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The PFL-Bellator era is upon us, and a new broadcast team has been revealed.
The upcoming PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event marks the start of a new era, which will come with a new broadcast team.
The event takes place Feb. 24 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (ESPN+, DAZN, ESPNews).
Following PFL’s acquisition of Bellator, the promotion has crafted a team of analysts and commentators previously associated with each brand.
Tuesday, a promotion official informed MMA Junkie of the broadcast lineup, which can be seen below.
A number of fighters who paved the way for the modern era were included in our ranking of the 30 greatest UFC fighters, but was it enough?
The UFC’s 30th anniversary date has come and gone, and in the build-up to the milestone date, MMA Junkie counted down its 30 greatest fighters of all time to compete for the promotion.
There was plenty of debate about the entire list from top to bottom, and one of our big talking points was the inclusion of pioneers.
The final list was tabulated through a points system after voting from MMA Junkie’s 12-person staff. Guys considered to be pioneers who made our list were [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag] (No. 11), [autotag]B.J. Penn[/autotag] (No. 12), [autotag]Royce Gracie[/autotag] (No. 14), [autotag]Chuck Liddell[/autotag] (No. 18), [autotag]Matt Hughes[/autotag] (No. 21), and [autotag]Tito Ortiz[/autotag] (No. 25).
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On a special edition of “Spinning Back Clique,” the majority of our staff members came together to discuss and debate the finer points of the list. Did enough fighters who paved the way for the modern era make our list?
Check out the discussion in the video above, or watch the entire 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time podcast below.
To commemorate the UFC’s 30th anniversary, this is our definitive list of the promotion’s 30 greatest fighters of all time.
To commemorate the UFC’s 30th anniversary, MMA Junkie has compiled its definitive list of the 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time. We revealed one every day until the anniversary of UFC 1, which took place Nov. 12, 1993.
Our complete rankings, along with videos for each fighter, can be viewed below.
About the list: All 12 members of our staff submitted their own individual 30 greatest UFC fighters list. Each fighter was assigned a corresponding numerical value based on where they were ranked on an individual’s list, i.e. No. 1 = 30, No. 2 = 29, etc. We took those numbers and added them up to get a total number for each fighter to determine the composite ranking of MMA Junkie’s 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time.
Randy Couture seems to indicate that he believes Dana White had something to do with the PFL’s failed drug tests in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag] believes there’s something fishy about the string of failed drug tests by PFL fighters earlier this year.
Ten PFL fighters tested positive during the stretch of the promotion’s first three regular season events in Las Vegas this past April, which led the promotion to officially partner with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which will conclude its partnership with the UFC at the end of this year,
Couture said something wasn’t right about what transpired, hinting that UFC CEO Dana White had something to do with it.
“I mean, those shows, the three shows we did here in Vegas were great shows,” Couture told reporters during a recent media scrum at Xtreme Couture. “There were some great fights on those cards, very exciting. I thought the season was off and running. And obviously, to have the tests go the way they did, that certainly didn’t sit well. Something stunk to me, and that’s just my opinion.
“How many seasons have we done now and not had a single positive test? And then we come to Vegas for three shows and we have 10? Something’s not quite right there in my opinion. But who knows? And Dana (White’s) comment about that was telling in my mind, too. ‘I bet they don’t come back to Vegas.’ So who knows? But yeah, that’s unfortunate, and obviously we pivoted, we plugged in some holes. It’s been an amazing season.”
White’s bad history with Couture is well documented. Couture left the UFC in 2007 as heavyweight champion over a contract dispute. White called Couture and Tito Ortiz “two of the worst guys to ever f*cking deal with” who tried to destroy the company.
There hasn’t been an era of the UFC without former two-division champ Randy Couture’s footprint on it, which makes him a legend forever.
The UFC is celebrating its 30th year and to commemorate the milestone, MMA Junkie has compiled its 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time. Every day until the anniversary of UFC 1 on Nov. 12 (1993), we will reveal one fighter on our list.
Today, MMA Junkie Radio host Brian “Goze” Garcia brings you No. 11: [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag].
You can watch Garcia’s career retrospective on Couture above; video produced by Abbey Subhan.
