Category Archives: Mmamania.com

One of the biggest boxing matches of the year takes place TONIGHT, live on DAZN and MMAmania.com will be right here calling the boxing action as it goes down in real time from “The Empire State.”

Haney vs. Garcia live stream results: Despite an embarrassing scale fail from the challenger at Friday’s official weigh ins (more on that here), Devin Haney will still fight Ryan Garcia in a super lightweight non-title fight TONIGHT (Sat., April 20, 2024) on DAZN pay-per-view (order here) from inside Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Haney is the enormous favorite, in no small part due to his amazing ring skills and win streak, but also his strength of schedule, one that includes victories over some big names like George Kambosos (twice), Vasyl Lomachenko and Regis Prograis.

The “Haney vs. Garcia” event kicks off at 8 p.m. ET on DAZN PPV (order here) with main event ring walks taking place at approximately 11 p.m. ET.

It’s hard to write about Garcia and stick to just his athletic accomplishments. He’s a boxer with a 24-1 record and 20 of those wins have been knockouts. He’s 25 years old and is just starting to enter the prime of his career.

Outside of the ring, he kicked his manager/promoter out of his locker room before a fight. He divorced his wife as she was giving birth to their kid. He’s admitted to consumption of alcohol and marijuana while denying cocaine usage, but then put up a social media post wondering that if both he and Jon Jones were coked out, who would win in a fight. He had to put out a video explaining that he was actually alive, just that someone took his phone and his credit cards. In his own words, “I’m not dead, I believe in Jesus, all those are lies.”

And that’s just in the past year! Keep in mind that, per him, 99 percent of what he says is trolling. Either way, we’re about to find out, live on DAZN PPV (order here).

HANEY VS. GARCIA QUICK RESULTS:

140 lbs. Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia
140 lbs. Arnold Barboza Jr. vs. Sean McComb
115 lbs. John Ramirez vs. David Jimenez — Jimenez def. Ramirez via unanimous decision, 117-111 x2, 116-112
160 lbs. Bektemir Melikuziev vs. Pierre Dibombe
153 lbs.: Charles Conwell vs. Nathaniel Gallimore — Conwell def. Gallimore in round six via technical knockout (referee stoppage), 0:52, Rd 6

HANEY VS. GARCIA LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY:

Devin Haney vs. Ryan Garcia:

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Round 4:

Round 5:

Round 6:

Round 7:

Round 8:

Round 9:

Round 10:

Round 11:

Round 12:

Final result:

For the latest boxing-related news and notes click here.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold made a successful return to combat sports earlier today (Sat., April 20, 2024) at Karate Combat 45 from Dubai, U.A.E., stopping veteran kickboxer Joe Schilling with a nasty third-round knockout (punches).

This was a bizarre booking to say the least, but one that sparked the interest of mixed martial arts (MMA) who remember just how good Rockhold was. The former UFC champion hasn’t captured a professional win in combat sports since a TKO victory over David Branch all the way back in 2017. This includes a three-fight losing skid to end his UFC career and a failed attempt to defeat Mike Perry in bareknuckle boxing.

On Saturday, Rockhold dusted the gloves off for a matchup with Schilling at Karate Combat 45. By taking away Rockhold’s ability to grapple the playing field was more or less even. Schilling is certainly a shell of his former self, but he can still crack. It was going to be an interesting watch for fight fans.

While the action was back-and-forth for the majority of the main event scrap it was Rockhold who pulled through with the finishing blow. He connected on a huge right hook in the third round that connected flush and dropped Schilling where he stood. Rockhold followed up with a few ground-and-pound shots before the referee peeled him off.

Check it out below:

Stick with Mania for more Karate Combat 45 results and coverage.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

Aljamain Sterling may have been the only winner from UFC 300 to not receive a post-fight interview inside of the cage, but “Funk Master” still believes he had one of the most dominant performances on the card.

Sterling, who was coming off a TKO loss to Sean O’Malley back at UFC 292 in which he lost his UFC bantamweight title, was making his official UFC featherweight debut at UFC 300. “Funk Master” was matched up against a returning Calvin Kattar, who had not competed since blowing his knee out against Arnold Allen all the way back in Oct. 2022.

