On his official Instagram, UFC welterweight contender Kevin Holland posted a pair of fairly cryptic remarks that appeared to allude to a future retirement from mixed martial arts. Holland, who had just participated at UFC 279, co-headlined the event against Khamzat Chimaev on short notice, losing to the Chechen powerhouse in the first round by D'Arce choke. The loss ended Holland's streak of two victories in a row since moving up to welterweight, but the Riverside striker went into fight week anticipating a matchup with fellow Californian striker Daniel Rodriguez. When he switched to welterweight at the start of this year, Holland defeated promotional alum Alex Oliveira and veteran Tim Means before losing to Chimaev. Kevin Holland used the phrase "I'm out" on his Instagram account, teasing what would ultimately be a shocking departure from the sport. “Had a good run,” Kevin Holland posted on Instagram. “30 in a little over a month, got paid, I’m out. Next career choice?” Also on his official Instagram story, Holland posted, “Retired before 30 (salute emoji).” With a career record of 23-8(1), Holland had participated in Dana White's Contender Series before joining the company. Prior to switching to welterweight at the beginning of this year, he only ever battled at the middleweight limit. Holland won eight fights at the weight class, including victories over Jacare Souza, the former undisputed middleweight champion of Strikeforce, John Philips, Gerald Meerschaert, Alessio Di Chirico, Anthony Hernandez, Joaquin Buckley, Darren Stewart, and Charlie Ontiveros. Holland had a great year in 2020, winning five fights at the middleweight limit, tying the record for the weight class, and breaking the Neil Magny and Roger Huerta records for most victories in a single year. Given that Holland has a penchant for grabbing attention even when not competing, from publicizing matches through an OnlyFans account to his well-known vigilante adventures, it's unclear how genuine his retirement from MMA combat is.

Tom Hardy is not your everyday average Hollywood actor. Instead he has been a lifelong fan of mixed martial arts. After discovering Brazilian jiu-jitsu while training for his role in the 2011 film Warrior, Hardy continued training after the film wrapped and is now winning competitions in his spare time. The 45-year-old actor made a surprise appearance at the 2022 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Open Championship in Milton Keynes, England over the weekend and ultimately walked away with the top prize. Hardy was spotted at the event wearing a blue gi while winning all of his matches and ultimately winning the event. The certificate was awarded to his real name which is ‘Edward Hardy’. This wasn't the actor's first appearance at a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition; he is best known for playing Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. The actor and blue belt fighter attended the REORG Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Wolverhampton in August which he also ended up winning. The event's promoter described Hardy as "a really nice guy" who stayed after his matches to take photos with those in attendance. His opponent in the final match was as surprised as everyone else to see Hardy compete. One of Hardy's opponents told local media that meeting the Academy Award-nominated actor had left him "shell shocked." ”I recognized him straightaway,” Danny Appleby told the MK Citizen. “Everyone knows who Tom Hardy is, don’t they? I was shell-shocked. He said, ‘Just forget it’s me and do what you would normally do.’” What do you make of Tom Hardy’s spare time activities? Does it make the sport of mixed martial arts more famous globally? Let us know in the comments.

Floyd Mayweather intended to challenge Conor McGregor once again in 2019. In an interview with Sportsmail, Mayweather stated that negotiations for a rematch between himself and McGregor in boxing are in progress. In one of the all-time top combat sports pay-per-views, the two squared off in August 2017. In Round 10, Mayweather knocked out McGregor via TKO. This Saturday at the Super RIZIN event in Saitama, Mayweather, 45, will compete in an exhibition boxing match against Japanese MMA star Mikuru Asakura. He then intends to face McGregor in 2023. “I want to go out there this weekend and have fun,” Mayweather said. “Then I have another exhibition in Dubai in November and me and Conor McGregor in 2023. “We don’t know if it’s going to be an exhibition or a real fight. But there’s been talks of both. I would prefer an exhibition.” The first meeting between Mayweather and McGregor was a competitive fight, putting the unbeaten boxing icon against a two-division UFC champion who had just won the lightweight championship by stunningly knocking out Eddie Alvarez. After defeating McGregor to raise his record to 50-0, Mayweather retired and has since only competed in demonstration bouts, including one for RIZIN in which he easily dispatched kickboxing icon Tenshin Nasukawa. After retiring, Mayweather enjoys exhibitions much more. “I am not into fights where I am going to take any real punishment,” Mayweather added. “So, guys like Conor McGregor and guys that don’t really hit hard such as YouTubers or UFC guys, I don’t really mind colliding with those kinds of individuals but nothing where I am going to put myself in a position where I am going to harm myself or hurt myself.” Since their initial fight, there have been intermittent discussions of a rematch between Mayweather and McGregor, with each side taking public jabs at the other. When McGregor does fight again, it "will be in the cage," according to UFC President Dana White, who recently shut down speculations that the rematch could materialize anytime soon. In response, McGregor posted a picture from his bout with Mayweather on Instagram along with the caption "not interested."

