It was an early night of knockouts as six of the first eight bouts inside HP Pavilion ended with strikes. The Strikeforce imports on the UFC on FOX prelims had a mixed night, going 2-2 in the promotion’s former home base of San Jose; while WEC alumni fared better, winning all three of their bouts with impressive stoppages. Chad Mendes vs. Darren Elkins Chad Mendes made it a hat trick for Team Alpha Male members in the UFC on FOX prelims, as he and teammates Joseph Benavidez and TJ Dillashaw all won their bouts via TKO. Featherweight Mendes needed only read more…

RESURRECTING RASHADIt wasn’t a highlight reel knockout or slick submission that got Rashad Evans back into the win column for the first time since January of 2012 on Saturday night. And though either of those options would have been nice, the best thing for the former light heavyweight champion’s career may have been the gritty, close three round split decision win he took against Dan Henderson in the main event of UFC 161. Against one of the sport’s true legends, and one who is still very dangerous, Evans had to dig deep, come back strong in the final round, and read more…

“Suga” Rashad EvansPositive: Classic “sweet science” nod for a fast and powerful puncher Negative: Misspellings are nothing to joke aboutOverall awesomeness score: 77 Dan “Hendo” HendersonPositive: Fun to say and everything about Henderson is naturally badass; has inspired a second generation of fighter nicknames in “Bendo.”  Negative: What happened to “Hollywood” Henderson or “Dangerous” Dan?Overall awesomeness score: 88 Roy “Big Country” NelsonPositive: One-punch knockout artist with a mullet– what else are you going to call him? (He says training partners gave him the name because of his Midwest-style wrestling powess.)Negative: With his recent weight loss, coming close to “Medium Country”.Overall read more…

After a yearlong layoff due to injuries, featherweight Manny Gamburyan will return to the Octagon at the inaugural FOX Sports 1 card to face BJJ black belt Cole Miller. The two featherweights are quite familiar with each other, having both appeared on the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter.  Shogun vs. Sonnen to Headline Boston Card Updated June 4 FOX Sports 1 will launch on August 17 with a major main event, as former light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will fight recent title challenger Chael Sonnen in a five-round headliner. Also announced for FOX Sports 1 three-hour main card is a bantamweight read more…

When you are a fighter competing on the sport’s biggest stage, pressure is something you are familiar with. But when you are a young fighter, looking to gain traction with the most successful promotion in mixed martial arts, and you are in the midst of a two-fight losing skid, the pressure amplifies to an entirely different level. This is the reality Dustin Pague is facing. After competing on the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter, “The Disciple” entered the UFC fold looking to establish himself amongst the best in MMA. But that journey has been rife with struggle as the read more…

Two flyweight bouts have been booked for UFC 163 in Rio. Fresh off his latest knockout in April, Brazilian wrecking machine John Lineker is jumping right back into the Octagon; this time he’ll face England’s best flyweight, Phil Harris. Plus, third-ranked 125-pounder Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall meets Belem’s Iliarde Santos. Rio Card Builds Stars, Steam updated June 4BJJ world champion and undefeated MMA fighter Robert Drysdale will step out of the cornerman role and into that of fighter. The light heavyweight, who has trained a who’s-who of champions and Las Vegans including Frank Mir and Forrest Griffin, will debut inside read more…

After a long training camp, countless sacrifices, and the mental gymnastics that go along with knowing that you’re facing an opponent training to beat you – literally – there’s no feeling in mixed martial arts like winning. And if you do it at home, in front of thousands of fans cheering your name, you can amp that feeling up tenfold. Just ask Fabricio Werdum. “It was amazing, I have no words to describe how happy I was for that fight,” said Werdum of his UFC 147 win over Mike Russow last June, a victory that marked his first bout in read more…