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<site xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">101341634</site>	<item>
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line 496, column 0: Invalid HTML: EOF in middle of construct, at line 82, column 346 (2 occurrences) [help]
```
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It&#8217;s like a tabletop gam ...
```

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<title>HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night:
Allen vs. Curtis 2</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/08/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightallen-vs-curtis-2/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/08/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightallen-vs-curtis-2/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Apr 2024 17:06:28 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/08/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightallen-vs-curtis-2/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Curtis 2 was this past weekend and featured a lot of close fights that ended in decisions. Who won and who lost? Let’s get <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/08/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightallen-vs-curtis-2/" title="HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night:
Allen vs. Curtis 2">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/08/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightallen-vs-curtis-2/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night: 
Allen vs. Curtis 2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Curtis 2 was this past weekend and featured a lot of close fights that ended in decisions. Who won and who lost? 
Let’s get to the rundown.
UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Curtis 2 
GOOD- Trevor Peek vs. Charlie Campbell 
They start off trading kicks. They start mixing in some punches and Peek gets a takedown. They’re back up quickly and Campbell gets a 
takedown before the first round ends. The second round begins with them trading strikes before Campbell gets a takedown. They grapple for 
a bit before standing. Campbell lands some really hard right hands but 
Peek gets a quick takedown before the second round ends. The third round starts with Campbell getting an early takedown but Peek is quickly back to his feet. Campbell gets a few more takedowns before the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict. Campbell 
wins the decision to improve to 9-2 and he’s won 3 straight fights while Peek drops to 9-2 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Campbell.
GOOD- Ignacio Bahamondes stops Christos Giagos 
Bahamondes starts with kicks before mixing in some punches. Giagos fires back with strikes of his own. Bahamondes is lighting up Giagos, 
who’s trying to survive and escape and lands a few hard strikes of his own. However, Bahamondes crushes Giagos with a head kick and the referee wisely jumps in immediately and saves Giagos from taking any 
unneeded damage a little over three and a half minutes into the first round. Bahamondes improves to 15-5 while Giagos drops to 20-12. Good win for Bahamondes.
GOOD- Morgan Charriere vs. Chepe Mariscal 
They start off trading strikes. Both men land heavy punches and they fight on the fence for a while. Mariscal keeps trying for a takedown 
but can’t complete it. However, Charriere does get a takedown but Mariscal is quickly back up and the first round ends. The second round begins with more striking exchanges. Charriere lands some heavy 
strikes that seem to wobble Mariscal for a moment but Mariscal returns fire and hurts Charriere. Both men are showing good toughness as some 
heavy leather is being slung. Charriere gets a takedown before the second round ends. The third round starts with more striking exchanges 
before Charriere gets a takedown. Mariscal gets up and lands a 
takedown of his own and they trade until the fight ends. We go to the 
judges to render their verdict. Mariscal wins the Split Decision to improve to 16-6 with 1 No Contest and has won 6 straight fights while Charriere drops to 19-10-1 and has his 4 fight winning streak snapped. 
Good win for Mariscal.
GOOD- Alexander Hernandez vs. Damon Jackson 
There’s a little striking here and there until Jackson gets a takedown before the first round ends. The second round begins with both 
fighters being a little more active with their striking until Jackson gets another takedown. Hernandez works his way up and the second round ends shortly after. The third round starts with Hernandez dropping Jackson. They scramble for a bit before Jackson takes his back. They fight on the fence until the fight ends. Not the most exciting fight 
ever but sound strategy. We go to the judges to render their verdict. 
Jackson wins the Split Decision to improve to 23-6-1 with 1 No Contest while Hernandez drops to 14-8. Good win for Jackson.
GOOD- Brendan Allen vs. Chris Curtis 
They trade strikes throughout the first round. The second round begins 
with Curtis landing some good punches but Allen fires back with strikes of his own. Several stinging strikes landed here before the second round ends. The third round starts with more striking exchanges 
until Allen fouls Curtis with an eyepoke. Allen gets staggered with a 
right hand when they resume but he immediately fires back with a big 
right of his own that hurts Curtis and allows him to get a takedown. 
They grapple until the third round ends. The fourth round opens with some striking before Allen gets fouled with a finger to the eye but no stoppage. Allen gets a few takedowns to close the fourth round. The fifth round begins with more striking exchanges. Allen keeps trying 
for takedowns but Curtis resists them. Allen finally gets a takedown 
but Curtis works his way back to his feet and both men are spent. The 
fight ends with Allen teeing off on Curtis, who appeared to have 
gotten hurt at some point (Update: Curtis’ manager said he hurt it in the second round and aggravated it in the fifth round). We go to the judges to render their verdict. Allen wins the Split Decision to 
improve to 24-5 and has won 7 straight fights while Curtis drops to 
31-11 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Allen.
*************
There’s a developing story right now concerning Jon Jones (27-1, 1 No 
Contest) where he’s being accused of threatening a drug-testing agent 
from Drug Free Sport during a recent visit to his home to collect a sample. A police report has been filed but Jones denies any 
wrong-doing. 
Hopefully the coming days bring clarity and more information about what happened that day.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/>Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s 
Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to 
just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to 
join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, 
the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the 
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/>KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/08/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightallen-vs-curtis-2/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night: 
Allen vs. Curtis 2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
<wfw:commentRss>https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/08/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightallen-vs-curtis-2/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27156</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>3 Fights To Watch 4-6-24</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/06/3-fights-to-watch-4-6-24/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/06/3-fights-to-watch-4-6-24/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 06 Apr 2024 20:09:38 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[3 Fights To Watch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[COVINGTON'S CORNER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27145</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Norma Dumont vs Germaine de Randamie I’m sure most people forgot all about de Randamie even being on the roster. Norma will be looking to get yet another decision. This isn’t a fight to watch <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/06/3-fights-to-watch-4-6-24/" title="3 Fights To Watch 4-6-24">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/06/3-fights-to-watch-4-6-24/">3 Fights To Watch 4-6-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Norma Dumont vs Germaine de Randamie
I’m sure most people forgot all about de Randamie even being on the roster.
Norma will be looking to get yet another decision. This isn’t a fight to watch because of how great its going to be. What we want to figure out is who the hell cares? Meaning, which one of them is going to bring it? Who actually wants it more. Dumont should want to have a finish against a top fighter, this should be the turning point in her career, if there is one.
Court McGee vs Alex Morono
Being liked by fans isn’t enough sometimes. Court McGee needs to get things going with a win here. Even if it’s by split decision, he has to walk away with a W. Court’s last fight was about a year ago, where he got KOd. 
Morono is a mixed bag, he can win in any fashion but he’s never been submitted. Not sure what way he is going to win but he does usually find a way.
Brendan Allen vs Chris Curtis
Curtis needs a finish, a split decision win is not moving the needle. Neither did the other 12 decision victories he has. Curtis does own a knockout win over Allen, one of the seventeen knockouts in his career.
If Allen can come in, submit Curtis within the first two rounds and make it look easy, he could gain a ton of momentum from that. With only five losses, Brendan Allen can make a go of it if he can keep from being knockout like the last time these two fought. 
Final take
It’s something to watch in the background on another screen during Wrestlemania festivities, which is more than I can say fir other cards this year. This year hasn’t been bad, lackluster but not awful cards like in years past. Stupid decision to have this on a streaming app when it could have just been on ESPN so people flipping channels could catch some decent MMA.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/06/3-fights-to-watch-4-6-24/">3 Fights To Watch 4-6-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27145</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night:
Blanchfield vs. Fiorot</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/01/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightblanchfield-vs-fiorot/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/01/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightblanchfield-vs-fiorot/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Apr 2024 15:36:07 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Blanchfield]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Buckley]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Manon Fiorot]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Vicente Luque]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/01/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightblanchfield-vs-fiorot/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot was this past weekend and featured some exciting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown. UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/01/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightblanchfield-vs-fiorot/" title="HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night:
Blanchfield vs. Fiorot">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/01/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightblanchfield-vs-fiorot/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night: 
Blanchfield vs. Fiorot</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot was this past weekend and featured some exciting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs. Fiorot 
GOOD- Chidi Njokuani vs. Rhys McKee 
They start off trading kicks while mixing in the occasional punch. 
They fight on the fence for a while before the first round ends. The second round begins with more kicks before they again start fighting 
on the fence. Njokuani is just more active and more accurate with his strikes. Neither man is able to get a takedown and the second round ends. 
The third round starts with more kicking from Njoukani. McKee again tries to get the fight to the fence. It’s clear that his 
strategy is to grind and try to wear down Njokuani but he’s not nearly active enough with his striking for that strategy to work. The fight ends so we go to the judges to render their verdict. Njokuani wins the Split Decision and improves to 23-10 with 1 No Contest and snaps his 3 
fight losing streak while McKee drops to 13-6-1. Good win for 
Njokuani.
GOOD- Kyle Nelson stops Bill Algeo 
Algeo lands some kicks to start but gets smacked by a right hand from 
Nelson. They fight on the fence for a while as they’re both throwing lots of kicks. Nelson blasts Algeo with a huge overhand right that 
staggers him and finishes him off with more punches, forcing the referee to jump in to stop the fight four minutes into the first round. Nelson improves to 16-5-1 and has won 3 straight fights while Algeo drops to 18-8. Good win for Nelson.
GOOD/BAD- Nursulton Ruziboev stops Sedriques Dumas 
Not a lot of connecting strikes here early in the fight. It’s not 
until the midpoint of the first round when something happens, as Dumas 
gets his eyes raked and Ruziboev connects with a big uppercut to send him to the mat and force the stoppage not quite three and a half 
minutes into the first round. Apparently the UFC brought in a WWE referee to officiate this one. Ruziboev improves to 34-8-2 with 2 No Contests and has won 10 straight fights while Dumas drops to 9-2. 
Ruziboev should be disqualified and Dumas given the win. I’m sick of fighters sticking their fingers out and getting rewarded for it.
UGLY- Chris Weidman “stops” Bruno Silva 
Weidman connects with a head kick that starts a big exchange that ends 
with Weidman getting a takedown. Nothing comes of it for an extended 
period and the first round ends. The second round begins with Weidman 
landing a bunch of kicks and punches. Silva is fighting back but not as actively. Weidman catches Silva in the eye with his thumb before Weidman starts teeing off of Silva to close the second round.
The third round starts with a double eyepoke. Silva gets poked in the eye 
again but the referee apparently took a few eyepokes himself and allows it to continue before he jumps in to stop the fight so Weidman gets the stoppage win originally. Absolutely ridiculous. Later it’s 
changed but Weidman is still given the Technical Decision win and improves to 16-7 while Silva drops to 23-11 and has lost 3 straight fights.
I’m so sick to death of these eyepokes. It makes the UFC look low-rent for this garbage to keep happening when there’s ways to fix it. Other sports leagues at least try to get things right and do better. Are they perfect? Hell no, but at least they try. I’m not going to keep going on about this because anyone who reads this regularly knows how much I hate eyepokes. 
What makes it even worse is Weidman’s comments after the fight. He said Silva can’t just go down because of an eyepoke. That’s absurd. 
Plus, he didn’t go down from just one eyepoke. He got poked twice. Weidman poked him in the right eye with his left hand and then poked him in the left eye with his right hand. I think that’s the first time there’s ever been a 1-2 for eyepokes. Weidman stuck his damn fingers straight out the entire fight. For that alone he should be 
disqualified, let alone poking your opponent in the eye four times. Unbelievable. 
Anyway, I know I continued on after I said I’d stop. Moving on.
GOOD- Joaquin Buckley stops Vicente Luque 
A lot of flurries, both connecting and missing, early before Buckley 
catches Luque coming in. Luque gets a takedown late in the first 
round. The second round begins with lots of strikes being thrown but 
not a lot of them landing. Buckley starts to turn it on and when Luque gets denied on a takedown and pulls guard it gives Buckley the 
opportunity to start unloading and force the referee to jump in to stop the fight a bit over three minutes into the second round. Buckley 
improves to 18-6 and has won 3 straight fights while Luque drops to 22-10-1. Great win for Buckley.
GOOD- Erin Blanchfield vs. Manon Fiorot 
Fiorot spends the first round pounding away at Blanchfield with 
strikes and lands a slam early. Blanchfield can’t get close enough to 
strike because everytime she does she’s made to pay by Fiorot.
The second round begins with Blanchfield taking some punches in order to 
get closer but is taking a lot of damage in the process. The third 
round starts with Blanchfield having a little more success but Fiorot is still pounding away at her with those strikes. Fiorot is looking 
strong.
The fourth round opens with more of the same. Blanchfield is 
trying to get in close but is coming straight in so Fiorot is wailing 
away on her. Good toughness from Blanchfield but she needs to mix it up because Fiorot isn’t tiring. The fifth round begins with an early Blanchfield head kick but she can’t capitalize on it. Fiorot continues to tee off on her but she can’t stop her and the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict. Fiorot wins the decision to 
improve to 12-1 and has won 12 straight fights while Blanchfield drops 
to 12-2 and has her 9 fight winning streak snapped. Easy win for Fiorot.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/>Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s 
Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately 
seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to 
join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, 
the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the 
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop 
game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/>KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you 
very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/04/01/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightblanchfield-vs-fiorot/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night: 
Blanchfield vs. Fiorot</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27144</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>3 Fights To Watch 3-30-24</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/29/3-fights-to-watch-3-30-24/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/29/3-fights-to-watch-3-30-24/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 30 Mar 2024 03:07:01 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[3 Fights To Watch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[COVINGTON'S CORNER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Vicente Luque]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27138</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Vicente Luque vs Joaquin Buckley Beating RDA isn’t hard to do these days but it’s better than a loss. Luque needs a win like this to garner attention. Luque was on a roll once upon <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/29/3-fights-to-watch-3-30-24/" title="3 Fights To Watch 3-30-24">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/29/3-fights-to-watch-3-30-24/">3 Fights To Watch 3-30-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Vicente Luque vs Joaquin Buckley
Beating RDA isn’t hard to do these days but it’s better than a loss. Luque needs a win like this to garner attention. Luque was on a roll once upon a time, he was highly touted as “the next man up” by some but when he never leveled up enough despite his wins over big names like Tyron Woodley and Belal Muhammad.
Buckley is on a 2 fight win streak but would really get him some momentum would be a cool moment like finishing Vicente Luque. This fight has some big potential, not gonna miss one.
Chris Weidman vs Bruno Silva
Chris Weidman recently said that he’s not retiring just yet but if he gets his ass knocked out, that is precisely what he should do. 2 -7 in his last 9 fights screams retirement. Opening the prelims on UFC 300 is how Weidman should have went out. Instead, this may be the last we actually see of him regardless of what he says, thinks or feels.
