Michael Bisping commends Jake Paul for taking boxing seriously, but warns other social influencers fighting is ‘not a f*cking game’

Bella Mir is already making history. MMA Fighting confirmed with Mir’s management that “Lady” — the daughter of former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir — has signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal to serve as an ambassador for the UFC while competing at the University of Iowa. The news was first reported by ESPN.

Mohammed Usman made quite an impact with his stunning knockout over Zac Pauga to become The Ultimate Fighter season 30 champion but that win came at a cost. It turns out Usman suffered a broken thumb during the fight but he still managed to use that same hand to land the punch that put Pauga away just 36 seconds into the second round. It wasn’t until later that he realized his hand was actually injured, which then required him to undergo surgery to repair the damage done.

RIO DE JANEIRO — It’s no surprise that Alex Pereira has slick archery skills, but one shocking fact is that his tricks are entirely sell-taught. When “Poatan” landed in Brazil to corner his longtime friend Glover Teixeira at UFC 283 on Jan. 21, MMA Fighting decided to take the UFC middleweight champion for his first archery class with coach Bruno Heitor at Arco e Flecha Rio to sharpen his skills, and all he needed was some pep talk to absolutely nail his final shot.

If a fight between former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and boxing’s heavyweight king Tyson Fury materializes, you can bet Oscar De La Hoya will tune in. During an appearance on The MMA Hour, De La Hoya was asked for his thoughts on Ngannou potentially booking a fight against “The Gypsy King,” a possibility that has been in play since the two met face-to-face in the ring in London following Fury’s win over Dillian Whyte. It’s a possibility that has become more distinct with Ngannou now an unrestricted free agent after recently parting ways with the UFC.

Alexander Volkanovski is gearing up for his lightweight title shot. Next month, at UFC 284, Volkanovski challenges Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title. It’s a bout between the top two pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and the first one of Volkanovski’s UFC career where he is a sizable underdog, but as the fight approaches, Volkanovski wouldn’t have it any other way.

Jamahal Hill is the current UFC light heavyweight champion after defeating Glover Teixeira in the main event of UFC 283 in his best performance to date. Following the victory, Hill has had a chip on his shoulder and feels disrespected by the MMA community. Does he have a point, or is this just a unique situation?

Security quickly intervened as Jake Paul and Tommy Fury faced off in the ring for their Feb. 26 boxing match in Saudi Arabia. Paul and Fury went nose-to-nose in the ring during the Artur Beterbiev vs Anthony Yarde fight on Saturday in London. They quickly had to be separated after Paul put a finger on the shirtless Fury’s cheek. Red-shirted officials quickly got in the way before things got serious.

UFC middleweight Joseph Holmes said he was assaulted after an altercation with fellow octagon middleweight Kevin Holland at a regional fight card on Friday night. In a video posted to Instagram, Holmes said he and Holland were in attendance for XKO 60 in Dallas. After the event was over, he said he and Holland got into an altercation, and he alleged some of Holland’s teammates then assaulted him.

He’s brash. He’s outspoken. He’s unapologetic. Gordon Ryan is unabashedly all of those things, but he’s also the best grappler in the world — and he’s finally being paid the kind of money where he really feels like a professional athlete. The 27-year-old Brazilian...

Johnny Walker has plenty of explosive knockouts on his résumé, but the circumstances that led to his finish over Paul Craig at UFC 283 looked anything but routine. As Craig grabbed onto a leg and lifted it into the air as he attempted a takedown, Walker used his long reach to swing a huge punch that blasted the Scottish light heavyweight, which led to the end of the fight. The fact that Walker was teetering on one leg yet still managed to generate enough power to actually hurt Craig appeared almost miraculous, but it turns out that’s not exactly the case.

For many MMA fans, their last look at Sage Northcutt was him face-down on the canvas, the victim of a brutal punch from an opponent far heavier and more experienced in combat sports. The effects of that punch would linger long after the 2019 bout, his debut in ONE Championship....

Jamahal Hill wouldn’t mind taking a quick detour to answer the call from a fellow UFC champion after capturing the light heavyweight belt. Following his victory over Glover Teixeira at UFC 283, Hill made it clear that former champ Jiri Prochazka is his top target for his first title defense. Prochazka is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury and hopes to return by the summer, however there’s a chance his recovery could take longer than expected. If that happens, another intriguing name has already volunteered for the challenge: UFC middleweight champion Alex Pereira.

I'll be tuned in and watching the challengers card, softi might come thru for the bkfc scrap. Or not. We shall see. Blunts twisted, winter formal is this weekend so I got time to kill and TV to catch up on. Almost done with Tulsa king, it wasn't bad at all.

At the end of UFC 283 this past Saturday, Jamahal Hill left the arena in Rio de Janeiro as the UFC light heavyweight champion after beating Glover Teixeira in the main event. With his incredible performance, a divisive conversation began about where he sits in the overall rankings at 205 pounds.

It took Islam Makhachev 10 wins to get a shot at the UFC lightweight title, but when he did, he almost made it look easy taking home gold. The Khabib Nurmagomedov-trained fighter faced Charles Oliveira for the vacant title at UFC 280, which took place on Oct. 22 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It took Makhachev just two rounds to claim the throne with a powerful punch and arm-triangle submission for his 11th straight win.

Diego Sanchez has already cemented a memorable legacy from his mixed martial arts career but that doesn’t mean that he’s finished adding accolades to his resume. At 41, the Ultimate Fighter season 1 winner and UFC Hall of Famer just recently inked a deal to join the roster at BKFC where he will make his bare-knuckle debut on Feb. 17 against former boxing champion Austin Trout. According to Sanchez, the move wasn’t made out of necessity but rather a desire to try something new after he spent the majority of 2022 preparing for a boxing match against Dan Hardy that never happened.

We’re back! It’s another down week in the world of MMA and you know what that means: it’s time to answer your questions about the latest happenings in the sport. The UFC just announced a couple of big fights and we’re fresh of UFC 283 so there’s plenty to talk about. Let’s get down to business.

BKFC was actually fun last night, PFL sucked ass. honestly, they didn't reward the one guy who came to scrap? Feels like they just wanted Jean in the season, and as long as he won he was getting in. Doesn't make me look forward to the rest of the season.

Welcome to the latest edition of Missed Fists where we shine a light on fights from across the globe that may have been overlooked in these hectic times where it seems like there’s an MMA show every other day. Heading into the last days of January, it doesn’t feel...