Needless to say, Sterling was the betting favorite to take care of business and return to the UFC win column in fashion.

Unfortunately, Sterling did not turn in the outing that many fight fans were hoping for. On a historic card like UFC 300 many were expecting for Sterling to come out guns blazing and do everything he could to find a finish against Kattar on the ESPN undercard. While Sterling dominated every minute of every round by utilizing his superior wrestling and grappling there weren’t too many moments of excitement. “Funk Master” has never been the most electric fighter on the roster, but he has some pretty solid submission wins under his belt and would have benefited greatly from a finish on the biggest card of 2024.

As expected, Sterling has received some backlash for his UFC 300 performance. On top of not getting a post-fight interview from UFC color commentator Joe Rogan the former UFC bantamweight king now finds himself defending his victory over Kattar. According to “Funk Master,” he had one of the best outings of anyone on the card.

“Our fight on that particular night of UFC 300 was not the most entertaining. But it was the most dominant fight I think you could’ve possibly looked at from the entire card from top to bottom. I think I’m arguably the top 3 most dominant on that entire fight card.

“You got a guy [Kattar] who, on average, lands about 4-5 strikes per minute, who was reduced to about 0.5.”

Sterling 34, now finds himself ranked No. 8 in the UFC’s featherweight division after his unanimous decision win over Kattar. His performance wasn’t good enough to land Sterling a No. 1 contender’s bout at 145 pounds, but a finish in his next Octagon appearance could leave “Funk Master” close to title contention.

For complete UFC 300 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

PFL Chicago is set to go down later TONIGHT (Fri., April 19, 2024) inside Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, kicking off the season for the welterweight and featherweight hopefuls looking to secure a spot in the playoffs for a chance to win $ 1 million. Headlining the event will former Bellator 170-pound champion, Andrey Koreshkov, taking on undefeated (14-0) Magomed Umalatov. In the co-main event, Brendan Loughnane will take on Pedro Carvalho, while Neiman Grace rematches Goiti Yamauchi in a welterweight affair.

The event — which will stream on ESPN+ and ESPN 2 for United States-based viewers — while international mixed martial arts (MMA) fans can catch the action via DAZN starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.

PFL Chicago Quick Results:

170 lbs.: Andrey Koreshkov vs. Magomed Umalatov – Umalatov via unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Brendan Loughnane vs. Pedro Carvalho – Loughnane via first-round TKO
170 lbs.: Logan Storley vs. Shamil Musaev – Musaef via second-round knockout
145 lbs.: Gabriel Alves Braga vs. Justin Gonzalez – Braga via first-round knockout
170 lbs.: Goiti Yamauchi vs. Neiman Gracie – Yamauchi via unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Bubba Jenkins vs. Kai Kamaka III – Kamaka III via unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Adam Borics vs. Enrique Barzola – Borics via unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Timur Khizriev vs. Brett Johns – Khizriev via unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Laureano Staropoli vs. Murad Ramazanov – Ramazanov via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
170 lbs.: Don Madge vs. Brennan Ward – Madge via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
145 lbs.: Tyler Diamond vs. Otto Rodrigues – Diamond via unanimous decision
170 lbs.: Romain Debienne vs. Thad Jean – Jean via first-round knockout

PFL Chicago Main Card Highlights:

Andrey Koreshkov vs. Magomed Umalatov

Final result: Umalatov def. Koreshkov via unanimous decision

Brendan Loughnane vs. Pedro Carvalho

Final result: Loughnane def. Carvalho via first-roud technical knockout

Logan Storley vs. Shamil Musaev

Final result: Musaev def. Storley via second-round knockout

Gabriel Alves Braga vs. Justin Gonzalez

Final result: Braga def. Gonzalez via first-round knockout

Goiti Yamauchi vs. Neiman Gracie

Yamauchi def. Gracie via unanimous decision

Bubba Jenkins vs. Kai Kamaka III

Final result: Kamaka III def. Jenkins via unanimous decision

For all the latest PFL and Bellator MMA news and notes click here and here.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

Jamahal Hill is just six days removed from his devastating knockout loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 300 and he has already scheduled his next fight.