1 in his last 5 Bruno Silva hasn’t exactly been taking the world by storm either. He does however have 20 wins via knockout which is how Weidman usually loses.
Virna Jandiroba vs Loopy Godinez
Virna’s 2 win streak is not enough momentum in the ufc these days sometimes; sometimes you have to do something to open everyone’s eyes. A dominant performance would be nice but a stoppage would make waves.
Godinez is a decision queen, 9 wins via decision, 3 losses the same way. Still, she hasn’t lost since 2022. If this fight is boring, both will lose.
Final take
A pretty decent card out of nowhere. I’m not expecting much even though there are some sleepers worth keeping an eye out for. 

The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/29/3-fights-to-watch-3-30-24/">3 Fights To Watch 3-30-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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<title>HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Bellator Champions
Series 1 and UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/25/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-bellator-championsseries-1-and-ufc-fight-night-ribas-vs-namajunas/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/25/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-bellator-championsseries-1-and-ufc-fight-night-ribas-vs-namajunas/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 25 Mar 2024 14:10:24 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[AMANDA RIBAS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch mma]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[rose namajunas]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[thug rose]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/25/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-bellator-championsseries-1-and-ufc-fight-night-ribas-vs-namajunas/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist Bellator Champion Series 1 and UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas were this past weekend and featured some exciting finishes. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/25/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-bellator-championsseries-1-and-ufc-fight-night-ribas-vs-namajunas/" title="HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Bellator Champions
Series 1 and UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/25/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-bellator-championsseries-1-and-ufc-fight-night-ribas-vs-namajunas/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Bellator Champions 
Series 1 and UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
Bellator Champion Series 1 and UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas were this past weekend and featured some exciting finishes. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
Bellator Champion Series 1 
GOOD- Manoel Sousa stops Tim Wilde 
They exchange strikes for extended periods as both men are very active. Sousa is throwing some major bombs but Wilde is able to avoid them until a huge left hook catches him and knocks him out with twelve 
seconds remaining in the first round. Whoa. Sousa improves to a 
perfect 11-0 while Wilde drops to 17-5-1 and has his 3 fight winning streak snapped. Good win for Sousa.
GOOD- James Gallagher vs. Leandro Higo 
Not much going on in the first round until Higo gets a takedown. Higo 
starts raining hellfire down on Gallagher until the first round ends. 
The second round begins with a repeat of the first round, with not much going on initially. Eventually they start exchanging strikes for 
the rest of the second round. The third round starts with some early grappling until Higo gets a takedown. Higo uses his ground-and-pound 
until the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict. 
Higo wins the decision and improves to 23-6 while Gallagher drops to 12-3. Higo with the good win.
GOOD- Fabian Edwards vs. Aaron Jeffery 
They start off grappling, with Edwards getting a takedown but Jeffery is quickly back to his feet and they reverse and counter and grapple back and forth for the rest of the first round. The second round 
begins with more grappling and they mix in a little striking. The 
third round starts with more striking from Edwards and that could be 
the difference. The fight ends so we go to the judges to render their verdict. Edwards wins the decision to improve to 13-3 while Jeffery drops to 14-5. Nice win for Edwards.
GOOD- Patrico “Pitbull” Freire stops Jeremy Kennedy 
Pitbull successfully defended his Bellator Featherweight Championship 
for the 9th time across three reigns with this victory. Pitbull opened with several hard calf kicks. Kennedy answered with kicks of his own. 
The second round begins with Pitbull continuing to attack the legs with kicks and Kennedy responding with strikes of his own. The third round starts with more striking exchanges and Kennedy drops Pitbull with a big right hand. Pitbull is right back up and they continue 
striking. Pitbull starts to hammer Kennedy and drops him. Pitbull pours on the punishment and forces the referee to jump in to stop the 
fight a little over four minutes into the third round. Pitbull 
improves to 36-7 while Kennedy drops to 19-4 with 1 No Contest and has 
his 3 fight winning streak snapped. Good win for Pitbull.
GOOD/BAD- Corey Anderson vs. Karl Moore 
This wasn’t the most exciting of fights but Anderson grinded out the 
decision win with a lot of takedowns to win the vacant Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship. I might have been a little swayed by the crowd, though, who was rooting for hometown boy Moore in this fight. 
It was good strategy by Anderson, to utilize his strengths, and he claims championship gold because of it. Moore fought hard but Anderson was too strong. Anderson improves to 18-6 with 1 No Contest while Moore drops to 12-3 and has his 4 fight winning streak snapped. Nice win for Anderson.
*************
UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas 
UGLY- Igor Severino bites Andre Lima 
This was on the prelims but I have to mention it. The first round was pretty good, with some nice action. The second round started with more 
of the same, though Severino did get warned for outstretched fingers at one point. The reason I’m talking about this fight is that Severino bit Lima in the arm, around the bicep area. I’m sure you’ve already seen the pictures of it but if you haven’t, check them out. It’s wild. 
Lima got a tattoo commemorating the event and Severino has been cut 
from the UFC for this inexcusable move. Back to main card action.
GOOD- Fernando Padilla submits Luis Pajuelo 
They trade kicks early before mixing in some punches. Padilla drops Pajuelo with a big counter. Pajeulo manages to get up but Padilla is 
right there with a D’Arce choke to force the tap and get the 
submission win a bit over halfway through the first round. Padilla moves to 16-5 while Pajuelo drops to 8-2 and has his 5 fight winning streak snapped. Good win for Padilla.
GOOD- Youssef Zalal submits Billy Quarantillo 
They trade kicks early to start with a few punches mixed in. Zalal lands a few good knees before getting a takedown and going to work. 
They grapple for the rest of the first round and Zalal is able to grab a rear-naked choke but he can’t cinch it in before the first round ends. The second round begins with A quick striking exchange before 
Zalal gets another takedown. He grabs another rear-naked choke but this time he’s able to lock it in and he gets the submission win not quite two minutes into the second round. Zalal improves to 14-5-1 and 
has won 4 straight fights while Quarantillo falls to 18-6. Good win for Zalal.
GOOD- Payton Talbott stops Cameron Saaiman 
They’re trading strikes early until a Talbott hook drops Saaiman but he’s right back up. Both men are attacking the body but Talbott is doubling up Saaiman by volume. Talbott is really taking the fight to Saaiman and they exchange strikes until the end of the first round. 
The second round begins with Talbott dropping Saaiman with a big left hand and follows him down and pounds away until the referee is forced to jump in to stop the fight twenty seconds into the second round. 
Talbott improves to a perfect 8-0 while Saaiman drops to 9-2. Good win for Talbott.
GOOD- Edmen Shahbazyan stops A.J. Dobson 
They’re trading strikes early, with Dobson hurting Shahbazyan until Shahbazyan gets a takedown. Dobson quickly sweeps his way into top position but Shahbazyan fights off his back well and separates. They start trading strikes again and Shahbazyan drops Dobson with a left hook. Shahbazyan unloads with punches and elbows and attacks Dobson 
until the referee jumps in to stop the fight just over four and a half minutes into the first round. Shahbazyan improves to 13-4 while Dobson drops to 7-3 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Shahbazyan.
GOOD- Karl Williams vs. Justin Tafa 
They’re trading strikes early until Tafa hurts Williams, prompting him to take Tafa down. Tafa gets back up but is taken right back down. 
Tafa works his way up again but Williams gets a mat return and the first round ends. The second round begins with another striking exchange that Tafa does some nice damage with but Williams is 
eventually able to get another takedown. The action slows way down as Williams does enough to not get stood up and the second round ends. 
The third round starts with Tafa hurting Williams with some good strikes, prompting him to fight like hell to get Tafa down, which he does eventually. Williams does enough to not get stood up but Tafa finally works his way up but before he can do anything Williams takes him down and the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict. Williams wins the decision and improves to 10-1 and has won 
his last 7 fights while Tafa drops to 7-4 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Williams.
GOOD- Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas 
They trade strikes early until Ribas gets a takedown. Namajunas 
quickly works her way back up, though. Ribas goes for a throw but Namajunas lands on top and works some ground-and-pound until the first 
round ends. The second round begins with more striking by both women. 
Namajunas gets a takedown but Ribas is right back up. Ribas again goes 
for a throw but Namajunas rolls through to land on top and she rides out the rest of the second round on top. The third round starts with another strong striking exchange. Ribas drops Namajunas with a head 
kick but she’s immediately back up and they return to striking. 
Namajunas continues to land the more damaging strikes. They fight on 
the fence until Ribas gets a trip and takes her back but the third 
round ends. The fourth round opens with a little striking as the pace slows way down. They scramble and Namajunas lands on top and fights off some Ribas elbows as the fourth round ends. The fifth round begins with some good striking exchanges. They’re both throwing heavy leather 
and some good kicks that continue throughout the final round. It’s a close fight but Namajunas just did more. The fight ends so we go to the judges to render their verdict. Namajunas wins the decision and improves to 12-6 while Ribas drops to 13-5. Good win for Namajunas.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/>Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s 
Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately 
seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to 
just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, 
the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the 
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <ahref=https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/>KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/25/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-bellator-championsseries-1-and-ufc-fight-night-ribas-vs-namajunas/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Bellator Champions 
Series 1 and UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27137</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>3 Fights To Watch 3-23-24</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/22/3-fights-to-watch-3-23-24/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/22/3-fights-to-watch-3-23-24/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:47:25 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[3 Fights To Watch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[COVINGTON'S CORNER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[thug rose]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27134</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Amanda Ribas vs Rose Namajunas Thug Rose has lost her last two fights so she desperately needs this. Her last win was a split decision back in 2021. Her career may very well be in <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/22/3-fights-to-watch-3-23-24/" title="3 Fights To Watch 3-23-24">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/22/3-fights-to-watch-3-23-24/">3 Fights To Watch 3-23-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Amanda Ribas vs Rose Namajunas
Thug Rose has lost her last two fights so she desperately needs this. Her last win was a split decision back in 2021. Her career may very well be in jeopardy here. A big win would help put her back on the path if she can string together some wins and gain momentum. 
Ribas losing to both Macey Barber and Katlyn Cerminara makes her a gate keeper. The only way around that is by beating Rose, a former champ. Amanda Ribas needs a killer instinct to get the job done.
Karl Williams vs Justin Tafa
Karl Williams looks to continue his rise within the division but Tafa will prove to be a tall task. Williams should make an example out of Tafa, Tafa is the perfect opponent to earn some respect.
Tafa knocks people out, that’s what he does. Williams may not be able to drag this fight to a decision as he often does. Justin Tafa needs to win and build momentum on an impressive finish.
Edmen Shahbazyan vs AJ Dobson
Shahbazyan is 1-4 and hasn’t won in 5 years. 2019 was his last win. If he loses the UFC has to toss him, its what they do. He’s been a bust if you ask me, he started off hot but when the going got tough, the tough TKO’d him. He reminds me a lot of Sage Northcutt, plenty of tell, not enough show.
Dobson is 1-2 in his last 3 fights, he’s not exactly impressive himself. He only has 2 losses via decision so he most likely won’t be finished but he made need one to stand out.
Final take
This could be a possible sleeping card. There are definitely some good fights on here. A decent appetizer leading up to UFC 300.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/22/3-fights-to-watch-3-23-24/">3 Fights To Watch 3-23-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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<item>
<title>HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From UFC 299 and Francis
Ngannou Gets Knocked Out By Anthony Joshua</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/11/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-299-and-francisngannou-gets-knocked-out-by-anthony-joshua/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/11/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-299-and-francisngannou-gets-knocked-out-by-anthony-joshua/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Mar 2024 23:34:23 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ufc 299]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/11/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-299-and-francisngannou-gets-knocked-out-by-anthony-joshua/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist UFC 299 was this past weekend and featured some exciting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown. GOOD- Song Yadong vs. Petr Yan They start <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/11/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-299-and-francisngannou-gets-knocked-out-by-anthony-joshua/" title="HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From UFC 299 and Francis
Ngannou Gets Knocked Out By Anthony Joshua">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/11/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-299-and-francisngannou-gets-knocked-out-by-anthony-joshua/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From UFC 299 and Francis 
Ngannou Gets Knocked Out By Anthony Joshua</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC 299 was this past weekend and featured some exciting fights. Who 
won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
GOOD- Song Yadong vs. Petr Yan 
They start off trading kicks before mixing in some punches as well. 
Song gets a takedown but Yan is quickly back to his feet after some 
grappling and the first round ends. The second round begins with both 
men landing some powerful strikes. They keep trading strong strikes 
throughout the rest of the second round until Yan gets a takedown and 
cuts Song open with his ground-and-pound. The third round starts with 
a lot of strikes being thrown and landed. Both men try for takedowns 
but it’s not until toward the end of the fight when Yan finally 
completes one and goes back to work with his ground-and-pound until 
the final bell. We go to the judges to render their verdict. Yan wins 
the decision to improve to 17-5 and snap his 3 fight losing streak 
while Song drops to 21-8-1 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Yan.
GOOD- Jack Della Maddalena stops Gilbert Burns 
Burns gets an early takedown but Della Maddalena is back to his feet 
quickly and attacks the body with some strikes. Burns gets another 
takedown in the final seconds of the first round. The second round 
begins with the fighters trading good strikes. Burns gets a takedown 
toward the end of the second round and they scramble until the bell. 
The third round starts with a lot of fighting on the fence until Burns 
gets a takedown. JDM scrambles to his feet and catches Burns shooting 
in for another takedown with a tremendous knee that ends the fight, 
though the referee is apparently so stunned that he just stands there 
and allows JDM to tee off on Burns for several seconds before jumping 
in to stop the fight a bit over three and a half minutes into the 
third round. Della Maddalena improves to 17-2 and has won 17 straight 
fights after losing his first two while Burns drops to 22-7. Good win 
for Della Maddalena.
GOOD- Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page 
They trade some nice strikes before they start fighting in the clinch. 
They continue exchanging strikes after separating, with Page 
connecting with some strong strikes that Holland absorbs as the first 
round ends. The second round begins with more good strikes from both 
men before Holland gets a takedown. Page works his way to his feet and 
they trade a few more strikes before the second round ends. The third 
round starts with Page dropping Holland but nothing comes of it and 
they go back to exchanging strikes until the fight ends. Holland shows 
good toughness to take these strikes. We go to the judges to render 
their verdict. Page wins the decision to improve to 22-2 while Holland 
drops to 25-11 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Page.