Also see:
About the list: All 12 members of our staff submitted their own individual 30 greatest UFC fighters list. Each fighter was assigned a corresponding numerical value based on where they were ranked on an individual’s list, i.e. No. 1 = 30, No. 2 = 29, etc. We took those numbers and added them up to get a total number for each fighter to determine the composite ranking of MMA Junkie’s 30 greatest UFC fighters of all time.
There’s nothing quite like a great heavyweight fight, even better when it’s an all-out war such as these classics from the UFC and more.
The heavyweight division, as defined by the unified rules of MMA via the Association of Boxing Commissions, consists of fighters who are between 206 and 265 pounds.
Prior to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board conceiving a set of rules and weight classes in 2000 that became the base of operations we are now familiar with today, MMA was essentially the Wild West when it started out in the 1990s.
From open-weight matches to one-night tournaments, heavyweight fighters and classifications were a common occurrence in MMA’s early days. However, since the early 2000s, the heavyweight classification has largely stayed consistent across major promotions (despite some disarray amongst the lower weight classes).
With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to revisit some of the classics that this iconic division has given us throughout the years by listing my top five heavyweight wars of all time.
As usual, these lists reflect my personal tastes and biases and are not meant to serve as some ultimate authority. That said, I feel very strongly about not only my list but also my honorable mentions at the end – which are more than strong enough to serve as their own top five.
So, without further ado …
Randy Couture is not a fan of Jake Paul’s antics, but praises him for helping MMA fighters get paid.
[autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag] is not a fan of [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag]’s antics, but praises him for helping MMA fighters get paid.
Paul thinks [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] is severely underpaying his fighters, and has ripped the UFC president at every available opportunity. “The Problem Child” went as far as becoming a brand ambassador for PFL to help MMA fighters get an increase in pay and a larger share of the revenue.
UFC Hall of Famer and current PFL commentator Couture sees Paul’s moves as pivotal for the sport, and credits him for kicking things off by boxing MMA fighters, and giving them the opportunity for much larger paydays.
“Why is Jake Paul the mouth for MMA when he hasn’t fought in MMA yet?,” Couture told MMA Junkie Radio. “Because he brought in some MMA guys like Tyron Woodley, and Ben Askren, and Anderson Silva to do these Trillers, and those guys made more money from that one boxing match than they’ve ever made in MMA which is ridiculous.
“And if it takes a guy like Jake Paul to shine a light on the disparaging difference in our sports, and the issue in our sport, then I’ll get behind that guy all day long. I’m not a fan of the trolling and the rhetoric, but he’s backed it up. He’s stepped in there, he’s done the work, he’s talented, he’s got a great platform, and he’s helping all of us as MMA fighters by shining a light on that and by poking Dana White in the chest the way he does.”
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Paul is expected to compete in MMA under the PFL banner. After defeating ex-UFC fighter Nate Diaz by unanimous decision in a boxing match this past Saturday at American Airlines Center, Paul offered Diaz a $10 million purse for an MMA rematch – something he vows he’s very serious about.
For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Diaz.
All of a sudden, Dana White seems very interested in booking a fantasy fight between Jon Jones and boxing champ Tyson Fury. Why?
UFC president [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] may be out on some crossover fantasy matchups, but there is one that he has recently shown a lot of interest in.
Just a few days removed from declaring “gimmick fights” are not a part of the UFC’s matchmaking playbook, White openly challenged boxing champ [autotag]Tyson Fury[/autotag] to step up for a fight against UFC heavyweight champ [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] in the octagon.
While White admitted he has a great relationship with Fury and knows he would easily win a fight against Jones in the boxing ring, the UFC boss believes things would be different in the cage – and rightfully so. Throughout the brief history of MMA fighters stepping into the boxing ring and vice versa, the victory typically goes the way of the fighter competing on his home turf.
[autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] took on [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] in the ring, and despite the box office smash, the result was no surprise as “Money” finished “The Notorious” Irishman in the 10th round. When boxing champ James Toney entered the octagon to face two-division champ [autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag], things also went as expected: Couture quickly and easily took Toney down for the submission win.
So why is White so interested in this fantasy matchup for “the baddest man on the planet” instead of working with the PFL to create Jones vs. now-former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou? Is White’s interest in the fight with Fury genuine to create a potentially massive event, or is all of this a way to get the UFC audience to forget about Ngannou?
Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Farah Hannoun, Mike Bohn, and Danny Segura answer those questions with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above and check out this week’s full episode below.