Per a recent social media announcement by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Hill will step back inside of the Octagon to meet fellow light heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree at UFC 303 on June 29 from Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be part of the promotion’s annual International Fight Week.

In case you were vacationing in the Bahamas last week, Hill met Pereira atop the historic UFC 300 card in “Sin City” to try to win his 205-pound belt back. It was the first time Hill was competing since rupturing his Achilles during a basketball game in July of 2023. Hill was coming off a one-sided beatdown over Glover Teixeira at UFC 282 before his freak accident, but decided to relinquish his title due to the injury.

Unfortunately for Hill, his return fight came against Pereira, who was making his first official title defense of the UFC light heavyweight championship. Pereira was a small betting favorite, but it didn’t take long for Hill to find out that “Poatan” hits harder than most. Pereira cracked Hill with a massive punch in the first round that sent him crashing to the canvas and out for the count. It was a rude awakening for “Sweet Dreams” considering he had never been knocked out before.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion is looking to turn the page fairly quickly as he books his return against Rountree this June. Rountree has been on an absolute tear of late, winning his last five trips to the Octagon. This includes a recent third-round TKO stoppage over former UFC title challenger Anthony Smith. It’s a great challenge for both men, especially for Hill who is less than one week removed from an Alex Pereira knockout punch.

UFC 303 is currently expected to be headlined by the return of Conor McGregor. The former UFC double champion will make his first walk to the Octagon since July 2021 when he takes on fellow lightweight contender Michael Chandler in the biggest main event of the year.

Stick with Mania for more UFC 303 fight card news.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

“I feel great and I got a three-pound advantage,” Garcia wrote on social media. “Let’s gooo hahahahaa. Winners do what they have to do, I’m still sharp! Belts don’t feed your family. Why would I force myself to make weight so I can be weak? Nah, I’m here to win. That’s it.”

In case you were wondering if Ryan Garcia was putting on a “lolol look how crazy I am” act to help draw attention to his upcoming Devin Haney super lightweight title fight on Sat. night (April 20, 2024) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, today’s official weigh ins should serve as proof that Garcia is, in fact, completely off his rocker.

Or scared and trying to do everything he can to get out of this fight.

“Ryan Garcia is indeed waaaay overweight for the fight,” veteran boxing reporter Dan Rafael wrote on Twitter. “He scales 143.2 pounds, per source in the room. He will not be eligible to win the WBC 140-pound title. Absolute disaster and absolutely expected. The sides have made a financial deal to go forward but way less than the $ 500k they shook on at the presser. That was not binding when it comes to actual contracts.”

“You still think Ryan is trolling? Please. Kid shouldn’t be fighting,” Rafael told the Doubting Thomases. “He’s not mentally or physically ready, obviously. He has problems and I feel bad for him. He has a good heart but is messed up and has nobody around him who gives a damn. Haney going to hurt him.”

Even Garcia’s promoter believes he’s “mentally unstable.”

“Ryan has weighed in over his contractual weight,” Golden Boy Promotions wrote in a prepared statement. “He will honor the handshake made at the final press conference yesterday. We have a fight.”

The show must go on … but at what cost? $ 69.99 on DAZN!

MMAmania.com – All Posts

There’s $ 10 million dollars sitting on the table for Nate or Jorge if they’re willing to step into the PFL cage and fight Jake Paul in his MMA debut.

Jake Paul is fighting Mike Tyson this summer in what looks like it’ll be one of the biggest combat sports events of the year. On the side, he’s still trying to lure an opponent into the PFL cage for his MMA debut … not that he’s having much luck on that front.

Paul initially hoped to rematch Nate Diaz after winning a decision over the Stockton fighter in August 2023, but Diaz refused. Not even a multi-million dollar offer could draw him to the negotiating table. With the list of bankable fighters in free agency extremely low, that’s left “The Problem Child” with a problem.

“I’m being so serious when I say I want to fight them in MMA,” Paul said in a new YouTube video. “Either Masvidal or Diaz, in the PFL. $ 10 million dollar offer for either one of those guys.”

