Harvey Leonard

Portsmouth

Sports Writer at MMA News

Features Editor at Sportskeeda

MMA Journalist 🥊 🥋 @MMANews_com ✍️

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Articles

Dirty Boxing 1 Results & Highlights: Yoel Romero, Andrei Arlovski Win

1 month ago | mmanews.com | Harvey Leonard

The Dirty Boxing Championship staged its inaugural event Saturday night, and MMA News has you covered with all the action. Dirty Boxing, co-created by former UFC fighter and BKFC star Mike Perry, mixes together elements of boxing and MMA. Bouts take place in a smaller 18-foot ring and are fought across three three-minute rounds. All strikes with the hands and elbows are legal, and fighters who score knockdowns can use follow-up ground strikes providing they remain on their feet.
Khabib Nurmagomedov Invites Ireland's Paul Hughes To Dagestan After PFL Battle With Cousin Usman

2 months ago | mmanews.com | Harvey Leonard

After a respectful exchange inside the cage at Saturday’s PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai event, that trend has continued between the Nurmagomedov family and Paul Hughes on social media. For a second time this month, a Nurmagomedov was involved in an early Fight of the Year contender. But while Umar came on the losing side of his at UFC 311 in Los Angeles, the bantamweight’s brother Usman had his hand raised in Dubai this past Saturday.
PFL Road To Dubai Champions Series Results & Highlights: Usman Nurmagomedov Outlasts Paul Hughes

2 months ago | mmanews.com | Harvey Leonard

The PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai event took place on Saturday, and MMA News has you covered with all the action. After announcing a slew of changes to its organization for 2025, including the elimination of the Bellator brand, the Professional Fighters League kicked things off for this year with a Bellator champion defending their gold.
Beating Umar Nurmagomedov 'Easier Than Expected' At UFC 311, Says Merab Dvalishvili's Coach

Jan 21, 2025 | mmanews.com | Harvey Leonard

The coach of Merab Dvalishvili expected the UFC bantamweight champion to face more adversity when sharing the Octagon with Umar Nurmagomedov. The pair collided in the co-main event of this past weekend’s UFC 311 pay-per-view, which marked the MMA leader’s very first numbered event of 2025. Their co-headliner went the distance and collected Fight of the Night honors, with defending champ Dvalishvili ultimately emerging with his hand raised and the 135-pound gold still in his possession.
PFL Announces Full Undercard For Road To Dubai Champions Series: Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes

Dec 18, 2024 | mmanews.com | Harvey Leonard

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) will look to kick off the new year in style when it touches down in Dubai for the first Champions Series event of 2025. After completing its 2024 schedule with the PFL Europe Championship event in Lyon, France last week, the PFL’s attention will turn to a year that looks set to be key in its pursuit of building a fanbase and becoming legitimate competition to the UFC.
PFL CEO Says 'Saudi Partners' Want Jon Jones vs. Francis Ngannou Superfight

Dec 2, 2024 | mmanews.com | Harvey Leonard

According to the PFL, the only side stopping a heavyweight megafight between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones is the UFC. Talk of Ngannou and Jones colliding has existed ever since the former rose to the mountaintop in the UFC with a knockout of Stipe Miocic. With “Bones” having expressed his intention to move up in pursuit of two-division glory, “The Predator” laid down the gauntlet.
PFL Announces 'Dagestan vs. Ireland 2' As Hughes Challenges Nurmagomedov

Nov 20, 2024 | mmanews.com | Harvey Leonard

The Bellator Champions Series will head to Dubai in 2025, where lightweight kingpin Usman Nurmagomedov headlines in defense of his title. In a press release this week, the Professional Fighters League announced a multi-year partnership with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism that will see the promotion return to the United Arab Emirates annually. And the first major event there is set for the Coca-Cola Arena on Jan.
Report: Belal Muhammad Out Of Shavkat Rakhmonov Title Fight At UFC 310

Oct 30, 2024 | mmanews.com | Harvey Leonard

UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad is reportedly out of his scheduled title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. Muhammad completed his ascent to the mountaintop at 170 pounds this past July in Manchester, England, where he upset the odds to get the better of Leon Edwards across five rounds in their rematch. Eager to be active and face the toughest tests available to him, “Remember the Name” welcomed the challenge of undefeated phenom Rakhmonov.
Francis Ngannou Almost Withdrew From MMA Return With Injury

Oct 21, 2024 | mmanews.com | Harvey Leonard

Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou made a successful return to mixed martial arts this past weekend, but as it turns out, injury had threatened to derail it. Ngannou entered the cage on Saturday for the first time since a victory over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January 2022. After departing the promotion and signing with the PFL, “The Predator” turned his attention to the chance to complete a long-desired boxing crossover.
Adesanya's Live Reaction To Ngannou's MMA Return

Oct 20, 2024 | mmanews.com | Harvey Leonard

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was ecstatic to see Francis Ngannou make a winning return to mixed martial arts. Adesanya was among the keen viewers tuning in for this past weekend’s PFL pay-per-view in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which was headlined by Ngannou’s first taste of MMA action since January 2022. Back then, “The Predator” held the UFC heavyweight belt and successfully stalled the title ambitions of Ciryl Gane. On Oct.