomedaliev vs. Anthony Njokuani

Eagle FC 44 Preliminary Card On FLX:

145 lbs.: Arman Ospanov vs. Dylan Salvador
165 lbs.: Shaun Asher vs. Yorgan De Castro
165 lbs.: Miles Hunsinger vs. Demarques Jackson
135 lbs.: Shawn Bunch vs. Adi Alic
165 lbs.: Loik Radzhabov vs. Zach Zane

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change due to COVID-19.*

For more on Eagle FC’s stateside debut this week in Miami click here.

Another action-packed weekend of fights has come and gone as UFC 270 went down last Saturday (Jan. 22, 2022) inside the Honda Center in Anaheim. California. Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Brandon Moreno, who lost his Flyweight title to Deiveson Figueiredo in their trilogy bout (see it here).

And Cody Stamann, who suffered his third straight defeat after he was submitted by Said Nurmagomedov in just 47 seconds. But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?

Ciryl Gane.

Coming into his headlining title fight against his former training partner and division king, Francis Ngannou, Gane was riding high of his knockout win over Derrick Lewis, which earned him the interim title and his tenth straight win. Plus, since he spent some time training with “The Predator,” Gane had a bit of an idea what to expect come fight night.

What I don’t think he was prepared for, though, was Ngannou’s grappling.

For the first few rounds, Gane was executing a beautiful gameplan, sticking and moving to avoid the champion’s huge bombs that have left a trail of destruction in the Octagon. After the first few rounds, it seemed as if “Bon Gamin” has the perfect blueprint to walk away with a win. Especially because it Ngannou was already breathing heavy.

But then, the tides slowly started turning in Ngannou’s favor after a big slam. From there, the 265-pound champion started opening up his strikes and mixing in more takedowns to take control of the pace. After 25 minutes, “The Predator” had done enough to unify the titles to once again become the undisputed king of the big men.

While the loss was a tough blow for the Frenchman, it may not be as bad as it seems depending on how everything works out with UFC and Ngannou. The two sides will likely have several meeting in the coming months to see if they can come to some sort of contract extension that will keep all involved happen, especially “The Predator.”

Should that not happen and Ngannou opt to sit out a year to let his contract expire after it was automatically extended due to the promotion’s championship clause, that’s when things will get very interesting for the 265-pound division, in particular Gane.

UFC could very well agree to let Ngannou walk if he’s not happy, though that is unlikely to happen. But if it does, then the title will be vacated, paving the way for Gane to step right back in for another title fight, perhaps against former Light Heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.

If Gane opts to fight again before UFC and Ngannou resolve their issues, then perhaps a fight against former 265-pound champion Stipe Miocic is in order. Not much has been heard or seen from Stipe since he got knocked out by Ngannou almost a year ago.

Miocic desperately wants another chance to win his belt back, and taking out Gane would be a sure-fire way to get back in there sooner, rather than later. And the same goes for Gane. After all, It’s not like the top half of the Heavyweight division is screaming with contenders on great win streaks worthy enough to earn a title shot.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 270: “Ngannou vs. Gane” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

With Francis Ngannou on the verge of free agency, Tyson Fury is making him an open offer to join the heavyweights making tens of millions of dollars.

Francis Ngannou won his big UFC 270 fight against Ciryl Gane on Saturday night but another battle is about to heat up: the one between him and the UFC over his contractual status. The defense against Gane marked the final fight on Ngannou’s contract. But because Ngannou won, a champion’s clause kicks in, keeping “The Predator” around for three more fights or one year.

According to Ngannou, his contract expires in December of 2022 regardless. And given he fought on a blown out knee that will take the majority of the year to heal up, there’s a good chance he couldn’t step back into the Octagon before then if he wanted to.

What happens next is unclear. It seems like Ngannou will wait and then walk away, but the UFC has always seemed to figure out some legal trick or another to keep its top fighters from leaving and making bank outside the organization. And make no mistake: that’s exactly what would happen here.

There’s already a superfight brewing between Ngannou and heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury. Sure, Ngannou would probably get clowned in a boxing ring, but that wouldn’t stop the fight from making a lot of money. A lot of money that goes to the fighters.

Following the fight, Tyson Fury once again extended an invitation to fight, saying “if you want to make some real money come see the GK” aka “The Gypsy King.”

Ngannou was right there ready with a mock up poster:

The heavyweight boxing scene is awash in money right now. Tyson Fury just made over $25 million dollars for his last two fights against Deontay Wilder. A heavyweight unification fight between Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will make even more. Consider this: boxing promoters are preparing to pay Anthony Joshua $20 million dollars just to waive an immediate rematch clause with Usyk to let the Fury fight happen.

So yeah ... compare that to Francis Ngannou making $600,000 on the front end of his UFC deal and a couple bucks off each pay-per-view sold. Experts estimate that he’s unlikely to break $5 million for his defense against Ciryl Gane. Between the pay and the well publicized difficulties he’s had with UFC management, it’s no surprise he’s looking to go to boxing.

UFC 270 went down last night (Sat., Jan. 22, 2022) from inside Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., featuring a Heavyweight title unification bout which saw Francis Ngannou defeat Ciryl Gane via unanimous decision to once again become the undisputed champion (see it here). In the co-headlining act, Deiveson Figueiredo defeated Brandon Moreno to win back the Flyweight title he lost to him last year (see it here).

Winner: Francis Ngannou

Who He Should Fight Next: Jon Jones

Yes, Francis Ngannou said he’s “done” with trying to fight Jones, but that is the fight to make. After his win over Gane, “The Predator” will now likely sit down with UFC officials to hash out a new, perhaps more lucrative deal. But based on this, things aren’t looking all that well at the moment. If “The Predator” doesn’t get what he’s looking for he could very well sit out for a whole year to let his contract expire, or hope that UFC just flat out releases him and let’s him go about his way if that truly is what he wants to do.