GOOD- Dustin Poirier stops Benoit Saint-Denis 
They trade kicks to start before Saint-Denis starts trying for some 
takedowns and landing some heavy strikes. BSD gets a takedown at the 
end of the first round. The second round begins with Poirier landing a 
hard strike and they scramble to the mat. Saint-Denis is connecting 
with some strong strikes but Poirier fires back with some huge punches 
that hurt Saint-Denis. Poirier follows up with a tremendous right hook 
that drops BSD and a few follow-ups end the fight just over halfway 
through the second round. Poirier improves to 30-8 with 1 No Contest 
while Saint-Denis drops to 13-2 with 1 No Contest and has his 5 fight 
winning streak snapped. Good win for Poirier.
GOOD- Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera 
O’Malley was looking to defend his UFC Bantamweight Championship here 
for the first time. O’Malley works the kicks early before mixing in 
some punches as well. Vera answers with some kicks of his own but 
O’Malley keeps him at a distance and continues landing kicks as the 
first round ends. The second round begins with Vera being more active 
but O’Malley is just picking him apart at distance with his kicks and 
movement. However, O’Malley’s also having a lot of success with his 
punches as well. This is domination so far as the second round ends. 
The third round starts with more of the same. Vera can’t solve the 
distance and length of O’Malley or his movement. O’Malley is tagging 
Vera seemingly at will but he’s being cautious so he doesn’t make a 
critical error. He continues to pick Vera apart as the third round 
ends. The fourth round opens with Vera being more aggressive and 
trying to get to O’Malley. Vera’s fighting with urgency but he can’t 
get close enough to O’Malley to land a fight-changing strike he so 
desperately needs. He’s taking what O’Malley is dishing out but this 
doesn’t seem to be his night as the fourth round ends. The fifth round 
begins with more of the same, as O’Malley continues to batter Vera. 
Chito shows the toughness you’d expect from him and he’s able to get 
into a firefight with O’Malley at the end of the fight but time runs 
out before he can stop the champion. We go to the judges to render 
their verdict. O’Malley wins the decision and improves to 18-1 with 1 
No Contest and has won 3 straight fights as he successfully defends 
his UFC Bantamweight Championship. Vera drops to 23-9-1. Good win for 
O’Malley.
*************
Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-5) will join the 2024 class of the UFC Hall of 
Fame. Jedrzejczyk is a former UFC Strawweight Champion with 5 
successful title defenses to her credit. She had a great career and 
this is a well-deserved honor. Congratulations to Joanna.
*************
PFL fighter Francis Ngannou (17-3 MMA, 0-2 Boxing) fought Anthony 
Joshua (28-3 Boxing) this past weekend at an event known as Knockout 
Chaos. Joshua knocked Ngannou down with a right hand in the first 
round then floored him again in the second round. Both times Ngannou 
got up but Joshua knocked him down and unconscious with a clean right 
hand at 2:38 of the second round. 
This isn’t a particularly surprising result. Joshua was taking Ngannou 
seriously after seeing what happened when WBC Heavyweight Champion 
Tyson Fury (34-0-1) underestimated Ngannou and nearly lost to him. 
It’s going to be extremely difficult for Ngannou to find wins in the 
boxing world when he fights high-level boxers. He needs to fight a few 
middle-of-the-road boxers at the most to try to get a few wins under 
his belt before jumping back into the deep end. I understand the money 
aspect is very appealing but that won’t last much longer if he keeps 
losing. 
It’s unclear what Ngannou will do next, more boxing or back to MMA. I 
don’t think he knows what he wants to do next, and likely won’t for a 
few weeks or so until the emotions settle down. Whatever he decides, 
it’ll be very interesting to follow. 
In the co-main event Joseph Parker (35-3), the man who beat Deontay 
Wilder (43-3-1) back in December, won the Interim WBO Heavyweight 
Championship by defeating Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1) by Majority Decision 
in 12 rounds. Parker rallied after having been knocked down twice and 
got the decision win with his punching volume.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/>Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s 
Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias 
returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of 
Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately 
seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to 
just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to 
join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and 
Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new 
ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, 
the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the 
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop 
game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other 
places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you 
would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my 
Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/>KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you 
very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/11/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-299-and-francisngannou-gets-knocked-out-by-anthony-joshua/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly From UFC 299 and Francis 
Ngannou Gets Knocked Out By Anthony Joshua</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27133</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>3 Fights To Watch UFC 299 Pt. 2</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/08/3-fights-to-watch-ufc-299-pt-2/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/08/3-fights-to-watch-ufc-299-pt-2/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Mar 2024 14:30:05 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[3 Fights To Watch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[COVINGTON'S CORNER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ufc 299]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27125</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Curtis Blaydes vs Jailton Almeida Can Blaydes make it to a title shot or will he get knocked out when it matters most? I used to root for the guy but he’s more about looking <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/08/3-fights-to-watch-ufc-299-pt-2/" title="3 Fights To Watch UFC 299 Pt. 2">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/08/3-fights-to-watch-ufc-299-pt-2/">3 Fights To Watch UFC 299 Pt. 2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Curtis Blaydes vs Jailton Almeida
Can Blaydes make it to a title shot or will he get knocked out when it matters most? I used to root for the guy but he’s more about looking and sounding tough instead of protecting his glass jaw.
Almeida doesn’t lose often and I don’t see him losing to Blaydes who was knocked out in his last fight. Curtis Blaydes doesn’t have a high amount of losses but Jailton has the power to put him down and the submission victories to prove he’s a very diverse fighter.
Katlyn Cerminara (Chookagian) vs Maycee Barber
Maycee has gotten a WWE style push as the next big thing, we’ve yet to see it come to fruition. She’s lost whatever appeal she’s had.
They both beat Amanda Ribas kinda recently, that’s a feather in their caps however, they have to capitalize off of it. Cerminara has already failed to do so by losing to Manon Fiorot. Cerminara hasn’t fought in over a year so she may be an easy fight for Maycee. 
One thing we do know is that this fight will likely go the distance.
Mateusz Gamrot vs Rafael dos Anjos
RDS has fallen from grace, now being on the prelims but so have others on this card. Can’t be on top forever. Fighting just to fight it seems. Gamrot needs to run through him.
Honorable mention
Gilbert Burns vs Jack Della Maddalena
Coming off of a loss, Gilbert Burns needs to right the ship. It’s a veteran vs a newcomer, hard to say who has the edge but Burns is no pushover. Burns must rekindle that fire within himself to stop Jack from leap-frogging him.
Jack Della Maddalena needs a decisive win this time around. Winning another split decision like his last 2 won’t turn any heads. His 1st two pro fights were losses and he never looked back.
Final take
Pedro Munhoz is also on the card which shows you the depth of it, he’s fought O Malley in a no contest. Marlon Vera beat Munhoz via decision in his last fight so things card is far more interesting than it may seem at a glance.
Ufc 300 is sad. This card is actually stacked. Now I’ve said that more often than I thought I would recently but the fact that ufc 300 is still visually underwhelming is a joke. Move 3 fights from here to that card and it’s much better.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/08/3-fights-to-watch-ufc-299-pt-2/">3 Fights To Watch UFC 299 Pt. 2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27125</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>3 Fights to Watch UFC 299 Pt. 1</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/07/3-fights-to-watch-ufc-299-pt-1/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/07/3-fights-to-watch-ufc-299-pt-1/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 08 Mar 2024 03:15:27 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[3 Fights To Watch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[COVINGTON'S CORNER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Maycee Barber]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sean o' Malley]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27121</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Dustin Poirier vs Benoit Saint-Denis It’s do or die for Poirier. He has a big mouth and swear he deserves so much more credit than he has gotten, that may be true but all of <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/07/3-fights-to-watch-ufc-299-pt-1/" title="3 Fights to Watch UFC 299 Pt. 1">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/07/3-fights-to-watch-ufc-299-pt-1/">3 Fights to Watch UFC 299 Pt. 1</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Dustin Poirier vs Benoit Saint-Denis
It’s do or die for Poirier. He has a big mouth and swear he deserves so much more credit than he has gotten, that may be true but all of that goes out of the window if he loses here. The long and short of it is, if he was so great he should have never lost the title. Beat the new guy and the only question is, when does Dustin get another title shot?
Benoit wants to knock off a legend; one ofthe biggest names in MMA today. If he’s successful, Poirier is likely done. Saint-Denis has a chance to make history by being one of very few people to finish Poirier. 
Kevin Holland vs Michael Page
I fully expect Page to get knocked out or do the knocking out. Of all the Belltor guys to jump over I believe that Page is the one that is fool’s gold. A knockout from Page wouldn’t be shocking at all, he’s done it a lot. His best possible outcome is a hot start like Michael Chandler with a spectacular finish of his first opponent. 
Holland loves to play around, putting himself at great risk of being KO’d. If Holland can put the new guy away, he will garner much praise among fans. This should be for the BMF title honestly. 
Petr Yan vs Song Yadong
Yan seeks to get back to the title he should have never lost. But he did lose and he’s lost to the last 2 champs which means he isn’t really in contention unless he can clean out the division again, quickly and thoroughly. 
Song Yadong can make a bigger name for himself  if he stops Yan. This is a name Song has to add to his list if he wants to get into title contention. I’m thinking this fight goes the distance, can’t tell you who wins. 
Honorable mention
Sean O’Malley vs Marlon Vera
O’ Malley’s lone L is to Vera. O Malley wins and he will thrive if he loses he will still be pushed down our throats like babyface Roman Reigns. Marlon Vera will likely just be forgotten, he exist as an obstacle for Sean, if O’ Malley beats him, that relevance fades quickly. O’ Malley has chicken legs, I think he gets his legs lit up and he loses easily.
Final take
Title contention and legacy on the line throughout the card. There are no true underdogs, there are no clear favorites; this is why they fight. If nations fought wars 1 v 1 this is what it would look like.
So many fights I couldn’t just choose 3; watch out for part 2.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/07/3-fights-to-watch-ufc-299-pt-1/">3 Fights to Watch UFC 299 Pt. 1</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27121</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night:
Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev and Gamebred BKMMA 7 Results</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/04/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightrozenstruik-vs-gaziev-and-gamebred-bkmma-7-results/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/04/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightrozenstruik-vs-gaziev-and-gamebred-bkmma-7-results/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 2024 14:56:23 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Rozenstruik]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/04/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightrozenstruik-vs-gaziev-and-gamebred-bkmma-7-results/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev was this past weekend and featured some interesting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown. UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/04/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightrozenstruik-vs-gaziev-and-gamebred-bkmma-7-results/" title="HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night:
Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev and Gamebred BKMMA 7 Results">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/04/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightrozenstruik-vs-gaziev-and-gamebred-bkmma-7-results/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night: 
Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev and Gamebred BKMMA 7 Results</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev was this past weekend and 
featured some interesting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to 
the rundown.
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev 
GOOD- Steve Erceg stops Matt Schnell 
They exchange some good strikes early in the fight before Erceg starts connecting with some big power strikes that really start hurting 
Schnell. The first round ends as Erceg gets stuffed on a takedown 
attempt. The second round begins with Erceg nailing Schnell with a 
beautiful left hook that ends the fight not quite thirty seconds into the second round. Erceg improves to 12-1 and has won 11 straight 
fights while Schnell drops to 16-8 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Erceg.
GOOD/BAD- Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Bekzat Almakhan 
Almakhan comes out aggressive and drops Nurmagomedov with an overhand 
right early in the fight. They scramble and Nurmagomedov lands on top 
and stays there the rest of the first round. The second round begins 
with some exchanges until Nurmagomedov gets a takedown. Almakhan 
scrambles up but gets immediately taken down again. Almakhan gets up 
again but gets immediately taken down again and Nurmagomedov works 
some ground-and-pound until the second round ends. The third round starts with Nurmagomedov getting another takedown and they stay on the 
mat for the rest of the fight. Almakhan landed five strikes in the 
entire fight and I’m thankful this wasn’t scheduled for five rounds. 
We go to the judges to render their verdict. Nurmagomedov wins the 
decision to improve to a perfect 17-0 while Almakhan drops to 11-2 and has his 8 fight winning streak snapped. Good win for Nurmagomedov.
GOOD- Muhammad Mokaev vs. Alex Perez 
They exchange strikes early as Mokaev keeps trying for a takedown but 
can’t get one until the last minute of the first round. He lands some 
ground-and-pound before the first round ends. The second round begins 
with them fighting on the fence for a while before Mokaev can finally 
get another takedown. He can’t do with it, though, as Perez scrambles 
away. They exchange strikes for the rest of the second round. The third round starts with some striking exchanges before Mokaev starts going for a takedown. They’re up and down repeatedly as they scramble 
for the rest of the fight. We go to the judges to render their 
verdict. Mokaev wins the decision to improve to 12-0 with 1 No Contest 
and has won 7 straight fights while Perez drops to 24-8 and has lost 3 straight fights. Good win for Mokaev.
BAD/GOOD- Vitor Petrino vs. Tyson Pedro 
They trade a lot of kicks in the first round, with both men mixing in some punches as well. The second round begins with more of the same 
sparring-style action. They reverse each other on takedown attempts 
and fight on the fence. The third round starts with Petrino taking 
control and landing some nice strikes. He then gets a takedown and they scramble up and down for a while. Petrino tries for some 
submissions but can’t lock any in and the fight ends, We go to the judges to render their verdict. Petrino wins the decision to improve 
to a perfect 11-0 while Pedro drops to 10-5. I generally try not to be 
too negative in these rundowns but I didn’t like this fight much. 
Kudos to the fighters, though. Good win for Petrino.
GOOD/UGLY- Tyson Pedro retires, talks money 
After the fight Pedro retired and finished his career with a 10-5 
record. He won twice as many as he lost so that’s pretty good to me. I wish him well in his retirement. At the post-fight press conference he 
talked about his financial challenges and even quipped that he’ll 
likely have to rob someone in the parking lot due to losing the fight and the tax deductions on his show money. 
This is just more gasoline on the issue of the UFC needing to pay 
fighters more money. It’s easy for me to say something like this, it’s not my money, but it feels like if the UFC wants to grow, especially 
in the higher weight classes, they need to pay more money. For some of 
the lighter fighters, MMA might be the best avenue to go down but there’s less incentive for the bigger guys when the best athletes at that size can make more money competing in other sports. 
I don’t know, it’s a complicated issue but it feels wrong for a guy 
who’s fought in the UFC 11 times to be facing money issues.
