Day: January 2, 2025

With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best submissions from January to December. Here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s Submission of the Year award for 2024. At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting

An interim women’s bantamweight title could come into play in the first half of 2025 if Julianna Pena is not ready to defend. After Peña (11-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC) reclaimed the 135-pound belt with a split decision win over Raquel Pennington (16-9 MMA, 13-6 UFC) at UFC 307 in October, all signs pointed to his

Ahead of his first UFC title shot, Umar Nurmagomedov has named his toughest test at 135 pounds. Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) Jan. 18 in the UFC 311 co-headliner from Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). Nurmagomedov is a sizable -345 favorite over Dvalishvili, and doesn’t see

Eddie Alvarez doesn’t think Michael Chandler has lived up to his potential in the UFC. Chandler has gone 2-4 since debuting in the UFC in early 2021, but has delivered some of the most memorable battles. Having gone to war with Chandler twice during their title fights in Bellator, Alvarez knows how good Chandler is.

Themba Gorimbo was disappointed when some of his family members reveled in his UFC 310 loss. Gorimbo (14-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) was choked out cold by Vicente Luque in just 52 seconds in their welterweight bout last month at T-Mobile Arena. The loss was a hard enough pill to swallow for Gorimbo, but he also had

Umar Nurmagomedov hopes Merab Dvalishvili makes it to their fight at UFC 311. Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in the Jan. 18 co-main event from Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). Dvalishvili has been vocal about not wanting to fight Nurmagomedov, deeming him as an unworthy title challenger.

Paige VanZant will be making a return to MMA in 2025 as a part of the new Global Fight League roster. GFL, a new MMA promotion, recently announced it has a massive roster of over 300 fighters under contract, which includes many familiar names who fought under other major organizations such as UFC, Bellator and

The door is closed on 2024 and a new year is upon us with the arrival of 2025. A turning of the calendar represents a monumental moment for many. It’s a time of reflection on the past, and hope for the future in the form of fresh goals, motivations and more. The MMA community isn’t

Like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dominance MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz sees Umar Nurmagomedov retiring undefeated. Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in the UFC 311 co-main event Jan. 18 from Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). “The Young Eagle” is following in the footsteps of his cousin Khabib, who hung

Chael Sonnen is not buying the talk of Conor McGregor boxing Logan Paul. McGregor recently revealed that he agreed to an exhibition boxing match against Logan Paul in India, which will be organized by the extremely wealthy Ambani Family. McGregor also reshared a post that suggests that he will make $250 million to box Paul

Colby Covington thinks under different circumstances, he would have gotten his hand raised at UFC on ESPN 63. Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) suffered a third-round doctor stoppage TKO to Joaquin Buckley (21-6 MMA, 11-4 UFC) last month at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Covington was badly cut on his right eyelid early in the fight,

A new year is upon us, which means multiple UFC title fights are on the horizon over the next 12 months. Every year, titles change hands in multiple divisions, but the question is, who will hear “and still” or “and the new” by the end of 2025? In 2024, seven new champions were crowned. How