Simply put, I’m not convinced yet. The Global Fight League’s (GFL) official unveiling late last year was, charitably put, a bit of a mess. Darren Owen joined The Ariel Helwani Show in December with a stressed and bothered demeanor as he laid out the groundwork for the promotion. Or, at least a little bit of … Continue reading Do I Think The GFL Will Succeed? No. But Everyone Should Be Hoping It Will →

There's a fun tradition in hockey every year called the "Legends Classic." From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, past greats and Hall of Famers lace up their skates and play a game in front of thousands in live attendance. Players get to relive their glory days for one night, and fans have the chance to see their … Continue reading Why Are We Okay With Promotions Letting Old People Fight? →

MMA doesn't really have an offseason. It's a year-round sport, with shows happening each weekend and almost every day. Because of this, it's easy to forget some of the big stories from different points in the year. 2024 was certainly an eventful year in MMA, both inside and outside the cage. To reflect on how … Continue reading MMA’s 12 Biggest Storylines of 2024 →

For the second consecutive year, Knockdown News will ask five questions before we head into 2025. As the year progresses, we'll see what answers (if any) we can get for our questions. Here's what is on our mind: 1. With Stipe Miocic out of the way, will heavyweight finally become a proper division again? UFC's … Continue reading Five MMA Questions For 2025 →

In 2024, there maybe wasn't a better two-fight combination you could make in any division within the sport than facing Alexander Volkanovski and then Max Holloway. Between the two fighters is 2,451 days of UFC Featherweight Championship history. Holloway carried the division through the mid-to-late 2010s, showing his incredible toughness and crisp boxing skills through … Continue reading Knockdown News 2024 Fighter of the Year: Ilia Topuria →

There's a lot of luck involved with becoming Fighter of the Year. If everything doesn't align perfectly, there's a solid chance you won't get the award. Have an injury that will sideline you for most of the year, or fight in a division where the biggest and best opportunities simply don't come your way? To … Continue reading 2024 Knockdown News Fighter of the Year Nominees →

In the short history of the UFC by 2003, few fighters had achieved as much success as Matt Hughes. Pat Miletich defended his welterweight title four times, Tito Ortiz was currently on an incredible run at light heavyweight, Frank Shamrock previously had his own reign of terror, and the list basically ends there. Most others … Continue reading Throwback Thursday 4/25/03: The Dominance of Matt Hughes Rolls On →

"The Smashing Machine" came at a perfect time. By the early 2000s, not much about MMA was still known in greater American popular culture. Names like Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock floated around mainstream levels, but there was still a lack of knowledge about the sport as a whole. And due to MMA being such … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: The Smashing Machine →

12/23/02 - Pride 24: Cold Fury 3 Some things about MMA never change. The rules still don't really make sense, the fights aren't always scored correctly, and the cards that get announced don't always end up being the cards you actually see. Pride 24 was supposed to have a pretty huge main event, with the … Continue reading Throwback Thursday 12/23/02: Dan Henderson Fights Like Hell Against Big Nog →