GOOD/BAD- Jairzinho Rozenstruik stops Shamil Gaziev 
Gaziev tries for a few takedowns but can’t get any. As he’s doing that Rozenstruik is peppering him with jabs. Gaziev finally gets a takedown 
as the first round ends. The second round begins with more jabs from Rozenstruik as Gaziev tries for another takedown. Wash, rinse, repeat as we move into the third round and to my horror I remember that this 
is the main event and will be five rounds. Oh crud. The fourth round is more of the same Rozenstruik teeing off on Gaziev with jabs and the 
occasional kick. The fourth round ends and in between rounds Gaziev tells his corner that he can’t see so the cageside doctor stops the fight after four rounds. Rozenstruik improves to 14-5 while Gaziev drops to 12-1 and is handed his first career loss. Again, I don’t want to be too negative but this fight… Credit to Rozenstruik for 
throwing that many jabs. I generally don’t like five round fights as a rule and I certainly don’t want to see heavyweights going that distance. Anyway, good win for Rozenstruik.
*************
Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 7 was also this past weekend. The results 
were as follows.
Junior dos Santos (23-10) stopped Alan Belcher (19-9) by second-round 
TKO (4:39) to become the inaugural Gamebred Heavyweight Champion. 
Chase Sherman (18-12) def. Alex Nicholson (18-11) by first-round KO. (3:57) 
Handesson Ferreira (20-5-1) def. Karl Roberson (9-7) via unanimous decision 
TJ Brown (19-11) def. Mandel Nallo (13-5) via second-round submission (0:22) 
Jesse Ronson (27-12, 1 No Contest, 6 straight wins) def. Anthony Njokuani (18-15, 1 No Contest) via first-round submission (4:26) 
Brandon Jenkins (17-11) def. Tyler Hill (12-9) via third-round TKO (2:12) 
Anvar Boynazarov (6-3) def. Marlon Gonzalez (15-7-2, 1 No Contest) 
def. via first-round TKO (0:13) 
Joe Penafiel (12-9) def. Charles Bennett (30-46-2, 16 straight losses) 
via third-round TKO (3:49)
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/>Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s 
Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of 
Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to 
join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new 
ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, 
the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the 
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop 
game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/>KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you 
very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/04/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightrozenstruik-vs-gaziev-and-gamebred-bkmma-7-results/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night: 
Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev and Gamebred BKMMA 7 Results</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27119</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>3 Fights To Watch 3-2-24</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/01/3-fights-to-watch-3-2-24/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/01/3-fights-to-watch-3-2-24/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 01 Mar 2024 15:15:41 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[3 Fights To Watch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[COVINGTON'S CORNER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Rozenstruik]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27114</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Shamil Gaziev Shamil Gaziev has his work cut out for him. Jairzinho Rozenstruik is a man with crazy one punch knockout power, something Gaziev has himself. Rozenstruik is just 3-5 since 2020, <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/01/3-fights-to-watch-3-2-24/" title="3 Fights To Watch 3-2-24">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/01/3-fights-to-watch-3-2-24/">3 Fights To Watch 3-2-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs Shamil Gaziev
Shamil Gaziev has his work cut out for him. Jairzinho Rozenstruik is a man with crazy one punch knockout power, something Gaziev has himself. Rozenstruik is just 3-5 since 2020, all 5 of his losses have come since then. he’s only won 3 of his last 8 fights, his career may very well hang in the balance.
Gaziev on the other hand, has never lost and is quickly ascending. Will he pick up his 13th win? Hard to give the edge to one knockout artist over another. It will be a slugfest so whoever connects first is probably going to cause the upset.
Alex Perez vs Muhammad Mokaev
Muhammad Mokaev is undefeated but if Alex Perez can knock him off it can keep him in the right conversations. Mokaev has the tools to put Perez away and needs to do so to propel himself into title picture ahead of a guy like Perez. I’m not sure Mokaev has what it takes to actually capture the title but he CAN get himself into that fight.
Perez has list his last 2 fight but to former champ and current champ even a loss here seemingly won’t kill his career. He went on a 3 fight win streak before then, he could conceivably work his way backninto a title shot but it would take quite some time, losing to the undefeated Mokaev would mean he’s on the way down and may be relegated to playing gatekeeper.
Umar Nurmagomedov vs Bekzat Almakhan
Almakhan only loss once back in 2020, he’s been undefeated since then. He cannot be underestimated if you’re Umar, it could mean an early night and night night. 
Yet another undefeated fighter looking to extend his undefeated streak. Nurmagomedov is tapping you out or its going the distance. Bekzat however, is looking for a knockout. Two different styles and styles make fights; an unpredictable finish if I’ve ever seen one. 
Final take
The card doesn’t seem impressive at first glance but there’s quit a bit riding on these fights. There 4 are fighters on the main card who are u defeated and a few on the whole card with just 1 loss. These are fighters we’re going to be seeing a lot of. Definitely a Fight Night to pay attention to, some of these fighters may very well be future champs.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/03/01/3-fights-to-watch-3-2-24/">3 Fights To Watch 3-2-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27114</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from PFL vs. Bellator:
Champions and UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/26/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-pfl-vs-bellatorchampions-and-ufc-fight-night-moreno-vs-royval-2/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/26/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-pfl-vs-bellatorchampions-and-ufc-fight-night-moreno-vs-royval-2/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 26 Feb 2024 15:21:39 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[brandon moreno]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Brandon Royval]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[tko]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ufc 300]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/26/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-pfl-vs-bellatorchampions-and-ufc-fight-night-moreno-vs-royval-2/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist PFL vs. Bellator: Champions and UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 were this past weekend and featured some exciting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/26/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-pfl-vs-bellatorchampions-and-ufc-fight-night-moreno-vs-royval-2/" title="HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from PFL vs. Bellator:
Champions and UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/26/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-pfl-vs-bellatorchampions-and-ufc-fight-night-moreno-vs-royval-2/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from PFL vs. Bellator: 
Champions and UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
PFL vs. Bellator: Champions and UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 
were this past weekend and featured some exciting fights. Who won and 
who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
PFL vs. Bellator: Champions 
GOOD- A.J. McKee submits Clay Collard 
McKee got an early takedown then went to work, grabbing a couple 
different chokes before cinching in an armbar and forcing the tap a 
bit over a minute into the first round. McKee improves to 22-1 and has 
won 4 straight fights while Collard drops to 24-12 with 1 No Contest. 
Good win for McKee.
GOOD- Yoel Romero vs. Thiago Santos 
Not a lot of action in the first round other than a few striking 
exchanges. The second round sees both men throwing a lot of kicks. 
Romero lands a few head kicks that Santos absorbs and also some inside 
leg kicks that are adding up. The third round sees them fight in the 
clinch for a bit before Romero continues his assault with his inside 
leg kicks. The fight ends so we go to the judges to render their 
verdict. Romero wins the decision to improve to 16-7 while Santos 
drops to 22-12 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Romero.
GOOD- Vadim Nemkov submits Bruno Cappelozza 
Nemkov gets an early takedown but Cappelozza is back up. They exchange 
strikes for the rest of the first round, with Nemkov controlling the 
action. The second round begins with a big right hand from Nemkov 
answered by an even bigger right hand from Cappelozza that sends 
Nemkov flying back into the fence. Nemkov gets a takedown and locks in 
an arm-triangle to put Cappelozza to sleep a bit over two minutes into 
the second round. Nemkov improves to 17-2 with 1 No Contest while 
Cappelozza drops to 15-7 with 1 No Contest. Nemkov wins the night’s 
first PFL Champion vs. Bellator Champion Super Belt. Good win for 
Nemkov.
GOOD- Jason Jackson stops Ray Cooper III 
Cooper is pushing the pace early but Jackson gets a takedown and stays 
on top until the end of the first round, landing some big elbows to 
close the round. The second round begins with Jackson landing a huge 
leg kick that drops Cooper. Jackson pounces with his ground-and-pound 
and forces the referee to jump in to stop the fight a little over 
twenty seconds into the second round. Jackson improves to 18-4 and has 
won 8 straight fights while Cooper drops to 25-10-1. Jackson wins the 
second PFL Champion vs. Bellator Champion Super Belt of the night. 
Good win for Jackson.
GOOD- Johnny Eblen vs. Impa Kasanganay 
Kasanganay is the reigning 2023 PFL Light Heavyweight Champion while 
Eblen is the Bellator Middleweight Champion. This fight is taking 
place at middleweight and begins with Eblen getting an early takedown. 
Kasanganay is back up and they exchange strikes for the rest of a 
close first round. The second round begins with Kasanganay dropping 
Eblen with a big right hand. Eblen survives and they exchange strikes 
and grapple for the rest of the second round. The third round starts 
with both men landing some huge strikes that the other absorbs. Eblen 
gets another takedown and the fight ends. We go to the judges to 
render their verdict. Eblen wins the Split Decision and improves to a 
perfect 15-0 while Kasanganay drops to 15-4 and has his 6 fight 
winning streak snapped. Eblen wins the third PFL Champion vs. Bellator 
Champion Super Belt of the night and Bellator is one win away from 
sweeping PFL. Good win for Eblen.
GOOD- Renan Ferreira stops Ryan Bader 
Ferreira is the reigning 2023 PFL Heavyweight Champion while Bader is 
the Bellator Heavyweight Champion. This is a three-round non-title 
fight but it probably took me longer to type that than the actual 
fight. Ferreira drops Bader with the first punch and pounds him out to 
force the referee to jump in to stop the fight twenty-one seconds into 
the first round. Ferreira improves to 13-3 with 3 No Contests and has 
won 4 straight fights while Bader drops to 31-8 with 1 No Contest and 
has his 3 fight winning streak snapped. Ferreira wins the fourth and 
final PFL Champion vs. Bellator Champion Super Belt of the night and 
prevents the Bellator sweep. Good win for Ferreira.
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 
GOOD- Manuel Torres submits Chris Duncan 
Duncan gets an early takedown but Torres is back up quickly and gets a 
takedown of his own. Duncan fights to his feet but gets taken back 
down and Torres wraps up a rear-naked choke to get the submission win 
not quite two minutes into the first round. Torres improves to 15-2 
and has won 6 straight fights while Duncan drops to 11-2 and has his 4 
fight winning streak snapped.
GOOD- Yazmin Jauregui vs. Sam Hughes 
They exchange strikes early and often in the first round. Hughes also 
tries for multiple takedowns but can’t get any. Jauregui is landing 
the more damaging strikes but Hughes is in there battling. The second 
round begins with more striking exchanges. Both women are fighting 
hard. Jauregui is the better striker but Hughes is showing a lot of 
heart and grit. The third round picks up where the second round left 
things, Jauregui is doing some real damage with her strikes but Hughes 
is tough and won’t stop. The fight ends so we go to the judges to 
render their verdict. Jauregui wins the decision and improves to 11-1 
while Hughes drops to 8-6. Good win for Jauregui.
GOOD- Daniel Zellhuber vs. Francisco Prado 
Zellhuber starts off with kicks. Prado answers back with kicks and 
punches of his own. More striking exchanges dominate the rest of the 
first round. The second round begins with Zellhuber again utilizing 
kicks but also mixing in some stinging jabs. Zellhuber is really doing 
some damage to Prado, who refuses to give up despite the damage being 
done. The second round ends and the cageside doctor is checking on 
Prado. He lets him back in there just so he can get beaten up some 
more. Prado’s corner should throw in the towel. Zellhuber punishes 
Prado for the rest of the fight, though Prado’s toughness allows him 
to survive. A realistic take would have been to stop the fight and let 
Prado fight another day. Regardless, we go to the judges to render 
their verdict. Zellhuber wins the decision to improve to 15-1 and has 
won 3 straight fights while Prado drops to 12-2. Good win for 
Zellhuber.
GOOD- Brian Ortega submits Yair Rodriguez 
Ortega hurts his leg during the intros but elects to fight anyway, 
likely to avoid becoming a meme. Rodriguez explodes on Ortega, 
dropping him with a big left hand and popping him with another strong 
left when he stands up. Rodriguez then knees Ortega, who shortly after 
that falls down after taking a leg kick. Rodriguez follows him down 
and starts dropping bombs. Ortega fights back and they grapple until 
the end of the first round. The second round begins with more striking 
exchanges. Ortega gets a takedown and lands some huge elbows that 
slice open a nasty cut under Rodriguez’s right eye. The third round 
starts with Ortega getting a takedown and locking in an arm triangle 
to get the submission win just under a minute into the third round. 
Heck of a comeback for Ortega, who improves to 16-3 with 1 No Contest 
while Rodriguez drops to 15-5 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Ortega.
GOOD- Brandon Moreno vs. Brandon Royval 
A largely slow-paced first round as both men prepare to go the 
distance. A few more strikes land before the first round ends. The 
second round begins with Royval using his kicks while Moreno counters 
with punches. They both start mixing it up and things start flying 
fast and furious. They grapple to end the second round. The third 
round starts with a lot of kicks being thrown. Moreno catches one of 
Royval’s kicks and takes him down, setting off a wild scramble that 
ends with them on the fence. Both men are striking well but Royval is 
like a whirlwind with his activity. Moreno is weathering the storm but 
it doesn’t seem to be relenting any at all. The fourth opens with 
Royval continuing to throw strikes out at a wild pace. Moreno does 
hurt him with a low kick, though. He’s having good success with those. 
Royval just keeps coming, though, and the fourth round ends. The fifth 
round begins with a slower pace but both men are still landing a lot 
of strikes. They’re trading heat as the fight comes to an end, with 
big bombs being thrown and landing in the final seconds. What a close 
fight. We go to the judges to render their verdict. Royval wins the 
Split Decision and improves to 16-7 while Moreno drops to 21-8-2. Good 
win for Royval.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a href="https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/">Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s 
Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias 
returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of 
Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately 
seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to 
just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to 
join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and 
Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new 
ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, 
the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the 
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop 
game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other 
places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you 
would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my 
Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a href="https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/">KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you 
very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/26/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-pfl-vs-bellatorchampions-and-ufc-fight-night-moreno-vs-royval-2/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from PFL vs. Bellator: 
Champions and UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27113</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>3 Fights To Watch</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/23/3-fights-to-watch-5/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/23/3-fights-to-watch-5/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Feb 2024 13:30:15 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[3 Fights To Watch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[COVINGTON'S CORNER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Brandon Royval]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27110</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval The last time they lost was when they last fought, they lost to the same man, the current fly weight champ Alexandre Pantoja. Only one man can bounce back but <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/23/3-fights-to-watch-5/" title="3 Fights To Watch">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/23/3-fights-to-watch-5/">3 Fights To Watch</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Brandon Moreno vs Brandon Royval
The last time they lost was when they last fought, they lost to the same man, the current fly weight champ Alexandre Pantoja. Only one man can bounce back but who has the edge? They are virtually the same fighter to me. I can’t pick one over the other really. Also, I can’t say that either should get a rematch against Pantoja if they win either. I do believe that someone’s career will go downhill after this loss.
