MMA & UFC News

Should UFC fighters fight their friends in the Octagon? Their teammates? It seems like the debate has been growing steadily for the last year or so.

Dana White succinctly explains to Sportv why the idea that teammates and/or friends shouldn’t fight is foolishness.

“This is not baseball or football. (Anderson Silva’s team Blackhouse) is not actually a team. They train together, spend time together, but they are not a team that plays together. I want Anderson to tell me if I’m wrong – he has the belt, fame, money, and that is why there are many guys who want to be Anderson Silva, including guys on his team and his friends. Many of his friends would love to have the belt and should try to fight him for it. If they have to fight, it does not mean cannot be friends. It’s business, it’s what they do for a living.”

UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter” is back with a new format and a new home. The fights are now live on FX and they air on Friday nights.

The new season kicked off last Friday night with 16 live fights, as the new contestants battled to make their way into the house. The new format featured one five-minute round in which the fighters received a $5,000 bonus for a KO, submission or ref stoppage.

UFC commentator Joe Rogan talks about what he thinks are the greatest moments in the history of the show.

On the heels of his title-winning fight of the year performance against the world’s top lightweight Eddie Alvarez, Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler returns to face one of his greatest tests to date as the Las Vegas-trained fighter takes on former UFC lightweight Akihiro Gono LIVE on Friday, May 4 at Bellator 67 in the always electric Casino Rama in Ontario, Canada.

After Chandler’s amazing fourth-round submission victory against then champion Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 58, the undefeated champion knows that he’s the one now with the target on his back.

“I’m just excited to get back into the cage,” Chandler said. “I fought four times in 2011 and I’m ready to get back to work. Gono has beaten some of the best fighters in the sport and this should be a good test for me.”

Interesting interview with Nate Diaz by MMA Fighting and Ariel Helwani after the UFC on FOX 3 press conference in New York.

Diaz said that he thinks his brother Nick will remain retired, and surprisingly agrees with his decision not to fight again.

I think Nick Diaz would be missing out on some title shots going forward, as well as a few million dollars. As it stands now, neither of those things seem to matter to him, with Nate saying Nick has enough money to stay put.

If Nick does stay retired, the big losers in this are the fans.