Nate Diaz officially hits free agency after being removed from UFC roster

It’s been a long, long time since Alexander Volkanovski has been a betting underdog. The reigning UFC featherweight champion has been one of the most dominant forces in MMA since joining the UFC in 2016, racking up a 12-0 record and four defenses of his 145-pound belt en route to becoming the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. Naturally, he’s been the betting favorite for the majority of that run. But that will change on Feb. 12 when Volkanovski vaults up to 155 pounds to challenge UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for two-division glory in the main event of UFC 284.

Matchroom Boxing exec Eddie Hearn may not get along with Jake Paul right now, but he’s picking “The Problem Child” over Tommy Fury. On Wednesday’s The MMA Hour, Hearn said Fury, the half-brother of heavyweight boxing champ Tyson Fury, is “unbelievably limited” and will crack under the pressure of Paul’s mental warfare.

Fedor Emelianenko promises his fight at Bellator 290 will be his last, but unlike ex-UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, he knows he could never completely walk away from the sport. After retiring from competition in 2020, Nurmagomedov shocked the world when he effectively cut ties with MMA to return home to...

Who is Fedor Emelianenko and why is he so revered?. Ahead of Emelianenko’s retirement fight against Ryan Bader on Saturday night, MMA Fighting’s Shaun Al-Shatti and E. Casey Leydon explain the legend of “The Last Emperor” and the story behind one of the most celebrated heavyweights in MMA history.

Gilbert Burns hasn’t given up hope on a five-round fight against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 287, though he concedes it probably won’t happen. Just days after their matchup was announced for the April 8 card, the one-time UFC welterweight title challenger requested a 25-minute co-headliner. Masvidal quickly shot down that idea, adding he’d already signed his bout agreement and wasn’t interested in a five-round fight unless the UFC pays him “BMF money.”

It’s a heavyweight doubleheader this weekend with UFC Vegas 68 and Bellator 290 taking place on Saturday in Las Vegas and Inglewood, Calif., respectively. In the UFC, Derrick Lewis faces Sergey Spivac, while over in Bellator, heavyweight champion Ryan Bader puts his title on the line against the great Fedor Emelianenko in the final fight of the legend’s esteemed career. There’s no time to waste so let’s hop to it.

Fedor Emelianenko has the opportunity to have one of the best retirement stories in the history of MMA as he challenges for the Bellator heavyweight championship on Saturday. Ahead of Emelianenko’s final fight against champ Ryan Bader in the main event of Bellator 290, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and Jed Meshew preview the matchup and discuss why “The Last Emperor” could get it done in his swan song, Johnny Eblen’s opportunity to boost his star potential against Anatoly Tokov in the co-main event, the super-fun main card opener between Sabah Homasi and Brennan Ward, the impact of being on CBS, and more.

MMA Fighting has Bellator 290 results for the Bader vs. Fedor 2 event, a live blog of the main event, and more from the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. MMA legend Fedor Emelianenko will compete for the final time for the Bellator heavyweight title against Ryan Bader. Bader knocked out Emelianenko in the first round at Bellator 214 on Jan. 26, 2019.

Jiri Prochazka is the truth. The now-former champion is waiting on the sidelines until his eventual return to action after a severe shoulder injury forced him out of action. Prochazka is chomping, at the bit, hoping a title return bout takes place sooner rather than later. Ideally, Prochazka would face...

Two-time UFC title challenger Jorge Masvidal said he cut loose his longtime management firm when he decided he didn’t need them to negotiate his deals. On Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour, Masvidal indicated he wasn’t getting his money’s worth and decided on a “100 percent split” with First Round Management this past December. Masvidal was part of a star roster that once included UFC champs Jon Jones and Demetrious Johnson, but he said he is now “basically” self-managed.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Derrick Lewis and Serghei Spivac are both official for Saturday’s main event. Though much was made of the slimmed down physique Lewis has sported in some recent social media posts, on Friday, “The Black Beast” still tipped the scales at the upper heavyweight limit of 265 pounds at the official weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 68. Spivac, meanwhile, came in at 255.5 pounds.

UFC Vegas 69 has a new headliner. The previously booked flyweight bout on Feb. 18 between Taila Santos and Erin Blanchfield has been elevated to a five-round main event, the UFC announced Friday. The news comes after UFC Vegas 69’s original main event, Cory Sandhagen vs. Marlon Vera, was rescheduled to headline the UFC’s March 25 event in San Antonio.

Trevin Jones is getting his shot at a former UFC champion. Jones is set to face former UFC bantamweight titleholder Cody Garbrandt on short notice on March 4 at UFC 285. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck confirmed the news Friday following an initial report by UFC broadcast partner ESPN. Jones replaces Garbrandt’s original opponent Julio Arce, who withdrew from the contest due to an undisclosed injury.

Johnny Eblen only has 12 fights on his resume, but his head coach believes he’s already the best middleweight in the sport, regardless of promotion. Mike Brown has worked with Eblen since the current Bellator champ first started training at American Top Team. He’s seen plenty of talent over the years as both a fighter and a coach at the famed gym. While Eblen still has a lot of room to grow, Brown believes the undefeated Eblen has already done enough to prove he sits at the head of the table in the middleweight division.

The Mixed Martial Arts Hour is back in your life! Below is a rundown of Wednesday’s show, which begins at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. UK time. 1 p.m. ET: A preview of this weekend’s upcoming events including Bellator 290 and UFC Vegas 68.

Michael Chandler sees no other options for Conor McGregor’s return opponent. The three-time Bellator lightweight champion made his intentions clear as soon as he entered the octagon in Jan. 2021. Chandler, 36, isn’t here for a long time, he’s here for a good time ... and that was said with the hope of big fights like “The Notorious” McGregor.

MMA Fighting has Bellator 290 weigh-in video for Saturday’s event at Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. In the main event, heavyweight champ Ryan Bader and former PRIDE champ Fedor Emelianenko can weigh no more than 265 pounds for their Bellator heavyweight title bout. The Bellator 290 official weigh-ins will...

After taking a week off, the UFC is back and, for the first time in 2023, so is Bellator! UFC Vegas 68 takes place late on Saturday and is headlined by a heavyweight title between Derrick Lewis and Sergey Spivak. But before that, all-time great Fedor Emelianenko makes the final walk of his career, challenging Ryan Bader for the heavyweight title at Bellator 290. As always, the No Bets Barred boys are back, covering all the best betting angles for both cards.

UFC heavyweight prospect Hamdy Abdelwahab will be sidelined for the foreseeable future. Abdelwahab, 30, has accepted a two-year suspension that stretches into the summer of 2024 for violations of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, USADA announced Friday. The Egyptian heavyweight tested positive for the anabolic agent metenolone and its metabolite in...

Neiman Gracie went from being an undefeated Bellator title contender to only winning two of six bouts over a span of three and a half years. As much as Gracie is happy with his well-rounded MMA game, focusing on his main weapon could be the key to breaking out of his slump ahead of his Bellator 290 clash with Dante Schiro. Speaking on this week’s episode of Trocação Franca, Gracie said that taking his opponent to the ground at Inglewood’s Kia Forum this Saturday night is a no-brainer.