These guys have basically only lost via decision so this fight is definitely going the distance. That means we’re going to get a good fight. It also means we probably won’t get a clear winner.
Yair Rodríguez vs Brian Ortega
There was a time I didn’t believe in Ortega, then I did believe in him. Now I don’t believe in him. He had potential, he had the attitude, he just doesn’t hasn’t shown the ability to win the big one. Neither has Yair Rodríguez so I suppose they are similar in that way. They are both cocky, both list to Max Holloway and Volkanovski. I guess they are a lot more similar than I thought. Identical records as well; I just don’t which way to call it. Another great fight?! I think so. This is one we should just sit back and enjoy.
Raul Rosas Jr. vs Ricky Turcios
Rosas rebounded from a decision loss, his first loss, with a TKO win. That puts him firmly in the driver’s seat. Ricky’s been knocked out and goes to decision often, that’s doesn’t inspire confidence  in favoring him in the fight. Ricky Turcios just doesn’t seem like he has what it takes to take this fight away from Raul Rosas. It’ll be fun but it may be quick.
Final take
Not nuch to this card but what’s on it is actually interesting. Again, UFC 300 could have used a couple of these fights but we already beat that dead horse. It’s not star-studded but it could be action packed. Settle in and watch with a beer and some hot wings. 
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/23/3-fights-to-watch-5/">3 Fights To Watch</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27110</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From UFC 298, UFC 300 Main Event, and Wanderlei Silva</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/19/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-298-ufc-300-main-event-and-wanderlei-silva/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/19/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-298-ufc-300-main-event-and-wanderlei-silva/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 19 Feb 2024 17:35:43 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[robert whittaker]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ugc 298]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/19/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-298-ufc-300-main-event-and-wanderlei-silva/</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist UFC 298 was this past weekend and featured some exciting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown. UFC 298 GOOD- Anthony Hernandez submits Roman Kopylov <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/19/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-298-ufc-300-main-event-and-wanderlei-silva/" title="HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From UFC 298, UFC 300 Main Event, and Wanderlei Silva">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/19/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-298-ufc-300-main-event-and-wanderlei-silva/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From UFC 298, UFC 300 Main Event, and Wanderlei Silva</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[

By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC 298 was this past weekend and featured some exciting fights. Who 
won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
UFC 298 
GOOD- Anthony Hernandez submits Roman Kopylov 
They trade punches to start before mixing in some kicks. Hernandez 
nearly gets the fight to the ground but Kopylov regains his feet. 
Hernandez keeps trying for the takedown but can’t get it as the first 
round ends. The second round begins with some striking exchanges. 
Hernandez gets a takedown and they grapple for a while before 
Hernandez secures the rear-naked choke and gets the tap not quite 
three and a half minutes into the second round. Hernandez improves to 
12-2 with 1 No Contest and has won 5 straight fights while Kopylov 
drops to 12-3 and has his 4 fight winning streak snapped. Good win for 
Hernandez.
GOOD- Merab Dvalishvili vs. Henry Cejudo 
They start off with some striking exchanges until Dvalishvili gets a 
takedown. Cejudo is right back to his feet, though, and he denies 
another Dvalishvili takedown and sends him onto his back. Dvalishvili 
fights back to his feet and they exchange a few strikes before the 
first round ends. The second round begins with Cejudo getting an early 
takedown. Dvalishvili quickly gets back to his feet and both men start 
winging punches. Dvalishvili gets another takedown but Cejudo is 
trying to fight back to his feet. They scramble a bit before the 
second round ends. The third round starts with some nice striking 
exchanges. Dvalishvili gets a big slam but Cejudo scrambles back to a 
knee. They separate shortly before the fight ends. We go to the judges 
to render their verdict. Dvalishvili wins the decision to improve to 
17-4 and has won 10 straight fights while Cejudo drops to 16-4. Good 
win for Dvalishvili.
GOOD- Ian Machado Garry vs. Geoff Neal 
Both men are throwing a lot of kicks early. They mix in some punches 
and fight on the fence for a moment. They return to the kicks before 
the first round ends. The second round begins with some good striking. 
They’re mixing things up well and they fight on the fence before the 
second round ends. The third round starts with more striking 
exchanges. Garry’s throwing a lot of volume and in a close fight like 
this that could be the difference. Some more nice combinations and 
this close fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict. 
Garry wins the Split Decision to improve to a perfect 14-0 while Neal 
drops to 15-6. Good win for Garry.
GOOD- Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa 
They start off with some striking exchanges. They’re both mixing up 
their punches and kicks well. They slug it out until the first round 
ends. The second round begins with the fighters trading kicks. 
Whittaker’s pulling ahead but Costa keeps fighting. Whittaker keeps 
landing big strike after big strike but Costa’s taking it. He’s having 
a little success with the low kicks but not much else. On the other 
hand, Whittaker is having a lot of success with his punches and 
landing some hard ones before the second round ends. The third round 
starts with more heavy striking exchanges. Whittaker’s still having 
more success but Costa’s still fighting. Whittaker continues to do 
damage until the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their 
verdict. Whittaker wins the decision to improve to 25-7 while Costa 
drops to 14-3, with those 3 losses coming in his last 4 fights. Good 
win for Whittaker.
GOOD- Ilia Topuria stops Alexander Volkanovski 
Volkanovski was looking to defend his UFC Featherweight Championship 
for the 6th time here. Topuria is pushing forward so Volkanovski is 
relying on a lot of kicks early. That continues throughout the first 
round and Volkanovski seems to be doing well and avoiding damage. The 
second round begins with more of the same, with Volkanovski sticking 
and moving around. Both men start landing some heavy strikes. However, 
Topuria pushes Volkanovski back to the fence and crushes Volk with a 
huge overhand right that knocks him out immediately three and a half 
minutes into the second round. Ilia Topuria is your new UFC 
Featherweight Champion and improves to a perfect 15-0 while 
Volkanovski drops to 26-4. Good win for Topuria.
*************
The main event of UFC 300 will be UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex 
Pereira (9-2) defending against the former UFC Light Heavyweight 
Champion who had to vacate the title due to injury, Jamahal Hill 
(21-1, 1 No Contest). Hill ruptured his Achilles tendon back in July 
2023 so he’s making a great recovery to be fighting 9 months later. I 
wish him good health, I wish both fighters good health.
*************
Wanderlei Silva (35-14-1, 1 No Contest) will be inducted into the UFC 
Hall of Fame this summer. Silva had a great career with a lot of 
achievements. He was a PRIDE Middleweight Champion with 4 successful 
defenses, with the most Knockouts, most wins in PRIDE history, and won 
a PRIDE World Grand Prix tournament. He has a lot of big wins and 
highlight reel moments so this is well deserved. He joins another 
deserving man who will also be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame, 
Frankie Edgar (24-11-1).
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a href="https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/">Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s 
Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias 
returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of 
Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately 
seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to 
just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to 
join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and 
Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new 
ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, 
the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the 
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop 
game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other 
places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you 
would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my 
Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a href="https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/">KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you 
very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/19/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-298-ufc-300-main-event-and-wanderlei-silva/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From UFC 298, UFC 300 Main Event, and Wanderlei Silva</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27109</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>3 Fights To Watch 2-17-24</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/16/3-fights-to-watch-2-17-24/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/16/3-fights-to-watch-2-17-24/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 17 Feb 2024 00:32:31 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[3 Fights To Watch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[COVINGTON'S CORNER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa We’ve been cheated out of this fight before, I think it should have been the main event of a Fight Night or on UFC 300’s undercard.. I’m not as excited <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/16/3-fights-to-watch-2-17-24/" title="3 Fights To Watch 2-17-24">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/16/3-fights-to-watch-2-17-24/">3 Fights To Watch 2-17-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Robert Whittaker vs Paulo Costa
We’ve been cheated out of this fight before, I think it should have been the main event of a Fight Night or on UFC 300’s undercard.. I’m not as excited as I once was. 
Let’s be real, Whittaker has to win this or he likely won’t be in title talks for the rest of his UFC career, its just how they are. He’s taken losses to top talent and not being able to get over that hurdle gives UFC cause to pause.
Costa can lose here but he’d have to go undefeated for the rest of his career to get a title shot as far as I’m concerned. A loss tells me that he can’t beat top talent just like Whittaker can’t. 
We play it fast and loose with what we’re saying but the fight game is unforgiving. Costa has only lost twice to two top guys but the way UGC has seen it before, that’s enough to look over you for another title opportunity so it really is a career defining moment here. Amanda Nunes has losses and she’s one of the greatest of all time if not thee  greatest. You can have losses but it’s to who and when in you career did it happen, that’s what matters. This loss will most likely be devastating for whomever is on the receiving end of it.
Geoff Neal vs Ian Garry
Is there anyone that likes Ian Garry at this point? The term cuck has been used and his family, mainly his wife, has been brought up continuously but is he bringing it all on himself?! I don’t know the answer to these questions but I do know that he is undefeated. Garry will face his toughest challenge yet, looking to climb closer to a title shot.
Neither man could finish Magny, I don’t see them finishing this fight. Geoff Neal has to stop this young buck Ian Garry or his future with the UFC may be in jeopardy. Sure it would only be a single loss but losses pile up quick in the UFC.
Amanda Lemos vs Mackenzie Dern
I feel like Dern doesn’t have many chances left. Win, lose, win, lose; that pattern shows a lack of progress, not something the UFC does well with. Soon Dern will find herself booked even worse if she takes a loss on this card. With other fighter looking to stand out and prove themselves worthy, she’s one that has to do the same.
Lemos has put some win streaks together, she needs to put one together here in order to get her buzz back. She should blitz Dern, knock her out and leave the judges out of it. A KO gets the people talking about what you’re going to do next, the next fight is always the biggest thing, that’s why it’s the last question interviewers ask you after a fight.
Both have losses in their last fight to top tier fighters, this is a comeback fight. Who will make the comeback?
Final take
Finally a card worthy of decent viewership. Someone put actual effort into this however, I still feel like it’s a nothing burger. Henry Cejudo is fighting on the card and I’ve heard NOTHING about it. It’s gonna be a good card, I’m excited overall but this company has a ton of work to do this year and they haven’t done well so far.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/16/3-fights-to-watch-2-17-24/">3 Fights To Watch 2-17-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27103</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night:
Hermansson vs. Pyfer</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/12/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nighthermansson-vs-pyfer/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/12/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nighthermansson-vs-pyfer/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 12 Feb 2024 19:41:45 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Hermansson]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Pyfer was this past weekend and featured a few exciting fights and some other solid ones. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/12/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nighthermansson-vs-pyfer/" title="HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night:
Hermansson vs. Pyfer">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/12/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nighthermansson-vs-pyfer/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night: 
Hermansson vs. Pyfer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Pyfer was this past weekend and featured a few exciting fights and some other solid ones. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Pyfer 
GOOD- Rodolfo Vieira submits Arman Petrosyan 
Petrosyan is hammering home a bunch of low kicks early while Vieira opts for mostly jabs. They both start mixing their strikes up before 
Vieira gets a takedown. Petrosyan works his way back to his feet but gets taken back down. That happens again but this time Vieira slams 
Petrosyan to the mat. Vieira moves to mount and they scramble for a moment before Vieira locks in an arm triangle choke to get the submission with a little over ten seconds remaining in the first round. Vieira improves to 10-2 while Petrosyan drops to 9-3. Good win for Vieira.
GOOD- Michael Johnson vs. Darrius Flowers 
They trade kicks and jabs early. Then they each begin to attack the 
body. Johnson gets a late takedown just before the first round ends. 
The second round begins with more body strikes from Johnson and they’re taking a toll on Flowers. Johnson gets another takedown 
halfway through the round. He doesn’t do much with it and Flowers 
stands. However, Johnson takes him right back down and the second round ends. The third round starts with more striking before a 
potential headbutt from Johnson sends Flowers to the mat. Not a lot 
happens and Flowers works his way to his feet. The fight ends so we go 
to the judges to render their verdict. Johnson wins the decision and 
improves to 22-19 while Flowers drops to 12-7-1. Good win for Johnson.
GOOD- Gregory Rodrigues stops Brad Tavares 
They’re exchanging heavy strikes early and often. Rodrigues seems to 
be landing the heavier strikes, though Tavares is returning fire with 
his own. They keep swinging away for the rest of the first round. The second round begins with more of the same, with each man throwing and 
landing some heavy hands. They both mix things up well with kicks and 
knees but it’s the punches that are really flying. Rodrigues gets a takedown at the end of the second round. The third round starts with 
some low kicks from Rodrigues before he starts unleashing hell on Tavares with several huge right hands to force the referee to jump in 
to stop the fight not quite a minute into the third round. Rodrigues 
improves to 15-5 while Tavares drops to 20-9. Good win for Rodrigues.
GOOD- Robert Bryczek vs. Ihor Potieira 
Potieira starts off with some kicks before Bryczek pokes him in the eye. They restart and each land some strikes before Potieira gets hit 
low by Bryczek. The first round ends with a striking exchange. The second round begins with more striking exchanges but none of them are 
very damaging. There’s not a lot happening here and the second round 
ends. The third round starts with Bryczek hurting Potieira with a big left hook but backs away and doesn’t press his advantage. Potieira 
fires back and they’re trading heavy fire. They both make it through 
until the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict. 
Potieira wins the decision and improves to 20-5 while Bryczek drops to 
17-6 and has his 5 fight winning streak snapped. Good win for 
Potieira.
GOOD- Dan Ige stops Andre Fili 
Fili starts with jabs while Ige works the leg kicks. Neither man does anything for quite a while as they try to find the range for their 
punches. Suddenly, Fili steps in to land a punch but gets annihilated 
by an overhand right from Ige. Fili’s out right away but for some 
unknown reason the referee lets him take one more punch before 
stepping in to stop the fight a bit over halfway through the first 
round. That should be a fine or something. Ige improves to 18-7 while Fili drops to 23-11 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Ige.
GOOD- Jack Hermansson vs. Joe Pyfer 
Pyfer stuns Hermansson with a big left hook early. Pyfer works in some 
nice kicks as well. Hermansson fires back with strikes of his own as the first round ends. The second round begins with them exchanging 
punches before mixing in some kicks. Pyfer’s landing the heavier 
strikes, no surprise there, but Hermansson’s still in there fighting 
as the second round ends. The third round starts with both men working 
the jab. Hermansson is landing some leg kicks that are slowing Pyfer down. Pyfer is fighting through it, though, but Hermansson is starting 
to land more and more. The third round ends as Pyfer tries for a 
takedown. The fourth round opens with more calf kicks from Hermansson. 
