Amanda Ribas explains bouncing between flyweight and strawweight: ‘I want to stay in both’

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

Originally set to headline UFC Vegas 69, Cory Sandhagen vs. Marlon Vera has been rescheduled to front a March 25 UFC event. UFC President Dana White confirmed a report from SI.com about the rebooking of the fight, which takes place at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. It’s unclear at...

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.

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...

Ahead of the final mixed martial arts bout of his legendary career, Fedor Emelianenko has no regrets not competing inside the UFC’s octagon. Emelianenko will challenge Ryan Bader for the Bellator heavyweight title this Saturday at Bellator 290 in his swan song at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The event will be the promotion’s first to air on CBS network television.

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...

DAMN! They Were Good celebrates the careers of the most exciting and influential fighters in MMA history, and on the second episode of 2023, the MMA Fighting crew remembers the best of Fedor Emelianenko as he prepares for the final fight of his legendary career. Starting his career in 2000,...

For the final time in a legendary career that spans two decades, Fedor Emelianenko will make the walk to compete in an MMA fight. On an all-new edition of Between the Links, the panel discusses the swan song for “The Last Emperor” when he faces Ryan Bader for the heavyweight title in the main event of Bellator 290, and the fight card as a whole which will serve as the Bellator debut on CBS. Additionally, topics include Dana White’s big announcement this past Friday regarding UFC 287, including Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya 2 in the headliner, along with Gilbert Burns vs. Jorge Masvidal at the April 8 event, Max Holloway’s return to the octagon against Arnold Allen at the UFC’s April 15 event, this Saturday’s UFC Vegas6 8 card headlined by Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac, and more.

Saturday marks the end of one era as heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko makes his last appearance in the cage – and the beginning of another as Bellator makes its broadcast TV debut. Emelianenko rematches heavyweight champ Ryan Bader in his retirement fight, hoping to go out on a high...

The UFC is discussing a potential clash between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush for later this year, and “Benny’s” teammate Neiman Gracie likes Dariush’s chances against the jiu-jitsu ace. A member of the family that has founded Brazilian jiu-jitsu and created the UFC three decades ago,...

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. Last week, I lamented that it felt like the rest...