Winner: Deiveson Figueiredo

Who He Should Face Next: Brandon Moreno

Believe it or not, this is the only thing that makes sense after Figueiredo dethroned Moreno from the 125-pound throne. After the fight, however, “Daico” revealed that he would be more than happy to run it back one more time against the man who dethroned him in 2021. And it’s only right, especially since many felt Moreno could have very well gotten the decision last night. It’s an unprecedented series of events to have a couple of fighters face each other four times, but it seems that is the direction we’re headed. And to be honest, I’m not even mad.

Winner: Michel Pereira

Who He Should Face Next: Muslim Salikhov

Pereira defeated UFC newcomer Andre Fialho last in what was truly an entertaining affair. The victory was Pereira’s fourth in a row. A fight against Salikhov makes sense for the simply fact that the two men were supposed to face one another at UFC Vegas 46 last week before Salikhov was forced out. Salikhov is on a five-fight win streak, so the winner here could take a huge step in the right direction in the Top 15.

Winner: Said Nurmagomedov

Who He Should Face Next: Pedro Munhoz

Nurmagomedov picked up his fourth win inside the Octagon by disposing of Cody Stamann in lightning-quick fashion (see it here). Nurmagomedov is still on the outside of the Top 15 looking in, but it’s expected because the Bantamweight division is absolutely loaded. That said, I like Nurmagomedov taking out someone like Munhoz, next. Munhoz is coming off a tough loss against former longtime division champion, Dominick Cruz, at UFC 269. A win over Munhoz would go a long way for Nurmagomedov’s goals on making it into the Top 15.

Winner: Michael Morales

Who He Should Face Next: Court McGee

Morales improved his undefeated record to 13-0 by picking up a big win in his UFC debut, knocking out Trevin Giles in the very first round. While some may think a fight against McGee is too much, too son for a fighter with only fight inside the Octagon, in this case I think it makes sense. McGee is currently riding a two-fight win streak but is nowhere near the Top 15. For Morales, taking out a longtime veteran like McGee would be huge for his stock moving forward. For McGee, handing Morales his first-ever loss gives him three straight and inches closer to bigger fights.

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We’ve just watched Deiveson and Brandon fight three times in a row ... and now everyone wants to see number four.

Fun fact: the UFC has never hosted a quadrilogy of fights. That’s because typically, a trilogy is all it takes to figure out who is the superior fighter. But with Brandon Moreno and Deiveson Figueiredo now both 1-1-1 against each other following UFC 270, we may finally have a reason for a fourth fight to be fought.

The first fight saw Figueiredo beat a spirited Moreno but suffer a point deduction, resulting in a draw. The second fight saw Moreno swarm Figueiredo and submit him in the third round. The trilogy fight we witnessed on Saturday night was a razor thin decision that went Figueiredo’s way, with many fans disagreeing with the judging. But however you saw it, you have to agree it was close. And great. Essential ingredients for a fourth fight.

And unlike most situations like this where two fighters have been battling for a year straight, both men are still interested in doing it again.

“I remember my last two loses against Pantoja and Pettis, and I knew in that moment I lost,” Moreno said during the post-fight press conference. “I was like, ‘OK, this feels like sh*t, but I know I lost.’ But this time I felt like I won.”

“It’s crazy because the door is open for the fourth fight against this guy, and that’s amazing,” he added later. “I’m just trying to be very positive in my life and I can see that possibility and start to make more history with this guy. I’m more hungry than ever and I want to see this guy again. This is the game.”

Hearing that Moreno thought he’d won, Figueiredo threw out an insult and then a challenge.

“Crybaby,” Figueiredo said. “Let’s go to the next one, man. Let’s take it up for the next one.”

But after challenging Moreno to a fight in Mexico (a very real possibility given the wild response in Anaheim for Moreno), Figueiredo is now thinking maybe Brazil would be safer.

“Yeah, I initially said Mexico,” Figueiredo said. “But I think if we go to Mexico… we might not leave. So I think that we’re considering Brazil might be a better option.”

UFC president Dana White wasn’t on hand following the event to give his view on whether Figueiredo vs. Moreno was worthy of an immediate fourth fight, but we have a feeling the UFC will continue to roll with this classic rivalry that’s fallen into their laps, making stars of their often below the radar 125ers.

Longtime MMA fighter Maiquel Falcao was stabbed to death on Sunday morning in his hometown of Pelotas, Brazil, according to local news outlet Gaucha ZH.

The UFC and Bellator vet was stabbed twice in the stomach outside of a bar around 3AM in the morning. He was taken to the hospital but died soon after. Police are now in the process of investigating his murder.

Falcao was a one-and-done fighter for the UFC way back in 2010. A hot Chute Boxe prospect with a 24-3 record at the time, Falcao beat Garald Harris by unanimous decision at UFC 123. Soon after that win, though, disturbing stories about his background began to emerge and the UFC cut him from the roster over a 2002 arrest for assaulting a woman in a nightclub.

Two years later Falcao would return to the major leagues with Bellator, going 3-1 with the promotion between 2012 and 2014. He was then released by the promotion after footage of a gas station brawl emerged, once again showing Falcao getting into a physical altercation with a woman. Things quickly spiraled out of control and Falcao’s friend was beaten with a board, putting him into a coma.

Falcao continued to compete regularly across South America, Europe, and Russia as recently as October of 2021. But his past five years saw him in serious decline, going 2-8 with five losses via strikes.