The momentum has completely shifted to Hermansson. Pyfer’s still swinging and landing some nice strikes but Hermansson is starting to 
pull away. Pyfer tries for another takedown but can’t get it and the fourth round ends. The fifth round begins with some good punches being traded. Hermansson lands a few more calf kicks before getting a takedown. Not a lot happens there and the fight ends. We go to the 
judges to render their verdict. Hermansson wins the decision and improves to 24-8 and has alternated wins and losses in his last 9 fights while Pyfer drops to 12-3 and has his 5 fight winning streak snapped. Good win for Hermansson.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/>Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s 
Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias 
returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of 
Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately 
seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to 
just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to 
join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and 
Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new 
ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, 
the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the 
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop 
game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you 
would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my 
Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/>KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you 
very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/12/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nighthermansson-vs-pyfer/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night: 
Hermansson vs. Pyfer</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27102</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>3 Fights To Watch 2-10-24</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/08/3-fights-to-watch-2-10-24/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/08/3-fights-to-watch-2-10-24/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 08 Feb 2024 13:20:51 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[3 Fights To Watch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[COVINGTON'S CORNER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27099</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Jack Hermansson vs Joe Pyfer This is the big test for Joe Pyfer, he hasn’t beaten anyone of note in the fight world and now he’s put to the test against a man who has <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/08/3-fights-to-watch-2-10-24/" title="3 Fights To Watch 2-10-24">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/08/3-fights-to-watch-2-10-24/">3 Fights To Watch 2-10-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Jack Hermansson vs Joe Pyfer
This is the big test for Joe Pyfer, he hasn’t beaten anyone of note in the fight world and now he’s put to the test against a man who has the power to knock him out. 
Hermansson has not put together a win streak in years, a W could be the start of one. While an L would probably ensure that he is booked like crap for the rest of his UFC career. 
I think we’ll see fireworks, we need to after the last week’s main event went the distance.
Dan Ige vs Andre Fili
Over half of Ige’s fights have went to decision. Of the 14 decisions, he’s won 7 and lost 7. Fili is no stranger to decisions but if either man wants to stand out they are going to need an impressive finish in this fight. On a card with not much going on and very few “big” names, now would be the time to show up and show out. Ige lost in September so he’s looking to improve to 18 wins in his career while Andre Fili looks to break out of his pattern of win one lose one. Fili doesn’t beat many top level fighters; that definitely works in Dan Ige’s favor.
Michael Johnson vs Darrius Flowers
Flowers is looking to get past a crafty veteran. Johnson is reliable, a gatekeeper with a 40 fights under his belt, a victory puts eyes on Flowers. Johnson isn’t a title contender but a win would raise his stock as a veteran that can keep up with younger guys and put them in their place. I dont see Michael Johnson trying to mix things up too much, he wouldn’t want to be finished on a low tier card like this, it would be disastrous. Should be fun to watch if both men don’t fight just to survive.
Final Take
The prelims usually have 2 or 3 fights I’m looking forward to but I just don’t see any fight that truly jumps out to me. Is this what we are going to get from UFC in between big shows? The matchups aren’t bad just uninspired, much like the UFC 300 card so far. It’s difficult not to be hard on these cards but the UFC doesn’t make it any easier when they refuse to put a lot of effort into these cards. The UFC needs to be rebranded with a fresh start and new faces at every level.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/08/3-fights-to-watch-2-10-24/">3 Fights To Watch 2-10-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27099</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night:
Dolidze vs. Imavov</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/05/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightdolidze-vs-imavov/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/05/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightdolidze-vs-imavov/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 05 Feb 2024 14:57:47 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Molly McCann]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[ufc fight night]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov was this past weekend and featured some exciting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown. UFC Fight Night: Dolidze <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/05/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightdolidze-vs-imavov/" title="HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night:
Dolidze vs. Imavov">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/05/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightdolidze-vs-imavov/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night: 
Dolidze vs. Imavov</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov was this past weekend and featured some exciting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
UFC Fight Night: Dolidze vs. Imavov 
GOOD- Charles Radtke stops Gilbert Urbina 
They start off exchanging kicks. Radtke starts mixing in some punches before Urbina tries to get the fight onto the fence. Nothing doing and a few moments later Radtke blasts Urbina with a few left hooks that drop Urbina. He gets back to his feet but Radtke keeps swinging and puts Urbina down and out with a little over ten seconds left in the first round. Radtke improves to 9-3 and has won 6 straight fights while Urbina drops to 7-3. Good win for Radtke.
UGLY- Makhmud Muradov vs. Aliaskhab Khizriev ends in a No Contest 
Khrizriev sticks his damn fingers straight at Muradov immediately as 
the fight starts and pokes the hell out of Muradov’s left eye. The 
fight is ruled a No Contest 11 seconds into the first round. This is absolutely ridiculous. Fighters need to quit sticking their fingers 
straight out at their opponents like they’re casting a damn spell. 
It’s absurd. This fight needs to be ruled a DQ loss for Khizriev, he 
should be fined, and I wouldn’t object to a suspension. 
The eyepoke was ruled inadvertent, which is complete garbage. There’s nothing inadvertent about sticking your fingers straight out at your 
opponent’s eye level and pushing your hand forward. 
He’s far from the only fighter to do this crap but he should be the last. The UFC should immediately change the rules and get this garbage 
out of the sport. You can’t fish-hook, you can’t hit a guy low, you 
can’t kick a downed fighter in the head, you can’t do 12 to 6 elbows but you can do this junk and get away with it? 
As I said, absurd. I’m not going to keep going on and on because I imagine anyone reading this is already sick of hearing me complain but 
this is something that none of us should stand for. Stiffen the 
penalties and watch this junk suddenly go away. No more talk of “This is how I fight, how I was trained” or any of that junk. Start handing out hefty fines and suspensions and it goes away. Moving on. 
Muradov is now 26-8 with 1 No Contest while Khizriev is now 12-0 with 1 No Contest.
GOOD- Natalia Silva vs. Viviane Araujo 
Araujo forces Silva to the mat early but can’t keep her there. They exchange strikes and Silva lands some hard strikes before the first round ends. The second round begins with both women exchanging 
strikes. Araujo gets dropped to her knees momentarily before they continue circling each other. Not a lot going on, to the point that the referee calls for more action but the second round ends before 
anything else can happen. The third round starts with more of the same. They’re kind of just circling each other and potshotting when 
they can. Some good strikes land and Araujo gets a takedown just before the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict. 
Silva wins the decision and improves to 17-5-1 and has won 11 straight fights while Araujo drops to 12-6. Good win for Silva.
GOOD/UGLY- Randy Brown stops Muslim Salikhov 
They’re trading kicks early until they start mixing in some punches. 
Brown then eyepokes Salikhov with more of that open hand, straight fingers junk. I’m not going to repeat my rant from earlier but this is 
ridiculous. Salikhov initially wants to get right back to it before 
thinking better of it and taking some time. When they resume he gets cracked with a combination that ends the fight a bit over three minutes into the first round. Again, I won’t repeat my rant but I’m not feeling this. Maybe I’m too tilted because this is the second fight (out of four so far) affected by eyepokes but this sucks. Brown improves to 18-5 while Salikhov drops to 19-5. It’s a win for Brown.
GOOD/BAD- Renato Moicano vs. Drew Dober 
They exchange strikes early until Moicano gets a takedown. Moicano then works his ground-and-pound for the rest of the first round. The second round begins with a repeat, Moicano gets an early takedown and 
then goes to work on the ground. Well, work might be a little strong. 
He’s doing just enough to not get stood up. The referee wants more action but he’s not getting it and the second round ends. The third round starts with Dober landing some hard strikes but the fight eventually goes to the mat and Moicano rides him out on top. We go to the judges to render their verdict. Moicano wins the decision and improves to 18-5-1 while Dober drops to 27-13 with 1 No Contest. Not the most exciting of fights but a win’s a win. Good win for Moicano.
BAD/GOOD- Roman Dolidze vs. Nassourdine Imavov 
Dolidze tries for a few takedowns early but can’t get them. They fight on the fence for a while before opening up with strikes. Imavov drops 
Dolidze with a big knee after landing several crushing punches. Imavov is ripping into him with ground-and-pound but Dolidze survives and the 
first round ends. The second round begins with them fighting in the clinch. This continues until they’re broken apart by the referee and Dolidze responds with some wild punches and gets smashed a few times 
by Imavov for his efforts. The third round starts with more fence work and a lot of hesitation. Imavov seems to be the better fighter tonight 
but Dolidze’s wall-and-stall is keeping him in it. Imavov lands some nice strikes before the third round ends. The fourth round opens with a weird sequence. Dolidze puts his hand on the mat and practically begs Imavov to kick him in the head. Imavov does and a point is taken away and the referee threatens to disqualify him. Oh, so we’ll DQ for that but not for a damn intentional eyepoke? Whatever. 
Anyway, the fight resumes and we get more wall-and-stall and the fourth round ends. The fifth round begins with more of the same. They fight on the fence and Imavov lands some strikes before the referee separates them for inaction. More fighting on the fence and Imavov lands a final 
strong punch before the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict. Imavov wins the Majority Decision and improves to 13-4 with 1 No Contest while Dolidze drops to 12-3. 
I didn’t like this fight but maybe I wasn’t in the right frame of 
mind. Imavov landed well over 100 strikes during the fight so he was certainly trying. For that I’ll add a GOOD to the fight. Good win for Imavov.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/>Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to 
join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the 
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/>KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/05/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-nightdolidze-vs-imavov/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night: 
Dolidze vs. Imavov</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27098</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>3 Fights To Watch 2-3-24</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/03/3-fights-to-watch-2-3-24/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/03/3-fights-to-watch-2-3-24/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 03 Feb 2024 17:14:40 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[3 Fights To Watch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[COVINGTON'S CORNER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27094</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Renato Moicano vs Drew Dober Dober is fun to watch, had a stoppage in his last fight in the first round, of course he’s one to watch. Renato however, is looking to submit Drew. Although <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/03/3-fights-to-watch-2-3-24/" title="3 Fights To Watch 2-3-24">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/03/3-fights-to-watch-2-3-24/">3 Fights To Watch 2-3-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Renato Moicano vs Drew Dober
Dober is fun to watch, had a stoppage in his last fight in the first round, of course he’s one to watch.
Renato however, is looking to submit Drew. Although Moicano is susceptible to being KOd, KOs are responsible for 3 of his 5 losses. With only 5 losses he has to be the favorite though…right?! I almost always bet on the “knockout artists”, this fight will be no exception. 
Randy Brown vs Muslim Salikhov
Neither man loses much with Brown having just one more loss than Salikhov. Brown is going to need to finish this fight in order to be impressive which will be difficult because Muslim will be looking to knock him out because that’s what he usually does to people. Muslim Salikhov is coming off of a loss so he may need the win more than Brown but it’s about who WANTS it more.
Molly McCann vs Diana Belbiţă
Lose and you’re out…that’s the reality that Molly Meatball McCann is facing. I finally got behind her and she has dropped two straight.
Diana lost her last fight as well. One thing she has going for her is that she’s never been knocked out in her UFC career. Neither has Molly; I feel as if that’s going to change for one of them and sadly lead to the end of their UFC career.
Final Take
The UFC has to put on something right?! An underwhelming an on paper, something that I would be upset at ESPN+ charging me money for. I expect this card to be pretty good, no real name or star power, it’s a workhorse/workrate card. The booking has to get better in 2024 though, Dana has to be on the hot seat this year for underwhelming events like this and UFC 300.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/02/03/3-fights-to-watch-2-3-24/">3 Fights To Watch 2-3-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27094</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>HYDEN BLOG: Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC, To Fight At UFC 300,
PFL News, ONE 165 Results</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results-3/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results-3/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Jan 2024 13:50:23 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[#ufc300]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[kayla harrison]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorchteam@gmail.com]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ufc 300]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27090</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist There were no UFC events this past weekend due to their partner company WWE holding an event (which I thought was good, I always like Royal Rumble matches) so <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results-3/" title="HYDEN BLOG: Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC, To Fight At UFC 300,
PFL News, ONE 165 Results">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results-3/">HYDEN BLOG: Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC, To Fight At UFC 300, 
PFL News, ONE 165 Results</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
There were no UFC events this past weekend due to their partner company WWE holding an event (which I thought was good, I always like Royal Rumble matches) so I’ll just cover some fight game news.
Kayla Harrison (16-1) has signed with the UFC and is expected to make her promotional debut at UFC 300 in April against Holly Holm (15-6, 1 
No Contest). She’s also dropping to bantamweight for the fight. 
Harrison has a lot of deserved hype around her and has opened as a massive favorite in her fight against Holm. 
If you’re not familiar with Harrison, she’s an incredibly talented 
judoka and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2012, 2016).
*************
The PFL has scrapped their women’s featherweight division for the 2024 
season, replacing it with a women’s flyweight division. Featherweight 
stars such as Larissa Pachecho (23-4) and Cris Cyborg (27-2, 1 No Contest) are expected to compete in out-of-season events or in the Bellator series of events, which will retain a featherweight division. 
It’s hard to say right now how big this news truly is. It might just 
be a semantical thing. It could just be that everyone fights roughly the same amount, just not in the official 2024 season. I would assume that’s the case but we’ll have to wait to see what happens.
*************
PFL vs. Bellator: Champs will take place on February 24th. The main card on pay-per-view includes seven fights.
Clay Collard (24-11, 1 No Contest) vs. A.J. McKee (21-1) 
Thiago Santos (22-11, 1 No Contest) vs. Yoel Romero (15-7) 
Bruno Cappelozza (15-6, 1 No Contest) vs. Vadim Nemkov (16-2, 1 No Contest) 
Ray Cooper III (25-9-1) vs. Bellator Welterweight Champion Jason Jackson (17-4) 
Jesus Pinedo (23-6-1) vs. Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio Pitbull (35-7) 
Impa Kasanganay (15-3) vs. Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen (14-0) 
Renan Ferreira (12-3, 3 No Contests) vs. Bellator Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader (31-7, 1 No Contest)
You’d expect the Bellator champions to win their fights but you never know what could happen. Favorites lose and upsets happen a lot in sports, especially in fighting. I’m interested and excited for this card.
*************
ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru was this past weekend and featured the usual mix of fights you’d expect from a ONE Championship fight card. 
The main card on pay-per-view featured seven fights across the 
disciplines of MMA, Kickboxing, and Submission Grappling. 
