Bellator flyweight Diana Avsaragova (5-0) travels from Russia to Los Angeles for Bellator 290 next month, where she will face former title contender Alejandra Lara. Avsaragova’s angles are now in the US, leaving her to travel alone. That’s always been the case for the young fighter, who joined Bellator MMA in 2021 and won his … Read more
Photo: Abdul Kamara Some of the most interesting stories in MMA tend to be origin stories, and this one is no different. A fight with a family member put Abdul Kamara as a successful MMA prospect on the verge of something big. Kamara, 31, is the newest bantamweight killer from The MMA Lab, located in … Read more
Las Vegas, Nevada — Eleventh-ranked bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov (15-0) was in good spirits during UFC Vegas 67 media day on Wednesday. “I feel good. I just want to take another shot, one more win. Hopefully I can finish it,” Umar told media, including Cageside Press, ahead of the match against Raoni Barcelos this Saturday. But … Read more
Ahead of his PFL debut at this year’s Challenger Series later this month, Quemuel Ottoni, the only man to beat Alex Pereira in MMA, is “somewhat over him.” Yes, he is the first and only man to defeat Periera, the new UFC middleweight champion, in mixed martial arts. But he’s ready to showcase his own … Read more
McKee vs. Campos Credit: Bellator MMA He may be known as “The Mercenary,” but AJ McKee remains loyal and continues to work with Bellator MMA. Now one of the promotion’s biggest stars, former featherweight champion McKee (20-1) spent his entire professional career with Bellator. And he will remain with Bellator for the foreseeable future. The … Read more
Social media influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul has signed a multi-year contract with the Professional Fighting League and plans to compete in both boxing and MMA in 2023. The New York Times was the first to report the story. Paul, 25, will compete in a newly created division called Super Fight in the PFL. He will be … Read more
Alexander Volkanovski, UFC 266 post-fight Credit: Gabriel Gonzalez/Cageside Press On the men’s side of things, 2022 was a year where established champions fell time and time again – but one fighter not only retained the gold, but entered the conversation as the best ever in his weight class. Who took our Fighter of the Year … Read more
SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE – JUNE 10: (LR) Opponents Glover Teixeira of Brazil and Jiri Prohazka of the Czech Republic during the UFC 275 weigh-in at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 10, 2022 in Singapore. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Fight of the Year is always a hotly debated tag, and as always there were plenty … Read more
Luca Poklit and Dante Shiro, Bellator 285 Credit: Bellator MMA In 2022, there were a lot of slippery submissions, which made our Submission of the Year award difficult to announce. Given that our staff voted for the awards from a pool of all possible fights in 2022 (we’re not narrowing down or limiting the options), … Read more
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – MAY 07: (RL) Michael Chandler knocks out Tony Ferguson in a lightweight fight during the UFC 274 event at Footprint Center on May 07, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) There’s nothing quite as exciting as a knockout final in all of professional sports, and this year certainly had … Read more