It has been a remarkable year for all sports, but no sport has been able to adapt in the way that the UFC has. Dana White has consistently reiterated that he wants to continue putting on events for fans, despite audiences not able to be present.

Fight Island is one of the most exciting additions to UFC in recent years and has made for must-see sporting action. Fans will once again be treated to another blockbuster event this weekend as Darren Till, and Robert Whittaker go head to head, but what fights are fans all hoping to see at some point this year?

Conor McGregor vs Khabib Nurmagomedov

The obvious fight that all fans want to see at some point in the future is the rematch between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Tensions between the two have refused to go away, and the scene has been set for two years fro a rematch. There were fears earlier this year that fans may never get the rematch that they craved when McGregor revealed that he was retiring from UFC action.

However, it isn’t the first time that the Irishman has pulled this stunt and he will likely be tempted back into the octagon. The fight between the two in 2018 was a thrilling affair, as Khabib ruthlessly beat McGregor by forcing him to tap-out.

The fact that these two fighters really don’t like each other means that it is bound to sell. However, whether the UFC are likely to stage one of their biggest ever fights without fans in attendance looks very unlikely.

After all if Conor and Khabib were in horse racing, they would be equaled to Triple Crown winners and you want to cash on winning horses don’t you?

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There aren’t many other sports that can claim to have as many athletes that have tested out multiple sports more so than the UFC. There have been a number of fighters throughout the history of UFC that have dabbled in other sports before carving out a career in the octagon.

Some of the stars that have moved to the UFC have enjoyed excellent careers in the MMA world, while others haven’t achieved anything. But, which fighters started their sporting careers in other sports before landing in the octagon?

Greg Hardy

Greg Hardy began his sporting career in the NFL as he was drafted in round six in 2010. During his career playing American Football, he played for the Carolina Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys. Hardy played 75 times in the NFL and was a renowned defensive end. If you are familiar on how NFL odds work, you are probably familiar with his name.

His performances on the picture saw him named in the Pro Bowl in 2013, and he was also selected in the All-SEC first team in 2007. However, in 2016 he revealed that he would be having a change in career as he started in the world of MMA.

Within two years he was signed by the UFC, and he fought against former NFL star Austen Lane in Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Hardy won by KO in that fight. Hardy has naturally fitted into the world of MMA and has won six of his eight fights in UFC. The most recent of those came in May as he beat Yorgan De Castro via unanimous decision. Keep Reading

The build-up to a big fight is made even more exciting because of press conferences and media coverage of both camps. But the pinnacle of the anticipation is felt at the weigh-in when both fighters come toe to toe with each other. After weighing in, the two fighters are presented into each other. This serves as a way to stare into each other’s eyes and intimidate each other. Most times it is amicable while other times it gets a little heated. Let’s take a look back at the most entertaining weigh-ins.

Why Is There a Stare Down After a Weigh-In?

Most of the time, the staredown is all part of the production as a way to get people interested in the fight. Sometimes there is genuine hatred and animosity between the fighters, which makes the stare down a real affair. Other times, the staredown is exacerbated to make the fight more interesting and increase ticket sales or people purchasing the bout at home. The origins of these antics go back decades. Lots of fans point to Muhammed Ali’s teasing and hostility towards his opponent (which was often just an act and part of his tactics).

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Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)  is a sport that pits two participants against each other in physical combat. A typical MMA match  involves striking, grappling, and ground fighting. MMA fights take place in an enclosed arena such as a cage or a ring. During mixed martial arts training, individuals are capable of increasing both their physical and mental strength in a non-combat environment. The history of mixed martial arts is traced back to the Olympics of ancient Greece, even before starburst was discovered. The sport of MMA originated as hand to hand combat. It has since then been used for financial, physical fitness, and mental benefits.

Read on for some of the benefits of mixed martial arts:

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It could be said that the biggest surprise outcome in history of MMA fighting is that the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) survived its early days when the first UFC Pay-Per-View was created as a forum for all martial arts experts to test their courage against one another to find out which style was superior. With no rules and regulations, these no-holds-barred fights led to some stating the UFC was a form of “human cockfighting.”

Betting has been a big part of MMA and there are in-depth MMA betting statistics on the internet, whether you want to bet on the underdogs or the favorites in.  Check out bookmakers reviews to find detailed breakdowns of MMA fights including round by round finishes, card position, weight class and the odds for every fight. If you are lucky enough to have a hunch about a surprise outcome in an MMA fight – like the three below – and get it right, you could win big!

“The King” 11-second submission win, Bellator 225, August 2019

Starting a fight with a show of respect was a decision one MMA fighter was surely to regret. When Eduard Muravitskiy met Aviv Gozali, an 18-year-old Israeli fighter at Bellator 225 on 24 August 2019. Muravitskiy did what many fighters to at the start, go to tap gloves after the opening bell as a sign of good sportsmanship, and then start the fight. However, when Muravitskiy gestured his glove towards Gozali for a tap, Gozali did not honor the gesture and instead dove at Muravitskiy’s legs in an Imanari Roll and looked for the submission, taking down Muravitskiy with a heel hook. Within 11 seconds the fight was over and Gozali had improved his professional score with a record-breaking submission win in only his third professional MMA fight. Muravitskiy left the cage hopping on one foot, clearly hurt from the submission.

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