Reaction: What happens to James Krause now, and UFC’s response to suspicious betting

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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...

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...

With a historic event for Bellator MMA this Saturday, it is putting its best foot forward in the heads up battle with the UFC, which includes the final fight of Fedor Emelianenko’s legendary career, along with the sendoff “The Last Emperor” will receive. On an all-new edition...

UFC veteran Dan Hardy has seen a lot of changes and some improvement in fighter pay in recent years. But he knows there’s a long way to go until athletes are being compensated at a truly fair level, and the Francis Ngannou situation illustrates that perfectly. Francis Ngannou sought...

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.

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.