After leaving ONE Championship, Eddie Alvarez is free to sign with any organization. Alvarez (30-8), a former lightweight champion in Bellator and the UFC, only competed four times under the ONE Championship banner after joining the organization in March 2019 after leaving the UFC. The 38-year-old, who hasn't competed since April 2021, declared on Tuesday that he's "amicably" opted to end his contract with ONE Championship, becoming a free agent. He wrote on his twitter “Confirmed, I am no longer with ONE,” Alvarez wrote. “We parted ways amicably and I remain on good terms with the ONE team. I want to thank Chatri [Sityodtong] for the opportunity and I look forward to watching their continued success. I’m officially a free agent and ready to hunt. Tell me who’s next?” With four fights under his belt with ONE, Alvarez has a 1-2 record and one no contest. Alvarez's ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix debut was derailed when Timofey Nastyukhin brutally knocked him out in the opening round. Alvarez later returned to the competition as an alternate, where he submitted Eduard Folayang, but was then forced to withdraw from the Grand Prix due to injury. Alvarez then suffered a no contest after Iuri Lapicus was unable to continue following shots that were originally deemed as illegal. ONE later overturned the disqualification to a no contest. Alvarez lost to Ok Rae Yoon by unanimous decision in his final match with ONE in April 2021. Alvarez was given the opportunity to participate on the ONE X card in 2022, but the Philadelphia native "passed down" a matchup with Saygid Izagakhmaev, ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong subsequently said. Before leaving the company, that was the last fight Alvarez was reportedly scheduled to fight. Alvarez is currently unsigned, but now that he's split from ONE Championship, he's free to sign with any organization. Alvarez had a successful career in Bellator MMA before joining the UFC, where he won the lightweight title twice.

Before her unanimous decision victory at Saturday's UFC Vegas 60, Loma Lookboonmee overcome some personal obstacles. Denise Gomez, the winner of the Challenge Series contract, was beaten by Lookbunmee to reclaim the victory. Prior to the victory, Lookboonmi had suffered a decision loss to Lupita Godinez at UFC Vegas 43 in November 2021, a setback that made her question her future as a fighter. "After this loss, I returned home, and it was a very difficult period for me because I suffered from depression. After that defeat, I told myself that everything, everything is over. The reason I’m standing here today is that my team and my family believed in me, they always believed in me and always believed that I would get better and go back there. That’s why I’m here now.” Lukbunmee said at the post-match press conference. Lookboonmee, 26, has won three of her previous four fights and is 4-2 in the Octagon. When asked what advice she would provide to those experiencing comparable levels of uncertainty and despair, Lukbunmi responded that while the road may be difficult and twisting, things do eventually improve. "I would like to tell people suffering from depression and mental illness that I am also one of you," Lukbunmee explained. "I know what it is and I know how bad it is. I’ve had suicidal thoughts, hurt myself, and I know how dark and deep that is." "I am lucky to have such a wonderful team behind me and a family that loves me and has always seen the value in me. I am very grateful and happy that I have them. I want to tell people suffering from mental illness to see the value in themselves because they have it, and never give up, and understand that the situation may not immediately improve, but eventually, it will improve."

