Former XKO Amateur champion and current MMA Strawweight prospect Valerie "Mal Hija" Soto joins Derick G to talk about her last fight against Flore Hani at LFA 99, give her perspective on open scoring in MMA, the complicated process that is weight-cutting, preparing for 'battle' when she trains to fight, her relationship with Fitness Fight Factory head coach and former BKFC Bantamweight champion Johnny Bedford, and lastly, training with high-level mixed martial artists such as Julia Avila, Randa Markos, Montana De La Rosa, and Jihn Yu Frey...
Right off the bat – I, along with the 2,891 other Tapology users who picked Curtis Blaydes to win on Saturday night, have to eat my words and bow down to the esoteric oddity of a UFC star that is Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis...
In the week leading to UFC 258 only a few matchups appeared to have divisional implications. Clearly the Usman vs Burns grudge-match of sorts was what the PPV was built around, but the long awaited return of Flyweight contender Maycee Barber and Kelvin Gastelum's attempt to break a three-fight skid were the only real storylines the media highlighted...
With two featured matchups getting scrapped just hours before UFC 258, it's not difficult to understand why the allure of this $69.99 PPV lost a lot of steam entering the weekend. Nonetheless, the results of Saturday night's action at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas have massive implications for a few different fighters. Here are my post-fight takeaways...
Just when you thought UFC bantamweight Cory Sandhagen stole the show with his first-round flying-knee KO against the famed veteran Frankie Edgar, heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov proved why he deserves a shot at UFC gold with his second-round starching of the "Demolition Man" himself, Alistair Overeem...
2020 has shown us that last-minute fighter replacements are simply a way of life now. Whether the withdrawals are due to positive COVID-19 results, injuries, or breaching COVID-19 safety protocol by sneaking bags with unknown contents into hotel rooms, the UFC is ready and willing to ensure that the show goes on...
The world was left in awe by many of the performances put on at UFC 257. From the UFC's biggest star Conor McGregor getting knocked out for the first time in his career, to Michael Chandler making what is considered as one of the best UFC debut's of all time, to the UFC's latest hype-train being derailed in stunning fashion, let's just say there's a lot to talk about...
As of writing these words, we are officially 24 fights-deep into the new year. The results of UFC Fight Island 8 proved that the #1 MMA promotion in world harbors young technicians that can put on an MMA masterclass across three-rounds, hungry phenoms who pack dynamite in every punch and kick, and grizzled veterans who are determined to keep their place in line and ward off the young bucks vying for their spot...