A.J. McKee def. Clay Collard at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions: Best photos

Check out these photos from A.J. McKee vs. Clay Collard at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions in Saudi Arabia.

Check out these photos from [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag]’s submission victory over Clay Collard at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photos courtesy of PFL)

UFC veterans in MMA, karate and kickboxing action Feb. 22-25

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC returns to Mexico for UFC Fight Night 237.

The event at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City features a flyweight clash between former champion [autotag]Brandon Moreno[/autotag] and [autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag].

Many other combat sports events are taking place that feature several familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Feb. 22-25.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Jan. 15-21)

Check out the UFC, PFL, and Bellator fights that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Jan. 15-21.

MMA Junkie’s 2023 Fight of the Year: Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski

Check out which epic battle earned MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Year award for 2023.

With another action-packed year of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie takes a look at the best fights from January to December 2023.

As voted on by our entire staff, here are the top five and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Year.

Honorable mentions

PFL lists its top 5 fights of the 2023 season

Relive the PFL’s best fights of the year with this video ranking the top 5.

In 2023, MMA delivered some top-notch fights, and several of those went down under the PFL banner.

From a wild, standup battle between [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] and [autotag]Shane Burgos[/autotag], to [autotag]Jesus Pinedo[/autotag]’s close loss to [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag], which kicked off his incredible championship run, PFL was home of some barn burners. Now with the season over, the promotion ranked its best knockouts as the following:

1. Clay Collard def. Shane Burgos via unanimous decision
2. [autotag]Zach Juusola[/autotag] def. [autotag]Brandon Jenkins[/autotag] via unanimous decision
3. Magomed Umalatov def. Nayib Lopez via unanimous decision
4. Gabriel Braga def. Jesus Pinedo via split decision
5. [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] def. [autotag]Marina Mokhnatkina[/autotag] via unanimous decision

You can watch the replay of the highlights of the top 5 PFL fights in the video above.

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Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Clay Collard at 2023 PFL Championship: Best photos

Check out these photos from Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Clay Collard at 2023 PFL Championship for the lightweight title.

Check out these photos from Olivier [autotag]Aubin-Mercier[/autotag]’s lightweight title victory over Clay Collard at 2023 PFL Championship at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. (Photos by Cooper Neill, PFL MMA)

Olivier Aubin-Mercier outworks Clay Collard for second $1M win, plans time off | 2023 PFL Championship Fight Night HQ

No. 1 seed Clay Collard (24-10) meets No. 2 Olivier Aubin-Mercier (20-5) in the PFL’s 155-pound season championship.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The PFL crowned its next $1 million lightweight winner Friday.

No. 1 seed [autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] (24-10) met No. 2 Olivier Aubin-Mercier (20-5) in the 155-pound season championship at The Anthem in Washington, D.C.

Go inside the matchup below, from the backstory and the buildup through the end of the fight itself, with stats, photos, preview videos, highlight videos, quotes, recaps and more.

The story will update throughout the fight and event.

UFC veterans in MMA action Nov. 23-24

Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing in combat sports across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC is idle during Thanksgiving week.

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing Nov. 23-24.

Scroll below to see how the UFC veterans fared last week, and see the names and details of this weekend’s competitors.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Clay Collard calls Nate Diaz’s boxing ‘dog sh*t,’ would love to enter ring again if money is right

Clay Collard would love to box Nate Diaz.

[autotag]Clay Collard[/autotag] would love to box [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag].

Collard has boxed 18 times as a professional, amassing a 9-6-3 record. He hasn’t entered the ring since December 2021 but would be open to it with the right opportunity. Collard ripped Diaz for his performance against Jake Paul, where the Stockton superstar lost a unanimous decision this past August in what was his boxing debut. Collard is open to boxing Diaz, then meeting him in the cage.

“If the money is right, I would love to box again,” Collard told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’ve been talking a little bit of sh*t on Jake Paul on Twitter and stuff like that hoping to beat him up. Nate Diaz’s boxing looked like dog sh*t in my opinion. So yeah, I’d like to box. I like boxing. I’m good at boxing. … F*ck Nate Diaz.

“He might have a little bit bigger name than me, but his boxing is f*cking dog sh*t. So I’ll fight him in boxing, turn around and fight in the smart cage. I’ll get to put on a little weight. He’s a little bit bigger than me, so I’ll lift a little bit, get to eat going on the scale, but yeah, I would love that. Line it up. I’m hoping to tell enough people they start talking enough they’ll just do it.”

First Collard (24-10-1) will look to win his first $1 million lightweight title when he meets Olivier Aubin-Mercier (20-5) at 2023 PFL Championship on Nov. 24 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. The event streams live on ESPN+ PPV.

Collard is coming off a barnburner against ex-UFC fighter Shane Burgos and dubbed himself as the most exciting fighter in the PFL.

“I’m for sure the most exciting fighter in the PFL,” Collard said. “I think that’s a given. I think I’m one of the most exciting fighters in the world, so it’s something I am proud of.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for 2023 PFL Championship.

MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month for August: Collard, Burgos produce a classic contest for PFL

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from August 2023.

With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from August 2023: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s Fight of the Month award for August.

At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.

Nominees