Breaking Down Djati Melan vs. Christian Leroy Duncan at Cage Warriors 136
This Saturday, the BEC Arena out of Manchester, England sees Cage Warriors 136 hosting a middleweight title fight. Frenchman Djati Mélan won the Cage Warriors title last December, taking it from veteran Matthew Bonner. His first title defense is against...
UFC Columbus: Curtis Blaydes Lets Hands Do the Talking, Stops Chris Daukaus
For heavyweights Curtis Blaydes and Chris Daukaus, their UFC Columbus main event wasn't about climbing the rankings. Rather, the fight was more about maintaining position in a division all but stagnant in the absence of Francis Ngannou. At some point...
UFC Columbus: Alexa Grasso Submits Joanne Wood For Biggest Win Yet
Were it not for a decision to fight and stay busy rather than sit and wait for a title shot, Joanne Wood would have already had a shot at gold in the UFC. In hindsight, that decision — which led...
UFC Columbus: Bryan Barberena Slugs It Out with Matt Brown, Wins Split Decision
Two years ago, Matt Brown had seen a planned match-up with Miguel Baeza at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio fall through, with the entire event cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. For a fighter entering his 40s...
UFC Columbus: Kai Kara-France Upsets Askar Askarov in Thriller
Of all the fights on the UFC Columbus card on Saturday, Askar Askarov vs. Kai Kara-France at flyweight arguably had the most relevance. In terms of the actual short term future of the weight class, the winner of Askarov vs....
UFC Columbus: Neil Magny Survives First Round Knockdown, Takes Split Decision Over Max Griffin
A promising welterweight scrap was expected to top UFC Columbus' preliminary card. That saw Max Griffin paired up with Neil Magny in a fight that looked to land Griffin inside the divisional rankings, were he to get his hand...
UFC Columbus: Marc Diakiese Plays Grinch, Runs “Slava Claus” Out of Town
"Slava Claus" was coming to town in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, as Vlacheslav Borshchev was set to face Marc Diakiese. The lightweight match-up kicked off the UFC Columbus main card at the Nationwide Arena. In the end, it wasn't a...
UFC Columbus: Sara McMann Gets Back in Win Column, Out-Wrestles Karol Rosa
Long since removed from her title shot against Ronda Rousey in 2014, Olympian Sara McMann, at age 41, entered UFC Columbus for her first fight in over a year opposite Brazil's Karol Rosa. McMann's last fight had ended a submission...
UFC Columbus: Chris Gutierrez Spinning Back Fist Ends Danaa Batgerel’s Night, Win Streak
Chris Gutierrez made it a memorable night at UFC Columbus — unless you were opponent Danaa Batgerel. In which case, the night wasn't exactly one for the memory pile. Undefeated since his promotional debut in 2018, bantamweight Gutierrez was paired...
UFC Columbus: Aliaskhab Khizriev Submits Denis Tiuliulin, Signals Move to 170
With middleweight Aliaskhab Khizriev's original opponent Abusupiyan Magomedov pulling out of UFC Columbus, the UFC signed Russian Denis Tiuliulin to step in on short notice. Having last competed for UAE Warriors a year ago, Tiuliulin was taking a considerable step...