The Nevada State Athletic Commission on Tuesday imposed a six-month suspension on Askar Mozharov for failing a drug test in connection with his lone UFC participation. The hormone and metabolic modulator GW1516 sulfone was detected in Mozharov's blood sample. The drug was "initially created and studied for the treatment of obesity, diabetes, and other illnesses related to metabolic issues," according to USADA, and it can alter how the body metabolizes fat. Because the sample Mozharov provided fell below USADA's threshold for an anti-doping infraction, he was not subject to sanctions. Mozharov received a ten percent fine of his winnings from his first-round technical knockout defeat to Alonzo Menifield at UFC Fight Night 207 in addition to a six-month ban. The event's salaries weren't made public. Before competing against Menifield, Mozharov made headlines for fabricating his MMA record; once those false records were published on the Sherdog database, his career record dropped from 25-7 to 15-14. Following his defeat against Menifield, Mozharov was fired from the UFC, and he is not presently scheduled to compete. The 27-year-old Ukrainian, who was let go by the UFC following his defeat, was also fined $2,000 (10% of his winnings, according to the commission), in addition to $529 in court costs. Before being granted another license, he will also need to submit to clean drug tests 30, 15, and 3 days prior to his next scheduled match and settle any fines (or set up a payment plan). Even though Mozharov tested below the GW1516 limit permitted by the USADA, which oversees the UFC's drug testing program, the NAC doesn't accept that specific level and requested a temporary ban after learning of his failed drug test. Mozharov, who was absent from the hearing on Tuesday, refuted claims that he embellished his resume. However, after MMA databases Sherdog and Tapology claimed that his record had been fabricated, they later updated it, and he fought Menifield as a 17-12 professional. He was defeated in the opening round. The ban on Mozharov is in effect until December 4, 2022.

Everyone was surprised when they heard the news that the 17 year old kid from Mexico got a special license to fight at UFC Dana White Contender Series. Many experts also raised concerns that it would be a step too high for the young fighter. However, Raul Roasa’s Jr left no doubt and turned many doubters into believers when he stepped into the octagon for the first time. Raul Rosas Jr. stunned the MMA community and earned a deal with the UFC as a result.At Dana White's Contender Series 55, which took place on Tuesday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, the 17-year-old bantamweight completely outclassed his opponent Mando Gutierrez. Rosas (6-0) outclassed Gutierrez (7-2) and won convincingly, 30-27 on all three judges' scorecards, becoming the youngest fighter ever to sign a contract with the UFC according to president Dana White. Dana White said while talking to Laura Sanko “He is absolutely, positively talented. He’s special,” White told Laura Sanko at the post-event decision announcement. “He’s different. At 17 years old you just don’t see kids handling themselves like that.” Rosas quickly closed the gap in the opening round and took the fight to the ground. He controlled Gutierrez for the majority of the round, even making a suloev stretch threat. Rosas was trapped in a guillotine choke in the very last seconds, but he managed to resist the submission until the final buzzer. The second round was not much different than the first with Rosas domination continuing on the ground. In the third Gutierrez’s corner asked him to show some urgency as they had to chase a finish in order to win the fight but Rosas stood firm and reversed Gutierrez yet again and dominated till the final belt. After the victory he said “Since I was born, I knew this was going to happen, so everybody should not be surprised,” an elated Rosas Jr. said. “I’m the new king in here, so I’m coming for that belt now.” Rosas wants to grab his hands on the championship belt by the age of 20. Let us know what you thought of the 17 year old wonder kid from Mexico?

Nate Diaz, a former UFC superstar, has a few alternatives for his next move now that he is a free agent, and it appears like he already has something in mind. Although the whole list of potential suitors is unknown, Diaz recently showed interest in a boxing match with Paul, which he was unsure about prior to his fight on September 10 at UFC 279 in Las Vegas. After winning his final UFC fight, Diaz opened up a little bit more about his future while watching Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin 3 on Saturday in Las Vegas. He told iD Boxing "[Jake Paul] is for sure one of the options. He's doing big stuff. He's doing big things. He's got a big fight ahead of him. If he wins that, I'm sure people will be really impressed by it. And if Anderson [Silva] does his thing on him, that’s impressive also. Now we've got a fight on his hands. I'm looking forward to it." The last fight under his contract, Diaz's main-event submission victory over Tony Ferguson in the fourth round of UFC 279 was his most recent triumph. He has often indicated that he would like to consider his options beyond the company. Paul, a 25-year-old professional boxer who has a perfect record, has long shown interest in facing Diaz. On October 29 in Glendale, Arizona, he will compete against Anderson Silva. The Spider (3-0), a former middleweight champion of the UFC is regarded as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time. It will be a tough fight for Jake Paul as Silva still has that boxing acumen which can trouble the ‘Problem Child’. Whether it's Paul or someone else, Diaz said he'll end up in boxing. His passion for it precedes his career in mixed martial arts, which Diaz claimed was never his desire. "From 17 or 18 years old, I was starting to fight, I was boxing with my boxing coach. There were boxers all over my gym, and I was going to box initially, but MMA shows were more around my area, and they were happening, so I got stuck in MMA. I got stuck in a cage this whole time with contracts and stuff. Now everything is open for the taking. I never stopped training for a boxing fight since I started fighting. When the right opponent or right thing comes, we’re going to take it." The 37-year-old also left the possibility of joining the UFC open, but for the time being, it seems he's prepared to make his boxing debut.