The results were:
Atomweight MMA- Ayaka Miura (13-5) def. Itsuki Kirata (6-3) by Decision 
Featherweight MMA- Garry Tonon (9-1) def. Martin Nguyen (15-7) by Submission at 4:41 in Round 1 
Catchweight (156.5 lb) Kickboxing- Marat Grigorian (67-13-1, 1 No Contest) def. Sittichai Sitsongpeenong (128-35-5) by KO at 1:20 in Round 3 
Catchweight (187.25 lb) Special Rules (alternating disciplines)- Nieky Holzken (1-0) def. Yoshihiro Akiyama (0-1) by TKO at 1:40 in Round 1 
Openweight MMA- Shinya Aoki (48-11, 1 No Contest) def. John Lineker 
(37-11, 1 No Contest) by Submission at 3:00 in Round 1 
Lightweight Submission Grappling- Champion Kade Ruotolo (26-2) def. 
Tommy Langaker (I’m unsure, has at least 100 wins) by Decision 
Flyweight Kickboxing- Champion Superlek Kiatmuu9 (137-29-4) def. Takeru Segawa (43-4-0) by Decision
My apologies if any of the records are off and for not knowing 
Langaker’s record. I tried to find information but was unable to.
*************
The UFC 300 card on April 13th is coming together. 
As it stands at the time I’m writing this the card is-
Jim Miller (37-17, 1 No Contest) vs. Bobby Green (31-15-1, 1 No Contest) 
Jessica Andrade (25-12) vs. Marina Rodriguez (17-3-2) 
Sodiq Yusuff (13-3) vs. Diego Lopes (23-6) 
Holly Holm (15-6, 1 No Contest) vs. Kayla Harrison (16-1) 
Deiveson Figueiredo (22-3-1) vs. Cody Garbrandt (14-5) 
Bo Nickal (5-0) vs. Cody Brundage (10-5) 
Calvin Kattar (23-7) vs. Aljamain Sterling (23-4) 
Jiri Prochazka (29-4-1) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (14-3) 
Charles Oliveira (34-9, 1 No Contest) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (21-3) 
Justin Gaethje (25-4) vs. Max Holloway (25-7) 
UFC Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili (24-3) vs. Yan Xiaonan (17-3, 1 No Contest)
There’s several good and very interesting fights there. You certainly don’t want to get ahead of yourself because a lot can happen in the next few months and it’s almost assured that a handful of these fights 
are going to be changed. I hope not as I’m looking forward to a lot of these fights but rarely are we able to be so lucky so as to not have fights upended due to injury. 
Dana White has also said that he’s still working on the main event and 
that it’s going to be crazy. What is it? Who knows? It could be a lot of different fights so there’s no point in speculating because of the myriad of possibilities.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/>Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s 
Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of 
Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the 
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop 
game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/>KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results-3/">HYDEN BLOG: Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC, To Fight At UFC 300, 
PFL News, ONE 165 Results</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27090</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>HYDEN BLOG: Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC, To Fight At UFC 300,
PFL News, ONE 165 Results</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results-2/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results-2/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Jan 2024 13:50:23 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[#ufc300]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[kayla harrison]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorchteam@gmail.com]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ufc 300]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27089</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist There were no UFC events this past weekend due to their partner company WWE holding an event (which I thought was good, I always like Royal Rumble matches) so <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results-2/" title="HYDEN BLOG: Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC, To Fight At UFC 300,
PFL News, ONE 165 Results">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results-2/">HYDEN BLOG: Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC, To Fight At UFC 300, 
PFL News, ONE 165 Results</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
There were no UFC events this past weekend due to their partner company WWE holding an event (which I thought was good, I always like Royal Rumble matches) so I’ll just cover some fight game news.
Kayla Harrison (16-1) has signed with the UFC and is expected to make her promotional debut at UFC 300 in April against Holly Holm (15-6, 1 
No Contest). She’s also dropping to bantamweight for the fight. 
Harrison has a lot of deserved hype around her and has opened as a massive favorite in her fight against Holm. 
If you’re not familiar with Harrison, she’s an incredibly talented 
judoka and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2012, 2016).
*************
The PFL has scrapped their women’s featherweight division for the 2024 
season, replacing it with a women’s flyweight division. Featherweight 
stars such as Larissa Pachecho (23-4) and Cris Cyborg (27-2, 1 No Contest) are expected to compete in out-of-season events or in the Bellator series of events, which will retain a featherweight division. 
It’s hard to say right now how big this news truly is. It might just 
be a semantical thing. It could just be that everyone fights roughly the same amount, just not in the official 2024 season. I would assume that’s the case but we’ll have to wait to see what happens.
*************
PFL vs. Bellator: Champs will take place on February 24th. The main card on pay-per-view includes seven fights.
Clay Collard (24-11, 1 No Contest) vs. A.J. McKee (21-1) 
Thiago Santos (22-11, 1 No Contest) vs. Yoel Romero (15-7) 
Bruno Cappelozza (15-6, 1 No Contest) vs. Vadim Nemkov (16-2, 1 No Contest) 
Ray Cooper III (25-9-1) vs. Bellator Welterweight Champion Jason Jackson (17-4) 
Jesus Pinedo (23-6-1) vs. Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio Pitbull (35-7) 
Impa Kasanganay (15-3) vs. Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen (14-0) 
Renan Ferreira (12-3, 3 No Contests) vs. Bellator Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader (31-7, 1 No Contest)
You’d expect the Bellator champions to win their fights but you never know what could happen. Favorites lose and upsets happen a lot in sports, especially in fighting. I’m interested and excited for this card.
*************
ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru was this past weekend and featured the usual mix of fights you’d expect from a ONE Championship fight card. 
The main card on pay-per-view featured seven fights across the 
disciplines of MMA, Kickboxing, and Submission Grappling. 
The results were:
Atomweight MMA- Ayaka Miura (13-5) def. Itsuki Kirata (6-3) by Decision 
Featherweight MMA- Garry Tonon (9-1) def. Martin Nguyen (15-7) by Submission at 4:41 in Round 1 
Catchweight (156.5 lb) Kickboxing- Marat Grigorian (67-13-1, 1 No Contest) def. Sittichai Sitsongpeenong (128-35-5) by KO at 1:20 in Round 3 
Catchweight (187.25 lb) Special Rules (alternating disciplines)- Nieky Holzken (1-0) def. Yoshihiro Akiyama (0-1) by TKO at 1:40 in Round 1 
Openweight MMA- Shinya Aoki (48-11, 1 No Contest) def. John Lineker 
(37-11, 1 No Contest) by Submission at 3:00 in Round 1 
Lightweight Submission Grappling- Champion Kade Ruotolo (26-2) def. 
Tommy Langaker (I’m unsure, has at least 100 wins) by Decision 
Flyweight Kickboxing- Champion Superlek Kiatmuu9 (137-29-4) def. Takeru Segawa (43-4-0) by Decision
My apologies if any of the records are off and for not knowing 
Langaker’s record. I tried to find information but was unable to.
*************
The UFC 300 card on April 13th is coming together. 
As it stands at the time I’m writing this the card is-
Jim Miller (37-17, 1 No Contest) vs. Bobby Green (31-15-1, 1 No Contest) 
Jessica Andrade (25-12) vs. Marina Rodriguez (17-3-2) 
Sodiq Yusuff (13-3) vs. Diego Lopes (23-6) 
Holly Holm (15-6, 1 No Contest) vs. Kayla Harrison (16-1) 
Deiveson Figueiredo (22-3-1) vs. Cody Garbrandt (14-5) 
Bo Nickal (5-0) vs. Cody Brundage (10-5) 
Calvin Kattar (23-7) vs. Aljamain Sterling (23-4) 
Jiri Prochazka (29-4-1) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (14-3) 
Charles Oliveira (34-9, 1 No Contest) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (21-3) 
Justin Gaethje (25-4) vs. Max Holloway (25-7) 
UFC Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili (24-3) vs. Yan Xiaonan (17-3, 1 No Contest)
There’s several good and very interesting fights there. You certainly don’t want to get ahead of yourself because a lot can happen in the next few months and it’s almost assured that a handful of these fights 
are going to be changed. I hope not as I’m looking forward to a lot of these fights but rarely are we able to be so lucky so as to not have fights upended due to injury. 
Dana White has also said that he’s still working on the main event and 
that it’s going to be crazy. What is it? Who knows? It could be a lot of different fights so there’s no point in speculating because of the myriad of possibilities.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/>Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s 
Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of 
Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the 
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop 
game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/>KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results-2/">HYDEN BLOG: Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC, To Fight At UFC 300, 
PFL News, ONE 165 Results</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27089</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>HYDEN BLOG: Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC, To Fight At UFC 300,
PFL News, ONE 165 Results</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 29 Jan 2024 13:50:23 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[#ufc300]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[kayla harrison]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorchteam@gmail.com]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ufc 300]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27088</guid>
<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist There were no UFC events this past weekend due to their partner company WWE holding an event (which I thought was good, I always like Royal Rumble matches) so <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results/" title="HYDEN BLOG: Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC, To Fight At UFC 300,
PFL News, ONE 165 Results">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results/">HYDEN BLOG: Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC, To Fight At UFC 300, 
PFL News, ONE 165 Results</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
There were no UFC events this past weekend due to their partner company WWE holding an event (which I thought was good, I always like Royal Rumble matches) so I’ll just cover some fight game news.
Kayla Harrison (16-1) has signed with the UFC and is expected to make her promotional debut at UFC 300 in April against Holly Holm (15-6, 1 
No Contest). She’s also dropping to bantamweight for the fight. 
Harrison has a lot of deserved hype around her and has opened as a massive favorite in her fight against Holm. 
If you’re not familiar with Harrison, she’s an incredibly talented 
judoka and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist (2012, 2016).
*************
The PFL has scrapped their women’s featherweight division for the 2024 
season, replacing it with a women’s flyweight division. Featherweight 
stars such as Larissa Pachecho (23-4) and Cris Cyborg (27-2, 1 No Contest) are expected to compete in out-of-season events or in the Bellator series of events, which will retain a featherweight division. 
It’s hard to say right now how big this news truly is. It might just 
be a semantical thing. It could just be that everyone fights roughly the same amount, just not in the official 2024 season. I would assume that’s the case but we’ll have to wait to see what happens.
*************
PFL vs. Bellator: Champs will take place on February 24th. The main card on pay-per-view includes seven fights.
Clay Collard (24-11, 1 No Contest) vs. A.J. McKee (21-1) 
Thiago Santos (22-11, 1 No Contest) vs. Yoel Romero (15-7) 
Bruno Cappelozza (15-6, 1 No Contest) vs. Vadim Nemkov (16-2, 1 No Contest) 
Ray Cooper III (25-9-1) vs. Bellator Welterweight Champion Jason Jackson (17-4) 
Jesus Pinedo (23-6-1) vs. Bellator Featherweight Champion Patricio Pitbull (35-7) 
Impa Kasanganay (15-3) vs. Bellator Middleweight Champion Johnny Eblen (14-0) 
Renan Ferreira (12-3, 3 No Contests) vs. Bellator Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader (31-7, 1 No Contest)
You’d expect the Bellator champions to win their fights but you never know what could happen. Favorites lose and upsets happen a lot in sports, especially in fighting. I’m interested and excited for this card.
*************
ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru was this past weekend and featured the usual mix of fights you’d expect from a ONE Championship fight card. 
The main card on pay-per-view featured seven fights across the 
disciplines of MMA, Kickboxing, and Submission Grappling. 
The results were:
Atomweight MMA- Ayaka Miura (13-5) def. Itsuki Kirata (6-3) by Decision 
Featherweight MMA- Garry Tonon (9-1) def. Martin Nguyen (15-7) by Submission at 4:41 in Round 1 
Catchweight (156.5 lb) Kickboxing- Marat Grigorian (67-13-1, 1 No Contest) def. Sittichai Sitsongpeenong (128-35-5) by KO at 1:20 in Round 3 
Catchweight (187.25 lb) Special Rules (alternating disciplines)- Nieky Holzken (1-0) def. Yoshihiro Akiyama (0-1) by TKO at 1:40 in Round 1 
Openweight MMA- Shinya Aoki (48-11, 1 No Contest) def. John Lineker 
(37-11, 1 No Contest) by Submission at 3:00 in Round 1 
Lightweight Submission Grappling- Champion Kade Ruotolo (26-2) def. 
Tommy Langaker (I’m unsure, has at least 100 wins) by Decision 
Flyweight Kickboxing- Champion Superlek Kiatmuu9 (137-29-4) def. Takeru Segawa (43-4-0) by Decision
My apologies if any of the records are off and for not knowing 
Langaker’s record. I tried to find information but was unable to.
*************
The UFC 300 card on April 13th is coming together. 
As it stands at the time I’m writing this the card is-
Jim Miller (37-17, 1 No Contest) vs. Bobby Green (31-15-1, 1 No Contest) 
Jessica Andrade (25-12) vs. Marina Rodriguez (17-3-2) 
Sodiq Yusuff (13-3) vs. Diego Lopes (23-6) 
Holly Holm (15-6, 1 No Contest) vs. Kayla Harrison (16-1) 
Deiveson Figueiredo (22-3-1) vs. Cody Garbrandt (14-5) 
Bo Nickal (5-0) vs. Cody Brundage (10-5) 
Calvin Kattar (23-7) vs. Aljamain Sterling (23-4) 
Jiri Prochazka (29-4-1) vs. Aleksandar Rakic (14-3) 
Charles Oliveira (34-9, 1 No Contest) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (21-3) 
Justin Gaethje (25-4) vs. Max Holloway (25-7) 
UFC Strawweight Champion Zhang Weili (24-3) vs. Yan Xiaonan (17-3, 1 No Contest)
There’s several good and very interesting fights there. You certainly don’t want to get ahead of yourself because a lot can happen in the next few months and it’s almost assured that a handful of these fights 
are going to be changed. I hope not as I’m looking forward to a lot of these fights but rarely are we able to be so lucky so as to not have fights upended due to injury. 