Former two-division UFC champ turned PFL commentator Randy Couture believes the two promotions could come together for a massive fight.
Although the chances are slim, [autotag]Randy Couture [/autotag] believes the UFC and PFL could find a way to make a massive cross-promotion fight between [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] happen.
Couture, a former two-division UFC champion turned PFL commentator, knows that creating a cross-promotional fight is about getting everyone on the same page. While one key piece is already in place, completing the entire puzzle would be a difficult challenge.
“The TV part of that, the network and exposure part of that is solved because both entities are on ESPN,” Couture told MMA Junkie Radio. “I think the landscape of our sport and the contracts, the restrictive contracts in our sport, are gonna prevent that.”
UFC and PFL have events that air live on ESPN channels and stream on ESPN+. The two promotions would have no problems when it comes to that aspect of the negotiations for a mega heavyweight fight like Jones vs. Ngannou. However, considering the UFC standing as the leader in MMA, it would be on Dana White and company to agree to terms with the PFL in order to make it all happen.
As we’ve seen in the past, the UFC knows their place in the market, and isn’t keen on sharing the marquee when it comes to promoting fights.
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When heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko was in the prime of his career, negotiations between the two parties failed because the UFC’s unwillingness to work with Emelianeko’s promotion. The UFC has shown they will pass on promoting a major heavyweight bout if it means they have to share some of the promotional spotlight.
“The Fedor fight would have happened if the UFC would have agreed to a co-promotion with M-1 Global,” Couture said. “They had agreed on money. What they hadn’t agreed on was doing any co-promotion, and the UFC told them to take a hike.”
Considering White’s recent disparaging comments about Ngannou’s new contract with the PFL and Jones taking derogatory shots at Ngannou at seemingly every opportunity, there would likely have to be an earth-shattering, can’t-miss offer from the PFL in order to get the UFC to play ball. On the other side, Ngannou wants the fight, and Couture believes the PFL is in a prime position to work with the UFC to make it happen.
“I don’t think the PFL has an ego problem like that,” Couture said. “I think they would be happy to entertain a co-promotion between another promoter and themselves to make a big fight like that happen, certainly in the pay-per-view model they’re getting ready to roll out. So, I don’t think it’s out of the question there.”
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Randy Couture thinks Ante Delija would make a great debut opponent for former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in the PFL.
[autotag]Randy Couture[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Ante Delija[/autotag] would make a great debut opponent for [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] in the PFL.
Ngannou signed with PFL and is expected to box first, then make his MMA return in mid-2024. The former UFC heavyweight champion has been unstoppable as of late – including a recent knockout win over the consensus greatest heavyweight of all time, Stipe Miocic.
But whom should Ngannou (17-3) face in his promotional debut? Couture says 2022 PFL heavyweight champ Delija (23-5) is a fight he’d definitely watch.
“Ante Delija won last year’s championship in stellar fashion and he was very highly touted when we signed him,” Couture told MMA Junkie Radio. “He struggled with the format early on, and I think he sorted it out.
“He figured out what he needed to do in his training, his preparation and his game planning to get through a whole regular season and make it to the playoffs and a championship, and that’s a fight I’d love to see. He’s a game fighter. He’s a solid, well-rounded fighter. Francis Ngannou and Ante Delija, that would be a great fight. I would watch that fight, and I would pay a pay-per-view to watch that fight.”
Fabricio Werdum and Ben Rothwell already bid to fight Ngannou, and Couture expects plenty of other heavyweights to put their hands up after “The Predator” negotiated a guaranteed $1 million purse for his opponents.
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With PFL striking a mega deal with Ngannou and its continuously running season format, Couture sees PFL impacting all the other promotions.
“There’s certainly a lot of heavyweights coming up in free agency that realize if they’re good enough and have the credentials to get into a fight with Francis, they’re guaranteed a better purse than anybody else is probably ever gonna offer them,” Couture said. “Which is a really, really unique and interesting thing that Francis negotiated for in his contract for sure. I think there’s a ripple effect. We already got the attention of a lot of the other promotions.
“Why did shortly after we started giving away million-dollar purses for our championship final every year did all of a sudden the grand prix launch in Bellator, all with million-dollar purses through their format? Obviously we’ve got guys like Jake Paul, certainly Jon Jones is still chirping about Francis and wanting to fight Francis. Whether or not that fight is going to happen, I think there’s a ripple effect.”