Paulo Costa, a middleweight contender in the UFC, thinks his next opponent must be Khamzat Chimaev. ‘The Eraser’ just defeated Luke Rockhold by unanimous decision last month. For the Brazilian, the victory was significant because he had suffered back-to-back defeats. Costa had lost two consecutive matches to Marvin Vettori and Israel Adesanya. Paulo Costa now has one fight left on his UFC contract, and he wants to fight Khamzat Chimaev in it. The middleweight Brazilian is hoping that by provoking Chimaev long enough, he will snap and choose to fight at 185 pounds. The Brazilian came close to engaging in another fight just a few weeks after earning his previous victory. not in the cage, but rather at the UFC Performance Institute. Costa and Khamzat Chimaev got into a heated argument during UFC 279 fight week. The Las Vegas pay-per-view was supposed to feature "Borz," but that didn't happen. Chimaev was significantly overweight for his main-event matchup with Nate Diaz. As a result, Tony Ferguson was promoted, and he was moved down to the co-main event against Kevin Holland. Chimaev, his coach, and Dana White all said after the fight that he would continue to fight at middleweight. Paulo Costa. During an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, the Brazilian talked about the fight. Costa said there that he is the one who should be credited for stealing Chimaev's limelight. He said “I think, Chimaev [is the fight to make], yeah.” stated Paulo Costa. “I stole some of his hype, I stole his night of sleep, I stole his cap, I stole his main event fight, I stole everything. Chimaev, you need to do something. Motherf*cker, I stole everything that you had! Everything that you had. I stole your night’s sleep, I stole your weigh-in, I stole everything.” He continued, “You are stupid, you’re so crazy… I think I need to fight that guy. For sure [I’m the reason he missed weight]. Because he became so angry, so stressed, he gave up. He missed weight by eight pounds, almost nine, he gave up for sure.” What do you make of Paulo Costa’s comments on the ‘Wolf’ and do you think a fight between them will take place?

This time, Canelo Alvarez's victory over Gennady Golovkin was unquestionable. One of boxing's greatest rivalries of the twenty-first century was effectively put to rest Saturday night when the Mexican boxing superstar defeated his opponent in their third fight. In their 12-round, 168-pound championship bout at T-Mobile Arena, Alvarez outperformed the 40-year-old Golovkin in every manner. He was busier, more accurate, the harder puncher, and just all-around superior. Even though it seemed like Alvarez was winning by a greater margin, judges Dave Moretti (116-112), David Sutherland (115-113), and Steve Weisfeld (115-113) all gave him the victory. Between when they last met, four years ago, and Saturday night, there were apparent differences between the 32-year-old Alvarez and an older, slower Golovkin. In the ninth round, Golovkin made a brief comeback, but Alvarez had already amassed what appeared to be an insurmountable lead. Even though Golovkin had his moments in the 10th and 11th rounds, Alvarez came back strongly to make Golovkin fearful of his power. In the post fight interview Canelo told DAZN’s Chris Mannix that he will require surgery on his left hand. After completing their trilogy, the Mexican held onto his IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO super middleweight titles. He also recovered from his one-sided 12-round loss to undefeated WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol on May 7 at T-Mobile Arena, which was also decided by unanimous decision. Canelo also showed respect to his rival with whom he shared 36 rounds inside the ring. He said “He’s a really good fighter,” Alvarez told Mannix. “He’s strong and a great fighter, and that’s why we are here. And I am glad to share the ring with him. … He did not surprise me. I know he’s a strong fighter and I am not surprised. For me, I am just glad to share the ring and we gave the fans three really good fights.” The 12-round middleweight championship rematch between the four-division champion and Golovkin took place in September 2018 at T-Mobile Arena, and the champion won by majority decision. Nearly exactly one year prior, they battled to a highly contentious split draw at T-Mobile Arena. Despite Golovkin's claims to the contrary, his rival's victory over him in their two 160-pound title fights is convincing. GGG also clarified that he is not ready to retire now and he is looking forward to put on shows for the fans in the future. “I have a lot left,” Golovkin said. “Congrats to Canelo, to all the fans. Remember, I have three belts at 160 and I am still champion. … Congrats to Canelo and his whole team. He is a real warrior.”

