John Balfe

4 days ago | themaclife.com | John Balfe

Tom Aspinall is tired of waiting on the sidelines. The Briton, the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion since November 2023, has declared himself as the division’s true champion as he continues to draw a blank in his dogged pursuit of Jon Jones, who Aspinall now maintains has permanently stepped away from the sport after fighting just twice in the UFC cage since February 2020.

1 week ago | themaclife.com | John Balfe

Michael Chandler is coming up for air after his April defeat at the hands of Paddy Pimblett. The American former Bellator champion, 39, suffered his fifth defeat in his past six contests in his UFC 314 scrap with the Liverpool man, succumbing to a third-round TKO loss in a fight in which he struggled to impose himself against a fighter nine years his junior.

1 week ago | themaclife.com | John Balfe

Jon Jones’ apparent reluctance to accept a bout with Tom Aspinall is down to self-preservation, according to his longtime rival Daniel Cormier. The still-hypothetical Jones-Aspinall bout has turned into one of MMA’s most long-running sagas in recent months amid Jones’ apparent lack of interest in a fight described by UFC boss Dana White as the biggest heavyweight fight in the company’s 30+ year history.

1 week ago | themaclife.com | John Balfe

Paddy Pimblett has his crosshairs fixed on his next UFC opponent. The Liverpool man, who in April scored a career-best win over the former title challenger Michael Chandler, is seeking a top-five opponent as he plots a course to the UFC lightweight title — and says that Justin Gaethje is his most likely next test, but isn’t ruling out a showdown with longtime rival Ilia Topuria.

1 week ago | themaclife.com | John Balfe

Belal Muhammad says that he only has himself to blame for no longer being the UFC’s welterweight champion. Muhammad was defeated for the first time since January 2019 in the UFC 315 main event earlier this month, losing by clear-cut unanimous decision to Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena, snapping an 11-fight unbeaten streak in the process.