Masvidal isn’t interested, either.

“Masvidal’s like ‘You can’t even box, what the f*ck are you going to do coming over into MMA bro, I’m from Miami, Florida bro! Don’t disrespect me you joke!’” Paul said. “F—ing bird brain, that’s what he hides behind. Same with Paddy [Pimblett] and Sean Strickland and all these guys hide behind these crazy things. But still none of them have shown up to the table to talk any business about anything to make anything actually happen in a real fight, a real spar, whatever it is.”

“So the offer still stands there, I want either one of those guys in MMA.”

Paul would also accept a boxing fight with Jorge Masvidal, who is currently on a three-fight boxing tour before returning to the UFC. Unfortunately, Jake says he’s not on the list of ‘approved’ opponents for “Gamebred.”

“UFC gave Masvidal a list of 35 names that he was allowed to box,” Paul claimed. “He’s technically still under UFC contract so they’re letting him out of his contract to box Nate, but there were 35 other names and I was not on it.”

Jake’s brother Logan is, though. Too bad Logan is currently retired from boxing.

At least Jake Paul has some time to figure things out. He’s boxing Mike Tyson on July 20th, and then intends to spend six months learning MMA.

“I gotta fight Mike but I would just do it after that,” he said. “I would do a six month camp.”

Sounds like easy money for anyone legally capable of accepting the fight.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

The title situation is getting a little testy between BMF strap-hanger Max Holloway and undisputed UFC Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria.

Holloway, understandably, is at the top of the world right now. “Blessed” smoked Justin Gaethje on the UFC 300 main card (watch highlights), earning the BMF belt in one of the greatest knockouts of all time and a masterclass technical performance. At 32 years of age, Holloway is back in prime position to contend for a title at whichever weight class he chooses, and it seems that his sights are on Featherweight gold.

Initially, Topuria was uninterested in fighting Holloway. After the Hawaiian’s big UFC 300 win, however, Topuria changed course and was willing to target Holloway next. However, this adjustment comes with the caveat that Topuria wants Holloway’s BMF belt to be on the line.

The result has been a bit of friction between the two champions. In a recent social media post, Topuria met Holloway’s mild trash talk with a fairly simply ultimatum: put the BMF belt on the line, or else he intends to fight Brian Ortega instead. Oh, and Topuria is in charge of deciding when and where the fight happens too.

“The only thing questionable about me is whether I finish you by ko or submission,” Topuria wrote. “I just beat the guy that beat you not once, not twice, but 3 times. You now have the one thing that keeps you relevant and that would grant you a money fight, the BMF belt. I no longer fight for money but for legacy.

“Winning that belt while holding my title will cement me as the first. The first to hold both belts. The first to knock out Volk and what most certainly will happen when we fight, the first one to put you to sleep. Something to calm you down is this: God doesn’t shame anyone. You will have a worthy defeat against a champion who will be remembered for eternity. I decide who, when, and where. If you don’t like the terms I’m sure Ortega will oblige.”

Technically, Alexander Volkanovski lost two fights via knockout prior to coughing up his belt to Topuria, but we’ll chalk that up to creative license. Trash talk aside, there’s a relevant third party here: UFC brass, including UFC CEO Dana White, likely have a say in who, when, where, and what belts are on the line.

Now, Topuria does have leverage as an undefeated champion and serious European star. Holloway also has his leverage as a beloved former champion and current BMF kingpin. UFC has the final say in actually sending out contracts and booking fights. Hopefully, all three parties can come together, negotiate, and get something booked in relatively smooth fashion.

This match up would be too good to miss.

Insomnia

Happy Strikeforce: Nashville anniversary to all those who celebrate.

Merab Dvalishvili wants to make sure Sean O’Malley makes it to their fight in tip-top shape.

Another random edit that gave me a chuckle.

I have to assume Mike Tyson training clips are only four seconds long because he’s tired by the six second mark.

Will Joe Pyfer be able to bounce back from the first defeat of his UFC career?

I’ve always personally liked this takedown chain a lot, but doing it with your back to the fence is especially cool!