After an illustrious 18 year old career Jose Aldo has finally decided to retire from MMA. Even though the former featherweight champion has one fight left on his contract, the UFC has decided to release Aldo, allowing him to pursue other combat sports enterprises if he so chooses. In the previous 15 years, mixed martial arts players have advanced dramatically, bringing the discipline close to its apex. They had actually been catching up to Jose Aldo during that period. Aldo (31-8) is recognised as one of the best fighters ever pound-for-pound and as the greatest featherweight to ever step inside the cage. He won 25 of his first 26 professional fights, including many highlight-reel knockouts and convincing decisions. The announcement comes less than a month after Aldo's last contest, a three-fight winning streak-ending unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 278. Aldo made his professional debut in August 2004 and started off 10-1 until joining the World Extreme Cagefighting organization in 2008. Before facing Mike Brown for the featherweight title at WEC 44, Aldo kept up his winning ways by knocking out his next five opponents. At the age of 23, Aldo defeated Brown via TKO in the second round to win his first championship. Before switching to the UFC as part of a corporate merger in 2010, Aldo successfully defended that title twice. He was then instantly elevated to the position of first-ever UFC featherweight champion. Before losing it to Conor McGregor at UFC 194, he successfully defended the championship seven times in a row, still a UFC record. He then won an interim title at UFC 200, which was later elevated to undisputed status in McGregor's absence. Aldo was a warrior who could almost accomplish anything. He had kicks that were as powerful and potent as any fighter in MMA history. When he was at his best, his takedown defense was unbeatable, and if a fight ever went to the ground, he was a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and the 2001 World Jiu-Jitsu Championships bronze medallist in his weight class. Aldo is probably going to keep practicing different combat sports in the future. Like fellow UFC veterans Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort, he may try his hand at boxing. He could also fight in muay thai and jiu-jitsu. We might have seen the last of him inside the octagon but it might not be the last time we saw ‘King of Rio’ in action.

Yadong Song and Gregory Rodrigues carried gruesome mementos from their fights at UFC Vegas 60 on Saturday outside the Octagon. With solid punches that connected and takedown defense, Song was dominating Cory Sandhagen at the time. After jarring the "Sandman" with a left hand at the start of the second round, the "Kung Fu Kid" had one of the fight's more memorable moments. Sandhagen recovered, though, and struck back with a step-in elbow that tore open a wound above Song's left forehead. Song was instantly covered in crimson as blood began to gush forth. When the cutman got back to his corner and started working on Song, we saw just how awful the cut was. Warning: there is a spoiler ahead. While allowing him to continue, the doctor instructed Herb Dean, the fight's referee, to keep a close eye on it. As you would have imagined, the wound became worse and opened even further. The doctor reexamined Song prior to the fifth and final round and found he was unable to continue, which declared the bout over. Sandhagen was disappointed that he could not offer Song another round, but given the seriousness and location of the cut, it was probably for the best. Unexpectedly, Song wasn't the only competitor to suffer a split face tonight. In the opening round of his bout with Chidi Njokuani, Rodrigues took a knee, but the damage it caused was too great to overlook. In addition to being unsteady, "Robocop" suffered one of the worst wounds in UFC history between his eyes. Before Rodrigues entered the second round, the cutman once more did his damnedest to close the wound and stop the bleeding. Fortunately, the Brazilian dodged a doctor's stoppage, rushed to knock 'Bang Bang' down, and then used ground-and-pound to end him. Backstage, Rodrigues would need stitches, and now you can view the before and after photos of his wound according to UFC president Dana White (H/T Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting). You have been forewarned in advance: they are harsh.