Dana White has also said that he’s still working on the main event and 
that it’s going to be crazy. What is it? Who knows? It could be a lot of different fights so there’s no point in speculating because of the myriad of possibilities.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/>Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s 
Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of 
Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the 
world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop 
game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/>KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/29/hyden-blog-kayla-harrison-signs-with-the-ufc-to-fight-at-ufc-300pfl-news-one-165-results/">HYDEN BLOG: Kayla Harrison signs with the UFC, To Fight At UFC 300, 
PFL News, ONE 165 Results</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27088</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC 297</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/22/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-297/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/22/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-297/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Jan 2024 16:01:38 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[#ufc297]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[du Plessis]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[neil magny]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sean Strickland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ufc 297]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/22/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-297/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC 297</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC 297 was this past weekend and featured some big title fights. Who 
won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
UFC 297 
GOOD- Movsar Evloev vs. Arnold Allen 
Evloev starts off with kicks while Allen answers with punches. Evloev gets a takedown and they scramble until the first round ends. The second round begins with Evloev utilizing the kicks again. Evloev gets 
a takedown and returns Allen to the mat after he stands. They get back 
to their feet and Evloev lands a nice jumping knee. Allen is returning fire with punches. Evloev lands another knee to the body before the second round ends. The third round starts with some hard striking exchanges. They’re working hard and Allen tries for a submission off 
of a Evloev takedown attempt. He can’t get it and the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict. Evloev wins the decision and 
improves to a perfect 18-0 while Allen drops to 19-3. Good win for Evloev.
GOOD- Chris Curtis vs. Marc-Andre Barriault 
They exchange strikes throughout the first round, with Barriault 
getting the better of things. The second round begins with more of the same striking exchanges, though Curtis is firing up and starting to pour it on. Words won’t do justice to the violence being inflicted 
here. They’re connecting with big punches and kicks and elbows and knees. Any way you can attack somebody is how it’s going down. Neither 
man is taking a backward step. The third round starts with more of the same. Just straight attacks on the body and head of their opponent. 
They’re fighting like a knife-edge death match here and neither man is showing signs of being stopped. The fight only ends due to time. We go to the judges to render their verdict. Curtis wins the decision to 
improve to 31-10 with 1 No Contest while Barriault drops to 16-7 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Curtis.
GOOD- Neil Magny stops Mike Malott 
Malott using leg kicks early. They exchange strikes for a bit before fighting on the fence. More leg kicks hurt Magny’s leg and it’s 
obvious what Malott’s gameplan is. The second round begins with Malott 
getting an early takedown. He lets him up, though, before getting another takedown. Malott uses his ground-and-pound until the second round ends. The third round starts with an early Malott takedown. 
Magny is quickly back up but Malott takes him down again. Magny quickly gets back up and takes Malott down himself. Magny unleashes his own ground-and-pound and smashes Malott to get the stoppage with 
only fifteen seconds left in the third round. What a comeback. Magny improves to 29-11 while Malott drops to 10-2-1 and has his 6 fight winning streak snapped. Good win for Magny.
GOOD- Raquel Pennington vs. Mayra Bueno Silva 
This fight was for the vacant UFC Bantamweight Championship. They fight on the fence early. They exchange strikes until Silva gets a takedown. Pennington gets up but Silva drags her back down and they grapple until the first round ends. The second round begins with striking exchanges inside the clinch. They’re both landing and 
absorbing some hard strikes. They tie up and Silva tries for a 
rear-naked choke but has to let it go and the second round ends. The third round starts with kicks from Silva and punches from Pennington. 
Silva gets a throw and tries for a choke but Pennington escapes. Silva drags Pennington to the mat and they grapple for a while until the third round ends. The fourth round opens with the fighters tying up. Silva drags Pennington down and again tries for the rear-naked choke but can’t get it. They continue to grapple for the rest of the round, 
with Pennington using some of her ground-and-pound to soften Silva up. 
The fifth round begins with Pennington landing some hard punches. 
Pennington grabs an arm triangle but can’t cinch it fully in. 
Pennington lands a few more strikes before the fight ends. We go to 
the judges to render their verdict. Pennington wins the decision and improves to 16-8 and has won 6 straight fights while Silva drops to 10-3-1 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Pennington as she wins her first championship in the UFC.
GOOD- Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 
Strickland is defending his UFC Middleweight Championship here. They 
start with some striking exchanges. Du Plessis gets a takedown and they’re up and down a few times before separating. More punches from 
Strickland end the first round. The second round begins with du 
Plessis having more success with his kicks while Strickland has more success with his punching. Du Plessis with another takedown before the second round ends. The third round starts with a lot of kicks from du 
Plessis. Strickland fires back with punches but he’s getting nailed with these kicks. The fourth round opens with Strickland landing some 
good punches but du Plessis counters with punches and more kicks. Du Plessis gets a couple of takedowns but Strickland works his way to his 
feet quickly both times. They continue exchanging strikes until the fourth round ends. The fifth round begins with some high-power 
striking exchanges. Du Plessis tries a few times to get a takedown but 
can’t get any of them. They’re brawling now until the fight ends. We go to the judges to render their verdict. Du Plessis wins the Split Decision and is the new UFC Middleweight Champion. He improves to 21-2 
and has won 9 straight fights while Strickland drops to 28-6 and has his 3 fight winning streak snapped. Good win for du Plessis.
*************
Frankie Edgar (24-11-1) has been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. He has wins over guys like B.J. Penn, Charles Oliveira, Cub Swanson, 
and Urijah Faber. He’s a former UFC Lightweight Champion and has 8 Fight of the Night bonuses (2nd most all-time in UFC history) as well as the second-most fight time in UFC history, with nearly 8 hours inside the cage. This is well-earned and I hope Edgar is enjoying his life in retirement.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/>Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s 
Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of 
Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately 
seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to 
just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and 
Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, 
the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, 
magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/>KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/22/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-297/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC 297</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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<item>
<title>3 Fights To Watch 1-20-24</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/19/3-fights-to-watch-1-20-24/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/19/3-fights-to-watch-1-20-24/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sat, 20 Jan 2024 05:57:27 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[3 Fights To Watch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[COVINGTON'S CORNER]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[#ufc297]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[du Plessis]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Sean Strickland]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[ufc 297]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mmatorch.com/?p=27082</guid>
<description><![CDATA[UFC 297 Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva 10 decisions! Can Raquel Pennington do something worth a damn for once in her career or just be a stepping stone? She has a 5 fight win <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/19/3-fights-to-watch-1-20-24/" title="3 Fights To Watch 1-20-24">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/19/3-fights-to-watch-1-20-24/">3 Fights To Watch 1-20-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
UFC 297
Raquel Pennington vs Mayra Bueno Silva
10 decisions! Can Raquel Pennington do something worth a damn for once in her career or just be a stepping stone? She has a 5 fight win streak but has lost to every champion she has ever faced accept one of the times she fought Andrade which is clearly the exception, not the rule. Another positive note is that 6 of her 8 losses are by decision so she hardly ever gets finished. She hardly ever finishes anyone as well so the fights are just long, with a flat ending. 7 subs for Mayra makes this fight as interesting as its going to be. I’m hoping Mayra finishes Pennington, proving Sean Strickland wrong about women’s MMA.
Arnold Allen vs Movsar Evloev
There’s been lots of talk about Arnold Allen but Evloev has zero losses, not a lot of impressive wins but still not one defeat. A loss here to a semi big name like Allen and Movsar will never see a title shot because most of his wins are via decision. He just doesn’t have the resume of finishes he would need to catch Dana’s eye, in my opinion. Losing to a “nobody” like Evloev would stop the momentum he once had. The Max Holloway was fight was an L but it wasn’t like he was knocked out so it should be something he can bounce back from rather easily.
Sean Strickland[c] vs Dricus Du Plessis
The Bad boy of the fight game is having his first title defense against the fake DDP, of you know, you know. Dricus don’t lose much so he isn’t looking to experience it in his first title fight, he’s going to be tough to put away. Strickland is supremely overrated since everyone found out just how underrated he was, winning titles does that sometimes. Dricus Du Plessis has talked more crap than a little bit, he better win or he will be fighting a major uphill battle for the rest of his career. When Dana hears you because you’ve been speaking loudly, you better have something to say…with your performance. Hard to call this fight but I think Dricus might have a game plan that can beat Strickland.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/19/3-fights-to-watch-1-20-24/">3 Fights To Watch 1-20-24</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">27082</post-id> </item>
<item>
<title>HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From UFC Fight NIght: Ankalaev vs. Walker</title>
<link>https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/15/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-night-ankalaev-vs-walker/</link>
<comments>https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/15/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-night-ankalaev-vs-walker/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sean Covington]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jan 2024 17:19:20 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[HYDEN'S TAKE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[NEWS & RESULTS]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bellator]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[dana white]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Johnny Walker]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Magomed Ankalaev]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MMA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[mmatorch]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[PFL]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticus]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[sporticuslive]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[UFC]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker was this past weekend and it featured some exciting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown. UFC Fight Night: <a class="mh-excerpt-more" href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/15/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-night-ankalaev-vs-walker/" title="HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From UFC Fight NIght: Ankalaev vs. Walker">[...]</a>
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/15/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-night-ankalaev-vs-walker/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From UFC Fight NIght: Ankalaev vs. Walker</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch Senior Columnist
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker was this past weekend and it featured some exciting fights. Who won and who lost? Let’s get to the rundown.
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs. Walker 
GOOD/BAD- Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Andrei Arlovski 
Lots of jabs and short strikes as both men try to find their range. 
They both mix in some kicks as well but this first round doesn’t see much in the way of damaging strikes. The second round begins with more 
stuttering offense by Cortes-Acosta. Arlovski isn’t able to land much as he tries to counter. Cortes-Acosta begins dancing several times 
during this round. I don’t know if it’s that or something else but 
Arlovski wakes up and starts unloading on Cortes-Acosta before the second round ends. The third round starts with a kick from Arlovski and we’re back to the slow and stuttering offense from both fighters. 
They’re both attacking the body. Cortes-Acosta lands a few good power 
punches but Arlovski weathers them and the fight ends. We go to the judges to render a verdict. Cortes-Acosta wins the decision and 
improves to 11-1 while Arlovski drops to 34-23 with 2 No Contests and has lost 3 straight fights. This was kind of a bleh fight. I don’t want to be a hater but there just wasn’t a lot of excitement. Good win for Cortes-Acosta.
GOOD- Bruno Ferreira stops Phil Hawes 
Hawes pumping the jab early as Ferreira can’t get the takedown. Ferreira tries again but gets popped with a left hook for his effort. 
Ferreira won’t be deterred and lands a nice throw into side control. Ferreira lets him up and they both land some good strikes. Ferreira’s ultra aggression pays off as he drops Hawes with a powerful left hand and follows up with some more huge punches to force the referee to jump in to stop the fight with five seconds remaining in the first 
round. Ferreira improves to 11-1 while Hawes drops to 12-6 and has lost 3 straight fights. Good win for Ferreira.
GOOD- Mario Bautista vs. Ricky Simon 
They’re both firing kicks early before mixing in some punches. Simon gets a takedown but Bautista is quickly back up. Simon goes back to the kicks and they fight on the fence for a bit. They exchange more strikes before the first round ends. The second round begins with them 
trading more kicks before mixing in some punches. They fight on the fence for a bit. Bautista’s getting the better of the exchanges but Simon won’t stop or back down. Simon can’t get a takedown despite 
repeated attempts and the second round ends. The third round starts with more quick striking exchanges before Simon gets a takedown. 
Bautista quickly stands and goes back to landing some more battering strikes. Simon’s being pushed back but he won’t give up so Bautista 
turns up the heat. The fight ends as Simon tries for a few takedowns but can’t get them as Bautista nails him with some power strikes. The fight ends so we go to the judges to render their verdict. Bautista wins the decision to improve to 14-2 and has won 6 straight fights while Simon drops to 20-5. Good win for Bautista.
GOOD- Jim Miller submits Gabriel Benitez 
They exchange punches before mixing in some kicks early. Both fighters are hitting hard. They fight in the clinch for a moment, with Miller landing some heavy knees. They trade kicks and punches before the first round ends. The second round begins with more striking exchanges. Miller is landing some nice leg kicks. Benitez fires back with some good strikes that force Miller to try for a takedown. He gets it and controls the grappling for the rest of the second round. 
The third round starts with more heavy striking exchanges. Both men are delivering and absorbing some good damage before Miller gets another takedown. Benitez tries to escape but Miller forces the tap from a neck crank about three and a half minutes into the third round. 
Miller improves to 37-17 with 1 No Contest while Benitez drops to 23-11. Good win for Miller.
GOOD- Magomed Ankalaev stops Johnny Walker 
Walker’s landing some good leg kicks early. Ankalaev responds in kind with his own kicks. Walker continues to land good kicks but Ankalaev is firing back with his own strikes. They keep landing low kicks until Ankalaev catches Walker down low just before the first round ends. The second round begins with Ankalaev landing some nice strikes but Walker is firing back. Ankalaev is avoiding more and more of Walker’s offense and forcing him to move with his pressure. Walker stays away from most of the danger until he gets blasted with a huge overhand right from Ankalaev that drops him. A follow up punch ends the fight a bit over halfway through the second round. Ankalaev improves to 19-1-1 with 1 No Contest while Walker drops to 21-8 with 1 No Contest. Good win for Ankalaev.
*************
Ryan Curtis (6-4) is a flyweight fighter from Ireland. Leah McCourt (8-3) posted about Ryan and the terrible incident that happened to him. Details are light but he was involved in a life-altering incident during a training session last week. Ryan suffered a broken back, neck, and dislocated spine. Donations are being raised for his family. Our thoughts and well-wishes are with him and his family at this time.
My new epic fantasy book is out. It’s called <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bW6pg7/>Kingdom of Zarias: The End’s Beginning</a>. The exciting epic fantasy series Kingdom of Zarias returns with the 4th book in the series. After the harrowing events of Book 3 the residents of the Kingdom of Zarias continue on their paths. 
Serena Summers continues to learn and grow as a fighter, desperately seeking to become stronger before she loses anyone else in her life. 
Daniel Summers discovers new parts of the world that open his eyes to just how little he truly knows. A new hero, Lamar Abeers, arrives to join the fight against evil. Plus, Zach Summers, Tiana Highsmith, and Xavien Ekens continue their journeys with their friends, and a new ruler of Vhaharen is crowned. The world has found a little peace. 
However, that peace is only temporary. In a shocking act of violence, 
the monstrous villain Galren strikes from the shadows and changes the world forever. This is Book 4 in the series. There’s lots of action, magic, and monsters in the Kingdom of Zarias. It’s like a tabletop game in novel form. It’s on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and many other places. If you’re interested, I would greatly appreciate it if you would check it out and support me. Also, here’s the link to my Compendium book about the Kingdom of Zarias series- <a
href=https://books2read.com/u/bw1MK9/>KoZ Compendium</a> Thank you very much, have a good day.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at 
hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank. 
Thanks for reading and have a good day.
The post <a href="https://mmatorch.com/2024/01/15/hyden-blog-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-ufc-fight-night-ankalaev-vs-walker/">HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly From UFC Fight NIght: Ankalaev vs. Walker</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mmatorch.com">MMATorch</a>.
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