Junior dos Santos officially inks Nike sponsorship deal

News that had been swirling earlier has apparently been confirmed by Brazilian site SporTV, as UFC Heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos has officially become sponsored by US-based sports apparel giant Nike. The deal will make JDS a member of a very select group of which fellow UFC champions Anderson Silva and Jon Jones are a part of. It also shows the amount of belief Nike has in MMA and will mark a huge step towards the advancement of the sport. Brazil is an area where MMA is absolutely booming right

November: A pivotal month in MMA history

The month of November marks the anniversary of the UFC’s Denver, CO debut back in 1993. On that fateful night, an event that was at the time regarded as a brutal spectacle more than a true sport launched something that would grow into much more. Royce Gracie dominated those early events (although ultimately not the first), but now fighters have evolved into something altogether well-rounded. MMA is a worldwide phenomenon, with UFC events popping up all over the world as they continue to expand in rapid

Antonio Silva: I’m angry with an appetite for victory

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva came into the UFC with some hype and momentum on his side. Even though he was coming off a loss to surging contender Daniel Cormier, he was effective in Strikeforce and Elite XC, having won 9 out of 11 bouts during that time. One of those wins was his doctor stoppage victory over the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in the opening round of the Strikeforce World Heavyweight Grand Prix.
However, after that, he was knocked out by the aforementioned Cormier and then thrust into a

Stefan Struve: I am the man to hand Stipe Miocic his first defeat

Karyn Bryant of MMA H.E.A.T. interviews towering UFC Heavyweight Stefan Struve in anticipation of his UFC on Fuel TV 5 bout with undefeated opponent Stipe Miocic. Miocic is undefeated heading into the September 29th bout from Birmingham, England. Sporting an impressive 28-5 record at a very young age, Struve is no doubt one of the 265 lb. division’s top prospects. Struve is coming off a submission win over Lavar Johnson, and also took out Dave Herman earlier this year. Struve states his intentions to

Chris Leben returns to the Octagon at UFC 155

Suspended since last November, UFC veteran and fan-favorite Chris “The Crippler” Leben’s timetable for a return to the Octagon has been unknown until now. Leben has apparently finished the rehab program furnished for him by the UFC after failing a drug test for painkillers, and will make his return at UFC 155 to face Czech fighter Karlos Vemola. The fight will round out the six-bout main card, which will take place December 29th from Las Vegas, Nevada.
For Leben, the news is a refreshing

Junior dos Santos: Overeem deserves a beating, and I’m going to arrange that

It appears that the trash talk of Alistair Overeem is still under Junior dos Santos’ skin. Speaking in an interview with Tatame.com, dos Santos had a few strong words about the former top contender to his title who was found to have elevated levels of Testosterone last April prior to UFC 146. Feeling that Overeem has been ramping up his smack talk in order to campaign for another title shot, Cigano replied:
“I knew Velasquez was the contender, but if UFC wanted me to fight Overeem I’d gladly

Then and Now: What has changed in MMA since 2005?

A long term dynamic develops in every sport that sticks around for a while. A section of the fan base will inevitably compare the play of today to their heroes from yesteryear.  Whether it is the baseball fan that longs for the day where they didn’t have to worry about someone using performance enhancing drugs after every home run, or the football fan that yearns for the era of hard hitting and less complaining in the NFL. One thing is a common factor; this group wishes things would go back to