An unfortunate sequence:

Think we’ll get some real trash talk between Paulo Costa and Sean Strickland? It’s starting to heat up a bit.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

The last UFC victory for Mark Coleman … RIP Stephan Bonnar.

Say it with me: No free kicks!

Long live World Extreme Cagefighting.

Random Land

High-quality and ultra zoomed in footage taken underwater:

Midnight Music: Art rock, 1999

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

MMAmania.com – All Posts

Belal Muhammad is not happy with Leon Edwards.

The mixed martial arts (MMA) world thought it knew what was next atop Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) Welterweight division. A championship rematch between the current titleholder, Edwards, and top contender, Muhammad, makes sense going forward. Yet, “Remember the Name” remains waiting.

UFC 300 appeared to be a strong possibility for the rematch to land this past weekend (April 13, 2024). Ultimately, Edwards was the only one in the conversation to be a part of the mega event. With the card now in the rear-view mirror, there hasn’t been any further indication regarding which direction the promotion wants to go with its 170-pound kingpin.

“They’re like the fakest team I’ve ever seen in my life, I’ve never seen anybody lie so much or try to make it seem like they aren’t afraid,” Muhammad told MiddleEasy. “You had his coach call for Gilbert Burns after I beat Gilbert Burns. You had his brother call for a Conor McGregor fight. They’re coming up with every other reason to avoid me. It’s blatant, the fans are starting to see it now. You have his manager doing the same thing. When you have all of these guys talking for you, that just tells me you’re that coward that’s hiding behind.

“You’re the champion of the world,” he continued. “If you’re the best fighter in the world, fight the best guy in the division that’s right behind you. I know I’m the best in the world, and he knows I’m the best in the world. That’s why he’s trying to avoid this fight because I’m the toughest matchup for him. He’s trying to do anything he can do to hold on to the belt as long as possible.”

Edwards and Muhammad are both riding lengthy 10+ fight unbeaten streaks with their lone bout in question as the one they had against each other in March 2021. Muhammad, 35, was rendered unable to continue after a second round eye poke, which resulted in a no contest.

UFC is expected to return to Manchester, England for UFC 304 during the summertime. The Birmingham-born champion, Edwards, makes for a perfect option to defend in the home game. If presented with the opportunity, Muhammad is more than happy to go into enemy territory.

“I hate his guts,” Muhammad said. “The Leon fight, they’re trying to avoid me. Him trying to act like downplaying my accomplishments and telling me I don’t deserve it, I never earned it. That stuff does nothing but piss me off. It’s fueling me with hatred for this guy, and I just can’t wait to get in there and get my hands on him.”

MMAmania.com – All Posts

The MAC is BACK! Former two-division titleholder and the sport’s top pay-per-view (PPV) draw, Conor McGregor, makes his long-awaited return to cage fighting at UFC 303 when he collides with The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 31 nemesis Michael Chandler to close out the promotion’s annual International Fight Week in Las Vegas!

Event: UFC 303 “McGregor vs. Chandler”
Date: Sat., June 29, 2024
Location: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
Start times: ESPN+ PPV, ESPN, ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET Prelims | 10 p.m. ET Main Card)

UFC 303 Main Event On ESPN+ PPV:

170 lbs.: Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler

UFC 303 Main Card, Prelims On ESPN/ESPN+ PPV:

145 lbs.: Cub Swanson vs. Andre Fili
115 lbs.: Michelle Waterson-Gomez vs. Gillian Robertson
125 lbs.: Carlos Hernandez vs. Rei Tsuruya
185 lbs.: Joe Pyfer vs. Marc-André Barriault

*Fight card, bout order and number of fights remain subject to change.*

“This is a big fight,” Chandler recently told The MMA Hour. “I would argue, and this is no disrespect, we wanna break that Khabib number, the 2.4 [million PPV buys]. That was huge because of the animosity and the biggest Muslim athlete on the planet. It had all the makings of it doing that kind of number. This one, Conor’s comeback [versus] one of the most violent guys in the sport. We got 73 days to build this thing.”

For more on Conor McGregor’s return to UFC click here.

MMAmania.com – All Posts