MMA

Cris Cyborg reaffirms champion status with dominant victory over Arlene Blencowe

Published

6 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Cris Cyborg reaffirms champion status with dominant victory over Arlene Blencowe

Brilliant Brazilian mixed martial artist Cris Cyborg proved once more why she is a one-off, wrecking-ball fighter as she tore through the challenge of opponent Arlene Blencowe to retain her Bellator women’s featherweight title inside two rounds at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

With another dominant display, the champion in every major organisation continues the legacy created over the last fifteen years with this victory. Cyborg’s most renowned moments against now WWE star Shayna Baszler on CBS and her battle 14 years ago against now Hollywood action star Gina Carano on Showtime – current Bellator president Scott Coker made that fight – are there in glorious technicolour in a career of pioneering the women’s side of this sport.

Cyborg’s only high profile defeat was a stand-and-bang brawl with current UFC champion Amanda Nunes – a fight which could have gone either way as they let their hands go, and there will likely be a huge rematch of the two hardest hitters ever in women’s MMA down the line.

But for now, Cyborg simply seems to be getting better and at 35, she is showing no signs of slowing. Here, against Blencowe, a former boxing world champion, the opposition was blown away, dominated and submitted by the champion. It is hard to see who will be a genuine pretender to the throne that the Brazilian inhabits.

Cyborg registered the first submission of her career – 21 victories and two defeats in a sport where unblemished records at the elite end are virtually impossible – after dominating the exchanges in the stand-up. She first attacked her challenger with leg kicks. Then, with educated counter-striking, Cyborg pushed Blencowe back towards the cage wall, marshalling her foe away from the centre circle, before overpowering her and bludgeoning her on the ground. Blencowe barely survived the first round, the fight statistics showing the utter dominance of the champion.

The second stanza was simply more of the same. In spite of Blencowe trying as she might to get into the fight to gain a foothold, the pattern was set and Cyborg took control again, before taking the fight to the canvas like a giant anaconda, pressing her Australian rival flat, bloodying her and submitting her foe.

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MMA

What is UFC, what is MMA and what are the rules?

Published

2 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

What is UFC, what is MMA and what are the rules?

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, also known as UFC, has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the US and in the last few years increasingly caught the attention of fight fans in the UK, too.

But what is it, how was it formed and what are the rules?

Here’s our guide on what you need to know.

What is UFC?

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is a mixed-martial arts promotion in which a series of fights take place around the world, also known as fight nights. It calls itself the “premier organisation in MMA”.

Mixed martial arts, of course, is nothing new dating back more than 5,000 years.

But UFC brings together some of the world’s best mixed martial artists, fighting each other at different weights with a main event taking place once a month. There are more than 40 events each year.

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Football

'Schillaci was a man who lived for goals'

Published

3 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

'Schillaci was a man who lived for goals'

Italian football expert Mina Rzouki remembers Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci, who has died aged 59.

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MMA

Conor McGregor ‘to address US Congress in rights campaign for MMA fighters’

Published

23 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

Conor McGregor 'to address US Congress in rights campaign for MMA fighters'

There have also been complaints about lower-ranked UFC fighters being awarded title bouts simply based on their ability to sell television pay-per-view subscriptions, which is a core element of the UFC’s income in the United States.

Despite losing in the 10th round against Mayweather, McGregor has indicated that he may box again, and a handful of other UFC fighters have expressed an interest in lucrative one-off boxing bouts.

Legal experts have been discussing in the media whether McGregor is now a boxer in the eyes of the law, and thus entitled to the protection of the Act, or if he will lose that protection when he returns to the UFC.

FIGHTER SAFETY

Epstein told Reuters that the UFC does extensive work on fighter safety and welfare and is as transparent as possible when it comes to contracts.

He rejected the notion that match-making based on independent rankings could improve the sport.

“We have been successful for one reason and one reason only – we put on the fights the fans want to see,” Epstein explained.

“That’s where we have a problem with what Congressman Mullin wants to do.”

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MMA

Michael Bisping ridicules Georges St-Pierre's prospects of UFC victory in New York

Published

44 mins ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

Michael Bisping ridicules Georges St-Pierre's prospects of UFC victory in New York

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Michael Bisping has ridiculed Georges St-Pierre’s ability to make the step up in weight ahead of their UFC middleweight championship bout next month.

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Football

Martin Odegaard: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says captain’s ankle injury ‘quite significant’

Published

1 hour ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

Martin Odegaard: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says captain's ankle injury 'quite significant'

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says captain Martin Odegaard has suffered a “quite significant” ankle ligament injury.

The midfielder limped off during Norway’s Nations League win over Austria on Monday, 9 September.

Odegaard had gone down in pain after hurting his left ankle following a foul by Christoph Baumgartner midway through the second half.

He returned to Arsenal for an MRI scan and missed his side’s 1-0 win at Tottenham in the north London derby on Sunday.

“The scan showed some damage around the ligaments in the ankle so we are going to miss him,” said Gunners boss Arteta before his side play Atalanta in the Champions League on Thursday.

“It’s something quite significant so we are going to lose him for a while. Hopefully not months.”

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MMA

Tony Ferguson calls out UFC champion Conor McGregor

Published

1 hour ago

September 20, 2024

NewsAdmin

Tony Ferguson calls out UFC champion Conor McGregor

Tony Ferguson has called out UFC champion Conor McGregor after landing the interim lightweight belt in Las Vegas.

The 33 year-old defeated Kevin Lee with a third-round triangle choke submission at the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.

While still in the octagon, the 23-3 fighter addressed McGregor as McNuggets and said he was going to “kick the ass” of the Irishman.

“You better come and f*****g defend that belt. Defend or vacate,” he added.

McGregor is the reigning UFC lightweight champion after defeating Eddie Alvarez in November 2016 in New York.

But the Irishman is yet to defend the belt, having taken on Floyd Mayweather Junior in August at the same arena which hosted UFC 216 on Saturday night.

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